Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1072 - 344: Revenge

Chapter 1072: Chapter 344: Revenge

Long before Mo Yan decided to settle tens of thousands of soldiers who could no longer enter the battlefield and who had little labor power left, Qi Nan had already roughly explained the situation to Zhao Mu.

Therefore, over the past few months, Zhao Mu had been paying close attention to the condition of each soldier. Once the news was confirmed, he selected the elderly soldiers who would have great difficulty getting through the winter. Even if they ultimately could not escape death, he hoped they could at least experience some final warmth and not perish miserably in the cold winds.

Besides the nearly half who were elderly, the remaining soldiers retained some working capability. They couldn’t do heavy labor, but weeding, planting trees, watering, and loosening soil were no problems. Having lived off farming on the frontier, they had become adept at managing their impaired bodies. The only difference was that they worked slower than healthy people.

However, this group wasn’t just surviving; they led relatively good lives on the frontier. Suddenly receiving so many completely labor-disabled elders was already advantageous. To then divide the remaining half of the spots among other soldiers with no labor power left wouldn’t just be something Zhao Mu couldn’t do; the soldiers themselves would feel ashamed. Therefore, after some discussion, the other half of the places went to the most capable among the tens of thousands of retired soldiers.

Only after arriving here did they realize that what they had received seemed impossible to repay. Although nothing showed on their faces, they felt uneasy inside, even contemplating the thought of leaving here and returning to the frontier.

Zhao Mu was very aware of what his companions were thinking. Instead of directly persuading them to accept, he convinced them to stay with another approach.

The crowd silently agreed with Zhao Mu’s words. They had never considered themselves useless dregs, so they could not accept help without limits. Since they had accepted aid, they needed to repay it. The problem was that what they had now was far beyond their expectations, and they worried that even a lifetime might not be enough to make good on it.

Perhaps sensing their thoughts, Zhao Mu continued, "The doctors who treated us today are all renowned in Jing City. Although they can’t make us regrow limbs, at least they can heal the injuries we have in the dark, allowing us to live longer. As for Princess Hejia’s kindness, if we can’t repay it in one year, we’ll do it in two. If not in two, then three... As long as we live well, there will come a day when we can repay everything."

At this point, Zhao Mu paused for a moment and then jokingly added, "If we die in a couple of days, that would truly be letting down Princess Hejia, disappointing General Qi who has been running around for us, and even failing to honor General Xiao and Crown Prince’s good intentions."

After listening to this speech, everyone reflected deeply. Some people quickly caught on and stood up to loudly tell Zhao Mu, "Wood, brother understands what you mean. Rest assured, brother will take good care of himself and won’t let down their kindness."

"Hmm, just take care of yourself. Don’t you end up going before us if we live to a ripe old age."

"Haha, you always worry too much. Even if you hadn’t said all this tonight, do you think we’re fools who can’t figure things out on our own? It’s so nice here. Even if you kick me out now, I wouldn’t leave. I’ll just stay here, recover, and be a good farmer."

"..."

The responses to Zhao Mu grew louder, and even the elderly who did not know if they would survive the winter were reignited with hope. They had lived upright lives, and didn’t want to owe more favors as they grew old. Given the chance to repay, none of them wanted to drag debts down to the grave.

A broad smile spread across Zhao Mu’s pallid face, unable to hide his joy. Being able to awaken the will to live in these companions who would spend their days with him made him genuinely happy. It was also a proper acknowledgment of General Qi’s trust in him.

The next day, Mo Yan woke from his slumber, feeling the residual warmth on the side of his bed, and inwardly scolded himself for increasingly resembling a pig, not even realizing when the person beside him had left.

At that moment, Mao Tuan barged in, huffing and puffing. Looking at his master changing his clothes, the little creature’s eyes carried a particularly deep grievance.

Mo Yan’s face warmed as he went over and patted its head, comforting it, "Don’t be upset. He won’t come tonight, so you can sleep with me."