The burly man frowned: "Brother, you're being too harsh. We're just resisting injustice. So many people have had their grain taken away, and no one is speaking up for us. Are we not even allowed to fight for ourselves? If you want justice for yourselves, just drive them out of the village. That's too inhumane."
He had already guessed that the person on the other side was the village head.
Zhao Lizheng took a deep breath: "At this critical juncture, who isn't aggrieved, who isn't suffering? But to resist in this way is like throwing an egg against a rock. Even if we can achieve a small victory at the beginning, we simply can't withstand the suppression when the army arrives."
The burly man sensed the atmosphere shrinking, glanced back, and saw fear on the faces of some of the people behind him.
He knew that continuing to say such things would only shake the morale of his team.
"Alright, alright. Joining the resistance is based on the principle of voluntariness. If you people from Datian Village don't go, it won't make any difference. There are so many other villages."
With a wave of his hand, he said, "I'm leaving."
He then said to the people in the group, "Don't be afraid, everyone. Once we've seized the grain and dealt with those people, we'll leave immediately. There are so many of them, they won't remember their faces, so who will they hold accountable to?"
After hearing what he said, the team finally calmed down.
Some of the departing people turned back, their faces full of mockery: "You people from Datian Village are all cowards. You've been bullied to the point of being taken advantage of, yet you don't even dare to fight back. You were born to be oppressed."
"Let's go, let's go. When we've made a name for ourselves, the first thing we'll do is come to Datian Village to collect their property, rob them of everything, and seize their land. They won't resist anyway."
The people of Datian Village were furious upon hearing this, clenching their fists, unsure whether to deal with these people or the grain requisition team.
Zhao Lizheng snorted: "You all need to remember this: using courage at the wrong time is foolish. You only have one life. If you don't cherish it, no one else will."
"Being alive is more important than anything else."
"Anyone who secretly goes to cause trouble will be handed over to the authorities to avoid implicating others."
Everyone quickly made their promises, and the villagers who had been swayed in front all lowered their heads.
Actually, when you think about it carefully, something doesn't seem right.
People are now filled with resentment because of the tax collection, and they are easily influenced by that atmosphere, which can lead them to do impulsive things.
Fortunately, they had a reasonable village head.
Zhao Lizheng said, "Speaking of which, I still have to thank Lian'er. I originally planned to go to my father-in-law's house to check on the situation, but Lian'er told me that these people were inciting rebellion everywhere, so I stayed. If I hadn't been in the village, maybe twenty or thirty of them would have followed me."
Everyone quickly expressed their gratitude to Qiao Lian'er.
Lian'er is the lucky star of Datian Village, and this time she has saved many people again.
In the evening, the three Qiao brothers returned from the camp.
After dinner, Qiao Lian'er said to Dayong, "Brother, the villagers in Yongguan County are calling for resistance against the grain requisition team, and they have already gathered five or six hundred people."
"Is that so? No, we can't let them do that, it will only hurt them." Da Yong was in the military camp, watching the soldiers train day after day, becoming very skilled with all kinds of weapons. He knew that the common people could not stand against them.
"I will report this to General Chu immediately and have him take men to stop them. I know they have had a hard time, and I will plead for them and not take their lives, but only send them away as a warning."
"Brother, I have another idea," Qiao Lian'er said. "There would be a better way."
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