Upon learning this news, He Qi'an was greatly surprised and immediately asked, "What specific internal crisis are you referring to? Are you talking about these refugees?"
Qin Ke Wei nodded and replied, "That's right. The crisis I'm talking about stems from these displaced refugees. I believe you might not be aware that hidden among these over a million refugees are many individuals with malicious intentions. They have infiltrated the ranks of the displaced and are now by your side."
"Do you have any evidence for what you're saying? If you don't have proof, it's best not to speak carelessly!" He Qi'an quickly interrupted the conversation. If this discussion were to get out, it would undoubtedly cause immense chaos among the refugees.
"If I didn't have evidence, I wouldn't be here looking for you. I have a letter here; if you read it, you'll understand everything," Qin Ke Wei said slowly.
After saying this, Qin Ke Wei took out a letter from her person and handed it directly to He Qi'an. He Qi'an accepted it with both hands, opened the letter, and was stunned as he read it carefully.
By the time he finished reading the entire letter, his face was flushed, clearly indicating he was extremely angry. Finally, He Qi'an slammed his hand on the table and cursed, "How dare these scoundrels do such a thing? They're capable of such heinous acts, utterly shameless and incredibly audacious!"
Those around He Qi'an were discussing amongst themselves, having never seen their City Lord so angry. They didn't know what he had read that had caused him to erupt in such fury.
"City Lord, what does this letter say? Can we see it?" everyone became curious at this moment, wondering what kind of content could make their City Lord so enraged.
He Qi'an did not hide the letter and passed it to those around him to read for themselves.
Everyone eagerly took the letter and, after reading it, was also furious. They couldn't believe they were being targeted in such a way. If someone were to fight them head-on, it would be one thing, but these people were resorting to underhanded tactics.
Lu Kaiyang and Qu Zhaoqian also stepped forward to take a look. Upon seeing the contents of the letter, they were also taken aback. The letter contained communications from various surrounding powers. These powers had already planned to prevent Ice City from successfully reclaiming and rebuilding Yan Jing.
Therefore, these powers had united to oppose Ice City. Individually, their strength might not surpass that of Ice City, but their methods were despicable: driving refugees into Yan Jing. Their initial plan was to deplete Ice City's food supplies with a large number of refugees. This was not all; they had a further plan: to hide their own people among the crowds and create chaos at a critical moment, thus instigating unrest in Yan Jing.
The refugees had not been settled for years. With even a slight disturbance, they would scatter like startled birds. The refugees would then storm the city being rebuilt, ultimately leading to the failure of the Yan Jing reconstruction plan.
"These bastards are so petty. They couldn't stand that you achieved such merit, so they're doing everything they can to stop you from rebuilding Yan Jing!" Lu Kaiyang couldn't help but voice his opinion.
"These people are truly scoundrels. When Yan Jing was in danger, they all stood by and did nothing. Now that someone wants to rebuild Yan Jing, they're trying to drag their feet," several others chimed in, grinding their teeth in hatred for the surrounding powers.
Rebuilding Yan Jing was a monumental undertaking. This was once the capital city, and whoever could restore this former capital would undoubtedly gain immense recognition and glory – a great achievement. Envious of such merit, the surrounding powers, unable to accomplish it themselves, began to hinder the process.
"Hold on, if this letter is so important, how did you obtain it?" Qu Zhaoqian suddenly inquired.
"Yes, yes, that's a very important question. If this letter contains such crucial information, you couldn't have gotten it for no reason, could you?" the others also realized that this letter was extremely important and not something ordinary people could access. How had Qin Ke Wei obtained it?
Qin Ke Wei explained, "I couldn't see this letter originally. However, I've been investigating the people in Mount Lüliang recently. For years, I've wanted to kill them, but I haven't had a good opportunity. I couldn't penetrate their illusionary formations. After observing for so long, I finally discovered a piece of information: these people from Mount Lüliang visit Taiyuan once every month, seemingly to receive orders from above."
Everyone listened attentively, eager to know the origin of the letter.
"Two days ago, I infiltrated the residence of the main official in Taiyuan, intending to investigate the background of these people from Mount Lüliang. I hadn't found any information yet, but I ended up finding this letter and learned that you were being targeted. Fearing you wouldn't know about this, I rushed here immediately," Qin Ke Wei explained earnestly.
"With such vital information, if Sister Qin hadn't come to tell us, we might have truly encountered trouble!" He Qi'an said with lingering fear.
As the saying goes, a spear is easy to dodge, but an arrow in the dark is difficult to guard against. Attacks from the shadows are always unexpected and can easily catch one off guard. Just like this time, if Qin Ke Wei hadn't timely provided everyone with crucial information, they would still be in the dark.
"You don't need to be so grateful. I've given you the information now. I'd like to know how you plan to prevent these schemes?" Qin Ke Wei said calmly.
