Sweep Yuan

Chapter 223 Separation and Rebirth in Chaotic Times

Wuhe County, No. 2 temporary resettlement camp for displaced people.

It was mid-winter in the lunar calendar, and the morning air in the Huai River basin was already quite chilly. The pale sunlight barely pierced through the thick clouds, illuminating a low but neatly arranged area of ​​tents.

The tent was made of thick burlap and reed mats, covered with a rainproof tarpaulin. Although somewhat rudimentary, it provided adequate protection against most of the wind and cold. The mud in the campsite was already frozen solid, making it a bit rough to walk on.

Li Zhen was awakened by a series of intermittent, suppressed cries from a woman. The sound came from the tent next door, filled with despair and helplessness, and seemed particularly tragic in the quiet and cold morning.

He sighed and slowly sat up. Next door lived a family of three who had fled from Xuyi, just like them: a young couple with their four- or five-year-old daughter.

At that moment, only the sobbing voices of two women, one older and one younger, could be heard from next door.

It was obvious that the male homeowner, who had developed a festering sore on his back and had been suffering from continuous suppuration and fever for days, did not make it through last night.

Most of the refugees were extremely weak due to long-term displacement and malnutrition.

Although the Red Flag Battalion's temporary camp provided tents for shelter from the wind and rain, firewood for warmth, and two meager meals of porridge each day.

However, during this period of quarantine and observation, some people, due to injuries, hunger, or poor health, were unable to survive this last long and difficult wait before the arrival of their new life.

"Sigh! Another one is missing..."

Li Zhen muttered something under her breath, her tone carrying a sense of sorrow for those of the same kind, but also a hint of relief.

He and his son Bao'er were lucky; both of them were in good health and quite agile.

These days, they take on odd jobs assigned by the camp, such as weaving straw sandals and twisting hemp ropes. Although the wages are meager, they can at least exchange them for some extra cakes or grains. Life is much better than back in their hometown of Xuyi. At least they no longer toss and turn at night because of hunger.

That is why they were able to utter such a sigh after witnessing the death of their companion.

Seeing that Bao'er had also been awakened by the crying next door and sat up rubbing her sleepy eyes, Li Zhen simply stopped lying down.

The tent's insulation was ultimately not very good, and it was quite cold in the middle of the night. Li Zhen got up, put on the tattered coat that barely kept her warm, and moved her limbs, which were stiff from the cold.

Before long, a steady and rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed outside the tent, accompanied by the creaking of wooden cart wheels rolling over the frozen ground.

Li Zhen knew that the people in charge of handling funeral arrangements from the camp had arrived. He said to his son, who was rubbing his hands together and breathing on them to warm them:
"Bao'er, let's go next door and see if we can lend a hand."

Outside, in front of the tent of the deceased's family, four people had already arrived.

Leading the group was a physician surnamed Fang, assigned to the camp. He was about forty years old, with a thin face and a serious expression. He wore a thick white gauze mask on his face—this was the standard equipment for Red Flag Battalion medical officers, supposedly requested by Marshal Shi himself, to prevent "the transmission of disease."

At this moment, he was squatting on the ground, carefully lifting the tattered mat covering the deceased, and examining the deceased's pupils, throat, and limbs with utmost care. Finally, he focused on the carbuncle on the deceased's back, which had become ulcerated and blackened.

His movements were professional and calm, without the slightest hint of disdain. After a long while, Physician Fang stood up and said to the person behind him:

"It has been confirmed that the patient died from carbuncle attacking the heart; it was not an epidemic and was not contagious."

Standing behind the medic was Wang Guanying, the battalion commander in charge of the Second Battalion of the Second Battalion. He was also a veteran of the Red Flag Battalion who had been discharged due to injury. His left arm was somewhat disabled, but his eyes were sharp and he was very methodical in his work.

Upon hearing the physician's conclusion, Warden Wang stepped forward and spoke to the young woman kneeling beside the corpse, still silently weeping:
"The dead cannot be brought back to life, please accept my condolences. You all know the rules of the camp: the remains cannot be kept for long and must be buried as soon as possible, this is for the good of the living."

