The two camps were attacked by bandits and dozens of people were lost. Many were injured, which made Ang Lee very angry. He didn't expect to suffer such a big loss so soon after entering Dongnu Province. If this happened a few more times, the loss would be too great.
The loss this time must have frightened some of the coachmen. Some of them wanted to retreat and tried to ask for their wages. They wanted to escape as soon as possible.
However, they had lost 22 coachmen and some were seriously injured. Naturally, they couldn't let the remaining coachmen leave. Otherwise, there would be no one to drive the carriages. Therefore, they wouldn't be paid. Only when the goods were delivered to the destination could they be paid.
"Isn't it just a few people who died? Why are you so scared? Listen carefully. You can only get your wages when you reach Guichang City. No one is allowed to leave halfway. No one is allowed to leave."
A captain scolded the coachmen who came to ask for their wages. He taught these cowards a lesson.
Ang Lee understood these coachmen's behavior. After all, the bandits' reckless attacks scared many of the Dragon Martial Army soldiers, let alone these ordinary coachmen. Although they wanted to earn money, nothing was more important than their lives. If they lost their lives, what was the use of money? Therefore, it was normal for them to ask for their wages in advance. However, Ang Lee wouldn't agree to it. Ang Lee was very short of manpower now. Every coachman was a carrot in a hole. Now that so many coachmen were missing, not only couldn't he let go of any of them, but he also needed to recruit more coachmen. After all, the extra carriages needed to be controlled by someone. He couldn't let the horses go on their own!
However, it wasn't easy to find a new coachman. Now, there were no ordinary people along the way. Almost all of them had become bandits or half-bandits. No one was completely trustworthy. In addition, driving a carriage required skill. It wasn't something that could be done casually. This made Ang Lee very worried.
"Assistant Minister Li, spare us! This lowly one has elders and children to take care of. "
"Assistant Minister Li, this humble one has an 80-year-old mother and a young son. They all need someone to take care of them. If this humble one loses his life, who will take care of them?"
"Assistant Minister Li, let them go!"
When the group of coachmen saw that begging the commandant was useless, they ran to Ang Lee's tent and cried.
When Chen Long saw these spineless people, he was very angry in his heart. He roared, "Look at you spineless people, you're scared out of your wits. If you leave, what will happen to these cars? Will they still be on the way? Do you know how much this cart of grain is worth in Dongnu Province? Can your meager wages make up for the loss of a cart of grain? You can go back, but you must pay for the loss of this cart of grain. Otherwise, you have to drive the carriage honestly and don't mention leaving again. "
The coachmen still wanted to plead, but after being slapped a few times by Chen Long, they didn't dare to say more. They were also in the wrong. After all, as long as they left, this cart of grain could only be thrown away. Naturally, their wages were far less valuable than a cart of grain. They couldn't afford to lose a cart of grain. Therefore, they could only bite the bullet and continue driving. However, they also made up their minds that if they encountered such a situation again, they would hide in a safe place and save their lives first.
Ang Lee walked out of the carriage very annoyed. Looking at these worried coachmen, he said, "Don't worry, everyone. Today's incident was purely an accident. It will never happen again. If you encounter a sudden attack by bandits again, you just need to protect yourselves. Don't try to be heroes. In addition, all the coachmen who unfortunately died will have their wages increased by fifty times and will be given to their families. Those who are injured will not only be given the best treatment, but their wages will also be increased by two to ten times depending on the situation. Okay, it's settled."
After saying that, he waved his hand and let these coachmen go back to rest.
Although these coachmen were still a little afraid, Li An had already given such a sincere promise. Naturally, they had nothing to say. If they were injured, they would receive two to ten times the salary. If they died in an accident, they would receive fifty times the salary. This was already very sincere. Other than Li An, there should be no one else who could be so sincere. Therefore, these coachmen were convinced and didn't continue to make trouble.
