My lord, spare his life!

"Kill...kill the warhorses?"

Upon hearing the general's order, the grooms in the camp immediately teared up, and the stablemen who spent their days with the warhorses couldn't hold back their tears. Even if they loved these warhorses dearly, they couldn't stop the wounded horses from becoming military rations. The warhorses, unaware of what was about to happen, simply nuzzled weakly and affectionately against the stablemen's arms.

It was this action that made the guard feel heartbroken.

Silent sobs turned into loud wailing.

Before she could even utter two cries, the person closest to her covered her mouth.

The other person's anxious shouts rang in his ears, their voice urgent and furious, so forceful it seemed they wanted to suffocate him: "Are you crazy? You'd risk your life for a few animals?"

Is the life of an animal more important, or is one's own life more important?

"Don't forget, you have a blind old mother waiting for you to come home!" The groom recognized the voice; it belonged to a fellow villager who shared the same camp and tent. They were recruiting soldiers locally, and her family consisted of only a blind old mother and a young girl. The villagers, taking advantage of her small family, refused to exempt her from conscription and tricked her into joining the army. Because of her young age and attentiveness, she received some care, taking charge of feeding the warhorses. With no one to confide in, she poured her heart out to the warhorses.

only--

The general, having suffered a defeat, didn't care about her bond with her warhorse.

Crying is contagious. It's one thing for her to cry loudly and weakly, but if her crying evokes other soldiers' longing for their families, their desire to survive, and their fear of the current situation, it could easily cause a riot, and she would be doomed to die.

The general's personal guards wouldn't give the grooms a chance to spread panic. She'd barely let out a few cries when the blade came down to behead her.

"Don't cry!"

The guards' faces turned red as their mouths and noses were covered.

She nodded, holding back her tears, and her fellow villager finally relaxed.

The two cautiously observed the movements of the nearby soldiers, and only breathed a sigh of relief when they found that no one seemed to be paying attention. The fellow villager took a deep breath and said, "Listen to me, pick out the seriously wounded. Even people are starving, let alone these animals. What are animals? We have to get back alive. You need to take care of your blind mother, and I need to go back to take care of my lame father. If I don't get back, the family line will end..."

As she spoke, she looked at the bewildered and wounded warhorse, sighed, and gently patted its mane, which was covered in blood: "In your next life, don't be a horse that people ride around... and don't be a human either."

In times of peace, even a single horse was far more valuable than their lives. The slightest mistreatment could result in scolding, a severe beating, or even death. However, in the current situation, these invaluable warhorses had become rations.

Being a human or an animal is not good either; both are things of lowly value.

The joys and sorrows of these ordinary people were naturally unknown to the generals and strategists. Just looking at the horse meat being served, floating in the thick broth, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Several people, exhausted both mentally and physically, forced themselves to maintain their composure and discuss the matter.

Where they go next is a matter of life and death for them.

They couldn't return to Zongren County, and they were unaware of the situation in Bodu County. Even if they risked fleeing towards Jiuhe, they would most likely remain under the surveillance of the Imperial Throne City, and the chances of breaking through were less than 50%...

"...Is there really only one way left?"

Being forced to kill warhorses for food was already infuriating, but an analysis revealed that having to kneel before the enemy for survival was like adding fuel to the fire.

"Regardless of which route it is, the most urgent task is to solve the problem of food supplies."

At this point, the speaker couldn't help but feel thankful that it wasn't winter. With all their provisions gone, if they had fled in winter, countless ordinary soldiers, lacking adequate winter clothing, would have frozen to death in a single night.

Grass in the provisions is the mainstay of the army's protection against the cold.

Whether soldiers slept in the open or inside tents, once it got dark, the ground was damp and cold. Without thick straw mats for insulation, wouldn't they freeze to death by the end of the night? Even if they could get through it once or twice, repeated exposure would inevitably lead to high fever and chills—where would they find so many medicines to cure these ailments? Besides using straw mats to insulate themselves from the cold, most soldiers even stuffed their clothes with straw. The materials used in military tents weren't very airtight, so they couldn't be completely draft-free; any leaks had to be plugged with mud and straw.

Fortunately, it's not winter now.

Even so, the burden is still heavy.

"But the problem is... how do we solve it?"

"Let's borrow some from Bodu County. As long as Bodu County hasn't fallen to the bandits, we can always spare some. Even if we can't get it from Bodu County, we can try contacting other factions privately." Compared to the thug Lu Yuan, they are naturally more trustworthy. If they can gain the secret support of other factions, they can risk trying to break through the surveillance of the Imperial Throne City, persuade other forces in the mountains, and fight back!

