Chapter 798 A Dream of Youth 330
Then he turned to his men and said, "Go outside the town and bring in some armor."
Those armors were all captured, as were the clothes, because not only were the people registering outside, but even the town's patrol officers and soldiers inside were dressed in tattered clothes. They would freeze to death before the enemy even attacked them.
"Chaoda Lang."
"Hey!" Chao Dalang was winking at Zhang Qi when Xie Ning startled him.
Xie Ning needed to raise military provisions, since it was impossible to rely solely on the Song family to do so. Therefore, she asked Chao Dalang to invite all the wealthy households in the city. If they didn't come, it didn't matter; she would have to visit them personally.
Then it won't be so easy to talk to them.
Then she revealed some information, such as that she still had soldiers outside the town.
The wealthy households were terrified, feeling as if the sky was about to fall. Some had already packed their things and prepared to flee south, but leaving one's hometown is easier said than done. They would never leave their hometown unless absolutely necessary.
With the town's patrol team making such a big fuss, some of the town's wealthy families had already noticed and were secretly discussing countermeasures. Who would have thought that Chao Dalang would drop such a bombshell as soon as he arrived?
"Shameless!"
Although they hated Xie Ning's behavior, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it, since a knife was already at their throats. Fortunately, the quantity Xie Ning wanted was still within their acceptable range.
Of course, this is just one example.
As soon as Xie Ning said this, the faces of the gentry and wealthy people present turned dark instantly. Xie Ning said it was a loan, but everyone knew that once the grain was lent out, it would never be returned. They did not believe Xie Ning.
How shameless!
"Once the troops are recruited, I will not take them all with me, nor will I take the supplies. Instead, I will leave some to protect the town. When the Northern Jin army attacks, I will trouble you all to protect yourselves and the remaining troops to protect the town's inhabitants as much as possible. Thank you in advance."
Xie Ning stood up and bowed.
Those who were still angry were taken aback and stood up to return the greeting. They wanted to say something, but couldn't open their mouths. Given Xie Ning's abilities and status, it would have been normal for her to stay away from the turmoil, since her home wasn't here. However, she chose to stay and went around recruiting people and buying food to help Wenshui County.
What good does this do her?
"Sir, I actually have quite a bit of surplus grain at home, and I can lend you some more."
Xie Ning gently shook his head, "No need. The amount I just borrowed is already enough. Besides, where would there be any extra food? If we meet someone on the road who is just short of a mouthful of rice to survive, it would be extremely kind of you to give them a mouthful."
Moreover, he always repays what he borrows; Ning is a man of his word, so I hope you will not worry.”
"This Lord Xie is quite different." They were prepared to spend a lot of money, but Xie Ning asked for less than half of what they had prepared, and he even declined the gifts they had brought.
"Mr. Zhou, are you still running away?"
If they run, they can all run together and help each other. However, while some can still run, others are destined to die here. After all, even for those with considerable wealth and servants to protect them, fleeing in such chaos would be extremely difficult.
“We’re not leaving. Our ancestors have lived here for generations. Where else can we go? If the Northern Jin army breaks through Hedong… it’s like wolves breaking into our house. We can’t escape no matter where we run.”
And how many people can actually abandon their families and careers?
Besides borrowing grain from wealthy households, Xie Ning also borrowed medicinal herbs from the only pharmacy in town. In fact, she also wanted to borrow people, but seeing their trembling appearance, she ultimately stopped herself from doing so.
When they returned to the town's patrol station, it was already completely dark. The night wind was colder than during the day, but there were still many people queuing at the entrance of the town's patrol station, which was a bit unexpected.
The team leader expressionlessly handed over his work to the person next to him. Luckily, the young master came along this time, otherwise Xie Ning would have asked him to recruit people... but he can't write a single word!
He had intended to use this opportunity to move closer to Xie Ning, but unexpectedly, Matsuzaburo ran over faster than him and dashed over in a flash. "Lord Xie, we've recruited two hundred men!"
Xie Ning was stunned, and said helplessly, "Didn't you say that one hundred people would be enough?"
"I picked the first hundred, and there are still a hundred left. They said they can work, and all they need is a bite to eat." Actually, Xie Ning's offer was too generous.
Xie Ning looked at the people that Song Saburo had chosen. At a time like this, how could he still be in the mood to pick and choose?
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