The further south you go, the more frightening it becomes.

The sun was blazing, the fields were drying up, and people fleeing the famine could be seen along the way.

The shadow of war is everywhere, so oppressive that people under the blazing flames can't breathe.

Ji Wei's team of dozens of people initially followed the Prince of Guangling County southward, and everyone was very excited. However, after a bumpy journey of hundreds of miles, the group's energy was gone.

They traveled day and night, sleeping in the open air, with no food for the people and no water for the horses. They were extremely exhausted...

In the past, he could still rob people on the way to make ends meet, but now, under Fu Jiuqu's nose, he no longer dared to do anything wrong.

They endured, but Fu Jiuqu not only had no intention of stopping to take a breath, but he also did not distribute food.

The inquiries in the team gradually turned into complaints.

"Lord Ji, are we going to keep going on like this?"

"If we don't give you something to eat or drink, let alone us, the horses won't be able to bear it anymore."

"Lord Ji, I think the prince doesn't feel at ease. He probably wants to kill us as food..."

Several guards around him kept complaining in Ji Wei's ears, and some even cursed in a low voice, saying that Fu Jiuqu didn't treat the soldiers as human beings, and ate meat and drank wine in his carriage, leaving them hungry to go to the battlefield.

Ji Wei glanced at the carriage in front of him and greeted his mother eight hundred times in his heart, but he had no choice but to persuade her.

"Just be patient and wait until we get to Guizhou to join the main force."

"Lord Ji..." a confidant reminded in a low voice, "If we let them know about us abandoning the city and escaping... will they still give us a chance to be rewarded for our meritorious service?"

Ji Wei lowered his face and said, "Fuck you! We were unable to fight, so we escaped. My wife and daughter died in the city, why did I abandon the city and run away? Don't scare yourself with nonsense."

After the training, Ji Wei sighed again.

"Besides, if I don't go and join Di Qing, what can I do? Take my brothers up the mountain to become bandits?"

Everyone was silent.

They knew very well that once Di Qing arrived, under the suppression of 200,000 troops, Nong Zhigao would not be able to survive for long. When the war was over, the abandoned city would definitely have to be sorted out one by one.

If you don't go and make meritorious deeds, where can you escape?

In the whole world, could it be the land of the king? On the shore of the land, could it be the ministers of the king...

They have no choice.

Ingratiating yourself with Fu Jiuqu is your only chance to survive.

The motorcade traveled all the way south, no longer stopping along the way, just like moving ants, meandering on the official road in a mighty manner.

When it got dark, the temperature dropped slightly, and a few wisps of wind mixed with the heat of the summer made it cooler than during the day. However, hunger, thirst and fatigue made them more impetuous, their throats seemed to be on fire, and they felt dizzy...

"I'm going to ask for water from the Prince of Guangling County." A captain spat in a low voice and suddenly rushed forward.

"No, absolutely not." Ji Wei quickly stopped him, "Brothers, the prince is testing us. If we make him unhappy, we may not get any good results when we get in front of General Di."

The captain looked at Ji Wei's bulging horse bag, and the light and shadow in his eyes dimmed a bit.

"My lord, you don't have to worry about eating and drinking, but we brothers can't starve to death, and these horses will fall down if we don't eat and drink... If your lord doesn't go, I'll go."

Fu Jiuqu, who was sitting in the carriage, naturally knew the atmosphere at the back of the motorcade. Therefore, when the sallow-faced captain came up immediately and asked to see him, Fu Jiuqu opened the curtain.

"What's the matter?"

The captain looked at him uneasily, then lowered his head and cupped his hands and said: "Prince, we haven't had anything to eat or drink for a whole day. The humans can't bear it, the horses are also tired, and they can hardly walk anymore."

Fu Jiuqu said calmly: "When you go to seek refuge with General Di, don't you prepare to eat or drink, so you just bring dozens of mouths with you?"

The captain swallowed his saliva and said, "We can fight and sacrifice our lives."

Fu Jiuqu chuckled, "If you can fight and sacrifice your life, why did you abandon the city and flee?"

The captain's face changed, and he looked flustered, "I, I..." He looked at Fu Jiuqu uneasily, murmured a few times, and finally did not explain.

"I am guilty! But I am definitely not a person who is greedy for life and afraid of death..."

"That's all." Fu Jiuqu glanced at him lightly and said slowly: "Seeing that you still have some backbone, I will give you an errand."

