Liu Hong led his soldiers and chased after them for several more miles until they reached the border of Huai Shuo. Then he shouted, "You scoundrels of Huai Shuo, if you dare to come here again, I will kill you without mercy!"
After bringing them back, they began to clean up the battlefield and confiscate the horses, cattle, and sheep that Huai Shuo had brought back from the trade.
Lu Tu naturally wouldn't appear in front of everyone rashly. He first found Xiao Hei, rode his horse back to Daozhuang Village, and called Liu Hu, saying, "Hu Zi, call the brothers over, let's go support Liu Hong!"
"Yes, sir!"
Before long, Liu Hu and Nie Yun led over a hundred men to Luzhuang Village, following Lü Tu as they shouted and fought their way there.
From a distance, Lü Tu shouted, "Liu Hong!"
Liu Hong had long been feeling extremely aggrieved, and upon seeing Lü Tu, a surge of resentment welled up within him. Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, he rushed forward and cried out, "My lord!"
Before his warhorse had even come to a complete stop, Lü Tu dismounted, stepped forward, and grasped Liu Hong's arm, asking with concern, "Have the Wuhuan people arrived?"
"It wasn't the Wuhuan people, but a hundred-man squad from Huai Shuo Town. They crossed the border without permission and started fighting with us."
Lu Tu said in a cold voice, "These scoundrels! Are any of the brothers injured?"
Liu Hong swallowed hard: "Eighteen brothers were injured, but thankfully no one died."
Lu Tu was relieved to hear this: "That's good. All soldiers who participated in the battle tonight will be rewarded with 100 catties of millet, and wounded soldiers will be rewarded with 10 taels of silver!"
The wounded soldier in the distance exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you, sir!"
Lu Tu came to their side and glanced at everyone: "Thanks to you all, otherwise, if Huai Shuo had been allowed to break into our village, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
"Sir, although we suffered more than a dozen injuries, they also lost more than 20 lives!"
"Oh? My brothers are so brave?"
Liu Hong knew his brothers had been wronged, so when was a better time to speak up and take credit?
"This is all thanks to the training the adults have given us. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to seize their supplies with such few casualties!"
Lu Tu feigned great joy and looked at the soldiers: "There are still supplies?"
The soldiers of the Southern Palace Imperial Guard pointed into the distance: "Sir, please look! This time we have seized 50 warhorses, 80 cattle, and 240 sheep!"
Lu Tu said loudly, "Good! Men, bandage the wounds of our injured brothers, and slaughter 20 sheep on the spot to treat them to some meat!"
Seeing Lü Tu's generosity, Liu Hong's previous grievances vanished. His admiration for Lü Tu stemmed not only from Lü Tu's relationship with Song Yuxi, but also from Lü Tu's bravery and generosity.
He had been in the military for over a decade and had seen too many generals and captains who would pocket any small gain. Who else would be as willing to share with his soldiers as Lü Tu?
Besides, in Wuchuan, people often don't even have enough to eat, so when Lü Tu said he'd give them meat, they did. Given this, Liu Hong was willing to forget the secret.
"Thank you, sir!"
The reward dispelled everyone's gloom, and someone immediately went to get a large pot. Since there was a coal mine nearby, they used the available materials to start cooking.
The mutton is slaughtered and put into the pot. I have to say that the sheep raised by the Wuwan people are really excellent. The quality is just right. They only need to be boiled in water and sprinkled with some salt to make them very delicious.
Watching Liu Hong and the others feast, Nie Yun, Liu Hu, and the others who had just arrived watched longingly.
They knew this meal was a reward for the soldiers who had fought, and that they, having just gotten out of bed, had no right to compete with them for the delicious mutton.
Having served as a captain in the Southern Imperial Guards, Liu Hong possessed a certain magnanimity. He tore off a piece of lamb leg and approached Nie Yun, saying, "Brother Nie, come down and have some."
Nie Yun repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Liu, you should eat. You've won a great battle tonight, and you must be starving."
Liu Hong, being a man of strong character, immediately stuffed the lamb leg into Nie Yun's hand upon seeing this: "We are all loyal to Lord Lü, so naturally we will share both good fortune and hardship!"
The soldiers of the Southern Palace Imperial Guards in the distance waved to Nie Yun and the others, saying, "Squad Leader Nie, come and eat with us! It'll be more lively this way!"
Despite hearing this, Nie Yun and the others did not move until they heard Lü Tu speak: "Come on, you've worked hard to come to our aid."
Nie Yun, Liu Hu, and the others were finally relieved and joined in. Even if they could eat their fill every day, they were still lacking in oil and fat. Let alone eating meat, they wouldn't even trade an emperor for a sip of delicious mutton soup.
They ate until dawn.
Lu Tu looked at Liu Hu: "Take some men and put all the cattle, sheep and horses into the pen, then go to the storeroom and find Jiang Wanyu to make a record."
"clear!"
Have you found someone specifically to manage the cattle and sheep?
“Found them. Several former military slaves who used to herd sheep. I’ve seen them and they are very experienced.”
Lu Tu nodded: "That's fine then. Take good care of the cattle, sheep and horses these next few days."
"Yes, sir!"
When he returned home, he found Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu waiting for him. Several small dishes were placed on the narrow wooden table.
"My lord, is everything alright?"
"Nothing happened, my wife, don't worry."
When Qin Qianqian saw Lü Tu return, she quickly ran over from the woodshed and ladled a bowl of millet porridge for him from the stove.
"Brother Lü, have some while it's hot."
Lu Tu touched his stomach somewhat embarrassedly: "Actually, I've already eaten. I just had mutton with the soldiers."
He then recounted how he had slaughtered 20 sheep to reward the soldiers, and looked at the three men with a embarrassed expression: "I'm sorry, I can't bring them back for you to eat."
Nangong Huiyu laughed and said, "Husband, we are not greedy girls, why would we fight over the mutton soup meant to reward the soldiers?"
Looking at the two women's swollen bellies, Lu Tu felt increasingly guilty. He had actually made the two pregnant women eat coarse food with him every day. What a bastard!
He went out the door and headed towards the sheepfold. Nangong Huiyu asked curiously, "Where are you going, husband?"
Song Yuxi called out to her, "My husband must feel guilty, he's gone to slaughter a sheep for us."
"Why bother? I'm really not that greedy."
Song Yuxi shook her head slightly: "My husband is usually very selfless and would never slaughter mutton for food, but since he is going to get mutton, even if we are not hungry, we should eat some for the sake of the baby in our wombs."
Qin Qianqian nodded repeatedly beside her: "Yes, my two sisters, you must take good care of yourselves. I'll go fetch some water first."
Before long, Lu Tu returned carrying the sheep he had slaughtered himself. It was really because he hadn't taken good care of it. He had too many things to worry about on a daily basis, and being used to being frugal, and being a first-time father, he naturally didn't feel anything special about eating millet porridge and pickled vegetables.
He felt incredibly guilty. Now that there were more cattle and sheep, Lu Tu had to make sure Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu got the nutrition they had lost!
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