Chapter 165, exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City: Is there something wrong with these people...?
Inside the tent, besides Lu Xuan, there was also the village chief Li Tie, who had come in person, Old Master Zhang, who had come to see Huo Tiankuo because of his reputation, and Ge Yuan.
The village chief and Old Master Zhang stood up excitedly, "General Huo!"
Even the usually calm and collected Ge Yuan was unusually excited and gave Huo Tiankuo a military salute, "Greetings, General!"
Huo Tiankuo was quite surprised to see Ge Yuan. "You are... Ge Yuan? What are you doing here?"
Ge Yuan said, "We are from the same village."
Grandpa Zhang looked at Ge Yuan in surprise, "You know General Huo? Could it be that you served in the Huo family army back then?"
Ge Yuan shook his head: "We were only rescued by General Huo when our camp was attacked by enemy troops."
He was almost killed by the enemy at the time. If Huo Tiankuo hadn't arrived in time to save him, he wouldn't have just been left with a scar on his face.
He was surprised that General Huo still remembered him, and his expression became even more moved.
Huo Tiankuo said to Ge Yuan with satisfaction, "It seems you're doing well after retiring from the army, but I..."
Huo Tiankuo sighed and solemnly thanked Lu Xuan and village chief Li Tie, saying, "Thank you all for your willingness to lend a helping hand. If it weren't for you, the wounded soldiers and seriously ill disaster victims in my army would probably not have been able to escape death."
Li Tie hurriedly said, "General Huo, you flatter me. You are protecting our people from foreign invasion and safeguarding the peace of the border. You are only facing difficulties for the time being. It is only right that we, the people who have been protected, do what we can to help."
Huo Tiankuo shook his head and said, "Nothing is a given. In this world, everyone is struggling to survive. I am deeply grateful for the kindness of you in providing so many precious medicines and supplies."
Along the way, he saw many beasts who had lost their humanity in the chaos of war, as well as many pitiful people who abandoned their dignity for a bite to eat, and local tyrants who bullied and oppressed the people by hoarding large amounts of supplies.
There is only one village like Yunlu, where people of ordinary backgrounds are willing to give a large amount of resources to unrelated people.
Li Tie said, "You're too kind, we—"
"Village Chief, let General Huo sit down and talk," Lu Xuan interrupted them, reminding them.
Li Tie suddenly realized: "Yes, yes, General Huo, let's sit down and talk about it slowly."
As he spoke, he even took out the top-quality tea he had found in Yangshan County to entertain Huo Tiankuo.
Seeing that they even had precious resources like tea, Huo Tiankuo was even more impressed by their wealth.
The village chief didn't continue the previous topic, but asked curiously, "General Huo, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the Northwest?"
Could they have fled from the northwest?
General Huo has left. What will happen to the northwest border? Will those barbarians from beyond the pass march straight in?
Huo Tiankuo looked somewhat hesitant.
Military matters shouldn't be discussed with ordinary people, but considering the state of the world these days, and the fact that the other party had just saved his life, he decided to be honest after a moment's thought.
“A month before the major earthquake, the Southwest General’s old illness relapsed, and I was sent to the Southwest to temporarily take over his duties. But then came another earthquake and another natural disaster, and I never had the chance to return to the Northwest.”
Huo Tiankuo said, "The barbarians outside the Southwest Pass all died in the earthquake, and the border town was also severely damaged. In order to find a way for the people of the border town to survive, I led my personal guards and the surviving people all the way south, hoping to find a suitable place for the disaster victims to settle down, and then find a way to return to the Northwest."
Unfortunately, after nearly half a year of searching, they still couldn't find a place to settle down, and the team suffered heavy losses.
Ge Yuan couldn't help but ask, "General, have you been in contact with the higher-ups since the earthquake? Is there any news from the capital? Have the higher-ups implemented any disaster relief measures?"
When Li Tie and Old Master Zhang heard this question, they couldn't help but prick up their ears.
They wanted to know not only whether the imperial court had taken any measures, but also whether the imperial court still existed.
Huo Tiankuo paused for a moment before sighing, "I did send a messenger hawk raised in the army to deliver a message, but I learned that... half of the capital collapsed in the earthquake, and many parts of the palace were also damaged. The Emperor unfortunately passed away at the epicenter."
