Chapter 569: Still How Many Rations |
West of Daining City, there was a shabby district.
This was roughly where the city’s poor residents gathered. There was not a single decent house; all were broken houses, tattered and tottering.
Hearing from soldiers that there were still survivors here, Cheng Xu, Xing Honglang, and others quickly rushed over. They met Ma Xianglin at the street corner, and both sides saw a hint of relief in each other’s eyes.
They had thought all the townspeople were completely dead. Finding survivors here was, in a way, like spotting a bright red flower in the midst of gloom.
Everyone entered the district together.
Immediately, they saw a large group of common people cowering inside broken houses, staring at them with fearful eyes.
Ma Xianglin glanced at the dilapidated houses lining both sides of the street and sighed softly, “It seems this district was so poor, even the bandits didn’t set their sights on it.”
Cheng Xu, however, said, “The rich can be robbed, and the poor can be coerced. No matter how poor the people here were, it wouldn’t stop the bandits from targeting them.”
Ma Xianglin responded, “Huh? That makes sense. So how did this district manage to survive?”
Xing Honglang gave a look to her old subordinate, Old Zhu, “Go and ask.”
Old Zhu nodded, reached into his pocket and pulled out a steamed bun, then ducked into a residential building. After a while, Old Zhu came out, followed by a young woman who was desperately chewing on the bun. The fear in her eyes was a bit less intense now.
After all, if someone gives you food, it suggests he doesn’t plan to kill you.
The woman gulped down a few bites of the bun, saw that the group encircling her appeared fairly friendly, and grew a bit bolder, “Sir soldiers… do you… do you have any questions?”
Xing Honglang tried to make a gentle expression and said, “Did the bandits not kill you?”
Although she was straining to be gentle, her face resembled a female ape when she grinned, and the word ‘kill’ slipped out. The woman immediately thought: Could this female general believe we had long joined the bandits? That’s why the bandits spared us? Is she biding her time to settle scores?
Thinking this, she trembled with fright, stopped chewing the bun, and retreated several steps.
Zao Ying stepped forward, “Big Sister Xing, you frightened her. I’ll take it from here.”
She walked forward, attempting a gentle look, “Don’t be scared; we don’t eat humans.”
“Ah!” the woman exclaimed in terror and retreated more steps.
Everyone: “…”
Finally, Zhang Fengyi came forward, “Don’t be afraid; we merely want to ask you a few words.”
Zhang Fengyi had a regular face with ordinary features, appearing a rather kind middle-aged woman. This time, the young woman didn’t retreat.
Everyone gave a sympathetic glance to Xing Honglang and Zao Ying.
The two female apes clenched their fists simultaneously, veins bulging on their hands, “Do you want to be beaten?”
Zhang Fengyi coaxed the woman for a good while before she finally dared to speak, “This district… was occupied by a bandit named King of Disruption. He said the people living here were very poor, so he spared our lives. He didn’t enter to rob or kill indiscriminately, nor did he force us to join his bandit army. Because his men held the periphery of this district, other bandits didn’t come in.”
Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help making a “Huh?” sound.
However, Wang Er and White Cat in the crowd didn’t seem too surprised. Originally, when Wang Er wanted to leave Wang Jiayin, King of Disruption had spoken up for Wang Er, urging everyone to let him go, to avoid damaging loyalty in jianghu. (For those who forgot, see Chapter 349.)
In a large band of worthless thieves, this King of Disruption counted as someone with slight principles, not utterly wicked.
Wang Er said, “If King of Disruption occupied this area, it’s reasonable. That man dislikes killing innocents rashly.”
White Cat nodded along.
Seated atop Gao Chuwu’s shoulders, the puppet deity was deep in thought. That King of Disruption at this time wasn’t Li Zicheng yet; it should be Gao Yingxiang.
Historical records stated that Gao Yingxiang, the King of Disruption, rose in rebellion in Ansei and was a horse trader, but said little about his character, origins, or life story.
Every other rebel leader had some distinctive trait. For instance, Li Zicheng was parsimonious and uncharitable; Zhang Xianzhong was an epitome of mercilessness; Luo Rucai (Cao Cao) acted as a peacemaker; Fan Mountain Hawk possessed exceptional martial prowess… As for Gao Yingxiang, the history books only recorded his military exploits and never described his personal characteristics.
In novels, such individuals are termed “faceless figures”—side characters to whom an author, lacking the skill to develop distinctive features, consigns to oblivion. Readers would likely forget who he was after finishing the book.
The author of Those Events of the Ming Dynasty could only offer this comment: Gao Yingxiang was a peculiar man; his peculiarity lay in his utter lack of peculiarity.
This was the first time the puppet deity learned of Gao Yingxiang, the King of Disruption, beyond what historical records contained.
Ma Xianglin said, “So there was someone like this among the rebels. Well, it’s just as well. By sparing these common folk, he accumulated some good karma. How many people survived in this district?”
The woman answered meekly, “Perhaps thousands… I’m not really sure… After the rebels entered the city, we never dared to leave our houses again…”
Ma Xianglin bellowed an order, “White pole troops from the river! Go rouse the Villagers hiding in their houses. Tally their numbers and see if we can offer them some assistance.”
The White Standards Troops from the river immediately sprang into action, knocking on every door. Soon, quite a few common folk began emerging from their homes.
This large impoverished slum indeed harbored many survivors. Gathered together, they numbered about three thousand—all impoverished good citizens from society’s lowest strata.
During the several days the rebels occupied Daining City, they had huddled indoors, afraid to venture out. To avoid attracting rebels into their homes, they hadn’t even dared to light fires to cook, eating raw food instead. Cold, yet too fearful to warm themselves by a brazier or heated kang, they could only shiver uncontrollably in their dwellings.
The ordeal had left every single one of them looking utterly wretched.
Ma Xianglin found the sight unbearable but was at a loss about how to help them.
Just then, he heard Cheng Xu beside him ask, “How much rations do our soldiers have left?”
Zheng Daniu spread his hands wide. “None! Not a speck!”
Cheng Xu said, “Your consumption rate isn’t a reliable reference. Next.”
Zao Ying chimed in, “Oh, how could you doubt Daniu? We truly have no rations left! Look, my bag is empty too.”
Cheng Xu retorted, “You probably gave your rations to Daniu to eat? Your testimony is also unreliable. Next.”
Everyone: “Pfft!”
White Cat raised his hand. “I still have rations for one day.”
“I also have enough for one day.”
“Most of us still have enough for one day.”
Cheng Xu nodded, then consulted a map. “Daining County seat is forty li from the banks of the Yellow River. It takes just one day’s march to reach it. Our rations are precisely sufficient to last us until we get to the river.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Cheng Xu said, “Good. Give all the rations to the civilians. We’ll march hungry for a day to the Yellow River. That’s manageable.”