The dawn is breaking!

The sound of gongs rang out, and the village chief called people together to discuss something.

Except for the cook, everyone else gathered around Village Chief Li, and Gu Xinran also came to watch the fun.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the village chief tapped his pipe and spoke in a deep voice, "We've only been out for a day and such a big thing has happened. We've all been too careless. Fortunately, there are only a few refugees this time, so no major damage has been caused. The food and water tied to the carts have been left untouched. Let's discuss how to ensure safety in the future."

Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke. Almost none of the villagers had ever traveled far. They might be good at farming, but they had no other experience.

Seeing that no one said anything, Village Chief Li called on Gu Yuchen and Xiao Ba, the captains of the guard team during the yam digging, to speak.

Brother Gu thought for a moment and said, "The guard team we had that time was pretty good. We should continue with it. We just need to add some more people, and select strong young and middle-aged people to do patrols and night watches."

Xiao Ba also agreed with Brother Gu's idea.

Grandpa Gu thought that this mattered to everyone in the village, and that it would be best if every family contributed. He added, "Every family must have someone participate."

Uncle Chang Fu has been working as an accountant in the county town for many years. He has more knowledge than the villagers and nodded as he stood next to Village Chief Li.

"That's a great idea! Let's select the personnel first, and then divide them into groups and schedule them. It would be best if someone could lead the training to enhance the capabilities of the guard team."

Uncle Zhang looked at the elderly, weak, women, and children in the village and suggested, "For safety, the elderly and children should walk in the middle of the road, with the young and strong guarding on both sides. The vehicles in front and behind should lead the way or cover the rear."

Uncle Wang, who had lost the food today, said anxiously, "We are on night watch. We can't sleep and must patrol carefully."

Gu Xinran thought that having young men push carts on both sides would prevent harassment from refugees, prevent children from getting lost, and provide adequate care for the elderly. It was a good idea. Night watch was a top priority and must be done well. Thefts must be stopped.

Everyone discussed for a quarter of an hour, and finally the village chief summarized:

To form a guard team, each family must provide one young adult. If no one is available, a middle-aged person will do. Anyone else who wishes to join is welcome to sign up. Twenty-six members will be recruited. Each member will be given a large sword, which must be surrendered upon leaving the team. The guards' main duties are currently night watch and handling emergencies along the way.

These swords were seized from the bandits who robbed Qingshan Village last time, and they came in handy now.

There are eighteen households in Qingshan Village, plus the four households that came later, which accounts for twenty-two places.

The attraction of the big knife on the road to escape famine was extremely great, and soon the other four places were filled.

Steel was hard to come by at that time, and kitchen knives and hoes were valuable household items. Ordinary people might live their entire lives without ever having the chance to touch a big knife.

The eldest brother of the Gu family was undoubtedly the one to take the lead and was even elected as the captain of the guard.

Gu Xinran clasped his fists and joked, "Big brother is awesome! Captain Gu, please take good care of me in the future!"

Looking at his funny sister, Brother Gu smiled helplessly, "Little Myna is the force of our village. If he is willing, then I have nothing to do with it."

Xiao Ba wasn't a native of Qingshan Village, so he wasn't suited to managing village affairs. Besides, Xiao Ba had a mission: protecting Gu Xinran was his primary responsibility, and helping the villagers was only for Gu Xinran's sake.

Brother Gu divided the people into two teams, each with thirteen people. The two team leaders were Zhang Meng, the eldest son of the Zhang family, and Li Shunfeng, the eldest grandson of the village chief.

Ever since the drowning incident and being framed by Wu Wangnan, Li Shunfeng has had less contact with the Gu family. One reason was to avoid suspicion, and the other was that he was studying at the county college and spent less time in Qingshan Village, so it was not easy for them to run into each other.

Li Shunfeng is fifteen years old this year. He is the only student in the village. He has a handsome appearance and knows some simple martial arts.

The two teams take turns patrolling during the day and standing guard at night, changing shifts every five days, and working together when something big happens.

After dinner, if circumstances permit, we will train for half an hour, with Gu Yuchen teaching us some simple defensive counterattack techniques.

The matter of the escort team was settled and everyone dispersed.

Today's breakfast is multi-grain meat porridge, big pancakes, and an egg for each person. It's delicious.

After the meal, the tent and bedding were put away, and the straw was tied up. These could be used to feed the animals, and the pots, pans, and utensils were put into the car.

The sound of a gong marks the beginning of today's journey!

The morning's mission is twenty-five miles. Try to get forward while it's still safe.

Before setting off, the Gu family's car was adjusted. Two hundred kilograms of grain were moved from the ox cart to the other two carts. Mr. Fan rode the ox cart today. There were many female relatives on the mule cart, so Mr. Fan could not sit with them.

Xuanxuan was called by Mr. Fan to study on the ox cart.

I saw Xuanxuan’s learning talent yesterday and I liked him very much. I plan to teach him on the way.

Mr. Fan saw in Xuanxuan the shadow of Gu Junyuan. It was heartbreaking to see such a brilliant classmate gone. His son, with his hard work, might be able to make up for his regrets.

After marching for about an hour, the team in front stopped.

I only heard someone shouting, "Faint! Call Doctor Guo!"

Intelligence officer Xiaoba recounted, "Wang Wuya, from the Wang family's eldest branch, fainted on the ground while walking."

Gu Xinran was deeply impressed by the child. She got off the mule cart and said, "Little Myna, let's go and take a look. This girl stood up for me and served as a witness."

A thin woman with a sallow complexion hugged Wang Wuya and cried loudly, crying and wailing: "You are so cruel, you treat us like cattle and horses and don't even give us food and water. It's so unfair!"

Boss Wang squatted beside them with red eyes, followed by five crying skinny girls of different sizes.

The other members of the Wang family watched indifferently.

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