Chapter 118 Night Patrol Camp
The central army tent was rather simple, probably because General Sun was stationed in the city. There was only a table and a few armor racks in the tent, which was empty but large enough for dozens of people to stand.
The sound of drums rang out. Zhao Yushu, who was standing beside General Sun, felt a little nervous. He thought to himself, "I, Zhao, have offended him again tonight. I'm afraid this old guy will turn around and accuse me of trespassing into the White Tiger Hall at night."
More than a dozen mid-level officers ran into the central military tent in a panic. Didn’t General Sun go into the city to station troops? Why did he suddenly come back?
"Are you all ready?" General Sun asked coldly, standing behind the table.
The officers looked at each other and said, "General, we are all here."
"Well, it's OK. I didn't make fun of myself again."
Who? Who is laughing at the joke? The generals were stunned, and then they all looked at the only outsider in the entire tent, Zhao Yushu.
Old Zhao lowered his head and used his boots to pick at the ground of the three-bedroom apartment, pretending not to notice the gazes in the room.
"Mr. Zhao, why don't you repeat what you just said?"
"Ah? You didn't remember?"
General Sun’s eyes widened immediately and said, “Of course I remembered it, but the effect of me saying it out loud is not as good as yours. Why are you so ignorant?”
Zhao Yushu also widened his eyes and said, "Why are you glaring at me? Just say what you want to say. If you don't tell me, what should I do if I'm wrong and I made up something in my imagination?"
Seeing that Zhao Yushu did not accept the challenge, General Sun had to repeat it himself. Immediately, all his generals became red-faced and furious, and the murderous intent in their eyes was almost overflowing when they looked at Zhao Yushu.
What could be more humiliating than pointing out a subordinate's faults in front of his leader?
"Where is Captain Yan?"
"The general is here!"
A middle-aged minister will step out.
"Select two hundred soldiers and follow me to inspect the refugee camps in the four cities!"
"Leader!"
General Sun was the first to walk out of the tent: "Zhao Yushu, I will show you what real refugees look like."
More than ten horses followed by two hundred infantry soldiers trotted out of the camp. General Sun was still not wearing armor and was still wearing his brocade robe.
There is a garrison camp in the west of the city. The number of refugees here is the smallest, estimated to be no more than a thousand. Upon hearing the troops rushing in, all the refugees retreated into their own shabby shacks, but pairs of nervous eyes kept looking outside through the cracks in the shacks.
General Sun said nothing and rode his horse forward towards the south city.
"General Sun, what do you want me to see?"
"Watch it first, and then we'll talk."
"Are you really going to go around the city?"
"No need, just finish looking at South City."
The number of refugees in the South City was the largest. Zhao Yushu and General Sun reined in their horses and stood at the edge of the refugee camp. General Sun pointed at the messy fire with his whip. It was a bonfire that was spontaneously lit in the refugee camp to provide warmth for some refugees who could not even build shacks.
"What did you see?"
"confusion."
"Want to go in?"
"I've had this intention for a long time."
General Sun snorted and rode slowly towards the refugee camp. Zhao Yushu rode beside him. Several middle-level generals looked at each other, wondering what the general wanted to show this young scholar and who this scholar was. They could only wave their hands and follow him in with their infantry armor.
Countless huts in the darkness were like dormant little animals, and their eyes, reflected in the firelight, were staring at the team of armored soldiers.
The refugees in the South City were not as timid as those in the West City. Hundreds of them had slowly gathered around, holding torches, simple wooden sticks, sickles and other items in their hands, and following the team eagerly.
General Sun remained calm and continued to move through the camp at a steady pace. His horse's hooves crushed the dirty water on the ground and made an impatient snort.
The crowd was getting bigger and bigger. Zhao Yushu had never been followed closely by so many people before. Even though he was a cultivator, and even though these people were all skinny and seemed like they would be blown to the ground by the night wind at any moment, Zhao Yushu felt panic and powerlessness from the bottom of his heart.
"What did you see?"
"hostility."
"Afraid?"
"Kind of."
General Sun snorted again and continued to move forward.
The refugee camp in the south city is so large that the roads inside are not roads at all, but just gaps between shacks, which after the spring rains are mixed with excrement to form foul-smelling and dirty mud flats.
The two hundred armored soldiers began to become chaotic and their formation was no longer neat. The nearest refugees were less than ten steps away from them. If it weren't for the cold light of the spear tips that kept stinging their eyes, the soldiers had no doubt that if they could not help but throw away their spears, they would be torn to pieces in the next moment.
"General!" Captain Yan couldn't hold back any longer: "Let's get out!"
"What are you afraid of?" General Sun looked disdainful.
"General!" Captain Yan shouted again.
General Sun turned around and glared at me with a pair of big copper bell eyes: "Zhao Yushu, tell me that all my men are brave men who have seen blood. They can pierce these unruly people with a single thrust of their spears. They are the ones who should be afraid. Why aren't they afraid?"
Zhao Yushu gritted his teeth and glared back: "People don't fear death, so why scare them with death!"
"Don't use fancy words to describe me. I don't understand you. Speak human language!"
Zhao Yushu waved his arms violently: "They are the people of the Tang Dynasty, and you are the army of the Tang Dynasty. You have already made it impossible for them to survive, so why should they be afraid of you!"
General Sun reined in his horse, the two hundred infantry soldiers stopped, and the refugees also stopped.
"Captain Yan."
"The end will be here."
"Did you hear that?"
"I don't understand, General."
"If you don't understand, you won't be soft-hearted. Move back to the camp. Zhao Yushu, do as you please."
General Sun whipped his horse whip violently, and the refugees subconsciously made way for him, and the infantry regiment rushed past.
General Sun left, but Zhao Yushu couldn't leave. The city gate officer would not let him in, so Zhao Yushu jumped off his horse, patted the horse's butt, and the clever military horse ran away with the team.
Zhao Yushu couldn't figure out General Sun's intention. Was he trying to show off his power? Not likely. Was he trying to educate himself? Not likely either. He clearly said that he was a rough man, but in fact, he was more cunning than anyone else. This General Sun was not easy to mess with.
"Mr. Zhao, you speak for us and we hear you." Behind Zhao Yushu, an old man with gray hair stood up with a cane.
Zhao Yushu turned around and bowed, "Father, I am just a scholar. I am ashamed that I can't help you with my eloquence."
"Well, we are satisfied that the city people are willing to speak up for us. It's late at night, if you don't mind the dirtiness, come to my house and warm up for a while."
"That's bothering you."
The old man limped in front and led the way, and Zhao Yushu followed closely behind him. The refugees around them did not disperse. There was curiosity, vigilance, and more disgust in their eyes.
It was indeed very dirty. As Zhao Yushu walked along, the lambskin boots issued by the academy were completely covered with mud. He had to lower his head to enter the simple shack. As soon as he entered the house, a mixture of all the strange smells he knew hit him in the face, making him subconsciously cover his mouth and nose with his spiritual power.
"I'm sorry to make you laugh." The refugees naturally had no money to light oil lamps. A refugee handed in a torch. Zhao Yushu took it and was stunned.
In the shack of less than four square meters, five pairs of eyes were huddled together and looking at him.