The old man grew increasingly angry as he spoke, tears streaming down his face. "They've taken my two sons away! Those two boys have never fought a war. They wouldn't know what it's like on the battlefield. Sigh! Don't you think they're just making a fool of themselves?"
"besides,"
The old man grabbed Gu Shisan's hand and continued, "We've finished arresting people here, but it seems the authorities are still arresting people in other villages. Many people have stopped farming and are thinking of taking their families to cross the border. Unfortunately, I'm too old to walk anymore, so I can only stay here and wait to die..."
As he spoke, a sense of sorrow filled the old man's cloudy eyes.
Hearing the old man's words, Gu Shisan also felt a sense of grief and indignation.
I usually live in Dongning and Liaodong, and I see the people's lives getting better day by day. How could I have heard such talk?
The people inside the pass are truly pitiful.
"grandfather,"
Gu Shisan took a deep breath and said softly, "You've all suffered so much! If we had known you were suffering like this, we would have come long ago..."
"You've been here for a while?"
The old man was taken aback, stared at Gu Shisan, and asked, "Kid, what do you mean by that?"
"grandfather,"
Gu Shisan explained, "To be honest, we come from beyond the Great Wall..."
"From beyond the Great Wall?"
Upon hearing this, the old man became somewhat excited, grabbed Gu Shisan's hand, and hurriedly asked, "Really? You are His Highness Prince Xin's people?"
"Yes."
Gu Shisan nodded and said, "We entered the pass this time on behalf of His Highness Prince Xin to fight against the enemy. As long as we defeat the enemy as soon as possible, Prince Xin's army will enter the pass, and we will be able to live a happy life here!"
"His Highness Prince Xin is going to enter the pass?"
The old man was somewhat agitated. "Yes, beat them up! The officials inside the pass are inhuman; they should have been replaced long ago! Kid, if you need any help from this old man, just say the word. Although I'm old, I've lived here for decades. I can't help you with anything else, but I can still give you directions!"
"Sir, I would be extremely grateful!"
Gu Shisan quickly thanked him.
After establishing a good relationship with the old man, Gu Shisan and the others settled down at the foot of the mountain.
As the old man had said, the nearby villages had long been suffering from persecution by the government and were struggling to survive. Some of the strong and able-bodied people had also detoured through the North Mountain, hoping to cross the border and escape from here.
Some ordinary people who couldn't escape were also filled with anger and hatred towards the government.
Like dry tinder and a raging fire, it can ignite instantly upon encountering a spark.
Gu Shisan and others were like a spark that ignited a fire.
Their arrival rekindled the last hope in the hearts of the people. The locals who remained offered their last remaining grains and wild vegetables to Gu Shisan and his companions.
Gu Shisan refused all of them.
The people's lives were already very difficult, so we couldn't let them go without even their last bite of food.
Since the people so adore His Highness Prince Xin, Gu Shisan naturally cannot tarnish the prestige of Prince Xin's army.
Love and protect the people!
This principle must be implemented.
Immediately, all members of the Thirteenth Squad gathered at their temporary residence on Jieshi Mountain.
How much rations do we have left?
Gu Shisan looked at his team members and said, "Collect the rations and count the quantity. Give half to the local people, to help those who can't survive and have no food or water get through this difficult time. As for us, the strong and able-bodied can go hunting in the mountains and get food too. What haven't we done back in Dongning?"
"The captain is right!"
One member chimed in, "Captain, I think we can start by winning over the hearts and minds of the people. As long as we can establish a firm foothold here and treat this place like home, we won't encounter any major troubles no matter what we do next."
"Yes, that's what I think too!"
Gu Shisan nodded and said, "To win the hearts of the people, we must ensure that everyone can survive!"
Xiao Wang, take some men and go talk to the villagers to find out about the wealthy families and gentry in the area, especially the local bullies who oppress the people.
Since we want to win the hearts and minds of the people, we should start by taking down these local tyrants and corrupt officials who prey on the people and wreak havoc in the countryside!
"clear!"
Xiao Wang nodded in agreement.
"Besides this mission,"
Gu Shisan continued, "We must not forget the tasks His Highness entrusted to us. Zhang Daniu and Liu Shitou, you two take some men to scout out the nearby official roads and keep an eye on the enemy's logistical supply operations. Report back immediately if you have any news!"
"yes!"
Zhang Daniu and Liu Shitou quickly agreed.
After the mission was assigned, the members of the Thirteenth Squad began to take action.
When the local people heard that the Prince Xin's army was going to take action against corrupt officials, they all came forward to expose some local tyrants who preyed on the people, caused trouble in the village, and oppressed the villagers.
These local tycoons were mostly very powerful in the area.
Some families even built earthen fortresses for self-protection and colluded with the government, acting like local tyrants!
The people hated these people to the core, yet they were powerless to do anything about it.
However, the members of the Thirteenth Squad were not afraid of these people!
Especially the 13th squad, which also has weapons and equipment at their disposal.
After confirming the location of the Ge family at Getiaogang, Gu Shisan led about twenty team members directly towards Getiaogang.
This time, Gu Shisan and his group did not hide their whereabouts; on the contrary, they made a big show of it, as if they were afraid that the people of Getiaogang would not know.
Upon hearing the news, the villagers from nearby villages also gathered around, eager to see what the Thirteenth Squad would do.
In the morning, Gu Shisan and others arrived at the outer perimeter of Getiaogang.
Meanwhile, the gates of Getiaogang Village were already tightly closed, and the Ge family's servants, armed with broadswords and spears, stood on the village walls, watching the outside world warily.
Some of the servants were holding bows and arrows, which appeared to be standard military equipment.
He really is a local tycoon who dominates the area; he's quite powerful!
Such a well-defended and well-armed earthen village wouldn't even be afraid of being attacked by three to five hundred bandits.
Therefore, facing the thirteenth squad of about twenty people, they clearly did not take Gu Shisan and his group seriously.
On the stockade wall, Ge Laosan, the steward of the Ge family, stood arrogantly, his fleshy face trembling as he loudly proclaimed, "Listen up, you outsiders! This is Getie Ridge! If you know what's good for you, get out of here right now. If you try to act tough in Getie Ridge, you'll lose your lives!"
"Get out, get out! If you don't leave, I'll chop you all up and feed you to the dogs!"
On the stockade wall, others also began to curse.
They didn't care at all about Gu Shisan and the others.
Seeing this, Gu Shisan smiled slightly, calmly raised his fist, and then gently swung it down.
"superior!"?
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