With the opposition members killed, no one else dared to step forward.
Some people were loudly supporting it, and those with quick minds followed suit.
Zheng Anhe nodded in satisfaction and then read out: "Second, set up camp on the spot and do not follow the main force."
They could tolerate not being allowed to follow before, since they hadn't heard of anything better ahead and staying in the rear was fine. But today, when they heard that a water source had been discovered, many people became restless. And when they heard that the water source wasn't close to here, they became even more panicked.
"Sir, can't we come with you? We're not that close. I don't want to be here with nothing. What if we run out of food and water?"
Someone started to speak, and the men who had been timid earlier regained some courage and chimed in: "Yes, yes, sir, we shouldn't be too close, but we also shouldn't be this far away. We've heard that the water source is several hills away from here!"
Zheng An grabbed the first person to speak, kicked him twice, knocking him to the ground, and angrily asked, "Which department are you from?"
The man was startled after being kicked, but the pain in his abdomen made him furious: "I'm from the logistics department. They've all left. Every time the main force delivers supplies, I can't even contact the people delivering them. The message I get is that the supplies have been delivered, and people can't have contact with each other. Why are they so protective? None of us from the logistics department have gotten sick!"
Seeing his reaction, Zheng Anhe realized that there were quite a few dissatisfied people. After all, being abandoned here meant that although they were not lacking in food, drink, or medicine for the time being, everyone understood what being abandoned on the road to escape famine meant.
But he could not waver. Zhao Rong gave him a strict order: until the plague is eradicated, he must not take another step forward!
Zheng Anhe kicked the man hard again, and the man vomited immediately.
Zheng Anhe said sternly, "Anyone who dares to raise objections again will be killed!"
Seeing that the scene had quieted down, he softened his tone: "The commander said that he will not give up on anyone easily, and I trust the commander!"
Then, pointing to the refugees at the back of their group who hadn't yet joined, he said, "You don't have to stay; you can join them. But if you stay, you must obey orders!"
Those refugees who had not yet joined were two miles away but could not advance. The leader sent men to garrison there, and anyone who dared to enter would be beheaded unless they joined their ranks.
More and more refugees joined, but because the later refugees were all in very small groups, the largest group was around thirty people.
I heard that the drought in the north is too severe and there is war in the south, making it increasingly difficult for people to escape here alive.
Zheng Anhe ordered his men to drag away the man he had kicked and made vomit. The man dared not utter another sound. He knew that if he made another sound, even if he wasn't killed, he would probably be thrown to the refugees.
Seeing that no one objected anymore, Zheng Anhe's expression finally improved a lot, and he continued to announce: "The third rule is that everyone here must drink a bowl of anti-epidemic medicine soup boiled in a large pot every day. The medical team leader said that it can protect against the vast majority of infections, and even if you are infected, the symptoms will be mild."
The water should arrive tomorrow, and then we can start preparing the medicine.
When Zheng Anhe heard this news, he was very happy. With water, they could survive the drought!
He continued, "Those who are seriously ill will also have enough medication in the next few days."
"The commander said that I can rejoin the team once I am fully recovered."
Everyone smiled then. Zheng Anhe spoke so resolutely that the leader would definitely not abandon them.
Xie Aixia muttered under her breath, "When will that be?"
She could see clearly that the plague was truly contagious; the woman who had been cleaning with her yesterday was diagnosed with the plague today.
She was afraid of getting infected, and that once she became seriously ill, medicine would be ineffective and she would die quickly. Several of them had already been burned.
Xie Aishuang, who was next to her, pouted and said, "Who knows when that person might lose patience, or when there's a food shortage, and then just abandon us."
Xie Aixia glared at her: "Who told you to interrupt me!"
Xie Aishuang sullenly stepped aside. She was unlucky enough to be thrown into the cleaning department by Zhao Rong again and left in the back. She had vomited many times in the past few days.
Seeing that Xie Aixia still couldn't adapt to her role as a cleaner, she felt much more at ease.
When Xie Aixia was in the Marquis's mansion, she relied on her mother's favor to act like a legitimate young lady, putting on an arrogant attitude and suppressing her other half-sisters. Now, hasn't she ended up in this state?
Xie Aixia disliked Xie Aishuang. What good was the title of the eldest daughter of a concubine? Without a aunt to back her up, she was still completely suppressed by Xie Aishuang.
But now that Xie Aishuang was avoiding her like the plague, she was unhappy: "What do you mean? I didn't tell you to answer, I didn't tell you to avoid me!"
Xie Aishuang wouldn't tolerate her; who here could be more noble than whom? "You smell too strong, you're suffocating me!"
Xie Aixia was stunned for a moment, and smelled herself in disbelief. She hadn't been able to wash up for days. She had been living in a daze under Lin Yanqing's care and was often humiliated by Lin Yanqing's men.
Her arrogance had been constantly challenged, and she still hadn't come to her senses when Pan Ruoqiao questioned her.
The exhaustion and contact with dirt over the past few days had kept her vomiting so much that she couldn't even smell the odor on her body!
Reminded by Xie Aishuang, she actually smelled herself and exclaimed, "Ugh!"
She felt the urge to vomit again, but nothing came out. Her stomach was empty from vomiting all day, and she could hardly eat anything.
Xie Aishuang curled the corners of her mouth. Serves her right!
Suddenly she remembered herself, and took a deep sniff too. "Ugh!"
She felt nauseous, and she herself smelled sour and stinky!
The people around them frowned as they watched. One of them couldn't stand it anymore and said sarcastically, "A young lady is a young lady after all. She can't even stand this little bit of smell. It's a pity that you young ladies won't be treated like this here!"
"That's right. When we get here, we're all refugees. We're lucky if we can get food and drink!"
Another person curled their lip and said disdainfully, "So what if she's a young lady? She's been played by Lin Yanqing and his gang for days. She's not even as good as you or me!"
The scornful whispers around them reached their ears one after another. They had heard similar words many times in recent days, and they were immediately filled with sadness and anger.
"The commander said that everyone is equal when joining the team. No matter what you did in the past, no one is inferior to anyone else. How dare you laugh at us like this!"
Although they don't highly approve of Shenxi, it has to be said that Shenxi's words sometimes really resonate with them.
The people around them sneered. They naturally dared not say that their leader was wrong, but they were still full of contempt for them!
That's how people are. The hierarchy of contempt always exists. When they are young ladies, they look up to them and envy them. But when the young ladies become like them, they are mocked and ridiculed for their dignity. It's as if they have become superior because they have put the former young ladies down!
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