My lord, spare his life!

"My lord, there is something strange about this matter."

Sun Ban gestured for the other person to continue.

"Scouts went to the lower areas to investigate the water situation, and found no floating corpses in the villages along the way." The low-lying areas couldn't hold up by the second night, the water level was almost above the calves, and there wasn't enough time to move to the nearby mountains for refuge. How many ordinary people could safely make it up the mountain in the rain, darkness, and wading through the water? In such disasters, survivors are always a minority.

In the past, standing on the shore and looking into the water, one could easily spot several bloated, rotting giant corpses. This time, however, they saw none, which felt rather strange. When they encountered the enemy forces, Zhang's men were clearly robbing ordinary people.

It's unclear whether they were taking advantage of the chaos to conscript soldiers and plunder, or something else entirely.

Sun Ban: "Didn't you see any floating corpses?"

The scout replied, "Yes."

Sun Ban then asked, "Are there no carcasses of poultry or livestock either?"

The scout nodded in affirmation: "I didn't see anything either."

It's also possible that it was swept away by the flood and we didn't see it.

Sun Ban tapped his finger on the table in deep thought, while Wang Ba, standing to the side, couldn't help but ask, "Could this Zhang thief be sending people to provide disaster relief?"

When warlords encounter natural disasters during their battles, they rarely care about ordinary people; it's already a miracle if they don't use the disasters as an advantage. Even if they do intervene, it's because it benefits themselves, and helping ordinary people is just a side benefit. Sun Ban naturally considered this as well.

She said, "It's just about winning people's hearts."

You can't gain a foothold in the mountains without the support of the people.

Wang Ba didn't refute outwardly, but inwardly he was quite displeased with the word "that's all." Sun Ban's casual "that's all" was a life-saving grace for the ordinary person who received the favor. Whether Zhang Yang was trying to win people over or simply doing good, he had done something at least.

Sun Ban's troops have all gone into hiding.

He asked, "How many more days will this rain last?"

At this rate of rain, even the location of the camp is not safe.

Sun Ban said, "About four or five days."

If they were lucky, it would end a day early; if not, it would be delayed by a day or two. Sun Ban didn't entrust her safety to luck, nor did she care what Zhang Yang was doing. She summoned her generals to discuss striking first. Wang Ba sat to the side, listening as a background figure.

slam-la-

The wolf king paddled with all its might, struggling to approach the shore.

It had a person's collar in its mouth.

The man's skin was pale and bluish from being soaked in the rain, and he was visibly exhausted. When he finally saw the riverbank not far away out of the corner of his eye, his survival instinct roused his last bit of strength. With the help of a wild wolf, he managed to grab onto a tree root, and the two of them struggled to climb ashore.

He gasped for breath, spitting out the bitter river water, which was mixed with sand and soil.

Just as he was about to look up to thank the wolf, he suddenly heard a heavy splash into the water. Turning his head, he saw the wolf that had saved him already swimming far away in the river. He stared in disbelief, blinking frantically. At that moment, a short wolf howl rang out from not far away.

He was so frightened that he trembled all over.

Did the flood force wild animals from the mountains to come down in search of food?

The fear vanished in an instant, and the wolf's howl became two more rapid.

The rescued man then realized that the howling wolf was neither a vicious wolf nor the wild wolf that had saved him, but two wolf pups standing in the rain not far away. The wolf howled in his direction, and when it saw that his attention was drawn to it, one of the wolf pups turned around.

This pose—

Is she signaling him to follow?

He had been hiding by clinging to a tree trunk for three days and three nights, his mind was foggy and he couldn't think straight. When he came to his senses, his body had already caught up with the wolf cub's pace, and they had walked several miles, one foot in the deep water and the other in the shallow water. The wolf cub let out a short howl again, and he looked up and saw people.

He immediately let out a ghostly scream.

"Wolf Demon!"

The wolf suddenly appeared as a human!

"What wolf demon? Have they gotten themselves confused from fright?"

The soldiers working with the Canglang Battalion immediately moved this man, whose lips were turning blue and whose mental and physical strength had reached their limits, to the mountain.

Only after the fire was lit, and after eating a flatbread handed to him by some woman, and drinking a sip of hot soup, did his wandering soul gradually return to his body. Looking around, he saw villagers and people from neighboring villages.

"Is that Jiro?"

The person who was rescued suddenly turned his head, his eyes welling up with tears.

"Mother!"

He was a peddler who traveled from street to street. Hearing news of the flood, he rushed home. When he returned to the village, it was deserted, the houses had collapsed, and he himself had been swept away by the water. If he hadn't managed to grab onto a tree, he would have been dead by now. He never expected to be rescued, and even saw his elderly mother, whom he thought was dead. Upon asking, he learned that his wife, children, brother, and sister-in-law were all alive: "Then...where are they now?"

"They were young and strong, so they were reassigned to help."

The elderly mother and familiar relatives also gathered around.

