Chapter 1177 Let's Do It!
Han Mo shook off his arm. "I can learn if I haven't held her before, but I'm afraid her dad won't trust us."
"I am a little worried, so perhaps..."
“I’ll go with them and see how things have changed for ordinary people in the last two years.” Actually, Song Chunxue also wanted to see what was going on with Hongying’s parents-in-law.
"Mother, I'll go too. I haven't dared to go out lately. I want to buy new cloth to make clothes for the children and two pairs of tiger-head shoes." Mulan turned and walked towards her courtyard. "I'll go get a hat first."
Having learned her lesson from a previous incident on the street, she now avoids showing her face when going out, lest someone recognize her and cause trouble.
There are always good and bad people in this world, so it's always wise to be wary of others.
“Alright, we’ll all go.” Song Chunxue urged the group of young people again, “Rest well today. In a couple of days, I’ll send you to the east to buy grain. The journey will be arduous, so take a break first.”
"Buying grain?"
"Good, good, good! Buying grain is the most important thing!"
"Master Song, let's go and rest now."
Watching them quickly get up and wipe the horse's mane with clean cloths, Jiang Yexun sighed and facepalmed.
These people are hard to manage; you have to coax them.
Where would he get so much money to bribe them?
It seemed that his mother had seen through his thoughts, because in the afternoon he saw a large box of gold and silver in the study.
It can last for several years.
Even though we're all married, it's a bit shameful that my mother still has to help support the family.
But knowing that his mother no longer had to worry about money, he accepted it without any qualms.
The first thing he did after receiving the silver was to have the bowsmith make a batch of bows and arrows.
We can't expect divine intervention to save us from enemies and bandits; we need to be prepared and have a plan.
He also wanted to buy two cannons to intimidate those poor bandits.
However, the imperial court did not provide any pay, so this small fortified town needed at least a thousand soldiers to survive.
Actually, there were 3,000 soldiers a few years ago, but in the last two years, the number has dropped by 2,000. It's not just that the money isn't in place, but that no one wants to join the army.
There are fewer and fewer young and strong men in this area.
If everyone were like my mother...
Yes, if everyone had real skills, let alone like my mother, even just knowing a proper set of sword techniques, and being able to shoot arrows and ride horses, he would be a force to be reckoned with.
He used to think that he could live one day at a time, but now he suddenly has ambitions and wants to become a mighty and domineering general.
He quickly picked up a brush and wrote down the deployment plan on the paper.
Soldiers and horses, recruiting soldiers and buying horses all require money.
Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst; he must station troops and grow grain himself.
He had no shortage of fodder; as soon as he arrived, he had his soldiers plant oat grass and sorghum. But after the harvest, the thieves would have their eyes on the crops.
He secretly hoped that his mother could stay longer so that he would have time to make full preparations.
*
On the street, Song Chunxue encountered many ragged children, who were so hungry that they were pale and thin and had no energy to play. They were leaning against the wall playing with dirt.
His hair was a mess, he wasn't wearing pants, and he was playing barefoot.
She wasn't surprised; during the years of poor harvests, the children in the village didn't wear pants, and the couple had to share a single pair.
What's more, this place has been looted several times.
In her past life, no one knew how Hongying survived outside the city.
However, being outside the city has one advantage: before bandits and thieves arrive, someone will beat a drum, and everyone will hide in a concealed cave beforehand.
Han Mo held Xiao Feiyan in his arms, watching the children playing by the roadside blink their big eyes at them curiously, then quickly looked away.
He had never seen such a scene before. There wasn't a single decent tree here. They were either willows, poplars, or banyan trees. Everything else was bare and withered.
Fortunately, there is a river here, so it's not very dry.
He used to not understand that while the rich feast on meat and wine, the poor freeze to death on the streets, since he preferred to stay in places with beautiful mountains and clear waters.
This place is extremely desolate.
Although he didn't have children, he felt bad when he saw such small babies squatting on the ground playing, sometimes being bullied by others, and sitting on the ground crying, with no adult to stand up for them.
When they were in the mountains, if anyone bullied his little sister, he would definitely kick them down the mountain.
You say life is already so hard, with every day uncertain, why have so many children?
Moreover, in such a dangerous place, who knows when bandits might enter the city? Swords and spears don't discriminate; what if that bandit is a wicked person...?
Han Mo shook his head, trying to banish the horrific scene from his mind.
That's so pitiful. It turns out the stories our elders told were all true.
It's better to stay in the mountains; otherwise, you'll either be provoked by this demon or have your mountain occupied by that bear demon.
But before long, their predecessors would return, and a single slap would be enough to kill them.
"Master Song, why don't the people here move away, even to some remote mountain forest?" Han Mo couldn't understand. "This place is no place for humans to live. Rather than live in fear, they'd rather eke out a living in a wealthy place."
“It’s easier said than done. In fact, those who could leave have already left. The rest of us can’t leave, and there’s no way we can leave.” Song Chunxue said in a low voice, “If you don’t believe me, go and ask them one by one. They’re either exiled or being hunted down, unable to survive in the Central Plains, or they have elderly relatives whose ancestors have lived here for more than ten generations, or they can’t bear to leave their land here, or they don’t even have enough money for travel.”
“If we leave the city and encounter bandits from other places on the road, they can only cover their heads with their hands and wait to slit their throats. At least here we can dig a cellar to hide.” She said bitterly, “What’s more, this is not the most difficult place. Some people moved here from the west, where it is even more difficult. In previous years, Liangzhou City was considered safe.”
Han Mo gritted his teeth, "Then why don't we pull off a big heist? Let's set fire to those bandits' dens at night, set fire to the barbarians' lair on the grasslands, and become robbers ourselves, scaring them away?"
Song Chunxue stopped in her tracks. "You're right."
Changfeng laughed and said, "Master has wanted to do this for a long time, but he hasn't planned how to tell us yet."
“Yes, I’m thinking of having a good talk with Sanwa and getting a map…” Song Chunxue said firmly, “How about tonight? The sooner the better. If those people try to take advantage of our momentary lapse in attention to launch a sneak attack, we inside the city will still have a way out, but those outside the city will be in trouble.”
Tu Dan'er spat out the willow leaves. "I'm going to find someone to buy some sulfur. I'll make sure they're terrified for a while."
"Then I'll prepare a few lightning-attracting pills, let's make a big commotion."
Han Mo added, "Prepare more, go more often, and launch surprise attacks on more places. Maybe they'll be scared into retreating three hundred miles away."
"Yes, that's right, let's do it this way." Tu Dan'er clenched his fist, full of enthusiasm. "Forget about not interfering too much in worldly affairs. Rather than teaching them to seek inner peace and cultivate themselves, let's focus on saving our lives first."
"But we can't kill innocent people indiscriminately. Let's go to the places where they have strong and well-equipped troops, and it would be best if we could take back the horses." Song Chunxue instructed, "Don't burn the grain and fodder, otherwise they will only be able to take ours if they are pushed to the limit."
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