Chapter 69: Transporting Food with a Drone

The Beijiang Junying encampment.

The crowd surrounded the Drone sent by Bai Wei, their expressions filled with astonishment.

"What is this?"

Xiao Moting also furrowed his brows tightly.

"Shennü Daren says this is called a Drone, and it can fly just like a bird."

"Gather all the craftsmen in the camp; you must figure out how to operate the Drone."

"Whoever learns to use the Drone first will be rewarded with ten buckets of Instant Noodles."

The city walls of Heyuan County.

"Captain Wang, the three hundred Death Squad members who left the city to seek reinforcements have all been killed by the Daye Army."

"Young Master Wang Sheng was struck in the chest by a Daye black-feathered arrow, his right arm is broken, and I fear..."

The soldier knelt on the ground to report.

Wang Ziyi's body swayed heavily, and he nearly fell to the ground.

The woman standing beside him immediately covered her face and wept bitterly.

"Sheng'er, my Sheng'er!"

"It's all your fault for saying Sheng'er had good martial arts skills and insisting he follow the Death Squad out of the city to seek help."

"Now Sheng'er is dead; he was my only son."

Wang Ziyi gripped his Long Sword hilt tightly, his voice erupting from between his teeth.

"Do you think he would have had a way to survive if he had stayed in the city?"

"The city is filled with the starving and the dead, there are plague patients everywhere, and the Daye Army is about to attack the city."

"Once the city falls, we will all die!"

Thump!

A soldier collapsed to the ground, eyes tightly shut, face flushed red, his whole body trembling incessantly.

"Another one has fallen ill!" Wang Ziyi's brows were locked in a frown as he let out a sorrowful breath. "Sheng'er, wait for me in the underworld for a few more days; your father and mother will come to join you soon."

A general walked forward. "Captain Wang, there is no more room in the Military Doctor camp, and there is no water or food. The doctors have all fallen ill, and some are so hungry they cannot get out of bed."

Wang Ziyi sighed and waved his hand.

"Then send him to the camp for isolation and let him fend for himself."

After speaking, he coughed twice, and fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He had also contracted the plague; his body was burning with fever, and he was only forcing himself to patrol the city walls.

With no water, food, or medicine in the county, those who fell ill could only wait for death.

Wang Ziyi turned around and said to the woman beside him.

"Madam, I won't live for many more days. The river is thawing, and the Daye Army will soon break into the city. There are only ten thousand soldiers left in the county capable of fighting; we cannot defeat them."

"The Daye people are cruel by nature, especially toward women and children."

"When the city falls, Madam, you should end your own life to suffer a little less."

The woman beside him, wearing a face mask, let out a sob immediately after hearing this and covered her mouth to weep.

The soldiers around them had numb expressions.

They were also sick or starving, and people were dying in their homes constantly; everyone was holding on with their final breath.

Everyone was skin and bones, their lips cracked and dry; they couldn't even carry their spears, so how could they fight?

At this moment, a general walked forward.

"Captain Wang, the soldiers are starving to the point of collapse. I heard that General Yang Wei is privately hoarding quite a bit of food."

"Please go and beg General Yang to distribute some of the food to us."

Wang Ziyi's brows furrowed deeply, and he shook his head.

"I have begged him many times; General Yang will not distribute it. He says this food is a reserve supply to be used for emergencies."

"Do not say any more; we are soldiers and must obey the Military Order."

The soldiers fell silent, but their eyes revealed a deep, profound sorrow.

Someone spoke in a low voice.

"We are sick without medicine, hungry without food, and thirsty without water, yet General Yang eats meat every day. Even the servants in his residence use only the best medicinal herbs when they fall ill."

"I heard that Yang Wei has found a group of people to dig a secret tunnel overnight, preparing to escape the city when the time comes."

"The Prince of the North brought sixty thousand reinforcements, but Daye has three hundred thousand elite troops. With such a disparity in military strength, how can we win?"

"Stop arguing. We are all going to die here, and the Daliang Kingdom... will also perish."

An atmosphere of despair permeated the crowd.

Wang Ziyi sighed and was just about to speak.

Suddenly!

A massive "buzzing" sound approached from afar.

"Everyone look, a monster, a monster bird!"

A burst of screams erupted from the crowd.

Wang Ziyi looked up and was instantly stunned.

In mid-air, a giant monster bird was flying toward the city walls.

This iron monster bird was gray all over, with four massive wings that rotated to fly, and a large cloth bag hung beneath its belly.

"This, what kind of bird is this?" Wang Ziyi was shocked.

The soldiers had never seen such a strange bird, so they crowded onto the city wall, looking up in astonishment.

"Strange birds appear in troubled times; it must be an omen of disaster! Shoot it down quickly!"

A general shouted sternly.

A dozen soldiers immediately drew their bows and nocked arrows, preparing to shoot the strange bird dead.

Just at this moment, Wang Ziyi suddenly let out a sharp shout.

"Stop! No one is allowed to loose their arrows!"

"This strange bird was sent by the Prince of Northern Suppression!"

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

The strange bird flew closer and began to descend steadily.

Everyone could see it more clearly now!

This was a bizarre gray iron bird; its body was massive, and surprisingly, it had not a single feather on it, being incomparably smooth.

On the bird's belly, the emblem of the Northern Frontier Army was clearly painted.

The strange bird's four large iron wings spun rapidly, whipping up a huge gust of wind on the ground.

Everyone was frightened and retreated one after another, clearing an open space.

"Clatter."

The cloth bag landed on the ground.

A large pile of steamed buns rolled out from the mouth of the bag, along with water in transparent bottles and palm-sized iron boxes; on the iron boxes, the image of fresh meat cakes was clearly drawn.

The crowd was shocked!

A moment later, someone suddenly roared with excitement.

"There are steamed buns, there is water, we have food!"

The cloth bag was actually filled entirely with food!

In an instant, green light flared in everyone's eyes as they scrambled forward to snatch it.

In the blink of an eye, the food was snatched clean.

The soldiers frantically stuffed the steamed buns into their mouths, their eyes brimming with tears of excitement!

It had been a long time since they had eaten fragrant, delicious steamed buns!

The people in the county were nearly driven mad by hunger!

Wang Ziyi was a step too slow and didn't manage to grab any.

He saw that there was still a letter on the cloth bag.

"I am the Prince of Northern Suppression, Xiao Moting. Having received Wang Sheng's intelligence, I learned that the city is without water, food, or medicine."

"Wang Sheng has already been sent to the Military Doctor camp to treat his injuries. I am using this Drone to send you food."

"After receiving this, if you need anything else, write a letter and bring it back to the Northern Frontier Army."

Wang Ziyi's pupils contracted violently, and his nostrils flared rapidly!

His shoulders trembled, and he could barely hold the letter.

His son... was actually still alive!!

The woman stumbled forward, "My lord, who wrote this letter?"

"This is a letter sent by the Prince of Northern Suppression," Wang Ziyi said, trembling. "He says... he will send us rice and grain, and he also says Sheng'er is recovering from his injuries in his camp!"

The woman was stunned, and then tears gushed from her eyes.

"Sheng'er is not dead?"

Wang Ziyi took a deep breath, calmed his surging emotions, and nodded heavily.

"He is still alive; it was the Prince of Northern Suppression who saved him."

The woman covered her mouth, weeping with joy.

"Sheng'er, my Sheng'er!"

Her legs went weak, and she knelt on the city wall, kowtowing incessantly toward the direction of the Northern Frontier Army while crying.

"Thank you, Prince, for saving the only heir of our Wang family."