Chapter 30 Defensive Engineering
The person who came was the mother-in-law of Huo's daughter. Huo Danian went to her house to fetch water every day.
"My dear in-laws, how come you can't make the decision on your own well and let Danian be beaten like this?" Old Mrs. Huo looked like she was accusing him.
"I'm so sorry." The old woman spoke quickly without taking a breath. "For your family's daily water needs, Ah Xiang begged everyone in the village for good things. You don't care about your own daughter, but I care about my daughter-in-law. I've long advised your son to help dig canals with the villagers, but he didn't listen. To be honest, I feel bad about being beaten this time..."
He paused.
Mrs. Huo stared at her rapidly moving lips. "How is it?"
The old woman took a breath and said, "I don't feel sad at all. I even feel a little happy!"
"Everyone in the village is digging a canal, but your family isn't. Did you get kicked in the head by a donkey? Ah Xiang asked me to tell you that she has three sons and a daughter to support. Don't try to drag her into this, either overtly or covertly!"
"You...I...this damn money-losing bastard..." Old Mrs. Huo was shaking with anger. Thinking that there would be no water from today, her heart sank.
"Go down on your knees and beg your village head!" The old woman said decisively and walked away.
…
In the evening, Ye Buwei and his three sons returned.
This was the first time Ye Buwei took the initiative to ask to go to the town. He ostensibly went to buy food, but in fact he went out to inquire about the situation.
After a while, Ye Yanping came over with the village head. Several men talked in the main room for a long time. Soon after, the gong for the assembly of Heihe Village sounded.
The village head stood in front of the whole village, holding a baby as delicate as a baby girl in his arms. A small golden snake was wrapped around the baby's white and tender wrist.
Seeing that the villagers were about to kneel down, Xiaojiu stretched out his little hand and said in a sweet and sweet voice, "Puyo!"
The village head smiled and said, "From now on, everyone should call her Xiaojiu, not the goddess! This is the Ye family's intention, and also the goddess... Xiaojiu's intention."
Ye Buwei continued, "Just because the Golden Snake likes Xiaojiu doesn't mean she's a goddess. Don't deify a little girl who's less than two years old. She doesn't know anything."
"Okay!" the villagers nodded.
If you don’t want to shout, then don’t shout.
Shouting in my heart.
…
The village head got to the point: "I asked everyone to come here today because I have something important to discuss!"
"Fellow villagers, there's chaos outside!"
Just one sentence made everyone's expression change.
"Today, the Ye family went to the town and saw many grain shops being smashed and looted. The rioters were burning, killing, and looting everywhere, and they fought with the yamen runners. Many people died!
I went out and inquired today, and the wells in every village won't last for a few days. It's understandable that everyone is without water and food, but we have endless water and can still harvest food in more than a month. You can imagine how jealous we are! In a few days, someone will come to steal the water! In another month, they will definitely come to steal the food!
"We can't let them rob us!"
"Protect Heihe Village! Don't let the rioters in!"
The crowd below was excited.
"I've discussed this with Yan Ping's father, and we've decided that from now on, the village will organize a patrol team. No matter day or night, no one from outside the village will be allowed to get close!
The escort team doesn't have to be young and strong laborers. Women and children between the ages of ten and fifty are all fine. If they find anything suspicious, they just need to make a noise so that the villagers can hear it! Ye Yan'an, you are responsible for registration!
Ye Yan'an was a little flattered when his name was suddenly mentioned, but he quickly regained his composure. "Those who joined the patrol, follow me over here! Ah Shun, come over and help too!"
Someone raised an objection.
"Village head, these are women and children who are powerless. How can we let them be the patrol team?"
"Yeah! If we're going, we men should go!"
"Why are you in such a hurry? You have more important things to do!" The village head said slowly, "Sooner or later, our village will become a fat piece of meat in the eyes of others. Then flies will come, rats will come, jackals and tigers will come too!
If we are attacked by a combined force, even if the entire village of over a thousand people were mobilized, we would still be no match for them and would only be massacred!"
Everyone began to realize the seriousness of the situation and became panicked. "Massacre the whole village? No way!"
"Village head, what should we do?"
"Build a city wall! Heihe Village is now wide open, and anyone can come in and wander around. Only by building a city wall and doing a good job of defense can we have a chance of winning!
Starting tomorrow, all young and strong laborers must work half a day every day to build the wall at the village entrance. Then find Ye Yanping to register!"
"Okay, I agree!"
"We must build a wall! Keep the jackals out and prevent them from getting in!"