The captain was stunned: "What?"

Fu Jiuqu smiled slightly, looked at his expectant eyes, and said calmly: "Cheng Cang, give him enough to eat and drink, and send him to explore the road and deliver messages to me!"

Cheng Cang responded and looked at the man: "Follow me."

The captain was overjoyed and said, "I will never let down the prince's trust."

When the sound of horse footsteps faded away, Xin Yi turned his head and asked Fu Jiuqu.

"Why did Ninth Brother give him the errand? Can you trust Jiwei's people?"

Fu Jiuqu smiled faintly, "There were dozens of people, thirsty and hungry, but no one dared to come up to me. He was the only one who had the courage to come. For this courage, he should be given a death on the battlefield."

opportunity.”

Xin Yi felt a little pity in his heart.

Is he the only one who should die on the battlefield?

What about Ji Wei? Doesn’t he deserve to die on the battlefield?

Before Xin Yi could ask him, Fu Jiuqu opened the car curtain and asked Duan Sui to call the team to stop.

"Rest where you are and distribute food to the people and horses."

Duan Sui happily responded: "Yes, Master Jiu."

They said they were distributing food, but there was not much food left on the carriage.

People can endure it, but horses are unreasonable and will go on strike if they are really hungry.

Duan Sui asked people to remove the rice and buckets from the carriage, giving priority to the horses, and everyone ate something hastily.

There was no more dry food, so Duan Sui carried a bag of refined food and a bucket of water over, leaving Ji Wei and the others to figure out their own solution.

Without a pot or a stove, these people looked at each other blankly. Then they chewed the uncooked rice and drank a few mouthfuls of water, which temporarily solved the famine.

In the carriage, the breeze blew the curtains.

Fu Jiuqu took out pastrami jerky and two green apples wrapped in oil paper from the drawer and stuffed them into Xin Yi's hands.

"Eat quickly."

Xin Yi was shocked, "Brother Ninth, you actually hid something secretly?"

When he met the victims, he saw several sallow and skinny children. Xin Yi felt pity and gave them all the fruits, snacks and dried meats that Gao Miao had prepared for him in one breath...

Unexpectedly, Fu Jiuqu actually hid so many good things in the drawer.

Xin Yi couldn't help laughing. He picked up the apple and wiped it on his sleeve, about to put it in his mouth, but Fu Jiuqu stopped him.

But I saw him taking out a dagger, taking the fruit, peeling it carefully, and then handed it to Xin Yi's hand with a white handkerchief.

"Don't worry, there's still more left after eating."

My mouth was sore from the hard work, so I picked up the peel.

"What a waste this is..."

"Feed the horse."

"Okay. Brother Ninth is wise and thinks more deeply than me..."

Xin Yi couldn't help but laugh when she thought of Fu Jiuqu hiding things secretly, and teased him with a double entendre.

Fu Jiuqu's eyes were cold and indifferent, "You are a heartless thing."

Xin Yi chuckled and handed the peeled apple to Fu Jiuqu's mouth: "Come on, your conscience is here. Take a bite!"

Fu Jiuqu started by saying, "I don't like eating."

Xin Yi smiled and hummed, "This is called sharing joys and sorrows. If you don't eat, I won't eat either."

Seeing her stubbornness, Fu Jiuqu took a bite.

"How far is the Laolao Mountain you mentioned from the state capital?"

Xin Yi thought for a moment and shook his head.

To her, this plot is just a plot. The map is direct, so how do you know how far it is?

Fu Jiuqu: "You... little liar."

Seeing this guy gritting his teeth, Xin Yi suddenly frowned and said doubtfully: "Brother Ninth, you are relying on me to distribute food to the people. Have you ever thought about what you will do if I can't find water and food?"

Fu Jiuqu curled his lips and flicked her head, "I don't count on you. I've calculated that when the troops take a breather, we can set off at midnight and reach Guizhou in one go in no time tomorrow. Even if there is a lack of water and food,

It’s okay…”

Xin Yi frowned and said, "Brother Ninth, have you ever thought about the fact that Guizhou is also short of water?"

All armies carry food and grass with them when they go on an expedition, and there will be supplies on the way, but if there is a shortage of water, it will be troublesome.

Fu Jiuqu smiled faintly and held Xin Yi's hand.

"There will be a way, and you won't be hungry."
To be continued...