A Farm Girl: Three Acres of Fertile Land Can Be Exchanged for a Country

Chapter 59 Walking Alone

That night, after setting up camp, Lieutenant Li came to find her again and handed her a map with a winding road marked in ink.

"This is the shortest route to Queensland. If you want to set off, just follow that fork in the road tomorrow."

Holding the map, Wutong couldn't help but ask, "Am I only allowed to travel alone? Will you be going to Kunming?"

Lieutenant Li said, "We will also leave, but according to the Prince's arrangements, we must first go to Fuzhou and other places, where the disaster is more severe. After it's over, we will pass through Kunzhou on the way."

If you're just passing by, it means you won't have much time to stay. You might pass by in a few days and never even reach Zhoujia Village.

From this perspective, it is indeed better for her to act alone. After all, the army has important matters to attend to and cannot delay important tasks by having her stay in one place alone for too long.

Wutong looked down at the map and nodded: "Okay, I'll set off tomorrow. Thank you, Commander Li."

"You're too kind." Lieutenant Li glanced outside the tent, where a stubborn figure stood. He asked, "Are you taking this boy with you too?"

Wutong gave a wry smile: "Yes."

If you leave him alone, Nanxing will definitely go crazy.

Lieutenant Li said, "He's not like an ordinary person."

Wutong had already noticed this, but no matter how she asked, Nanxing refused to say, so she had no choice but to give up.

She hesitated, unsure of what to say.

Lieutenant Li glanced at the sky and said, "I should go back now. You go ahead with your work."

He walked out with his hands behind his back. Judging from his back, he was still the same silent general he had seen when recruiting soldiers outside Nan'an City, never smiling.

As Wutong saw him off, Lieutenant Li suddenly turned around and looked at her meaningfully: "The General really wants you to go back, you know that, right?"

Wutong nodded and hummed in agreement.

As soon as Lieutenant Li left, Nanxing rushed over.

"What were you talking about?"

Wutong pinched his nose, then went back into the tent and put the map away.

Nanxing was unwilling to give up and followed her closely, determined to get to the bottom of it.

Finally, Wutong extinguished the candles, lay down by the flickering campfire light streaming in from outside, patted the empty blanket beside her, and said, "Go to sleep, we have to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

The tent was cramped, and since there were no clothes to wear, people could only sleep on the ground.

Nanxing obediently lay down and asked, "Are we going to your hometown?"

Wutong hummed in agreement.

Nanxing closed his eyes, ready to sleep, feeling at ease because Wutong hadn't abandoned him.

Wutong realized she should try to find out more about his background, so she asked, "Where is your hometown? Would you like to go back and visit?"

Nanxing stiffened for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't want to."

"why?"

He rolled over, buried his face in the blanket, and a muffled voice came from inside: "It's so boring there."

Could this kid have gone through a rebellious phase and run away from home?

Wutong was puzzled, but no matter how she asked, Nanxing refused to say another word.

When I opened my eyes again, it was just getting light; it was already morning.

The cooks were chopping wood to prepare breakfast when Wutong woke Nanxing up. The two dismantled the tent, neatly arranged their belongings, tied themselves to their horses, washed their faces in the ditch, and then bid farewell to Lieutenant Li.

Zhao Sanyang went out to urinate and happened to run into them. After asking, he learned that Wutong was leaving alone and was very disappointed.

"Come back soon..."

He waved to the sycamore tree.

Wutong, riding on her horse, turned back and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll definitely bring you some delicious food."

She has money, and once she finds a town, she can buy whatever she wants.

Zhao Sanyang was overjoyed to receive the promise and was about to thank him when he saw Nanxing hug Wutong's waist, lift her leg with all her might, and use her heel to lift Fufu's buttocks.

With a neigh, Fu Fu charged forward like it was on steroids, its figure quickly disappearing into the morning mist.

Zhao Sanyang sighed sadly, shook his head, and went to urinate.

After breakfast, the 3,000-person team set off again, marching in a grand procession in a different direction from Wutong.

They had only been gone for a morning when a soldier suddenly rode up on horseback to report: "Lieutenant Li, someone behind us wants to see you."

In this desolate wilderness, who would come looking for him?

Lieutenant Li turned around in confusion and saw a familiar figure at the end of the column.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a sycamore tree.

She clutched her aching back, panting heavily, while Nanxing led the horse behind her.

“Commander Li…” Wutong ran a few steps and stopped in front of him.

Lieutenant Li was even more puzzled: "Why are you back again?"

Wutong said bitterly, "I had no choice. The road ahead was flooded, and there was nowhere to go."

Lieutenant Li frowned: "The road is flooded?"

"Yes, there is water everywhere, like a lake, and there is no way to go."

After walking for several hours with great effort, she suddenly saw this scene. Unwilling to give up, she turned back and prepared to have Fufu carry the two of them to see if they could get through.

As a result, Fu Fu stepped into a mud pit hidden underwater, and half of the horse's body sank in. It took her and Nan Xing a lot of effort to pull it out.

With no way forward, they had to go back to find the main force. However, Fufu was frightened and refused to carry anyone. The two had no choice but to walk on foot, leading Fufu. They hurried along and finally caught up with Lieutenant Li, so tired that they could hardly straighten their backs.

Lieutenant Li took out the document the messenger had given him earlier, looked at it again and again, and said, "This shouldn't be... We were supposed to go directly to Fuzhou to help build the dam. Once the dam was built, it would naturally stop the flood. How could it be flooded now?"

Wutong was also confused and shook her head.

Lieutenant Li put away the documents and said, "Let's move forward and see."

The situation was urgent, and they didn't even have time to eat. They ordered a forced march to move forward at a faster pace.

After walking for less than an hour, the main force also ran out of ground.

Before my eyes was a vast expanse of white, like a sea. The mountains were submerged, leaving only the mountaintops and the trees with only their treetops remaining. Where was there any road?

The three thousand soldiers all looked at Commander Li, unsure of what to do.

If they can't get through, it's okay if they've made a wasted trip, but if the floodwaters can't recede, it's not just a matter of three thousand lives.

Commander Li ordered the repairs to be completed, and then summoned Zhao Sanyang, instructing him to release a carrier pigeon.

About half an hour later, a number of wooden boats appeared in the distance on the water, numbering nearly a hundred.

Li Duwei hurried to the water's edge, and Wutong followed, standing on the bank, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

Soon, the ships approached. The lead ship had tents with guards standing outside.

The boat stopped, and a guard lifted the curtain, from which emerged a middle-aged man dressed in an official robe.

Standing on the boat, he looked down at Lieutenant Li and asked, "Are you one of Abdo's men?"

Lieutenant Li nodded and reported to the gatekeeper.

End of this chapter