Reborn as a Cube Man in the Late Ming Dynasty

"Damn it, why did I have to get into this mess! Of all places, why Chengcheng? Wouldn't it have been better to start a rebellion somewhere else?"

Riding his horse, Wu Zhen had a gloomy expression and looked tired, muttering curses under his breath.

These farmers often turn to banditry every month, and as the inspector, he naturally has to deal with these troublesome matters.

But if they were restless, that would be one thing; usually, a little effort and sending out a few teams would be enough to quell the situation, and he could peacefully drink and eat meat on his own turf.

Life was going on peacefully and uneventfully until suddenly someone came to tell him that there had been an uprising in Chengcheng and that the city had been captured.

At first he couldn't believe it, but when he arrived in the county town, he saw that the deserters had flooded into the city and were causing chaos everywhere. The government grain in the granary had been completely taken away.

The beams of the houses of the wealthy families in that county town were covered with the clothes of their wives. Some of them were taken down by the flock of migrant workers who came in, and after they had their fun, they lay on the cold floor with their clothes disheveled.

As for the county magistrate, his body was hacked to pieces, and his head was nowhere to be found.

Chengcheng was in complete chaos. It took him several days and the help of his troops and the officials who had escaped the disaster to finally quell the unrest. He left behind a small force and one or two of his personal guards to stabilize the situation in Chengcheng.

They left the county town without stopping, wanting to subdue Wang Er, and explored all the villages around the county town.

There was no one in any of the villages; almost everyone had run off with Wang Er, leaving only the elderly, the weak, and the disabled.

Wu Zhen was unable to arrest and interrogate these suspected "traitors" because they were either too old or too young, and the higher-ups wouldn't believe them.

However, they were still able to find some rations for the march.

He was doing this to drive out the bandits and thieves for them, so that these people wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully if the bandits weren't eliminated.

But if you bring an army out without food, how can you suppress bandits? The food in the city was stolen by these farmers, so is it wrong to take it back?

right.

Blame it on that damned traitor Wang Er! He's the one who caused all of this!

Wu Zhen kept cursing, feeling incredibly dry in his mouth. He licked his chapped lips, opened the water bag at his waist, and poured water into his mouth.

The water barely moistened his lips before it was gone. Wu Zhen, his face dark, coldly ordered the laborers following him, "Bring me water!"

The laborer had been walking for so long that he was already starving and parched. The hot weather made him even a little dazed, and he didn't come to his senses until Wu Zhen impatiently called him a second time.

Before the water could even be handed over, Wu Zhen snatched it away, yelling, "Damn it, if you idiots weren't so stupid, I would have caught that Wang Er long ago!"

Seeing that the laborer didn't react, but only looked longingly at the pot of water in his hand, Wu Zhen looked at him with amusement and nodded, saying, "What, want some?"

The laborer didn't speak, but his eyes gleamed slightly, and he nodded gently.

"Then crawl over and fetch it! All the water you get is yours." Wu Zhen tossed the water jug ​​far away and beckoned the man to retrieve it.

The laborer shakily crawled toward the kettle and finally managed to pick it up.

Before he could even take a sip, Wu Zhen ordered another soldier to snatch the kettle back from his hands.

"Heh, you think you're worthy?" Wu Zhen sneered.

If I'm not having a good time, you shouldn't expect to either.

Whether from anger or from the unbearable heat, the laborer rolled his eyes and fainted.

"unlucky!"

Seeing the laborer's disheveled appearance, Wu Zhen cursed, but felt a little better inside.

Soldiers are soldiers, and civilians are civilians. These civilian laborers cannot be considered soldiers, so there is no need for him to treat them with respect.

The laborers around them walked forward numbly. In this day and age, just surviving was a difficult thing. This would happen to them sooner or later, so they had no time to sympathize with others.

No one seemed to sympathize with them.

Good people are all dead in this world!

"Go check behind us. Why is there such a commotion after we entered this wooded area?" Wu Zhen frowned as he listened to the disturbance in the back of the group and ordered his personal guards.

A short while later, the guard returned, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied, "Some people have heard that there seems to be a huge white monster in this forest, with immense strength and a ruthless killing habit! It has killed many of the wild people outside the city."

"How dare they undermine morale at a time like this? Execute that idiot who spreads rumors and display his head in public!" Wu Zhen gritted his teeth.

He was already feeling annoyed, with Wang Er weighing on his mind, and now this monster had appeared. Wasn't this someone deliberately trying to make things difficult for him?

"Yes."

"Wait a minute, this forest is indeed a bit strange," Wu Zhen called out to the guard, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Do you know where they got this information from?"

"It seems I heard it from a crazy, scarred-faced barbarian outside Chengcheng. I heard that the man was lucky enough to play dead and escape, but everyone else in his group died!" The guard organized his thoughts and replied.

Wu Zhen cursed and said, "Ridiculous! Even if it were true, it would only be one monster. If it could kill one person, wouldn't it be able to run away without legs? This is utter nonsense! They're all idiots, believing such an obvious lie."

Just then, a scout ran up, half-squatting in front of Wu Zhen, and bowed, saying, "Reporting! A village has been spotted ahead, less than a few miles from here!"

"How many people?" Wu Zhen asked unhurriedly.

They had passed through countless villages, but they hadn't seen Wang Er, Li Er, or Zhang Er. There were hardly any people in the villages.

Therefore, Wu Zhen didn't actually take it very seriously; he just asked casually.

"There are quite a few, no less than a hundred," the scout replied.

What?

Wu Zhen asked with a serious expression, "You're not mistaken?"

"I have confirmed with several other people that everything they said is true."

Alright, Wang Er, I've finally caught you!

"Get the soldiers in formation! And quick!" A glint of excitement flashed in Wu Zhen's eyes. "Also, bring me my armor!"

Armor is not usually worn during marches, as it would be too exhausting to go far unless a night raid is planned. Otherwise, civilian laborers would typically carry armor.

Similarly, they won't stay in line forever, as that would keep the soldiers in a tense atmosphere and waste their energy.

Putting on armor and lining up takes time; the team needs to be properly organized before they can set off.

The role of scouts is to spread out over a radius of dozens of miles to conduct reconnaissance and to provide early warnings should they encounter the enemy, so as to prevent them from being caught off guard and attacked.

After donning his armor, Wu Zhen waited quietly for his troops to complete their formation; at this moment, it was absolutely crucial not to rush.

"You lead the way! We need to bring the traitor back to Chengcheng before nightfall."