The officials gathered together to build a bonfire. They took out dried meat from their bags and cooked it in clay pots, then sprinkled on some salt to make a pot of meat soup.,He plopped down on the ground, chewing slowly on a hard, cold biscuit. He softened it with his saliva before swallowing, his attention focused on the low-voiced conversation of the officials. Though their chatter was fragmented, he could still piece together some information from it.,Men were sent to the border to do hard labor, while women were sent to the Kiao-cheng teaching workshops.。