The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 272 is going viral.
It's early July in the lunar calendar, which is the hottest time of the year.

In the vast desert, three thousand miles away from Jinzhou Pass.

The 20,000-strong Bei army, led by General Xiong, Lieutenant General Tian, ​​and General Gan of the Vanguard Battalion, is on its way back to Hamiwei.

However, he looked rather disheveled as he walked.

The horses they rode carried not only people but also the spoils their owners had seized.

The burden was already somewhat overwhelming.

Combined with the scorching sand beneath their feet, their walking speed was exceptionally slow.

Xiong Zhen impatiently wiped his forehead, which seemed to be covered in sweat that would never end, and couldn't help but swear:

"Hot! Damn it, it's so hot! If I fainted from the heat in this desert, I'd be dried into a human jerky!"

Riding on his right, Tian Jiu muttered under his breath:

"Who told you to lead the team on this trip? Now look what happened! That Fire State chieftain was slaughtered by the Angmen and is probably a stray dog. He never dreamed that you would personally lead an army of 20,000 to attack his hometown!"

The muttering wasn't loud, but General Xiong was in his prime, with sharp hearing and eyesight!
His eyes widened, and the fragrance continued:

"What the hell are you babbling about? If I hadn't come along, how would I have known that the chieftain of just one prefecture of the Hu people actually had so many good things hidden in his mansion!"

This trip was definitely worthwhile!
The nobles of the Fire State were extremely obsessed with gold.

They especially like to collect various solid, fat sheep, strong leopards, and adorable pigs cast in gold.

Take, for example, the spoils that his personal guards, including One-Eyed, shoveled out of the Fire State chieftain's warehouse.

The largest solid golden bull weighs over ten kilograms, and even the smallest golden rat weighs no less than two ounces.

Each one was muscular and strong, with flowing body hair, and varied in appearance, exhibiting a rugged, wild style reminiscent of nomadic peoples.

He believes that the fineness of gold collectibles is not important; as long as they are substantial, they are good items.

Women's jewelry such as agate beads, turquoise, and mutton fat jade, or glassware, were not to his liking.

Real men only care about gold!

After silently assessing what I had gained from the trip, I felt too embarrassed to complain about the awful weather anymore.

He glanced sideways at Tian Jiu:
"Let me tell you clearly, the Seven Guards of Guanzhong will need to resettle hundreds of thousands of refugees, and it will cost money no matter where they go."

I won't bother arguing with your bunch of wolves over the spoils they've plundered these past few days.

But don't even think about military pay for the next few years!

Tian Jiu cursed inwardly: Those little brats are like hungry wolves entering a sheepfold; they never stop robbing!
General Xiong and his men were focused on the nobles of Huozhou, and his bastards had robbed several large manors in succession.

Most of the vineyards grow grapes, while a small portion grows cotton.

Regardless of the value of the raisins, wine, and cotton cloth looted from these estates, these estate owners were also wealthy.

They were all scrambling for it!
During this time, he also caused considerable harm to the daughters and concubines of these families.

Ouch! The bloody scratches on his back, soaked in sweat, stung terribly.

I couldn't help but smack my lips; the women of the Western Regions are damn beautiful!
Her dancing posture was absolutely captivating!
Despite being over forty years old, General Xiong reportedly enjoyed five or six meals in the past three days.

They even plan to take the used ones back to the General's Mansion.

Tian Jiu's mind was racing, but she still answered honestly:
"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it! The brothers aren't fools! They haven't seen the court give them a single copper coin in military pay for over ten years, they're used to it!" People who are afraid of poverty are easily swayed.

They want to take everything they see into their own home.

After having been through this, who would still care about the meager military pay?
Xiong Zhen looked back at the long caravan behind him from horseback, with the same satisfaction as a landlord looking at his own granary.

When in a good mood, I couldn't help but tease them:

"Just look at these bastards, and you'll know that General Gan is the only reliable one when it comes to guarding those stolen inanimate objects, leading the vanguard battalion to herd the cattle and sheep!"

Tian Jiu wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, then couldn't help but mutter to himself:

Isn't it all because you were too greedy? You almost wiped out all the cattle and sheep in that huge area of ​​Huozhou!
Finally, everyone was forced to find a way to drive the more than 500,000 black sheep and more than 50,000 cattle that had been stolen from Huozhou back to Hamiwei!
On the way back, it's either the Gobi Desert or the Gobi, and this military order was issued on a whim. Is this something a human would do?
"The capable should do more! The capable should do more! General Gan was able to take on this important task because he had the help of the Rat King and the Wild Horse King to herd the sheep! We can't compare to General Gan!"

"Ha! You're lucky you have some self-awareness. Ten of you wouldn't be a match for one General Gan!"

"I agree with what you say! Hehe, I don't feel ashamed at all that I can't compare to General Gan!"

"You're really something!"

"Ahem, General, you may find Huozhou too hot now, but it must be very warm here in winter! Otherwise, so many sheep wouldn't have survived until now. I wonder what those big, black-rumped sheep taste like?"

"Get lost! How could mutton not be delicious? Tonight, I'll have those wolf cubs slaughter a thousand sheep and roast them! Before we go to bed, I'll also stuff a thousand sheep stomachs with meat and bury them in the fire to simmer! This method is truly unique!"

"Order!"

After arranging tonight's meals, Xiong Zhen couldn't help but swallow his saliva frantically.

I'm not hungry, I'm just craving something.

To divert his attention, his gaze fell upon the wagons carrying the spoils of war.

Well, on this trip, I acquired over ten thousand top-quality Hu horses.

Beautiful!
To be honest, this trip wasn't without its regrets. One regret was that, fearing to alert the Weilumu troops who lived not far from Huozhou, the army only managed to raid within Huozhou for three days and three nights.

Another regret is that among all the looted spoils, there wasn't much grain or food.

The locals still mainly rely on animal husbandry, and the plantations mainly grow fruits such as grapes, apricots, and winter melons.

They grow very little wheat and millet, and also some beans such as black beans, peas, and mung beans.

Bean rice, though, is edible!
Personally, his favorite is still sesame from the Fire State.

The sesame oil extracted from these sesame seeds has a fragrant and rich aroma, and he never gets tired of eating it.
When troops are deployed, the vanguard battalion leads the way.

Upon their return, the vanguard battalion was cut off from the rear.

While preventing enemy attacks on the rear, the vanguard battalion was also tasked with guarding herds of cattle and sheep.

These cattle and sheep also suffered greatly.

On the way here, I didn't see many oases.

The warhorses had beans provided by the officers and soldiers for food, but the herbivorous cattle and sheep had neither grass to eat nor water to drink.

With their speed, it would be good if they could reach Hamiwei in twenty days!

(End of this chapter)