The scout who had gone further away to gather information rushed back on his horse. “General, something is wrong. There are clearly traces of refugees passing by, but I couldn’t find a single refugee.”
Tang Jinghong lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. He knew that something bad must have happened and his expression turned solemn.
Deputy General Tan Yibin stepped forward. “General, what’s going on?”
Tang Jinghong did not answer his question. Instead, he asked, “Do you still remember the man in black from before?”
“I remember.” Tan Yibin frowned in confusion. “General, does this have anything to do with that person?”
Tang Jinghong was deep in thought. His expression was cold. “1 suspect that the Lord of the Northern Border is behind this.”
Tan Yibin’s expression changed. “General, you mean that the refugees have been taken away in an organized manner?”
Tang Jinghong nodded. “Yes.”
Tan Yibin could not figure it out. “Why did they do this?”
“We’ll know when we find the refugees.” Tang Jinghong had a faint guess in his heart. If this matter was really done by the Lord of the Northern Border, he believed that soon, there would be a plague spreading among the refugees. Then, the Lord of the Northern Border would use this tragedy to accuse the emperor of having done something immoral to anger the heavens. This would greatly harm the emperor’s prestige in the Daling Dynasty and the emperor might even be forced to step down.
Suddenly, a soldier galloped over from the right on horseback. When he arrived, he immediately dismounted and handed a letter to Tang Jinghong. “General.”
Tang Jinghong took the letter and read with a frown. The letter was sent from the Second Battalion, which was in charge of transporting the grains, saying that the number of refugees on their side was drastically increasing.
Could it be that the refugees had changed directions and headed for the grains?
If that was the case, things would be bad!
Perhaps the grains would be snatched away by the refugees. Eventually, the crime of failing to transport the grains would be pinned on him.
At this moment, another scout returned and reported, “General, I found new traces of the refugees. They are heading further away in another direction.”
After saying that, he took out something. “General, please take a look.”
The deputy general removed the cloth…
Chu Qingzhi and Fang Zerong said at the same time, “Child’s bones! Cannibalism!”
These words made everyone’s hearts skipped a beat. The refugees had already gone crazy. They would do anything at this time!
Tang Jinghong took out a pen and paper and wrote a letter. He handed it to a soldier. “Send it back to the camp in the capital immediately.”
This was a letter asking the deputy generals stationed at the camp in the capital to send reinforcements. Cannibalism had already happened among the refugees. The situation was more serious than he had imagined.
The soldier put the letter away. “Yes, General!” Then, he mounted his horse and left.
Tang Jinghong ordered in a low voice, “Change direction. We have to march at full speed to catch up with the refugees.”
Everyone replied in unison, “Yes, General.”
Two days and one night later, the troops arrived at the forest in the suburbs of Xu City.
The forest was connected to a plain. The ground of the plain was also cracked. It was a scene that made people hopeless.
As for the forest, it was in a mess. The grass and roots had been eaten, and the tree bark had been stripped clean.
They had already crossed two big cities. It hadn’t rained in the Chu Village for two or three months, so that drought should have lasted for at least half a year here. Otherwise, the disaster wouldn’t have been so serious.
Tang Jinghong asked the troops to stop and scout the situation ahead before marching further.
“Father, Mother, I’m afraid of pain. When I’m dead, you can eat me, okay?” A girl’s voice came from the other side of the forest. There was no sadness, no fear, only calmness.
It was hard to imagine what the girl had experienced that made her say these words so calmly.
The men in the troops all felt terrible.
Tang Jinghong said, “Qingzhi, let’s go take a look. The rest of you, start cooking the porridge!”
“Yes, General.”
Tang Jinghong brought Chu Qingzhi along the edge of the forest and walked in the direction of the voice.
On the other side of the forest, Tang Jinghong and Chu Qingzhi were shocked by the scene in front of them.
This was the gathering place of the refugees. From the edge of the forest to the city wall of Xu City, this large area was filled with refugees. There were more than 30,000 people.
They were curled up on the ground. Their hair and faces were disheveled, and their clothes were tattered. Their faces were sallow and their bodies were clearly on the verge of collapse.
When Chu Qingzhi witnessed this scene, she felt uncomfortable!
She looked around and saw the girl who had just spoken.
It was a family of five. The mother hugged the three children and sat against a tree. The eldest was ten years old, the youngest was four years old, and the four-year-old was the girl.
Their father was crying silently with his eyes covered.
The appearance of Chu Qingzhi and Tang Jinghong immediately attracted the attention of the nearby refugees.
The refugees had already abandoned their morals. Seeing the two of them, they immediately had the thought of robbing them. A few burly men approached and surrounded the two of them.
Tang Jinghong pulled Chu Qingzhi behind him and shouted coldly, “If you come a step closer, I will kill you.”
As he said this, Tang Jinghong’s face was filled with killing intent. His gaze was cold and sharp, and his aura was oppressive.
Chu Qingzhi looked at the man who was protecting her and her heart was pounding.
Those refugees were no longer afraid of death. Although Tang Jinghong’s words frightened them, they didn’t back away. Moreover, because of Tang Jinghong’s shout, a few more burly men were attracted and joined in.
Most of them looked at Chu Qingzhi. This girl looked delicate and tender. She must be very delicious.
More than ten burly men slowly surrounded the two of them. They rubbed their palms excitedly, their faces filled with madness.
Tang Jinghong drew his sword. His face was cold and his body emitted a murderous aura. He stood upright and shielded Chu Qingzhi behind him.
The other refugees watched and had no intention of helping.
A burly man shouted, “Kill them.. We can divide their meat!”
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