Li Tie and the other two were shocked and exclaimed, "The Emperor is gone!?"
Lu Xuan, who was listening in, and the viewers in the live broadcast room thought at the same time that everyone is equal in the face of natural disasters. No matter if you are an emperor or a beggar, those who are destined to die will not survive.
Li Tie stammered, "Then... has the new emperor ascended the throne?" The old emperor is gone, so there should be a new emperor ascending the throne, right?
Huo Tiankuo frowned and said, "The Emperor passed away too suddenly and did not leave any edict of succession. The princes are still young, and the capital is in chaos after the earthquake. I'm afraid it will be difficult to decide on a new emperor in a short time."
In fact, he received no reply after sending out the messenger hawk for the second time.
He speculated that it was likely a power struggle among the supporters of the princes in the palace, vying for the throne.
As a general who held military power, he was bound to be feared. Before the situation stabilized, cutting off his communication channels with the capital was a foreseeable outcome to prevent him from having any improper thoughts.
Huo Tiankuo felt a sense of disgust when he thought of those who were only concerned with fighting for power and profit when the people were suffering.
However, out of consideration for the royal family's reputation, he did not say these words aloud, only saying, "Once the situation stabilizes, I will try to go to the capital to confirm the current situation."
He subconsciously reassured Li Tie, Grandpa Zhang, and others, "Chaos and natural disasters are only temporary. As long as we unite and get through this difficult time, I believe everything will be alright soon."
The expressions of Li Tie and the other two were somewhat complicated.
Things will indeed get better, but this "afterward" will not be as short as General Huo thought, but rather as long as five years.
Hearing this from the silence, Lu Xuan bluntly said, "It won't get better in a short time."
Huo Tiankuo had never overlooked Lu Xuan. When he heard him speak, his expression turned serious. "What do you mean by that, Brother Lu?" What do you mean by "it won't get better in a short time"?
Lu Xuan said, "This is a catastrophe affecting the entire world, lasting for five years. This year is only the first year, and extreme weather like this year will continue for at least the next two years. It will only gradually ease in the fourth and fifth years."
"The high-ranking officials in the capital may have been too busy fighting for power to care about the lives of ordinary people at first, but during the hottest and rainiest seasons, they probably won't have time to care about us, let alone survive."
Even if someone truly cares about the people, considering the roads in Yangshan County that were cut off by the earthquake, they still lack the resources to help.
"Beijing's geographical location has made it more prone to earthquakes than other places in the past three years. Unless we leave Beijing immediately after a major earthquake and seek refuge elsewhere, it is uncertain whether Beijing will still exist by the time General Huo arrives."
To be precise, without a suitable means of transportation, it would have been impossible for Huo Tiankuo to cross countless underground fissures to reach the capital.
Lu Xuan said calmly, "Whether it's us or General Huo's Huo family army, we can't rely on anyone to get through the disaster period safely; we can only rely on ourselves."
Huo Tiankuo suddenly stood up, his eyes sharp as he looked at Lu Xuan, his tone somewhat stern: "Five years since the cataclysm!? How did you learn all this?"
He even knows there will be earthquakes in Beijing in the next few years? Does he have some kind of precognitive ability?
Lu Xuan said, "I naturally have my own information channels. General Huo can choose to believe it or not, as long as you think carefully about the consequences of not believing it."
At worst, we'd just die along with over three thousand soldiers and civilians.
Huo Tiankuo paused, wiped his face, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to question you, it's just..."
Such a future is too terrifying for him to believe, and he simply doesn't dare to believe it.
In less than six months, thousands of disaster victims had been lost to his personal guards, and now the number of people left in the group was less than half of what it was when they left the southwest.
To feed these people, he and his personal guards even had to painfully slaughter their warhorses, which had been with them through thick and thin on the battlefield and were no different from their comrades.
If this cycle of natural disasters continues for several more years...
He really wasn't confident he could lead them to a way out.
Huo Tiankuo murmured, "Does God really not give these disaster victims any way out?"
Lu Xuan glanced at him, offering no comment.
Grandpa Zhang comforted him, "General, don't worry. You and the Huo family army are so capable. As long as you seize the opportunity, your life will definitely not be much worse than ours."
Viewers in the live stream laughed: "Not by much, just still worse than you guys."
