The army passed through a small village.
The village was completely deserted, not a single living soul in sight.
Beneath the collapsed remains of a ruined house lay a skeleton, half reclined against the rubble. Its jaw gaped wide, as if frozen in a mocking laugh directed at the heavens themselves.
Gao Jie felt no fear at the sight.
He was not some pampered scholar who had spent ten peaceful years gutting fish in a bustling marketplace. His heart had long been colder than that of most men.
A militia soldier ran to the village well, leaned over to look inside, then straightened up and reported, "There's only a little water left. Just a thin trickle."
Bai Yuan nodded calmly. "As expected. We'll continue marching. If we keep our pace, we should reach a major river by evening."
The soldier turned to return to his unit, but as he spun around, his foot struck something solid with a dull thud.
He froze.
Lowering his head, he saw a human skull roll away across the ground.
The soldier sucked in a sharp breath, then hurriedly bent down and picked up the skull. He gently set it upright, pressed his palms together, bowed, and murmured softly, "My apologies. I did not mean to kick you. Please forgive me. As an apology, I will help you rest in peace."
Without hesitation, he grabbed a shovel and quickly dug a small grave. He carefully placed the skull inside, covered it with earth, and erected a simple wooden plank as a marker.
After bowing once more to the crude grave, he ran back to rejoin his unit.
The entire process took some time.
Yet Bai Yuan did not urge him on. Instead, he gave new orders, instructing the other soldiers to collect all the scattered bones throughout the village, bury them properly, and mark each grave with an unmarked wooden slab.
Only after this was done did the army resume its march.
Watching all of this, Gao Jie felt something quietly stir within him.
This army was truly different from his own.
If his former soldiers encountered a skeleton by the roadside, burying it would never even cross their minds. If they refrained from kicking it around like a ball, that alone would be considered good discipline.
They had no sense of respect for others, let alone for the dead.
That night, the five thousand militia members camped beside a river.
The river's water level had fallen drastically, nearly sixty percent lower than usual. The soldiers had to climb deep down into the exposed riverbed to draw water.
Five thousand cooking fires were lit along the bank, thin streams of smoke rising into the twilight.
As the camp bustled with activity, a sentry suddenly ran over and reported, "Instructor Bai, there are people watching us from the woods across the river."
Bai Yuan took out his telescope and looked toward the opposite bank.
The setting sun made it difficult to see clearly with the naked eye, but through the lens, he could distinctly make out a group of gaunt figures with hollow cheeks and pale faces.
"They are civilians," Bai Yuan said after a moment. "They are not armed. Only farm tools like hoes and spades. They are watching us cook and swallowing their saliva, but they do not dare come closer."
Gao Jie listened and gave a casual shrug.
Scenes like this had been extremely common during his previous campaigns. He had always ignored them.
However, Bai Yuan suddenly raised a tin megaphone. Pointing it toward the opposite bank, he shouted loudly, "Listen up, people across the river. We are not bandits. Not bandits. And we are not government troops here to rob you. We are the Xiaolangdi Militia. Militia. Do not be afraid. We are common folk just like you."
After his shout echoed across the river, several heads cautiously emerged from the trees on the far bank. Their eyes were fixed on Bai Yuan, filled with confusion and disbelief.
"Don't be afraid," Bai Yuan continued. "Come out. We have food here, and we can share it with you."
Gao Jie was startled.
Share food with civilians?
Tempted by the word food, the people across the river slowly gathered their courage. One man crept forward to the riverbank. If the river had not separated them, he would never have dared approach so closely.
Standing on the opposite shore, he called out weakly, "You will really share food with us?"
"Are there any former members of the Armored Grenadier Battalion here?" Bai Yuan shouted. "Throw them a package of food."
"Yes!" a soldier leapt to his feet. "I served in the second squad of the Gao Family Village Armored Grenadier Battalion, under Captain Zheng Daniu. The battalion has since been disbanded, and I am now the Fifth Battalion Commander of the Xiaolangdi Militia. Please entrust this glorious task to me!"
Bai Yuan nodded. "Good. Go. Just make sure you do not throw it into the river, or you will shame your Armored Grenadier Battalion."
"I guarantee success!" the soldier replied loudly.
He took a large package of crushed Divine Rice from Bai Yuan. The bundle was about the size of a human head and surprisingly heavy.
The elite grenadiers of the former Armored Grenadier Battalion were no ordinary soldiers. This man could throw a hand grenade seventy meters without difficulty.
Now returning to a familiar motion, he felt a flicker of excitement.
He gripped the rice bundle tightly, took a running start, twisted his waist, let out a fierce shout, and hurled it forward with all his strength.
The package arced gracefully through the air, cleared the river, and landed solidly on the opposite bank.
The man across the river rushed forward and picked it up. He tore the package open and immediately cried out in joy, though his voice was weak and hoarse. "Everyone, we have rice. The soldiers across the river gave us rice. Come quickly. Eat."
The civilians hiding in the woods poured out, fifty or sixty people in total, crowding around him.
A package of rice that size was obviously not enough for so many people.
Yet they were already calculating carefully in their minds. If they cooked it into porridge, each person could at least have half a bowl.
In their simple thinking, they did not even dare imagine asking for more.
But even if they did not ask, Gao Family Village would still provide.
Bai Yuan lifted the megaphone again. "Now you know we are not bad people, right? Wait a moment. We will prepare a boat and bring you across. Come over and eat together with us."
The civilians on the far bank stared across the river, stunned. Their faces were filled with disbelief.
Gao Jie was just as shocked.
Prepare a boat for them?
He quickly realized that Bai Yuan was completely serious.
The engineering battalion soldiers immediately set down their work and began preparing boats. They carried strange bags made from an unfamiliar material. Using blowers, they inflated the bags, which quickly took shape as soft, peculiar boats.
The engineers paddled these inflatable boats across the river, picking up the starving civilians one by one and ferrying them to the near bank.
Soldiers on guard duty stood watch with flintlock rifles in hand, maintaining order and ensuring everyone's safety.
Other soldiers enthusiastically approached, handing over plates of freshly cooked food. "Eat," they urged. "Eat slowly. Do not choke."
The moment the civilians took their first bites, tears streamed down their faces, unstoppable.
Gao Jie sat at a distance, silently watching the scene unfold.
After a long while, he raised his head and looked up at the sky, letting out a deep sigh. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, you were right. I have not been fully reformed. And my men, those scoundrels, are even further away from it. It truly was right not to let them come out."
He sighed again. "Now I finally understand what the Political Commissar was trying to teach me. I was once a commoner just like them. After taking up a blade and commanding men, how did I end up forgetting that?"