Chapter 123 The Banquet is Over
Seeing Xu Qingying's hesitation, the village chief of Zhangjia Village was unsure and thought that Xu Qingying disagreed. He quickly gritted his teeth and made a concession, "How about half for each of us?"
Xu Qingying was a little surprised.
But the village chief immediately knelt down, wiping away his tears, and said, "I beg Your Majesty to leave a way for the villagers of Zhangjia Village to survive. The harvest this year has been poor, and the villagers rely on this little corn mixed with wild vegetables to survive. Life is already tight. Several people in the village have starved to death since the beginning of winter this year. If Your Majesty takes away all the food, we really won't be able to survive—"
Xu Qingying had no choice but to help the village chief up again, "Old man, you get up first."
"If the king does not agree, I can only kneel down and not get up."
Zhao Qiaonian pulled the village chief up, forced him to sit in a chair, and said in a gruff voice, "The girl asked you to get up, so just get up. Don't worry, old man, our girl is very kind-hearted. Talk to her if you have anything to say!"
The village chief was frightened by Zhao Qiaonian and staggered, feeling very uncomfortable on his chair. Although he was facing a young man with handsome face and kind eyes, how could he dare to ignore a man who could kill the leader and quickly stabilize the situation in just a few sticks of incense?
When it comes to food and supplies, even the softest-hearted person won't give in easily.
The village chief of Zhangjia Village was ready to be skinned alive, and only hoped that the king would leave them some food to survive.
So many young and middle-aged people have died in Zhangjia Village. We must protect these kids, otherwise the roots of Zhangjia Village will be cut off!
When the village chief Zhang saw Xu Qingying summon another tall and thin man with a dark face, the two of them whispered to each other, and then the man stood behind her and refused to leave.
The village chief of Zhangjia Village was now even more worried.
Could this be the executioner? Is he going to chop off his head soon?
"Village Chief, you have difficulties, and I have difficulties too, so I won't elaborate further. Over half of your Zhangjia Village has been killed or injured tonight, and half of the food is enough to get you through the winter. Just as you said, we will take half of the food."
"ah."
The village chief of Zhangjia Village did not expect the negotiations to go so smoothly, and he opened his mouth in disbelief.
"That half of the grain we took wasn't taken in vain. Consider it what I bought with money. The price of grain changes daily these days, and I really don't know what price to give you. So, I'll give you three hundred taels straight away. Any extra can be distributed to the families of those killed or injured tonight, as my compensation."
The Zhangjia Village chief thought he had misheard, but the dark-faced man beside Xu Qingying had already pulled out three silver bills from his pocket and handed them to him. "Old Village Chief, times are tough these days, and it's not easy for us. We can only do our bit. Don't worry, we will definitely control our people, and there will never be another Zhangjia Village!"
Xu Degui's words made the village chief of Zhangjia Village burst into tears.
If he hadn't seen that Xu Qingying genuinely disliked kneeling, he would have wanted to kneel down and kowtow to her, "How can I do this... All these evils were committed by Li Datou, how can I let you girls spend money on this... After all, you are the saviors of our Zhangjia Village..."
"Don't refuse, old man. This money should be enough for you to get through the winter. My father is right. The world is in chaos and it's not easy for everyone. I'll borrow the precious land for you tonight. Tomorrow I will take them away from Zhangjia Village."
The village chief of Zhangjia Village was relieved now. He realized that Xu Qingying and her team were completely different from this group of bandits. He trusted Xu Qingying, but he could not trust her subordinates.
How can a little girl control more than a thousand people?
Village Chief Zhang naturally hoped that they would leave as soon as possible. "Are you planning to go to Lan County?"
"I see on the map that Lan County is quite large, so it should be considered a relatively wealthy county."
Village Chief Zhang hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "That's right. Lan County is a well-known wealthy county near us, a large and superior county. I heard that the county magistrate even opened the granaries to distribute grain in October, so I imagine there must be some grain stored."
Old man Zhang wanted to say that Lan County might have closed its gates long ago, but he wanted to get rid of these big Buddhas as soon as possible, so he kept silent and only talked about the good things about Lan County.
Xu Qingying then decided, "Okay, let's go to Lan County."
Fang Xun reminded him, "Young Master Xu, after two months, it's very likely that we won't even be able to enter Lan County. And if Lan County is a famous wealthy county, then it's possible that, like Ye County, it has already been occupied by someone else."
Zhang Cunzi's heart skipped a beat, and he actually felt that this king had a few capable people under his command.