[Of course! The people of Yunlu Village are living a life that's top-tier even by the standards of the entire world. Without a streamer giving them a cheat code, how could the Huo family army possibly surpass them?]
[We've already encountered a streamer, haven't we? With a little help from the streamer, we'll have a way to make a living.]
If the people we encounter today were ordinary disaster victims, the audience would inevitably have another debate about whether or not to save them.
But soldiers who defend their country are always loved in any era, especially generals like Huo Tiankuo who have a good reputation. Most people have a high opinion of him and his troops.
Lu Xuan was willing to spend so much money on medicine to save people because of Huo Tiankuo and the Huo family army.
After Old Master Zhang finished speaking, the village chief and Ge Yuan kept glancing in his direction. Understanding their meaning, Lu Xuan spoke again: "There are many game animals on the hills ahead. Once the Huo family army soldiers have eaten their fill and have the strength, they can go there to hunt for food."
"In addition, there is a nice hillside on the south side of the mountain. It is not particularly large, but it should be able to accommodate more than 3,000 people if we squeeze in."
Huo Tiankuo asked in surprise, "Didn't you say... that was your territory?"
Huo Tiankuo didn't share their idea that ordinary people shouldn't "occupy the mountain as kings." In the extreme winter, supplies were hard to come by, and since they had the strength, it was perfectly reasonable for them to occupy the places where prey was first discovered.
Lu Xuan said, "That place is just one of the hunting spots we have chosen. Even if we don't find that place, we can find other places."
However, it won't be easy for Huo Tiankuo's team to find a more suitable place to settle down.
"Those tents outside, along with the ginger soup and bone broth, are gifts for the Huo family army. General, you can accept them without worry. As for the medicine for the wounded and sick, you can return it slowly after you have ensured the basic survival of your men."
"Although the wounded soldiers' conditions have stabilized for the time being, some of their injuries are too deep to move. There's no guarantee that there won't be any more accidents in the next couple of days. We'll stay for a couple more days until we get you to the hillside before we leave."
Knowing that Huo Tiankuo might not be entirely sure whether the hillside was a suitable new foothold since he hadn't personally visited it, Lu Xuan arranged to take him there the next day to confirm.
Huo Tiankuo gave Lu Xuan a solemn military salute, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Lu."
He could tell from the reactions of the village chief and Ge Yuan that Lu Xuan held an extraordinary position in the village.
Although he didn't know the reason, it didn't stop him from being grateful for the other party's help.
...
After Huo Tiankuo left, the hunting team and women, including Miao Jinfeng, who had been helping out in the wounded soldiers' tents, returned to rest one after another.
After a long day of work, everyone was hungry, so they took out food from their storage space to fill their stomachs and chatted about the Huo family army while eating.
“I remember that the Huo family army is very brave and skilled in battle. I just counted, and there are several hundred Huo family soldiers in the team. Logically speaking, it shouldn’t be difficult for so many skilled soldiers to support themselves, right? But I see that many of them are so thin that they are just skin and bones. It’s heartbreaking to see them like this.”
"I've found out about that."
Chen Rong took a big gulp of fish ball soup, wiped his mouth and said, "The Huo family army is indeed very capable. Whether it's the rainy season or the coldest season, they can always find a way to get a lot of food. But isn't it because their team has a lot of people?"
"The prey we hunt is enough for us to eat, but it won't be enough to feed more than three thousand people."
With insufficient food, the Huo family army's condition naturally deteriorated. Food supplies dwindled, and they suffered several attacks from wild animals, resulting in losses and injuries. Even fewer soldiers were able to venture out to find food.
A vicious cycle.
Xiong Mao listened with a puzzled expression.
"Once we find food, we must make sure the Huo family army is well-fed, otherwise where will they get the strength for the next hunt?"
Even animals know that they must prioritize preserving their own strength in order to protect as many members of their species as possible. Does General Huo not even understand such a basic principle?
Li Tie sighed, "I'm afraid General Huo is too responsible. He can't help but feed his own soldiers while watching the disaster victims go hungry, or even starve to death."
However, if there isn't enough food, some people will inevitably starve to death. As the leader, shouldn't the most important thing be ensuring that as many people as possible survive?
[This decision wasn't made rationally when I was starving; I wanted to satisfy both sides, and as a result, I didn't manage to satisfy either side well.]
