Chapter 763 One Against Forty-Three
Lian Qiao waved her hand, signaling Lin Yuesha to calm down; it wasn't that exaggerated.
"Yang Qing, the chief of the Sixteen Villages, used to serve in the army. He was framed by a villain and had no choice but to flee to the Forty-Eight Villages."
Yang Qing was an upright man who abhorred the practice of seizing men and women and oppressing the people, so he never had a good relationship with the other male chieftains.
"One against forty-three strongholds."
Lin Yuesha was speechless. Wasn't this outrageous enough? The remaining three female chieftains and Yang Qing were probably on Yu Qiuniang's side, but they couldn't compete with the forces of the Forty-Three Strongholds.
Most of the men who joined the Forty-Eight Villages were vicious villains, while the remaining good people with conscience refused to go along with them and joined Yang Qing's village.
"So, as you can see, there's a gap between us, which is why we can't do business with the government."
Internal conflicts can be resolved, but if one betrays one's own people, one is likely to be excluded by the remaining forty-seven villages.
Lin Yuesha closed her eyes and sighed softly. To be fair, Wang Qiulan was somewhat capable in procuring military supplies, but not enough to persuade the Forty-Eight Villages.
The products of the Forty-Eight Villages are easy to sell, so they will not choose to supply the military.
Another point is that the border war presents a good opportunity for the Forty-Eight Villages to take advantage of the chaos. Once the border is stabilized, the government may send more troops to suppress the Forty-Eight Villages, which would be detrimental to them.
“Miss Lin, let me give you a piece of advice: the Forty-Eight Villages are a very complicated place. You should think of other ways. It’s not worth putting your energy into persuading these people.”
The people have opinions about the 48 villages, lamenting that Heaven is blind and those wicked people are living comfortably.
As soon as Lianqiao left, Baicha immediately said, "Miss, I think the Forty-Eight Villages are very dangerous. We should leave as soon as possible."
It's no wonder the people are terrified of such a lawless place. There are reasonable people, but they are a tiny minority.
"Let's go down the mountain as soon as it's light and discuss things carefully first."
It's not easy for the soldiers in the Northwest to get a bite of meat. Scattered purchases are not a long-term solution. In the end, we still have to find a way to purchase meat from the forty-eight villages.
Moreover, the Forty-Eight Villages cover a vast area, with extensive natural grasslands at the foot of the mountains, making it an ideal place for animal husbandry.
Purchasing goods in surrounding cities would be too costly in terms of transportation. Furthermore, some of these cities are Wei family territory, and if they were to purchase pork or other goods, they might be detained under various pretexts.
The ledger clearly records that Wang Binglan had done this before. The government detained all the goods on the grounds that they suspected the pork was from diseased pigs. After that, despite repeated urging and pleading, the goods disappeared without a trace.
It's one thing to waste a lot of time, but if you get detained, you'll end up losing everything you've invested in, including manpower, money, and effort.
Yu Qiuniang arranged for the mistress and servant to share a room, which contained only one bed.
After a quick wash, Bai Cha sat in the chair, not making a move for a long time.
Lin Yuesha lit the lamp wick and pointed to the bed, saying, "Let's go to sleep early and go down the mountain as soon as it's light tomorrow morning."
We should at least send a message to the Mo family; their aunt might still be worried about the two of them.
"Miss, please go to sleep. I will keep watch."
Bai Cha remained seated in the chair. There was only one bed; how could she possibly sleep in the same bed as her mistress? That would be a breach of social hierarchy. Although her mistress was very kind to her and had no airs, she couldn't do that.
Lin Yuesha paused in taking off her clothes, then laughed and said, "Bai Cha, if one day we are no longer master and servant, will you still be so reserved?"
The two of them would have to become sisters-in-law sooner or later, and besides, Lin Yuesha had never cared much about rules and regulations.
"Miss, are you not going to take me as your servant?"
Bai Cha nearly collapsed to the ground, her face filled with terror as she asked, "What did I do wrong?"
"Look at you, at least you have some ambition."
Lin Yuesha bluntly stated, "Look at Longjing, her ambition is to marry a great hero. What about you? You can't stay unmarried and stay by my side for the rest of your life."
"This servant does not want to get married."
Especially after arriving at the first village and seeing these unfortunate women, the desire not to marry became even stronger.
Bai Cha admired Doctor Yan for her dedication to one thing, finding it meaningful, while she herself could find no value beyond serving her mistress.
"Sister Houfen said she doesn't want to get married, and that she'll keep me company when I get old."
Bai Cha only has this one friend outside, and she promised Hou Fen to treat her to a meal with her own monthly salary, but she hasn't done so yet.
To make up for it, she has been saving money.
Before leaving, she went to say goodbye to Houfen, but found no one there, leaving Baicha feeling disappointed for several days.
Lin Yuesha's lips twitched. Qi Lu was indeed the cousin of the pockmarked man, with one trick after another. As someone in the know, Lin Yuesha couldn't tell the truth to the maid because she had promised the pockmarked man, which made her feel uncomfortable.
If Houfen doesn't show up soon, she'll break her promise and tell Baicha the truth.
Neither the master nor the servant slept; they sat together idly chatting. As they talked, Bai Cha yawned.
"Miss, listen, there's a noise outside."
The village was quiet at night, but the sound of something like banging on a door was clearly audible. Bai Cha was wide awake and immediately sat up straight.
Lin Yuesha opened the door, and there were countless torches lit in the courtyard, with a large number of people gathered in the open space.
“Miss Lin, our chieftain instructed me to bring you and Bai Cha down the mountain.”
Lian Qiao ran over quickly and pulled Lin Yuesha away, saying, "Hurry up, or we'll be late."
"I heard a noise. Is it the people from the Eighteen Villages coming to retaliate?"
Lin Yuesha guessed that, after all, the people from the First Village had captured the Second Village Chief of the Eighteen Villages, that foul-mouthed bearded man.
"yes."
Lianqiao led the way. There was a relatively hidden path down the mountain in the first village. If we didn't take it now, we wouldn't be able to leave under their noses once the people from the eighteen villages broke through the encirclement.
"The Eighteen Villages have been coveting the territory of the First Village for more than a day or two. Although this was a provocation by the Eighteen Villages, our village chief is impatient and fell into their trap."
As Lianqiao walked, she said, "Those people just died, and this group couldn't wait to attack the mountain in the dead of night. They must have planned this all along!"
The people of the Eighteen Villages had ambitions to occupy the First Village. They first kidnapped two sisters from the First Village and insulted them. Knowing that these women would surely retaliate, they released the Second Village Chief and a few henchmen. After capturing the women, they fell into the trap, and the enemy used this as an excuse to attack the mountain.
"Killing the homosexual is killing two birds with one stone. By taking this opportunity, we can eliminate the disloyal second chieftain for him. What a brilliant scheme!"
Lian Qiao urged Lin Yuesha and Bai Cha anxiously, as these people had come with great force and things might not end well.
"I can't just leave like this."
Lin Yuesha pondered that going down the mountain after dark wouldn't necessarily be safer than staying on the mountain, as the place was still hidden and unfinished. Besides, she had her bodyguards protecting her, which would free up manpower to help the sisters of the First Stronghold.
"The bearded man was killed by my men. He took responsibility for his actions, and I won't let you take the blame."
Lin Yuesha thought for a moment. Given her character, she wouldn't desert her post. She should stand with the sisters of the First Village, at least to improve their favorability.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
