Since ancient times...when officials force the people to rebel, the people have no choice but to rebel! She understood this principle very well. Dingshan City was already facing a drought, and many people must have starved to death every day. Only when the situation became serious would local officials report it and then ask the capital for support.
But that must have been done when the situation was already out of control! The scene before her eyes confirmed her thoughts. The drought in Dingshan City had probably been going on for some time, and the large number of disaster victims and corpses had not been properly disposed of, causing an epidemic throughout the city.
If the officials report it, they will likely encounter a popular rebellion. After the people rebel, it will evolve into the so-called unity between the people and the bandits!
The most important thing right now is how she finds the location of Luoyan Mountain, how she can sneak in undetected, and how she can deliver the food she brought to the besieged soldiers without being discovered.
At this moment, her anxiety grew stronger. Unbeknownst to her, a ray of sunlight shone through, and she realized it was dawn…
Immediately afterward, she heard footsteps behind her. She quickly ducked behind a wall and watched as a group of people entered the street. They kicked a person sleeping by the roadside; if the person didn't react, the people behind them would simply drag the body away…
Obviously, in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, they would also clean up the beggars or poor people who had starved to death on the streets.
"When will this ever end! We go without food every day and are ordered by those bandits to clean up corpses. Being a soldier is just too humiliating!"
"Shh~ Keep your voice down! Don't let anyone hear us, or we'll get a beating."
"I'm so hungry... I don't even know if there will be any wild vegetable soup left this morning."
As he spoke, the soldier clutched his stomach, his face haggard, and began to complain.
After the two dragged the corpse further and further away, Qin Qing finally peeked out from the corner, looking at their figures with a complicated expression.
Are these government troops? This is different from what she expected! Judging from their tone, they seem to be dissatisfied with the bandits' rule…
The two were completely unaware that someone was following them. They had just thrown the body into the bonfire and hadn't even taken a step when they saw a woman in gray clothes staring at them from a short distance away.
"Get out of here! I have no food!"
The disdainful look in her eyes clearly indicated that she was being treated like a peasant woman out looking for food.
Qin Qing didn't care; this was the image she deliberately created after disguising herself.
"My lords, I don't want food. I just want to ask... where is Luoyan Mountain?"
The two people who were about to leave didn't care at first, but their expressions changed drastically the moment they heard about Luoyan Mountain!
They quickly turned around and looked around. The two exchanged a glance, then pulled Qin Qing into the alley. They then looked at Qin Qing with serious expressions.
"Why are you, a woman, asking this? Everyone knows there's a war going on there. Don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't say anything more! Be careful you don't get caught by the boss, then no one can protect you!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Qing, disguised as a woman, shrank back slightly and said timidly.
"But...but I want to go to the foot of Luoyan Mountain to dig up some wild vegetables to eat. My son is sick and will starve to death if he doesn't eat! I finally made it out of the village, and I must bring some food back with me! Please help me, gentlemen. Even if I die, I won't blame you."
These words sounded pitiful, and the two seemed to understand. After a moment of hesitation, they still said...
"Go south along this road, and you'll soon see a mountain. Remember, you can only dig for wild vegetables at the foot of the mountain; you absolutely must not go into the mountains!"
Upon hearing this, the woman was overjoyed and thanked them repeatedly. The two waved goodbye and quickly left.
Qin Qing didn't waste any time and turned to head south.
Meanwhile, the two on the other side were walking along when one of them couldn't help but say something.
"Brother, that woman is clearly suspicious, what are you doing..."
The other person shook his head upon hearing this.
"Idiot... What do you mean by 'problem'! We're just prisoners captured by bandits, we don't know anything, and nothing just happened!"
As the words faded into the distance, the two figures quickly disappeared into the sunlight. Qin Qing turned his head at that moment, his keen ears clearly hearing their conversation.
There was nothing she could do. She knew her excuse was a bit weak, but she figured the two wouldn't betray her, so she listened carefully to their conversation.
Clearly, her judgment was correct. Those two soldiers probably didn't want to be suppressed like this indefinitely, and they probably didn't have much confidence in her either, otherwise why wouldn't they be afraid at all?
As she looked at the road ahead, her resolve grew stronger.
Meanwhile, on Luoyan Mountain! On the fifth day of near starvation... in a desolate forest, thousands of soldiers sat scattered on the ground to rest, their cheeks dented to varying degrees, while some lay quietly on the ground with wounds, as if they were already dead.
Not far away, a tall and resolute figure stood on the hillside. Even though his back looked a bit messy, it did not diminish his strength at all!
Just then, a small figure popped out from somewhere, quickly ran behind the person, and a clear, childlike, and cheerful voice soon came out of her mouth.
"Master! Look, I dug some sweet potatoes out of the ground! They're still very fresh! You should try some."
Upon hearing this, the figure remained motionless. The little girl in the cloth armor called out a few more times in confusion, and only then did the figure seem to hear her, slowly turning around. Her pale lips moved slightly, and her once resolute and serious face became extremely weak, with noticeable loss of flesh on her cheeks...
The little girl's face lit up with joy. She raised her hand high and presented the sweet potato to the man in front of her, her eyes full of happiness.
Unexpectedly, the man looked up at the soldiers in the distance who were truly watching him, and his pale, thin lips moved slightly.
"Xingxing...distribute the sweet potatoes to the injured, then lead the others to search the area again..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Muxing was instantly stunned, somewhat incredulous.
"But...but Master..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Yan interrupted him, his tone becoming more serious.
"This is a military order!"
He then looked down at her, his eyes filled with determination!
Xiao Muxing lowered her arms dejectedly, her eyes filled with tears and confusion. She bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to respond, but her body obediently walked towards the wounded soldiers.
Everyone who had heard their conversation paused, then looked at Wang Yan with a mixture of suppressed gratitude and trust in their eyes! This was their general—the eternal faith of their Tianlong Kingdom!
"Soldiers, I found some sweet potatoes there. Come with me to dig them up and take a look."
The little girl's voice soon rang out again, and some soldiers couldn't help but turn to look at Xiao Muxing. There was no complaint or despair on her little face, nor any grievance or reluctance. Instead, there was a hint of hope and joy, which made people feel more confident!
In such a situation, even a little girl holds onto a firm belief; how could they not persevere?!
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