Chapter 403: Taking Advantage of the Situation
"That's definitely not the case. Didn't Li Er's family in our village farm these plots of land before? But after just one season, Li Er started complaining that the land wasn't good enough. Not only was the soil all sandy, but the crops were dying. He demanded the government replace the land they had allocated him with something else. That's why these plots of land have been left to fallow. It wasn't until Madam Qin and her family were exiled here that the land was allocated to her family. It doesn't make sense that Li Er Zhong would get nothing, while her family would have such a good harvest!"
Everyone was puzzled, but someone who was curious went to ask Chen Fenghe why.
Chen Fenghe didn't hide anything and smiled, "The reason why my fields produce more than other people's fields is actually no secret. I believe everyone still remembers that in early spring, I asked everyone to help plant some trees and shrubs, right?"
After hearing this, everyone nodded in confusion and said, "Of course I remember. But what does this shrub have to do with a good harvest?"
"If it were elsewhere, perhaps it wouldn't be a problem. However, the fields near Shili Village are somewhat desertified. Furthermore, the weather here is dry and sunny with little rain, and strong winds are common in this area in the spring. These factors make it easy for the soil to be blown away by the wind, forming sandstorms. Don't underestimate this wind and sand; it will carry away some of the soil's original fertility, reducing its fertility.
The red willow and sea buckthorn I asked everyone to help plant were actually planted in the fields, facing the direction of the strong wind. Their main function is to prevent wind and sand, and since the wind and sand are contained to a certain extent, it is easier to maintain water resources. Therefore, despite the drought this year, the water supply in my fields should be better than that of everyone else's fields. Also, in some fields with severe salinity, it is necessary to carefully select the crop varieties to be planted. For example, sorghum is more tolerant to salinity, so under the same conditions, sorghum will naturally yield better than wheat and other crops.
Everyone was stunned after hearing what Shen Fenghe said.
After a long pause, someone said bewilderedly, "This... I've been farming with my parents since I was little, but I never knew there were so many details and techniques involved in farming..."
Chen Fenghe pursed her lips and smiled. These were all experiences summarized from modern agriculture, which ancient people naturally would not have known.
However, she still said modestly, "I also saw these in agricultural books, so I took note. This year, I was just trying it out, and I didn't expect it to actually work. It was also just luck."
After hearing this, Village Chief Wu said, "Ms. Shen, what kind of agricultural book are you reading? When the time comes, our village can also buy a few copies and you can teach everyone. This way, if we encounter drought weather like this year again, we can make up for it a little bit..."
Chen Fenghe couldn't refuse, so she had to agree.
But... next year... maybe she won't be in this village anymore.
The harvest fire soon went out, and every household carefully stored the food they could get into their own barn.
More than half of this grain needs to be divided and handed over to the government, and the rest is each family’s annual food ration and seeds for the next year.
A few days after the autumn harvest, Yang Baozong arrived at the village with the bodyguards who had been hired by the whole village to guard the village.
If ordinary bandits from the Northern Rong want to launch a surprise attack, they usually choose winter, especially when the weather is bad.
However, due to the drought this year, Village Chief Wu was afraid that they would take advantage of the gap when the grain had just been harvested and stored in each household and had not yet been paid as public grain, and launch a surprise attack. Therefore, he made preparations in advance and sent the bodyguard team here at this time.
The bodyguards seemed to be well-trained and did not need the village to provide them with accommodation and daily meals, as they had to take care of themselves.
This made the villagers very satisfied.
After all, there are always more than ten people in the bodyguard group, and each of them is a big and strong man who can eat several kilograms of meat in one meal. If the villagers are required to provide them with meals, the expenses will be too high.
However, even after the government sent tax advisors and runners to the village to collect public grain, there was no sign of an attack from the Northern Rong bandits.
This bodyguard group was originally hired until almost the end of winter.
However, after paying the public grain tax, some households in the village could not help but start making trouble.
Among them, the most serious quarrels were between Zhu Huaihua's family and the family of a man named Zheng Laosi.
"Now that everyone in the village has paid their public grain, how much surplus food should be left at home? My family doesn't need any bodyguards to protect us anyway. Village Chief Wu, we are not unreasonable people. My family is willing to pay for the bodyguard fees from the autumn harvest until the public grain payment. As for the rest, Village Chief Wu, please settle the bill and return the extra money we paid before, as well as the half of the silver that should be returned because the Northern Rong didn't attack us!"
Zhu Dazhuang said this very confidently.
