Chenyue and Song Zhilu walked slowly in Xiaohuang Village. This was the first place where Shentu Chenfeng launched a massacre after sneaking into the mainland.

The village used to have a population of more than 300, but now no one, old or young, is left here. Some people who were scattered outside to make a living rushed back overnight after hearing the news. They all cried half to death on the spot.

Some government officials who came from the government were cleaning up the bloodstains on the ground. The corpses of the common people had already been entombed, and occasionally cries could be heard.

People from the surrounding mountain villages also rushed over one after another to help with the funeral arrangements.

"Alas~"

Chenyue let out a long sigh and said, "This is my dereliction of duty."

Song Zhilu comforted him softly: "Your Majesty, there are countless small roads in the mountains. No one can guarantee that all roads will be sealed. There is no way for a small group of cavalry to sneak in."

Song Zhilu has been very busy these two days, with a slightly tired look on his face. As soon as he received the notification from Chen Yue, he led his officials to the border non-stop. He also had to allocate materials to help people rebuild their homes. There were many things to do.

Already.

Chenyue and Song Zhilu have visited several villages in the past two days. Some people were killed by the Yan army to death, and some were lucky enough to be rescued by the army and some survived.

Many notices were also posted in the county government offices, informing the people that the Yan army had been wiped out. In order to allow the people to return home with peace of mind, the corpses of those Yan soldiers were hung on the city walls.

The people are worried if they just listen to what the officials say. They must actually see the barbarians.

Chenyue rubbed his cheeks with both hands and said, "Have the casualties been counted?"

Song Zhilu nodded and said silently: "A total of more than ten villages were attacked by Yan soldiers. More than a thousand civilians were killed or injured, and more than two hundred scouts were killed in the battle."

There were only a few hundred Yan soldiers, but they caused such a big disturbance in the interior of Liangzhou. This was the first time Chenyue had encountered such a situation since he took charge of Beiliang Road.

Many years ago, when Chenyue was still young, he often heard that barbarians were sneaking into the hinterland and plundering everywhere. At that time, the border army was weak and it was very difficult to deal with them.

"Woo~wow~wow!"

As the two were walking, they heard a child crying from a house beside them. The cry was extremely miserable.

The cry made Chen Yue feel heartbroken. He opened the door gently and walked into the small courtyard made of thatch and wooden boards.

There is a vegetable garden vaguely visible in the open space on the inside of the yard, with a few green leaves scattered on the ground. It must have been that the Yan army destroyed this vegetable garden during a sneak attack.

There were also smashed wooden tables, pots, pans and other items in the yard. No one dared to imagine what happened to the owner of this household.

Hearing the door open, a middle-aged man walked out of the house doubtfully, holding a crying baby in his arms.

"Who are you?" the middle-aged man asked with a frown.

Song Zhilu bent down slightly: "People from the government, come and take a look."

The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly invited the two of them to sit on the stone bench in the courtyard. He held the child while pouring a bowl of herbal tea for them. It seemed that he was very unskilled in holding the child and did not look like the child's biological son.

Father.

Chen Yue asked: "What are you doing?"

The middle-aged man shook the baby in his arms and said softly: "This is my eldest brother's baby. I have been doing small business in Liangzhou City in recent years and rarely go home. This time I heard what happened here and rushed all night

When I came back, the four members of my eldest brother's family were all gone. I found my eldest brother's child in the cellar. If I had come back one day later, the child would have starved to death."

The middle-aged man spoke eloquently, and Chen Yue listened attentively. It seems that the owner of the house hid the child in the cellar when he discovered Yan Bing, and then went to lure Yan Bing away.

Chen Yue's eyes were very dim. He knew that there were many more miserable stories like this, but these should not happen in the mainland of Liangzhou.

Song Zhilu chatted with the middle-aged man: "If there is anything our government can help with, just ask and we will do our best."

The middle-aged man laughed miserably: "My relatives are gone, and there is nothing to help. From now on, I will keep this baby for my eldest brother. It's just an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks. He is still young, and he cries all night long when he can't see his parents. Alas.

.”

Song Zhilu took out some broken silver from his arms and said softly: "Take this, buy some food for the baby. It is the time when the baby is growing, and it is time to hire a wet nurse. It is so small and needs to be fed."

"No, no, no need or no!" The middle -aged man resolutely pushed the silver from Song Zhilu's hand, Shen Sheng said: "There are much better days now than before.

The money is reserved for the frontline soldiers to kill the barbarians, buy an extra sword, and buy an extra war horse. It is the frontline soldiers who need this money."

The tip of Chenyue's nose felt sour, and he asked in a slightly hoarse voice: "After such a thing, do you still believe in the soldiers of the border army?"

What Chenyue is most worried about is that the people have lost confidence in the border troops. Once the people's hearts are unstable, it will be difficult to continue the war.

"What are you talking about, sir?" the middle-aged man said sternly: "We are from the border area, and our life is hard, but when can we not trust the soldiers in our hometown? In this village, there are few young people who join the army in the border area.

There are said to be twenty or thirty people. If we don’t believe them, who should we believe?

Isn't it just a few barbarians who sneaked in? They still have no return. What are we afraid of? This battle will always be fought. Our generation will never finish it. The next generation will continue to fight. Sooner or later, peace will be achieved.

day."

The middle-aged man spoke very excitedly, and the unique tenacity of the Liangzhou people was clearly demonstrated in him.

Chen Yue's eyes lit up, he stood up and saluted the middle-aged man respectfully: "I apologize to the dead people, and I also thank you on behalf of the soldiers who fought at the border."

"You can't do it, you can't do it."

The middle-aged man was at a loss. He didn't know how old the two officials standing in front of him were, but this was the first time an official saluted him.

Chen Yue and the others slowly exited the residence and came to the dirt slope next to the village.

Chenyue faced the direction of Xiaohuang Village and bowed deeply again, followed closely by Song Zhilu.

"It seems that the war on the border cannot be delayed any longer." Chen Yue murmured into the autumn wind.

Song Zhilu raised his eyebrows and asked softly: "Does the prince plan to have a big fight?"

"Hundreds of thousands of Yan troops are stationed outside the pass, which is always worrying. Things like today will never be allowed to happen again!" Chen Yue's tone gradually became colder.

"The war is for the prince to worry about. All I can do is to stabilize the mainland. The prince does not need to worry about this." Song Zhilu solemnly assured Chenyue.
Chapter completed!