A Qi listened to Li Man'er's words and fell silent, lowering his head.
How could he not understand Li Man'er's meaning? It was just that he had been in the army for so long and truly did not wish to believe that barbarian spies had infiltrated their ranks. Many of them had shared life and death, fought together on the battlefield, and now they were being told that Zeng Xiazi was a spy. How could they accept this?
Li Man'er stared intently at A Qi and asked, "Do you know the consequences of spies lurking within the city?"
A Qi nodded, inexplicably feeling that Li Man'er's aura was somewhat similar to the Prince's, which made him involuntarily a little fearful and unable to meet her gaze.
"I know."
"Since you know the consequences, do not be confused. A moment of pain is better than eventual annihilation!"
Hearing her say this, A Qi immediately nodded, daring not to say anything more.
"Then let's go!"
A Qi followed Li Man'er obediently like a little follower, and together they went to the camp where the old soldiers were temporarily residing.
As dawn broke, the streets gradually filled with people, and Li Man'er and A Qi's figures became less conspicuous.
The more than three hundred old, weak, sick, and disabled people left behind by the Xiao family now lived in this area. Most of them were disabled, some with missing limbs, some blind, and some even with parts of their heads and faces missing. One could only imagine the suffering they had endured to survive.
The camp was filled with a desolate atmosphere. The soldiers who had been wounded defending the border had not received particularly good treatment. They dragged their broken bodies, remaining in this desolate land, doing what little they could within the camp, barely clinging to their remaining lives.
Normally, if there was nothing to do, no one would come to their area. The arrival of Li Man'er and A Qi made the atmosphere in the camp considerably tense.
"Who are you looking for?" an elderly man was making a fire. Seeing two unfamiliar faces, he grew more vigilant.
Li Man'er said, "Elder, we are looking for Lu Dakuan. Is he here?"
"So you know him." The old man's expression relaxed slightly. He pointed a trembling finger towards a small, old house. "He should be there at this hour. Go find him."
"Thank you."
Li Man'er then led A Qi over.
The house, though old, was quite sturdy. However, the door panel was rickety, and it made a piercing creak when pushed open, as if it were rusted somewhere.
As soon as the two entered, they saw Lu Dakuan lying on his back on the bed, disheveled, his eyes wide open, unblinking, as if he were dead.
If it weren't for the rise and fall of his chest, A Qi would have truly believed he was stone-cold dead.
"Lu Dakuan, we meet again."
Lu Dakuan sat up abruptly from the bed as if he had come back to life. He was slightly stunned when he saw Li Man'er, then his eyes lit up with realization. "You are... the Marquis's daughter? I heard that you led people to raid the enemy camp yesterday, annihilating the barbarians. You are truly a heroine."
He extended a thumb and said sincerely, "Truly worthy of being from a military family."
"Alright, you don't need to flatter me like this. I've come to ask you something."
Lu Dakuan disagreed, saying, "How can this be considered flattery! Old Lu speaks from the heart. If it weren't for this body of mine being unreliable, I, Old Lu, would also have wanted to follow you to raid the camp and kill a few barbarians for fun."
These words held a certain fervor, and Li Man'er believed he was sincere. However, these were not the important matters.
Lu Dakuan had been a soldier for how many years; he was a thorough old soldier, skilled at reading people and observing their expressions. He then said, "May I ask why you've come to see me, young lady? If you have anything for Old Lu to do, just send a message, why come in person?"
"Enough!" A Qi said impatiently, "Let's get down to business."
Li Man'er gave A Qi a meaningful look, thinking to herself, it's rare that you also have moments of finding others annoying.
"Lu Dakuan, are all of you here old, weak, sick, and disabled?"
"Yes, I'm not afraid you'll laugh, but anyone who is capable wouldn't be placed here. In the words of the higher-ups, we are people who live day by day, destined to perish with Mobei. In reality, we are just here to eat and wait for death."
Li Man'er then asked, "Do you still receive military pay?"
Lu Dakuan said, "We do, but the money we receive is meager! We don't have many expenses usually, as food and lodging are all within the camp, and we can always fill our stomachs. But who doesn't have a wife, children, and elderly parents at home? That little bit of money is not enough to support the family. However, it's better than nothing!"
Li Man'er nodded thoughtfully, "You have indeed worked hard."
"It's not hard, not hard." Lu Dakuan was flattered. "If anything, it's the Xiao clan that has been generous..."
"What do you mean by that?"
Lu Dakuan said with a touch of embarrassment, "Logically, we should be grateful for His Majesty's benevolence, as our military pay, food, and clothing are all provided by the imperial court. But..."
He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "There are so many corrupt officials in this world."
This single sentence was considered a great disrespect.
Li Man'er, however, smiled. "What you say has some truth to it. However, when the Xiao family kept you behind, why did they choose you to see the Marquis? Was it because you were the most agile among them? I see that old man outside tending the fire is much more capable than you."
Lu Dakuan quickly said, "Please don't tease me, young lady. I know my own condition best." When he walked, he limped and his body tilted uncontrollably to one side. What kind of agile legs were these?
"Then why? Could it be that you have some extraordinary quality that I don't know about?"
Speaking of this, Lu Dakuan's face showed a hint of pride. "To be honest with you, young lady, back on the battlefield, I, Old Lu, was quite a fierce general. I won't claim to have fought my way in and out seven times, striking fear into the barbarians and leaving none alive, but I, Old Lu, was someone who could risk his life, disregard life and death, and fight bravely. I had some merits, so all three hundred old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers obey my command and dispatch. Coupled with the original residents of the city, there are nearly a thousand people, forming a considerable force."
Li Man'er knew he was referring to the logistical personnel.
"You know Wu Ying, Sister-in-law Wu, and them."
"Of course, I know them." Lu Dakuan said, "The war is going well for now, so we are not busy. If the fighting were to last for seven days and seven nights, we would also have to step in."
His eyes suddenly flashed with a bright light. "To be honest with you, young lady, we thousand women, children, and disabled individuals are the last line of defense for this old city of Mobei."
Li Man'er also became serious. "Tell me, why are you the last line of defense?"
"If the city falls, the soldiers will surely suffer heavy casualties. But if the barbarians want to occupy the old city of Mobei and attack the new city, they will have to tread over our broken bodies. Even if I, Lu Dakuan, have only one tooth left, I will bite off a piece of flesh from the barbarians."