"Assistant Minister Li, we used some grain along the way and also gave some grain to others. In total, we used up fifty carts of grain. However, we loaded up another thirty carts with new supplies, so there are only twenty empty carts. I think there shouldn't be too much of a problem for the Dragon Martial Army to drive for the time being."
Chen Long said.
Ang Lee nodded in agreement and said, "Chen Long, you're right. We can't find a new coachman at the moment, so we can only let the soldiers work harder. These twenty empty carts can be used to transport the wounded and let them follow the group."
For some of the heavily injured soldiers and coachmen, riding in the carts was the only way to continue moving forward. However, riding in the carts on such a terrible road was definitely a great torture for them. However, this was the best they could do. At least they didn't abandon them. This was already a great kindness. In the current environment of Dongnu Province, staying in the same place was a dead end.
Of the two groups of bandits, one was completely annihilated, and the other lost more than half of its members. As a result, no one dared to continue harassing them from the second half of the night until dawn. Some of the soldiers threw the corpses of the bandits into a large pit by the roadside and then simply buried them. As for the dead soldiers and coachmen of the Dragon Martial Army, they were all given a proper burial. In order to prevent the bandits from destroying their graves, no one left a grave or tombstone.
After dawn, Ang Lee's group continued to hurry along the road. The bandits who had lost half of their men had already investigated the matter. They did something very crazy, which was to run to the place where the Dragon Martial Army buried the bandits and dig up all the corpses. Then, they took the meat and cooked it on the spot. This was because they were really hungry. If they didn't eat the flesh of their companions, they would starve to death. They would rather violate human relations to survive. In order to survive, they were already desperate and had no bottom line or conscience. The poor corpses of more than three hundred bandits were used as food by these people. This food would allow these crazy people to live for a long time.
Cannibalism was a very cruel thing. Normally, only animals with low intelligence would do such a thing. However, humans with high intelligence would actually do such a thing. They must have been forced to the extreme to do so. These bandits were really crazy from hunger.
Not only did they eat the flesh of their own kind, but they also brought it back for their families to eat. As long as they told a small lie, the old and young at home might not know that it was the flesh of their own kind.
Ang Lee didn't see the cruelty of this scene with his own eyes. It was too cruel. Not only were the corpses of the bandits cooked, but the soldiers and coachmen of the Dragon Martial Army also didn't escape. Although they were buried separately, the place where they were buried was still covered with fresh soil. It was easy to identify them.
In the direction of Gui Chang City, Chiliarch Zhao Changtian was chatting happily with the centurion guarding the west gate. They had known each other for many years, so naturally, their relationship was not ordinary.
"It's not that I have a problem, but guarding the gate all day is too boring. It's not interesting at all!"
The centurion said.
The centurion guarding the west gate was called Darwin. He was from Dazhou and not Dongnu Province. In his early years, he committed a crime in the Dazhou Tribe and came to Dongnu Province to escape. After so many years of hard work, he was now a centurion in Dongnu Province and was in charge of guarding the west gate of Gui Chang City.
Because he wasn't a native of Dongnu Province, Darwin's loyalty to Dongnu Province was not worth mentioning. This was also an important reason why Zhao Changtian was confident that he could convince him. A person who had no reason to be loyal to the Queen of Dongnu Province would definitely be easy to buy over.
"Who isn't? I'm bored staying outside the city every day. However, the shortage of food is very serious now. The bandits outside the city are increasing day by day. More and more people are gathering. What do you think? It won't be long before they attack Gui Chang City. When that time comes, I'll have to rely on you to guard the west gate and protect the people in the city. "
Zhao Changtian said.
"What? The bandits have the guts to attack Gui Chang City? How is that possible? There are ten thousand soldiers in the city. These ten thousand soldiers are not to be trifled with. Do they not want to live anymore? "
Darwin asked with a puzzled look.
