Chapter 114 Battlefield Encounter
April was the busy farming season. As Sui Yu had guessed, the government arranged for the garrison guarding the city to drive oxen into the fields in batches to plow the land. Volunteers from each village responded to the call, and families with large populations each sent one or two men to help with farming.
The prostitutes in the brothel, the little slaves left behind to reclaim the wasteland, and the laborers who built the beacon towers, all rushed to the fields in groups, regardless of age, some carrying loads, some holding the plow, sowing seeds and beans, busy for the spring sowing.
In vast fields of crops, moist soil was turned up by iron plows. Young slaves followed the oxen, wielding wooden clubs to break up the clumps of earth. Families with few members would be assigned one or two prostitutes, who would work alongside the women of the military households, sowing seeds and turning the soil with wooden rakes.
The Sui Yu family was given a camp prostitute and two young male slaves. Perhaps the supervisor had arranged for someone to investigate and found out that these three people had no relationship with the Sui Yu clan.
The camp prostitutes were lifeless, and the two skinny children had lost none of their childishness; their small bodies seemed to hold the souls of dying elders. They were indifferent and calm, seemingly tireless as they plowed, walking barefoot across furrow after furrow, not taking breaks for water or urination, enduring more hardships than the oxen pulling the plow.
The shop was closed for spring planting, and Sui Yu went to work in the fields. Zhao Xiaomi stayed home to cook, and meals were delivered to the fields at mealtime. This time, the slaves came to help with the work, and each family was responsible for their food and drink.
At noon, the garrison said goodbye to Sui Yu and left. Seeing this, the male slaves led the oxen to graze, and the remaining male slave and the camp prostitute continued to busy themselves with beating the stubble and sowing wheat seeds.
Sui Yu took a look and then she also pulled the wooden rake to continue turning the soil, so that she could finish the work earlier and open the shop to make money.
Zhao Xiaomi came over carrying two buckets. She stood on the ridge and called out, "Third sister-in-law, it's time to eat."
"It's time to eat. Stop what you are doing." Sui Yu said to the other three.
The four people got up from the field, and Zhao Xiaomi served them rice. Each person had a bowl of millet rice, and the dish was sauerkraut stewed with pig's blood, plus a braised egg, and half a bucket of shepherd's purse and tofu soup.
The camp prostitute took the bowl and walked away with the two male slaves, sitting on the other ridge and eating with big mouthfuls of rice. They could hardly eat oily dishes once a year, and they never touched meat. They picked at the braised egg in the bowl again and again, but couldn't bear to take a bite.
Sui Yu glanced over from time to time, then turned to Zhao Xiaomi and said, "Buy two more bowls of pig's blood tomorrow, two braised eggs for each person, and use more oil when cooking."
Zhao Xiaomi nodded. She poked the rice grains and said sympathetically, "They are so pitiful. When I handed the bowl to them just now, I found that one of the kids actually had white hair."
Sui Yu looked over, but she didn't notice.
Sui Liang ran over. He was now responsible for looking after the pigs, sheep, and camels. He cut grass in the morning and sent the pigs, sheep, and camels back in the afternoon before working in the fields.
Zhao Xiaomi served him some rice, and when she raised her hand, she pinched him lightly and whispered, "You're almost like them."
Sui Liang lowered his head and said nothing.
Sui Yu turned her head and looked over. The one adult and two children opposite her were in a different situation than she and Sui Liang.
A large bowl of dry rice was quickly eaten by a male slave who was shorter than Sui Liang. They brought their bowls over with braised eggs to get some soup. Seeing Sui Liang eating slowly, the white-haired male slave said hoarsely, "Young Master, are you full? Give me the leftovers."
Sui Liang looked at him in a daze, and he handed the bowl over.
The male slave quickly grabbed the bowl, fearing that others would stop him. He quickly raised his hand and grabbed two pieces of pig's blood from the bowl and stuffed them into his mouth.
