Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 187 Difficult Situation

Yu Die wasn't brought along for two reasons: firstly, because she couldn't ride a horse, and secondly, because Yu Die still needed to keep an eye on the young lady in the mansion. According to Yu Die, Liu Yue had been very unruly lately and might have gotten involved with the Crown Prince's concubine.

She couldn't leave any potential problems for Gu Chang'an; she had to investigate thoroughly.

Three thousand men could march very quickly within the territory of this dynasty without needing to conceal themselves. At first, some people questioned Shen Li's abilities, thinking that she probably couldn't even keep up on horseback.

In less than two days, they shattered this perception and began to realize that Shen Li's military achievements were genuine, and they were much more convinced of her abilities.

Within two days, they had a big meal and replenished their rations at a government office they passed by. After another three days of marching, they encountered a group of more than a hundred deserters before they even reached Xuzhou City.

The soldiers, disarmed and dazed, reacted with fear upon seeing the main force as soon as they saw them and ran.

"Halt!" Ma Zheng led his cavalry to surround the men.

The deserters immediately knelt down: "General, spare our lives! Spare our lives! We don't want to run away, but the city has been occupied by the rebels. If we don't run away, we'll die inside."

"What? You're saying Xuzhou City has been occupied by refugees?" Ma Zheng asked incredulously.

The city of Xuzhou had over 100,000 inhabitants, and the city's defense forces numbered in the thousands. The refugees had no weapons or equipment, no fighting ability, and were even starving. How could they possibly take over such a large city?

The only one who wasn't surprised was Shen Li. In her previous life, the floods in Xuzhou were not as severe as in the other two states, but it was the most difficult to provide disaster relief because the city was controlled by a rebel army composed of refugees.

If she remembered correctly, Xuzhou City could not be captured after a long siege. In the end, tens of thousands of main forces from the three major camps of the capital were brought in and used cannons to blast open the city gates. Both the civilians and the army inside the city suffered heavy casualties.

This caused delays, ultimately leading to a widespread plague in Xuzhou City that lasted for nearly half a year before ending, with less than 30% of the surrounding population surviving.

She thought that a rapid march would allow her to reach the city before it fell, but she was still too late.

"The leader of the refugee organization was named Li Dayong. He had been a soldier in his early years and later became a bandit. This time, he took advantage of the chaos to raid the government office and steal weapons and armor."

"He and his men are valiant fighters, and the refugees are fearless; we simply can't beat them," the deserter said, still looking apprehensive.

Ma Zheng and Chen Su both frowned upon hearing this. Looking at the city of Xuzhou with its gates tightly closed and cannons mounted on the towering city walls, they were at a loss for what to do.

If they could enter the city, the cavalry and the Shenji Battalion would be able to play a huge role and deal with the rebels with overwhelming force. But once the city gates are closed, even if 30,000 men came, it would be difficult for them to break in.

"We don't have enough manpower. Send four cavalry squads to recruit the deserters from the surrounding areas. The rest of you will follow me to detour into the villages and towns around the city to provide relief to the disaster victims outside the city," Shen Li decisively gave the order.

Some villages and towns are outside the city and are among the hardest-hit areas. Even if the young and strong rebel, the old and weak will inevitably suffer.

Four squads of 100 men each immediately set off to the surrounding area.

"My lord, the provisions won't arrive until tomorrow, and the imperial physician is also behind us. I'm afraid there's not much we can do," Ma Zheng said.

They marched hastily to quell the rebellion. The event was sudden, and even if they managed to procure supplies nearby, it wouldn't be easy to transport them. The imperial physicians would also need to travel by carriage, making the journey even later.

"Collect and store the soldiers' rations and water. Save lives first, and I will ask for rewards for everyone when we get back." Shen Li's voice rose at the end.

Those who followed were all well-trained elites. Upon hearing the order, even those who were dissatisfied still took out the supplies they were carrying, as well as the food and water for the last day, which were packed into individual packages.

"Take them over," Shen Li ordered Lianqiao and Shaoyao.

After hesitating for a moment, the two decided to hand it in anyway.

"My lord, the entire Xuzhou is waiting for you to take charge of the overall situation. You can't go hungry," Ma Zheng quickly advised.

"Saving lives is the priority; going hungry for a couple of meals won't affect my ability to manage the overall situation." Shen Li said, gently urging her horse forward: "Let's go."

Seeing this, the soldiers who had been somewhat dissatisfied immediately lost their resentment. If someone of Shen Li's status could endure hardship, what did they have to complain about?

Inside Xuzhou City, Li Dayong had seen the approaching imperial army from the city walls, ready for battle. Soldiers he had recruited were standing beside the cannons, ready to fire at a single command.

He was determined to show the imperial army outside the city his power.

To his surprise, the several thousand cavalrymen only paused briefly before turning around. He paused for a moment and said, "They must be attacking other city gates. Keep a close watch on both sides."

The bandits were very agile and immediately deployed their defenses in other directions, saying, "Brother, don't worry. Even if these three thousand men could fly up here, they wouldn't be able to break in. This government office has all kinds of weapons."

Li Dayong, with his fierce-looking beard, asked the bound clerk beside him, "Who are the men leading the troops?"

"Judging from their equipment, they are troops from the Divine Machine Battalion and the Three Thousand Battalion. The civil official in charge seems to be only a sixth-rank official, probably just an imperial censor." The advisor glanced at them from afar and said, "I can't see their faces clearly, but they're not high-ranking officials."

Li Dayong snorted: "The court is underestimating me. Sending a mere censor to beat me up is simply outrageous."

"I'll make sure the imperial court sees what I'm capable of. Once they attack the city, I'll wipe them out. With those muskets and horses, it won't be a problem to take over a few more prefectures and counties."

"Brother, are we really going to rebel?" one of the bandits asked, unsure of what to do.

"Nonsense, this damned court should have rebelled long ago. We finally have a chance, and someone even sent us equipment." Li Dayong looked at the three thousand men who were taking a detour in the distance, licked his dry lips, and said, "What great equipment."

"Isn't that how our ancestors of the Great Zhao Dynasty accomplished their goals? When we conquer the capital, we'll grant you titles of kings and marquises. You can marry as many wives as you want, and let's see who can stop us."

The bandits, without a second thought, were immediately seized by the temptation and vowed to follow their leader to the very end.

However, when they circled around from the north gate to the south gate, they saw that the army was moving further and further away, heading towards the villages and towns below, and had not attacked the city at all.

Li Dayong was stunned. Wasn't the imperial court sending troops to quell a rebellion?

He's already occupied the city, and he's even tied up the prefect, so why isn't anyone attacking him? This makes his tense defenses seem like a joke.

He had originally thought he could dampen the spirits of the three battalions, but his efforts were in vain, and he was so angry that he even wanted to lead his men down to chase after them.

Of course, this is just wishful thinking. If the few men he has lost the city as their support, they wouldn't even be enough for a cavalry charge, let alone the Shenji Battalion behind them.

"B-Big Brother, what should we do?" a bandit asked.