Everyone looked up at the road and saw a group of people appearing from around the bend. They were dressed in three different types of clothing: some looked like government officials, some looked like soldiers, and some were dressed in black eagle-patterned uniforms. Some were on horseback, most were running in formation, and some were driving large horse-drawn carriages and pushing carts.
A huge crowd, at least two hundred people.
Upon seeing this display of force, the villagers' expressions changed.
Normally, when collecting grain taxes, only a dozen or twenty people are sent. Now that so many people have come, it's clearly to suppress their resistance.
Although they had hidden the food and money well, everyone was still uneasy.
These people came down from the intersection and headed towards the dam square. They were serious and solemn, and their imposing presence seemed to chill the air around them.
Among the people in front, two were dressed as generals, another was dressed in a black robe embroidered with gold eagles, and yet another looked like a clerk from a county government office, holding a document.
One of the generals was very young, around seventeen years old. His uniform looked more refined and darker in color. He was handsome and appeared mature beyond his years.
Another man, around thirty years old, with a beard, kept his head slightly raised, exuding arrogance. Since entering the village, he hadn't glanced at a single villager.
The villagers glanced at him and felt that he looked familiar, and not just familiar, but familiar. They couldn't help but secretly scrutinize him.
"Don't you guys feel like we've seen this older general somewhere before?"
"Yes, it's not just a few times, it seems like we face each other quite often."
"That's impossible. He's a general, and we're just villagers. Even if there's a garrison nearby, we only see a few soldiers occasionally. We couldn't possibly have any dealings with this general, but he looks so familiar. Tsk."
Suddenly someone remembered and exclaimed in surprise, "He looks just like Song Laosan, who went to join the army ten years ago and never came back. Look at the mole on his chin, there are still a few hairs on it."
"And there's that scar on his neck. Once, Song Laosan and I went up the mountain together. He fell down the hillside and his neck was cut by a rock, leaving a scar."
"Not only do their faces match exactly, but even these details match up. It's definitely Song Laosan."
"My God, it turns out that Song Laosan didn't die in battle, but became a general. Judging from his clothes, he can lead at least three to five thousand men."
Seeing their fellow villagers return home in triumph, the villagers' eyes lit up, and they couldn't contain their excitement.
"It's Song Laosan who's here to collect taxes and grain. Song Laosan is from our village, so what do we have to worry about? If we had known, we wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble carrying the grain up the mountain," someone whispered to the person next to them, covering their mouth.
"I heard that the higher-ups are requiring us to hand over half of our silver as provisions for the war. Since Song Laosan is here to enforce this rule, he will definitely only make us hand over half. It won't be like in other villages where they robbed us of all the silver and took away 70% of the grain."
"If we really only pay half as required by the regulations, the remaining grain will be enough to feed us for a year."
"That's great, that's great."
The villagers were thrilled, their hearts finally at ease.
Even if the other leaders are difficult to deal with, Song Laosan will plead for everyone. Although the Song family and the villagers don't get along well, which general or official who comes from the village doesn't take care of his fellow villagers?
The Qiao family also recognized Song Laosan. They didn't expect that Song Laosan would become a general, and judging from his appearance, his rank was not low.
But they quickly realized why the Song family wanted to kick Qiao Yunni out over a steamed bun: it turned out that Song Laosan had become successful and was coming back.
Compared to the villagers who were both in awe and delighted, the Qiao family was filled with anger.
As they saw that person walk by with a familiar face, they silently clenched their fists.
I just want to rush up there and tear Song Laosan to pieces.
Qiao Yunni covered her mouth tightly, staring at that face, her body trembling slightly.
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