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墨書 Inktalez
Zhao Army Camp.
The Soldiers grumbled as they received their lunch from the Mess Hall, their tempers rising with the heat of the day. With a loud crash, one Soldier slammed his bowl of rice onto the ground, holding his jaw.
“Damn it! This rice is inedible!”
A few Soldiers stood up and dumped their food on the ground, cursing, “Even livestock eat better than us! Let those animals fight for Zhao!”
Nearby Soldiers looked at their own bowls, sighing deeply. It was bad enough that the oil and meat were nearly nonexistent; now even the basic supplies from the Mess Hall were problematic. Last year had been a bountiful harvest, so why was there a shortage now? The situation at the front lines was dire, on the brink of exploding. How could they fight when they couldn't even fill their stomachs!?
“Let’s go find them to reason with!”
“Yes! Let’s go find them!”
It was fine to have complaints, but it was concerning when someone took the lead to stir up trouble. With a shout, the Soldiers rallied together. The food issues had been simmering for days, and as word spread, more and more gathered.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, the Soldiers surrounded the kitchen, demanding to drag the Quartermaster to speak with Lian Po Old General.
The Quartermaster was a plump middle-aged man, but his weight wasn’t due to sneaking food while the Soldiers starved; years of dealing with greasy food had given him this physique. Hearing the commotion outside only fueled his anger. He stepped out of the wooden shed and glared at the noisy crowd.
“What are you shouting about!? Shut up! Are you the only ones eating this? The entire army is eating! This is what we’ve received as rations these days; what do you expect me to do!? They sent a cart of dirt; do you think I can turn it into food? If anyone is dissatisfied, don’t complain here! Go find someone else to argue with…”
One Sergeant from the Zhao Army, seeing this man still arguing back, narrowed his eyes and drew his Sword, approaching him.
The Quartermaster, taken aback by how things escalated, quickly swallowed his words. He stepped back two paces and shouted angrily, “What do you think you’re doing!? Stand still!”
It was one thing to shout in a group; it was another to actually resort to violence. The situation left the previously furious Soldiers dumbfounded. No one stepped forward to intervene; instead, they all stood frozen, watching as this officer approached the Quartermaster with his sword drawn.
“Someone’s going to get killed!” The once confident Quartermaster, intimidated by the officer's imposing presence, finally turned and fled in panic.
Seeing someone approach with a gleaming weapon while realizing that the Quartermaster had already vanished made the kitchen staff want to escape as well. However, upon noticing that this person wasn't targeting them, they exchanged glances and stepped aside to clear a path for the junior officer.
At the end of this makeshift human wall, there were bags upon bags of grain.
The Soldiers who intended to cause trouble finally understood the Sergeant's purpose and all moved forward to follow him and investigate.
The Soldiers responsible for guarding the supplies quickly realized the intentions of this junior officer and knew that something was amiss. Behind them lay the lifeblood of the Military, which could not be allowed to be destroyed! Thus, they stepped forward with their weapons drawn, blocking the piles of bags.
The blocked Sergeant halted, looking down at the sharp blade. "Those who block my way will die! Get lost!"
The guarding Soldiers were not to be trifled with and reminded him, "Without a command, no one is allowed to touch these military supplies! Return immediately! Otherwise..." Before he could finish his warning, a sharp blade suddenly lunged forward. The two Soldiers, seeing that the warning had no effect, hurriedly dodged aside.
As the sharp blade pierced the bags, grains mixed with dirt slowly flowed out from the rupture. The Sergeant reached out to catch a handful of sand, gripping it tightly in his hand, but trembled from exerting too much force.
What are we fighting for!?
Dozens of bags were then pierced by spears, and their contents spilled out from the damaged openings. Not a single bag contained pure grain; even those that did were not much better.
What flowed out now was no longer just sand but the blood in the hearts of the Soldiers. The merciless reality laid bare before them ignited the anger that had just been suppressed, sending it soaring into the sky.
The fleeing Quartermaster was captured by the Soldiers, and upon seeing the sand flowing from the bags, he was taken aback. This had just been delivered that morning; he hadn’t expected it to be worse than what had been sent last week.
This was the life of the Soldiers! How could they mix in such fakes!? He simply broke free from his restraints and sat down on the ground, wailing uncontrollably.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
The Soldiers, now beyond furious, raised their weapons and prepared to attack.
The now central figure, the Sergeant, took a deep breath and raised his hand to stop the advancing Soldiers. If they truly resorted to killing, they would lose control of the situation. This was not a mutiny; it could lead to serious problems. Moreover, grievances have their roots; a skilled woman cannot weave without rice.
"Li Mu! What do you think you're doing!?"
A sharp shout came from outside the crowd, instantly dousing much of the rising flames of anger.
Centurion Sima Shang stepped in, bending down to help the Quartermaster up. He softly comforted him for a moment and waved his hand, signaling all the Soldiers to put down their weapons. With a cold glance at the shining blades around him, he shouted, "Our weapons! They serve only one purpose! They are meant to point at our enemies! By doing this, are you telling me that the cook who prepares your meals every day is our enemy?!"
The urge to kill often arises in a moment of heated impulse. Hearing these words, the soldiers lowered their heads, afraid to respond.
Seeing that the situation was under control, Sima Shang dismissed the Quartermaster. He then ordered the Soldiers to retreat, questioning what they were doing standing around. Once the area was clear, he approached Li Mu and pried open his fingers.
"Are you out of your mind!? What do you think military discipline is!? Put away your sword!"
There has always been a saying that men do not shed tears lightly; at this moment, Li Mu had tears streaming down his face. Looking up at the pure white clouds above, he suddenly realized how filthy human hearts can be! War is not frightening; what is frightening is the human heart. The greed of Wu Ji behind him makes it unbearable for those brave warriors who die for their country!
Seeing that Li Mu remained silent, Sima Shang turned to look at the grains mixed with sand scattered on the ground. He walked over, crouched down, grabbed a handful, and picked out a grain to slowly chew on. As the fresh grain's aroma spread across his tongue, he knew this was not last year's old grain. At the same time, something deep within him felt pierced.
Is this our army's food? How can we defeat the Qin Army with this!?
Troops stationed in various locations rarely get to eat this year's New Grain. Most of what they consume consists of grains from last year or even the year before. This applies to both frontline and rear units because all supplies sent are old grains. The reason for this is not that there are no grains submitted by farmers in the Granary, but rather to inform all soldiers that our food reserves are more than sufficient. Even if natural disasters lead to crop failures, we can still ensure that no one will go hungry for a year or two.
If troops can eat this year's New Grain, it can only mean one thing: there is little food left in the granaries!
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