If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

Looking at the system panel in front of him, Xu Qingshan suddenly felt much more at ease.

Liu Sandao frowned when he saw that he hadn't spoken for a long time.

"Xu Qingshan, what are you thinking, kid?"

"The person has been delivered to you, aren't you going to take them inside?"

Xu Qingshan raised his head, looked at Liu Sandao, and said, "I will take the man."

Liu Sandao was taken aback.

Several veterans nearby were also stunned for a moment.

They were originally waiting to see Xu Qingshan kneel down and beg for mercy.

After all, these eight criminal women might be considered a stroke of good fortune by others.

But to Xu Qingshan, they were eight begging mouths.

In his current wretched state, let alone supporting eight women, he might not even be able to support himself.

The one-eyed veteran Li Kui sneered, "Xu Qingshan, have you thought this through? Once you've taken the man, there's no going back."

Xu Qingshan glanced at him. "Did I say I was going to back out?"

Li Kui's expression darkened slightly.

This kid is acting a bit strange today.

In the past, when Xu Qingshan saw them, he wouldn't even dare to raise his head, let alone talk back.

Has he been frozen stiff today?

Liu Sandao ignored all of that and simply tossed a wooden plaque over.

Xu Qingshan reached out and caught it.

The wooden sign had a few crooked characters written on it.

Eight female criminals were exiled.

The military household was taken over by Xu Qingshan.

Below it is the military seal of Blackstone Fortress.

Xu Qingshan looked at the wooden sign and sneered inwardly.

It's quite formal.

This thing isn't entirely useless when you hold it in your hand.

At least on the surface, these eight people are now under his control.

If anyone dares to rob, it won't just be a few women, but the military households they're assigned to.

To put it more bluntly, it means they don't take military law seriously.

Although in places like Blackrock Fortress, military law is often less effective than force.

But something is better than nothing.

Xu Qingshan tucked the wooden plaque into his robes and said, "Since I was assigned to this position by the imperial court, shouldn't I receive a supplementary ration according to the regulations for military households adding men to their households?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Sandao was stunned.

The veterans also fell silent for a moment.

The laughter then grew even louder.

"Hahaha, what did he say?"

"Does he still want food rations?"

"Xu Qingshan, have you lost your mind from the cold?"

Li Kui laughed the most exaggeratedly, revealing his yellow teeth.

"You're just a starving soldier, and you dare ask the commander for rations?"

The smile on Liu Sandao's face slowly disappeared.

He stared at Xu Qingshan and said coldly, "Are you asking me for grain?"

Xu Qingshan nodded. "That's what it says in the military regulations."

Liu Sandao's eyes turned cold.

"Xu Qingshan, I think you really don't want to live anymore."

Xu Qingshan said calmly, "Of course I want to live."

That's why we need food.

Liu Sandao almost laughed out of anger.

He never expected that this spineless coward, who would never utter a word if beaten with a stick, would dare to bargain with him in front of so many people today.

But Xu Qingshan's words weren't entirely without merit.

According to regulations, a convicted woman should indeed be given a resettlement ration when she is assigned to a military household.

But once they arrived at Blackrock Fortress, no one paid any attention to these rules anymore.

Once they have the grain in their hands, how could they possibly give it up?

Liu Sandao narrowed his eyes. "How many do you want?"

Xu Qingshan said, "Eight people, at least twenty catties of coarse rice."

"fart!"

Liu Sandao immediately retorted, "Why don't you just rob me?"

Xu Qingshan looked at him and said, "I couldn't get it, so I'm asking you for it."

The smiles on the faces of the veterans were somewhat stiff.

That sounds so irritating!

Liu Sandao stared intently at Xu Qingshan.

Xu Qingshan did not dodge.

He knew very well that he couldn't back down now.

If you back down at the first step, these people will only become more and more aggressive.

He wants to set rules.

It's not just for these veterans to see.

It was also meant for the eight women behind him to see.

He is now in poor health, penniless, foodless, and without any support.

But the more this is the case, the less you can afford to show weakness.

People who are good are bullied by others, and horses who are good are ridden by others.

In this godforsaken place, if you give in even once, you'll be trampled on for life.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Liu Sandao suddenly sneered, "Fine."

He turned around and said to an old soldier behind him, "Go and get him ten pounds of coarse rice."

"A military leader?"

The veteran was taken aback.

Liu Sandao cursed, "Just go when I tell you to."

