Chapter 54 Ingratitude!
Wei Dongzhu stared blankly at the sky. The sweltering heat reminded him of the great fire in the Northwest. That fire not only took away his family and the Wei family army, but also him.
If it weren't for his unwavering belief in revenge, he would have died long ago on his journey to seek medical treatment!
"Young General..." the soldier called out again.
Wei Dongzhu withdrew his gaze: "We're dead now, so to avoid revealing our identities, you can call me Big Brother from now on!"
The soldiers responded in unison, as if they had received a military order: "Yes, sir!"
Wei Dongzhu looked thoughtful: "There must have been a mastermind behind the scenes yesterday, otherwise those refugees would never have been able to escape so easily!"
"Young...Big Brother, when we went up the mountain, there was a big fire on the summit, and many guards went up the mountain to put it out!"
"We followed the Shen family back to the city gate and found thick smoke billowing above Cangzhou City."
Wei Dongzhu's eyes flickered slightly: "A feint to the east while attacking the west!"
The soldiers who followed Wei Dongzhu were his personal guards and had also studied military strategy. When they heard him say this, they immediately understood why the refugees were so easily saved!
Wei Dongzhu thought of the war in the Northwest, and regret showed in his eyes.
"If it were before, I would have gone to great lengths to recruit someone like this, who is skilled in troop deployment and familiar with military strategy, even if it meant visiting him three times to persuade him to join the army!"
As he finished speaking, the regret in his eyes slowly dimmed.
It's laughable! Where is the Wei family army now? There are only these nameless, inhuman creatures!
"Apply me the medicine!"
His only thought now is to avenge the Wei family army, his relatives, and the dead and wounded civilians!
He absolutely cannot die before he avenges his great wrong!
...
Leaving the city of Cangzhou and heading southeast, the weather became increasingly hot and dry. The sweltering heat felt like being inside a hot tub, leaving everyone drenched in sweat and rapidly dehydrated!
"Young master, our water supply can only last for two more days at most," Chunxue said anxiously.
Autumn Frost: "Humans can manage without water, but horses can't go a day without it!" The cart is loaded with supplies and people, which is very physically demanding for the horses. The weather is also hot, and the horses are so thirsty that their mouths are foaming. If this continues, the horses will dehydrate before the people!
Shen Lanxi: "All prisoners must dismount and walk. Throw away anything unnecessary from the carriages. Set aside the water for the horses separately!"
"yes!"
After Chunxue went to report, the yamen runners quickly drove the prisoners off the carriage.
The prisoners were already hot and thirsty, and when they heard that they had to walk, they all complained and refused to get off the vehicle.
After Liu Laohu lashed them a few times, no matter how unwilling they were, they dared not provoke him!
"We all got off the carriage, why won't he get off!" the prisoner shouted angrily, pointing at Shen Lanxi's carriage.
The other prisoners responded immediately.
"Exactly! We all got out of the carriage, so why can't he? Our horses don't have water, but his horses do?"
"Yes, we all play together, no one is exempt!"
Stomping my feet in frustration at the spring snow and autumn frost!
"These ungrateful bastards have forgotten who saved them. If I had known they would turn around and bite me, I would have saved a dog instead!"
"I'm going to find them!" Qiu Shuang strode off in that direction with great momentum, but before she even got there, she heard Liu Laohu's angry curses and the sound of a whip.
"Do I need to remind you? The carriages and horses originally belonged to them. You shameless bunch, eating, drinking, and riding in the carriages for free, and now you're turning around and biting the hand that feeds you. If people like you aren't exiled, who will be?"
"You deserve to be eaten by refugees, you deserve to all die of exhaustion in the mountains. If you dare to utter another word, watch out, my big knife won't have eyes!"
After Liu Laohu unleashed a torrent of angry curses, they finally remembered that the food and water in the carriage were not their own. They felt as if they had been choked, wanting to argue but unable to find the words to say.
Liu Laohu glared angrily: "I think I've spoiled you all the way, letting you exiled prisoners live too comfortably. You don't want to walk the proper roads, so you all push the carts for me. If anyone dares to slack off, I'll chop them down right now, just to save food and water!"
This couldn't go on, so Liu Yan, covered in sweat, hurriedly went to find Shen Lanxi.
"Young master, it's too hot. Traveling like this will exhaust us too quickly. I suggest we rest during the day and travel at night!"
Shen Lanxi: "Okay, there's a deserted village ahead, let's rest there!"
Liu Yanhui tiptoed and glanced into the distance, but saw nothing.
How did you know, young master?
Could they be using eagles to scout the way? That must be it!
When Liu Laohu heard that there was a deserted village ahead, and saw the defiant prisoners, he couldn't suppress his anger.
"Unload the horses and let them rest. Let the prisoners push the cart!"
The constables immediately went to carry it out; they had long disliked these prisoners. In the past, when they were escorting prisoners, which one dared to defy them like this?
They've all gotten themselves into a lot of trouble. If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll never know who we're dealing with!
The prisoners began to complain again, and the constables, seething with anger, were just looking for an opportunity to deal with them. Hearing their complaints, they immediately lashed out with their whips.
Who cares if he's a member of the Shen family or whoever he is, let's beat him up!
Under the violent suppression of the yamen runners, the prisoners appeared outwardly obedient, but what they really thought? Did anyone care?
Shen Lanxi led the carriages and horses to the deserted village first. Under the pretext of investigating the deserted village, she sent Chunxue and the others away and fed the horses water!
These horses are now the main source of labor; without them hauling supplies, these people would still die!
Humans can be thirsty, but horses can't!
To avoid arousing suspicion, each horse was only given half a bucket of water. Before Chunxue and the others returned, the buckets and any remaining water were cleaned up!
The village was not yet dilapidated; most of the houses were relatively new. Because no one lived there, it appeared empty and desolate, with not a single blade of grass or tree. It was clear that the villagers who originally lived there had pulled them up for food!
"Young master, there's not a soul in the village. All the wells are cracked and dried up. We checked several houses, but there wasn't a single grain of food. The people in this village must have all fled to escape famine!"
Shen Lanxi: "Prepare two rooms!"
"yes!"
Not long after the house was tidied up, Liu Laohu arrived with the prisoners.
The prisoners clamored for water, which prompted Liu Laohu to lash out with his whip a few more times before finally going to find Shen Lanxi!
Li's mother had already prepared the meal. Because there was no water, she prioritized water conservation and only prepared a few slices of baked bread, a few slices of roasted meat, two pickled vegetables, and a bowl of water.
When Liu Laohu arrived, Shen Lanxi was putting pickled vegetables into her steamed bun, taking a bite of bun and a sip of water, without showing the slightest sign of disgust.
He was a rough man, not good at saying nice things, but he felt that this kind of young master was more convincing!
(End of this chapter)
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