"For now... for now, this is all we can do." The leading general put aside his chaotic thoughts, calculated the time in his mind, and asked how many days the warhorses they could kill could last. In the meantime, they would also need to organize men to go hunting in the mountains, which would at least alleviate the burden. When he learned that the actual time was far less than he had expected, a bitter smile appeared on the general's lips.

He said, "I only hope that Heaven will not forsake me."

After eating two bowls of horse meat with little seasoning, his empty stomach finally felt a little warmer. He discussed with the others who to borrow from and how to do so, but soon received some terrible news.

Another general who was separated from them in the chaos of battle died.

The message was brought back by the enemy's personal guard—the guard encountered the scout on his escape route and delivered the tragic news with a sorrowful expression.

"He...he's dead?"

"How...how did he die?"

After all, they were colleagues who had known each other for many years. Upon hearing the sudden bad news, in addition to the grief, there was also a sense of shared sorrow. The fate of a colleague who had died in battle might not be their fate either. When they heard from their personal guards that their general had been carelessly hit by two invisible arrows and died from his wounds, they looked at each other in bewilderment, unable to think of anything.

"Did you see who did it?"

The guards wept uncontrollably, tears streaming down their faces.

After escorting the wounded general to safety, they sent men back to gather intelligence. They were surprised to find that the person who fired the arrow was a man dressed as a scholar, and his appearance was recorded.

The guard used his star power to envelop a ball of water and simply "molded" the killer's likeness. Although not exactly identical, it was still seven or eight parts similar. The crowd took turns stepping forward to examine it, exchanging bewildered glances.

"This person's appearance... doesn't he look a bit like He Feiye?"

"His description of the 'Stars Descending, Wrathful Blade' also matches..."

He Zhi was not a martial artist; he was a scholar. While he wasn't exactly weak, accurately shooting a wounded general from such a distance was no easy feat. Only with the blessing of a celestial being could one break through a defense without anyone noticing.

"But hasn't he been dead for many years?" It's more accurate to say it's He Wen than He Zhi. He Wen and He Zhi are from the same clan, so they naturally have similar appearances. Moreover, it's certain that He Wen is still alive.

"He Wen? Isn't he still stationed in Chesi County?"

The publicly available information is as follows.

At this moment, someone remembered something else.

He asked, "Was your general poisoned after being shot by an arrow?"

"Yes, it was poisonous." The poison was only discovered later. The guard broke down in tears again as he recounted this. "The general's wound was bleeding profusely. We finally managed to stop the bleeding, only to discover that the deadly poison had spread throughout his body. After he died, his body... his body continued to swell..."

The guards trembled as they recounted the horrific scene.

Everyone fell silent again.

The poisoning and post-mortem swelling mentioned by the guards are both prominent characteristics of the Star-Descending Demon, Dao Lao Gui. It should be known that there are countless types of Star-Descending Demons in the world; to find one that matches both appearance and characteristics is practically having its name written on its forehead.

"It really could be He Feiye."

Having identified the murderer, no one could do anything to He Zhi, nor did they have the energy to investigate how someone who had been dead for many years could reappear and cause trouble. The only thing they could do was to erect a monument for their colleague, even if there was nothing beneath it—his body had already fallen into the hands of thieves, and who knew what kind of beatings and humiliations he would suffer. Erecting a monument would at least give his wandering soul a place to rest.

This move requires little effort, but it's enough to win over colleagues and former subordinates.

The guard indeed wept uncontrollably.

Even in her emotional outburst, she bit her lip tightly to keep from crying out, and just kept kowtowing in the direction of the stone tablet.

"Oh, please accept my condolences."

"May his spirit in heaven protect us."

They genuinely didn't want to submit to Lu Yuan. Their refusal wasn't due to any deep-seated hatred between them, but purely because their interests and even ideologies clashed. Besides, where was the freedom and independence to be subservient to others?

After a short rest, the army continued its journey.

They gradually gathered several hundred remaining troops along the way.

Seeing his soldiers, each wounded and battered, their faces dejected, their brows etched with emptiness and confusion, the leading general felt a surge of emotions, a deep and unsettling melancholy. He felt as if he had suddenly fallen into darkness, a blind man with no light at all, sensing only the uncertainty of the road ahead. He didn't know whether what awaited him ahead was a glimmer of hope or a dead end from which there was no return.

"well--"

The general shook his head, trying to shake off his feelings of weakness.

You'll only know the truth after you've tried them all!

"drive!"

They sent one envoy, escorted by more than ten people, to secretly go to various households in Zongren County to borrow grain. The atmosphere in Zongren County did not seem tense, nor was there any sign of desolation or ruin. The common people continued their lives as usual, as if the change of power a few days ago had nothing to do with them.