Since your husband didn't die from an infectious disease, you can handle the burial yourself. If you're unable to manage it, the camp can arrange for a proper burial. Do you need our help?

The woman, having suddenly lost her husband, was completely disoriented. Upon hearing this, she simply raised her tear-filled face, looked blankly at Warden Wang, her lips trembling, and after a long while, choked out:
"Sir...please, please allow me to wash my husband again, change him into clean clothes...and see him off..."

His voice was weak, with a pleading tone.

"Oh, okay!"

Wang Guanying sighed, knowing that this matter couldn't be rushed, but he also couldn't be unreasonable.

He waved, signaling the people pushing the cart to wait aside. As he turned to leave, he saw Li Zhen and his son standing not far away, and said to the rather quick-witted Li Bao'er:

"Brother Li, have you learned all the characters on those six bamboo literacy cards I gave you yesterday?"

Li Bao'er knew that this stern-looking warden Wang was genuinely concerned about him, so he quickly and respectfully replied:

"Reporting to the warden, I have already recognized all the characters and can write them down. I was just thinking of returning them to the warden today."

One of the responsibilities assigned to these wounded veterans by Shishan was to discover and cultivate talent.

If a veteran discovers a child from a poor family in his jurisdiction who is exceptionally talented, teaches him a certain number of commonly used Chinese characters, and helps him pass the entrance exams for schools established in various counties, this will be counted as a merit in the veteran's personal assessment.

Therefore, Warden Wang paid special attention to the bright and studious Bao'er. Seeing his rapid progress, a pleased smile appeared on his dark face as he said:

"Good lad! I'm busy right now. Come find me again after this busy period. If you pass the test, I'll get you a new bamboo token. If you get them all right, I'll share half of my pancake with you at noon!"

"Thank you, Warden!"

Bao'er's eyes lit up, and he quickly thanked him. Although it was only half a pancake, the encouragement warmed his heart.

Li Zhen smiled and watched Wang Guanying leave temporarily before approaching the pitiful mother and daughter.

The little girl huddled in her mother's arms, her large, watery eyes filled with terror. Li Zhen whispered to the woman:

"My condolences, sister... This world, sigh..."

In chaotic times, human life is as cheap as grass, and with every day uncertain, even sorrow becomes a luxury. Those who are alive must continue to find ways to survive.

Upon hearing this, the woman wiped away her tears with her sleeve and struggled to stand up to return the greeting, but Li Zhen waved her off. She could only weakly reply:
"Thank you, Brother Li..."

Li Zhen kicked the ground, which was frozen as hard as stone, making a dull thud, and then said:

“In this weather, the ground is frozen solid, making it difficult to dig. You are a frail woman with a child, so you probably can’t dig it up. If you want to help dig the pit and build the grave, just let me know. Bao’er and I are quite strong.”

Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes instantly reddened again. She hurriedly bowed and thanked him, her voice choked with emotion. Li Zhen simply waved his hand, said nothing more, and turned to take his son back to his tent. This was all the physical labor he could manage.

New life is always accompanied by death, and it is precisely for this reason that new life is all the more precious.

Compared to the vast number of refugees who flooded into the Red Flag Camp, only a small minority ultimately perished during this most difficult period after entering the camp.

Having survived this brutal "natural selection," the remaining steps still require identity verification.

During this period, several individuals with falsified identities and suspicious behavior were indeed taken away by the stern-faced soldiers and never reappeared.

Only those who remained had truly passed the test and could now await their final placement and assignment.

During this time, Pan Mian, the one-legged veteran who had registered the group of refugees, rode a gentle old horse to Camp No. 2 of the Yi-Zi camp to handle official business. Although he looked fierce, he was a thoughtful man and even took the time to meet with Li Zhen and his son.

“I’ve already asked my comrades in the army,” Pan Mian said to Li Zhen, sitting on a simple wooden stool.
"Your brother-in-law, Zhu Chongba, has indeed joined the army, and he's doing quite well! He's now the commander of the Sixth Battalion of the Fujun Guard!"

Worried that Li Zhen might not understand the significance of a "commander," he added a further explanation:

"Let me put it this way, in our Red Flag Battalion, below Marshal Shi, the highest-ranking officer is the Commander-in-Chief, below the Commander-in-Chief is the Garrison Commander, and below that is the Commander."

