Chapter 123: Zhong Family Village

After settling the children, Wang Keyue began arranging tasks for the adults. Although outdoor work was impossible during the winter, they could still work in the workshops of the established industrial zone.

The largest industry in the zone was cotton production. The quilt-making process served as an ideal assembly line: picking cotton, ginning, sewing covers, and boxing the finished quilts. Every stage required a large number of workers.

Those in good physical condition were directly drafted into the defense force. Wang Keyue selected a few soldiers who had suffered minor injuries to lead these inexperienced refugees through basic training. Once they had built a solid foundation, she planned to recommend several skilled subordinates to Xiao Hongyu to teach them martial arts.

The elderly and those in poor health were not idle either. Depending on their individual strengths, most were assigned to tend the fields, while others wove baskets from gathered vines—goods that would fetch a good price come spring.

Others worked in Wang Keyue’s food processing plant, primarily using flour from her personal space to produce dried dough cakes and instant noodles. Most of this output was supplied directly to the Xiao family’s private troops as provisions, with a portion earmarked for sale across the Great Qin Empire in the spring.

In short, Wang Keyue’s space held countless manufacturing methods for handicrafts; the only limitation was a lack of manpower to implement them on a large scale.

At present, the Great Qin Empire was beset by internal strife and external threats. As the snow deepened and the Crescent Sect flourished in rapid development, the capital of Qin, hundreds of kilometers away, fell into chaos.

A band of invading Hu barbarians, aided by spies within the capital, had quietly infiltrated the heart of the Great Qin. Meanwhile, the Emperor of Qin continued to feign a serious illness, while in reality, he remained in the inner palace, frolicking with his many beautiful concubines.

On the day of the Beginning of Winter in the 152nd year of the Great Qin Dynasty, as Wang Keyue was inspecting the sect's school, she suddenly received a long-awaited mandatory mission from Xiaobao:

"Mandatory Mission: User 9538 must save the lives of 10,000 Great Qin citizens within the next three days. Completing the mission will grant related rewards. Failure to complete the mission will result in the deduction of 50% of current gold coins and 50% of current health points. You have three days—do your best!"

Wang Keyue stared in horror at the enlarged, red-font number "10,000," a chill running down her spine.

Simultaneously, the communicator on her wrist buzzed. It was Xiao Hongyu. Wang Keyue’s sixth sense told her that something was wrong.

"Yue'er, the Hu barbarian army has launched a surprise attack on the capital. Fifty thousand soldiers are already marching toward it, and they are expected to reach the capital's territory by the morning after next. The Great Qin is in complete disarray," Xiao Hongyu said, his voice urgent.

"Brother Xiao, what should we do? Are you leading your troops to the capital?" Wang Keyue was momentarily indecisive.

"My army cannot leave here. Yue'er, once the Xiao family troops abandon this northwest wall, those opportunistic Hu barbarians will strike immediately. The entire plain would be overrun," Xiao Hongyu said helplessly. Most of his ten thousand soldiers were stationed at the wall, and the ten thousand recruits he had recently enlisted were still raw; sending them now would be a suicide mission.

Yet, neither Xiao Hongyu nor Wang Keyue could bear to watch the common people perish under the blades of the barbarians.

"I want to take some people to rescue the refugees fleeing the city. I’ll save as many as I can! We need more people anyway," Wang Keyue said.

"Then come pick me up. I’ll go with you. I recently acquired something useful—it might make your plan feasible," Xiao Hongyu replied.

Wang Keyue felt a surge of hope and immediately began preparations. A quarter of an hour later, after delegating tasks for the sect, she piloted her spacecraft directly toward the Xiao military camp.

In the Zhong family village of the Qin capital, young Da Shi—who had been fighting over a bird egg with the neighbor’s dog just the day before—was told by his elders that he had to stay home alone to look after his younger siblings. Early that morning, all the adults in the village had gone to the ancestral hall for a meeting.

Da Shi was twelve years old, a sturdy lad. Despite the drought and famine, his natural boldness, strength, and energy allowed him to lead his four siblings in hunting rabbits, gathering wild fruit, climbing trees for eggs, and catching snakes. Because of this, the Zhong family lived better than most.

But alas, the drought had not yet passed, and the Zhong village was on the verge of ruin due to endless corvée labor.

The year before last, citing the need to fight the Hu barbarians, the government conscripted one man from every household, so the third son of the Zhong family was taken. Last May, it was announced that the Emperor needed laborers to build a summer palace in the imperial mountains, so the second son was taken. By October, when the work was finished, the laborers were not sent home; instead, they were sent directly to the military front, effectively serving as conscripts.

This year, as the Great Qin faced drought, the imperial court provided no relief. Instead, they continued to collect taxes, leaving the people destitute. Many families fled, choosing to become unregistered outcasts rather than wait to die in one place.

"Everyone, the officials are here to announce an imperial decree today. Is every household present?" the village elder asked, counting the heads and maintaining order.

Before long, three or four officials arrived with the decree. They appeared anxious and, after a brief nod to the elder, began to read.

The decree demanded the collection of grain and further military conscription: one man per household. If there were no men, a tax of five taels of silver or ten shi of grain was required.

The villagers were devastated. Many households had no men left, and those who remained were either children or the elderly. Many families had already lost two men to the military, yet the court continued to demand more. How were they expected to survive?

The officials left in a hurry, heading to the next village. The villagers remained, weeping and unable to bring themselves to leave.

On the third morning after the announcement, before the villagers could recover, they heard even more terrifying news. The eldest son of the Zhong family, who worked as a dishwasher at the largest tavern in the capital, had overheard the discussions of nobles from outside a private room.

He had intended to leave, as the tavern strictly forbade eavesdropping, but the voices inside were loud, and the content was so shocking that he was frozen in place, unable to move.