After Xu Xing set off with his people, he thought he would complete the task quickly, but he had only been on the road for a few days before encountering resistance. This resistance did not come from bandits or mutated beasts, but from more refugees.
In North America, many useless people were directly driven out of cities or bases. These people were left without protection and could only wander everywhere. One wrong step and they would become food for mutated beasts. These wretches received no material support, nor could they build their own bases. They could only roam around, hoping for eventual relief.
As a result, a group of refugees heading southwest in trucks soon attracted the attention of other refugees. Many Chinese among these refugees also joined this group. Xu Xing could not drive them away. Other races continued to join, but they were all driven away by the Chinese holding weapons on the trucks, because they knew these people were not of the same race.
The Chinese who became refugees understood one principle: sticking together was the only way to survive. Therefore, they had to have a unified identity, which was being Chinese who could speak Chinese. Only then could they unite to resist others. As for other races wanting to join their team, it was completely impossible.
Seeing this, Xu Xing couldn't help but think to himself, "These guys are really adapting to the local customs, already banding together and excluding other races so quickly."
In China, there was also a phenomenon of people banding together. In China, this banding together was divided by region, known as "hometown fellows." These hometown fellows gathered together to form clans. In North America, there was no household registration system, only an identity card system, so there was no regional division. However, they divided into factions based on race. Xu Xing had witnessed this.
Niujinling had been taken care of by Xu Xing throughout the journey. She understood that the special care she received was because her father worked in Yuzhou, a staff member under Shen Feng. It was this special connection that earned her preferential treatment. Without her father's connections, she would have had to fight with a weapon like everyone else.
Thus, as the convoy moved, more and more people joined the group, eventually reaching over 5,000 people following Xu Xing. Many Japanese and Korean people learned Chinese and mixed into the crowd. Since their faces were indistinguishable, as long as they gave themselves Chinese names, they could smoothly join the team.
By this time, the convoy could no longer travel fast, as even the most capable trucks could not carry thousands of people.
Xu Xing finally understood what Shen Feng had said earlier. When Shen Feng said he had helped a few hundred people, it was likely that he would soon have to help tens of thousands. This was because these desperate people would immediately grasp any straw they saw, regardless of whether others were also strengthening that straw. Countless people in need would flock to them, bringing pressure to Xu Xing.
"It really is a quagmire. If I had listened to Brother Shen Feng, this wouldn't have happened. I really regret it!" Xu Xing thought to himself. He had thought he was just being benevolent by helping a few hundred people, but now he had to manage the food, drink, and daily needs of thousands of people. This pressure was immense.
Finally, after a month of travel, the group arrived at a remote town. The town was dilapidated, with many places reduced to ruins. However, outside the town, there were many abandoned farmland fields. Where there were fields, it meant that cultivation was possible. The town was surrounded by high mountains, making it difficult for people from other places to reach it.
Upon seeing the town, Xu Xing immediately announced to the crowd, "We have reached our destination! This is your future home."
After he said this, the crowd erupted in cheers, with countless people shouting "Xian Xian." It was believed that after this event, Xu Xing's reputation would spread throughout North America.
Then, countless refugees rushed into the town to scramble for houses. They knew that all the houses in the town were uninhabited, and whoever grabbed one would own it. Therefore, everyone had to hurry to secure the best house for themselves.
Those who were quick often occupied better locations and lived in good houses. However, if they were slow, they would end up living in broken walls and ruins, at most finding some dead branches to cover the damaged houses.
Seeing this scene, Xu Xing felt relieved. "After a month of hard work, I have finally achieved this goal!"
Then, Xu Xing began to bid farewell to Niujinling. "I have to go with Brother Shen Feng to kill locusts, so I can't accompany you now. However, I promise to pick you up when our mission is completed. For now, stay with everyone. The food is enough for you to live until spring. Then you can farm to support yourselves, planting high-yield crops like corn or potatoes. Although the taste is ordinary, at least you won't starve."
Niujinling quickly said to the child in her arms, "Thank this auntie quickly!"
"Thank you..." the child said with indistinct words, as he had only just started teething and his speech was not clear.
