Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 93: Mission, Ambush 10
Commander Xue also noticed the brief flash of killing intent from Leng Er just now and said kindly, "We are all willing to hear Miss Cheng’s insightful views!"
"Indeed, indeed, Miss Cheng braved danger and was willing to get involved to save people, a true act of righteousness. How could we doubt her? Everyone just got a bit agitated for a moment and lost their composure. We ask for Miss Cheng’s forgiveness," Niu Da said, bowing to Miss Cheng on behalf of everyone to apologize for the earlier incident.
Leng Er’s expression finally eased a bit, and he sheathed his long sword.
Even those who were still dissatisfied dared not speak freely anymore.
Cheng Xiaoxiao was very satisfied.
She directly spoke of serious matters, "Bandits engage in robbery and looting. They usually steal money and women and, at worst, keep able-bodied men for heavy labor. How could they possibly feed the elderly, women, and children?"
As she spoke, she looked around at the people deep in thought and continued, "Have you calculated how much food six to seven thousand hostages consume in a day? Even if they only eat once a day, it’s a massive number. Moreover, this year’s new crops haven’t been harvested in time and were flooded. Where would so much food come from to feed the hostages? Do you think the bandits would be kind enough to use their own supplies to feed this group of useless people?"
As Cheng Xiaoxiao finished speaking, everyone couldn’t help but start calculating.
That’s right! Keeping so many useless hostages alive is just a waste of food, isn’t it?
Some quick-witted people also had different views, "What if they seized a large amount of grain in the town?"
Niu Da said, "Even if they had a lot of grain, they wouldn’t waste it on useless people. The bandits aren’t fools." He didn’t mention that, on that day, at least half of each family’s supplies were taken away, and only the wealthy merchants had stored more grain which had also been taken away. Where would the town have lots of food? Of course, there was no need to openly discuss this.
Cheng Xiaoxiao saw that everyone was reflecting and looked at Qian Fusheng, "Uncle Qian, do you know the total population of the entire town? My people found out that there were originally about six thousand captives, and yesterday another seven or eight hundred were captured, bringing the total close to eight thousand. After the flood, with the sick, the dead, the refugees, and those who turned to banditry, are there really that many people for them to capture?"
Cheng Xiaoxiao’s words left the people speechless again.
Before Cheng Xiaoxiao came, they didn’t know the exact numbers and roughly estimated four to five thousand people. But now, the numbers had doubled, which was too unusual.
Qian Fusheng said, "After the flood, the town and the villages only had around three to four thousand people left, and with the subsequent riots, some more people died. It should be less than three thousand people altogether."
Niu Da said, "A few days ago, there were rumors of people being captured from other places. I didn’t pay attention to this detail at the time." Their task was to rescue the 300 to 400 people imprisoned with Boss Zhao, and they had no concern for captives from the other districts. They hadn’t imagined the number of captives had increased so much.
Xue Dong sensed that things were not simple. As a Hidden Guard, he dealt with calculations and witnessed more complex, larger-scale darkness than these merchants. "It seems they have a purpose in gathering captives, willing to keep them alive, which indicates they have greater utility."
Cheng Xiaoxiao thought the same, but they were just unarmed civilians. What greater use could they have?
Leng Er’s heart was racing unexpectedly, as he suddenly recalled the news brought back by Leng Yi two days ago. This information was considered top secret, and he had overheard it only because he happened to be with his master. However, Leng Yi’s investigation found nothing in this direction.
The attack route of the Great Xia should have been the Southwest’s Lie Dong City, which was still dozens of kilometers away from here. Separated by mountain ranges, why would this be...
Was he mistaken?
But only raising this group of civilians to threaten our generals would make sense. To kill and strike fear, those Xia scumbags planned to make a major issue out of the captives.
Otherwise... there was no more reasonable explanation.
Regardless, this news must be relayed to the Pavilion Master immediately.
Thinking of this, he decided to tell Miss Cheng. Originally, a small girl like her shouldn’t have been involved in such a matter, but given the situation, if his guess was correct, Miss Cheng had already been drawn into the scheme.
He carefully approached Cheng Xiaoxiao and whispered his earlier conjecture into her ear.
Cheng Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She called out to Tongzi, "77, can’t you foresee disasters? How come the Great Xia has extended its reach right under our noses and is about to wage war, causing untold suffering, and yet you know nothing?"
Cheng Xiaoxiao briefly analyzed, and what Leng Er said was about 90% likely to be the truth, which explained the bandits’ strange behavior because they were essentially working for someone else. Those traitors were truly detestable.
Although she wasn’t originally a native of Tianqi Country, she had been here long enough to have already considered herself a part of it. Now that an external enemy invaded, how could she not be furious and angry?
"Host, 77 can only predict natural disasters, not human disasters," the system said aggrievedly.
"What’s the use of you then?"
"Host, you sure know how to wrong an innocent... no, a good system. Natural disasters are predetermined facts. Human disasters are the result of human whims. How can these be predicted? What if, in the next second, they decide not to attack? Who can say for sure?"
"Alright! You have a strong point," Cheng Xiaoxiao said, at a loss for words.
Indeed, the most changeable and cunning creatures were humans. Humanity’s complexity was something no minor system could fully comprehend.
The host’s thoughts were perceived.
System "..."
It felt that the host was implicitly criticizing it, but it lacked concrete proof.
"I fear this is a trap involving not only bandits but possibly a larger conspiracy," Cheng Xiaoxiao said whisperingly. She couldn’t directly speak of Leng Er’s guesses, as this involved significant national matters, and she couldn’t speculate casually.
"By the way, host, last time you had me monitor the captives, some were from places like Liang’an Town, Sheep Village, Lu Family Village, Niu Family Village, Tingshe Town, and Gankuo County. A mixed bunch, and I don’t know the specific locations of these places," the system reported.
Upon hearing the information, Cheng Xiaoxiao immediately asked, "Does anyone here know the exact locations of Sheep Village, Lu Family Village, Niu Family Village, Liang’an Town, Tingshe Town, and Gankuo County?"
Niu Da asked, "Miss Cheng, is there something amiss with these places?"
Everyone looked over sincerely, with no disdain or underestimation as before.
Commander Xue promptly had his subordinates bring a detailed map of Yanzhou County and marked out the places Cheng Xiaoxiao mentioned.
The crowd leaned in to look and were astounded. Starting from their town, continuing to Lie Dong City, there was Gankuo County in the middle, and along the road were towns and villages near the border, forming a line.
Lie Dong City was the first city on the border, and beyond the city was crossing the river, followed by mountains, and beyond those mountains lay the Great Xia Border. Could this be related to Great Xia?
A group of shrewd people over fifty years old didn’t need Cheng Xiaoxiao’s reminder to realize the key point.
They gazed at each other silently, each too wary to utter their suspicions aloud.
They all tacitly focused on the map. Even if the bandits had colluded with Great Xia, what was their purpose in gathering the captives in Qishan Town?
Qian Fusheng asked, "Miss Cheng, you mentioned those places earlier..."
"Yes, just as you thought, the people from those places are now all held in our town," Cheng Xiaoxiao replied.
