SFS Chapter 29 Collapse
Chapter 29 Collapse
The long line wound its way through the camp, and soon arrived at a corner where they began to line up, unload the vehicles, set up tents, and some people were boiling water and cooking. This was the designated area for the supply battalion.
After an unknown amount of time, everyone finally settled down and got ready, then gathered in twos and threes to have dinner.
More than ten people squeezed into one tent.
Master Zhu, Yang Silang, Wang Daniu, Xiao Jiling, and Jiao Ada were in one tent, while the other porters came from other guilds.
Everyone received a bowl of vegetable soup and two multigrain steamed buns.
It looked alright, but the rice in the soup was mixed with pebbles and dirt, and I don't know what was added to the steamed bun.
Moreover, it couldn't even be guaranteed to be piping hot; by the time it reached everyone's hands, it was already ice cold.
Everyone had to go back to their tents, dig a pit, gather firewood, and start a fire to heat it up again.
Fortunately, Master Zhu knew the government's morals and told everyone to prepare some dry rations in advance. Yang Silang took out the dry rations and dumplings, took out a small knife and cut them one by one into the soup bowl, which was barely enough to eat.
This time it was Wang Daniu's turn to mutter a few curses under his breath—these damn soldiers, I've done so much for them, and they give us this crap?
Xiao Jiling shook his head beside him, "Brother, you're wrong. Those soldiers don't eat much better than us."
I went to the front camp and saw that it was just that there were fewer pebbles and more rice in the soup, and the steamed buns were bigger.
Wang Daniu's eyes widened.
"These soldiers are eating worse than the porters who toil so hard every day. How can they fight?"
"Those swordsmen and shieldmen we saw practicing martial arts in front of our camp, their muscles weren't fake, were they? How could they grow muscles eating this pig feed?"
With a snap, Zhu Ye spat out a small pebble and half a tooth that had been knocked out, then spat out a few more mouthfuls of bloody saliva and said with a bitter smile.
"I finally managed to save these few seedlings, and then I ruined two of them in just three days!"
"I've lost out, I've lost out..." He rubbed his cheek and turned to explain to Wang Daniu.
"Most officers and soldiers eat like this; they won't starve, but they're not exactly full either. They're just there to make up the numbers, so there's no point in expecting them to be trained."
"There is also a small number of soldiers, wearing iron armor, who are fed well and have meat at every meal. These are the guards, protecting the officers as they fight on the front lines."
"The daily pay of a mere soldier might not be as much as what we earn, but the personal guards are all small landlords, so it's a different story."
Wang Daniu suddenly realized.
Master Zhu, I understand. For example, the soldiers in the supply battalion led by Commander Ruan were basically just human soldiers, just trying to make a living.
Iron General's troops consisted of his personal guards, who were to fight alongside the adjutant general. These were elite soldiers, and their role in defeating the enemy was entirely in their hands.
Master Zhu nodded—decades ago when he was conscripted, the army of the Great Shun Kingdom was just like this, and it seems that nothing has changed now.
Xiao Jiling slurped up the soup.
He wiped his mouth and said he had already inquired about it.
This time, the military commander of Gongzhou Prefecture led two thousand soldiers, including camp soldiers and garrison soldiers, to attack.
Aside from the majority of the soldiers being incompetent, there were also two or three hundred elite soldiers like the sword and shield soldiers. In addition to the Iron Captain, there were also four or five Copper-skinned Warriors with superb skills.
Their strength is still formidable. If they hold out for a few more days until they reach Yiling County, these top experts will lead a charge, and the band of bandits who have been plundering the sky will surely collapse.
We need to keep our eyes peeled and be quick about cleaning up the battlefield and searching for corpses after the battle. If we're lucky enough to find a couple of silver ingots, we'll be rich!
Yang Silang was not as optimistic as he was.
If bandits were so easy to defeat, Jiangdong Province wouldn't be in such turmoil.
In addition, the news of Gongzhou Prefecture sending troops was widely circulated among the people.
I wonder if the opposing rogue is using the initial version or an advanced version?
If we had prepared in advance, this battle might not have been easy... Of course, he hoped that the officers and soldiers could advance smoothly so that he could go home as soon as possible.
Master Zhu frowned and gave instructions to everyone.
Get some rest, we still have a long journey ahead tomorrow. But be alert, if things go wrong, run if necessary!
Thus, the army marched on for a few more days.
Good news kept coming back.
The bandits along the way were repeatedly defeated by the vanguard led by General Tie. The supply train could see the corpses of bandits killed by the vanguard and scattered copper coins on the ground along the way.
Xiao Jiling said with a smug look that he had picked up more than fifty copper coins just by picking up money along the way.
As a result, the atmosphere in the supply camp became even more relaxed, and the porters walked with much lighter steps.
Even though the daily rations in the army were poor, everyone was still happy and excited. It didn't matter if the food was bad; what mattered was their own safety. If they could find some gold and silver, that would be even better.
On this day, they set up camp and tidied up the camp as usual.
Thirty miles further ahead, we will reach Yiling County. Once we break through the siege of the city, everyone can go home!
Everyone was happy, and even the rice in the soup was a bit thicker today.
late at night.
In the supply camp, everyone was huddled together in a drafty tent, fast asleep.
Yang Silang suddenly opened his eyes. He was used to practicing martial arts late at night. Although he couldn't practice stance training due to limited space these past few days, he didn't fall asleep quickly. He seemed to hear some noises, but he wasn't sure.
suddenly.
Like a torrent of water pouring down.
The sound of countless hooves striking the ground rang out, followed by the crashing of wooden railings, the clashing of weapons, shouts of battle, and the crackling of flames.
He hurriedly ran out of the tent.
They saw that the camp gates had been breached, the barricades and antlers had been removed, and countless horses were galloping through the camp, throwing torches at the tents to spread panic.
Countless bandits in disheveled clothes poured into the camp through the gates, brandishing clubs, knives, and forks, shouting "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Inside the camp gate.
The officers and soldiers who had been ambushed reacted quickly. One by one, the platoon leaders and junior officers directed their men to form ranks and hurriedly tried to organize a defense. There was also a lieutenant general who, wearing only a robe, climbed onto a lookout vehicle and waved a flag as if to give orders.
A man with a veil over his head, wearing iron armor, and blind in one eye, emerged from the darkness leading dozens of riders, appearing like a god or demon in the firelight.
They held up long spears, with blood gourds stuck on the spearheads.
Look closely, and you'll see that those aren't gourds at all; they're clearly heads.
These heads all wore iron helmets in the style of officers and soldiers, clearly indicating that they were all elites, and their faces were ferocious.
The blind man possessed extraordinary strength, steadily wielding a long spear with a corpse on its back, riding back and forth in front of the camp gate.
The corpse's armor had been completely stripped off, indicating it had been riddled with arrows before death. Its skin was covered in bloody holes, and it had bled to death. The tiger tattoo on its body was very conspicuous.
The blind man shouted triumphantly, his voice carrying far and wide throughout the camp.
"Listen up, you scoundrels!"
"Your so-called Iron General is already dead. I heard he was the most skilled fighter. Can your kung fu match his?"
He hadn't finished speaking.
Clang.
In one part of the camp, dozens of officers and soldiers were gathered in a group, holding knives and guns, fiercely resisting the rushing bandits like hedgehogs, in a tug-of-war.
Although soldiers kept falling, the bandits were not faring well either, and could not break through for a while.
One of the soldiers suddenly yelled, dropped his sword, and fled frantically.