Well, it can't be said that they are completely unrelated.

Actually, there are positive benefits; life has become easier.

Many shops in the city had their stores kicked out, and unscrupulous shopkeepers were dragged several meters away by their collars. Their shops were also sealed off with large seals. If they didn't rectify the situation and pay huge fines, their shops would remain sealed off indefinitely. However, they still had to pay their taxes, rent, and the wages of their employees.

It's not just one company that's been this unlucky.

Every day, three to five families suffer misfortune.

At first, some people cried out for justice and accused the tyranny, but the county government simply posted a notice explaining in detail the reasons why the house had been sealed off. The common people were immediately filled with insane anger upon seeing it.

They spent a lot of money, and all they got in return was this stuff?

"That heartless, unscrupulous merchant! That damned piece of junk!"

"Sell your worthless trash to your father!"

"I curse your ancestors!"

When other shops were shut down, onlookers started kicking them. They didn't dare to kick them at first, but when they saw an emotionally distraught person kicking one without being stopped, the broken windows theory took hold, and they started punching and kicking the unscrupulous vendors.

It wasn't until the person being beaten was half-dead that someone intervened.

"Which troublemaker did this?"

The crowd of onlookers dispersed in a commotion, and no one came to arrest them.

Upon seeing this, the constable led the men back to report.

The shopkeepers and managers of these shops were mostly sons of wealthy local families, influential figures who usually acted arrogantly and commanded the obsequiousness of ordinary people. They all thought that the change of ownership of the prefecture had little to do with them, but little did they expect to be the first to be affected.

My entire life's dignity has been trampled on.

If you're unlucky, your life is over.

The wealthy client, feeling humiliated, naturally refused to accept this and went to demand an explanation.

Zeng Sheng was also annoyed several times.

At first, he could still offer some kind words of advice, but after discovering that the other party was unrepentant, Zeng Sheng said impatiently, "You're telling me, what right do I have to make decisions for you? I still have a knife to my throat. If you have any grievances, go tell the person sitting in the prefectural government and ask him if he's willing to give your family's son a life in exchange for a life."

One sentence left a person speechless.

"That's not what I meant."

He had seen the man Zeng Sheng had mentioned sitting in the prefectural government office from afar. His name was Guan Si. He usually wore a black armor and a wolf skin covering half of his upper body. The wolf's head was folded over his shoulder and its tail hung down his back. Although he was handsome, he was cold and lifeless. His eyes looked at everyone as if they were dead.

He also kept a group of lackeys called the Hundred Ghosts Guard.

Not long ago, this Hundred Ghosts Guard broke into several houses like bandits, smashing and looting, and killing anyone who tried to stop them.

He must be crazy to go to Guan Si about this.

That's not going to reason, that's going to your death.

Zeng Sheng: "That's not what I meant. Then what do you mean?"

"We're colleagues, after all. We'll run into each other all the time. Why be like this? Do you think you can rest easy just by clinging to another powerful figure? In this chaotic world, one person's reign ends and another begins. Who can stay on top forever?" Realizing Zeng Sheng's attitude had suddenly turned cold, the person who had come to see him also turned cold and spoke in an unfriendly tone, "Today's triumph may end tomorrow. Don't push things to the extreme. Cutting off people's paths is the way to lasting prosperity."

His words were both a threat and a form of persuasion to Zeng Sheng.

These warlords kill each other, and none of them have enjoyed their glory for long. Did Zeng Sheng think that by clinging to their powerful allies he could rest easy? Little did he know, Zeng Sheng was one of them, having been loyal to these warlords for too long. When they fall, he won't even know how he'll be purged. But Zeng Sheng wouldn't listen to such heartfelt advice.

Zeng Sheng's expression grew increasingly strange as he listened. He enunciated clearly, "Is this why you condone the sale of arsenic-laced liquor?"

And that's not the only one.

Food processing doesn't involve much technology; it's all about hard work.

Zeng Sheng was able to rise to this position in a place other than his ancestral home, and was in charge of provisions when the Zongren County was fighting abroad. He was certainly not an ignorant fool. If he didn't even know about these private matters, the provisions would have been secretly bought and sold by his subordinates, using inferior goods. He knew, but he also knew that it involved a wide range of interests, and since it wasn't within his responsibilities, he didn't meddle.

He is happy that someone is willing to take charge now.

He would pass the buck to Guan Si whenever someone approached him.

? ?_(:3」∠?)_

Ah, I realized the title "Catching Everything in One Shot" has already been used. Let me change it.