"Don't hold on, we'll have the same meal tomorrow." Sui Yu said.
"No, no," the child, whose age was unknown, mumbled. He forced a laugh uglier than crying and said flatteringly, "Madam, you are a good person. Thank you for your mercy."
Sui Yu felt bitter in her heart. What the hell was this world? She was choked and couldn't speak.
The sound of hurried footsteps was heard at the edge of the field. It was Tong Huaer walking hurriedly. She looked around anxiously, looking at the male slaves standing or sitting in the field, her eyes full of uncertainty.
"Brother Tong?" she called tentatively.
The two male slaves remained silent.
"Do you know Sui Song? His nickname is Tong Ge'er." Tong Huaer asked.
The two male slaves shook their heads.
Tong Huaer was disappointed. She looked at Sui Yu and quickly went to the next field to look for someone.
"You go back and help ask around. If you find someone, tell him..." Sui Yu looked up and saw vast fields of crops and no landmarks. How could a child with limited mobility find him?
"Forget it, it's okay." Sui Yu changed his tone, "Just pretend I didn't say anything."
Let Tong Huaer ask one by one.
The two male slaves shared Sui Liang's bowl of rice. After finishing, they looked at Sui Yu with nervous eyes, and tentatively took the spoon. Seeing that her expression did not change, they happily held the soup bucket to scoop out tofu. They were reluctant to stop even though they were about to vomit.
Zhao Xiaomi snatched the spoon away, picked up the shoulder pole and carried away the two buckets. If she was any later, she was worried that the two children would die of starvation in the field.
The supervisor's whistle sounded in the distance, and the two male slaves were startled. One of them quickly went to lead the grazing cow, and the other picked up a wooden stick, then buried his head in pounding the hard earth, and returned to his previous appearance, like two pieces of wood who only knew how to work.
The camp prostitute silently picked up the basket and continued to sow wheat seeds.
Sui Yu and Sui Liang also got up and started working.
Although there were many people scattered across the vast farmland, their voices were not as loud as the wind. Apart from the sounds of the stationed soldiers and conscripts driving cattle, there was no other sound. This year's vibrant spring was filled with a dead and depressing feeling.
From April to May, the weeds on the fields grew almost knee-high before Sui Yu's family sowed all the forty acres of land. The wheat that was planted first had already sprouted, and the soybean seeds in the lower reaches of the river were just being sown.
After finishing their farm work, the camp prostitutes and male slaves evacuated in groups, disappearing quickly and silently, and no trace of them could be found in this crowded city.
The food shop that had been closed for a month reopened. Lao Tu came over to eat and said, "You closed the shop during the busiest month for business travel. How much business did you miss out on? How much money did you lose?"
"That can't be helped. I can't just give up on the farm work." Sui Yu sat in front of the stove, lighting a fire, and asked, "Any news from the front?"
"I didn't hear anything. I don't know what's going on."
Sui Yu: "The big merchants haven't returned yet. We'll have news when they come back."
"No, I mean there's been no activity on the battlefield." The old bald man sipped his noodle soup and said, "Although the big caravan hasn't returned yet, the small caravans are traveling west, so we can always get some news. Last month they said the battle had started, but this month there's been no activity. There should be some news whether it's a victory or a defeat, right? That's why I say it's strange."
As they were talking, a group of tired-looking merchants walked in. Sui Yu judged from their clothes that they were merchants who had just arrived in the city. She asked loudly, "What would you like to eat, guests? We have steamed buns, braised soup noodles, and flatbreads stuffed with eggs and pickled cabbage."
"I want them all. Just take them if you like. Hurry up, I'm starving." said the leading man.
Sui Yu pinched a handful of rolled noodles and threw them into the pot, then counted out one hundred and twenty dumplings and poured them into the boiling water.
Zhao Xiaomi brought over a basket of buns and a dish of vinegar. These merchants were hot-tempered and had blunt tongues, so they liked to dip everything they ate in vinegar.
