Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 189 Rebel Prisoners

Shen Li stepped aside and watched as the refugees were led here by the army to gather.

One of the soldiers, a squad of soldiers, brought over several people bound together, which was particularly noticeable.

"Sir, we followed your orders and stood guard outside the city gate, and we actually caught four spies who had been secretly let out of the city." The squad leader looked at him with great respect: "You are truly a prophet."

When the bandits saw Shen Li, they were momentarily stunned. How could she be a woman?

"Kneel down." The soldiers forced the men down, and the bandits clearly showed their dissatisfaction.

"If you've got the guts, let me go! I've never knelt before a woman before, not even to heaven or earth!" One of the burly men struggled the most fiercely.

"Insolence!" Upon hearing this, Peony's eyes widened, and she pulled out the whip from her waist and lashed out.

Shen Li took a step back, looking on with an expression of anticipation.

Peony didn't strike with her whip, but snorted, "You're tied up, it wouldn't be fair for me to hit you."

"Miss, can you let him go? I will definitely beat him into submission," she asked indignantly.

Shen Li sat back down on the tree stump, her gaze reassuring Peony: "No rush, you can hit her after the interrogation is over."

"Miss Xie." Peony felt relieved even before she made a move.

"You arrogant brat, if it weren't for the fact that I, Da Kui, don't hit women, I would have beaten you to a pulp!" the man roared angrily.

Peony was not convinced.

Shen Li spoke first, slowly saying, "I'll give you two choices: either I let you go back, or I'll take your head off and hang it on a tree right now."

Whether it was her overwhelming presence or her calm voice, the previously noisy scene immediately quieted down.

The bandits, including Da Kui, took a closer look at the veiled woman in front of them for the first time and realized that she might not be just a pretty face, but a ruthless character.

"What are your conditions?" Da Kui knelt down without realizing it and began to negotiate with Shen Li cautiously.

Shen Li's eyes turned slightly cold: "Cut it."

Even Peony felt this was a bit too rough. She might as well have given her a beating, but why was the young lady trying to kill her right off the bat?

The soldiers were all rigorously trained, and they drew their sabers as soon as they heard the order.

"Clang clang clang!"

The sound of a sharp blade being drawn stunned the bandits.

If they hadn't had a choice before, these desperate criminals wouldn't have been so afraid of death, but Shen Li said she could let them go back.

I died before I even knew how I would get back. I'm so unwilling to accept it.

"No... sir, I'll go back." Da Kui was the quickest to react, and hurriedly spoke up before the knife fell.

Shen Li slightly raised her eyes, and the soldiers, sensing her signal, lowered their knives.

"And you?" she asked, looking at the other three.

"I...we also choose to go back to the city, go back..." The three of them were so frightened that they could barely speak.

"This is your only chance," Shen Li warned, her eyes lowered, her gaze languid and cold. "Tell me, how many people in the city are infected?"

Da Kui and the others thought Shen Li was going to ask about the city's defenses and how many brothers were in the city, and they were still hesitating about whether to answer. They didn't expect it to be this trivial question.

“There are more than three thousand people now, and the number is increasing every day,” Da Kui replied, his expression still wary.

He could tell this woman was someone of considerable importance; she was not someone to be trifled with.

"Take him away and lock him up." Shen Li waved her hand.

The group paused for a moment, then paused again.

Is there no problem with that?

Didn't they say they were going to let them go back?

"Sir, weren't you going to let us go back?" Da Kui didn't even dare to shout anymore, and knelt obediently.

He saw hope, and was terrified that it would be shattered.

Shen Li waved her hand and ignored them. They were dragged away like that, and although they wanted to say something rude, they were quickly silenced.

"Miss, aren't you going to ask how many people there are? And what their food situation is?" Peony asked anxiously.

“We’re not attacking the city, so this information is useless to us.” Shen Li looked at some deserters being brought back and said, “Commander Chen, take these men to build temporary shacks.”

"My lord, where shall we repair it?" Chen Su asked, bowing respectfully.

“North of Xuzhou City, there are plains, far from floods,” Shen Li said, then added, “Also, stay away from the cannons on the city walls.”

Chen Su was puzzled: "Sir, the reinforcements are coming from the north. If we build a large number of shantytowns, they might block the army's way."

In his view, seeking help from the imperial court was inevitable.

"I have my own plans. Go."

Chen Su had no choice but to reply, "Yes, I will go right away."

As refugees gathered in droves, the number gradually increased from thousands to tens of thousands. The rations and water for the thousands of soldiers were simply not enough to go around, and each person could only get a little.

Some refugees devoured the steamed buns and bread they were given, while others smelled them again and again before passing them to their children, wives, or husbands.

Forsythia and peony had tears welling up in their eyes.

Shen Li stood on the hillside, her emotions not showing, but she felt very uncomfortable inside.

It's hard to imagine how they've survived the past twenty days. They've lost their fields, their food, and even their clean water. How can they possibly survive on just a few small hills?

"Sister." A little girl of seven or eight years old appeared beside Shen Li at some point and tugged at her sleeve.

Shen Li looked down and saw that the little girl's body and face were dirty, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.

"What's wrong?" Shen Li squatted down to be at eye level with her.

"My mother told me to give this to you." The little girl handed her the water pouch and said in a childish voice, "My mother said you haven't had any water all day and you must be thirsty."

Shen Li's heart softened even more, and she lowered her voice: "Be good, your sister isn't thirsty, I'll save it for you and Mother."

“My mother and I have already shared several mouthfuls of water, so I’ll leave these for my sister.” The little girl insisted, “My mother said my sister is a good person, and we can’t let her suffer.”

“You and your mother are the best people.” Shen Li stroked her head, her voice soft.

She ultimately did not accept the water pouch, but to show that she accepted their kindness, she accepted the grasshopper folded by the little girl.

"Thank you, Xiaoya, I really like this." Shen Li thanked her earnestly.

Xiao Ya became a little shy after being praised, and after exchanging a few more words with Shen Li, she returned to the crowd.

Many refugees coveted that sip of water, but seeing Shen Li constantly looking in that direction, they all had the desire but not the courage.

Even now, everyone can see that although this army is strong and well-equipped, the one giving orders is this female officer.

Just before sunset, Shen Li ordered the army to escort tens of thousands of refugees to take a detour to the north of the city. To encourage the refugees to participate more actively, she said that food would be transported from the north.

Shen Li walked with Old Man Qiu, and seeing that Old Man Qiu's brows were always furrowed, she didn't want to interrupt him and could only wait for him to speak.

“This plague is unusual.” Old Qiu shook his head. “Even I can’t come up with the most suitable prescription right now.”