As the two were talking, suddenly one of the riders swayed and fell to the ground.
Before Zheng Anxiang could even vent his anger at the checkpoint for demanding money, he was surprised to see someone fall from the sky.
Upon closer inspection, his sharp eyes noticed that several people in the caravan looked unwell, and some even had rashes.
Zheng Anxiang was startled. This, this, could it be a plague?
He immediately ordered his men to retreat and shouted at the other side, "Have you contracted the plague?"
When the man fell from his horse, the people in the caravan were not surprised, as if they were already used to it.
The leader of the cavalry looked apologetic: "We also sensed it was a plague. We heard that Bian'ai County could prevent and treat the plague, so we decided to head to Bian'ai County."
Along the way, they did seek medical treatment, but the results were not ideal. At first, they would leave the infected people at the clinic for treatment without taking them with them. Later, almost everyone was infected, some more severely than others.
Even the young lady was infected, but her maid Xiaochun remained lively and energetic.
These people were none other than the Eighth Prince's Consort Feng Ke and her guards, who had come from the capital.
Now only ten guards remain.
All ten people were infected, except for Feng Yu and Feng Tao, who were relatively mild, with only slight fever and weakness.
They were originally heading to Xiahe County in Yuzhang Prefecture, but before they even reached their village, a major uprising broke out in Xiahe County and another county adjacent to it.
Unable to advance or retreat, and having contracted the plague, they had no choice but to flee to Juxian County in Nanning Prefecture, the nearest town.
Xie Ning of Nanning Prefecture was fighting against the Third Prince in the south of Nanning Prefecture, and he did not pay much attention to Ju County, a small, lawless county in the north that was still in the hands of Xie Hou's troops.
Ju County had been occupied by Lin Yanqing's rebel army and another rebel army in succession, and was later recovered by Xie Hou's troops. The county was already very desolate, not to mention the impact of drought, the spread of plague and locust plague, which had already caused a large population decline.
Some of them even went to Bian'ai County and have now settled there.
When Feng Yu saw that his men had all been infected and two had died, and that his young lady was also seriously ill, he was extremely worried.
Miss is a member of the Feng family and the Eighth Prince's consort. If anything were to happen to her, how could they possibly survive!
Despite his discomfort, he inquired around and learned that Bian'ai County was relatively peaceful, the plague was not rampant, and there were ways to treat it.
They then hurried on their way to Bian'ai County.
Faced with the extortion at the checkpoint, he readily paid the money, only to find that they were to be quarantined for a week in that dilapidated and lonely house.
He didn't believe these greedy people could cure the young lady; he wanted to take her to Bian'ai County.
This led to the scene of trying to break through the checkpoint and coincidentally encountering Chenxi and his group.
Upon hearing their explanation, Zheng Anxiang knew that the people in the carriage were no ordinary individuals, given the luxurious carriage and the attire of the guards. Although they didn't reveal the specific identities of the people inside, Zheng Anxiang understood that they were not ordinary people.
Zheng Anxiang turned his horse around and reported back to Chenxi.
Chen Xi said, "Since they have come to us for help, let's have someone take them to the sanatorium!"
"yes."
Zheng Anxiang introduced himself to Feng Yu and explained that he would take them to a sanatorium, a place specifically for treating the plague.
Feng Yu had already found out that there was a goddess in Bian'ai County, who was said to have descended to earth to undergo tribulation, and everyone called her Chief.
Upon seeing that these people were actually subordinates of the legendary goddess, and that the woman sitting on horseback was the goddess herself, they were naturally willing to go with her.
Regardless of whether the other party is a deity or not, there is no better way at this point.
His young lady is already in a semi-comatose state; without proper treatment, she will surely die here.
Zheng Anxiang arranged for a messenger to lead Feng Yu and the others to the sanatorium.
After the people left, Zheng Anxiang told them about how the checkpoint had extorted money from people.
Shen Xi's face darkened. The militiamen who had been chasing Feng Yu and the others had been stopped by the guards.
At this moment, Shenxi sent someone over so she could ask them herself.
If the militia below is not managed properly, no one can say for sure what will happen.
When the five people were brought over, they immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble commoner greets the commander!"
"Who is the officer in charge here?"
The management of the militia is similar to that of the regular army, except that production and training must be carried out simultaneously.
"Reporting to the commander, our officer is still at the checkpoint, named Ge Santong, and he is the squad leader."
A militia squad consists of nine people. Squad leaders at the grassroots level are appointed and assigned by the local authorities. Only platoon leaders and above are formally appointed by higher authorities.
"Have you accepted any money from others?"
The five men had already heard Feng Yu's "accusation," but they still didn't want to or dared to admit it, and they all cried out, "Commander, we're innocent! We've never accepted any money!"
Chen Xi snorted coldly: "An Xiang, let's go to the checkpoint!"
"yes!"
Zheng Anxiang ordered his men to take the five men directly to the checkpoint.
Ge Santong was sitting in a small hut at the checkpoint, legs crossed, saying to the two men massaging his legs, "Serve me well, and I'll give you more money."
Two women's voices rang out: "Squad leader, this time it's a fat sheep, I wonder how much they can give us?"
Ge Santong chuckled lewdly, "Then let's see how you serve me."
Two women, dressed in crisp militia uniforms and beaming with smiles, said, "Sir, the position of squad leader is beneath you. You should be the boss. Chenxi is not worthy of being called a leader!"
Another person said, "We will definitely serve you well, sir. You left us here, and we will repay you properly."
Ge Santong hummed comfortably, "Mmm, massage here again, Jiajia, your little hands are so soft, give me a massage again tonight."
A charming voice replied, "Yes, Master, do as you please."
Ge Santong grabbed a woman's hand and rubbed it towards her private parts.
The woman giggled, showing no sign of shyness.
Shen Xi overheard everything outside. Zheng Ankang's face turned red with anger. How could the leader allow such a person to pollute his ears?
He kicked open the door, and two screams rang out from inside. Ge Santong shouted, "Who dares to be so bold!"
Zheng Ankang drew his knife and pressed it against Ge Santong's neck: "Put your pants on properly."
When Ge Santong saw the broadsword pressed against his neck, he was so terrified that he didn't even think about pulling up his pants.
Zheng Ankang ordered his men to lift him up so that he could move aside and allow Chen Xi to see Ge Santong.
Shen Xi remained expressionless, sitting in the chair prepared by Xing Xiuyan. Instead of asking questions directly, he ordered someone to summon the platoon leader, company commander, and battalion commander, who was the highest-ranking officer in the militia.
To be promoted to regimental commander, one would no longer be a militia member; one would need to be a regular army member to qualify as a regimental commander.
This is mainly to limit militia groups that are too large, in order to prevent unrest.
This is Shenxi's initial military plan.
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