In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

While the two were waiting, Zhao Zexuan arrived with his men. Seeing that the two were unharmed, Zhao Zexuan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Mo Bei, asking, "What happened? Why didn't you return to the camp even though it's dark?"

Upon hearing the question, Mo Bei immediately replied, "Some unexpected things happened, so we couldn't return to the camp in time. We'll report back later. General, please send someone with us to take a look."

Su Li also heard Zhao Zexuan's question, so she chimed in, "Things have taken a bit of a turn. Let's talk about it when we get back to camp. Come with us to the entrance first, or something might go wrong if we delay."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan asked curiously, "What's there?"

"There might be a lot of food. Let's go take a look!" Su Li urged.

Hearing Su Li's urging, Zhao Zexuan didn't ask any more questions and followed her toward the entrance.

Su Li and Mo Bei were standing far apart and didn't see clearly until they reached the entrance, where they discovered that the place where the grain was hidden was not a cave, but a small, dark tomb.

"General, we saw with our own eyes a group of people carrying grain out of there, and judging from their tone, this seems to be the place where the King of Wu secretly stores grain," Mo Bei replied respectfully.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan's expression grew even more serious. He knew the King of Wu; he had always liked to exploit the people, so it wouldn't be surprising if he were hoarding grain here.

He is still on the mountain, but he has heard about some things happening down there.

The capital has completely collapsed, and now those with some influence outside are recruiting soldiers. King Wu is one of them. The grain stockpiled here must have been prepared in advance by his men. They didn't expect to be so lucky as to run into it.

Looking at Zhao Zexuan's silent face, Mo Bei thought he was hesitating, so he said anxiously, "General, this grain is very precious to us."

Su Li assumed that Zhao Zexuan, like the other group, was wary of the so-called King of Wu, so she asked with some puzzlement, "You don't plan to touch this grain?"

Upon regaining his senses, Zhao Zexuan immediately denied the question, saying, "Of course not. Since we've run into each other, it's fate. This batch of things is destined to belong to us."

"Let's go in and see what's inside!" After saying this, Zhao Zexuan led his men into the tomb.

Seeing this, Su Li and Mo Bei followed them inside.

Holding a torch and walking ahead, Su Li looked around at the layout and couldn't help but admire the ingenuity of the craftsmen who built this place. Although it was located in the mountains, it was not damp at all; it was very dry, so grain stored here would not spoil easily.

Just as the people in the group said, there were no traps or mechanisms designed inside. Perhaps they didn't have time, or perhaps they felt it was unnecessary, so the journey to the end was very smooth.

Following the path to its end, they came to a large warehouse door. The soldiers stepped forward and opened the door, revealing a mountain of grain packed in sacks.

Next to the sack were several boxes piled up, the boxes were open, revealing gold and silver inside. The area around the boxes was a bit messy, with some jewelry and copper coins scattered around, which was probably caused by the group of people leaving in a hurry.

Upon seeing the scene before them, everyone couldn't help but widen their eyes. The sight was truly dazzling. The jewels inside were alright, but the food was the main attraction.

Zhao Zexuan hadn't expected there to be so much grain here; it looked like a large granary.

The condition of the grain inside still needed further confirmation, so at Zhao Zexuan's instruction, the soldiers opened the sacks one by one to check. After confirming that the grain inside was intact, they said with delight, "General, this grain is all genuine."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan nodded and said, "Since it's all true, go back and inform General Wang Zong to bring reinforcements. We'll transport the grain back tonight."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers happily agreed and immediately turned to leave to return to their camp to report the news.

With Zhao Zexuan's arrangements in place, Su Li no longer needed to worry about the matter. She then carefully circled the granary, and after returning to the entrance, she sighed, "I wonder how many people these things were plundered from."

Listening to Su Li's感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep feelings), Zhao Zexuan looked at the grain warehouse piled up like a small mountain and remained silent for a long time.

Just when Su Li thought Zhao Zexuan wouldn't speak again, Zhao Zexuan said, "The people's lives are always difficult. When those in power are extravagant and persecute the loyal and good, how can the people live a good life?"

Upon hearing this, Su Li fell silent, and then said, "So, it was because of their cruelty and extravagance that this dynasty was destroyed."

Hearing Su Li say this, Zhao Zexuan paused for a moment, and then said, "My Zhao family used to be responsible for guarding the safety of the border city and ensuring the peace of the people in the area. But because of the emperor's unfounded suspicion, he casually fabricated a crime and exiled all the men of the Zhao family, forcing the entire Zhao family to fall apart."

“I used to take it upon myself to protect the safety of the people, but now I find that idea somewhat ridiculous. When my family was convicted, not a single person stood up to help. Those who were once on good terms with me were quick to sever ties, and even the people we were protecting turned around and attacked us…”

It's unclear what touched Zhao Zexuan's heart, but he's being so candid now. Su Li listened to Zhao Zexuan's description and remained silent for a while, though she could somewhat understand his complicated feelings.

"So do you hate them now?" Su Li asked.

Looking ahead at the overflowing granary, Zhao Zexuan said, "I don't care anymore, or rather, I've figured it out. I think from now on, I will never let myself fall into that situation again."

Hearing this, Su Li didn't say anything more. She felt that Zhao Zexuan didn't need anyone to comfort him at the moment; perhaps all he needed was a listener.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Zexuan seemed to have recovered from his earlier emotions and said seriously, "I sent people down the mountain to inquire about the situation these past two days. This area has been affected by the disaster, so there will be many more refugees on the road than before. Everyone needs to be more vigilant after we go down the mountain."

Su Li understood this principle, but she had some concerns. She said, "The team has more and more supplies, and with all this food now, even if each person carries a sack, they can't carry this much. We still need to use carts and other means of transportation to get around."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zexuan said, "I will have the soldiers purchase a batch of carriages and horses."

Su Li completely agreed with Zhao Zexuan's arrangements, but she had a question and asked, "With so much food, won't the team be short-handed? What do you plan to do?"