"I have a way to leave, don't worry."
Heizi still disagreed:
"What way? If you don't tell me, I'll assume you're lying to me."
Qin Sang whispered to him:
"The river in this garden leads outside. I can swim, can you?"
Heizi wanted to say more, but Qin Sang said sternly:
"Are you being disobedient? If I knew you wouldn't listen, I would have brought A Shui instead."
Upon hearing this, Heizi could only swallow his worries:
"Alright then. Mother, you must be careful. If anything happens, you... you just take that red silk and prop it up? If we see it, we'll definitely find a way to save you."
Qin Sang didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his words. She had plenty of tricks up her sleeve; keeping Heizi by her side would only tie her hands.
"Enough. Take everyone to Chen Family Village to find the Charcoal Stone I need. I'll be fine here. Be careful on the road and take a detour."
Only then did Heizi nod, picking up the bag of grain and walking out.
Qin Sang continued brewing medicine for the remaining people. When lunchtime came, she waited for a long while, but no one brought food. The others were either sitting or leaning on the communal bed. As the sun began to set and still no meal delivery appeared, one of them slammed their fist onto the bed in anger:
"Are they trying to starve us to death?"
"No, I'm going to find them and demand an explanation."
"We didn't die at the hands of the Tartars in the Northwest, yet we're going to be starved to death by our own comrades. If word gets out, it'll be a real joke for our Zhenbei Army."
Qin Sang, hearing this new information, couldn't help but feel interested:
"You're from the Zhenbei Army? Then how did you end up in the south? I see that you're all seriously injured, yet those soldiers who have already recovered don't have a single scratch. And that one over there, who almost died—why are you the only ones injured?"
A Bearded Man said dejectedly:
"Sister-in-law, we did indeed serve in the Zhenbei Army. That man was once our Young General. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince was deposed, and the Zhenbei General who supported him was also implicated. We, who should have been slaying Tartars in the Northwest, were forced to move thousands of miles south to suppress the Rebels."
"The Young General was originally the Chief Officer leading this expedition, commanding three hundred of us in valiant combat. Who would have thought those Southern Army troops would not only be passive in battle but also intentionally leak the Young General's marching route? This led to us being ambushed by the Rebels. In the end, it was the Young General who led dozens of us brothers to break through and return, though he was gravely wounded."
"After the Young General fell unconscious, his original deputy took over his position and became the current Chief Officer. The remaining dozens of brothers were broken up and scattered all over; we don't even know if they're still alive."
"Originally, we wounded were thrown into these servants' quarters and ignored. But after the heavy rain, many in the Southern Army fell ill, so others were brought here to stay with us."
"I know they want us to die here quietly. When they invited you, sister-in-law, they never expected you could actually cure us."
Qin Sang instinctively glanced at the man who still had his eyes closed. He was actually a Young General, the commander-in-chief for the pacification of Songbai Town.
However, a fallen tiger is bullied by dogs. In the Northwest, he might have been a presence that struck terror into the hearts of his enemies, but in the south, he had to bow to the local powers.
Qin Sang nodded slightly:
"So now, because their people have recovered, they no longer care whether you live or die? They want to starve you to death?"
"Exactly. It's a pity our injuries haven't healed yet, otherwise, we would definitely take up our blades and have a showdown with that Chief Officer."
A thin, scrawny man said indignantly.
He was interrupted by the Bearded Man:
"Showdown? How many of us are there compared to them? Going there would just be seeking death. Since you're not even afraid of dying, why not think of a way to survive instead?"
The others all looked indignant:
"Do you think we don't want to live? We don't even have our blades. Right now, we're just meat on a chopping block, at the mercy of others."
"If only the Young General could wake up, at least there would be someone to make the decisions."
"Without the Young General, we would have lost our lives at Pozigou long ago. If anything happens to him, I definitely won't let that corrupt official off the hook."
Qin Sang's only impression of the Northwest Army was what Steward Huang had mentioned—that there had been unrest in the north long ago, but it was suppressed by the army and order had been restored. It seemed these Northwest troops were different from the Southern Army.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been harmed like this by the Southern Army; they must have been marginalized because they didn't fit in.
The current emperor is both stupid and cruel. Moving the battle-hardened Zhenbei Army away from the Northwest—isn't that just giving the Tartars an opportunity? If that isn't stupidity, what is?
Breaking them up and incorporating them into the complex Southern Army, wearing down the backbone of the Zhenbei Army like cutting meat with a dull knife—it was truly ruthless.
Qin Sang had to confirm that these people were trustworthy. She went to the door to check, and after ensuring no one was around, she closed the doors and windows before returning to whisper to them:
"Then do you know that these Government Soldiers are currently killing civilians to claim credit for military success?"
On the communal bed, the men all tensed up. Even Lin Qi, who had been pretending to be unconscious, opened his eyes:
"What did you say?"
Qin Sang said decisively:
"Killing civilians to claim credit. They cut off the ears of commoners to pass them off as Rebels. They've already collected three hundred. The earless corpses are being washed up everywhere by the floods."
Qin Sang watched their reactions closely. Their eyes turned red with rage, and Lin Qi even tried to get out of bed, supporting his still-unhealed body.
Qin Sang spread her arms to stop them:
"What are you doing?"
Lin Qi roared in anger:
"I'm going to hack them to pieces."
The others were also furious:
"There has never been such a thing as killing civilians for credit in the Zhenbei Army. How dare these Southern Army troops do this? Is there no military law?"
"They were cowardly when fighting Rebels, but they raised their slaughtering knives against the people? This is the Southern Army?"
"No wonder those people are rebelling. On our way here to suppress them, how many families could afford to eat? How many could survive? If it were me, I would rebel too."
Seeing their distressed and indignant expressions, the last of Qin Sang's doubts vanished. One couldn't say such things without truly caring for the people like their own children. Qin Sang developed a slight favorable impression of the Zhenbei Army.
Qin Sang blocked the doorway and said in a low voice:
"In your current state, how many people can you kill? Do you have blades? Do you have the strength?"
"If you truly care about those deceased commoners, what you must do now is your best to recover."
The men who had already gotten out of bed were struck to the core by Qin Sang's blunt, realistic words.
Lin Qi even stumbled, nearly falling to the floor. Fortunately, a nearby soldier quickly caught him. Even so, one of the stitched wounds on Lin Qi's body burst open, and blood began to seep out.
Qin Sang rushed forward:
"Get back and lie down! Otherwise, the life I worked so hard to save will really be thrown away by your recklessness."
Only then did everyone realize that their Young General had actually woken up.
"Young General, it's good that you're awake. Please lie down quickly and listen to sister-in-law."
"Yes, yes, Young General. As long as you're alive and well, you can kick that deputy out. Once you take back the position of Chief Officer, you can just arrest all of them and have them beheaded."
Lin Qi was pressed back onto the communal bed by several men. Qin Sang reapplied medicine and re-bandaged him. Noticing that Lin Qi's gaze had been fixed on her, she finished the final step before meeting his eyes:
"Do you have something you want to ask me?"