Lin Changxi nodded. As a disaster victim who was reclaiming wasteland in the territory of the Xing Family Army, he attached great importance to the assessment every ten days. The Xing Family Army had always enforced the law with iron-blooded military law. If the task was not completed, not only would the wasteland be confiscated, but the person would also be driven out of Huangmo Pass.
Hadn't everyone come all the way to Huangmo Pass to find a shelter from the wind and rain, away from the chaos of war? If they were driven out, wouldn't all the hardships they had endured on the road to escape be in vain?
Han Wenjing and Xu Shaoxuan, sitting on horses led by soldiers, frowned. "If we distribute food to the disaster victims like this, our soldiers won't have enough rations. If the wasteland we reclaim doesn't yield a good harvest next year, the barracks and morale will be in turmoil. The old general is really too impulsive."
Xu Shaoxuan shook his head and retorted, "That's wrong, Wen Jing. Don't forget that we both fled here, and thanks to the young general's appreciation, we were able to join the general's staff. There are so many people in the Lin Dynasty, but now they are facing foreign invasions and war, and nine out of ten houses are empty. If the old general doesn't do something, will he watch us, the sons of the Lin Dynasty, become extinct?"
"We are alive thanks to the old general, how can we forget our roots!" Han Wenjing disagreed with Xu Shaoxuan's point of view and interrupted him.
Xu Shaoxuan sighed: "I understand the truth, but..." The food in the military camp was really too tight. He was good at math and was in charge of the granary of the Xing family army. He felt heartbroken every day when he saw the sharp reduction in food allocated to the victims.
He paused for a moment and continued, "But the situation is too difficult. The old general and the young general have taken in so many refugees. Now the soldiers in the barracks have started to drink porridge. If they become weak, how can they resist the foreign invaders? The Xinyang Marquis who has occupied Yishu Pass is eyeing the brave and combat-ready troops of the Xing family army and trying his best to promote the marriage between the young general and the princess of the marquis' family.
Both General Xing and the Major General were extremely opposed to this move. Everyone knew that once these dukes and princes, who were accustomed to the bureaucracy and extravagant habits of the capital, became one with them, they would inevitably propose to divide the troops according to their nature.
It is well known that the Xing family army is the last tough bone in the entire Lin Dynasty. They are the most brave and powerful. They can deal with tall and strong foreigners without any fear. They are much stronger than the mob that Xinyang Hou recruited with food along the way.
Although the aliens in Yishu Pass have been driven away by Xinyang Hou's men, they have left behind a mess, such as the wasteland inside that no one cultivates. When the Xing family army retreated to Huangmo Pass, they had already arranged for a large number of people to evacuate. Without manpower, the checkpoints and cities will become dead cities.
No matter how wealthy the Marquis of Xinyang is, without continued production, his gold and silver can only support his large army for a few days.
How could the army of Marquis Xinyang be as disciplined as the Xing Family Army? They could defeat foreign tribes but could not defeat the Xing Family Army. So, with the idea of joining the army if they couldn't defeat them, they proposed a marriage alliance.
The Marquis of Xinyang has money and the Xing family army has people, so the best thing would be for the two to combine.
But once the Xinyang Marquis' men arrived at Huangmo Pass, not only Han Wenjing and his advisors, but even the Xing Family Army's military officers could sense that Huangmo Pass would be severely impacted, changing the current situation and causing chaos. After all, these powerful people in Linjing were like troublemakers, stirring up trouble wherever they went.
Xu Shaoxuan sighed heavily. "When will a great talent emerge in our military camp so that our Xing family army will never have to worry about food and clothing again? Today, I saw the soldiers in the military camp wearing such thin clothes, standing on guard in the cold wind. It made me feel so distressed."
Han Wenjing looked at the wasteland that the disaster victims were diligently reclaiming ahead, and his expression relaxed slightly. "It's almost done. As long as the people can reclaim the wasteland, there will be more food next year. The soldiers will have enough to eat, and we can sell it to buy furs, which can also be used as protective gear for the soldiers."
So when the two major strategists of the Xing family army were looking forward to the future, they would be very angry when they received a report from their subordinates saying that someone was deliberately sabotaging the progress of reclaiming wasteland.
Han Wenjing and Xu Shaoxuan frowned as they watched the Lin group tie up Zheng Si and others. Zheng Si and others' faces and bodies were bruised and swollen, and their mouths were blocked with a piece of rag. When they saw Han Wenjing, who could save their lives, appear, they immediately cried out.
The inspector stepped forward, bowed to Han Wenjing and Xu Shaoxuan, and pointed at both of them, saying, "Master Han, over thirty members of the Lin clan brought Zheng Si and his men before me today, accusing him of attempting to kill cattle and disrupt their farming."
When he saw the official of Huangmo Pass for the first time, even Lin Pingmao, the youngest of the Lin family, felt his legs go weak. When he was in his hometown, the highest officials he had seen were just yamen runners who came to the town to publicize certain regulations. He had never seen an official in charge of the lives and deaths of the people who farmed there.
Just as he was about to step forward to explain, Lin Rui got there first and, imitating the steward's gesture, bowed to Han Wenjing. "Master Han, the situation is this: last night, my family was sleeping peacefully in the shack when we heard some commotion in the cowshed. We went to investigate and discovered that Zheng Si and his gang had thrown hemp grass, which is highly toxic to livestock, in an attempt to kill all of our cattle. Using cattle to plow the land is much more efficient, yet they committed this evil act. They deserve death!"
Lin Rui used a series of idioms. Xu Shaoxuan kept tilting his head to look at him: "Have you ever been to school?"
Lin Rui coughed and said, "I went to a private school for a few years." So don't test him on the Four Books and Five Classics.
Lin Wenjing looked at Zheng Si and his group. As an aide to the Xing family army, he was not one to just listen to one side of the story. He asked someone to remove the rag from Zheng Si's mouth and asked, "Do you admit your guilt?"
Zheng Si's eyes rolled, knowing that he couldn't deny the fact that he had planted the hemp grass. After all, the Lin family had preserved the physical evidence well, making it impossible for him to deny it. So he argued tearfully, "Sir, this is indeed a matter of fact. Although I did plant the grass and kill the cattle, the Lin family killed my sworn brother and chopped off his head and hung it on the carriage as a deterrent. I know that I can't kill people indiscriminately in Huangmo Pass, but I have to avenge my brother's murder. Since I can't kill them, I'll kill their cattle!"
"Sir, he's lying!" Yu Lanhua couldn't help but step forward to argue. "It was this unscrupulous group of people who were eating people everywhere while we were fleeing from the famine. Seeing that our newborn baby was well-fed and plump, they became greedy and tried to steal the child in the middle of the night to cook and eat him. That's when we discovered it. Cao'er's eldest son was beaten on the head by these people while trying to save my granddaughter. He died a painful death. Now they are turning the tables and throwing the blame on us. Please, sir, please help us. Kill these damned beasts and give Da Niu justice."
Zheng Si and the others were not to be outdone: "Sir, she's talking nonsense. We definitely haven't done anything so heartless. They just want to wipe us out completely and kill us!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