Zhao Changtian said with a worried face, "They dare? These bandits are very bold. There's nothing they don't dare to do. They have too many people. If they really charge into the city, it's hard to say who will win. "
Darwin looked slyly at Zhao Changtian and said, "If the bandits want to attack Gui Chang City, they'll have to go through Brother Zhao first! Brother Zhao has been ordered to guard outside the city. That's the first line of defense for Gui Chang City! "
Zhao Changtian said, "The bandits have an army of tens of thousands. How can we stop the bandits with our small number of men? Once the battle breaks out, we can only defend the camp and slightly restrict the bandits. We won't be able to reinforce Gui Chang City."
"I didn't expect that as a member of the royal family of Dongnu Province, Brother Zhao would be a bystander. If the Gui Chang King were to hear about this, it would be disastrous!"
Darwin said.
Zhao Changtian's eyes lit up. He looked at Darwin and said, "Brother Zhao wouldn't betray your brother, right?"
"We're all brothers. You're being too polite. However, this is not the place to talk. Let's talk inside."
Darwin knew that Zhao Changtian must have more important things to say. Of course, the more important things had to be said in a safer place.
"How confident are you, Brother Zhao?"
After knowing Zhao Changtian's purpose for coming, Darwin was not too surprised. However, he was worried that the plan would fail. For something like a rebellion, if it failed, the consequences would be severe. However, if it succeeded, he would be one of the founding fathers of the country. His contributions would be great.
"Ninety percent. At least ninety percent. As long as Brother Da is willing to cooperate, we'll have a hundred percent chance."
Zhao Changtian's tone was very certain.
Darwin stroked the beard on his chin as he paced back and forth in the room. He was still a little worried. If the plan failed, the consequences would be very serious.
"Brother Da, what are you hesitating for? The bandits have thirty to fifty thousand men and we don't even have five days of food left. They're going crazy. This battle will be a great victory. If Brother Da is willing to cooperate and reduce our losses, then you'll be one of the founding fathers of the country. At the very least, you'll be a great general. Your salary will be a hundred times higher and your descendants will be able to enjoy endless benefits. However, if Brother Da is too secretive and causes us to suffer heavy losses, then the consequences are not something Brother Da can bear. "
Zhao Changtian was tempting and threatening at the same time. His goal was to make Darwin listen to him and cooperate with them.
Darwin thought for a long time and said, "Alright, I promise you. I'll do it. Tell me! What do I need to prepare now? "
It was obvious that Darwin had no other choice. Other than joining forces with Zhao Changtian, he had no other choice.
Zhao Changtian smiled and patted Darwin's shoulder. He said happily, "Brother Da, you've finally thought it through. That's great. Actually, what Brother Da needs to do is very simple. You just need to replace your unreliable men with our men. It's that simple."
Every leader had their own trusted aides, and Darwin was no exception. These trusted aides would not easily betray him. However, he had a hundred people under him, and naturally, not all of them were trusted aides. Some of them were even newcomers, and he naturally could not trust them.
Usually, when guarding the city gates, the guards were divided into day and night shifts. The day shift had more people, a total of fifty men. The night shift usually had thirty men. The remaining twenty men took turns to rest so that everyone could maintain the necessary strength and energy.
"Are you planning to move at night?"
Darwin asked.
Zhao Changtian nodded. "Of course. Of course, we'll move at night. It's more covert."
Darwin nodded. "Night is good! We have thirty men guarding the city at night. How many of your trusted men do you plan to replace? "
Zhao Changtian said, "Twenty, no, twenty-five would be better."
The three groups of bandits needed fifteen men. He and Bai Yong each had five men, making a total of twenty-five men. As such, Darwin could only keep five of his trusted men.
"You actually want to replace so many? Isn't this too big of a commotion? It'll be easy to be noticed."
Darwin said in surprise.
"It's only twenty-five men. It's not much, really not much. Only by replacing so many men can we fully trust Brother Da's sincerity. Why? Is there a problem?"
Zhao Changtian asked slyly.
Darwin's face was bitter. He said, "No problem, no problem. I'll get it done."
He could tell that Zhao Changtian did not trust him. Replacing so many men was to prevent him from leaning towards Queen Dong.
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