nashuaworldcup Chapter 266 Reeds pretending to be cotton
Chapter 266 Reeds pretending to be cotton
Mo Lingchen ordered: "Distribute winter clothes to the soldiers."
“It has been sent.”
Late at night, the cold wind was howling and the tent was rustling in the strong wind, which made Mo Lingchen, who already had trouble sleeping, even more unable to sleep.
Such wilderness, such cold wind, and such coldness always make people feel inexplicably uneasy.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent, and a soldier came to report that several soldiers on guard had frozen to death.
Mo Lingchen hurriedly stood up to check, his face solemn.
Although the temperature dropped sharply, he distributed cotton coats as soon as possible. He looked at the cotton coats and found them to be very thick and bulgy.
What's more, the shifts are changed every two hours, so it's impossible for anyone to freeze to death, right?
Just as Mo Lingchen arrived, Lieutenant General Li also came. There were already several frozen soldiers lying on the ground, still wearing new thick cotton coats.
"Where's the military doctor?"
"The subordinate is here."
The military doctor came over breathlessly, carrying a medicine box.
After the diagnosis, the military doctor shook his head regretfully: "There is no pulse anymore. He has indeed frozen to death."
Mo Lingchen's face turned grim. How could someone freeze to death in his camp?
He didn’t die in battle, he froze to death!!!
Mo Lingchen looked at the people around him with a gloomy expression. What went wrong?
Such a thick cotton coat can still freeze people to death, do you really need to wear two?
Not to mention whether there are two or not, just think about how can you fight while wearing two clumsy cotton coats?
I’m afraid your hands and feet are not working properly anymore?
Mo Lingchen looked at a soldier who was shivering from the cold and walked over to ask, "Is it really that cold?"
I was wearing a cotton coat, so why didn’t I feel like I was freezing to death?
Could it be because he had just come out of bed, while the soldier in front of him had been exposed to the cold wind for two hours?
The soldier wanted to speak, but his teeth were chattering so much that he couldn't speak. He could only nod stiffly.
Mo Lingchen frowned as he looked at the soldier's hands, which were red, swollen and purple from the cold.
He reached out and touched the soldier's cotton coat. It was indeed very thick and puffy, but it was icy cold, as if it did not keep him warm at all.
The man took out a dagger and cut a line on the soldier's sleeve. Some white catkins fluttered in the cold wind, as if they were lighter than the snowflakes floating in the air.
Everyone's faces changed drastically. This... this isn't cotton!!
Mo Lingchen's face darkened: "What is this?"
Lieutenant General Li's expression darkened as well: "This looks like a reed!"
As Lieutenant General Li spoke, he cut the bodies of several soldiers who had frozen to death. Without exception, they were all reeds!
"Who is so bold as to use reeds as cotton?"
"The bitter cold in Mobei is life-threatening."
Mo Lingchen's expression was icy cold: "Go check and see how many inferior winter clothes there are!"
"Also, give orders that those who have cotton-padded clothes should wear their own first."
"Those who don't have cotton clothes, wrap yourself in a quilt first."
"Patrols and sentries must not be slack to prevent enemy sneak attacks."
Although he had never fought in a war, he knew that it was a good time to kill people on a dark and windy night!
This extremely bad weather is a good opportunity for the enemy to launch a surprise attack.
"Yes."
Chu Zhongyuan didn't sleep that night, and his expression became uglier the more he investigated.
According to statistics, about 90% of the soldiers' winter clothes were filled with reed fluff.
Only a small part of it is cotton, probably to prevent random inspections.
Lieutenant General Li looked very worried: "General, what should we do?"
"It just snowed, and it's not the coldest yet."
"In two months, it will be really cold, and even the stones will crack."
"If we submit the petition now, it may not be too late!"
"By the time the imperial winter clothing arrives, most of the people in the camp will be dead."
"Should we go to the homes of people in the surrounding towns and borrow some warm clothes?"
Mo Lingchen frowned, "How do you borrow it?"
Lieutenant General Li avoided the question with a guilty look, which meant that he had forced it.
Winter clothes are precious things. In this cold and bitter place where people can't even get enough food, not every family has them.
For families who don’t have winter clothes, most cats stay at home all winter.
Even slightly wealthier farmers only have one winter coat that can be worn outside, and everyone who goes out wears it.
For the wealthy families in the town, it was considered very respectable to have one for each person, and there were almost no extra replacements.
They forcibly snatched away the people's winter clothes, and it was the people who froze to death.
Mo Lingchen was determined not to do such an immoral thing!
"Then what do you think we should do?"
"We can't just stay wrapped in a blanket all the time. What will we do when the enemy attacks?"
"Running wrapped in a quilt?"
Mo Lingchen frowned, this was the cruel reality he had to face.
It would be fine if it lasted for a day or two, but if it lasted for too long, the other party would know their current predicament and would definitely take the opportunity to attack.
This battle is bound to be a defeat!
Regardless of success or failure, since these tens of thousands of lives have been entrusted to him, he has the responsibility to protect them.
"Let me think about it!"
"Why!"
Before Mo Lingchen could think of a good solution, he received even worse news.
"General, something terrible is happening."
Mo Lingchen stood up suddenly, thinking that the enemy was coming.
He gripped the sword at his waist and found that the person coming was Xiaobei.
"What's the matter?"
Xiaobei threw a bag of grain on the ground and opened the sack to show him that more than half of the rice was mixed with sand and stones.
"This is the food and supplies that were just delivered yesterday."
"I just discovered today that all of this is mixed with sand and gravel."
Soon after, Lieutenant General Li came in carrying two sacks.
"These are still good. The other 30% of the sacks are full of mud and sand."
Mo Lingchen's face was gloomy. Li Quan cursed angrily, "Is the imperial court trying to destroy our livelihood?"
"We're fighting on the front lines, and they're stabbing us in the back."
"What kind of thing is this? These damn civil servants are just bastards."
After Li Quan finished scolding, he realized that Mo Lingchen's expression was not right. Mo Lingchen was also a civil servant.
"General Mo, I... ahem... I'm not scolding you. You're a good officer."
Mo Lingchen's face turned black not because of Li Quan's words, but because of what those corrupt officials did.
Before, if he heard the military generals scolding the civil officials like this, he would definitely be angry.
Now he not only understands, he even wants to curse along with them!
What a bunch of bastards, a bunch of parasites and scum who only care about pursuing pleasure.
After Li Quan finished scolding, he scratched his head anxiously: "What should I do now?"
"We don't have cotton-padded clothes, and we don't have enough food. How can we fight this war?"
"Beat his grandma's legs, just slit his throat and commit suicide."
Mo Lingchen also knew how bad the situation was. Although the food was adulterated, it could still be eaten for a few days, but the problem of cotton clothes was really imminent.
Otherwise, within half a month, the 50,000 men under his command would surely be dead.
Even if he wrote a memorial immediately and sent it back at an expedited speed of eight hundred miles, it would still be too late!
Even so, he still had to send an urgent report back to Beijing as soon as possible!
Xiaobei stood aside, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, not knowing whether he should tell her that he had money.