The dawn light shines on the vast land. Less than twenty miles north of Shuning City, there is a lake. Under the dawn light, the lake surface is clear. Surrounding the lake are rebel camps, although there is no order.
, but they are as dense as ants, making people feel chilly.
Kuimulang was captured alive by Qin Xiao. The rebels were leaderless and fell into chaos for a time. Fortunately, Kuimulang's generals stabilized the situation in time.
The rebels were originally a ragtag group. If Kuimulang was in the army, they would naturally have no choice but to obey orders due to Kuimulang's ferocity. However, when the general was captured, the rebel team was full of variables, and the generals immediately moved their troops.
The horse retreated ten miles and waited for the arrival of the right god general.
Since Princess Sheyue is trapped in Shuning City, after knowing about it, the Right God General will certainly not just send another star general here randomly, but will definitely come to command the siege personally.
Before General You Shen arrives, as long as he can stabilize the morale of the rebels, it will be a great achievement.
The rebels camped around the lake to provide easy access to water.
Ding Jia was just a very inconspicuous pawn in the rebel army. He was originally a villager in Dingjiagou, less than thirty miles away from Shuning City. For twenty years, he had lived the most ordinary life. If nothing unexpected happened,
The second half of my life was spent as peacefully as the first half.
Five days ago, he didn't even know what the Queen Mother Association was, but a group of Queen Mother believers ran into the village and not only looted the livestock and food in the village, but also forcibly dragged dozens of young people in the village into the team.
, and from that day on, Ding Jia was informed that he had become a follower of the Queen Mother.
After worshiping the Queen Mother, getting rid of the demon fox, and killing the demon fox, you will have enough food and clothing, and you can go to heaven and become an immortal after your death.
But Ding Jia didn't even know who the demon fox was.
After dozens of young men in the village were drawn into the team, they were not quite together, but were scattered into different teams.
The Queen Mother Association will have a group of thirty people, with a group leader, five groups as a team, a team leader, four teams as a capital, a capital leader, and three capitals as a battalion.
There are about 1,800 people in the camp, and each battalion has a battalion general, who is directly commanded by a star general.
This time the rebels besieged Shuning City. A battalion was arranged outside the south gate, and a battalion was also arranged outside the north gate. However, the strength of the large camp outside the south gate was not enough, so they continued to replenish the establishment. Although there was only one battalion outside the north gate.
, but the strength of the army exceeded 2,000, and Kui Mulang fell into the hands of Qin Xiao before he could divide his camp.
In the past two days, followers of the Queen Mother still brought young men who had been forcibly recruited to join the army, and the food and livestock looted from the villages were able to meet the current food supply of the rebels.
Ding Jia sat by the lake and stared blankly at the lake.
It wasn't until someone tapped him on the shoulder that Ding Jia came back to his senses, turned his head, and saw a rough man in his forties sitting down next to him, smiling: "Uncle Cai!"
There are dozens of people in Dingjiagou, but this rough guy is the only one who is in the same group as Uncle Cai, so they naturally take care of each other.
"Do you want a wife?" Uncle Cai said with a kind smile.
Ding Jia didn't get married too early. He just got married last year. When he was forcibly dragged here, all the women in the village were also taken away, but they don't know where they went.
"Uncle Cai, do you think anything will happen to them?" Ding Jia felt heavy.
Uncle Cai sighed: "Look at the best, nothing will happen."
"When can we go home?" Ding Jia looked around and lowered his voice: "I don't want to fight and I don't know how to fight. My third uncle is still in Shuning City. They are all good people. Why should we surround him?
Live in Shuning City?"
Uncle Cai looked up at the rising sun and said softly: "I don't know when I can go home, but I can always go back. Then my family can be together."
"But I always feel uneasy." Ding Jia curled up slightly. The Jiangnan in May was warm, but Ding Jia felt a little chilly: "I always feel that I can never go back."
"Nonsense." Uncle Cai said in a deep voice, "You don't want to be reunited with your wife? No matter how hard it is, you have to hold on until the day you get home."
Ding Jia looked around cautiously and whispered: "Uncle Cai, we have been pulled into the team and have to besiege the county. Is this... a rebellion? If the government sends more officers and soldiers
, if we lose and are arrested, will we be beheaded as a rebel?"
Uncle Cai smiled bitterly and said: "If we don't obey, we will be beheaded now." He whispered: "You have to be smarter in the future. If we really want to fight, don't rush to the front. If you have the chance, come to us."
A chance to escape." As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of gongs was heard. The two stood up almost at the same time, and the people nearby also ran in the same direction.
Ding Jia followed Uncle Cai and rushed in the same direction as the others. Soon he saw several large wooden barrels placed in front of him. The cook in an apron held a large wooden spoon in his hand, and ant-like rebel soldiers crowded forward.
, first grabbed the wooden rice bowl in his hand, then several men with red scarves on their heads and swords in their hands came forward to maintain order, shouting and cursing: "Everyone line up, don't grab, anyone who disobeys will be chopped with a knife."
