Kang Youkai, led by Xiao Sheng, quickly arrived at the residential area. Xiao Sheng's identity ensured that the guards did not dare to stop them.
Under Xiao Sheng's guidance, Kang Youkai finally reached the Shen family's home. The Shen family was watching television. Nowadays, there were few entertainment programs, as no one had the ability or energy to produce them. The television stations primarily broadcasted news about the national situation, with occasional international reports. For ordinary people, the simplest way to know what was happening outside was to watch television, and the news broadcasted was undoubtedly true.
When Xiao Sheng brought Kang Youkai in, Shen Yu was surprised and quickly asked, "Why are you here? Didn't you just visit this afternoon?"
Xiao Sheng gestured towards Kang Youkai beside him and said, "I'm not the one looking for you this time; it's this fellow."
Shen Yu looked at Kang Youkai and noticed he was in a sorry state, as if he had been beaten. Otherwise, he wouldn't appear like this, with a face full of bruises and missing teeth when he opened his mouth.
"Uh, please come in," Shen Yu politely invited them in. Shen Yu believed that Xiao Sheng wouldn't bring an unrelated person without good reason, so this injured man must have something important to discuss.
After meeting Shen Feng's family, Kang Youkai immediately recounted the events in Jiucheng. When he spoke of Jiucheng having no grain left, he became tearful, describing the dire situation.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xin and He Liping felt that life in Jiucheng was truly miserable. They learned that Jiucheng had been exploited by villains for two years, and the villains were finally eliminated this year. However, all the grain in Jiucheng had been burned. While they had obtained gold and jewels, these treasures were useless for buying food at this time.
Kang Youkai earnestly said to Shen Feng's parents, "We implore you two to save us. Rongcheng has promised to support Jiucheng, but it won't be until spring. The only one who can save Jiucheng now is Lord Shen Feng of Yuzhou. The individuals who offended Lord Shen Feng have already been killed by our Jiucheng leaders. We only hope that Lord Feng Shen can forgive us."
Shen Xin and He Liping were kind-hearted people and saw an opportunity to help. After careful consideration, they were about to agree: "Alright, we'll call the communication office later to comfort Shen Feng. This matter will be settled."
However, at that moment, Shen Yu directly interjected, "No, absolutely no calling!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. They couldn't fathom why Shen Yu would object at such a time, especially when Jiucheng was in such a dire state.
Shen Xin looked at his daughter and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Shen Yu looked at her parents and said earnestly, "Mom, Dad, I know you are kind-hearted and want to help the people of Jiucheng. However, you must also consider Shen Feng. Yuzhou did not accept Jiucheng's allegiance; instead, Rongcheng did. If Shen Feng follows your advice and supports Jiucheng, and then Rongcheng accepts Jiucheng in the spring, what will Shen Feng do? After Shen Feng provides the grain, he will have nothing. Rongcheng had already accepted Jiucheng's allegiance earlier. Who will Jiucheng belong to then?"
When Shen Yu presented this dilemma, Shen Xin and He Liping thought about it seriously and realized she was right. If they agreed to the suggestion, their son Shen Feng would indeed be placed in an awkward position. Moreover, given Shen Feng's personality, he would never willingly suffer a loss. If a conflict were to arise between Yuzhou and Rongcheng, the situation would become dire.
Kang Youkai was dumbfounded by this. As an envoy, he hadn't considered these issues. However, with Shen Yu's analysis, it seemed Shen Feng would still not accept Jiucheng, as even with support, there would be no benefit.
"But our Jiucheng is truly on the verge of collapse. If Yuzhou doesn't provide support, twenty thousand people will starve to death," Kang Youkai said helplessly.
Shen Yu then asked, "Who is in charge in your Jiucheng? Why are you seeking allegiance from four directions simultaneously? Can you divide Jiucheng into four parts?"
Kang Youkai lamented, "I don't know who made the decision. Jiucheng has over a dozen leaders, and their decisions are made through discussion. Each leader commands hundreds of armed men, and they don't respect each other. We were united under Xing Xian's call, but after Jiucheng was breached, Xing Xian and her man left. We are completely without a leader."
Upon receiving this answer, Shen Yu could only sigh and say, "You people are truly foolish. First, you want to pledge allegiance to Rongcheng, and then you request aid from Yuzhou. Such fickleness will only offend more people. I still advise you to go to the Rongcheng government building and request support. At least that way, you'll be consistent. Asking us to intercede for Shen Feng will only put my brother in a position of disloyalty and injustice."
Shen Yu already felt she had caused trouble for her brother, so she was quite embarrassed. This time, it was at the request of an outsider, and she was not from Yuzhou. Influencing Shen Feng's decisions repeatedly would be presumptuous.
