Page 164
The few Zhou Qing people who fled to the mountains to avoid death will never survive this day's silence.
The lack of food in the mountains, the extremely cold temperature and the howling wind will deprive them of their lives.
But at this moment, Zhou Qingguo, who was supposed to be uninhabited, had a team of about 5000 people stationed in a forest.
Of course, this forest is not Zhou Qing's most important honey fruit forest, but an ordinary woodland.
The purpose of these troops coming here is also very simple.
The Wang Ting issued an order, ordering the two generals Ronglu and Chujiao to lead two thousand troops and three thousand Taicang young and strong people to go to the original Zhouqing state to collect fell trees.
It is used for heating and building houses by the people of the ether.
The trees in Tai Cang's stockpile were not enough, and with the addition of building houses for the newly migrated Jiangu people, the stock of wood was almost bottomed out.
If a large amount of wood cannot be replenished, within three to five days, Tai Cang's timber stock will be exhausted, and a large number of people will be frozen to death waiting for Tai Cang.
So even though the journey is far away, these Tai Cang Erlang have no complaints.
Anyway, the death of the sun has just arrived, and it is almost impossible for healthy men who have enough food to be frozen to death. As long as they don't die, what is there to be afraid of working hard?
Besides, if the wood is really not enough, even if they die, they will come to cut down trees and collect wood.
Because if they don't work hard, their wives, children, and parents will have no way out.
With this simple mentality, coupled with the imperial edict issued by the royal court, they set off in a mighty way, over the Cangqing Mountain, and came to this forest.
They are almost blindly following the royal court, because after this generation of king Ji Xia succeeded to the throne, Tai Cang ushered in earth-shaking changes, and many things that were undreamed of before have become reality.
But at this moment, more than a dozen leaders among the three thousand young adults still couldn't help but doubt the words of the two generals Rong Lu and Chu Jiao.
"General Ronglu, the trees are almost finished felling, and they have been bundled together according to your request, but there is no news of your so-called surprise soldiers before, so what should we do?"
"That's right, General, we didn't even bring in a cart. How can we bring back so much wood to Tai Cang?"
"Balley? What's the use of a cart? You forgot that when we came, if it weren't for the senior sergeants who were leading the way, we couldn't have walked so far in the heavy snow, and how many planks would be needed for so much wood?" A car? And a cart can’t go on many difficult roads!”
"What's more, we have obeyed the general's order and bundled a large amount of timber together with tough vines. The countless timbers have only been bundled into 120 bundles. How can the cart hold such a large bundle of timber!"
Rong Lu and Chu Jiao couldn't help but look gloomy when they heard many young and strong leaders talking in a hurry.
Rong Lu frowned and said: "Since I said that there will be surprise soldiers coming, there will really be! You are questioning here, are you questioning me, or Wang Ting?"
His words were full of bitterness, making the young and strong around them shut up and look at each other.
One of the young and strong leaders saluted Ronglu and said: "General, we don't doubt you, let alone Wang Ting. We are just worried that under such heavy snow and with so much wood, it will be the Tai Cang Yinwei who will be counted." dispatched, there is no way to transport the timber back.”
"Please, the two generals, don't blame us for talking too much. We are just worried that the trees that have been cut down so hard will not be able to be transported back to Taicang! It is a pity that this is a trivial matter. If there is not enough Taicang wood, what should we do? How can our wives, children, and parents survive the silence of the day?"
Rong Lu's face became more and more gloomy, but there was also some suspicion in his heart.
He couldn't help thinking of a painting scroll still hidden in his arms.
He also thought of Ji Xia’s many worries that he didn’t answer him before he left, so he casually handed him the scroll and said to him: “When the wood is collected, you can tie it up carefully, the bigger the bundle, the better, and in the end just open this scroll. Scroll, then you will know what to do."
Even if the reverence for the king in his heart is like a torrential river, endless, but can such a picture scroll really solve such an important matter?
If not, what should they do?
What should Taicang do if there is no wood for heating?
He couldn't help but feel uneasy, and the friends at the side knew his true emotions when they saw his pretending gloomy face.
I only heard Chu Jiao laughing: "Why do you worry, why has the Lord ever let us down?"
Rong Lu shook his head and said, "It's not that I don't believe in the king, it's just that if this matter cannot be done, the consequences will be too serious. Without wood, many people will not be able to survive this day."
Chu Jiao said: "The last bundle of wood will be tied up soon, and the tough vines in this forest have almost been used up. You can try it at that time. If it is really useless, it is not too late..."
Before the General Chujiao could finish his sentence, a young man came to report, saying that the last bundle of wood had been tied up.
Rong Lu took a deep breath and led more than a dozen young and strong leaders out of the temporary tent.
The forest in front of the tent has almost been cut down, leaving only huge tree stumps.
Originally, according to Tai Cang's regulations, a forest cannot be cut down on such a large scale, and seedlings must be planted at the same time, so that the forest will not die completely.
But at this time, the sun has passed away, and the situation is a little urgent, Tai Cang has ignored the principle of sustainable development, and can only wait for the sun to die, and then make up for it.
In the open area, more than a hundred bundles of huge timber were neatly placed.
There are many tree trunks in each bundle of wood, and each section of tree trunk is six to seven feet long, and they are connected end to end or arranged neatly.
If it weren't for the tough vines that are special in this forest, and there are a thousand defenders who have weaved these tough vines extremely firmly, I am afraid that they would not be able to bind so many tree trunks into one bundle.
In other words, most of the trees in this forest are in these 120 bundles of wood.
Chapter 165 Like a God
"General, according to your order, all the timber has been bundled."
A young leader of Tai Cang saluted and reported to Ronglu.
Many people on the side poked their heads out and looked at Rong Lu standing in front of the military tent.
Rong Lu knew what they were expecting, they just hoped that he would say something reassuring, after all, there was no trace of Qi Bing.
Rong Lu ignored them, he took out the scroll from his pocket and held it in his hand.
At this moment, he felt a little uneasy.
What if nothing happens when you open the scroll?
5000 people traveled long distances, ate weird dry food when they were hungry, drank snow water when they were thirsty, dragged their tired bodies, endured the biting cold, killed many monsters, and consumed a lot of grass oil torches before they came here. It took three or four days of hard work to cut down and bind these trees.
If the wood cannot be transported back to Tai Cang in the end, how should he face these Tai Cang boys?
"Ronglu, is this scroll the treasure that the lord gave you?" Chu Jiao asked, leaning his head.
Ronglu nodded.
"Then you haven't opened this scroll yet?" Chu Jiao continued.
Ronglu hesitated.
"Haha, when did General Ronglu, who has always been decisive in killing and attacking on the battlefield, become so indecisive!" The voice of the assistant rang out, and he snatched the scroll from Ronglu's hand and said, "You dare not open it, I'll do it!"
Chu Jiao quickly opened the scroll in his hand, but nothing happened.