A strange thing happened outside Jiangbei City today.
For some unknown reason, the city's garrison captured many of the poisonous insects that were considered divine punishments in the river.
This is not the most surprising thing. What is the most surprising thing is that after the city guards captured those Heavenly Punishment Poisonous Insects, they did not kill them directly, but carefully cleaned them.
Then they set up several large pots outside the city gate and started a fire to boil the cleaned Heavenly Punishment Poisonous Insects.
This action by the city's defenders sparked much discussion among the displaced people who were observing from the shadows.
"What are these city guards doing? Why are they boiling poisonous insects that are supposed to be punished by heaven?"
"Who knows? Could they be researching a way to completely eradicate these Heavenly Punishment Poisonous Insects?"
"If only that were the case, we could go into the river and catch some fish to eat if these poisonous insects were dealt with."
"Don't be naive, these things reproduce incredibly fast, there's no way we can kill them all!"
Amid the murmurs of the refugees, a strange aroma slowly wafted through the air, making the already starving refugees drool.
"Gulp~ What is that? Why does it smell so good?"
"Yes, it smells like the odor coming from the pots where they boil the Heavenly Punishment Poisonous Insects."
"It really does smell like it's coming from the city's garrison."
"How is this possible? How can poisonous insects smell so good?"
"Quick, look! Look what those city guards are doing!"
As one person exclaimed, the refugees all turned their gazes back towards the direction of the city's garrison.
As a result, the city's garrison soldiers were seen taking basins, filling them with boiled Heavenly Punishment Poisonous Insects, and then sitting in groups of three or five, peeling off the insects' shells and eating them.
"What are they doing? Don't they want to live anymore?"
"Wasn't Jiangbei City supposed to be very prosperous? Why are these garrison soldiers so hungry that they're eating poisonous insects?"
"It's over. Jiangbei City is definitely doomed. There's probably no food left in the city. Could these garrison soldiers have reached a dead end and want to die with a full stomach?"
"Wasn't General Shen of Jiangbei City supposed to be very powerful? How come he couldn't hold out for so long?"
The defending soldiers were actually no more calm than the displaced people.
However, military orders cannot be disobeyed, and since their leader had eaten first, they were even less able to refuse.
They used the simplest method to cook crayfish, just some ginger, scallions, and garlic to remove the fishy smell, and salt to enhance the flavor. They didn't cook it like Yanxiao did, which was full of color, aroma, and taste.
Even so, they were still momentarily amazed when they tasted the shrimp.
In today's difficult economic climate, although they follow Shen Muzhi and don't go hungry, they rarely see meat. This meal is a pleasant surprise.
Besides, there's plenty of this stuff out there, so I can get it again if I want to eat it later.
Just as they were enjoying their meal, their leader called a halt, indicating that they could stop.
They looked at the remaining half of the crayfish, somewhat puzzled, and then heard the leader say:
"The rest will be useful. If you want to eat it later, there will be plenty of opportunities. Everyone go back to your posts, just leave one team behind."
The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this, and although they did not understand, they all retreated as instructed.
After everyone left, the leader led the remaining group toward the refugees who were secretly observing them from a distance.
The refugees who noticed the unusual movements of the city's garrison were all startled.
"Why are those city guards heading towards us?"
"I don't know. Could it be that there are still Miao people we haven't caught?"
"Meeting these soldiers is never a good thing, I'm leaving now."
Just as the refugees were hesitating about whether to flee, the city's garrison suddenly stopped and kept a distance from them.
Then the leader shouted loudly:
"Fellow villagers, you have seen what our garrison just ate."
We have received General Shen's order to set up a stove and demonstrate for you that this so-called divinely punished poisonous insect is nothing but a rumor. It is not poisonous at all; in fact, it is a rare delicacy.
The general has ordered that a collection point will be set up at the city gate in two days. Any vagrants who catch this insect may come here to sell it; as long as it is alive, the price will be 20 coins per pound.
"What? 20 coins a pound?"
"Really? That's almost the price of a large portion of pork."
"Really? If we can really sell them for money, then we can buy food, right?"
“Yes, 20 coins! That’s enough to buy four or five pounds of brown rice and coarse flour. It’ll be enough for my son to eat for a long time. My son is saved!”
The refugees who were about to run away stopped in their tracks upon hearing this, looking at the person who had spoken with disbelief, as if to make sure they hadn't misheard.
The leader, after shouting once, shouted a second time, and a third time without stopping, only continuing after making sure everyone could hear him clearly:
"This insect is edible. It was discovered by the general's wife during her escape and she named it 'little crayfish'."
I am telling you now because the general's wife is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see more people starve to death. She wants to give you all a way to survive.
There are still quite a few cooked crayfish left below the city gate. Anyone who is interested and has the courage can come with us to taste them for free.
We will then share the methods for processing and cooking crayfish with everyone free of charge.
The man repeated the same words three times, and although the number of onlookers increased, no one dared to actually approach.
Even so, the leader remained calm.
After standing there for a while and no one stepped forward, he made a gesture as if to turn around and leave, saying loudly as he did so:
"Since no one dares to try such a rare opportunity, we can't blame others."
"Sir, wait a moment."
The instant his voice fell, a ragged man suddenly emerged from the crowd of refugees:
"Sir, I'm willing to go with you and give it a try."
Once the first one appeared, a second, a third, a fourth...
"Sir, I believe General Shen would not harm us, and I am willing to go and give it a try."
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that although these people were dressed in tattered clothes, they were in good spirits and did not look like refugees who had been starving for a long time.
But the refugees had no interest in paying attention to any of this.
After they discovered that someone actually dared to go, those who were initially hesitant to go seemed to have gained courage and stepped forward to express their willingness to try as well.
Even though quite a few people came out, they were only a small portion of the onlookers; most people remained on the sidelines.
But that's enough.
The leader nodded, signaling the others to follow him to the foot of the city wall, while the few who had stepped forward first took the lead.
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