bookrandom Chapter 8 Making a wedding dress for Qin Xuan
Chapter 8 Making a wedding dress for Qin Xuan
A shrewd glint flashed in Zhao Luoying's eyes, and she immediately realized what was happening.
True refugees don't care about porridge, because their primary goal is to survive.
Only fake refugees would be unable to eat.
With the plan settled, Zhao Luoying immediately ordered her soldiers to hurry up and cook the porridge.
As evening approached, pots of seemingly ordinary congee were carried to an open space, just as usual.
The refugees then began to line up, waiting for their turn to be distributed.
At the same time, Qin Xuan had already sent soldiers to secretly observe and record anyone who refused to eat or insulted him.
"Pah! What kind of porridge is this? How come there's sand in it?"
"Damn it, I got to eat too! Plain porridge with sand in it! They're clearly not treating us like human beings!"
"Just say that the King of Chu is a fame-seeking scoundrel. If he doesn't want to provide relief, then he shouldn't use sand porridge to swindle people."
"..."
Sure enough, in every refugee settlement, people started complaining, which then turned into insults.
But most people didn't have much energy, so they just drank slowly, trying not to stir up the sand at the bottom of the bowl.
Even if they occasionally find sand in their food, they usually spit it out and then continue eating quietly.
"Your Highness, you were right all along. These people have finally been exposed." Zhao Luoying looked at the noisy refugees, her heart already filled with murderous intent.
Qin Xuan said calmly, "Don't rush to arrest them. Let them make a fuss for a while so we can catch more spies."
About half an hour later, the Shence Army suddenly sounded the bugle.
Then all the refugees were gathered together. Qin Xuan, riding a warhorse and holding a long spear, said loudly, "Gentlemen, how was the congee tonight?"
"..."
The scene was completely silent; no one responded.
Qin Xuan smiled coldly and immediately ordered, "Arrest them!"
In an instant, the Shence Army soldiers all around charged into the crowd like the Grim Reaper.
Then, one by one, the refugees were forcibly dragged out, numbering more than a thousand.
"Take a close look, everyone. How are these people different from you?" Qin Xuan ordered the Shence Army to surround all the spies, leaving a gap for the real refugees to observe.
A few minutes later, an old man standing at the front of the line suddenly spoke up: "Sir, they...they are more robust than us."
"The old man has good taste, here's a bowl of congee for you." Qin Xuan laughed, and immediately a soldier brought him a bowl of thick congee, which instantly caused a sensation among the other refugees.
At times like these, a bowl of plain porridge is far more tempting than a bowl of gold.
"Anyone who can point out the differences will still get a bowl of plain porridge." Qin Xuan could have pointed out the differences between these spies himself, but that way the refugees wouldn't remember them.
Only by letting them identify themselves can we prevent any spies from pretending to be refugees in the future.
“I saw it. His clothes looked dirty, but they were better than all of ours!”
"I noticed it too. His face isn't pale at all; he doesn't look like he's been starving for days!"
"And him, I smelled sesame seed cakes on him before, and he still has sesame seeds on his face!"
"..."
One by one, these spies were being judged as if they had been stripped naked.
With each revelation the refugees made, the spies felt a growing sense of despair. Some were even trembling with fear, on the verge of wetting themselves.
"good very good."
Having achieved the desired effect, Qin Xuan stopped wasting time: "What you all said was correct, but do you know why they are different from you?"
"Because they were spies sent by the enemy, deliberately pretending to be refugees in an attempt to steal our military rations."
Upon hearing this, the refugees' eyes instantly turned red, as if they wanted to devour people.
They all knew that the Shence Army's rations were already scarce, and it was already difficult to distribute them.
But now, these spies are actually trying to cheat the army out of their rations. What's the difference between that and taking their lives?
"Please don't get excited, I have something else to say."
Qin Xuan shouted loudly, and the restless crowd gradually quieted down.
"Our army's rations are less than half full, so if you are still willing to follow us on the journey ahead, you will have to eat sand porridge every day."
“Your Highness, you…” Zhao Luoying did not expect Qin Xuan to be so frank, and to bring up this arrangement at such a sensitive time.
To Zhao Luoying's surprise, the expected outburst from the refugees did not occur; instead, there were shouts and expressions of gratitude that grew louder and louder.
"Your Highness, we know about your situation. You guarded the border for us, but now you've been exiled to the northern frontier and are even being forced to share your military rations so we don't starve. We're willing to eat sand porridge!"
"We do!"
"We are willing to follow the Shence Army!"
No one could have imagined that the refugees, whom everyone in the imperial court feared like a tiger and worried about causing a popular uprising, would be so devoted to Qin Xuan.
"Your Highness once said that only sincerity can win the hearts of the people. I didn't understand it then, but now I finally do." Zhuge Xuan had also been a refugee in the past and almost starved to death on the roadside, so he understood the meaning of the scene before him even more.
"Alright, since you don't mind, then I, Qin Xuan, swear that as long as you follow the Shence Army, the Shence Army will never abandon you."
Qin Xuan raised his spear high, pointing it directly at the moon as he swore an oath.
"Long live the prince!"
"Long live!"
"..."
On the open grassland, shouts echoed throughout the heavens and the earth.
"I also have something to announce: anyone among you with a skill, such as a carpenter, bricklayer, blacksmith, or even just someone who knows how to grow vegetables, can register with the Shence Army."
“When they reach the North, these people will have priority in obtaining residency rights.”
This is the second purpose of Qin Xuan's elaborate efforts today, and the first is naturally to encourage the refugees to develop the habit of spying on each other.
"I! I'm a blacksmith..."
"I know how to farm..."
"I used to work in the bookkeeping department, and I know how to use an abacus..."
"..."
In an instant, all sorts of skilled craftsmen emerged.
Seeing this scene, Zhuge Xuan couldn't help but feel excited: "Your Highness, your move is likely to make that person in the palace vomit blood."
The North is sparsely populated, let alone skilled craftsmen.
But who would have thought that Qin Xuan would choose these people from among the refugees?
The poor Emperor of Daqi went to great lengths to drive away the refugees and even sent spies to cause trouble, but in the end, he only benefited Qin Xuan.
"Gentlemen, the registration will be handled by someone later. Right now, we still have one very important thing to do!" Qin Xuan pointed his spear at the more than one thousand spies.
These people panicked instantly!
Many people began to kneel and kowtow, wailing and crying. Some tried to escape in the chaos, but the Shence Army drove them all back.
"Whether they live or die is up to you." Qin Xuan made a decision that no one expected.
But there is no doubt that these people will not survive past tonight.
Those refugees, who were already starving, might not be willing to devour them alive, but killing them was the only way to vent the hatred in the hearts of all the refugees.