Xu Xing reached out and tickled the infant's face. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, "I forgot to ask, where did this child's father go?"
"He died in a previous conflict. Now it's just me and this child!" Niujinling's expression turned somber, indicating her deep sadness over her husband's death.
"I'm sorry, I brought up your sad memories. I didn't mean to ask about this. Take care, and be sure to wait for me to pick you up!" Xu Xing apologized quickly.
Niujinling shook her head and said, "It's nothing. To survive in a cruel place, one must be accustomed to life and death. In fact, I am already used to death."
Xu Xing was then to return to the Great Lakes region. He heard that the skin infectious disease there had been controlled, and if he hurried, he could still catch the war.
This year's winter was exceptionally long and cold, as it was within the Little Ice Age. Cold fronts moved south more rapidly and lasted for a very long time. The snow on the ground could be several meters deep. In such conditions, many surface insects were directly frozen to death by the ice and snow.
The ice and snow that fell on the ground blocked the entrances to many locust burrows, making it difficult to find them. Fortunately, Shen Feng was there. After arriving at the designated area, Shen Feng directly used his psionic energy to form a tornado. Wherever the tornado passed, it swept up the snow on the ground. The snow was lifted into the air, like a pillar connecting heaven and earth.
"As expected of the God of Wind, he is truly powerful. A tornado of this intensity could easily destroy a city. Fortunately, he is not our enemy." The soldiers were all amazed by this scene. Before, they had no clear understanding of Shen Feng, but now they realized that Shen Feng had the ability to destroy a city.
In many regions of North America, people have a deep impression of tornadoes because North America is where tornadoes occur most frequently in the world. Due to the high terrain in the east and the vast plains in the center, tornadoes can easily rampage through these plains, often sweeping across several states at once.
Wherever a tornado passed, it would often blow away wooden houses, and even if people lived in brick houses, their windows could be blown out. A tornado passing through would bring disaster to people, an indelible impact.
Shen Feng, on the other hand, could control tornadoes, which instilled a terrifying impression in people.
Many soldiers worried that if they accidentally angered Shen Feng, would Shen Feng summon a tornado to attack them? If that were to happen, it would be truly terrifying. Even people would be blown away by the tornado, flying around in the sky. By the time they fell to the ground, they would likely be dead.
Xu Xing also rushed and finally arrived at the military camp when the war resumed. However, he found that many refugees from unknown places had gathered near the military camp, requesting help.
Upon seeing this, Xu Xing's face changed drastically. He really did not dare to meddle any further. If he sympathized with these people again, he would be burdened and would have to spend several more months settling them.
Afterward, Xu Xing hid in the military camp. When the army set out to clear the locust nests, he mixed in with the crowd and followed everyone to clear the locusts. Shen Feng cleared the snow in front, and then everyone took advantage of this opportunity to dig open the locust nests on the ground.
After learning to build nests, locusts gained the ability to hibernate. Soil has good thermal insulation properties, so a few meters underground can isolate the low temperatures on the surface. Moreover, the accumulation of ice and snow also helps with warmth.
However, as long as people found a way to dig open these nests, the cold air from the outside would directly invade the nests and kill the hibernating locusts.
It is often said that planting crops in warm climates is best, but these people usually overlook one point: pests and diseases can also reduce crop yields. This is where ice and snow come in handy. In many high-latitude regions, a snowfall can kill a large number of insects, making it difficult for pests and diseases to appear. In other words, the nemesis of insects is low temperature. Low temperature has a significant killing effect on insects, and the North American army is currently relying on this to clear locusts.
Finally, after more than a month, the southern region of the Great Lakes was cleared. The ground was covered with pits of various sizes. Shen Feng thought it was over, but Tom proposed that the northern region of the Great Lakes should also be cleared simultaneously.
Shen Feng couldn't help but question, "The northern side of the Great Lakes doesn't seem to be your territory either. Why do you want to clear it?"
"Mr. Shen, you may not know, but since no one is farming in the north, it's better to take this opportunity to occupy it, produce more grain, and save more people. Besides, in normal times, our two countries have mutual exchanges, and there are no obstacles to entry and exit. Although we are two countries, we are actually one country!" Tom argued confidently.