Chapter 569: How Much Grain is Left?
West of Daning County, a dilapidated district sprawled.
This was likely where the city's poor congregated; not a single decent house stood, only crumbling, precarious shacks.
Hearing from soldiers that there were still survivors here, Cheng Xu, Xing Honglang, and the others swiftly arrived. At the intersection, they ran into Ma Xianglin, and a flicker of mutual relief passed between them.
They had feared all the city's inhabitants were dead, so finding living people here was like discovering a vibrant splash of color in a sea of gray.
Together, the group ventured deeper into the district.
Immediately, they saw crowds of common folk cowering in their dilapidated homes, gazing out with terrified eyes.
Ma Xianglin scanned the crumbling houses on both sides of the street and sighed lightly, "It seems this district was too poor; even the rebels didn't bother with it."
Cheng Xu countered, "They can rob the rich, and they can coerce the poor. No matter how destitute these people are, it wouldn't stop the rebels from preying on them."
Ma Xianglin mused, "Hmm? You have a point. Then how did this district survive?"
Xing Honglang gave a meaningful glance to her old subordinate, Lao Zhu, "Go ask them."
Lao Zhu nodded, pulled a steamed bun from his satchel, and ducked into one of the residences. A moment later, he emerged, followed by a young woman frantically devouring the bun. The terror in her eyes had somewhat lessened.
After all, if someone offered you food, it meant they didn't intend to kill you.
The woman wolfed down a few mouthfuls, and seeing the relatively kind expressions of the crowd surrounding her, her courage grew. "Sirs... is there... anything you wish to ask?"
Xing Honglang forced her expression to be as gentle as possible. "The rebels didn't kill you?"
Despite her best efforts, her face twisted into a fierce grimace, and the word "kill" seemed to echo in her voice. The woman immediately interpreted this: *Could this female general think we surrendered to the bandits, which is why they didn't kill us? Is she planning to settle scores later?*
At that thought, she began to tremble uncontrollably, no longer daring to bite the bun, and retreated several steps.
Zao Ying stepped forward. "Sister Xing, you've frightened her. Let me try."
She approached, her face as gentle as possible. "Don't be afraid. We don't eat people."
"Ah!" The woman recoiled a few more steps in terror.
The group exchanged glances.
Finally, Zhang Fengyi came forward. "Don't be scared, we just want to ask you a few questions."
Her features were regular, her expression normal, making her appear as a kind middle-aged woman. At last, the young woman stopped retreating.
Everyone looked sympathetically at Xing Honglang and Zao Ying.
Both women simultaneously clenched their fists, veins bulging on their hands. "Are you looking for a beating?"
Zhang Fengyi soothed the woman for several moments before she finally dared to speak. "This district... was occupied by a rebel leader called Chuǎng Wang. He said that everyone living here was very poor, so he spared our lives. He didn't come in to plunder or kill, nor did he force us to join his army. Because his men occupied the outer perimeter of this district, no other bandits came in."
Hearing this, everyone murmured in surprise.
However, Wang Er and Bai Mao in the crowd seemed less astonished. When Wang Er had wanted to leave Wang Jiayin's forces previously, Chuǎng Wang had spoken on his behalf, asking everyone to let him go so as not to break the code of brotherhood. (For those who've forgotten, please refer to Chapter 349)
Among a horde of ruthless bandits, this Chuǎng Wang was considered someone who maintained some semblance of order, not quite so utterly depraved.
Wang Er affirmed, "If Chuǎng Wang occupied this area, it makes sense. That man dislikes senseless slaughter."
Bai Mao nodded in agreement.
Perched on Gao Chuwu's shoulder, the Puppet Heavenly Lord mused internally: *At this time, the Chuǎng Wang isn't Li Zicheng yet; it should be Gao Yingxiang.*
Historical records state that Chuǎng Wang Gao Yingxiang raised his army in Ansei and was a horse trader, but there's little description of his character, background, or life's events.
Other leaders each had unique traits: Li Zicheng was shrewd and ungrateful, Zhang Xianzhong was a relentless killer, the rebel leader nicknamed Cao Cao was a peacemaker, and Gao Jie, the Fan Shan Yao, was notoriously handsome... Only Gao Yingxiang's historical accounts merely detail his military actions, never his personal characteristics.
In a novel, such a person would be called a "forgettable face," a sign that the author's skill wasn't sufficient to imbue him with distinct traits, causing him to be lost among supporting characters, the kind of person readers would forget after finishing the book.
The author of *Those Ming Dynasty Things* could only describe him as: "Gao Yingxiang was a peculiar man, and his peculiarity lay precisely in his utter lack of distinguishing features."
This was the first time the Puppet Heavenly Lord had learned about Chuǎng Wang Gao Yingxiang beyond what the historical records conveyed.
Ma Xianglin said, "So there's someone like this among the rebels. That's good. Sparing these common folk counted as a good deed. How many people survived in this district?"
The woman timidly replied, "Perhaps a few thousand... I'm not entirely sure... After the rebels entered the city, we never dared to leave our homes..."
Ma Xianglin loudly commanded, "White Pole Soldiers, go call out all the villagers hiding in their homes. Count them and see if there's any way we can help them."
The Sichuan White Pole Soldiers immediately sprang into action, knocking on doors. Before long, quite a few common folk indeed emerged from their homes.
This large slum truly harbored many people. Gathered together, there were about three thousand individuals, all from the lowest strata of society.
During the days the rebels occupied Daning County, they had hidden indoors, fearing to emerge. To avoid attracting bandits to their homes, they hadn't even dared to light fires or raise cooking smoke. They ate raw food, and when cold, they dared not burn braziers or heat their sleeping platforms, huddling inside, shivering.
After days of such hardship, each looked more wretched than the last.
Ma Xianglin watched, pained, but unsure how to help.
Then he heard Cheng Xu nearby ask, "How much military grain do our soldiers still have?"
Zheng Daniu grinned, "None! Not a single bit of military grain left!"
Cheng Xu scoffed, "Your consumption rate isn't a reliable benchmark. Next."
Zao Ying interjected, "Oh, why don't you believe Daniu? Our military grain really is gone. Look, my bag is empty too."
Cheng Xu retorted, "Your rations are probably all in Daniu's stomach, aren't they? Your words aren't reliable either. Next."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Bai Mao raised his hand. "I still have one day's worth of rations."
"I also have one day's worth."
"Most people have one day's worth."
Cheng Xu nodded, then pulled out a map. "Daning County is still forty *li* from the Yellow River bank. We can reach it in a day. Our rations are just enough to get us to the river."
Everyone nodded.
Cheng Xu declared, "Good. All our soldiers' rations will be given to the common folk. We'll go hungry for a day and walk to the Yellow River. No problem."
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