It was simple for Xu Xing to rally the crowd, as the refugees' hatred for Xue Ba and Dong Chao had reached an exaggerated level. Especially after she revealed her true identity, countless people cheered, as if her arrival meant justice had arrived.
Xu Xing then said to Li Yiqiang, "For now, you can continue to cook porridge for the refugees. I will bring back the grain. Once I do, we'll gather the refugees and surround Jiucheng, ensuring that all wrongdoers cannot escape. Also, quickly send for firearms. I recall that by water route, it only takes a day. Please hurry."
When Li Yiqiang learned that Xu Xing might be going to borrow grain, he said with a wry smile, "The refugees in Jiucheng are currently prohibited from moving freely, especially in the border areas. Refugees are always being driven away. I don't think it will be easy for you to borrow grain from Zhaotong."
After hearing this, Xu Xing frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "How will we know if we don't try? Since there is grain in Zhaotong, even if I have to resort to force, I will bring the grain back. I mean what I say."
Li Yiqiang really wanted to ask Xu Xing why she didn't let Yuzhou help. If Yuzhou intervened, the crisis in Jiucheng could be resolved instantly. But now, it seemed Xu Xing only had two people handling matters in Jiucheng, which was far too few.
Xu Xing couldn't explain the situation easily, as this mission was for her to resolve independently. If she asked for help, it would be equivalent to admitting that she couldn't complete the task alone. If that happened, it would become impossible for her to deal with bandits in the future.
Xu Xing also believed that she could successfully borrow the grain. Next, she prepared to head south to Zhaotong. In Xu Xing's opinion, borrowing grain was a sure thing. The urgent need for weapons was also resolved with the appearance of Gangcheng. Gangcheng had many more weapons than Jiucheng. Especially since Gangcheng had iron and coal mines, producing weapons was a simple matter. Moreover, it was close to the Yangtze River waterway, making the transportation of supplies incredibly easy.
Li Yiqiang quickly said, "I have a motorcycle in my truck. You two, go and come back quickly. If the number of refugees here becomes too large, I won't be able to control the situation."
"That's perfect, lend it to us. We'll go and come back quickly," Xu Xing said immediately.
Li Yiqiang then opened the truck and prepared to cook porridge. Although it wasn't possible to feed everyone, at this moment, being able to eat a bowl of porridge was the happiest thing. When the refugees saw this, they obediently began to queue up, mainly because the other party had firearms. If they dared to snatch anything now, they would inevitably face an attack. Therefore, they could only wait for the distribution of the rice porridge.
Xu Xing received the motorcycle but didn't know how to use it, as she hadn't learned before. Fortunately, Lin Yue, who was riding the motorcycle, said, "Get on, hold me, and I'll take you. It's clear you've never driven before."
Xu Xing then sat behind the motorcycle but only reached out to grab Lin Yue's shoulder and said seriously, "Drive quickly. It's impossible to hold you. I'm not your wife. Let your wife hold you instead."
Lin Yue didn't answer at this moment. After shifting gears, he gripped the handlebars and twisted them. Then, the motorcycle sped off with a "putt-putt-putt," heading rapidly south.
Just four hours later, Xu Xing and Lin Yue arrived at the border of Zhaotong. Beside the boundary marker, there was a checkpoint, and a group of soldiers blocked the road. They shouted from afar, "Who are you? What are you doing here? Stop immediately."
Lin Yue calmly said, "We're from Yuzhou. Go and report to your superior immediately and tell them that people from Yuzhou have arrived."
Then, Lin Yue stopped directly at the checkpoint. Xu Xing shouted, "Let us pass quickly. Don't delay our time."
Borrowing grain was a crucial matter, especially with the large number of refugees outside the city. If the grain couldn't be brought back in time, chaos would erupt among the refugees. The grain Li Yiqiang had could only last for a little over a day. Therefore, at this moment, Xu Xing wanted to pass through this checkpoint quickly.
"Halt! This is not a place you can just pass through. You are coming from Jiucheng. The higher-ups have stated that people from Jiucheng are not allowed to go south. You claim to be from Yuzhou, do you have any proof?" The soldiers were very responsible and directly blocked the two, showing no intention of letting them pass.
Xu Xing immediately got off the vehicle and said, "I have Yuzhou grain coupons on me. Take a look. Does this count as my proof?"
The only thing Xu Xing could think of as proof was the grain coupons she had. In the doomsday era, each region had its own grain settlement methods. Generally, each region used its own grain coupons for settlement. As a result, the grain coupons used in different regions were all different in style, and coupons could only be used in the local area.
However, after Xu Xing took out her grain coupons, the other party continued to say, "Even if you are from Yuzhou, you cannot pass. Headquarters has ordered that people from Yuzhou are not allowed to move around freely. Go back. If you have any objections, have your City Lord Shen Feng come in person, otherwise, you are not allowed to pass."
Xu Xing had originally wanted to explain seriously, at least to clarify her identity and purpose. But at this moment, the other party mentioned Shen Feng and even spoke arrogantly, demanding that Shen Feng come in person to be allowed to pass. Xu Xing was immediately enraged and said, "You're really taking a chicken feather as a command token. Do you really think you can stop me?"
