On the city wall, tall and strong soldiers were hammering and banging, working very hard. If you get close, you can even hear some laughter and chatter. The content is roughly about their respective construction progress, what to eat next, and what style of eaves they want...
"... Hahahaha, see if my craftsmanship has improved? Look at the wood I carved, it's smoother than the heads I cut on the battlefield... Where's my dwarf?"
"Have any of you seen my shorty?"
The companion said: "It's being pressed by your butt!"
As soon as the words fell, several people nearby laughed.
In addition to this harmonious scene, from time to time you can see someone among them carrying a two or three meter long piece of wood and jumping from the base of the city wall all the way up to the city wall. There seems to be a flash of light under their feet, and it looks like the martial spirit of a brave warrior.
Dozens or even hundreds of people were building it there, putting together a simple prototype of the city wall and sentry tower that had long been burned down.
The flag on the city wall was also changed to the unfamiliar "Shen".
The city gate that had been damaged before was also closed again, half-opened. The refugees did not dare to move forward, and just found a place to hide. They squatted until their legs were numb, and then they waited for a few common people to come out of the city carrying poles. The bamboo baskets at both ends of the poles were filled with heavy objects, which bent the poles.
At this time, another whistle was heard from the city wall.
The soldiers stopped their work one by one and gathered around the common people one after another. They lined up in an orderly manner, received their steaming dry food and hot soup one by one, and found a place to eat while standing, squatting or sitting.
The aroma of food wafted into their noses through the air.
Gurgle Gurgle—
The internal organs are playing the empty city trick.
With their mouths drooling and their stomachs beginning to ache, some of them bravely came out of their hiding places driven by hunger. As a result, the soldiers didn't look at them, nor did they drive them away or scold them, until they got closer.
"What for?"
A person suddenly appeared from behind.
The thunder-like sound frightened the man so much that he trembled.
He put his hands on his head and tried to bend down and run for his life, but he was grabbed by the collar: "You are sneaking around, are you a spy?"
"Why is Shousheng trying to scare him?" Just as this commoner was shouting "I'm going to die" in his heart, another person came over.
This man was equally unruly. Perhaps it was because he was working too hot, so he took off half of his sleeves and tucked them into his waist, revealing half of his arm.
"Hey, I've been keeping an eye on him for a long time."
The man named "Shousheng" put the man down.
“…Looking at his appearance, he is either a refugee who has drifted here, or a commoner of Ruyao…If you scare him to death, be careful that Shen Jun will cause trouble for you.” Zhao Feng wiped the sweat off his face, put a piece of biscuit into his mouth, and smiled.
When he heard the name "Mr. Shen", the man's attitude changed 180 degrees, and his smile became a little cautious.
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding."
The captured common people: “…”
Although Zhao Feng and the other man spoke with foreign accents and did not sound like locals, the fact that they did not use force against him made this commoner regain some sanity. He looked at the two of them cautiously.
"Where did these two soldiers come from?"
Lu Jue said: "From He Yin."
The common people didn't know where Ha Yin was.
I wanted to ask for clarification but was afraid of angering them.
Seeing his embarrassed and pitiful appearance, Lu Jue knew what he wanted to know, and took the initiative to say, "I am a servant of the governor of He Yin Shen. I followed my master and was transferred to Longwu County by the king's order."
After he said this, the common people understood.
It turns out that the new county magistrate has arrived.
Although people were not optimistic about the fate of the new county magistrate, the common people still felt a little more secure as they were surrounded by two tall and strong men on the left and right, with dozens of people nearby, and secretly hoped to live a few days of peace.
Seeing that he was staring at the pancake in his hand with longing eyes and was so thin that his bones were visible, Lu Jue asked.
"Are you from Ruyao? Do you live in this city?"
The commoner seemed to have been touched on a sore spot, and nodded gloomily: "To answer your question, sir, I live in the west of the city."
However, it is already in ruins.
That group of horse bandits rushed into the city, and that area was the first to be hit. All the property he had built up over the years was gone, and he, his wife, and his two children were the only ones left in his family; the rest were all dead!