He said loudly: "Those with red belts will cook first, while those with black belts will wait behind."
Ding Jia naturally knew that red belts and black belts were ways to identify the qualifications of followers of the Queen Mother.
The believers who have joined the Queen Mother Association for a long time all wear red belts around their waists, while the new believers who have recently been recruited into the team all wear black belts.
Although red belts and black belts seem to differ only in the color of their belts, their status and treatment in the military are also completely different.
For the Queen Mother Society, red belts represent true devout believers, so when weapons are distributed, red belts can receive relatively good weapons, such as swords and spears, and some red belts can even receive leather protective gear.
Weapons are limited, and the full supply of red belts is insufficient, so almost all black belts can only use simple weapons such as axes and hoes.
There are high and low levels of equipment, and there are also high and low levels of camping conditions. In military camps, naturally, red belts take precedence.
In May, when stationed outside the city, mosquitoes, rats, and ants are inevitable at night. Red belts can sleep peacefully inside their tents, while most black belts can only make do outside the tents.
Weapons and camping were tolerated. When eating, the red belt took the lead in getting the meal, and the black belt could only follow behind.
This meal point has to provide meals for a team of soldiers. There are 150 people in total, and more than 50 of them are red belts. The nearly 100 black belts can only watch the red belts proudly take the lead in preparing meals.
Today's food seems to be good. Each red belt can not only receive two large white buns, but also half a bowl of fragrant roast pork. The aroma spreads and makes the black belt's throat squirm.
After Hong Yao finished leading the party, Ding Jia followed Uncle Cai in line.
Suddenly, an angry voice was heard from the front: "Why can they eat meat? Why don't we even have broth?"
Everyone looked over.
I saw a thick man yelling at the cook. He only received a sweet potato. In front of everyone, he poured the soup in the wooden bowl on the ground and said angrily: "Look, what is this? Except
Two vegetable leaves, how can there be any fishy smell?"
The cook looked at the man coldly, waved his hand and said, "Hurry down, others still need to receive food."
"Brothers, are we black belts inferior to others?" The man shouted loudly: "They eat meat, but we don't even have to drink soup. They eat white flour steamed buns, and we can only eat sweet potatoes. I have endured enough these days.
If I don’t give everyone an explanation today, this matter will never end.”
Immediately behind him, several people started shouting.
At this moment, a person was seen walking over. When everyone saw that person, their voices became quieter.
Everyone knows that he is the team leader, and he is in charge of more than a hundred people here.
Du Zheng, who was wearing a red belt and had a knife on his waist, stood a few steps away from the big man and waved to the big man. The big man was a little uneasy, but did not dare to disobey. He walked over and Du Zheng asked: "
Don’t you think the food is good?”
"No, Captain... Captain, we are all followers of the Queen Mother, we are all loyal to the Queen Mother, why... why can they eat meat, but we... we can only eat sweet potatoes?" The man
He asked boldly in front of him.
Captain laughed and said, "I'll tell you why." He suddenly pulled out his knife, and before the man could react, he slashed his head with a knife, blood splattered everywhere, and everyone present was shocked.
After the man fell to the ground, his body twitched for a moment before he died.
There was a commotion among the black belts. When the red belts saw this, they put down their bowls and drew their swords in their hands. However, the leader waved the red belts to retreat, and then said to the black belts: "On the first day you came here, I told you
You, our followers of the Queen Mother have strict military regulations and strict orders. Anyone who dares to disobey military orders will only die. If you want to eat meat, you have to fight for it on your own. If you have made military achievements, you can not only eat meat and drink wine, but also get rewards.
You women, otherwise you still have sweet potatoes to eat now. If you are too afraid to fight, you will have no choice but to eat with a knife." He glanced over and said sternly: "Who wants to eat meat?"
Although the black belts are angry in their hearts, they also know in their hearts that if they dare to speak at this time, they are seeking death.
The black belts lined up, bowed their heads and silently received their meals.
"By the way, there is one more thing I want to tell you." Dui Zheng said loudly: "Yesterday, there were more than a dozen people who wanted to escape from the battle, and we found them. Just now, we had cut them into pieces. Remember them all.
If you join the Queen Mother Society, you will serve the Queen Mother of the Nine Heavens for the rest of your life. After slaying the demon fox, you will be able to attack the city. You will have all the glory, wealth, gold, silver and beauties. Anyone who abandons the Queen Mother Society will be the enemy of the Queen Mother Society, even if they flee to the ends of the earth.
I'm going to kill you too. The divine general will come to take command in person soon. Once the divine general arrives, he will be invincible. If anyone dares to escape from the battle, they will also be quartered, not even the whole body. Do you all hear clearly?"
Everyone lowered their heads and did not dare to say a word.
"Did you hear that clearly?" Duan Zheng shouted sharply.
Everyone could only say in unison: "Listen clearly!"
Team Zheng then left with a satisfied look on his face.
Many people secretly looked at the team's leaving figure, their eyes filled with resentment.
Uncle Cai turned around and patted Ding Jia's arm gently, but said nothing.