Chapter 52: Tuozhou Further North

As soon as work stopped, the air on the construction site felt much better.

Meng Changqing, Xi Bei, and Chu Mufeng stood atop the city wall, gazing toward the north.

As they watched, Chu Mufeng pulled some dried meat from his pocket and began to eat. Just as he was about to tighten the bag, a hand appeared beside him. "Lord Bai," Meng Changqing said with a conciliatory smile, "do you have plenty to spare?"

Chu Mufeng handed her the bag of dried meat. "It is not much, but if Lord Meng wishes to eat, there is enough."

"You are too kind, Lord Bai. When I return to the capital, I shall surely repay you twofold." Meng Changqing walked over to Xi Bei's side. "Master, I'll share half with you."

The three of them stood on the wall chewing the dried meat; the salty, fragrant aroma of the meat felt somewhat out of place in this desolate land.

When would this land ever have enough surplus grain to raise livestock? When would the people here be able to eat dried meat like this?

Separated by a single wall, one side was dotted with campfires in the night, while the other was an endless void of darkness.

Meng Changqing suddenly spoke up, "Master, have you ever traveled further north?"

Xi Bei said, "Back when we were fighting the Yan army, I once followed their remnants all the way across the river. There were a few small villages on the other side; I have only been as far as those."

"And you, Lord Bai?" Meng Changqing asked again.

"Lord Meng jokes. This official left the capital alongside you, Lord Meng. The furthest north I have been is this very city wall beneath our feet."

"When will we be able to go further north to see for ourselves?"

"Is Lord Meng referring to Tuozhou?" Chu Mufeng said. "The Great Liang has lost Tuozhou for nearly seventy years. The late Emperor once vowed to reclaim it, but unfortunately, he failed. Fourteen years ago, the Great Liang lost General Ningyuan; now, the imperial court is very conservative regarding warfare. If one wishes to reclaim Tuozhou, a great general must emerge."

Meng Changqing said, "Great generals are not something one waits for."

Chu Mufeng asked, "Does Lord Meng intend to be that great general?"

"Who wouldn't want to be a great general?" Meng Changqing countered. "Does Lord Bai not want to be?"

A momentary flash of panic crossed Chu Mufeng's face. "Naturally, I do."

"Once my Beishan County becomes prosperous and strong, it will be the best stepping stone to reclaiming Tuozhou."

In the camp, the torches in front of the kitchen increased. With just one glance toward that direction, Xi Bei knew the porridge was being served.

"Bafang!" Xi Bei shouted toward the distant silhouettes of people training. "Go get a bowl of porridge for Master!"

"Yes!"

The order for porridge was not based on how much work one had done; it was first come, first served.

Meizi held her large bowl and followed two strange women in line. Her group had already returned, leaving her to live alone in that massive pit. Fortunately, there were many people here and guards patrolling outside constantly, so she did not feel afraid. It was just that the people who used to surround her and chat had all left, making her feel somewhat lonely.

"It's better this way, working separately. It saves us from getting side-eyes from certain people." The woman in front of Meizi patted the person ahead of her. "Stop thinking about your father. Even if we can't stay together all the time, we're all working on this same patch of land, so we see each other often enough."

As they spoke, it was their turn to enter the kitchen. The two women took their porridge, found a spot in the corner of the kitchen, sat down, and began to eat.

Thinking of the conversation she had only partially overheard, Meizi sat down behind them.

"I don't mind working separately, but living separately—and being spread this far apart—makes one feel... why couldn't they just dig another pit nearby? The officials only ever think of their own convenience; they don't care about the common people at all."

Meizi understood. The two women behind her were residents of Beishan County.

But why were they speaking ill of the County Magistrate? Meizi truly couldn't understand; could there be a better official in the world than this one? The Magistrate had even saved her life.

Just as Meizi was about to defend the Magistrate, the speaker's mouth was covered. "Oh, keep your voice down! If the soldiers hear you talking about him, do you still want your head?"

As they left the kitchen, Meizi was walking the same way as them. She followed for a while, listening to one of the young women constantly complaining about how harsh the magistrate was. Unable to hold back any longer, Meizi quickened her pace and stepped in front of the two women.

"I've been listening to you talk. I see you are from Beishan County, so why are you always speaking ill of our Magistrate?" Meizi said. "I have never heard of the things you are saying. You think far too poorly of him."

"Who are you? Why are you defending the officials?" Yu Xing asked.

"Hey." The woman beside her pulled Yu Xing back. "Why are you speaking without any restraint, just like your father?"

She turned to Meizi with a forced smile. "Sister, she's just a child. She's young and doesn't know better. Please don't hold it against her. If there's something she does that displeases you, just scold her a bit. Don't go alerting the soldiers over such a small matter."

"Even if she is young, she shouldn't be unable to distinguish good from evil," Meizi said. "If people still speak ill of an official like this, there will be no good officials left in the world."

Yu Xing lowered her head, allowing the woman in front of her to lecture her without daring to talk back.

"Alright, alright." The woman beside her stopped the increasingly spirited Meizi. "Sister, a few words is enough. Don't shout too loud; if we draw the soldiers here, none of us will come out well."

"By the way, Sister, which county are you from?" The woman pulled Meizi along, changing the subject.

"Liangzhou Prefecture."

"Your home is in Liangzhou, so why haven't you gone back?" The woman gave Yu Xing a look, signaling her to walk ahead.

"My health isn't very robust; the traveling back and forth is too exhausting."

"True. If you have nothing to worry about at home, there really is no need to go back every time the shifts change." The woman asked again, "Have you dealt with the Magistrate of Beishan County before?"

"No, but he kindly saved me," Meizi said. "I fainted on my first day here, and he was the one who saved me and let me rest for a day. I wouldn't dare say I've had any dealings with him. Such a good official—why do you still speak ill of him?"

"Sister, you arrived late, so you don't know what happened before you," the woman said. "The Magistrate saved you, so you think he is a good man. But those of us who were here before you know more." She left with a final remark: "Whether the Magistrate is a good man, I don't know, but I do know he is a heartless man."

Meizi felt that this person was abnormal. Someone does a good deed, and yet they are met with "I don't know if he's a good man." It was truly incomprehensible. A good deed is a good deed; if he does it and you benefit, you have received his grace.

Meizi committed the appearances of those two women to memory, thinking she would keep an eye on them in the future.

But before she had the chance to watch them, trouble broke out during her shift.

Two nights later, two groups from the same shift fell into a conflict over a trivial matter.

A guard approached with a whip, ordered both groups to stop working, and lashed everyone in both groups. As he whipped them, he cursed, "We provide you with good food normally, and you really think there are no rules here! You dare to cause a scene over a tiny thing? Today, we'll let you feel the pain so you'll learn what rules mean. You people are increasingly showing no respect for us. If you don't know what fear is, go dig up the mound at the west corner of the city wall and take a look. The people buried in there haven't even fully rotted yet—do you want to be buried in there too?"