In the end, Zhang Shijie could not overcome Mo Qiong's objections and had no choice but to open the granaries and distribute grain to aid the refugees.
Then he refused the local militia's enlistment, leaving them with only a little over seventy riders. Flying the imperial flag of Great Song, they made their way toward Gannan.
They discovered that Zhang Hongfan had already constructed a sturdy defensive line there. Along the way, their march had been spotted by scattered Mongol scouts.
Zhang Hongfan also knew his superiors would blame him, so he had tried every possible means to win without fighting. He had deliberately poisoned the dry rations carried by some of the scouts.
Less than forty li from the Mongol camp, Zhang Shijie's forces encountered five poisoned wells, one plague-tainted spring, and countless scattered traps.
At first, they really did cause Mo Qiong and the others considerable trouble. They had nearly fallen into the hands of these ancient people.
"My goodness, they actually forced us to develop containment thinking, trying every possible way to bypass the divine sword's properties and kill us..." Master Gou laughed as he vomited. The fellow had drunk water from a poisoned well.
Jiang Long treated him for the poison, leaving Master Gou vomiting and suffering diarrhea until he had expelled it all.
As for the small amount of poison remaining, it was nothing important. It was harmful to ordinary people, but Master Gou's immune system could resist it.
"All the water sources nearby are poisoned. What are we supposed to do?" Zhang Shijie asked.
As he buried the poisoned wells, Mo Qiong said solemnly, "We can leave, but with the water sources here contaminated, who knows how many people will die? This is the butterfly effect caused by a Contained Object appearing at Yashan."