Just a few days ago, my wife also died of illness.
The children hid in the ruins of the city, relying on the food that the couple saved from their teeth, and no one knew whether they starved to death.
Thinking of this, the common people feel even more heartbroken!
"You look young, why don't you stay and work? Two pancakes for half a day as wages..." Lu Jue paused and added, "I can pay you for half a day first."
The common people thought they had heard wrongly.
It was not until Lu Jue called people and gave him two pancakes that he woke up from his dream. He could not wait to grab the pancakes and wolfed them down like a hungry ghost. If Lu Jue had not handed him a bowl of warm soup, the pancakes would have stuck in his throat and choked him to death.
Looking at the red eyes of the common people hidden behind the mist, Lu Jue sighed in his heart and said, "The construction site is in urgent need of people. If you know anyone else, you can ask them to come and work together. The wages are the same, regardless of gender."
"Yes, yes, yes. I know a lot of people."
The commoner only ate one and hid the other in his arms, thinking that perhaps the two children were not starving to death and they could share the cake. Thinking of the children's ecstatic eyes, he felt full of strength.
The other refugees also saw this scene, and with the encouragement of their accomplices, they bravely stepped forward and received half a day's "wages" in advance from Lu Jue.
When the pancake with the aroma of food entered my mouth, the tears I had to hold back made my nose sour and my eyes red.
Lu Jue sighed as he watched this scene.
The common people of Longwu at this time were having a much harder time than the common people of Heyin back then, but Lu Jue was even more grateful that they were stronger than he was back then, both in terms of strength and financial resources. Otherwise, looking at this scene, the only word he would feel in his heart was "powerless".
These common people had difficulty even walking, let alone doing heavy work, so Lu Jue only arranged for them to do some light work, such as delivering things and cleaning up small rubble under the city wall.
In the blink of an eye, dusk fell.
The commoner dragged his tired body and carried the biscuits with his body temperature in his arms back to the west of the city. He found that most of the ruins along the way had been cleared out and the foundations were re-divided, which was very different from what he remembered. Soon, he returned to the old house.
To be precise, it is the ruins of an old house.
The hearts of the common people were chilled.
There is no trace of children here anymore.
He was confused and panicked, calling the child's nickname loudly. As he shouted, intense grief and grievance surged into his heart. He fell to the ground, crying loudly, and kept calling "My baby" with tears streaming down his face.
Only after I cried until my voice was hoarse did someone come over.
"Why are you crying?"
The common people slumped on the ground and slapped their thighs.
Wuwawa said: "My baby..."
The man pointed in a direction.
"Don't cry yet. Go to that shelter first and see if your baby is there."
How can the common people have the strength to stand up
In the end, he was carried by this kind-hearted man and limped to the so-called "shelter", where he saw a clean little face. Who else could it be but his daughter
She suddenly experienced extreme sorrow and joy and fainted. It took her a long time to recover and she cried while hugging her two children.
I learned from the two children that when they were about to starve to death, they were rescued and when they woke up they were in a "shelter".
This "shelter" was set up by the new county magistrate.
Specially designed to house homeless people.
Wait until the buildings in the city are completed and then arrange them there.
Upon hearing this, the common people bowed again and again towards the government office, expressing their gratitude to Shen Tang for protecting his only two relatives.
The common people around him did not stop him. It was a life-saving favor, so he could accept any degree of courtesy.
But he was lucky, after all, only a minority. Many more people lost almost all their relatives in that catastrophe, and those who survived died of starvation, freezing, or illness...
at the same time-
Yonggu Pass.
The atmosphere inside the pass was heavy, and the soldiers' clothes were almost useless in keeping out the cold. They were cold and hard, sticking to their bodies like a piece of ice. Even so, they had to patrol with all their might, not daring to slack off in the slightest...
The only time I can relax is when it’s my shift change.
Hiding in a damaged military tent.
It was cold in the tent, but at least it was better than outside.
When a group of comrades get together, there is a warm atmosphere.
At this time, someone's stomach rumbled.
