The Blessed Beauty Returns with a Dimension-Chapter 984 - 960: They’re Back

The Turkic Khan Ashina Zanzhi received this letter, and it felt heavy.

In the midst of war, one must not kill a messenger.

This is the rule.

But upon seeing this letter, Zanzhi felt something was amiss.

There had been no news from Ye Lvqi, not a single person had returned.

Five thousand soldiers and Ye Lvqi had vanished without a trace.

Whether they were alive or dead was hard to determine.

This letter was no different from the previous one, and they were still demanded to pay ransom and provide slaves and horses to exchange for their people.

Of course, this time Ye Lvqi was added to the list.

Moreover, the other party's conditions were more than doubled.

Zanzhi knew in his heart that it was likely his great general Ye Lvqi had also been captured.

No news at all signified a major victory for them.

This time, he dared not hastily dispatch troops. The five thousand men under Ye Lvqi were all strong and sturdy.

They went but never returned, and there was no sound.

The spies he sent out to investigate for a long time found no one who knew the whereabouts of Ye Lvqi.

All they knew was that Ye Lvqi's troops went to the enemy's village, and then there was no more news.

There were also rumors that on that day, with lightning and thunder, Ye Lvqi had been taken by heavenly soldiers.

No matter what had happened, Ye Lvqi was certainly in their hands now; since they dared to send a letter, they surely had the people.

Zanzhi had no choice but to gather all the ministers to discuss what to do.

This year, the Turks faced a rare ten-year-snowstorm, and in such weather, their own food wasn't sufficient. There weren't enough horses to sustain, and countless cattle and sheep froze to death.

Now there's also such a heavy ransom to be paid. Although they could surely come up with it, the impact would be long-lasting.

Not redeeming the people was impossible; whether it was Ye Lvqi or Hamid, they were important ministers of their royal family.

Otherwise, it would chill the hearts of the tribes who followed them.

After a meeting, they concluded that it must have been the guards at Yanmen Pass who did this.

These Southerners were too cunning, trying to deceive them into thinking it was the work of ordinary villagers; how could that be possible?

If ordinary people had such military strength, how could they dare to bully Southerners this way?

There were few Southerners with such gallantry. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Not knowing what kind of trickery the other side used, they dared not act recklessly and had to obediently send over all their horses, cattle, sheep, and slaves.

Jiang Xiaoxiao and the others were overjoyed on this side, suddenly receiving tens of thousands of horses.

And they were all the strongest Xiongnu horses.

They also instantly received 50,000 Southern slaves.

Though mostly women, children, and the elderly, these were still people.

Given time to recuperate and grow, these people would definitely be labor force.

They opened up so much barren land, and Jiang Xiaoxiao even developed the mountains.

Not only planting trees but also raising chickens, ducks, pigs, and cows!

All were to be freely ranged.

These newborn laborers would naturally create more wealth in the future.

Looking at those slaves with numb expressions and in rags, Jiang Xiaoxiao felt pain in her heart.

Treated like penned-up livestock, these people had long lost their will; they probably lived like cattle and sheep, and even though they had returned to the Southern Land, they still huddled together cautiously.

Alertly watching their surroundings, nobody dared speak loudly or act rashly.

Looking at the familiar places, they only felt astonished.

How could the Turks just return them so well?

Often being released meant death, as Turkic nobles, for amusement, would select some strong men or children from among their slaves, driving them to run, and hunted them like prey, leaving them constantly on edge.

But here they had arrived.

No one dared believe they had escaped alive.

Jiang Xiaoxiao and her people handed out porridge; these people hadn't eaten for a long time, each trembling while holding a broken bowl when they received the porridge, hardly daring to believe it.

To them, food was a broth made from grass seeds, roots, bark, or whatever they could find.

If lucky, catching a field mouse or a rabbit by chance helped improve their lives slightly.

Of course, there were the bones thrown at them without meat by the slave-owning nobles for fun, which they would cook into soup if nothing else than to fill their stomachs.

They were no better than cattle, sheep, pigs, or horses.

In the eyes of the Turks, they were called two-legged sheep but were far less than sheep, unworthy of eating fodder like sheep.

They had no rights to eat any food.

Turkic grain was precious and not for them to eat.

But now, the porridge in front of them was clearly thick porridge.

Chopsticks stuck in, and it would not topple.

They hadn't had such food for years, holding that bowl of porridge with a dazed expression, unsure if eating it meant immediate death.

No one dared to move their chopsticks. Everyone silently watched the porridge in front of them as its heat dissipated.

No matter how Li Tieniu and Lin Dawang persuaded them to eat quickly, nobody dared.

Li Tieniu and Lin Dawang empathized; these people lived as if no longer human, more like wooden figures.

A word or command, and they followed.

The slightest loud noise, and like startled birds, they all curled up together, seemingly feeling safe that way.

Jiang Xiaoxiao watched, feeling heartache.

She walked over, personally filled a large bowl with porridge from the pot, and brought it in front of everyone with chopsticks.

Her every move was closely watched, though these people kept silent, their eyes scanned warily around.

No movements escaped their eyes.

With such vigilance, they survived to this day.

What was she going to do?

Jiang Xiaoxiao came before them, "You all are our brothers and sisters, our fathers and brothers. You fear, you worry, you're afraid there's poison in this meal. I will eat to show you. I want to tell you, you've returned home, back to your loved ones.

From now on, you can eat well, dress warmly, and live as a dignified person, no longer a two-legged sheep."

Jiang Xiaoxiao quickly ate the half-warm porridge, and as she began to swallow, others finally moved, with tears in their eyes.

Watching Jiang Xiaoxiao finish the porridge and raise the empty bowl.

Her eyes were clear, her demeanor upright.

Their eyes welled with tears, they began to devour the porridge, although it was cold, it tasted heavenly to them.

They were home.