Village Chief Wu was helpless: "Zhu Dazhuang, the whole village agreed to hire bodyguards to protect the village. If your family withdraws and the others don't, the money still has to be paid to the bodyguards. What do you want me to give you to pay it back?"
"I don't care! My family has paid a total of fifty cents! Even if the protection in these few days is worth ten cents, you should return forty cents to my family! With these forty cents, my family has enough to buy an old hen! Anyway, you have to return it today, whether you want to or not!" Zhu Dazhuang started to make a fuss.
Zheng Laosi also stammered, "Village Chief Wu, I...my family also wants to return the money. Village Chief, after paying the public grain tax, there aren't many families left with surplus grain, so we really don't need this bodyguard. If the money could be returned, even if it's just a few dozen coins, it would be enough for each family to buy a few pounds of food, which is much more cost-effective than wasting money on bodyguards. Village Chief, why don't you discuss it with everyone in the village? I'm sure everyone will choose to get the money back..."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Dazhuang immediately chimed in, "I think what Zheng Laosi said makes sense. Village chief, I advise you to tell the villagers right away. Otherwise... I'm afraid everyone will really be saying behind your back that you and that kid Yang Baozong are colluding to take kickbacks!"
Village Chief Wu was furious at being wronged. He said, "I've been village chief for so many years, when have I ever taken advantage of anyone? Well, if you want to return the money, I'll ask everyone's opinion. If everyone agrees to return the money, I'll have nothing to say!"
Having said that, he stormed out in anger.
Most of the villagers were living in difficulty. Although some were afraid that the Northern Rong bandits would come to the village and harm their families, the majority of them agreed to refund their money.
Village chief Wu had no choice but to go to the bodyguard group with Yang Baozong to explain the situation, hoping that they would leave the village and return some of the money.
The bodyguards were easy to talk to and didn't make things difficult for us. They readily agreed, returned part of the money, and left Shili Village.
Village chief Wu returned the money to each household in proportion.
On the sixth day after the bodyguards left the village, the weather suddenly changed and the temperature dropped sharply. Snow fell like salt all day long, and by the evening, the snow had accumulated to ankle height.
When Xie Gao finished teaching at the village school and was about to go back, Xiao Yunshuo sent Yuan Xu to persuade Xie Gao to stay in Shili Village today. It would not be too late to return to his nephew's farm after the snow stopped tomorrow.
Xie Gao readily agreed.
That night he did not stay in the rest area of the village school, but stayed at the Yun family.
Chen Fenghe and Qin Mengyue had already asked the servants to prepare the guest room, lit the charcoal stove, made the room warm, and ordered the kitchen to make hot mutton soup for the guests.
Xiao Yunshuo also took the opportunity to talk to Xie Gao about some things, and then everyone went to rest.
The heavy snow continued to fall, and in the middle of the night, the dogs in the village suddenly started barking one after another.
Under the white snowy night, a group of men wearing white woolen cloaks, who seemed to blend into the snow, took advantage of the night and quietly arrived at the village entrance.
Two people had been waiting in the shadows at the village entrance. Seeing them approach, they approached and whispered, "Why are you so late? If we don't figure this out before dawn and you don't leave, and this gets exposed, we'll both be in trouble!"
The leader of the group was somewhat unconvinced. He patted his chest confidently and said, "You underestimate us brothers! It's just a village with a dozen households. Don't worry, we will kill them all before dawn and burn the village down. We won't leave any evidence behind!"
The two people who were waiting were very dissatisfied with his confident attitude, but they did not say anything more about wasting time. They immediately led them to the Yun family's house on tiptoe.
"Tonight is the perfect time. Xie Gao is staying at the Yun family because of the heavy snow. We can catch him all in one fell swoop!"
As they were talking, a group of people had already entered the village.
Suddenly, a man came into the village from another path, swaying from side to side and humming a little tune. He turned the corner of a house and ran into the group of people head-on.
That man was none other than Zhu Dazhuang, who had gone to town with his friends to drink and fool around again today and had just returned to the village.
When the two sides met, they were both stunned.
Zhu Dazhuang was originally half drunk, but he was quick to react. Seeing that the other group of people were all dressed like Northern Rong people, with their faces covered with cloth, he sobered up in an instant and shouted in a trembling voice, "Who are you... Help me!"
Just as he was about to call for help, one of the two people leading the way suddenly rushed over like an arrow, raised his knife and cut Zhu Dazhuang's throat.
Seeing him so close, Zhu Dazhuang's pupils suddenly contracted and he recognized the person in front of him.
"You...you are...no wonder..." Zhu Dazhuang said painfully, but his voice was as soft as a mosquito, blood spurted out of his mouth, and there was infinite regret in his eyes.
