Koi Fubao: Being loved by everyone on the road to escape from famine

Chapter 276: Conscription

They were the able-bodied men urgently recruited by Yuan Gaoxuan in order to fill the military camp and expand the team.

Among the crowd, there are young people full of youthful vigor as well as the elderly, the weak and the sick.

Although Yuan Gaoxuan felt reluctant to face this situation, he had to conscript all the men in the face of the severe situation. The number was close to three digits, which was spectacular.

Although Nanchong City is located in a remote area, the courage of the men there is no less than that of any prosperous place.

Xiao Zhixue knew in her heart that she couldn't just send these civilians to the battlefield to face the brutal enemy.

Some of them are old and frail, some are ill, but most of them are good people who behave themselves and never take risks.

If conscription is carried out by force, it will undoubtedly destroy these families and deprive them of their peaceful and tranquil life.

Just as Xiao Zhixue and Fan Yanmu entered the mansion, Yuan Gaoxuan quickly stood up from his seat and came towards them with an eager look on his face.

"You two adults have arrived so early, there must be something urgent. These are the men of Nanchong City. Do you think there are enough of them to form an elite force?"

As soon as Yuan Gaoxuan finished speaking, fear and anxiety appeared on the faces of the men around him. They had no idea why they were brought here. They thought they had accidentally violated the law and were about to be punished.

The constables in charge of the conscription never clearly told them that it was a conscription. Until the truth was revealed, everyone was panicked and eager to escape from the cage of fate.

However, before they could take a step, cold lights flashed all around, swords were unsheathed, and they surrounded them.

Yuan Gaoxuan's voice sounded again, stern and unquestionable: "Everyone stand still, don't have any delusions, otherwise no one will leave here alive today."

His words were like a cold wind, penetrating everyone's heart and causing the atmosphere on the scene to freeze instantly.

The crowd seemed to be frozen into a piece of ice. Their breathing became cautious and their heartbeats were clearly audible, as if every beat was in harmony with each other.

Xiao Zhixue did not argue with Yuan Gaoxuan. Her voice was crisp and clear, piercing people's hearts directly: "Who in this crowded crowd has a stain in the past? Whether it is petty theft or worse behavior, please stand up bravely."

Yuan Gaoxuan's gaze swept across the crowd and finally stopped on the prefect's face.

The prefect understood the message and strode forward, selecting with almost mechanical precision those figures who had had brushes with the law.

In an instant, more than two hundred anxious hearts were picked out, like sand blown away by the wind, and exposed to the scorching sun.

Ding Qiang, an inconspicuous name, flashes silently in this long list.

Xiao Zhixue's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and she easily caught sight of Ding Qiang's figure.

She frowned slightly and asked again, with a tone that left no room for doubt: "Are these the only ones with bad records?"

The prefect looked at Yuan Gaoxuan again, and the latter nodded slightly, as if conveying thousands of words in silence.

The prefect responded, "Indeed, these are people who were released after I interrogated them and found that they had committed no serious crimes but only minor offenses."

Xiao Zhixue had already made up her mind. The laws of Nanchong City were a mixture of leniency and strictness, so those who did not cause any loss of life would not be subject to severe punishment.

She turned her gaze to Yuan Gaoxuan, her voice questioning: "Where are your nephew Yuan Shang and his followers? Why can't we see any trace of them?"

Yuan Gaoxuan lowered his head quickly and answered respectfully: "I have been severely reprimanded by you, sir, and I am now recovering in my room. This..."

Xiao Zhixue's brows were knitted tightly together, and her words were cold and hard, and she could not refute it: "Even if they are injured, they must be conscripted into the army. Bring them here immediately, even if you have to carry them to me!"

Yuan Gaoxuan dared not delay and hurriedly sent people to summon Yuan Shang and his party.

Xiao Zhixue carefully examined Yuan Shang and his followers. They were just some insignificant flesh wounds. There was really no need to keep them in the mansion for this reason.

Yuan Gaoxuan's move was obviously intended to keep them away from the front line where swords and spears were everywhere.

As for those who were poisoned, they have already recovered.

Xiao Zhixue's eyes were as cold as ice, and Yuan Gaoxuan couldn't help but tremble.

Then, she faced the crowd and said in a cold and decisive voice: "Those with criminal records can stay, and the rest can go home."

This sudden pardon was like a spring breeze blowing across the frozen land, alleviating much of the men's worries.

They all looked at Yuan Gaoxuan, waiting for his instructions.

How could Yuan Gaoxuan dare to go against Xiao Zhixue's wishes? He waved his hand and said in a relieved tone, "Let's all go."

The crowds were like birds that had been freed, scrambling to escape from here, fearing that they would be caught in the conscription net if they were a little slow.

As the crowd dispersed, Xiao Zhixue ordered Yuan Gaoxuan to mobilize the constables to escort those with criminal records, and set off for the southwestern border with her and Fan Yanmu.

When those men who had made mistakes heard that they would be sent to a distant and dangerous frontier, their legs could not help but tremble slightly.

They were filled with resentment, and voices of anger and protest rose one after another.

"I won't do it! Why should I go to the frontier and suffer?"

"I won't go either. I didn't kill anyone or set any fire. I just taught them a lesson. Why should they get away with it while I have to go and die?"

"Yes, why should we suffer that?"

Yuan Gaoxuan's face turned from pale to blue, and he suppressed his anger: "Shut up, everyone! Anyone who talks too much will be executed on the spot, no nonsense!"

These guys who usually acted arrogantly now realized that resistance would only increase pain.

Compared to being forced to go to the frontier and become a victim on the battlefield, being punished on the spot seemed to be the best option.

"In Nanchong City, how could the city lord arbitrarily arrest and send someone into exile based on the words of a woman?"

Their hearts were filled with doubts and dissatisfaction.

"No matter what, I will never join the army. Even if you kill me, my soul will never go to the battlefield."

"Why should I join the army? Shouldn't the war be borne by soldiers on the frontier? Why do you want to involve us?"

"Who on earth is this woman? How can she decide our life or death with just one word?"

Seeing everyone resisting, Ding Qiang could no longer hold back and started cursing angrily.

"I just taught my wife a lesson. What law stipulates that beating your own wife should lead to exile?"

The coldness in Xiao Zhixue's eyes fell on Ding Qiang like frost in winter.

With a crisp "snap" sound, the whip hit Ding Qiang's back fiercely.

The pain made him scream and he staggered backward, his clothes torn and blood flowing slowly along the whip marks, it was a horrifying sight.

The people around witnessed this scene and all showed horror on their faces.

"Whoever hit me, stand up if you have the guts!"

Ding Qiang covered his wound, his eyes wide open, staring straight in the direction of Xiao Zhixue.

Xiao Zhixue sneered and walked up to Ding Qiang with big strides.

"It was me, your great-grandmother, who whipped you. What? You want another whip? No problem, I'll satisfy you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another whip swung towards Ding Qiang like lightning.