Uncle: "Your mother has been crying these past few days."

They have been evacuated to the mountains for refuge for four days, but they have not seen him. The family has given up hope that he is alive.

The people who had helped relocate their village were alarmed and asked them about the missing person's appearance. Although their benefactors said they would help search, they hadn't held out much hope, but unexpectedly, they actually found a living person. A group of relatives bombarded them with questions about how he had been rescued.

He tried hard to recall: "Yes, it was a wolf."

"A wolf?"

He tried to describe it: "A very large wolf."

"That's our Canglang Commandant, why is he still called a wild wolf?" The reply came from a soldier who hadn't slept for days.

"The Commandant of Canglang Camp?"

I've never heard of Canglang Camp, but the Commandant is clearly a high-ranking official.

A wolf?

Is he a high-ranking official?

Yes, Zhang Yang not only dispatched over a thousand elite troops to participate in frontline disaster relief, but also mobilized the wolf pack of the Canglang Battalion. Wolves have a strong sense of smell, and their mobility in disaster relief is far superior to that of ordinary soldiers.

Most importantly, they also have strong execution capabilities.

Adult wolves are large, strong, and have great stamina, making it easy for them to rescue people and poultry from the water. The alert wolf cubs can lead the way while keeping watch. The first collaboration between the Canglang Camp and ordinary soldiers was extremely effective, effectively eliminating the barriers between humans and animals.

On the fourth night, the torrential rain finally stopped for an hour.

Zhang Yang quickly ate some dry rations to replenish his strength.

During this time, she returned to the main camp once to replenish supplies before going back to the front lines for disaster relief. She herself couldn't remember how many times she had gone into the water in those few days, only that her clothes were never dry. The dyeing and color-fixing technology in this world was poor, and the newly made red robe had faded so much that the red color was no longer visible; instead, it was a murky, yellowish, mottled off-white, which at first glance looked like mourning clothes.

The floodwaters were muddy, and they contained all sorts of things.

If you sniff carefully, you can also detect an indescribable sour and foul odor.

Guan Si handed her a glass of warm water, heated with the starlight from his palm: "Why don't you close your eyes for a while and rest?"

Zhang Yang slowly closed his eyelids and said hesitantly, "I'm fine."

Guan Si: "It doesn't seem like it."

Zhang Yang sat up straight: "Don't underestimate the pioneers."

Her passion for PvP doesn't mean she doesn't do dungeons. In fact, she's a pioneer in every game season, grinding through dungeons and bosses, often spending three to five days competing with the entire server for the first kill.

If you don't have the perseverance, why bother playing PVE!

"Reclaiming wasteland?" Guan Si felt that his understanding of wasteland reclamation was different from Zhang Yang's, but that didn't stop him from continuing the conversation. "Bo Yuan, have you thought about how to clean up the mess after this flood? You can't save everyone with your limited manpower. After a flood, there will always be water poison and miasma. The water contains not only rotting corpses, but also excrement and carrion..."

There's only so much that a thousand or so people can do.

This area is not the only one affected by the disaster.

The waterways of the various counties in the mountains are closely connected, and this area is considered upstream. Even if floodwaters are diverted, they will still threaten the middle and lower reaches. Zhang Yang currently lacks the resources to intervene downstream; this situation alone is enough to give her a headache: "Unless Sun Ban is dealt with, I can't focus on the problem you mentioned. When the flood occurs, I can intervene in disaster relief because I know the flood will also trap Sun Ban's troops, preventing her from threatening me. But once the flood recedes…"

Soldiers who, deception also.

Zhang Yang's further dispersal of his troops would only give Sun Ban an opportunity.

Currently, it seems there are only two options.

Zhang Yang said, "We should first remind the disaster victims to collect rainwater for future use and to drink it for a period of time after the disaster."

Even if the rainwater isn't clean, it's still cleaner than the water we use on the ground now.

Food is also a problem.

Zhang Yang planned to leave them some food, at least enough to get them through this period. If that wasn't enough, Zhang Yang would have to find a way to rob the rich and help the poor, truly achieving food redistribution. That's the most convenient thing about the game's inventory – it provides everything you need.

"As for the medicine needed for illness—"

Zhang Yang closed his eyes, feeling an unusual sense of helplessness.

Medicinal herbs are scarce everywhere, especially in areas controlled by warlords. Herbs for common ailments are strictly regulated and rarely circulate among the common people. Zhang Yang's army also lacks medical resources and simply cannot spare much manpower.

Zhang Yang rested his chin on his hand and muttered to himself.

"If only digging for medicinal herbs were as easy as digging for ore."

She could fill several squares with ore in a small area, but she couldn't find this many herbs; otherwise, she would have been digging in the rain by now. Watching her strength gradually return to full, she set off for another search and rescue mission before the next downpour.

At this moment, Zhang Daji descended from the sky.

Zhang Yang said, "Could it be that there's news from Wang Ba's side?"