Gurgle Gurgle
The soldiers all looked worried.
In the past month, the food we received has become less and less, the corn porridge has become thinner, the military pay has not been delivered in time, and even the warm clothes have been difficult to distribute. Some brothers could not bear it and sneaked away, while the rest are still enduring.
"... Alas, this damned Shiwu..."
Someone cursed.
Everyone agreed in their hearts.
Can you—
If it weren't for the mischief of the Shiwu grandsons, they wouldn't be facing the current situation. The grandsons seemed to see through their predicament, and would run to the pass every now and then to show off their power or make a feint attack, which frightened them so much that they dared not slack off on their guard all night.
After all this time, I can’t stand it anymore.
Coupled with the lack of resources in all aspects...
They don't know how long they can hold on.
But you have to hold on even if you can't.
If Yonggu Pass is lost, the grandsons of Shiwu will be able to march straight in. How can the shaky border barrier stop them? By then, it will not only be Longwu who will suffer.
Just when they were gnashing their teeth in hatred, a cry of ecstasy came from outside the tent, startling everyone and making them stand up.
"Food is coming!"
"The rations have arrived!"
I thought it was hallucination, but when I left the camp, I realized it was true. Two thousand shi of grain and grass were delivered. The chief clerk of the army rushed over after hearing the news, opened a few bags of grain and saw that it was indeed grain. The grains were full and lay in his palm, giving off a unique fragrance.
"Open the others and see!"
Bag after bag, not a single one is adulterated.
Judging from the quality, it should be new grain produced this year, rather than stale grain that has been piled up in the granary for a long time. Good stuff!
Two of the carts contained dried meat and pickles.
“Where were these seized?”
This was the chief clerk’s first thought.
Soon, he was puzzled again. There were not many wheat-growing villages in Longwu County, and 90% of these 2,000 shi were wheat...
The grain transporter shook his head and replied, "They were not captured. They were all sent by the Ruyao government..."
The chief clerk was surprised: "Where is your government?"
Wasn’t that place massacred by horse bandits
They also sent people back for help, but unfortunately it was too late.
The chief clerk asked again, "Are you sure?"
The grain transporter nodded heavily: "I am sure."
As he spoke, he took out a wax-sealed document from his bosom and handed it to the chief clerk with both hands. The chief clerk hurriedly took it, opened it and took a closer look. Inside was a detailed record of each cart of military rations.
Not only were there the food they urgently needed, but also a hundred sets of winter clothes, several hundred arrows and several jars of wine.
Although it is not much, it is written above that the rest will be delivered in batches, and the signature is the prefect of Longwu County -
Shen Tang, Shen Youli.
The chief clerk closed the documents and asked: "When did the new governor of Longwu County come? Who sent these?"
The soldiers transporting grain thought carefully.
"About five days."
The chief clerk's face suddenly turned gloomy.
He had heard that Zheng Qiao had transferred a new prefect to Longwu County, but that was a long time ago and the new prefect had never taken office. He and the general believed that the new prefect was afraid of death and was unwilling to come to Longwu County - it would be best if he didn't come. As Zheng Qiao's lackey, what other abilities could he have besides being a hindrance
Don't let the time come when they are fighting bravely in the front while that guy is secretly flirting with Shi Wumei.
Zheng Qiao's lackeys are really capable of doing this.
The chief clerk had long forgotten about the new county magistrate.
I didn't expect that he would suddenly come out.
At the same time, they also sent two thousand stones of baggage.
The soldiers transporting the grain were very careful, carefully observing the changing expressions of the chief clerk: "Chief clerk... this grain..."
The chief clerk sneered inwardly and said, "Take it."
Who would complain about having too much food
I just don't know what the other party's intentions are.
The garrison at Yonggu Pass was not as large as it was during its heyday, and with the number of deserters increasing, two thousand dan of grain was enough for the remaining soldiers to eat for a while. The chief clerk ordered an extra meal today, so that everyone could have a full meal, and sent a few jars of wine to the general to satisfy his cravings and write another letter.
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