He Qi'an pondered for a moment and then replied, "These people want to create chaos, so our plan is to strictly guard against it and prevent any such situations from occurring. The most direct method is military-style management. Everyone must not act on their own, even when using the restroom. We will supervise each other, and by leveraging the collective strength of the people, we can prevent the chaos."
"Your method is a countermeasure, and it sounds good, but I don't think it will be very effective. It's impossible to be perfect; the enemy will find an opportunity with just one slip-up. When chaos erupts again, the foundation we've painstakingly built could turn to dust," Qin Ke Wei analyzed.
Lu Kaiyang also added, "This method is indeed too passive. Instead of just waiting for others to make a move, it's better to take the initiative, root out these hidden individuals, and eliminate them."
"This matter is not as simple as you imagine. If I want to root out these people, it will be difficult. I need to discern if there are spies among them and find ways to prove their guilt. Once these people are arrested and killed, chaos will inevitably erupt among the masses. Before the enemy can cause trouble, we will be in disarray ourselves," He Qi'an explained earnestly.
"Then are we just going to watch as the enemy makes their move? There will surely be great losses!" an ability user nearby raised their question.
"For now, we can only wait. We must wait for the opponent to make the first move, and then we will have grounds to attack these forces. This is called having a just cause. If we attack them before they have acted, we will not be in the right," He Qi'an explained to his subordinates.
"It seems this is the only way. I just don't know how the eventual chaos will unfold!" Upon learning the City Lord's decision, everyone understood that they had to wait for the enemy to reveal their hand first. They absolutely could not make the first move.
He Qi'an then said to Lu Kaiyang, "Mr. Lu, you may be busy for some time to come. You won't be able to return to Yuzhou anytime soon."
"Of course. After all, we came out to help you fight to clear obstacles. Now that the obstacles have appeared, how can we just leave?" Lu Kaiyang replied with a smile.
Thus, military-style management was implemented in Yan Jing. Everyone had to obey orders and follow instructions, or they would be expelled.
In times of turmoil, military-style management is crucial, as the enemy could infiltrate one's ranks at any moment. With military-style management, even if strangers suddenly appear, they must be reported to their superiors. Any slight disturbance can be immediately known to the higher-ups.
Many people were accustomed to freedom and were not used to military-style management. However, when they learned that disobedience would lead to expulsion, they all became compliant. They knew that only by following the people from Ice City could they survive. Although their freedom was restricted, their future lives would surely improve.
The implementation of military-style management in Yan Jing was something the other powers had not anticipated, but upon reflection, it was understandable. After all, with over a million refugees, if so many people caused trouble, Yan Jing would be destroyed.
Under military-style management, it would not be easy to cause major chaos in Yan Jing. However, the surrounding powers could not simply watch Yan Jing be rebuilt. If they couldn't gain the merit, they would destroy it, otherwise, with the merit of rebuilding Yan Jing, Ice City would solidify its position as the leader of the North.
Now that the arrow was on the string and had to be shot, after careful deliberation, everyone finally devised a better plan. Coincidentally, Qin Ke Wei appeared in Yan Jing City at this time. This woman was once the demoness who destroyed Yan Jing, and countless people held direct grudges against her. Yet, she was now hiding within Yan Jing City.
It was clear that this was an aspect that could be exploited. As long as one could stir up hatred in people's hearts, it would be very easy to create chaos.
The spies hidden among the refugees in Yan Jing immediately began their actions. They first gathered a group of people who had lost their families. Many of them were people who had been forced to flee after Yan Jing was breached. Many of their family members had been eaten by mutated birds or beasts.
Thus, these spies began to say to people, "If the city walls hadn't been torn down back then, none of us would have ended up in this situation. But now, the very culprit from that time is living in the city!"
"Qin Ke Wei, that wicked woman is too detestable. She caused the deaths of countless people, yet she can still appear with a clear conscience, simply because the City Lord of Ice City is her friend."
"We must find a way to drive this woman away, otherwise, Saint He will be deceived. We must also consider the future of Yan Jing."
Many of these refugees had not forgotten the hatred from five or six years ago, and now they were naturally incited. Consequently, resentment erupted, and they began to say things like, "We must kill Qin Ke Wei."
Seeing that their words had taken effect, the spies continued, "There are still many people being deceived at this time. We must spread this news to others, and only by working together can we drive out this demon!"
A group of ignorant people heard this news and nodded in agreement, believing that the news must be widely disseminated at this time.
However, in reality, this was indeed the trouble brought by Qin Ke Wei. In her despair, she had made a grave mistake, which had indeed caused millions of people to become displaced. Now, countless people resented her, which was quite normal.
Thus, over the next few days, whenever the refugees had free time, they would secretly communicate and spread this news. For a time, many people were filled with anger and wanted to kill their enemy at this moment.