However, at this very moment, Kang Youkai knew that Jiangyang was adjacent to Jiucheng, and Rongcheng's support was too slow. So, Kang Youkai gritted his teeth and knelt before Shen Xin, pleading, "Our Jiucheng now knows its mistakes and will surely follow Lord Feng Shen wholeheartedly from now on. We implore Mr. Shen to intercede for our Jiucheng. To be frank, Jiucheng is already resorting to eating corpses. If this continues, Jiucheng will be finished."
Shen Xin found himself in a difficult position. He couldn't bear to see others suffer, but he also didn't want to cause trouble for his son. He hesitated.
He Liping was also unsure of what to do. However, at that moment, she noticed Xiao Sheng sitting beside them. He was her future son-in-law, a distinguished-looking man and an ability user. She then asked, "Xiao Sheng, what do you think we should do now?"
Xiao Sheng thought for a moment and said, "My suggestion is for you to find General Xie. Let him make the decision. General Xie holds the highest position in Rongcheng and will surely know how to resolve this. Instead of agonizing over this, it's better to clarify the entire matter."
In Xiao Sheng's opinion, it was better for their group to directly ask General Xie than to be at a loss. From his understanding, General Xie was a resourceful and kind person, and he would surely provide a suitable answer at this time.
He Liping and Shen Xin immediately understood after hearing this suggestion. The biggest problem now lay with Rongcheng. Because Jiucheng's people had made foolish decisions, no one was willing to support them, and they had sent out four envoys, which was utterly nonsensical.
Afterward, He Liping and Shen Xin immediately went to find Xie Bateng, hoping to learn how to handle the situation from him. Xie Bateng was currently dealing with documents. Although Rongcheng appeared to be a safe rear area with no danger, only needing to focus on production, it actually faced many troubles. Rongcheng was also under pressure from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The eastern and western sides of Sichuan Province were like two different worlds. The eastern Sichuan region was a plain, rich in grain and fruit. The western Sichuan region, however, was a desolate place, producing pure-hearted cowherds. No, it produced cattle and sheep from the plateau region.
Under these circumstances, many mutated birds had appeared on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These mutated birds were mostly raptors, such as eagles, falcons, and hawks, which were continuously breeding. The golden eagle that appeared in the Qinling Mountains earlier had actually flown down from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Two years had passed, and unknowingly, the mutated birds in western Sichuan had formed a force, becoming difficult to deal with.
Therefore, Xie Bateng faced the dilemma of needing to supply grain and personnel to other provinces while also finding a way to reduce the number of mutated birds on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
"This is truly difficult. If the birds on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are not dealt with properly, these raptors will descend the mountain, and Rongcheng will be the first to bear the brunt. Then, everyone will be in trouble," Xie Bateng sighed as he looked out the window.
Looking west from Rongcheng, one could directly see a large snow-capped mountain, which was the legendary Xiling Snow Mountain. In normal times, it was a very good scenic spot, and it was also described in poetry as "Windows frame a thousand years of snow in Xiling, doors anchor boats from the East Wu for ten thousand miles."
In the darkness, nothing could be seen, but Xie Bateng knew that to the west lay a desolate snow-capped mountain, and only eagles could survive in the snowy mountain regions.
"Knock, knock, knock..." At this moment, the door to General Xie's office was knocked. A group of people then walked in. General Xie saw Shen Xin and He Liping and warmly greeted them, saying, "Brother, Sister-in-law, why do you have time to visit me today? Xiao Wang, serve tea."
Shen Xin quickly replied, "We haven't come for anything important, and we don't want to disturb the General too much. We just have something we want to clarify with you."
"Brother, please speak freely. Whatever it is, you can say it directly," Xie Bateng said with a smile. There was only one thing he would not agree to: letting the Shen family leave. As long as the Shen family remained in Rongcheng, everything would be fine.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xin directly explained the situation they were facing. Xie Bateng frowned upon hearing it because Jiucheng had announced its allegiance to Rongcheng, which he had already accepted. Now, the people of Jiucheng had gone back on their word, which was truly untrustworthy.
However, after careful consideration, Xie Bateng was willing to give Shen Feng some face and said with a smile, "It's alright. Just one Jiucheng. We'll give it to Shen Feng. As long as Shen Feng can save those twenty thousand disaster victims."
Xie Bateng knew well that a ruined city was not worth investing in, especially with a lack of population. Such a city couldn't even manage agriculture well. If it was handed over to Shen Feng now, Shen Feng would inevitably consume a large amount of resources to digest Jiucheng. Therefore, it was better to pass the hot potato to someone else. If you're not afraid of it being hot, then take it.
With this answer, Shen Xin had no more worries and happily said, "In that case, I'll make the call immediately. There's no time to delay. The twenty thousand people in Jiucheng are in imminent danger."