The vicious cycle resulted in an increasing number of people starving to death, while the population dwindled until either enough food was finally found to feed everyone, or even the soldiers starved to death, ending the cycle entirely.
It would have been better to be ruthless from the start. Even if some people did starve to death initially, far more would have survived in the end.
[Easier said than done. Who will starve first? And who deserves to starve? If the target were the enemy, that would be one thing, but these are the people General Huo has been protecting all along. How could he possibly cut off their livelihood?]
[A general who would actually do such a thing wouldn't be the one beloved by the people, the one whose villagers would spontaneously donate supplies to.]
Li Tie recalled the supplies provided by the villagers when they arrived and turned to look at Lu Xuan.
"Didn't you hand over the food donated by the village to General Huo? I saw that the carts they were on had almost nothing left after unloading the patients."
"If it weren't for our donation of food, we probably wouldn't have been able to last more than a few days before running out of food."
Lu Xuan said, "No rush. Didn't we agree to go up the mountain tomorrow? We can take some soldiers with us and let them go hunting. That way we can hold out for a few more days. As for what happens after that... let's see how things go first."
The crowd was puzzled. What was going on?
·
The next day, it did snow again, but it wasn't very heavy yet.
With the excellent insulation provided by tents and charcoal braziers, the disaster victims, who had been worried about never getting to sleep during the extreme cold season, were able to get a good night's rest for the first time ever.
Before dawn, the hunting team from Wucheng arrived with some of their young female relatives.
The young women took over from the aunties who had been busy the day before and started brewing ginger soup and bone broth again. The disaster victims came out of their tents smelling the aroma, and when they saw that they could get soup today, a rare smile appeared on their faces.
Huo Tiankuo originally wanted to leave his share for others, but Miao Jinfeng, who was feeding him soup, said, "How come there's only one bowl of soup missing from the ten pots? You need to be full so that the others can have a better life, right?"
Huo Tiankuo thought it made sense, so he hurriedly drank the soup.
While Huo Jiajun was filling his stomach, Lu Xuan privately spoke a few words to Su Ying.
As soon as Su Ying left, Xiong Mao couldn't help but come over and ask, "What did you say to my wife? You don't mean you've taken a liking to her, do you?"
Lu Xuan glanced at him sideways, giving him a look that said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Xiong Mao actually knew it was unlikely.
Since it's not some private matter to discuss, then it must be something serious.
He remembered his wife's special ability, and a thought struck him. He looked at the line of disaster victims waiting to receive soup.
Could there be something wrong with these people? That shouldn't be possible.
Before Xiong Mao could figure it out, Lu Xuan had someone inform General Huo to prepare to depart.
Yesterday, apart from Huo Jiajun who was walking in front, the other disaster victims did not notice the sleds that they were driving over.
Today I finally got a clear look and discovered that the carriages were all made of glass, and the design was different from the horse-drawn carriages they were used to, but it looked incredibly expensive.
Seating on the sled was limited, and apart from the driver, the back compartments were reserved for Huo Jiajun.
Lu Xuan also put away his sled motorcycle and switched to a sled with a carriage.
Huo Tiankuo was riding in that same car, along with three other bodyguards.
Including the other five vehicles, there were a total of 15 guards who went with them.
Huo Tiankuo was still a little uncomfortable sitting in the soft seat. Hearing Lu Xuan's instruction to fasten his seatbelt, before he could even ask anything, he saw Lu Xuan make a gesture to the others to start.
The six drivers put on their helmets and started the sleds at the same time. The six sleds sped off to everyone's astonishment.
The disaster victims: "!!!"
The disaster victims were so shocked they almost dropped their bowls of meat soup, exclaiming incredulously, "Those carts, they don't have horses, how did they move?!"
"And it's so fast!"
"We can barely see the car anymore."
"Who are these people? How do they own such a peculiar car?"
The ordinary disaster victims were talking noisily, while a few people looked at the sleds that had been reduced to just a few black dots, their eyes sweeping over the villagers of Yunlu Village who were used to this, their eyes flashing with a strange light.
Su Ying, who had been observing the behavior of the disaster victims, noticed their unusual behavior and smiled. She straightened her figure-hugging dress and walked over to the young disaster victim who was looking at her with a blush and glancing around. She began to gently and softly try to get information out of him.
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