The veteran dared not speak again and turned to leave.

Not long after, he returned carrying a dirty cloth bag and threw it directly onto the snow.

The bag fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Liu Sandao stared at Xu Qingshan and said, "I don't have twenty catties, just ten catties."

"Take it or leave it."

Xu Qingshan walked over and picked up the cloth bag.

Ten pounds of brown rice is not much, even pitifully little.

But for him now, that's enough to get him through the night.

Xu Qingshan said, "Thank you, Commander Liu."

Liu Sandao snorted coldly.

Don't thank me too soon.

"Xu Qingshan, you've taken the man and the grain."

"If anyone dies, runs away, or causes trouble in seven days, I'll personally skin you alive."

After saying that, Liu Sandao turned and left.

Li Kui did not leave immediately.

He stared at the eight female criminals for a few moments, especially the tall woman with cold eyes, whose gaze was filled with greed.

"Xu Qingshan, I'll give you one more chance."

"Give me that tall guy, and I'll give you two pounds of jerky."

"How is it?"

Xu Qingshan looked at him. "Not for sale."

Li Kui's face darkened. "Are you sure?"

Xu Qingshan said calmly, "The government assigns the exiles, the military registers them, and the wooden plaque is in my hands."

"If you want to buy it, you can go to Liu Juntou to rewrite the document."

"Otherwise, it's like they're illegally seizing military households' belongings."

"Li Kui, you're a veteran, you should know more about military law than I do, right?"

The smile on Li Kui's face vanished completely.

Xu Qingshan's words left him feeling quite uncomfortable.

They were used to bullying Xu Qingshan and didn't take this good-for-nothing seriously at all.

But now that this kid has suddenly brought up military law, he really can't take action on the spot.

After all, Liu Sandao hasn't gone far.

Li Kui glared fiercely at Xu Qingshan.

"Fine, Xu Qingshan, you've got guts."

"I hope you'll still be this hard tonight."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Xu Qingshan watched his retreating figure, his eyes slightly cold.

at night?

Sure enough, these people had no intention of letting him go, nor did they intend to let the eight women go.

After the people outside the courtyard dispersed, the dilapidated courtyard finally quieted down.

A cold wind, carrying snowflakes, blew in from the top of the wall and landed on everyone.

Eight women stood in the courtyard, none of them speaking.

Xu Qingshan, carrying the bag of brown rice, turned around and looked at them.

"Go inside."

The eight women did not move.

They still looked at him with wariness.

Xu Qingshan wasn't angry.

If he were one of these women, he wouldn't trust a stranger just because of a few words.

Especially in places like this.

He put down the coarse rice and picked up the chipped wood-chopping knife.

The expressions of the eight women changed simultaneously.

The tall woman instinctively took a step forward, and although her hands were still bound, she still stood in front of the others.

Xu Qingshan glanced at her. "What's your name?"

The woman looked at him coldly, without answering.

Xu Qingshan didn't press the matter.

He raised his machete and slashed at the hemp rope on her wrist.

With a snap, the rope broke.

The tall woman paused for a moment.

Xu Qingshan then walked towards the second person.

Click.

The third.

Click.

Soon, the ropes binding the eight women were all cut.

They looked down at the marks on their wrists, their expressions varying.

There was surprise, unease, and silence.

The tall woman rubbed her wrists and finally spoke: "Aren't you afraid we'll run away?"

Xu Qingshan stuck his wood-chopping knife by the door and said, "If we run out, will we survive tonight?"

The woman is silent.

This is the northern border.

Outside the city are barbarians, inside the city are jackals.

They were penniless and didn't even have warm clothes.

Running away will only hasten your death.

Xu Qingshan pointed to the bag of brown rice, "There's a pot in the house, let's cook porridge first."

Among the eight women, one who looked a little older and had gentle features stepped forward.

"I can cook."

Her voice was soft, yet steady.

Xu Qingshan looked at her. "Name."

The woman whispered, "Shen Qinghe."

Xu Qingshan nodded, "From now on, you'll be in charge of the grain in the house."

Shen Qinghe was slightly taken aback.

She didn't expect Xu Qingshan to hand over the grain to her directly.

Although that bag of brown rice wasn't much, in this place, food was life itself.

He wasn't afraid she would keep it to herself?

Xu Qingshan did not explain.

He then looked at the tall woman. "And you?"

The woman paused for a moment, then said, "Xiao Hongluan."

Red Phoenix?