No wonder this person instigated him to go to the village chief and ask for the dismissal of the bodyguards protecting the village and the return of his money.
Just for a few dozen coins to drink some wine, he lost his life...
Suddenly, Zhu Dazhuang's pupils dilated, his hands fell to the ground dejectedly, and he was dead.
The person who did it wiped the bloody dagger on Zhu Dazhuang's body neatly and then put it back into the scabbard.
"As expected of Li Qianwei, his skills are still amazing." The leader wearing Beirong clothes couldn't help but applaud and flatter.
The man gave him a gloomy look and sneered, "There's no need to say any more of this. Better finish the job quickly and report to the master!"
After saying that, he continued walking towards the Yun family.
The 'leader', for some reason, became interested and asked, "Of course. But there's one more thing we need to ask Li Qianwei before we can proceed. Otherwise, if something dirty happens between us, it won't look good."
Li Qianwei looked at him coldly, frowned, and asked, "What's the matter?"
The leader laughed and said, "Li Qianwei, tonight we pretend to be Northern Rong bandits slaughtering the village. Did we really... massacre the entire village? I heard that Li Qianwei has been in this village for the past two years, but he's married and has children. Even his sister-in-law and children..."
He said this and didn't say anything more.
Li Qianwei was stunned for a moment, but his expression quickly returned to a cold-blooded one. He said, "That was just a disguise to cover up my identity. Now that the net is closing in, there's no need to pretend anymore. Just kill him."
The leader tutted his words and laughed, "As expected, it's still the cold-blooded Li Qianwei. I admire you, brother! Then we're going to have a good time tonight... hehe!"
As they were talking, they had already reached the wall of Yun's residence.
This group of people were quite skilled. With a slight nod from their leader, they all used their lightness skills to climb onto the roof of the courtyard wall and leap into the courtyard.
Each man drew his sword or short blade, and was determined to kill every one he saw, and they fought their way to the master's room.
According to Li Qianwei's prior investigation and information, the Yun family was originally engaged in business. The young master in the family was weak, and there were two women and one child, the Crown Princess and the Queen, the Ninth Prince. There was also another person, Xie Gao, who was also old. There was no one to be feared.
To be honest, the Yun family seemed to have hired a few guards who knew some martial arts.
Therefore, the people who came were full of confidence. If they killed those guards, the remaining people would be easier to deal with than cutting melons!
However, after they entered the yard, they unexpectedly didn't see anyone!
Everyone was a little surprised, but they had all been strictly trained and remained calm. They nodded to each other and continued to walk quietly towards the master bedroom.
Maybe some guards were lazy and went off to sleep somewhere.
It doesn't matter. Just kill whoever you see.
They entered the master bedroom smoothly and separately. The room was dark, but they could see the bulge in the quilt on the bed. Without saying a word, they raised their swords and stabbed at the bed!
"Puff!" There was a soft sound.
Everyone who heard the sound was startled, then instantly alert, and immediately used their lightness skills to break the window and evacuate.
They were used to doing assassination work, so they could tell at once that the sound and touch just now were not the sound and feeling of a knife piercing a human body!
Suddenly, with a "whoosh" sound, several darts flew through the air and pierced directly into the throats of these people.
Some survivors fled into the yard in a panic, only to find that what awaited them were sharp arrows and swords pointed at them.
The two people who led the way suddenly widened their pupils and said in surprise: "You...you haven't left yet? Why...why..."
The people holding bows and arrows or swords are the group of village bodyguards who resigned after the village asked for their remuneration back!
The leader of the bodyguards said indifferently, "Zheng Laosi, you are secretly communicating with the Beirong thieves, what else can you say?"
After his identity was revealed, Zheng Laosi changed his usual timid demeanor and sneered, "I didn't expect you to see through my identity! But, so what? I'll make sure you all die here together tonight!"
He thought they were just a bunch of country folk who knew some mediocre kung fu, but they... were specially trained spies and secret guards!
As he said this, without waiting for Zheng Laosi to speak, all the "Beirong" thieves suddenly attacked and attacked the bodyguards.
However, they soon discovered they were wrong. Very wrong.
The skills of each of these bodyguards are unfathomable and are beyond their capabilities!
Zheng Laosi was soon seriously injured and looked at the bodyguards in shock: "How could you...? No...it's impossible..."
These people were definitely not ordinary village bodyguards. Their village had only scraped together a few taels of silver to hire bodyguards, so it was impossible for them to hire bodyguards with better skills than the spies and guards secretly trained by the palace!
