Seeing that the effect of making an example of someone had been achieved, Lü Tu shouted, "Everyone, line up in an orderly fashion to eat!"

"Thank you, sir!"

An hour later, all the refugees had eaten their fill and were sitting weakly on the ground. Lu Tu knew that most of them had fainted from the coal dust.

After not eating for a long time, it's no wonder that people feel nauseous from eating so much staple food all of a sudden.

Lu Tu didn't indulge them. If they fell asleep at this time, many of them would not be able to endure the freezing weather.

He shouted sternly, "Get up, all of you, and go back to the village!"

Although everyone was unwilling, they dared not show it in the slightest and all obediently followed to the training ground.

Those refugees who previously lived in the shacks at the drill ground have now built thatched huts not far away. Although they are simple, they are at least shelters from the wind and rain.

The refugees who came this time were clearly not expected that Lü Tu had actually prepared accommodations for them in advance. Without Lü Tu's orders, they consciously walked into more than a dozen shacks and squatted down one by one.

They all stared expectantly at Lü Tu, seemingly awaiting his further orders.

Nie Yun whispered to Lü Tu, "Brother, I'm afraid these people won't be able to work today."

Lu Tu nodded slightly: "Send some people to keep an eye on them, let them rest for half a day, and start working this afternoon."

"Is food provided for dinner?"

"No! Being too good to them might not be a good thing. They might not even get a meal a day elsewhere."

Lu Tu addressed the refugees in a loud voice: "From today onwards, you will live here and begin work at noon!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. They had thought that Lu Tu would make them work after eating, but they didn't expect him to give them half a day off.

"Thank you, sir."

After leaving the group of refugees, Lü Tu bumped into the little girl Chen Huahua. The little girl had bandages wrapped around her hands, and she was very happy to see Lü Tu. She smiled and waved at him, saying, "Brother Lü Tu!"

Lu Tu dismounted and rubbed Hua Hua's head: "Does your hand still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore. Sister Xiaoyu bandaged it for me the other day. It's just that I haven't been able to write these past few days."

Lu Tu laughed and said, "Then you can write with your left hand. Look, I can write with my left hand." As he spoke, Lu Tu used his finger to write the two characters "花花" (huahua, meaning flower) on the ground.

Do you know each other?

Chen Huahua squatted down in surprise and exclaimed, "Brother Lü Tu, your handwriting is so good! Even better than Mr. Dong's!"

Lu Tu deliberately put on a stern face: "You are not allowed to talk about Mr. Dong like that. Mr. Dong taught you to read and write without charging you a single penny. You must respect him, you know?"

Chen Huahua's face flushed red: "I know I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Lu Tu patted her little head: "Go study."

"Brother Lü Tu, this is for you!" Chen Huahua took a handful of small yellow wildflowers from the basket behind her and stuffed them into Lü Tu's hand.

"Thank you, Flower."

Watching the little girl skip away, Lü Tu picked up a wildflower and smelled it; it had no scent.

On this barren land, the people who have lived for generations are like these wildflowers—they have no fragrance, but their vitality is exceptionally strong.

"My lord, my lord, something has happened!" Xiao Zhong's voice came from afar. His trouser legs, shoes, and socks were now covered in wet mud, making him look extremely disheveled.

Lu Tu felt a bad premonition. Xiao Zhong was usually quite composed, so why was he so reckless today?

She stepped forward and helped him up: "What's wrong, Mr. Xiao?"

"Sir, come with me quickly, I'll tell you on the way!"

Lu Tu mounted his horse, pulled Xiao Zhong onto it as well, and galloped off in the direction Xiao Zhong had indicated.

Before Xiao Zhonghao could catch his breath, he said urgently, "Sir, didn't you ask me to dig an irrigation canal to bring water from Xisha Lake to irrigate the farmland? I saw a few days ago that you have several hundred more acres of farmland, so I extended the irrigation canal."

But today a mistake has occurred. A few reckless laborers, after drinking and making a bet, have dared to breach the dike. Now the lake water has uncontrollably surged forth, creating a vast expanse of water!

Upon hearing this, Lü Tu's heart sank: "Outrageous! How dare they be so audacious as to gamble with the Xisha Lake dike? I think they've had enough of their comfortable lives!"

With spring planting just around the corner, this huge incident could disrupt the clearing and sowing of the fields and affect the harvest. This is a red line that Lu Tu absolutely cannot allow to be crossed!

He patted Little Black's bottom, seemingly sensing the urgency of the situation. Little Black ran like the wind and soon saw the approaching lake water.

Many of the villagers who were digging stood there with their hands on their hips, helplessly watching the water rise.

Lu Tu shouted sternly, "Everyone, get me sacks and fill them with sand right now!"

The northern frontier has little in many things, but fortunately, sand is plentiful; you can find sand just by digging a few meters down.

Upon hearing Lü Tu's voice, everyone realized what was happening and quickly did as he instructed.

At this moment, Liu Hong and the others arrived. Looking at the chaos before them, he asked Lü Tu, "Sir, what should we do next?"

Lu Tu pointed to the ever-growing dike at Xisha Lake in the distance: "Block it!"

Liu Hong and the others exchanged glances, knowing full well how difficult this task was, but they could only nod and say, "Yes, sir! Brothers, follow me!"

Lu Tu could see their reluctance, but this was something that had to be done. If the dike was allowed to continue flowing like this, probably half of the water in Xisha Lake would disappear in less than a day.

Water is a very important resource in Wuchuan. The reason why several nearby villages have groundwater and can drill wells is largely due to their proximity to Xisha Lake.

This is the foundation of Lü Tu's livelihood; no matter the cost, he must ensure that this water is not lost.

Soon, Liu Hong and the others rode back to the village warehouse, retrieved all the sacks that had previously held grain and fodder, and handed them over to the villagers and soldiers to begin filling them with sand.

The three villagers had been brought before Lü Tu. Xiao Zhong kicked them in the knees and shouted, "Kneel down! You three sinners!"

The three of them knelt down on the muddy ground with a thud, feeling the water that had seeped out because of their mistake soaking their lower bodies.

The three men were so frightened that they couldn't utter a complete sentence; their teeth were chattering: "M-Master, we...we know we were wrong."

Lu Tu coldly swept his gaze over the group, one of whom was Zhao You, a fellow villager of Lu Tu: "Zhao You, tell me, where did you get this wine from?"

Zhao You glanced at the other two, trembling, and said, "I bought it."

"Where did you get the money to buy alcohol? Your two kids are starving, barely getting enough to eat, and you still have money to buy alcohol?"

"I...I exchanged the millet I earned from working for some money to buy wine..."

Zhao You stepped forward and excitedly hugged Lü Tu's leg, pleading, "Lord Lü, I know I was wrong. Please spare my life, considering we grew up together. I still have two children waiting for me to raise."

Lu Tu kicked him ten feet away and looked at the other two: "Who suggested the bet?"

Another person stammered and raised their hand: "It's me..."

Lu Tu looked at Liu Hong beside him: "Execute him!"