Chapter 116 Forced Deployment of "Cattle and Horses"

Chapter 116 Forced Deployment of "Cattle and Horses"

Even though I knew beforehand that Danzhou was not developing well, I still couldn't help but feel disappointed after seeing it with my own eyes.

Located on the frontier, Danzhou is constantly affected by border wars. The people here have a sense of vigilance and hardship on their faces, always ready to flee with their families if the city is breached.

It's unstable; there's no sense of belonging or security in this place.

As soon as you step through the city gate, you are greeted by a dusty street, as if a gust of dust could sweep up two ounces of yellow liquor and put them in your mouth.

Jiang Yutang instinctively covered her mouth and nose, observing the surrounding scenery.

This place doesn't resemble a city at all; it's more like an ancient city abandoned in the desert.

There were very few shops on the street, and their facades were all dilapidated, without even a decent signboard.

As Jiang Yutang looked at all this, scenes from the movie "New Dragon Gate Inn" involuntarily came to mind, only this place was even more desolate than the scenes in the movie.

Even the escort couldn't help but frown and sigh in a low voice, "This place is too backward. Being exiled here, life will probably be hard."

Indeed, especially for those who were exiled from the capital to this place, the sense of loss in their hearts was like a huge rock.

The Jiang family members stood there, stunned and disappointed, and no one spoke for a moment.

Mu was the first to react, smiling and comforting everyone: "No matter what, we've finally arrived. From now on, we'll start over."

Jiang Songzhi suppressed his disappointment and smiled slightly: "Madam is right. Since we're here, let's make the best of it. As long as we're all together as a family, we can get through even the toughest times."

Under his reassurance, the expressions on the family members' faces gradually softened, and they slowly accepted the desolation of the place.

Jiang Yutang turned to look at Cheng Lanzhou's family and found that they were calm and composed, without any surprise or disgust, as if they had known all along that Danzhou was like this.

Jiang Huaiyu, who was behind him, suddenly spoke up, looking at the sleeping city with sympathy in her eyes.

"This place is considered pretty good. I've been to places ten times worse than this in the military, where we often ate in the open and slept in the open."

"Oh." Jiang Yutang suddenly realized that this explained why the Cheng family was so calm.

Jiang Jiuzhe nodded slightly and calmly analyzed, "This location is actually quite good. If someone managed and regulated it properly, it would surely be a peaceful town. It's a pity..."

Unfortunately, it's located on the frontier, and everyone lives today without daring to think about tomorrow, so they have no mind to do anything else.

The escorts led a group of refugees around asking for the whereabouts of the magistrate. These three were also on their first mission to Danzhou and didn't even know which way was north, south, east, or west. They asked several people, but still couldn't find out where the magistrate was.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Cheng Lanzhou suddenly spoke up: "There is no county magistrate in this place."

"No magistrate?" The pockmarked escort panicked. "Then who do we report to? We can't just leave him here, can we?"

Cheng Lanzhou sighed and shook his head: "In remote border areas, local affairs are mostly managed by military officers. Just ask the local people which military officer is in charge of security here, and go find him directly."

The escort nodded knowingly upon hearing this, and asked the old man selling firewood nearby. Sure enough, it was just as Cheng Lanzhou had said.

He quickly thanked them, and then led the group across the bumpy dirt road to a camp surrounded by high walls.

After exchanging words with the soldiers at the camp gate, Jie bowed and scraped as he took out a key from his pocket and unlocked the chains on the feet of the refugees one by one.

The sound of chains clattering to the ground echoed repeatedly. Jiang Yutang moved her ankles and lightly bounced around a couple of times, feeling incredibly relaxed.

I'm finally rid of this burden; I'm free now.

Jiang Yutang thanked the kind escorts: "Thank you all for taking care of me along the way. Farewell, and take care on your journey back!"

The escort scratched the back of his head with a smile: "Not at all. It's you who will suffer more here in the future."

suffer?

Jiang Yutang blinked, thinking the other person was referring to the environment. She waved her hand dismissively, and was about to speak when a group of soldiers wielding long spears suddenly rushed in from the exit and surrounded them.

"Don't move! Come with us!" the leading soldier shouted sternly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Before anyone could react, the soldiers pushed and shoved them, dragging them to a training area deep inside the camp.

When Jiang Yutang and her family were pushed and shoved by soldiers to the training ground, they were completely stunned.

The yellow earth beneath their feet was trampled, raising a layer of dust. The surrounding refugees, like them, looked around blankly, and an atmosphere of unease permeated the air.

A moment later, a soldier with a thick, long beard walked up to the high platform in front, wearing armor and a sword at his waist. His eyes, like those of a hawk, looked down at the crowd below and suddenly shouted.

"Quiet down, all of you!"

The noisy training ground fell silent instantly; everyone held their breath.

"I don't care what heinous crimes you committed before. Now that you've been exiled to Danzhou, you'd better stay here and atone for your sins!"

The long-bearded soldier's voice was as loud as a bell, and even his beard couldn't stop the dust from flying out.

"From today onwards, you must all follow orders and perform your duties. Anyone who dares to slack off or cheat will be dealt with according to military law!" After saying this, he signaled to the personal guards beside him to begin reading out the detailed rules for job assignments.

Jiang Yutang froze on the spot, all her previous ease and joy vanished.

After all that, the so-called "arrival in Danzhou" was not a gain of freedom at all, but rather a transformation from an exile into a forced "ox or horse," without even a moment to catch their breath.

She rolled her eyes dramatically, feeling utterly dejected, so angry she almost ground her back teeth to powder.

Yun, standing to the side, panicked even more, gripping Jiang Sheng'an's arm tightly, her voice trembling: "The exile document didn't say anything about having to work... We have elderly people and young children in our family, and Zhu is pregnant, what are we going to do?"

Jiang Shengan's face was ashen, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, and he remained silent, his chest heaving violently, clearly angered as well.

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad."

Jiang Songzhi spoke first, his tone firm: "If we really assign tasks, we brothers will do them all, and we will never let you suffer."

So the three sons quickly chimed in, all saying they would shoulder the burden and put their family at ease.

The refugee community was in an uproar. Most people were grieving in hushed tones, while some couldn't help but shout that they had been wronged and exiled.

The soldiers below the stage shouted sternly, "What's all the noise about! If you dare to make a sound again, you'll be punished with twenty strokes of the cane!"

The crowd fell silent instantly, with only suppressed breathing remaining.

Just then, the long-bearded soldier on the platform suddenly asked, "Among you, has anyone served in the army or fought in battle? Step forward!"

The training ground fell into a brief silence. After a while, seven or eight people gradually emerged from the crowd and stood at the front.

Jiang Yutang immediately recognized Cheng Lanzhou as the person standing at the front of the line. She turned to look at Jiang Huaiyu beside her, only to find that Jiang Huaiyu was still standing there, showing no intention of leaving.

She quickly nudged his arm with her wrist and asked in a low voice, "What are you standing there for? Go on!"