Seeing Old Man Wu's expression, the burly man felt somewhat guilty, though he was even more worried. You wanted the horse to run, yet refused to feed it grass—absolutely impossible. He understood that principle, but for the moment, there was no solution.
After all, even he himself was running on faith now. Like Old Man Wu, he had not received any work for three months. In cultivation, they could only rely on themselves, with scarcely any external aid.
Moreover, he had made it clear: they were not the only two in this situation. The entire Northern Lands were the same.
Of course, in some places, Moon Guard Commanders might privately provide subsidies and reward those with merit, but that was merely a drop in the bucket.
It offered no fundamental help to the overall situation.
"Old Wu, I know the situation is not good right now, but you must understand that the Imperial Court is under tremendous pressure. Their prolonged inability to suppress the rebellion has already consumed far too much manpower, material resources, and wealth. If we fall out over a mere few months of pay, the entire Northern Lands will be affected. It may even trigger great chaos. When that time comes, neither your family nor mine will escape unscathed!"
Old Man Wu gave a distracted grunt, seeming to agree with the burly man. Yet the next moment, another voice rang out in the room.
"Haha, sir, isn't that rather forced reasoning? Working for the Imperial Court without receiving pay—such a spirit of sacrifice may seem to serve the greater good, but first and foremost, it is the Imperial Court's incompetence that has left beacon fires blazing everywhere and rebellions spreading across the land. Don't switch the concepts around!"
The voice was not loud, yet it imprinted itself