The sun was blazing in the sky, there was no cloud or shade, and the fields were cracked like scales, creating a parched scene.

Miaohe plants stood on the ground one by one, withered leaves rustling in the wind. Black crows came in droves, crossing the broken earthen city wall, circling in the air, looking down to search for dead and rotting corpses.

Hundreds of hungry people are scattered in the shade of the corners of the streets and alleys, squatting and sitting, miserable, sighing loudly, or closing their eyes to wait for death. There are even some who look up to the sky and pray, one of their eyes has been burned blind, and the other is waiting for death.

The dry, black and skinny orbital recesses were filled with yellow sand. The situation was terrifying, and one did not know whether he was alive or dead.

A thin black boy walked to the well, lowered the water bucket, felt it to the end, and shook the rope. Feeling a little worried, he expected that there was water. He was overjoyed and hurriedly shook the handle of the pulley. The well rope creaked, but half of the water came up.

Fight yellow sand.

The young man fiddled with the sand, picked some that were darker in color and slightly moist in the middle, put them in his mouth, smacked them carefully, and showed a happy face on his dark and thin face.

Suddenly thunder rolled and rumbled, and all the hungry people suddenly widened their eyes and looked to the sky. Those who had the strength even stood up holding on to the wall, their hearts beating loudly, and tears that had dried up for a long time flowed to their eyes.

I forgot to wipe and lick the food.

However, the sky is still sunny and hot, with no clouds in sight. How can there be any sign of rain?

When I was wondering, I saw yellow dust rising up outside Tucheng, rolling in quickly. In the dust storm, I could see howling and roaring, and I could see the shadow of horses galloping majestically, with a terrifying momentum!

Before everyone knew why, the cavalry had already rushed through the wall hole without a city gate. Although the soldiers on the horse had dusty armor, their faces were solemn and showed no trace of fatigue. The leading figures rushed up the slope of the almost tilted earth wall, reined in their horses and glanced around.

In all directions, there are bright eyes and a majestic appearance that makes people dare not look directly at him.

The commander said loudly: "There is no need to be familiar with legends, start immediately!"

The soldiers responded with a roar, galloping on horseback in all directions, breaking into civilian houses, capturing the strong and strong, and searching for food. For a time, there were cries and howls that shook the sky.

The thin and black boy did not have time to escape, so he hid among the hungry people and looked around. After a while, the sergeants reported back one after another. They had gathered very little food, and they were not strong enough to capture a hundred people. Even among these hundred people, most of them had hungry faces.

, thin and skinny. A small flag reported: "Sir, Tucheng is already poor, and the harvest is far from what Lord Qianshi asked for. However, there are still some hungry people in the corners of the city. If I can restore my vitality with a full meal, I think it will be better."

The fortification stones are still capable of doing the job."

The commander looked sideways and saw that the faces of the hungry people were miserable and exhausted. The soldiers were hunting people in large numbers, but they could not even escape. How could such people be used? However, looking back, he looked back at those "strong" people who had been captured.

, couldn't help but sigh, and said: "Bring those hungry people with you!"

Xiaoqi responded and soon returned with the crowd: "Sir, the few of the hungry people who can walk have been brought here. The others cannot move. If we force them to take them away, they may become a drag."

The commander nodded in understanding. At this time, all the people captured in the city were escorted by soldiers and lined up in a square shape. They gathered in front of the city gate. The commander glanced briefly and said loudly: "Listen, everyone! Today, the thieves have invaded the border. Master Cheng is guarding the border town.

, the soldiers all worked bravely and sacrificed their lives. As the saying goes, every man is responsible for the rise and fall of a country! Now I call you and others to build stones and carry earth to help defend the city. It is the right time to make contributions to the country! If there is anyone who escapes, he will be executed without mercy!"

The civilians looked sad and had no choice but to be attacked by swords and swords. No one dared to disobey them. No matter how loud the words of the commander were, they did not take it seriously. When Xiaoqi saw this, he said loudly: "The army has plenty of supplies. If you drink wine and eat meat, come first."

Those who are rewarded!" In recent years, there have been severe droughts, no harvests, and bran vegetables are still hard to see. When everyone heard that there was meat and wine to eat, they immediately became more energetic and cheered. The commander was overjoyed and commanded the cavalry to lead the people out of the city. Those in the corners of the walls and houses

When the hungry people heard that there was meat to eat, they all struggled to get up. Some of them just tried to hold themselves up, but suddenly became stiff and fell down, and died. The thin black boy among the hungry people moved his eyes when he heard it, and after a moment of weighing,

He spat out the sand that he had been smacking for a long time and ran out. He wanted to follow him and get into the crowd of civilians. Suddenly he felt a tightness in his neck and he could no longer move. It turned out that a cavalryman had wrapped his neck with a riding whip.

The cavalryman cursed: "Young brat! Get away!" With a flick of his wrist, the young man was thrown into a spiral. When he got up, he was already spinning, and a layer of skin fell off his neck. He touched his neck, coughed and inhaled, and said to the boy

The cavalryman glared.

The commander dismissed the cavalry and asked the young man: "How old are you?"

The young man replied: "The little man Chang Sihao is sixteen this year!"

The commander saw that he had a narrow frame and was very thin. He knew that he was lying and he was lying, but he didn't tell the truth. He smiled and said, "Little boy, do you also want to serve the country?"

The young man straightened his chest and hissed: "I'm hungry!"

Yellow sand rose up, covering the sun and the sky. A team of cavalry and hungry people marched hard on the ancient border road. Some hungry people relied on their excitement to support themselves. After walking for a long time, they fell to the ground and could no longer do anything.

stand up.