Xu Qingying said, "We have no other choice but to take a risk."
After a moment's silence, Village Chief Zhang retreated on the pretext of something.
Fang Xun lowered his voice and said, "If the young lady wants to leave, now is the best time. We don't need to bear the burden of over a thousand people."
Xu Qingying frowned.
She knew what Fang Xun was thinking. Fang Xun was definitely not the only one in the team who had this idea.
They had no relatives or friends with this group of refugees. First of all, food was a big problem, and there was no need for them to shoulder such a heavy burden for a group of strangers.
Xu Huiming also said, "These rioters have all killed people before. They're capable of anything when pushed to the limit. We've only suppressed them for now, but what about tomorrow? What if they run out of food next time?"
"You mean we just abandon them and leave?"
Xu Qingying was a little undecided.
Xu Degui said, "They are also miserable people. You have never been hungry, so you don't know what it feels like. Besides, Qingying has already agreed to it, but now you abandon them. This is not a gentleman's behavior."
Xu Huiming said, "My sister is a woman, not a gentleman."
Xu Qingying asked for everyone's opinions.
Zhao Bantou said, "If we leave them alone, I'm afraid they will immediately kill everyone in Zhangjia Village and steal all their food. If this mob is not restrained, all the nearby villages will suffer. When that happens, rivers of blood will flow, and those lives will be blamed on us."
"To put it bluntly, it's all because of a lack of food. But we don't have any either, so this disaster will befall us sooner or later." Xu Huiming saw it clearly. "It's not that I don't sympathize with them, but at this critical moment, soft-heartedness is unacceptable!"
Seeing that all the speakers were men, Xu Qingying intentionally or unintentionally asked Xu Yinxi, Feng'er and other girls to join in.
Qian Zhenniang shook her head and said that they were pitiful, but she couldn't say more.
Feng Er said, "Young lady always says that with great power comes great responsibility. I think if we work together, we should be able to come up with a solution."
Xu Huiming shook his head and disagreed, "Feng'er, you're too naive. Unless we can grow food in the fields and stop them from starving, there's no way we can completely resolve this issue."
Feng Er said firmly, "Every man has his share of responsibility for the fate of his country."
This was a word she had just learned a few days ago. She didn't understand it at the time, but now that she blurted it out, she realized how wonderful the sentence was.
Xu Huiming was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing, unable to refute. He only smiled and said, "Miss Feng'er has made great progress in her studies."
Xu Yinxi said, "I think we should take our men to Lan County first to see the situation before making a decision. Firstly, we only have a hundred or so people. If we encounter other bandits along the way, we won't be able to resist. Secondly, if Lan County has food, it would be a good deed if we could find a way to settle these thousand or so people."
Jiang Yongkang's eyes flickered, "Miss Xu, Jinzhou is in chaos, and we need manpower no matter what we do. I think it would be better for you to take them in, so you can buy food while you go—"
Xu Huiming immediately interrupted him, "We have no relatives or friends with them, so why should we spend money to support them?"
"Young lady, you are destined for great things. You will have a great future in Qianzhou. Instead of worrying about not having enough people under your command later, why not start training your own people now? You can ask them if there are any willing to sell themselves. You can sign a contract with them at a very low price and use them to deal with bandits on the way. This will greatly increase our chances of reaching Qianzhou safely. Once we get there, this group of people can immediately start working and solve your worries about hiring people. Isn't it a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy?"
Jiang Yongkang's words immediately opened up everyone's minds.
Yes, why didn’t I think of this?
In troubled times, life is worthless, and you can buy someone for just two or three taels of silver. These people have nowhere else to go, so they're probably willing to sell themselves into slavery. Isn't this a win-win situation?
Xu Degui immediately said, "But we are slaves, and slaves cannot call others slaves or maids."
Jiang Yongkang's eyes sparkled. "Ms. Feng'er and Ms. Qian are both good citizens. We can let them handle the matter for us. I believe that with their loyalty, they will not betray Ms. Xu."
Xu Huiming felt his scalp tingle after hearing what Jiang Yongkang said. He thought that his third branch was living cautiously in the Xu family just two months ago, so how come they suddenly had thousands of slaves?
He almost immediately glanced at Xu Qingying's face, but saw that her expression was calm and she didn't seem to be very shocked. It seemed that she was seriously considering the possibility of accepting more than a thousand people.
Xu Huiming suddenly felt a chill on his back.
Sister...what big thing is she planning to do that requires so many people?
If these more than a thousand people were trained and instructed, they would be enough to form a personal guard.
