Chapter 442: Striving to Achieve the KPI (Twenty-Two) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

There are no tribes nearby.

Gu Chi didn't need to recall the map of the northern frontier defenses to remember the surrounding terrain. This road was specially chosen by them. You should know that the settlement of the Shiwu tribe was conditional. There had to be abundant water sources and rich resources nearby for cattle, sheep and horses to eat, and there had to be a certain natural barrier to resist wild animals or to warn of enemies. But this place nearby was not like that. It was quite barren and remote.

Let alone prey, even water is hard to find.

The likelihood of the Shiwu tribe settling here is low, which also reduces the chance of our army being discovered during our march.

Jiang Sheng guessed, "Could they be refugees?"

Food is a scarce resource, with far more monks than porridge. Just as ordinary people on the mainland lose their homes and land and become refugees, the lower classes in Shiwu will also be driven out of their pastures and become refugees if they lose their livelihood. The former are more likely to become bandits, and the latter are similarly vulnerable.

Gu Chi said, "Most likely."

Shen Tang: "Investigate further, report back."

After the soldiers left, Shen Tang asked the two men, "Can we bypass this valley and take another path?"

Jiang Sheng: "It's not impossible, but if we take a detour, we will inevitably pass through the pastureland of a large tribe, and we will be very easy to be discovered. Even if we are lucky and nothing goes wrong, it will take us a day and a half longer than taking the valley road."

From any perspective, proceeding according to the established plan is the best course of action, unless there is an ambush in the valley. Given the terrain, the enemy may have already discovered their presence.

Gu Chi asked, "Is the lord worried about those people in the valley?"

Shen Tang nodded, a hint of reluctance on her young face. She said, "If we take the valley as our route, we can't let these people hiding there live. Our target is the Ten Crow tribes, and we don't want a group of homeless refugees..."

Despite having wiped out three tribes and taken over ten thousand lives, Shen Tang didn't believe she could take anyone's life without any principles. There was a difference between refugees and enemies. Gu Chi understood her subtle inner conflict.

He laughed and said, "Perhaps they aren't refugees but ambushers."

Shen Tang: "..."

Gu Wangchao, do you have any principles at all?

Gu Chi was innocent. As a subordinate, how could it be called being unprincipled when he "changed his course" according to his lord's wishes?

Shen Tang turned her face away: "...Let's find out the truth first."

It's cringe-worthy that grown men are acting cute towards her.

Before long, the scout falcon returned, bringing with it a furtive-looking spy, who was bound hand and foot and brought before Shen Tang. Before even getting close, the spy said in somewhat broken Mandarin, "Don't tie me up, I'm a law-abiding citizen..."

"Behave yourself, or I'll kill you."

Xu Quan kicked his hind leg without hesitation.

The man bent his knees and fell heavily to his knees.

The dull thud made one's knees ache slightly.

Gu Chi overheard the man muttering to himself, "This woman is incredibly beautiful, and incredibly ruthless."

Interspersed throughout were comments on Xu Quan's physique.

Gu Chi: "..."

Hehehe, luckily I didn't say that out loud, otherwise, given Xu Quan's temper, he would have twisted this guy's head off with his bare hands.

Xu Quan sneered, "Lying around suspiciously near our camp, how does that make you a law-abiding citizen?"

The man shrank his neck.

He rolled his eyes around, observing his surroundings.

Shen Tang said, "Wang Chao, thank you for your trouble."

Gu Chi cupped his hands and said, "Yes."

The man who was arrested was puzzled. He watched Gu Chi step forward, then lost consciousness. But he regained consciousness the next moment and only saw Gu Chi turn around and return to his original position. Having traveled all over the country for many years and seen a lot, he vaguely guessed what was going on.

This young man, looking like he has kidney deficiency and is completely drained, must be Wenxin Wenshi...

I was just interrogated and asked to give my answer.

Thinking of this, he felt that Gu Chi's gaze upon him was like two cold, sharp arrows, and a chill ran down his spine.

Gu Chi whispered to Shen Tang for a long time.

The guy who got caught wasn't really a big fish; he was just a pawn sent out by a group of refugees in the valley to gather information.

His profession was that of a traveling merchant who specialized in smuggling and reselling. He had heard that although the job was risky, the rewards were equally substantial.

To make a living for his family, he took the risk.

When I first started in this line of work, I stumbled and fell a lot, and I was lucky to escape with my life several times.

As he did more business, he established relationships with several tribes, both large and small. In addition, he was adept at interpersonal relationships and willing to spend money to maintain these relationships. As a result, his business grew bigger and bigger, and he accumulated a fortune, becoming one of the wealthiest people in the area.

But if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

More than half a year ago, taking advantage of the chaos in Geng Kingdom, he bought a large quantity of goods from illegal salt merchants, intending to smuggle them to Shiwu. He came with boxes of salt blocks, and left with boxes of gold and silver ore, but his joy turned to sorrow.

He was robbed by refugees in Shiwu.

They've been trapped in the valley for over a month.

They are discriminated against and beaten every day.

He was assigned the dirtiest and most tiring jobs.

Today, the valley watchtower discovered traces of Shen Tang's group. Unsure whether they were another group of refugees or elite troops sent to annihilate them, they dispatched a few unfortunate souls, including the captured merchant. He used to weigh more than he was tall, but after enduring so much hardship, he had become several sizes thinner, his triple chin reduced to a pitiful double. He was disheveled and utterly wretched.

Shen Tang asked, "Are you smuggling salt?"

The salt merchant knew he was just an ordinary person. Once targeted by the literati, they would know not only his identity and background, but also what color of trousers he liked to wear.

If you lie, you could end up losing your head.

He could only nod honestly: "I traveled the road through Longwu County and the western border of Shiwu... but I just honestly sold salt, I absolutely did not trade armor or weapons, I, I dare not."

Smuggling salt is a serious crime, but less serious than buying and selling armor.

Why the Western Region of Shiwu?

The salt merchant said, "The western border is a remote place, the roads are difficult to travel, and there are even more dangers. A box of salt can be worth twice as much there."

You can earn a lot more by making one trip.

Shen Tang then asked, "How much do you know about the valley?"

Even the salt vendors dared not embellish the story.

As initially suspected, the thousand or so people in the valley were all refugees from the Ten Crows, people with mortal feuds with various tribes. Coupled with the blockade by nearby tribes, their lives became increasingly impoverished, and every few days, several of them, weak and frail, would starve to death.

There are at most a hundred able-bodied men who can form a fighting force.

"Of the thousand-strong displaced population, only a hundred or so were able-bodied men?"

Shen Tang questioned this ratio.

The salt vendor sighed, "That's all we have left to eat."

There was nothing left to eat, so they could only eat a little bit, just like the elderly, weak, women and children, just to keep themselves from starving.

Salt merchants, being the lowest-ranking prisoners, fared even worse.

Each day, he only eats a few mouthfuls of spoiled, hard, and unrecognizable food, and a little murky water. He's only alive now because of the fat he accumulated over the years. In another month or two, he'll either be skin and bones or die at the age of forty-five.

He's been arrested now...

They may only have a few incense sticks' worth of life left.

Who knew—

"You said these people in the valley deeply hate the other tribes of Shiwu?" The beautiful young man sitting at the head of the table pondered for a moment, his gaze sharp and mature beyond his years: "How much do they hate them? Do they hate them to the point of wiping out their entire families and willingly letting them be driven and forced to serve?"

(*▽*)

June 22nd, sunny.

This book by Shiitake Mushroom has a tenth leader.

Thank you for not being here, my dear poster. (heart emoji) Love you!

(End of this chapter)