It was a cold winter. Snow fell in the north.
Aided by the money and food Jiang Pengji had provided, An Cui's mission of bringing members of the Red Lotus Group over to his side was going very smoothly.
An Cui was a smart man. He didn't let his guard down around even the lower-ranking members of the Red Lotus Group. He didn't pick out anyone whose position was prominent. Instead, he chose only those who would be of use but also be inconspicuous and relatively reliable. Soon, he had swayed hundreds of people.
Meanwhile, Jiang Pengji focused on three tasks for the winter.
Recruiting talent, recruiting troops, and the training of troops.
The first task was left to Feng Jin and Wei Ci. The former was familiar with the situation in Shangyang County, whereas the latter had a structured and organized working style and was cunning enough to succeed.
With those two cooperating, Jiang Pengji was not worried about talent rising to take the bait.