Seeing the scene before him, the scout leading the team seemed to have realized something.
He looked at the woman and said gently, "If your husband hasn't returned, he must have died in battle. But our army has already paid the full amount of compensation for those who died in battle to your wealthy family. Don't you know that?"
The woman shook her head painfully and said in a sobbing voice, "Since my husband left, only my son and I have been living here alone. I have asked around, but no one has said anything!"
As for the compensation, those in the same situation as our family didn't receive any either! I heard it was embezzled by some of our former wealthy relatives, but I don't know if it's true or not!
"I see!!"
The scout looked at the pitiful mother and child and sighed softly, but there was nothing they could do to help them at this point.
The scout then noticed that both the mother and child were pale and slightly swollen, which was likely due to more than just grief.
"Take this salt!"
As they spoke, the scout dismounted, approached the mother and son, and took out a small packet of salt from his pocket, handing it to the woman.
"Thank you so much!!"
The woman stretched out her trembling hands, took the bag of salt, and kept thanking the Han soldiers in front of her.
"No need for thanks! Your husband died fighting to help our Han army. It is because we have not done enough that you and your child have had such a hard life!"
The scout helped the woman up, looking at the poor woman with a face full of guilt.
Seeing the Han soldiers' guilty expressions and sincere eyes, the woman shook her head, moved, and two lines of tears streamed down her face. "It's not your fault. It's all because those wealthy people are greedy and insatiable that we've suffered so much!"
The scout leading the group looked at the woman with a serious expression, and then solemnly said:
"Rest assured, one day, our Han army will definitely help you get justice and make you get everything you deserve!"
"Yes! I'm willing to believe you!"
Hearing the scout's resounding words, the woman looked at the Han soldiers in front of her with a grateful expression and nodded.
With a mission to complete, the scouts didn't linger. They gave the woman some of their own rations and then sped off towards the next tribe.
Watching the Han soldiers gradually disappear, the woman looked down at the few flatbreads in her hand and the small packet of precious salt. Unconsciously, two lines of hot tears slid down her cheeks once again.
Although she had lost her husband, she still had children to raise. No matter what, she was determined to persevere and raise her children. She believed that she would eventually see the day when justice, as the Han army had promised, would come.
The child gazed longingly at the burly scouts on horseback until they disappeared from sight, then looked at his mother and the flatbread in her hands, and said:
"Mother, they didn't steal our things, they even gave us food. They are good people!"
"Yes! Yes! They are good people!"
The woman wiped away her tears, then took out a flatbread and handed it to her child, saying softly, "Are you hungry? Here, have some!"
The child took the flatbread, put it in his mouth and took a small bite. Having grown accustomed to eating grass roots and bran, this was the first time he had tasted this. A soft and sweet flavor filled his taste buds.
"Mother, you should eat too!"
The child took only a small bite before holding the pancake to his mother's mouth.
Looking into her son's hopeful eyes, and seeing the piece of bread with a small missing piece being offered to his mouth, the woman slightly opened her lips, took a bite, and began to chew carefully, savoring the deliciousness of the bread.
The child looked at the woman with wide eyes and asked, "Mother! Is it delicious?"
The woman nodded, a smile appearing on her face. "Mmm! Delicious!"
Seeing his mother's smiling face, the child's face also lit up with a smile, and he said innocently:
"Don't worry, Mom. When I grow up, I'll join them, and then you can eat such delicious food every day!"
"Hehe~ Alright, your mother will be waiting for that day!"
The woman gently stroked the child's head, watching the rising sun and feeling the warmth of its rays; her eyes were filled with hope.
After the scouts returned to the main force and truthfully informed Zhang Qiao of their encounter with the mother and child, they...
"Haha~ Good! You did a great job! You've shown them what a Celestial Empire, a land of virtue, truly is."
Zhang Qiao also praised the scout highly, so he ordered all the scouts to start using that method to bribe and win over the ordinary Qiang people.
Zhang Qiao felt that in the eyes of ordinary Qiang people, an army that could refrain from robbing and looting was already a rare and benevolent force. If they were to receive a little kindness or favor, they might gain some unexpected benefits.
Subsequently, like the mother and son, ordinary Qiang people who encountered Han scouts witnessed the kind, approachable, and dignified side of the Han army.
Born into poverty, they had never seen or imagined that such an army existed in the world. Although the salt and bread given to them by the Han army were not much, it did not stop them from regarding the Han army as their saviors.
In this way, the image of the Han army began to spread far and wide.
Every Qiang person who has heard of the military exploits of the Han Dynasty is filled with longing and yearning for the great Han.
Everyone couldn't help but think: With such an army, their people must be living very well, right? If only we could be people of the Han Dynasty, we could eat salt and flatbread every day.
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