A commander like him actually commands over five hundred skilled and courageous men, each of whom wields real power!

Upon hearing this, Li Zhen was both surprised and delighted. He never imagined that the youngest son of the Zhu family, who had seemed short and prone to causing trouble as a child, would have achieved such success! His mind immediately began to work, and he tentatively asked:

“Brother Pan, where is the Fujun Guard stationed now? Do you think I could take Bao’er and go to seek refuge with Chongba? It would be better for us, father and son, to have his help than to wander around like headless flies.”

Pan Mian decisively shook his head, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm, and said:

"No. Our Red Flag Battalion has strict rules, emphasizing the separation of military and civilian duties, with each person fulfilling their own responsibilities. Commander Zhu is leading troops in battle at the front, which is military business, and he absolutely cannot bring his family and relatives with him. This is an ironclad rule!"

Furthermore, the replenishment of soldiers in each battalion was all handled by the combat training battalion, which trained the soldiers before allocating them to each battalion according to the unified plan of the Military Command. Commander Zhu himself could not recruit people into the battalion without authorization, not even his own brother-in-law or nephew.

Although Zhu Chongba was only a commander, he fought two very well: when he was defending the camp east of Hefei, he encountered an attack by Zhang Huan's cavalry, and later he cooperated with Liao Yongzhong's navy to annihilate the invading enemy.

Pan Mian had only a vague recollection of the name because he had overheard a wounded comrade from the Fujunwei Army casually mentioning it while he was in the wounded soldiers' camp.

In Pan Mian's view, Zhu Chongba had only been in the army for a short time, yet he had already distinguished himself in the position of commander, indicating that his future prospects were not limited to this. At this time, it would be beneficial and cost-effective to maintain good relations with his relatives.

Seeing the disappointment on Li Zhen's face, he softened his tone and pointed him in the right direction, saying:

"What the Marshal values ​​most is that the people under his rule can live and work in peace and contentment. I suggest that you first accept the camp's assignments and settle down properly. Then, you can try to write a letter to Commander Zhu to inform him of your situation and where you are staying."

If he cares about family ties, he'll find a way to take care of you. Don't worry, our Red Flag Battalion is setting up a courier system, so correspondence will be very convenient from now on; you won't need to risk your life to send messages anymore.”

"Ah, good! Good! Brother Pan is right, I was mistaken."

Li Zhen unconsciously rubbed his hands together and nodded repeatedly. He hadn't really thought about what he could do if he really went to Zhu Chongba's place; he was just subconsciously looking for someone to rely on in this strange place where he had no relatives or friends.

After Pan Mian's reasonable explanation and arrangement, Li Zhen felt much more at ease.

After all, having seen with their own eyes that the Red Flag Battalion could manage even a temporary resettlement site for refugees quite well, they knew that as long as they were willing to work hard, they wouldn't have to worry about starving to death.

As for the future, we'll see what arrangements he makes once we get in touch with Chongba.

Four days after Pan Mian left, the refugees in Camp No. 2 of the Yi-Zi camp finally received official notification of resettlement.

Li Zhen's family also grew from two people to four—the widowed Yan next door, with her young daughter, felt that she could not survive alone in this chaotic world, so she came to Li Zhen's tent at night, crying and begging to rely on him.

Li Zhen had actually noticed long ago that although Yan Shi usually kept her hair disheveled and her face dirty, she was actually quite beautiful and had a gentle nature. On that day, in order to beg him to take her in, she had specially washed and groomed herself, which made him even more tempted.

Since Bao'er's mother passed away, he had no woman by his side to do housework, sewing, and washing, and he was indeed having a hard time, so he agreed.

However, this made it somewhat awkward for him to go looking for his ex-wife's younger brother, Zhu Chongba.

But that's how chaotic times are; survival is the top priority, and no matter how much you have to make do, you still have to keep going.

Li Zhen originally thought that the refugees in Battalion No. 2 of the B-class would be grouped together during resettlement so they could look after each other. However, when the actual assignments took place, he realized that things were far more complicated than he had imagined.

