It seems that you are going to flee from famine, don't be anxious or panic

Chapter 242 Do Not Disturb Each Other

But they didn't stop. They rushed to the river and started drinking water. They hadn't had water for five days and felt like their meat was about to be roasted into jerky.

Nian Wude got off the camel, first glanced in the direction of Huo and the others, then took the water that a soldier had just filled for him in a water bag.

He tilted his head back and started drinking.

After Nian Wude finished drinking, the officers and soldiers came closer and said, "General, judging by the way these people are dressed, they seem to be from our Donglin Kingdom."

Nian Wude handed the water bag to the officer and said in a rough voice, "Go and ask these people what they are doing, and by the way, ask them what that thing is."

Nian Wude looked in the direction of the tractor.

As soon as he came over, he saw this thing that looked a bit like a carriage, but he didn't know what it was used for.

"Yes." The officer responded and left.

Then he walked up to Huo and the others and shouted, "What are you doing? Why are you here in the desert?"

After receiving the signal, Army Officer Xu said, "I'm just passing by here to get some water."

The officer was obviously not satisfied with his answer, so he continued to ask: "What are you doing in this desert? Where are you going next? This is an area under the jurisdiction of the imperial army. You cannot trespass here without permission."

Upon hearing this, General Xu said bluntly, "Of course they are fleeing from famine."

Fleeing from famine? Upon hearing this, the officers and soldiers turned to look at Nian Wude.

Their food and wages have not been paid for a long time. Due to food shortages, natural disasters in the desert, and the harm caused by poisonous animals, there are only more than 2,000 soldiers left out of the 20,000 soldiers originally stationed in the northwest.

Others were killed, injured, or separated by the storm.

Every time they asked the court for food and money, they always used natural disasters as an excuse.

General Wu Zhao was not allowed to return to the capital, so Nian Wude had to take them to the desert to fend for themselves.

These people said they were fleeing from famine. How serious must the disaster in the central region be to force these people to come to the desert to survive?

After hearing this, Nian Wude frowned, and it was obvious that he had the same idea as the soldier.

Is the famine in central China really that serious?

If that's the case, why are they still hanging on in this desert? Isn't there somewhere better to go than in the desert?

Although the imperial court did not provide them with food, it was difficult for them to get food in the northwest every year.

Therefore, he thought that the people from the Ministry of Revenue had withheld their food and wages again, which was why they did not receive the food.

So it seems to be due to famine?

However, as a general, he did not easily believe what these people said. Instead, he walked closer and looked at Huo and his group again.

When he saw Mogalina, he immediately ordered with a sharp look in his eyes: "Capture these people for me."

The beautiful woman in the crowd was definitely not from their Donglin Kingdom. He had heard that Beizhao Kingdom was rich in beauties and he had met some of them before. This person looked very much like someone from Beizhao Kingdom.

And that handsome man, who looks somewhat similar to this woman, could definitely be from Beizhao Kingdom.

These people actually dared to bring people from other countries to the border of their Donglin Kingdom. Their motives must be impure. They might be spies. He wanted to capture them and interrogate them thoroughly.

After hearing this, the officers and soldiers present immediately said "yes" in unison.

Then he stood up from the lake, ran to where they put their things, found the knife from their things, and went straight and quickly in the direction of Huo and the others.

General Xu didn't understand why this man suddenly made such a decision, but he didn't need Ye Buli and Huo's instructions. He directly took more than 100 people and flew forward to fight these people.

Soldiers who have been through many battles are indeed more difficult to deal with than ordinary people, but these people are indeed not as energetic as those who have joined the army.

It may be because these people have been walking in the desert for a long time and are physically tired.

After a while, most of the people on the opposite side lay on the ground.

Nian Wude saw that something was wrong and immediately shouted, "Stop it!"

He didn't expect that these people actually had some skills.

However, General Xu and his men did not stop until they had knocked all these people to the ground.

Nian Wude's teeth chattered when he saw this. He looked at General Xu and asked, "Who are you?"

Xu Canjun patted the mud and sand that had splashed on his body from the fight, and then said, "I already said, we were just passing through here, why did the general arrest us?"

"Do you know me?" Nian Wude asked in surprise.

"I don't know you, but my master knows you." said General Xu.

"Who is your young master?"

Ye Buli does not often appear in public. When he was young, he rarely appeared in public because of his special status. Later, after the establishment of the Dark Night Pavilion, he became even more elusive.

Some people knew his identity in the early years, but it had been too long, so Nian Wude didn't recognize Ye Buli's identity for a while.

However, General Xu was not prepared to say anything and only replied, "My son only met the general once in the capital before, so he recognized him."

Nian Wude was half-believing and half-doubting his words, and then asked, "Why are there people from the Northern Zhao Kingdom among your people?"

"It's a mess outside now. It doesn't matter where we are from." General Xu said indifferently.

"Is the famine in Donglin Kingdom really so serious?" Nian Wude asked with some disbelief.

"There will definitely be people here in the future. General, you can wait until they arrive and then ask them." said General Xu.

Nian Wude saw that the man spoke calmly and didn't seem to be lying, which made him feel a little uneasy.

If that were the case, what would they do next? Go back or stay here? Neither option seemed very good.

There's nothing to eat if I go back, but I can find some goats and rabbits to fill my stomach if I stay here.

Then he asked Army General Xu, "Where are you going?"

"We're heading west, but we haven't decided where to go yet." General Xu didn't hide it, but he didn't say it specifically either.

Then, without waiting for Nian Wude to speak, he continued:

"I've said everything I need to say. It's up to you, General, to decide what to do. We'll be staying here for a few days, and I hope we can get along peacefully. Don't cause us any trouble, or we don't know what will happen. General, do you understand me?"

As a general who had fought on the battlefield, Nian Wude naturally felt uncomfortable when he heard such a naked threat. However, they had traveled a long distance and were a little exhausted, so they naturally could not defeat these people.

Besides, he was the one who wanted to arrest someone without understanding the situation, so he could only grit his teeth and say, "I understand."

Then, to save face, he added, "If I prove later that you are spies, I will definitely not let you go."

Upon hearing this, General Xu gave him a look that said "whatever you want to do", and then he took his people back and briefly explained the matter to Huo and the others.

Huo nodded when he heard this. As long as these people didn't cause trouble, he could give them a way out.