Chang Sihao rolled up his sleeves and shrunk his neck, squinting his eyes to protect himself from the sand. From time to time he glanced at the water bag hung on the cavalry's back and pursed his lips. Unknowingly, his consciousness gradually became blurred. For a moment, the wind roared in his eardrums, and the horse's neighing bulged.

For a moment, it was as quiet as falling into an empty valley.

I don’t know how long we have been walking, but the wind has died down and the sand has become silent. The outline of the city is visible in the distance. Now it sits across the mountain pass, silently enjoying the last sunset like a resting lion.

As the cavalry entered the city, the hungry people became excited again, because they all smelled the tempting aroma of meat mixed with the gunpowder smoke in the city.

The commander looked for the small flag among the cavalry and said, "What is your name?"

Xiaoqi said: "Your Excellency, this little person is Zheng Yuan."

The commander said: "You are very smart. I raise you as the general flag. These hungry people are in urgent need of food. You can take them to eat first!"

The small flag has ten people under its command, but the general flag has fifty people under its command. It is not due to military achievements that the promotion was achieved. Even though it is only one level, it is enough to make people happy.

Zheng Yuan kowtowed: "Thank you, sir!"

The commander smiled and rode away.

Zheng Yuan stood up and led a group of civilians to walk westward, crossing the dismantled residences, and came to a slightly wider place near the city wall. He shouted to the Huotou Army to distribute bowls and chopsticks. Everyone received a pair and lined up.

Team, waiting to receive food.

Not long after, the cooks brought several large pots over, opened the lids, and the aroma was fragrant. Everyone looked around and saw pots of broth bubbling, with a layer of floating oil floating on the surface.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, there is a dazzling golden light, and there is a pot filled with stewed pig blood. It is black and red, and it is simply delicious!

People trembled with their hands, suppressed their inner excitement, and moved forward slowly in line. The cook held a spoon in his hand. When someone came over, he scooped a large spoonful of meat from the pot and poured it into his bowl, and then added half a spoonful of pig blood.

When the meat was scooped out, it was covered with oily flowers, trembling in the spoon, and steaming so hot that the hungry people looked at it in a daze. When they held the bowl in their hands and smelled the alluring aroma, they felt that it was not real.

Some people's hands and feet were trembling and they couldn't pick it up to eat, so they threw away their chopsticks. Regardless of the heat, they put their hands into the bowl to grab the meat and eat it. Their fingers and lips were so hot that they turned red and blistered without even realizing it. Some even had a piece of meat in their mouths.

In the mouth, he forgot how to chew it, fell to the ground, clutched his chest, his eyes were just crying, his feet were pedaling desperately, and he tried his best, but he couldn't cry at all.

Chang Sihao also received a bowl. He found a broken wheel and sat down to lean on it. He picked up the meat and swallowed a few pieces. He couldn't bear to eat anymore and sipped the broth while blowing on the hot air.

At this time, a group of people came down from the top of the city. They were also dressed as civilians. They were covered in mud and smelled of sweat. When they saw that these people had taken the lead, they immediately started yelling and cursing. One person took the lead and shouted: "You are new here, get a bowl."

Just eat, what's the point of falling behind after working all day in the city?" After saying this, he stepped forward to grab the bowl.

Zheng Yuan scolded: "Who are you? How dare you say such things! Don't forget what you were like when you first came here!" The man retreated in dismay. When Zheng Yuan saw that everyone still had unfair expressions on their faces, he continued in a loud voice.

Said: "We all work together to fight against the bandits. There is no favoritism for one or another for food and salary. The new people have been hungry for a long time and must have soup and meat to fill their stomachs before they can have strength. There is plenty of food in the army. You might as well wait for a while."

Why do you have to rush to get the first thing?" After hearing this, everyone was ashamed and stood aside. The newly arrived civilians here were frightened and swallowed hurriedly. There was a sound of choking and coughing, which made Zheng Yuan shake his head and sigh.

.

"Zheng Qi!" An old soldier waved to Zheng Yuan from afar.

Zheng Yuan heard the shouting and looked sideways. It turned out to be Xu Laojun, the leader of the cooks. A soldier beside Zheng Yuan smiled and said: "Old Xu, my Zheng Banner has raised the general flag, and now you have to change your name!"

Xu Laojun walked closer, cupped his hands and said with a smile: "General Zheng Qi, congratulations!"

Zheng Yuan smiled and said, "Why, you came to me again to ask for help?"

Xu Laojun said with a bitter face: "The men who were recruited in the past few groups all went to work in the city, and my cook is even more busy. No matter what, you have to arrange two for me today!"

Zheng Yuan frowned and said: "Thousands of households have their fate. The thieves are full of tricks and the siege of the city is very tight. Anyone who can go to the city must go to the city to defend it. Although your veterans are more tired, they are still busy after all."

Yes, let me see..."

Xu Laojun said: "Don't I know your fate? If it wasn't true and incomprehensible, I, Lao Xu, wouldn't say this!" After hearing this, several cooks and Laojun over there also joined in and complained.

The cooks were short of manpower, and the meal time was often delayed. The sergeants had long been resentful, but the enemy was outside, so everyone tolerated and tolerated it tacitly. Zheng Yuan felt embarrassed and hesitantly scanned the common people, trying to find an old and weak one, but he

When he saw Chang Sihao, he immediately waved him over, held his shoulders, and said to Lao Xu: "The child has nimble hands and feet and can help the cook. He should be more than enough. Take him there. The higher-ups know about it and won't blame you even if you think about it."

What do you think?"

Xu Laojun looked at Chang Sihao and frowned. He looked at Zheng Yuan's face and secretly thought that there was no improvement. He patted Chang Sihao on the shoulder and sighed: "What a bad luck! I'll be a kid! I don't know if I want him."
Chapter completed!