"Who went to the military camp to cause trouble?" Song Liyun asked, pinching the sticky dumpling wrapper in her hand.
"I heard that the military isn't paying wages, and the migrant workers are making a fuss."
Song Dekui dropped the millstone and ran outside, shouting, "Go check! I still have one tael of silver for my wages!"
Song Liyun and Song Zhenping took Xiao An with them.
They are now military households, and Song Zhenping has worked for several days but hasn't been paid.
When they arrived outside the military camp, they saw dozens of laborers being blocked by barricades and making a fuss.
There were many people gathered around, all of them residents of Broken Gold Town.
In the crowd, the once imposing Xue Xiaoqi, now stripped of his military uniform and wearing only a worn robe, loudly proclaimed, "Building the border is a matter of life and death for our people; it is everyone's responsibility. Even without pay, everyone should contribute their labor..."
Song Liyun couldn't help but glance at him a few times. What he said... actually made perfect sense.
The saying "Every citizen has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation" applies, but it depends on who you're addressing it to.
Song Liyun lived through the chaotic end times. For the people at the bottom who were suffering from hunger and cold, the saying "food is the first necessity of the people, and whoever feeds them is their mother" is not an exaggeration.
At this critical juncture, taking money and food is the right thing to do; who will listen to empty promises?
Sure enough, before he finished speaking, a stone came crashing down on his face. Someone yelled, "You're from the military, you have a house and food, of course you can talk big, but we poor folks just want money!"
"Yes, I need money!"
"I want money!"
Caught off guard, Xue Zhuang was beaten until his head bled, and the crowd cheered, "Kill this lackey!"
Song Zhenping and Song Dekui also cursed, "Serves you right!"
They were still holding a grudge against the man surnamed Xue for speaking rudely to Song Liyun with those soldiers at the banquet.
Song Liyun was unaware of what had happened that day; at this moment, she could only furrow her brow and feel anxious.
The military is indeed in the wrong for withholding wages from migrant workers.
Personally, Song Liyun didn't want to see the military camp's reputation tarnished.
As a military household member, one enjoys prestige within the military camp, thus securing a strong backing and enabling future resistance against the government.
And then there's Xue Zhuang; Song Liyun has no liking for him.
This person is morally flawed and does not value women's dignity.
He declared they were family after spending only half a day with me, but after a few days with Xu Yan'er, they were already in bed together.
He comes from a military background, so speaking up for the military is the right thing to do now.
It's not convenient for the garrison to speak directly; sometimes, they need someone else to say things for them.
There are only two military households in Suijin Town, and they should stand together through thick and thin.
If Xue Zhuang is humiliated, the military household will definitely be ridiculed in Suijin Town, and it will be difficult for them to move an inch in the future.
But now even Song Zhenping is calling for a fight, how can I salvage the situation?
Amidst the chaos, a group of soldiers ran out of the camp, pushed aside the barricades blocking the way, and separated the crowd.
Luo Baihu's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He strode up to the laborers and said sternly, "The camp has never skimped on your food and lodging. We just asked you to wait a few more days, and you dare to cause trouble."
Uncle Qin, the leader of the migrant workers, stepped forward when he saw Commander Luo come out and said, "Commander, we don't want to cause trouble either."
There's no work left on the construction site. We've been away for almost a month, and we just hope the military will pay us the wages they promised so we can go home.
If Luo Baihu could produce the silver, why would he be in such a hurry?
Just now, he sent someone on horseback to Qili County to secretly pawn his favorite sword.
Seeing the crowd's agitation and knowing that they wouldn't give up until they paid the money, Commander Luo felt both angry and saddened.
The Zhenbei Army has guarded the northern border for twenty years and has made outstanding military achievements. Even if they made a mistake due to negligence five years ago, they should not be neglected by the court.
But now they've been forced to this point. What are the Marquis and the Empress doing?
Xiashi Pass, the central tent of the Thunder God Camp of the Zhenbei Army.
The third son, Zhao Tingduo, whom Luo Baihu had been eagerly anticipating, sat at the military desk. Opposite him was a robust middle-aged man with a dark complexion, dressed in military uniform.
The man looked at Zhao Tingduo and frowned, saying, "Third brother, Father said that you shouldn't come to the camp casually. If there's anything, have a messenger deliver the message."
Zhao Tingduo shook her head, the turquoise earring swaying gently, and said calmly, "Brother, I know I can't come to the camp, but several garrisons are demanding military pay right now, you can't possibly not know that?"
Zhao Tinglei frowned even more: "This is a matter for my Zhenbei Army. You just need to stay in your tribe and raise more military horses."
Zhao Tingduo stood up abruptly, her eyes suddenly sharp: "Brother, although I am not in the Zhenbei Army, our father is not yours alone, and the Zhenbei Army is not under your sole command."
"I may not know about military deployments, but you can't hide the predicament of the Zhenbei Army from me."
"The fate of the Uda tribe is intertwined with that of the Zhenbei Army, just as we share the same blood. Are you trying to sever ties with your brothers by keeping everything from us?"
Knowing that his third brother was truly angry, Zhao Tinglei sighed deeply. There were some things he couldn't explain to his brother in detail.
He was the Grand Commander of the Northern Garrison and a high-ranking military officer in the Wu Dynasty.
The young man in front of him was the young master of the Dilu grassland tribe. Although the two seemed to be completely unrelated, they were actually half-brothers.
However, her own mother was a concubine of the Marquis's family and lived in the Marquis's mansion in the capital, while her third brother's mother was the leader of the Wuda tribe.
The Di people had no kingdoms, only countless nomadic tribes of all sizes, who constantly fought and clashed with each other, with the possibility of annexation, annihilation, and division at any time.
Thus, an alliance was formed, mainly composed of several large tribes, to handle conflicts between tribes. This alliance was called the Dilu Royal Court.
Twenty years ago, Uya'er, the daughter of the chief of the Uda tribe, was beautiful and caught the eye of the chief of another medium-sized tribe, who wanted to take her into his household.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
