After Tang Wanyi and the others left, Ren Xiaosu turned around and looked at everyone in the private army and said, "I was lucky enough to become the commander of the Iron Second, so there's no need for me to make such empty promises. Some of you might know what I'm capable of. I'm the best at surviving in the wilderness. If you follow me, you definitely won't starve to death, nor will you die at the hands of the plants for no reason!"
Everyone looked at one another. Ren Xiaosu was making such a big claim the moment he was appointed? Everyone knew that Ren Xiaosu was just a normal soldier before this. Now that he had made such a huge leap, everyone found it a little hard to accept.
Of course, no one dared to refute him. The scene of Ren Xiaosu dragging someone in the snow was still fresh in everyone's minds. Everyone had the same impression of Ren Xiaosu: He was a ruthless person.
However, even though he was ruthless, they did not believe Ren Xiaosu's words.
Everyone had been starving for several days, and there was also the threat of the Brambles outside. Some people felt that Ren Xiaosu being the battalion commander at this time was no different from asking for trouble.
Someone in the reinforced company could not help but ask coldly, "Since you said that, how are you going to help us find food after we've been starving for several days? If you can get us out of here alive and find food, we'll believe you. "
The people in the reinforced company were all Liu Taiyu's trusted aides to begin with, so the reinforced company would definitely not be able to adapt to the sudden change in leadership.
But it didn't matter who became the leader as long as they were capable enough.
Someone echoed, "Yeah, we don't even dare to go forward now. What if we run into those plants again?"
When Ren Xiaosu heard this, he said passionately, "Since I dared to promise everyone, then I'll definitely be able to get everyone out of here. How about this? I'll walk in front, and you guys will follow behind me. As long as nothing happens to me, you guys won't get into any trouble either, right?"
Everyone was speechless when they heard this. Ren Xiaosu was going to explore the way with his own body. Some people were immediately moved. They didn't expect Ren Xiaosu to be so bold!
If there were really scary plants along the way, then Ren Xiaosu, who was walking in front, would definitely be the first to suffer. If Liu Taiyu were awake, he would probably order the others to risk their lives to explore the path. He would never be like Ren Xiaosu, who was leading by example!
Although no one believed that there could be such a good person in the wasteland, this good person was standing right in front of them.
Ren Xiaosu said righteously, "Everyone, quickly pack up your luggage and tents. We'll set off in an hour. I'll walk in front, and you guys follow behind! I'll bring you guys to find some food! "
The private troops were made up of refugees and did not have much education. History had long proven that the less educated a person was, the less likely they were to question the people and things around them. Once they were in a group, they were especially prone to blindly following orders.
How could they have ever thought that the plants would be Ren Xiaosu's?
If the others were to walk ahead, they might really get into trouble. However, Ren Xiaosu was 100% sure that nothing would happen to him.
After the troops set off, Ren Xiaosu led them north. He avoided all the Brambles, but some of them suddenly emerged from the snow and started baring their fangs and claws at Ren Xiaosu. However, Ren Xiaosu just happened to be standing outside of their attack range.
In the eyes of the private troops, Ren Xiaosu was like a god helping them!
Someone at the back shouted for them to be careful. Then Ren Xiaosu turned around and said to the others with a compassionate expression, "What's a small sacrifice on my part in order to lead you guys out of a path of survival?"
Ren Xiaosu felt that he was a great person to be able to lead the private troops out of the predicament he had set up!
Someone behind Ren Xiaosu immediately burst into tears. "Thank you, Battalion Commander!"
"Thank you, Battalion Commander!"
Ren Xiaosu continued walking forward while counting the gratitude tokens he received. Hmm, he received another few gratitude tokens. Of the dozens of people who thanked him, only a few were sincere.
Someone from the reinforced company whispered, "It looks like he's quite capable. Besides, it's not bad to have a good officer in this world."
The company commander said calmly, "Let's see how things go. It's not a big deal if he can just lead us out of here. I'll only be convinced if he can lead us to some food."
Actually, Ren Xiaosu had no intention of making these people submit to him. It didn't matter if they submitted to him or not. What mattered most was that they could follow him to the designated location he had discussed with Tang Zhou.
The people behind him were not sincere when they thanked him. Ren Xiaosu had helped them find a way to sneak into the FOB for a meal, but they ended up betraying him in a matter of minutes. Chen Wudi was kind enough to help others, but he was called a fool.
Ren Xiaosu did not sympathize with these people, nor did he intend to become true comrades with them.
They had already left the area where the Brambles were planted. Ren Xiaosu turned around and said to everyone, "Those Brambles are probably only growing in a small area, so we don't have to worry about them anymore."
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they heard that. Someone said, "Then why don't we take a rest?"
With that, a few of them decided to just sit down in the snow. The private troops were just that lazy.
But Ren Xiaosu continued, "We can't rest yet. I promised that I'd help y 'all find some food, so we have to get through this first! Besides, I've already thought of a good solution! "
Everyone got excited when they heard there would be food. Even the reinforced company's food supply had been cut off for a day, so everyone was so hungry that they were seeing stars.
Ren Xiaosu walked into the mountains. But before he could take two steps, he saw a hole high up in a big tree. He climbed up the tree and reached into the hole.
Everyone wondered what Ren Xiaosu was doing. But when Ren Xiaosu retracted his hand, a squirrel ran out in a panic. Meanwhile, Ren Xiaosu was holding a large handful of pine nuts and dried fruits that they had never seen before!
Ren Xiaosu said with a smile, "Everyone, look for a hole in a tree like this. It should be enough for everyone to fill their stomachs. If you find a cave or a crevice in the rocks, let me know. Our dinner for tonight will be there! "
"What's in a cave?" someone asked curiously.
Ren Xiaosu jumped down from the tree and stuffed a pine nut into his mouth as he said, "In winter, snakes will start hibernating after they've stored enough fat. During that time, they won't be able to resist humans at all. Furthermore, they like to live in groups. If we find a cave, we'll basically be able to find a nest of snakes. We'll have roasted snake meat tonight!"
There were many snakes, insects, and venomous ants in the Southwest. When Ren Xiaosu entered the wilderness, he had been especially wary of them.
But during hibernation, most snakes would become delicacies. Moreover, snakes liked to live in groups during hibernation. On the one hand, it was to stay warm together, and on the other hand, it was to reduce water loss.
One-third of snakes that did not form a group to hibernate would not survive the winter.
Therefore, during winter, some of the bolder refugees would enter the mountains to look for snake nests. If they found one, they would reap a bountiful harvest and live through the winter better.
As for Ren Xiaosu, he was the boldest one among this group of refugees.
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