Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

Chapter 217: Lucheng Porridge Distribution

In this once prosperous but now devastated city, the streets were filled with a dull and oppressive atmosphere. As the people who were directly abandoned by Dayong, they had already experienced the ravages of the grassland cavalry.

Knowing that the grassland people seemed to be going to war again, he hid at home early.

There were heavy footsteps and the clash of armor coming from afar. The sound echoed in the silent street like thunder. The people were in panic. It was not enough to close the doors and windows of their homes. They fastened several wooden boards at the back and huddled in the corner, feeling very nervous. They didn't know which army was entering the city again.

The family huddled in a corner, covering their children's mouths with trembling hands, fearing that the slightest sound would bring disaster. The shadow of being trampled by the grassland cavalry still loomed in their hearts, and they didn't know what fate this new army would bring.

The women hugged their children tightly, tears welling up in their eyes. The men clenched their fists but lowered their heads helplessly. The shops on both sides of the street closed their doors and their signs swayed in the wind.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer, as if every step was stepping on their hearts, and every hit was like a heavy hammer hitting their hearts. The crying of children was suppressed in the house, and the whole city seemed to be shrouded in a desperate silence.

Behind the tightly closed doors and windows, pairs of frightened eyes peeked out through the cracks, trying to see the appearance of the team and also trying to get a glimpse of their future fate.

However, it seemed different from the cold army entering the city. In addition to the crisp sound of horse hooves and the orderly sound of footsteps, the cold wind also brought in loud singing from far and near.

This was so different that a trace of confusion flashed across those prying eyes. When the army approached, someone saw the red scarves tied on the soldiers and exclaimed in a low voice.

"Red Turban Army?!"

This was the name given by the people to the soldiers of the Zhitonghui, because in order to distinguish them, everyone had a red cloth tied around their body or a red scarf around their neck.

"So the power near us is the Zhitong Society?"

"I heard that their place is called Peach Blossom Spring! Are we going to have a good life?"

"Who knows? The army is entering the city now. The soldiers are worse than bandits. None of them are good. If they can't escape, they will start looting and smashing things today."

"But they are still singing, saying that they love the people and treat them like their own family and friends..."

"What a joke, how can these gentlemen treat you like family and friends? Who wouldn't say nice things? You are just trying to win people's hearts. You really have forgotten the pain after the wound has healed. Have you forgotten what those ruffians did? The officers and soldiers who were originally stationed here and were scared away were all so arrogant..."

Before the hiding people could say anything, they saw several light cavalrymen holding strange things. Its shape was like an elongated cone, gradually narrowing from a wide trumpet mouth to a small tube mouth. The magical thing was that the voice of the person shouting was instantly amplified.

"Fellow villagers! Stop hiding! We are soldiers from the Zhitonghui! We will set up a tent at the city gate to distribute porridge. Everyone remember to register to get the porridge!"

It could be said that the people's attitude towards the army was like that of encountering wolves and tigers, but food is the most important thing for the people, and the words shouted by the cavalry made most people hesitate - they had not had a proper meal for a long time, and the good things were taken away by the grassland people. They could only eat millet porridge with shells, or wild vegetable porridge.

However, the weather was extremely cold and the grassland had strict control over the city. They had nothing to eat. They could only catch wild dogs that had eaten human flesh. The children at home cried with hunger and could only rely on sleeping to reduce consumption.

So when they heard the shouting, even though they hadn't seen the greenhouse yet and were hiding in the house, many people were already drooling subconsciously.

There are many farmers in the Zhitonghui who are good at tending crops. After experiencing famine, they developed the awareness of storing food early on. In addition, with off-site guidance and suggestions on how to use fertilizers, the harvest in their area has been good.

Su Shui is a good place for farming, and because of the garrison of the Zhitong Society, it is not affected by war, so the Zhitong Society still has enough food.

"Mom, there's porridge!"

"Dad, I'm hungry..."

"I really want to eat rice, Mom, can we go eat porridge?"

"Grandpa, my grandson is so hungry..."

If adults still hesitate after hearing these words, the children's crying will be like a stab in their hearts, and will also be the catalyst for them to go out.

"Porridge is being distributed! Porridge is being distributed! Fellow villagers, go to the city gate and get some!"

But the cavalry's shouting and beating of drums and gongs seemed to be a bewitching move, making their stomachs, which had long been numb from hunger, growl.

At the city gate, people were busy setting up the shed. The porridge had been cooked long ago, and the chef had been stirring it to cool it down. If it was served right out of the oven, the porridge would be warm on the surface but boiling hot inside, and a hungry person would get an upset stomach if he drank it in big gulps.

After waiting for a long time, I finally saw some residents coming out, basically they were all elderly people - if something happened, the loss to the family would not be too great, and to put it bluntly, there would be one less mouth to feed, but the labor force and children in the family could still survive.

These white-haired, thin old men felt very uneasy holding the broken bowls. When they saw that the person serving the porridge was a tall and strong soldier, they trembled all over. Finally, they gritted their teeth and came over with the determination to face death.

There are five people in Zhang Su's family including him. His wife is sick, so in order not to burden his family, he went up the mountain by himself. He originally wanted to go up the mountain, but his son, daughter-in-law and two young grandchildren cried and kept him back.

Later, the grassland people entered the city, and the family survived by relying on the food they had stored. However, their grandson was starving to the point of being just a skeleton, and their son had his leg broken by the grassland people while walking on the street. The daughter-in-law did not dare to go out, and the family's life was even more difficult.

In order to keep his grandchildren alive, Zhang Su came out with the bowl despite being stopped.

Zhang Su breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the person in front of her had made his porridge smoothly, but when it was her turn, she became nervous again.

The porridge had white rice grains and a lot of it, but it didn't have much water mixed in. He swallowed, lowered his brows, stood up hunched over, and handed the broken bowl to the soldier who was making the porridge.

Zhang Su breathed a sigh of relief when he successfully took the bowl of porridge. At this moment, the soldier's big hand, like a palm-leaf fan, grabbed his wrist.

Zhang Su instinctively trembled and was about to kneel down - had he done something to displease the soldier? ! It was over!

Those who were nearby also noticed it, and there was sympathy and pity in their eyes, but they lowered their heads and dared not look any further, and their hands holding the bowl tightened a little.

"Soldier, I am a villain..."

Before Zhang Su could finish his begging for mercy, he saw the soldier pulling his hand towards the porridge bucket - despite this, he still held the bowl tightly in his hand.

The soldier did a quick and decisive job - he added another spoonful of porridge to his bowl.

"I'll give you some more help. You don't look very well, sir. How come you fall down when I pull you?"

Zhang Su trembled, but couldn't control herself. She raised her head and looked at the other person in surprise.