Xu Huiming said, "Jiang Yongkang, you think too highly of the Third Branch of the Xu Family. Even if we made some money from the soap business, how could we afford to employ so many servants? Aren't you deliberately trying to harm us?"
Jiang Yongkang only stared at Xu Qingying, his eyes flashing with a meaningful cold light, "Miss Xu, this opportunity will never come again. Please consider it."
At first, Xu Qingying didn't understand what Jiang Yongkang was saying, but then, looking at Jiang Yongkang's serious expression, she suddenly realized that what Jiang Yongkang said seemed to be different from what she thought.
Jiang Yongkang...isn't he instigating her to rebel?
Is this guy crazy?
Just rely on these more than a thousand refugees?
Xu Qingying thought about it again. Jiang Yongkang's entire family was killed by the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. It was normal for him to feel hatred and want to overthrow the Zhou Dynasty.
But what is so special about her that Jiang Yongkang looks at her differently and thinks she can achieve great things?
Or was Jiang Yongkang simply desperate and completely irrational, instigating her to rebel without considering the possibility of the whole thing?
Are you kidding? Rebellion? Throughout history, how could a non-son of another plane succeed in a rebellion?
How could she, a time-traveling girl, be the chosen one?
Xu Qingying avoided Jiang Yongkang's gaze. She was determined not to respond to Jiang Yongkang's words and deliberately left him alone. She said, "I don't like to break my promises. Since I promised them, I can't abandon them halfway. At least not tomorrow."
Xu Huiming sighed slightly, but he also expected Xu Qingying's choice. "So what do you plan to do, sister?"
"At least go to Lan County and see if we can send them into the city and give them land. Let them settle down."
No one in the room spoke anymore.
This is a difficult thing.
But no one could object to Xu Qingying's decision.
Xu Qingying ordered everyone to rest in Zhangjia Village for one night and set off early the next morning.
After a night of high tension, everyone was tired, so they picked up firewood and started a fire. With a little warmth, everyone fell asleep with their clothes on.
The village chief of the Zhang family ordered his men to take all the female members of the Xu family to live in the village chief's house.
Xu Qingying originally wanted to help the people in Zhangjia Village repair their houses, but then she thought that many people in Zhangjia Village might still hate them, so why should they do such a hypocritical thing.
It's ridiculous to help others clean up the battlefield after killing people.
She stayed there with peace of mind.
That night, she slept very soundly, but was woken up in the middle of the night. When she woke up, she found that the room was pitch black. Facing the moonlight, there were a few people standing in front of her.
There's a thief?!
"Girl." Ming Xiaoshuang's voice came, making Xu Qingying breathe a sigh of relief.
She looked carefully and found that they were Zhao Bantou, Ming Xiaoshuang, Liu Dazhuang and others.
"Girl, come out and tell me, don't let anyone else know."
Xu Qingying's heart tightened, and she quickly got up and followed Ming Xiaoshuang and the others out.
It was early morning, and the air was incredibly cold. Xu Qingying felt like her ears were about to freeze off. She followed them for a while, out of Zhangjia Village, and to the large locust tree at the entrance. Suddenly, the light in front of her eyes brightened. It turned out to be the ten escorts holding torches.
Led by Zhao Bantou, the escorts were dressed neatly, carrying bags on their backs, and looked energetic and ready to go.
At this moment, they all looked at her eagerly.
Xu Qingying's heart sank; the thing she feared most had happened.
"Miss!" Ten escorts knelt on the ground one after another, and even Zhao Qiaonian half-knelt.
Xu Qingying let out a long sigh, and the white mist made her face look a little blurry.
She still can't keep people.
Zhao Qiaonian said, "Miss Xu, we're sorry. The brothers have discussed it and decided not to go to Qianzhou. We don't want to get involved in Li Datou's rebellion. We're afraid we'll be reported and lose our lives. After much thought, the best thing to do is to leave now and report directly. We can then simply say that our escort was ambushed by bandits and all the prisoners have gotten separated. We'll just get a few scoldings, but it won't cost us our lives."
Zhao Qiaonian's eyes were a little evasive. He didn't even dare to look Xu Qingying in the eye. He frantically took out his identity document from his pocket and handed it to Xu Qingying. "Miss Xu, please continue to walk southwest. Once you reach Qianzhou, go to the government office to register. This will prove your identity and prevent you from becoming unregistered refugees. In my opinion, you might as well pretend to be refugees, find a city at random, spend some money to register as a resident. There are so many refugees now anyway, the government can't handle it all, and no one will investigate."
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