Everyone knew very well that there was no better way at the moment. If they did nothing, they would soon become the targets of rioters' burning, killing and looting.
The village head specifically called out, "Will the Huo family join? If not, move out!"
Old Mrs. Huo, contrary to her usual attitude, strongly supported it. "Join, definitely join! Except for Zhongnian and his wife who are still in town, everyone else in my family will join! Da Nian will build the city wall, and the others will patrol!"
Everyone hit the nail on the head, "You're so enthusiastic this time, are you planning to use the village water?"
"It's not just the water. The town is unsafe now. Her backer may not be reliable anymore!"
Jingwan Village doesn't allow her to fetch water anymore. Plus, the town is in chaos now and her two in-laws are unreliable. It would be strange if she doesn't give in!
Old Mrs. Huo licked her old face and forced a humble smile, "I was wrong last time, I will make amends this time!"
The village head said sternly, "You can join, but let's be honest. The water in the canal cannot be used."
Old Mrs. Huo was anxious. "How can that be? If we don't give us water, my whole family will die of thirst! Head of the village, please show some mercy!"
The village head snorted, "If I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?! The canal was dug by the entire village. Even if I were the village head, I can't make this decision! If you want to use the village water, you have to personally go to every household and apologize!"
Old Mrs. Huo clenched her teeth tightly and said, "Okay! I'll come and apologize to everyone!"
The village head said: "As long as one family disagrees, your family will not be allowed to use the water from the canal!"
"I kneel down before you all first. Tomorrow morning I will go door to door to apologize!"
Old Mrs. Huo knelt down in front of everyone.
Everyone sighed.
We are from the same village, and I just can't bear to watch his family die of thirst.
But I felt uncomfortable letting her go like this.
The village head said, "Old Huo family, we are kind-hearted and don't want to argue with you. The water from the canal can be used for your household expenses!"
Mrs. Huo was overjoyed. "Okay, okay, that's great!"
"I haven't finished speaking yet!" the village head said, "Your family can only use one bucket of water a day, not a drop more! The whole village is watching, don't try to get away with it!"
Mrs. Huo's smile froze instantly. "Village Head! How can one bucket of water be enough?"
"If you think it's too little, you don't have to!"
"Yes, yes, yes, I want it!" Old Mrs. Huo's face looked uglier than crying.
Seeing the frustrated look on Old Lady Huo's face, everyone felt much better.
"The village head is wise!"
"That's the way to do it!"
"If you do something wrong, you must pay the price!"
…
There are 206 households in Heihe Village, and 206 people have joined the guard team.
Ye Yanping and Ye Yanshun divided the patrol time into two phases: day and night.
The six hours from the end of Mao time (6 a.m.) to the end of You time (6 p.m.) are the daytime patrol period. Considering that patrolling during the day is much simpler, and children tend to be sleepy at night, children are made the main force of daytime patrols.
It is more dangerous at night and the patrol mission is more difficult, so adults are regarded as the main force.
There are eighty-four people during the day and one hundred and twenty-two people at night, all divided into six groups, each group patrols for one hour.
There is a group of fourteen people during the day and a group of twenty people at night, a total of two hundred and four people, two more people, plus the three people from the Huo family who joined on their own initiative, a total of five more people.
These five people join the hours of late Hai, midnight and Chou, which are the times when they are most likely to feel sleepy.
When the meeting was over, the two brothers had already made the patrol arrangements. After announcing the list of personnel groups in public, the first wave of patrol teams in Heihe Village was about to take up their posts.
Although the village head has two sons, they are both honest men with average decision-making ability, so the village head has high hopes for Ye Yanping and others.
The three brothers were also very conscientious. They brought the 206 people to the village entrance and explained the guard positions and patrol requirements clearly before going back to sleep.
Early the next morning, the villagers of Heihe Village were busy with their work.
One hundred people dug the foundation, one hundred people went up the mountain to dig yellow mud, and fifty people went down to the ground to dig mortar and collect straw and platycodon.
Women, the elderly and children are responsible for delivering water and running logistics.
To build a city wall, you must first make mud bricks. The villagers are the best at this. They mix yellow mud, gray mud, straw and platycodon together, soak them with water, and mix them evenly with a shovel. After mixing them into a sticky mud paste, the materials for making mud bricks are ready.
Pour the mud paste into the lattice frame, tamp it down with wooden boards, put the frame away, and the mud bricks are ready. After they are completely dry, they can be used to build walls.
Heihe Village spent three days digging the foundation and making mud bricks. On the fourth day, the mud bricks made on the first day were completely dry, and everyone began to build the wall.
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