First, Wang Guanying took the lead and divided all the refugees waiting for resettlement into six groups based on their families. Then, according to a complex numbering system, these six groups were mixed and reorganized with refugee groups from other temporary camps.

Li Zhen astutely observed that after the mixed reorganization of the migrant brigades, the male-to-female ratio and the composition of the elderly and young in each group were adjusted to be relatively close, which was obviously in order to balance the labor force structure of the future resettlement sites.

After the assignments were completed, everyone was guided to board boats moored on the Huai River. After traveling by water, they arrived at the territory of Haozhou.

Here, the migrant caravan stopped again, and even more people joined in—not only migrants from other places, but also a large number of people who had migrated in a planned and organized manner from areas controlled by the shrewd Li family, such as Suzhou, Xuzhou, and Xiaoxian!
These people were also scattered and regrouped with Li Zhen and other refugees.

This incident greatly shocked Li Zhen.

Because Bao'er was quick to learn to read, and because his ex-wife's younger brother Zhu Chongba was an officer in the Red Flag Battalion, Wang Guanying would occasionally reveal some trivial information to him.

Only then did Li Zhen realize that Sesame Li, the renowned leader of the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou to the north, was also secretly obeying Marshal Shi's orders.

However, there doesn't seem to be any large-scale fighting in Xuzhou right now, so why would Marshal Shi go to such lengths to relocate so many people south? He had a vague feeling that something was amiss, but he didn't dare to inquire too much.

After being reorganized in Haozhou and resting and replenishing for a day, the massive migration team set off again in batches.

Fortunately, the route ahead was now entirely within the control zone of the Red Flag Camp. The villages and communities along the way seemed to have been notified in advance, and had prepared hot meals, hot water, and temporary rest stops.

Although the journey was extremely difficult due to the freezing weather, the Red Flag Battalion was well-organized and provided timely supplies, so there were no more mass deaths of refugees from cold and hunger on the roadside.

The team kept splitting up, heading in different directions.

The most recent group was settled in Dingyuan and Huaiyuan, some went to Chuzhou, but most continued south and entered the territory of Luzhou Road.

Of course, as one of the first people to be resettled, Li Zhen was unaware of the full scope of this massive and meticulous resettlement plan.

All he knew was that after his group entered Luzhou Road, they were split up again. His group was eventually taken to an area west of Shucheng County.

Here, their family-based team has grown by over a hundred more members.

But the personnel added this time were quite special—they were all young and strong men! Moreover, many of them had a fierce air about them, and their eyes were wary yet somewhat bewildered.

Afterwards, they learned that these people were all Yuan soldiers who had been captured in the last Battle of Xuzhou. After a long period of reform and "learning", they were also reintegrated into the resettlement system.

The resettlement sites they eventually arrived at, with their rows of newly built, simple houses and the surrounding fields that had been initially developed, were the fruits of the labor these prisoners of war had completed ahead of schedule.

This discovery made Li Zhen nervous for quite some time—after all, his newlywed wife, Yan, was indeed quite beautiful, and the sudden addition of so many experienced bachelors around him was bound to cause concern.

Fortunately, the management under the Red Flag Battalion was indeed strict.

Along the way, the few unruly troublemakers were subdued and made obedient through repeated rectification.

After such a long period of collective living and ideological indoctrination, these former prisoners of war, like the displaced people, gradually adapted to the days bound by the various rules and regulations of the Red Flag Battalion.

Seeing that they can finally settle down and start a new life, most people are filled with anticipation, and very few would be foolish enough to cause trouble at this time.

To Li Zhen's surprise, when he arrived at the resettlement site, which was named "Shucheng Third Mixed Reclamation Camp", and attended the resettlement meeting for all new residents, he actually saw a familiar face on the stage!
On the reviewing stand, the familiar one-legged veteran stood there spiritedly. Although he had changed into a neater uniform, the hideous scar on his left cheek was still conspicuous.

His gaze swept over the expectant yet anxious new residents below the stage, his voice loud and clear, carrying a reassuring power:
"Welcome to Shucheng! From today onwards, this is your new home. I am Pan Mian, the commander of this mixed reclamation camp!"

(End of this chapter)