Chapter 1594: The Brothers Have Returned

"Brothers! Hahahaha! Brothers! We're back, we're back!"

The Cavalry at the very front, seeing a few people from the Western Development Group who were logging, could no longer contain their joy and shouted out directly.

The Workers logging, seeing that the expeditionary Soldiers had returned, all put down their tools and came out to the main road to welcome them: "Oh! You're back! How was the result? Did you wipe out the Wulian tribe?!"

The Cavalry did not dismount, for if they had not returned to their station, the mission was not considered over, but facing such enthusiastic inquiries from their own people, they all leaned their bodies forward as much as possible: "The results are certainly there! We captured many sheep, and several thousand Slaves! This time, your Western Development Group will be wealthy again!"

"Hahahahahaha! That's great! Then let's hurry back and tell the Regimental Commander."

The Cavalry raised a hand to stop them: "Oh, no need, no need. How long would it take for you to walk back? It would delay your work. It's just that we've been out for so long, seeing you all made me a bit excited, and I talked a bit too much. You continue your work; I'll just ride over quickly to notify them."

"Alright, alright, oh, that's great. We won't cut anymore either; we'll just watch here for a bit."

In the Cavalry troop, one rider immediately left the formation and charged toward the familiar Western Development Group camp. Along the way, he met many people and greeted them enthusiastically upon seeing them, but his pace did not stop.

It is currently the busy farming season. Although the wheat and such are still far from ripening, and because the climate here in the Western Development Group is colder, the wheat and soybeans were planted late and are still quite short at this time, so in some of the reclaimed farmland, one can see many people weeding.

This is the only time one can weed. Once they grow a bit longer, if you dare to run to the edge of the field and stand there, you will likely be scolded, because you would trample the seedlings, and by then the seedlings have already gained the advantage; the Grass inside has no advantage, so there is no need to fear them.

The Western Development Group does not have too many affairs, so Ce usually also has to go do some farm work or do some other things to reduce the labor burden of the Western Development Group, but he still has to set aside some time every day to handle Government Affairs Department matters.

His biggest government affairs now are handling some disputes among the Residents here, as well as arranging some engineering matters, distributing work, and so on. After all, the Western Development Group is not large, and most people have gone out to graze, so there are not many people left here.

The total number of people in the entire Western Development Group adds up to just a larger Village or a smaller town of later generations; there really are not many affairs to handle.

Hearing that the expeditionary Soldiers had returned, Ce also immediately went out from the fields. His hands were still covered in dirt, but he could not suppress his excitement; he brushed them off casually and went to welcome them. For the expeditionary Soldiers, even if his position was higher, he still had to show his attitude.

"Brothers! You have worked hard!"

The Cavalry, upon seeing Ce, immediately flipped off his horse and performed a military salute: "Regimental Commander Ce! Our combat mission this time has been completed. Now the main force is still about two kilometers away from here. I came over first to report. Please arrange the location for stationing, as well as the placement of the Slaves, cattle, and sheep."

Ce asked for a water gourd from his assistant and handed it to the Cavalry Soldier: "Come, drink a mouthful first. Tell me, how many Slaves did you capture this time, and how many cattle and sheep, and how much did you harvest?"

After the Soldier gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, he returned the gourd and wiped his mouth: "Regimental Commander Ce, this time, we captured over two thousand Slaves and more than three thousand cattle and sheep."

Ce clapped his hands in praise: "This is a great victory! The harvest is so bountiful! And what about you all? Did our Soldiers suffer any casualties?"

"No, the tribe we encountered, once they saw the disparity in strength, surrendered directly. We didn't even have to fight."

"Oh my, oh my, this is the greatest good news. No casualties is a good thing. Go rest quickly, no need to go back."

Ce turned his head and said to his assistant: "Quick, go have people clear out the cattle and sheep pens, and also clean up the pens for those Slaves. Get them locked in. Also, transfer a few of those Slave leaders over and let them handle the arrangements."

"Then, hurry and clear out that area at Dongpo to set up camp for our Soldiers, arrange the kitchen, slaughter sheep, and prepare to reward the army."

However, the Cavalry revealed a slightly different expression on his face and asked softly: "Regimental Commander Ce, can we make the mutton in some other way? It can't just be mutton soup, right? We've been drinking mutton soup every day for these past few days. It's not that we're tired of drinking it—you can't get tired of meat—it's just that my mouth is full of the gamey smell, and my whole body smells of it. Is there any other way to make it to change our palate?"

Ce replied with a smile: "Of course there is. Have the kitchen roast, boil, and stir-fry it—serve it all. Don't worry about the sheep; slaughter sixty of them—ah, slaughter eighty. Let the Soldiers eat well and be full, and improve the food for our own people too. In this busy farming season, we should eat some meat."

"Call all the women in the fields back; have them all come to help."

Once Ce gave the order, the assistant passed it down, and soon the entire Western Development Group was in motion. There were not many people left behind in the Western Development Group; except for those who were too far away to hear the call, everyone else rushed back at the first opportunity. Mainly, they would have to deal with the Slaves, cattle, and sheep later, so they needed more manpower.

After so many days of trekking, everyone was a bit tired. Actually, it was still related to psychological factors; the closer they were to home, the more tired they felt, because they knew they could have a good rest.

The driven cattle and sheep, encountering better water and Grass, were naturally very content. Those women and children did not know their fate, but they were not very worried either, because they were never the targets of slaughter, but property, just like these cattle and sheep, that could be traded.

The men were a bit worried. Although it was promised that they would not be killed, they found it hard to trust the guarantees of Huaxia. After such a great victory, wouldn't they have to perform a sacrifice upon returning? And wouldn't a sacrifice require killing people? The ones killed would surely be Lowly Slaves like them.

Among these Slaves, there were two people who were quite special, and Zhang was quite interested in them. One was the Tribal Chief Tuomao. Zhang discovered that he was truly a smart man. Even if he was a Slave, a Lowly Slave, one should think of a way to find him a suitable job; one could not waste such talent. Sending him to Huaxia would be more appropriate; there, even if he had the highest intelligence, he would not be able to stir up any trouble.

Besides him, there was naturally Wulian. Zhang had originally thought he was just a simple-minded, foolish big guy; otherwise, how could he have been tricked into charging the camp with only a few people? But later, through Tuomao, he learned that this foolish big guy was actually the number one Soldier of the Wulengge tribe.