Chapter 131: The Strongest Fortification
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
After Xiao Jin bandaged Su Ying’s wound, she left the house.
The moment she walked out, she saw Lin Zhuyu, Zhang Cuiniang, and the others kneeling in front of the door.
“What are you guys doing?”
Zhang Cuiniang pulled Lin Sheng to kowtow to Su Ying and said, “Mistress, you risked your life to save us. We can’t repay such a great favor in this life.”
“Mistress, my body belongs to you in life and my spirit belongs to you in death.” Lin Zhuyu still shivered in fear when she thought of what had happened, but this fear disappeared very quickly after she saw Su Ying.
“Mistress, I… I will definitely learn martial arts well and protect you in the future.”
“Alright. All of you get up. You are not to blame for this.” This made Su Ying realize that they were still too weak. Even if they had self-defense weapons, they would not be able to fully utilize them in this situation. As long as they were subdued by the enemy, they would be killed before they could even activate the weapon.
…..
“Get up, all of you. You don’t have to thank me. Just remember it in your heart.”
Zhang Cuiniang wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes as she stood up and said worriedly, “Mistress, have we become enemies with the Azure Dragon Base?”
“That’s right. Why do you think they captured you all for no reason? It’s because they have a grudge against me.” Su Ying had thought that once the hidden danger within the Tiger Base had been resolved, they would be safe and sound. She had not expected that the Tiger Base would have both internal and external problems.
“You guys should go out as little as possible during this period of time. Leave the things you need to do to the men.”
“Yes. We will definitely not go out and cause trouble for Mistress.”
“Mistress, if there’s anything, let’s talk after dinner.” Aunt Zhao walked over with the dishes and looked at Su Ying with heartache. Mistress clearly ate a lot, but she just couldn’t gain any weight. It must be because she was too tired. Otherwise, how could she not gain weight?
Su Ying was also hungry. She went into the house, picked up her bowl, and began gobbling down the food wordlessly.
“Mistress, eat more.” Aunt Zhao didn’t know what kind of brutal bloodbath Su Ying had experienced. She only felt sad. Mistress could have been a Princess Consort enjoying her life in the back of the palace… Sigh, she didn’t understand how things turned out this way.
Hea Shouyi made rice with beef tonight. Su Ying finished a big bowl of it without leaving a single grain of rice. She even gulped down a big bowl of soup before she left. She was so full that she lay on the chair and didn’t want to move at all.
“Cheng Ming, how’s the progress in the field?”
“Mistress, Li Laosan and his gang are all good at farming. After they came to help, the progress was much faster. I saw that there is a large piece of wasteland not far from the field. If it is developed, it can also be used to grow food. Mistress, do you want to develop that piece of land?”
“Yes. Look around some more. Proceed to develop all the land that can be developed. After that, I want you to think about something.”
“Mistress, please speak.”
“Is there anything that the states around the northern wilderness need but don’t have? Or is there something that the land and climate here are suitable for growing that other states need but don’t have?”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ming’s brows furrowed. His ancestors had always been busy working in the fields and had never considered such things.
“Don’t worry, Mistress. I’ll definitely think about this issue carefully.”
Su Ying nodded. “Let me know when you think of something.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Su Ying rested for a while and then went to the courtyard that was separated by a wall from her house. This was where Number One and the rest stayed.
Number One and the others quickly stood up when they saw Su Ying.
“Mistress.”
Su Ying’s gaze swept over them rapidly.
“From tomorrow on, you guys don’t need to work in the fields anymore.” Cheng Ming said that Li Laosan had brought another ten people over, making it a total of twenty people. These people were enough to take care of the fields for the time being. If they were not enough, they could simply recruit more people. There was no need for Number One and the others to go to the fields.
“If Mistress needs us to do anything, just let us know! We’ll definitely give you everything we’ve got, right down to our last breath, Mistress!”
“We’ll definitely give you everything we’ve got, right down to our last breath, Mistress!”
That group of people shouted their slogan loudly.
“Your hollow words are useless in front of me. I know that you fear me and you are not really loyal to me.”
When he heard that, Number One wanted to explain, but Su Ying cut him off with a wave of her hand. “You don’t have to explain. I’m here today to ask you if you guys want to live like an honorable man.”
Su Ying’s gaze swept across their faces sequentially.
“All of you used to be mercenaries. You were paid to work for others, and your life and death were not in your own hands. You traversed the whole state without a fixed place to live. The other group of you were bandits who were abhorred by everyone. The people hated you, and the Imperial Court despised you. You can never be an upright and honest man in this life.”
Number One and the others remained silent after Su Ying finished speaking. They had chosen this path because they were poor since they were young. They couldn’t afford three meals, so they had chosen a path of no return. Who could say that in their dreams, they had never thought about when they would be able to live like those nobles? No, in fact, if they could just live like ordinary people…
“I’m not saying these words to stir up emotions, because what I’m going to ask you guys to do next, you’ll have to do it even if you don’t want to. From now on, the Tiger Base will be the place where you’ll take root, and I hope that you’ll become the strongest fortification for the Tiger Base! I want all of you to become upright soldiers who will guard the place where you have taken root!”
Soldiers…
Number One and the other people’s expressions changed in unison. In their hearts, the army had always been an existence that they looked up to. Would they one day become those people who were respected by others as well?
“From tomorrow onward, I’ll be conducting systematic training for all of you. I wish you all good luck. Go to bed early and conserve your energy. Otherwise, I’m afraid you won’t be able to endure it.” Su Ying turned around and left.
She left behind a room full of people who kept exchanging looks with one another.
“Leader, are Mistress’s words true? Is she really going to train us into soldiers? Instead of treating us like laborers to be ordered around?”
Number One furrowed his eyebrows. He wanted to say that Su Ying was just sugarcoating her words. At the end of the day, they were still slaving away for her.
However, after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that Su Ying had never told a single lie to anyone. She had always been a person who meant what she said.
“Whether it’s true or not, well know when we wake up. As long as she doesn’t take our lives, anything is fine.” Number One now felt that there was nothing wrong with living aimlessly like this!
All was peaceful and quiet within the Tiger Base.
The Azure Dragon Base, on the other hand, was immersed in an atmosphere of ominous, heavy depression.
After Wu Feng vomited blood and woke up, he sat on the bed with a glum face and did not say a word. No one in the room dared to even breathe loudly.
After an unknown period of time, Wu Feng slowly raised his head and said in a hoarse voice, “So much food just disappeared into thin air.. If this news were to spread out, would you guys believe it yourself?”