After Lu Tu had eaten and drunk his fill, Yun Tian's men stepped forward to report: "Reporting to the lord, the grain has been purchased and loaded onto carts. Thirty doctors have also been summoned. Is there anything else you require?"
Yun Tian didn't speak, but looked at Lü Tu.
Lu Tu wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, "Let's leave it at that for now. Please enjoy your meal. I must take my leave now. There are still tens of thousands of people waiting for me to rescue them."
Prince Duan and Ye Qingyu stared blankly at the empty plates on the table.
"Alright, Commandant Lü, take care. I await your good news." Prince Duan was the most magnanimous, waving his hand to let Lü Tu leave first.
After going outside, they found Nie Yun and the others also eating white flour steamed buns. They guessed that Yun Tian must have arranged it. It seemed that after being reprimanded, this guy's attitude had indeed improved a lot, and he even knew to take care of the soldiers under Lü Tu.
Liu Hong stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, nothing happened, right?"
"No, go home."
"Yes, sir!"
He and Liu Hong and others received the 200,000 jin of millet, which took more than 200 carts to load. With the help of the military slaves that Yun Tian found, they pushed the carts toward Kuishan Village.
As they marched on in a grand procession, Lü Tu was not afraid of anyone daring to rob them. After all, the most powerful people in Wuchuan had tacitly approved of his gains, so who would dare to do so?
It wasn't until dark that Lü Tu returned to Kuishan Village. Ban Wei and Jia Dazhuang, who were guarding the city gate from a distance, were already anxious and a large number of villagers came to take over.
Upon hearing that Lu Tu had returned with a large quantity of grain, the villagers eagerly rushed over, and together they worked to store the 200,000 jin of millet in the warehouse.
Lu Tu then had Liu Yang take out 1,000 catties of millet and hand it over to the military slaves who had been transported there.
The leading soldier was a scarred man who knelt down in front of Lu Tu with a thud, his face covered in tears as he clasped his hands and said, "Lord Lu, you are the first official who is willing to give us compensation. We have long heard of your righteousness and integrity, and seeing you today, it is indeed true. Please accept our bow!"
As he spoke, the more than 400 military slaves present kowtowed to Lü Tu. After all, each of them could get 2.5 catties of millet, which was enough for them to eat for ten days if they were careful. This was a lifesaver!
After all, grain prices are soaring everywhere in Wuchuan right now. One tael of silver used to buy 100 catties of millet, but now it can only buy 20 catties. With grain so expensive, everyone is already tightening their belts.
Moreover, they were merely the lowest of military slaves. It could be said that apart from Lü Tu, no one in the entire Wuchuan region treated them like human beings. Would they even be given food? Dream on!
Seeing their behavior, Lü Tu also decided to win them over. Whether they were just putting on an act or genuinely grateful, it made no difference to Lü Tu. He seemed to have no shortage of people, but in reality, he was severely lacking.
Most of his men were refugees, and according to Lu Tu's observation, a considerable number of these military slaves had served as soldiers. With a little training and a good meal for a period of time, they could be turned into soldiers!
His current task is extremely important. He not only has to cure smallpox, but also has to go to the Wuhuan and stir up relations between the two countries. After that, he will inevitably suffer even heavier retaliation from the Wuhuan people, so he has no choice but to increase the number of troops under his command.
"Since you seem to be grateful, let me ask you: do you wish to join my ranks?"
Upon hearing this, Scarface's face lit up with joy: "If you don't mind, sir, we are willing to join! But it's hard to say about the captain."
Lu Tu waved his hand dismissively: "What's so hard about that? Don't worry, he won't care about you guys."
Scarface chuckled self-deprecatingly. He knew Lu Tu was telling the truth. After all, why would Yun Tian care about these few hundred military slaves?
"I, Ma Xiaotian, am willing to pledge my loyalty to Lord Lü!"
"We are willing to pledge our loyalty to Lord Lü!"
Lu Tu nodded: "Alright, from today onwards you will be under Mr. Xiao's jurisdiction."
Xiao Zhong was naturally present as well. When Lü Tu announced his intention to gather the military slaves, he knew that Lü Tu would hand these people over to him.
Naturally, he readily agreed, saying, "Come with me!"
The way to manage military slaves is different from the way to manage refugees. Refugees are willing to act recklessly, but military slaves are a group of people at the bottom of society whose tempers have been completely suppressed. Many of them still have families alive, which is their weakness, so they dare not act recklessly or resist. Therefore, Xiao Zhong prefers to use military slaves.
Xiao Zhong led them to the clay-digging area and had them start cutting down trees to build huts: "From today onwards, you will work here. If you do well, you will all have the opportunity to be freed from slavery and reunite with your families!"
Upon hearing this, the eyes of all the military slaves present turned red. They dreamed of being with their families and never wanted to be military slaves, who were even lower than cattle and horses.
They said in unison, "We will obey your instructions, sir, and we will certainly work diligently."
...
Lu Tu then led the group of barefoot doctors to Zhang Miao: "Doctor Zhang, look, I've brought you some helpers."
Zhang Miao glanced at the people carrying medicine boxes behind Lü Tu and immediately recognized them as fellow practitioners. There was a common rule throughout the world: those in the same trade are enemies.
Zhang Miao was a decent person, though he didn't show much discrimination or contempt. He wasn't particularly enthusiastic either, just nodded calmly while continuing to grind herbs: "Everyone, go and rest first. I'll take you to get treatment tomorrow."
Lu Tu looked at the doctors present and said, "From today onwards, in addition to listening to me, you must also listen to Doctor Zhang."
Suddenly a voice rang out from the crowd: "Senior brother?"
Hearing the voice, Zhang Miao looked over and saw a man with a goatee. He let the herbs in his hand fall to the ground, stood up and called out, "Second Junior Brother, weren't you in Shu? What brings you to Wuchuan?"
"Senior brother, I've finally found you!"
Zhang Miao and the man supported each other with their hands. The two men, both nearing fifty, looked at each other and burst into tears, showing how deep their feelings were.
"Senior brother, before our master passed away, he asked me to come to Wuchuan to find you."
Zhang Miao asked in shock, "Master is gone? Our Medicine King Valley... have you eaten?"
Lu Tu was listening intently, and just as he caught the key point, Zhang Miao abruptly changed the subject. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Doctor Zhang, who is this?"
"This is my junior brother, Lin Zhichun, who is skilled in acupuncture."
Lu Tu cupped his hands in greeting: "Doctor Lin."
"I have met Lord Lü. Before coming here, I had heard that Lord Lü loved the people like his own children. Today, I have seen that his reputation is well-deserved. I admire him to the point of prostration."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Miao pulled Lin Zhichun into the house, as if he wanted to tell her something secret. Seeing this, Lü Tu could not follow any further, so he quickly instructed, "Doctor Zhang, we need to get busy starting tomorrow, and bring those doctors to treat everyone!"
"My junior brother has arrived, and things will be manageable. My junior brother is known as the Needle Immortal of Sichuan!"
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