"Why……"
If he doesn't figure it out, he will die with regrets.
How could I have... capsized in the gutter?
The leader of the bodyguards came over, looked down at him, and with a flash of cold light from the dagger in his hand, his throat was cut in an instant.
"Hmm! You...are..."
Blood gushed out from his mouth and throat.
At the last moment, he finally saw clearly the dagger in the bodyguard leader's hand—
The handle of the dagger was engraved with intricate and strange patterns. He also owned a similar dagger.
This was a weapon only possessed by secret agents and guards who had undergone secret training. Furthermore, the patterns on the daggers varied according to the nine levels of the agents and guards.
He only had a fifth-grade dagger, but the person in front of him clearly had a first-grade dagger pattern!
Secret agents and secret guards have always served only the royal family, and not all princes have this honor and privilege. In the entire Dayu, only the second prince, the sixth prince, and the crown prince have received the grace of the imperial edict. Even the fifth prince has not received it!
They are all the Second Prince's men, but none of them are high-ranking.
As far as he knew, the ranks of secret agents and guards that a prince could possess were also limited. The highest rank that the Second and Sixth Princes could possess was only the Second Grade.
Only the Crown Prince and the current Emperor have the privilege of being first-class secret guards.
Could it be... that the emperor secretly sent people to protect the queen, the crown princess and the ninth prince?
However, he will never know the answer to this question.
Zheng Laosi suddenly convulsed all over, then his head drooped to the side and he died.
The other secret guard, who was previously called Li Qianwei, also died soon after. Only a few invading "Bei Rong" thieves were left, who were seriously injured, knocked unconscious, and then tied up with ropes.
These bodyguards moved quickly and quickly transported all the bodies in the yard and those who were knocked unconscious to the vicinity of the village. The yard was also quickly cleaned up, as if... nothing had happened.
After doing all this, the bodyguard leader returned to Yun's house.
Xiao Yunshuo was already waiting for him in the secret room.
"Your Highness, there are still a few survivors left. Should we deal with them all at once?"
Xiao Yunshuo said calmly, "That's not necessary. Since you've already disguised yourself as Beirong bandits, and you're appearing as village bodyguards, just hand them over to the authorities. A clean death would only arouse suspicion."
"Yes." The man agreed and left.
Soon, there was a commotion outside the village, waking up everyone who was sleeping in the village.
Village chief Wu quickly took people to check outside the village and saw the "Beirong" bandits who were beaten to death, injured or dead, as well as the bodyguards who were protecting the village. Of course, he also saw Zhu Dazhuang's body.
The leader of the bodyguards approached Village Chief Wu and bowed, saying, "Village Chief Wu, we accepted a request from another village and were originally planning to rush there overnight. We happened to pass by here and spotted these 'Northern Rong' thieves sneaking into the village, so we intervened. Unfortunately, we were unable to save this man's life. We hope that Village Chief Wu will forgive us."
When Village Chief Wu and others saw this, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale.
Village Chief Wu quickly bowed and said, "If it weren't for Mr. Chen, who, despite past misfortunes, was willing to help out, all of us villagers would have perished tonight at the hands of these Northern Rong bandits. We're not even close to being grateful, so how can we even talk about forgiveness? Zhu Dazhuang...it's just bad luck. It's his fate. How can we blame Mr. Chen?"
The bodyguard leader nodded and said, "That's good. We've captured a few bandits alive. I'd like to trouble Village Chief Wu to report them to the authorities for proper interrogation and prosecution. I can retain a few of them to testify in court. We have other errands to attend to, so we can't stay any longer..."
Village Chief Wu heard this and immediately said, "Mr. Chen saved the lives of all our villagers. We should have given him a banquet..."
The bodyguard leader smiled and said, "That's not necessary. We've already received your village's reward. If we hadn't encountered it, it would have been fine. But since we have, we can't just sit back and watch. We have other things to do, so Village Chief Wu, please don't mind."
Village Chief Wu then said, "Since Mr. Chen has other things to do, I won't force him. When Mr. Chen is done with his work, please come to our village for a drink..."
The leader of the bodyguards didn't say anything else, just nodded slightly, then mounted his horse and left with the others.
Village chief Wu then hurriedly sent someone to Youzhou City to report to the government that night.
Other people in the village also woke up one after another and came out to watch the fun.
When Zheng Laosi's family and Li Qianwei's family saw that their husbands were dead in their night clothes, they were stunned at first, and then they couldn't help but sit on the ground and burst into tears, crying out for justice to the village chief.
"Village chief, what are you talking about? How could my man just die out of nowhere? How are we going to live in the future?"
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