Chapter 1000: Running out of food

Chapter 1000: Running out of food

"It snowed for so long, and the houses in our village were already dilapidated. We never had the money to repair them, and recently they couldn't hold up anymore and collapsed!"

"My grandfather was trapped down there. Now we can't even handle his funeral. We can only bury him hastily in the snow."

Some people started crying.

"That's right. We don't have much land where we are. The crops we grow in the past are not enough for our family to eat. This year, all the crops in the fields were frozen to death by the snowstorm, and there is no surplus food at home. Staying at home, not only are we hungry, but we also have to worry about the house collapsing all the time."

"There are several people in my family, including the elderly, the weak, and the disabled. Are we going to die at home? I heard that this snowstorm will continue to fall for a long time and there is no stopping it."

Many people started crying.

Looking at it this way, it is indeed quite miserable.

The military advisor sighed and said to the soldiers, "Open the camp gate."

"Yes."

The door opened, and the military advisor walked out with a few soldiers. He raised his hand and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, listen to me."

"We are in the camp guarding Subei. The soldiers here all rely on their military pay to eat. In the past, when the weather was good, the general would lead the cooks to grow some vegetables and also take the training to the mountains, which was also considered hunting, to give the soldiers a treat occasionally."

"But the mountains are blocked by heavy snow. Now our vegetable fields are frozen. We can't go into the mountains anymore. The next batch of military rations has not been delivered yet. To be honest, the soldiers have been tightening their belts these days and only eat half full a day."

Zhou Shiyue's eyes flashed when he heard the military advisor's words.

The next batch of military rations has not arrived yet?

This is important.

"So, how about this? Let's make two big pots of rice soup today and let everyone drink a bowl of hot soup to fill their stomachs. After that, please think of another way to see if we can go to our relatives for help. Is that okay?"

The victims hesitated for a moment and began to discuss in a low voice again.

"In short, it is impossible to let everyone live in the camp. The army has military regulations. You will not be able to abide by the rules here once you come in. When the time comes, you will not be able to bear the military law." The military advisor said again.

"Then let's take it easy. A bowl of rice soup is just a bowl of rice soup!"

Someone spoke up and agreed.

"Then let us go in now. It's too cold and snowy outside. We can't stand it."

"Wait a minute. I'll have the soldiers build a shelter outside. It will be quick."

The military advisor held the bottom line and didn't let them in.

But this kind of thing may have happened before in previous years, so they had some experience. They prepared a large piece of coarse cloth, and the soldiers took thick bamboo poles. With strength in numbers, they quickly built a simple windbreak outside the camp.

The victims had no choice but to crowd into the sheds.

With the help of the soldiers, they managed to start a fire.

Some people took their bags and sat down to rest, some families huddled together. There were many people in the shed, and the wind and snow were blocked, so at least they could take a break.

The military advisor arranged people to cook porridge.

Zhou Shiyue went to take a look and found that it was indeed just porridge. There was not much rice but a huge pot of water.

"You still have some ginger, right? Cut it into shreds and put it in. It has a bit of spicy smell and can drive away the cold, which is better than nothing." The military advisor said to the soldiers.

"Yes."

Zhou Shiyue had sharp ears and heard a busy soldier muttering softly.

"We are waking up hungry in the middle of the night, and now we are distributing rice to the victims. This is one batch, and if there is one, there will be two. What if more people come? Do we have to make porridge for them again?"

"What if these disaster victims don't want to leave after drinking this meal? If they make a fuss again, will we have to prepare another meal for them in the evening?"

After leaving this place, Zhou Shiyue asked the military advisor, "The military advisor said that the next batch of military rations has not yet arrived. What does that mean?"

The army camped here, and even if they had two meals a day, each person could only get a handful of rice for each meal. With so many people, the daily food consumption would not be small.

If military rations were scarce, everyone would have to eat less, but the weather was already cold, and eating too little would not keep the body warm.

If you are very hungry and your body is weak, it will be easy to get sick in such a cold weather.

If soldiers fall ill and need medicine, a sufficient amount of it is absolutely necessary.

"I heard from the grain transporters that a batch of military grain ran into trouble on the way and was robbed. The grain transporters went to the mountains to get the grain back, and many people were killed and injured. The grain was recovered, but they missed the time and encountered an avalanche. The group and the grain were blocked on the mountain road."

The military advisor sighed.

I had not originally intended to tell you about this, but since Your Highness has already arrived here and encountered the victims, how can I not tell you?

Zhou Shiyue's expression changed slightly.

"Who is so bold as to steal military rations?"

"It's really strange. I've never heard of such a group of people before, and I don't know where they came from. The general has sent people to help clear the mountain roads and help transport the food out, but there has been no reply yet."

"Where was it robbed?"

"The mountain road in Zongyun Valley."

"Zongyun Mountain..." Zhou Shiyue thought of this place. He had been there before, but he never had any problems passing through there.

However, the road to Zongyun Mountain is indeed quite dangerous.

He didn't know why he thought of Zhou Yi.

"Your Highness, why don't you go have breakfast first? We can handle these matters." The military advisor still remembered that Zhou Shiyue didn't have breakfast, "Don't worry about it. You have to eat half a bowl at least."

Zhou Shiyue nodded.

The military advisor went off to do his work.

He waved, "Qinglin."

Qinglin came over quickly. "My Lord?"

"Send someone to Zongyun Mountain to take a look."

He always felt that this matter was not that simple.

Dare to rob military rations, are you looking for your life? Moreover, after robbing, how can it be taken back so easily? Have people been arrested? Are there any casualties?

Has the news of this matter been reported to the capital?

Has the Subei government sent anyone?

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Zhaoling waved her hand in front of him. Zhou Shiyue realized that he had already walked to the meeting room.

They had breakfast here.

"I left half a bowl of noodles for you." Lu Zhaoling took his arm, led him into the house, and whispered, "I'm telling you, I found that there is not much food left in the Subei camp!"

Read it once a week.

Did Lu Er find out?

"I just asked Qingyin and Qingbao to go out for a look. They saw the soldiers eating breakfast. Each of them had half a hard cake, soaked in porridge with not many grains of rice, and choked while eating."

Lu Zhaoling added, "I heard that this is a batch of grain that the Qiu family transported from their own granary."

"Where did the food for the Subei camp go? Is there no one delivering it?" Lu Zhaoling asked.

Zhou Shiyue looked at the half bowl of noodles on the table.

"I'm afraid there's something fishy going on in Subei City." He said in a deep voice.

"Then let's go back to Subei City as soon as possible. I still have to meet Hua Mudan, so don't let her run away." Lu Zhaoling said.