Farming was a skill commonly learned by people in the Central Continent. By letting the mixed-blood citizens work in the fields can not only help them obtain workers, but also identify whether these people were spies or not and avoid leaking military strategies.
Guessing that Feng Xiyan wanted to kill three birds with one stone, Xue Ruhong nodded and replied, "Yes, Great General."
He then thought for a moment and asked, "Great General, how much should we pay them?"
"Give them the same wages as the other workers," Feng Xiyan answered.
Clasping his fists again, Xue Ruhong said, "Understood. This subordinate will arrange it immediately."
Seeing that Xue Ruhong still had much to do, Feng Xiyan added, "You may return to your duties. I won’t keep you any longer."
"Yes, Great General."
Leaving the registration tent, Feng Xiyan made his way to the training ground to supervise the morning training.
Meanwhile, 300 li away from Xiqiang City, Kai Mu reclined on a seat covered in animal fur, staring at the Yuezhi Tribe soldier kneeling before him.
"Have our people infiltrated the Feng Army?" he asked coldly.
The soldier bowed his head and replied, "Reporting to the Supreme General. Xue Ruhong is extremely vigilant and refuses to recruit any mixed-blood individuals. So far, none of our spies have succeeded in joining them."
When the soldier finished his report, Kai Mu grabbed the bronze cup in front of him and threw it at the soldier.
The bronze cup struck the soldier in the head, but he didn’t dare move. As blood trickled down his face, he calmly said, "This subordinate is useless. Please forgive me, Supreme General."
Glaring at the soldier, Kai Mu said angrily, "Get out!"
After the soldier left the tent, he wiped the blood from his face and glanced back. When he heard Kai Mu cursing inside, disappointment and resentment flickered in his eyes.
Clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white, he stood silently for a moment, then looked away from the tent and walked off.
Since there was no medicine left in the military infirmary, the soldier returned to his own tent. As he opened the flap, more than a dozen pairs of eyes turned to him.
"Brother, how was it? Are you alright? Did the Supreme General punish you?" one of them asked.
The soldier shook his head, sat down on an empty spot on the ground, and replied, "I was lucky today. The Supreme General didn’t punish me."
Although he said that, when the others saw the blood on his face, their expressions darkened.
They were all mixed-blood people—born of parents from the Central Continent and the tribes living in the wilderness. Rejected by both races, they had long lived under scornful gazes and daily bullying, becoming numb to cruelty and forced to accept their fate.
As they sat with their heads lowered, the soldier spoke again. "Brothers, have you heard about the secret mission?"
When he asked, the others looked up and nodded.
Sensing that the soldier had something to tell them, the youngest among them asked, "Brother, do you have something in mind?"
The soldier nodded. "All of you know I escorted some mixed-blood folks to Xiqiang City yesterday."
The others nodded again, and he continued, "While I was there, I had a chance to get into the city for a short time. Do you know what I saw there?"
This time, the others all shook their heads.
Unable to hold back their curiosity, the youngest urged, "Brother, don’t hide it anymore. Please hurry up and tell us what you saw there."
Seeing his impatience, the soldier lowered his voice and said, "I saw the soldiers of the Feng Army eating meat, vegetables, and steamed white rice!"
Recalling the smell of food and how happy the soldiers of the Feng Army were when eating, the soldier swallowed hard and added with a hint of envy in his voice, "I stayed there for a day, and I saw them eating three times! They even had fruit and plenty of clean water for each meal!"
The moment he said that, the others stared at him in disbelief.
Shaking his head, one of them said, "Brother, everyone knows only the royal family from the Central Continent can afford steamed white rice when they are hosting an imperial banquet."
"Even gruel is a luxury these days. How could the Feng Army soldiers be eating steamed white rice? On top of that, they even have meat, vegetables, and fruit too? Aren’t they living a better life than their emperor?"
Clenching his fists, the soldier insisted, "I know it sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. Brothers, I didn’t lie to you."
Seeing that they still didn’t believe him, the soldier paused, then said with determination, "Brothers, I’m going to Xiqiang City."
The others were stunned when they heard this.
After a moment of silence, one asked in a low voice, "Brother, are you planning to run away?"
The soldier nodded at his question.
As soon as he did, the youngest blurted out in shock, "Are you crazy?! The punishment for deserters is death!"
The soldier looked at him calmly. "I’m more sober than ever. If I stay, I will either starve to death or be killed. Instead of waiting for death, I’m going to fight for a chance to live."
When he said that, the others fell into deep thought.
"Then what about your family?" another asked after a moment of silence.
The soldier looked at them with determination and replied, "I’ll bring them with me."
All their families were living in dormitories set aside for the soldiers’ relatives.
On the surface, they were said to be under the tribe’s protection. But in reality, they were treated like food reserves or tools to control the mixed-blood soldiers.
If they wanted to completely escape the Yuezhi Tribe, they had to take their families with them, or abandon them to flee.
Now that he had made up his mind, the soldier looked around and asked, "Brothers, will you come with me?"