The hearts of the people, though unseen and untouchable, can be felt. Zhou Qi sensed the acceptance, even welcome and affection, from the Jiangnan commoners towards the Zhao Family Army after they crossed the Yangtze River.
This was something the group of King Langya did not experience when they arrived in Jiangnan.
Two years after Sima Rui moved south, most local aristocratic families had accepted him, but the general populace felt indifferent and even harbored resistance and dislike.
Zhou Qi understood why; many people's businesses improved with the massive migration from the north, so they welcomed these people. But more discovered that since the Northerners migrated south, their lands were diminishing, their labor increased, yet their profits did not grow.
Moreover, Wang Dun and Sima Rui recruited a large number of soldiers in Jiangnan this year to prepare for resistance against Jiangbei forces.
In some places, where they couldn't recruit, they directly imposed conscription.
