"In order to let the soldiers eat meat, Inspector Mei took the lead in eating meat. After eating once, he vomited so much that he lay on the bed and refused to eat. He was forced to feed Inspector Mei every day, and that's why he's still alive today."
Ma Gui said.
"The meat …"
"They're all corpses of people who died of starvation or serious injuries. There's no one alive. This is Inspector Mei's bottom line, and also … the bottom line of all the soldiers. There's really no food in the city. The Northern Barbarians suddenly attacked, and Datong only has five days' worth of food. We really have no other way …"
Ma Gui's words made Xiao Ruxun's heart ache.
"Let's stop talking. Let's go see Inspector Mei first, and then we'll talk about the rest."
Xiao Ruxun could only comfort them first and try to block the news. As for what would happen next …
To be honest, he really had no idea.
The scene in Datong City, to be honest, was really horrifying. Xiao Ruxun had seen even more horrifying scenes with her own eyes, so she didn't find it too scary. However, the few bodyguards who followed Xiao Ruxun into the city already had ugly expressions on their faces.
The current Daming Dynasty hadn't reached that time yet. The current Daming Dynasty was generally still stable. Cannibalism was just a concept in people's minds, and it wasn't something that they were really used to. If it were the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty or the Western Jin Dynasty, then this kind of thing would be very common.
But not now.
Xiao Ruxun saw the ashen-faced soldiers, as well as the ashen-faced survivors in the city. Their gazes were different, different from the people outside.
"Take my token to General Li Rusong and ask him to send people to the city to cook for the refugees and soldiers. Remember, don't eat meat, just vegetables and rice."
Xiao Ruxun ordered a soldier next to him. The soldier nodded and immediately turned around and left.
"How many soldiers and residents are there in the city?"
Xiao Ruxun asked Ma Gui.
"There were originally 10,000 soldiers in the city and another 10,000 mobilized able-bodied men. Now there are only about 3,000 people in total. There were originally 70,000 residents, but now there are about 40,000."
Xiao Ruxun nodded.
The loss of soldiers and horses was especially great, and nearly half of the population was lost. The two-month siege had exhausted Datong, and these residents couldn't stay in Datong anymore. They had to be reorganized and scattered to different places to start their own lives. They couldn't mention that they were from Datong, or they would become the target of everyone when the news spread.
They had to be mobilized to leave Datong before, pretending to be ordinary refugees, and living in other places in Shanxi.
They had to be mobilized to leave Datong before that.
It was the same for these soldiers. They had to leave this place as soon as possible and go to Shanxi, where they could be dispersed and incorporated into the various armies. They could blend in, change their appearances, and henceforth forget their two months of unbearable experience in Datong.
There were so many of them that it was difficult to identify them, so it was easy to deal with them. But how should they deal with Ma Gui and Mei Guozhen, these two high-ranking officials?
When Xiao Ruxun saw Mei Guozhen, he was lying motionless on the bed with his eyes closed. His entire body was thin and weak, and from afar, he looked like a dried corpse. His entire person was no longer the high-spirited and vigorous appearance he had back in Ningxia, and there was no trace of the valiant scholar who wielded the three-foot sword to kill the enemy general.
It was as if he was lying in a coffin waiting for death.
"Mr. Mei."
Xiao Ruxun had thought of thousands of things to say, but when he walked in front of Mei Guozhen, he could only say these three words.
Mei Guozhen opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Ruxun. There was a glimmer of light in his eyes, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something. But soon, the glimmer of light disappeared, and he closed his eyes again.
"The cannibal is full of sin, but he doesn't dare to defend himself. Governor Xiao, please report to His Majesty on my behalf. Please behead me, but please forgive the soldiers in the city. I, Mei Guozhen, will bear all the blame."
That was all he had to say.
Xiao Ruxun took a deep breath and smiled.
"Mr. Mei, we haven't seen each other for so long. Is this the only thing you can say to an old friend? We parted in a hurry three years ago and haven't seen each other since. Now that we meet again, why do you close your eyes and say nothing? "
Although Mei Guozhen's eyes were closed, his body trembled unnaturally when he heard Xiao Ruxun's words, and a few tears rolled down from the corner of his eyes.
"The sinner does not dare to say that he is an old friend of the governor."
Xiao Ruxun sat by Mei Guozhen's bed and waved to everyone except Ma Gui to leave.
"There are only the three of us here. Is there anything that can't be said?"
Xiao Ruxun reached out and held Mei Guozhen's withered hand.
Mei Guozhen turned his head and looked at the room where there were only three people, and then looked at Xiao Ruxun. His tears finally burst out uncontrollably.
"Ji Xin, I really thought that we would never see each other again in this life …"
Mei Guozhen cried miserably, and so did Ma Gui. The iron-blooded man who had not changed his expression in the face of tens of thousands of enemies, at this moment, burst into tears.
After venting the pain in their hearts, the three of them opened their hearts and said everything they wanted to say.
"I never thought that such a thing would happen. Although I had heard about it before, I still didn't believe it when I experienced it. I couldn't imagine that there would be people who would invite foreign enemies to kill their competitors just for money. For this, they would not hesitate to sacrifice the lives of the soldiers and commoners at the border. They were so audacious!"
Mei Guozhen held Xiao Ruxun's hand tightly. "Ji Xin, can you imagine? I asked them to give us some food to help the Daming Dynasty get through this crisis. This was borrowing, not stealing, and it wasn't that they wouldn't return it. In the end, these bastards faced sixty thousand soldiers and only gave five hundred dans of food. It was only enough for the soldiers to eat for one day! One day!
These bastards, these bastards, they occupied the soldiers' fields and ate until their heads were full. Not only did they not pay taxes, but they also refused to pay other taxes. They also devoured the money and food that the court stripped. As long as it was money and food, it was as if it belonged to them. No one else had anything to do with it. I have never seen such ugly people.
These local officials all flaunt themselves as moral gentlemen and role models. But behind their backs, they are all thieves and prostitutes. They do all kinds of shady business! Are they really not afraid of retribution? Are they really not afraid? "
Xiao Ruxun held Mei Guozhen's hand tightly.
"They have already received their retribution. Mr. Mei, don't worry. They really received their retribution. This time, the Northern Barbarians moved south because of them, but they didn't expect that Lalik didn't intend to do as they said.
After Tualik went to Shanxi, none of the big families living in the cities he conquered survived. Tualik's goal was to kill every single one of these b * stards, burn everything, and rob everything. Whatever we couldn't do, Tualik did for us. "
Mei Guozhen's eyes widened.
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