On the construction site of the dam, piling, ramming earth, masonry...

The peasants were sweating profusely, and even in the slightly cold weather, they were still topless.

Wearing clothes to work is inconvenient and easy to wear out.

Therefore, the coolie laborers on the embankment are all naked with their arms and bodies covered with mud.

They are all common people captured from the main body and forced to work with knives.

A few days ago, we were still digging the embankment, but today it was filled with earth and compacted to build a strong embankment.

Even if you don't change it day and night, you will be so exhausted that you have to start all over again.

Fortunately, although the Tang army was fierce, they were not stingy with their attacks and had enough food.

After being busy for most of the day, the village chief invited everyone to stop for a meal. Bamboo baskets contained multigrain steamed buns and green and turbid wild vegetable soup.

The dust on the embankment was flying, and most of the mouthful was mud soup.

Country people don't care about this, as long as they can fill their stomachs.

Everyone was sweating profusely after eating, and the sounds of drinking soup were louder than the others.

"Uncle Mancang, why don't you eat?"

The speaker was a young boy. Despite his young age, he was already old enough to work in the fields and marry a wife in the countryside.

The Uncle Mancang in the boy's mouth is a middle-aged man in his thirties, with a thin body, the most common figure in farm families. He eats less and works much more, so he can't save fat.

Only his face was frighteningly pale, as if he was suffering from a serious illness.

Uncle Mancang shook his head when he heard this and handed the steamed bun to the boy, "I'm not hungry and can't eat it. Here it is for you."

They say that even though I am a young man, I can eat as much food as I have grown taller.

The boy happily munched the steamed buns, "Uncle Mancang, they all say you were a soldier. Tell me about the military affairs!"

Uncle Mancang shook his head, "I was dragged to be a civilian husband, and I have never killed anyone in battle."

"Silly boy, you spend your whole day as a soldier killing people. What's there to say?"

The boy listened happily, but accidentally, the steamed bun in his hand was snatched away.

He looked up and saw a burly man staring at him, stuffing steamed buns into his mouth, "Why are you eating so much?"

The boy dares to be angry but dare not speak out. This man is a well-known scoundrel in the countryside. He says all day long that he has relatives serving as soldiers in the Zheng Army. He likes to steal chickens and dogs on weekdays. The folks in the countryside dare to be angry but dare not speak out.

When he went to work on the dam, he was usually lazy, but when it was time to eat, he would steal other people's meals.

"Forget it, forget it."

Uncle Mancang pulled the boy and said, "A steamed bun, give it to him, give it to him, cough cough cough."

As he talked, Uncle Mancang started coughing violently again.

The boy patted him on the back and said worriedly, "Uncle Mancang, your health is getting worse and worse. Why don't you go home and lie down."

Uncle Mancang coughed violently and said, "I will go back after work is over today."

"Auntie and Xiaohua, are you still waiting at home?

The boy couldn't help but remind Uncle Mancang, "Uncle, do you still remember that you said back then that you would marry me when Xiaohua grows up?"

"I don't remember!"

Uncle Mancang shook his head and stood up with difficulty.

In the evening, when the sun was about to set, screams came from the river side of the embankment.

"Ah!"

Everyone made a noise and rushed to the place, only to see the ripples of the river slowly fading away.

At the end of the head count, it was discovered that the scoundrel fell into the water and had already died without any body parts.

The chief came to investigate. Although he was sad, he was not shocked.

People often die when building rivers and embankments. In the past few days, many young people have disappeared one after another

A scoundrel who only eats and does nothing, and also likes to bully other civilians, will not lose much if he dies.

When the boy said goodbye to Uncle Mancang, he didn't notice a trace of blood on his pale face.

He was very excited, "Eat my steamed buns, retribution will come, the Dragon King will drown him."

Uncle Mancang's cough became more severe, "Say less."

After he left the embankment, he struggled to carry his ragged bundle on his back and walked through the countryside fields covered with weeds.

"Daddy."

Walking to the door of the house, a girl wearing floral clothes jumped out and hugged Uncle Mancang's knees.

Uncle Mancang forced a smile and touched the girl's head.

"Mancang, we just cooked porridge at home, come and drink."

Aunt Mancang was a dark-skinned woman with big hands and feet. When her husband returned, she invited him to come over for dinner.

Mancang put down his baggage and took out a bag of grain noodles.

"I just ate and I'm not hungry. You guys eat and I'll go lie down."

Aunt Mancang felt sorry for her husband and hurriedly made the bed, complaining all the time.

"Soldiers are all beasts. You are in good health!"

"No more, ahem, no more."

I collapsed on the cold wooden board with a thin layer of mattress, but it failed to bring any warmth.

“It’s still so comfortable on a human skin mattress!”

With this thought popping into his mind, he became even hungrier.

Although I just ate a living person, the energy circulating in my body has already been digested.

The fire of hunger burned in his belly, burning his internal organs, as if it was going to burn him to ashes.

"Hungry, hungry, hungry!"

The whole warehouse was struggling and squirming like a desperate maggot. Without paying attention, a large piece of flesh on the waist was rubbed off.

The piece of flesh gave off a faint rancid smell, and its texture was not the normal pink color, but dark with mucus.

This is a warning from the body that the skin can’t hold it any longer!

"It needs to be changed, it needs to be changed."

Mancang's eyes glowed faintly green in the darkness.

He looked towards the dining table and heard Aunt Mancang slapping Xiaohua's hand, "Stop eating porridge, leave some for your father."

"But I'm hungry!"

The little girl raised her head and cried loudly, showing her gaping teeth.

Next, there was a crackling sound of bamboo boards slapping against the skin, and the little girl howled loudly.

With Mancang's eyes closed, he can imagine the tender flesh, crisp and tender when slapped, like a delicious crispy cucumber.

The next moment, he covered his mouth in pain and gasped violently.

Can't eat, can't eat.

This mother and daughter are a cover for him to hide his identity, and eating them will definitely attract attention.

There are Tang troops everywhere. Once exposed, he will definitely die.

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer."

In the wild outside Mancang's house, several stronger stench smells drifted in the night wind.

In the darkness, a few pairs of green eyes whispered, "Is it him?"

"Judging from the taste, they are almost the same."

On the embankment, the manager rubbed his hands, nodded and bowed to Li Qingfeng and his party.

"County Magistrate, I know everything you want to ask about."

"While construction work is underway on the river, almost all the local young people are on the embankment. However, there have been strong winds and waves recently, and a few people have died."

Qingfeng Li asked, "Have all the bodies been found?"

"I fished it, but I didn't fish it."

The director explained, "They all fell into the water and were washed away by the current."

"Folks on the embankment, who has been unusual recently?"

Everyone around saw it.

There were three people in the group. Their origins were unknown. The usually dignified elder was very polite in front of the Taoist priest.

The boy next to him overheard, gritted his teeth, and decided that he would rather die than betray Uncle Mancang.

Uncle Mancang once worked in the Zheng army. If the Tang army pursues him, he will definitely die.

He looked at the other side and saw two other people coming with the former county magistrate.
Chapter completed!