After speaking, Xu Xing stomped on the ground with one foot. When her foot landed on the ground, it directly caused a violent tremor. The entire road surface shook violently, creating ripples. The solid ground turned as if it were water. Such a drastic change was unexpected by the soldiers, who immediately lost their balance and fell to the ground.
Xu Xing then jumped onto the motorcycle and urged Lin Yue, "Run quickly, while we have the chance."
The checkpoint by the roadside was relatively simple, with only a few barrier poles across the center. Now, Xu Xing had used her abilities to damage the surrounding ground. The ground around them was a mess. Taking advantage of this, Lin Yue rode the motorcycle away.
"Quickly contact your superiors. It would be best if someone is waiting for us when we reach Zhaotong. Otherwise, don't blame us for breaking down the city walls," Lin Yue said coldly, then sped away.
After the soldiers got up from the ground, they looked at each other, completely surprised that these two were actually ability users, and their destructive power was so immense. In an instant, they had damaged the surrounding ground beyond recognition. Not to mention the road surface, even the surrounding hillsides had collapsed. Centered on the checkpoint, the ground within a radius of one hundred meters was completely destroyed. At this time, Lin Yue and Xu Xing had already left.
"They are ability users? What are they going to Zhaotong for? Are they looking for trouble?" some soldiers began to ask.
"How could that be? We haven't offended Yuzhou, why would they look for trouble?" the captain immediately retorted.
"But back in Yanjing, wasn't Yue Hengyi alone? The casualties at that time were very severe. In my opinion, the woman who appeared just now is not much different. Just one stomp, and the surrounding ground was overturned. If no one can control her, these two will definitely cause huge casualties."
"I'm going to report what happened to the higher-ups now. You continue to guard here. Remember, you cannot let the refugees go south."
After forcibly passing the southern checkpoint, Xu Xing and Lin Yue finally arrived in Zhaotong. This place was famous for its apples, which were very sweet. However, there were too many mountains around, making transportation a problem. Many of the fields here were on the mountains, and it was unrealistic to use large machinery for farming. At most, small agricultural machinery could be used.
Xu Xing was very suspicious, "Are there really enough grains here? Is Elder Monk Zhizhen not lying to me?"
Lin Yue didn't answer, but continued to move forward. Xu Xing continued to observe. Although there were many mountains here, the arable land had basically been cultivated. Wheat seedlings could be seen in many fields. At this time, Xu Xing finally believed that Zhaotong had grain.
When the two finally arrived outside Zhaotong city, it was already dusk. After running all day, the motorcycle's exhaust pipe was scorching hot, hot enough to fry an egg. At this moment, Xu Xing and Lin Yue saw a group of people appearing outside the city. These people were all wearing formal attire, and many people were surrounding them. From a glance, one could tell their identity; they must be the local leaders.
After Xu Xing and Lin Yue stopped, someone immediately came forward, "Mr. Lin Yue, Miss Xu Xing, may I ask what brings you to Zhaotong? We contacted Yuzhou during the day, and Lord Fengshen said he didn't ask you to come to Zhaotong. May I ask what you are here for?"
Xu Xing didn't hide anything and directly stated, "I'm here to borrow grain. You are adjacent to Jiucheng, so you must know that Jiucheng has been occupied by two demons. It has become a living hell. I am here to completely resolve the problem of Jiucheng, which is why I am here."
Lin Yue originally wanted to negotiate a bit. After all, they were all minding their own business. Even though Yuzhou was blockaded, they were all family in the southwest region, and they could basically understand each other's dialects. A little pleasantry was normal. But at this moment, Xu Xing directly stated her purpose, which was clearly a lack of negotiation skills.
After hearing this, the Zhaotong leaders smiled and said, "I see. Let's go into the city to talk. As for grain, we are not well-off either, but we can still provide ten to twenty tons. Let's discuss this slowly."
Upon hearing this, Xu Xing immediately felt something was wrong. If they only gave ten tons of grain, it would be of no help. There were at least fifty thousand refugees outside Jiucheng. These refugees were restricted from moving and had dug up all the rat holes around. Estimating based on fifty thousand people, if each person ate five hundred grams of grain per day, the total would be two point five tons of grain, which was the minimum standard. Ten tons of grain, if saved, would only last for five days, which was still too little. Once there was a slight mishap, the grain would run out. Therefore, at least fifty tons of grain would be needed.
"How should we make our request next?" Xu Xing then looked at Lin Yue, as if seeking his opinion.
At this point, Lin Yue could no longer stand it. He quietly said, "When you eat later, remember to drink wine, but don't drink too much. Then, act according to my signals. I will state the conditions. If the other party disagrees, then you prepare to act like a drunkard."
Lin Yue had not intended to intervene, but if he didn't find a way, then according to Xu Xing's personality, she would definitely resort to threats. If that led to a deterioration of relations between the two sides, it would inevitably cause trouble for Yuzhou. Therefore, he had to find a way.
"Act like a drunkard: I can't do that. Besides, I'm a woman. Acting like a drunkard in front of so many important figures, wouldn't that be too much?" Xu Xing was somewhat displeased upon hearing Lin Yue's suggestion. Acting like a drunkard would always damage her reputation, no matter when.