Chapter 1057

First Volume, Chapter 1057: People's Livelihood Suffering

Shen Qingci spoke first, her brows slightly furrowed, her tone tinged with surprise.

"Feng'er, is this how you normally lead your troops into battle—so cold and heartless?"

"Fifty people, and you just had them killed?"

Facing Shen Qingci's question, Qin Feng couldn't help but chuckle.

He shrugged, dismissing it with a casual explanation: "This is nothing. On a real battlefield, fifty men? Even five hundred are just a number."

"In daily life, human life is worth a thousand taels; on the battlefield, it's worth nothing."

Qin Feng was not heartless—he had seen too many partings and deaths, understood the brutality of war too well, and thus held war at arm's length.

Unless absolutely forced, Qin Feng would never lightly raise arms.

Shen Qingci fell silent, glancing at Li Xiaolan and Jing Qianying, and saw that the two women's expressions were no better.

After all, in their minds, Qin Feng was gentle and witty; no one could have imagined his ruthless side could be so decisive in slaughter.

Yet all the women knew well: it was precisely because of Qin Feng's coldness and ruthlessness that they could live easy, comfortable lives.

Otherwise, these hardships and helplessness would fall upon them.

Thus, though the five women were startled, they did not dwell on it.

The convoy continued onward; these fifty roadblocks were merely fleeting passersby, leaving no lasting memory.

Within less than two days, everyone had forgotten those fifty men entirely.

But Qin Feng did not forget those stubborn elements who had tried to assassinate him; if one group came, another would follow. He was certain these stubborn elements were no small force—though not as extreme as a Border Official, they were certainly powerful clans.

After all, with Qin Feng's takeover of Bei Di, the entire landscape would shift—the so-called "reshuffling."

Once reshuffled, these local powerful clans' interests would inevitably be shaken.

The simplest way to strike back? Target Qin Feng, the "source."

As Qin Feng predicted, Liu Ming soon reported again: the essential route ahead had indeed seen another group—this time, their numbers had surged, not slightly, but to over three hundred.

That number was already double Qin Feng's guard force.

If close combat broke out, casualties were inevitable; for safety's sake, Qin Feng hesitated not a moment and ordered a detour.

Simultaneously, he dispatched the Anwu Guard to send orders to Li Zhang in Wang Du: investigate all factions within the Bei Di Royal Capital.

Though this move could not solve the immediate crisis, if it could pacify the aristocratic families and powerful clans of Bei Di and prevent them from sending large forces to encircle and intercept Qin Feng, it would be a major achievement.

As for small bands, Qin Feng was not afraid.

Of course, whether he feared them or not was one thing; whether to detour or not was another.

The convoy left the Official Road, taking a longer, circuitous route through rugged, desolate wastelands—speed dropped drastically.

At this rate, returning to Shedynasty would take at least another half-month.

But if it saved the lives of his own men, spending extra time was worth it.

Even Shen Qingci accepted Qin Feng's suggestion: taking the long way was better than clashing head-on with the Enemy Army.

Moreover, by leaving the Official Road, the convoy inevitably encountered Bei Di's "truest" people's livelihood.

When the convoy reached a village, Qin Feng was immediately drawn to the "heart-rending" scene before him.

The tiny village had no more than twenty or so houses, meaning fewer than twenty households.

Yet in this small village, over ten corpses lay scattered thickly across the ground.

These bodies lay sprawled at the village entrance or beneath trees—clearly not starved to death, but slaughtered.

The women, upon seeing this, were deeply troubled, especially Jing Qianying; as Bei Di Nü Huang, watching her own subjects suffer such a catastrophe, she felt unbearable guilt.

"Feng'er, what happened to this village? Why is it in such a state?"

Jing Qianying's face was grim, especially as her gaze fell upon the corpses—her entire demeanor sank.

Qin Feng, who spent his days among troops, had not seen such a scene in a long time.

Yet compared to the women's tension and sorrow, Qin Feng remained the calmest.

"It's obvious—this village was looted by bandits."

Hearing this, Jing Qianying frowned tightly.

"Bandits? The war has ended—why would anyone still commit such a heart-rending atrocity?"

Seeing Jing Qianying's righteous fury, Qin Feng could only smile bitterly.

"Such things are common—even in times of peace, they occasionally happen."

"Though the war has ended, this nation is still ten thousand miles from true peace."

"Every household is struggling."

"When the Common People have no means to survive, they turn to banditry; and bandits, to survive, must rob and plunder."

"Thus, the Common People harm the Common People—ultimately, it's all for a single meal."

War can never solve problems—only "grain" can resolve true people's livelihood crises; and to harvest grain, lasting peace is essential.

This scene before them was not bad for Jing Qianying.

Only by deeply understanding the suffering of people's livelihood could she empathize and craft policies truly suited to the Common People.

Watching Jing Qianying's dejected state, Qin Feng felt a pang of sorrow.

He immediately ordered the convoy to halt, instructing Wu Tang to lead a team into the village to search for survivors.

As Qin Feng expected, the entire village was empty.

Both the people and the grain had been completely looted.

Even if any villagers had survived by sheer luck, they had likely been abducted by bandits as labor—people themselves were assets.

Though this sounded cruel, it was the truth—and no one could change it.

Jing Qianying was heartbroken by the nation's devastation; after a long silence, she finally regained a sliver of strength and asked, her voice heavy with worry.

"Feng'er, what should I do to free the people from their suffering?"

Sensing Jing Qianying's hopeful gaze, Qin Feng simply extended two fingers and said bluntly: "First, authority; second, peace."

"Authority means establishing a new order."

"And peace is to give the people time to recover and restore their strength."

"Avoiding any unnecessary war is the very purpose of saving this nation."