"Where are you guys from? Have you found a place to live?" asked the bald old man.
"Coming from Yumen Pass, I came here to fill my stomach as soon as I landed."
Hearing this, the old bald man pointed to the next room and said, "I still have ten rooms left. There are dormitories and private rooms. Brothers, stay with me. You can go out and eat, which is convenient."
Sui Yu brought over two bowls of braised noodle soup and asked, "How's the war going in the west?"
"I don't know which scoundrel leaked the news, but the Xiongnu army fled before our army arrived, leaving us empty-handed." The older merchant spoke up. He sighed and said, "If they've fled, don't come back. They're disturbing us."
The old bald man shouted and clapped his hands, saying, "This is good news. The Xiongnu have escaped. Our men have suffered a lot, but they can return safely."
"You are right." The merchant nodded.
When the braised soup noodles and flatbreads were served, the merchants buried their heads in their food and stopped talking.
The old bald man sat for a while, and when they had almost finished eating, he asked, "Is this news accurate? If it is, I will tell everyone."
"The news from the Hu merchants coming from the west should be pretty accurate." The older merchant waved at Sui Yu, "Boss, do you have any garlic? Give me a few cloves."
"The garlic sprouts have already grown, where's the garlic left?" Sui Yu walked to the corner and rummaged through the cloves. "There are still a few cloves that have sprouted. Do you still want to eat them?"
"Give it to me."
Sui Yu sent it over and asked, "Uncle, do you know who the general leading the troops is?"
"That's not clear. Wait a little longer. News will arrive in a few days." The merchant looked up at her, sizing her up and saying frivolously, "Do you admire the general leading the troops? Or is he an old acquaintance?"
Sui Yu realized he had misunderstood. She suppressed her smile, retreated behind the stove, and said, "My husband followed Captain Chang on the Western Expedition. I don't know which army he is with."
The merchant changed his previous frivolous attitude and said seriously, "I am guilty of offending you. Little sister, just wait a few more days and you will get the news."
When settling the bill, the merchant gave an extra handful of copper coins as an apology.
As the merchants had said, with the arrival of the Hu merchants, news of the battlefield quickly spread to every household. Sui Yu opened her business, hearing fresh news from her customers every day. She also learned that the general leading our troops was not named Chang, and that the troops dispatched this time included not only our dynasty but also the Wusun army.
At this time, the Han army, which had failed to gain an advantage, was turning back along the same route, while the 50,000-strong Wusun army, led by Captain Chang, took a detour to the north and, after marching for half a month, caught up with the Xiongnu army that had broken camp and fled.
Under the clear sky, the sound of fighting was deafening. The Wusun army cut off the Xiongnu's retreat route. The Xiongnu cavalry fought hard, trying to break through the encirclement and break out.
Zhao Xiping stood on a camel, blending in with the Wusun cavalry, clad in armor and armed with a crossbow, shooting down the ferocious-looking Xiongnu cavalry. Men fell around him, the barren sand stained with blood, their cries of despair drowned out by the clashing of weapons. The camel, irritated by the sweet smell of blood, lost its pace, its hind legs kicking wildly, and it would kick anyone who approached, its sharp teeth tearing at the approaching horses.
Zhao Xiping pulled the reins tight, took the time to whistle, and tapped the camel's belly with his knee. However, the camel was out of control. The usually docile camel no longer obeyed orders and ran around recklessly.
Zhao Xiping hurriedly observed the situation, ducking down against the camel's hump to avoid the incoming saber. Looking up, he saw a Han Chinese face, slashed and bloody. The ruthlessness in his eyes startled him. Without time to think, he hooked his foot on the reins, twisted around, and drew his crossbow. The next moment, the Xiongnu, now slumped over Sui Wen'an, was struck by an arrow in the back. His blade lost its force and fell to the ground.
Sui Wen'an threw the person on him over, dropped the broken kitchen knife in his hand, picked up the fallen saber, and rushed towards the direction where the military flag was waving.
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