This name doesn't sound like that of an ordinary family's daughter.

Xu Qingshan didn't ask any further questions.

Everyone has their own secrets, and he has no interest in digging into them now.

He only cared about one thing—whether he could survive.

Xu Qingshan looked at everyone and said, "I don't have anything nice to say here."

"From now on, there are only three rules in this courtyard."

"First, if you want to eat, then work."

"Second, betrayal is forbidden."

"Third, tell me if anyone dares to bully you."

Xu Qingshan paused for a moment at this point.

"But remember this too."

"I can protect you once, but I may not be able to protect you a second time."

"So if you want to live, don't just wait for someone else to save you."

Xiao Hongluan looked at him, her eyes flickering slightly.

She had assumed this nobody would say some empty, nice things.

For example, reassuring them, or assuring them that they won't suffer in the future.

But Xu Qingshan didn't.

He said it harshly, but it was also very honest.

Shen Qinghe asked in a low voice, "And what about you?"

Xu Qingshan looked at her.

Shen Qinghe raised her head and said softly, "What do you want from us?"

Xu Qingshan smiled.

"Live on."

These three words suddenly silenced the room.

live...

But precisely in this place, those three words are more real than anything else.

Shen Qinghe didn't ask any more questions, turned around, picked up the brown rice, and went into the house.

Before long, smoke rose from the dilapidated house.

The brown rice porridge was so thin that you could see your reflection in it.

But as the steam rose, the eyes of the eight women unconsciously changed.

They hadn't eaten anything hot in a long time.

Xu Qingshan told Shen Qinghe to distribute the food to them first.

He only picked up half a bowl at the very end.

Seeing this, Xiao Hongluan frowned and said, "Aren't you afraid of starving to death?"

Xu Qingshan blew on the steam rising from the bowl. "I'm not going to die now."

Of course, the main reason is that I'm used to being hungry.

In his past life, when he worked overtime, it was common for him to eat only one meal a day.

I never expected that after time-traveling, I would still have to experience the hunger resistance of a working person.

This can be considered a good match for one's major.

After finishing a bowl of hot porridge, Xu Qingshan finally felt a bit of strength back in his body.

Just then, the system voice sounded again.

[Family resettlement completed.]

[Current level of trust from family members: Extremely low.]

[Temporary Reward: Health and mana restored by 10%.]

[Warning: Danger is approaching tonight. Please prepare accordingly.]

Xu Qingshan's eyes narrowed.

Danger approaching?

He looked up at the courtyard gate.

It's obvious who it is without even guessing.

Li Kui.

Xu Qingshan put down his bowl, got up, and walked into the courtyard.

Xiao Hongluan followed her out.

"They'll be here tonight."

Xu Qingshan glanced at her. "You noticed?"

Xiao Hongluan said, "The way that one-eyed old soldier looks at people doesn't seem like a soldier, it's like a bandit."

Xu Qingshan nodded. "You've practiced before?"

Xiao Hongluan did not answer, but only said, "You can't beat them."

Xu Qingshan laughed, "You're quite direct."

Xiao Hongluan said coldly, "I'm telling the truth."

Xu Qingshan looked at his arm.

indeed.

With his current physique, he would have a hard time even in a one-on-one fight, let alone dealing with a few veterans.

But fighting is never just about brute force.

Especially at night, and even more so in one's own yard.

Xu Qingshan picked up the hemp rope that had been cut during the day from the ground, and moved over some firewood, and started working behind the courtyard gate.

As Xiao Hongluan watched his actions, her expression gradually changed.

"A tripwire?"

Xu Qingshan looked up at her. "You understand this?"

Xiao Hongluan said calmly, "I've met you before."

Xu Qingshan did not expose her.

Women from ordinary families wouldn't recognize the tripwire at a glance.

He secured the hemp rope and hid the machete in the shadows behind the door.

Next, he dug up some of the frozen soil in the yard, inserted a few sharpened short pieces of wood at an angle, and covered them with a thin layer of snow.

Xiao Hongluan frowned slightly as she looked at it.

This technique is crude, but insidious.

This is especially deadly for those who think they have victory in the bag.

After finishing his work, Xu Qingshan went back inside.

The firelight inside the room was dim.

None of the eight women slept.

They clearly knew that tonight wouldn't be peaceful.

Xu Qingshan picked up a wood-chopping knife and sat down by the door.

"Keep quiet."

"Whoever comes in after this will die."