Sun Ban wouldn't be so cunning as to plan a sneak attack while the torrential rain pauses and the floodwaters temporarily subside, would he?

Does she know where her base is?

She dares to come?

Zhang Daji took down the letter tube, and Zhang Yang opened it and took out the secret letter. She was stunned by the message inside and couldn't help but bring it closer to the candlelight.

He looked at it again and again, and then handed it to Guan Si to look at.

Bad news, Sun Ban is indeed a dog.

Good news, our side's Xiao Sui and Han Wu are even more cunning.

Opportunities are always for those who are prepared, and Xiao Sui had prepared earlier and more thoroughly than her opponents. Furthermore, because of Zhang Yang's dispatch of troops for rescue and disaster relief, they had inadvertently gained the upper hand in terms of popular support. By the time Zhang Yang received the news, Xiao Sui had already made her plans.

This story begins a day ago.

Xiao Sui had already planned to take action while the water level was low. If she didn't act now, why wait until a large-scale epidemic broke out? Epidemics attack indiscriminately, regardless of who you are. At this critical juncture, Xiao Sui received a message.

This news wasn't brought by Wang Ba either—since Sun Ban withdrew his troops and switched from offense to defense, Wang Ba had no room to maneuver, let alone personally go to Zhang Yang, or even deliver a message. The source of this news was temporarily blocked—the news came from the common people.

Guan Si stroked the handwriting on the secret letter.

He looked at Zhang Yang with a complex expression: "It's a good outcome."

Plant good seeds, reap good fruit.

Zhang Yang did not advocate doing good deeds anonymously; she not only spoke of her actions but also publicized them widely. The common people were initially wary, but when they saw the raging floodwaters below and the shelter and sustenance they found on the mountain, and although they had lost their possessions, their loved ones were still alive, they were sincerely grateful to Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang, an enemy, had saved them and their families, while the local magistrate had exploited them relentlessly.

Exorbitant taxes and levies were imposed, and the authorities levied exorbitant and oppressive taxes.

Ordinary people are arbitrarily killed and have no way to seek help. The pent-up grievances and resentments have finally erupted under this special natural disaster.

What if someone is destined to be overpowering them?

Why can't it be these people in front of us?

At least these people still treat them as human beings.

Thus, a crucial opportunity was passed on to Xiao Sui. This opportunity involved the current location of Sun Ban's troops and, most importantly, the location of the granary. The clues were provided by a few ordinary woodcutters—because the mountains near the city all had owners, ordinary people needed woodcutters to go to more remote and secluded mountains to cut firewood for the winter. Even if Sun Ban's troops marched in stealth, they couldn't completely avoid people. Scouts couldn't just kill any woodcutter they caught, especially since these woodcutters were local mountain people. At most, they would be scolded, questioned, and warned not to spread the word before being released.

This time, the situation is different.

The woodcutter voluntarily shared what he knew, specifying which mountain and direction Sun Ban's scouts had been spotted.

This intelligence was crucial to Xiao Sui.

【Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!】 Xiao Sui couldn't help but get up and pace back and forth in the tent, her excitement overflowing. 【Ever since the last time our lord took people to sing on Sun Ban's head, we haven't been able to find any trace of them, let alone their precious granary.】

Now we even know the approximate location of the granary.

Han Wudi understood the refined meaning of music and song.

How is Xiu Ying preparing?

Xiao Sui said, "We don't have many opportunities, so we can't let this one slip by. The rafts were originally intended for disaster relief, but now we can use them for something else. Sun Ban never expected we'd act at a time like this. Her granary can't be left unattended."

After a natural disaster, will we face food shortages again?

Haha, it would be strange if there wasn't upheaval under Sun Ban's command.

Xiao Sui felt confident about this game just by thinking about it.

Han Wo pondered for a moment: "But what about the water situation..."

Xiao Sui: [We don't need many people to sabotage the granary; just send the soldiers most familiar with swimming. Whether it's blasting open their earthen ramparts, blowing up their city walls, or even having someone dig a tunnel directly to their granary... anything goes!]

There is no need for a direct confrontation.

Success would be achieved if they could breach the waterproofing of their granary.

The grain was soaked in the filthy floodwaters, beyond saving. Could Sun Ban still allow his troops to eat this grain?

As for Sun Ban's base camp?

Perhaps it's time to move the pawn of Wang Ba.

Only when used properly can one have the advantage of timing, location, and people at their fingertips.

He Wen is a suspicious person: [Is this information accurate?]

Xiao Sui countered: "[Before this, did you believe that our lord would disregard his own safety and the presence of powerful enemies to save ordinary people?]"

He Wen: [I don't believe it.]

Xiao Sui said, "Therefore, the intelligence must be true."

The enemy wouldn't believe it either, and naturally wouldn't exploit this loophole to plant their own people, so the woodcutters' words are credible.

? ?(σ???)σ..:*☆