Jiang Bai mentioned the people at the foot of the mountain, not because he didn't want to help.
The people of Jiangjia Village may not have much food, but they are certainly much richer than the refugees who have come from afar.
In these chaotic times of war, they have no regard for ethics or morality.
At first, they were willing to spend money to buy food, but when they realized that they couldn't buy food with money, that was when the turmoil began.
"Instead of letting the villagers transport their grain to Pingshan and hide it, it would be better to reorganize the village protection team."
The chieftain also knew that if the barbarians really attacked, even if they hid their grain in Pingshan, it would be of no use.
But I still feel a little uneasy leaving it at home.
They had all noticed the changes in Jiang Bai these past few days. She was a capable woman with many talented people under her command. There was no need to store all the grain here. If they could store half of it, then when something really happened, everyone would still have some grain left over, which would be good.
In addition, Jiang Bai had just harvested several thousand kilograms of beans, so he probably wouldn't embezzle their grain.
“You’re right, but the village is still too scattered. I’d like to discuss with you about borrowing a piece of land so that the villagers can store their grain.”
The clan chief made the request repeatedly, and Jiang Bai couldn't refuse again.
To her, it was just a piece of land, so she nodded in agreement.
The clan chief then left with peace of mind, and the villagers of Jiangjia Village began to gather their grain.
As night falls, the newly formed village protection team patrols the village.
Another group of people were sent by the clan chief to dig cellars in the mountains.
They need to choose a site and start construction.
Even though they mostly used the name of Jiangbai Sweater Factory, the refugees at the foot of the mountain still noticed something was amiss.
“Uncle Jiuchang, the people from Jiangjia Village have been going up the mountain a lot these past few days.”
A young man of about seventeen or eighteen years old sneaked into Zhao Jiuchang's house. Zhao Jiuchang was talking with several village leaders when he heard this and immediately stood up.
"Have you found out what they're doing up the mountain?"
The village protection team's affairs couldn't be kept secret, and the clan chief and the others had no intention of hiding them either.
Not only Jiangjia Village formed such a team, but several neighboring villages also formed similar teams.
Everyone knew that the barbarians had breached the pass, and that refugees like Zhao Jiuchang had come to seek refuge. The common people were the first to feel the turmoil. They all knew that food was scarce, so they were extremely careful with their own food supplies.
Zhao Jiuchang and his group had to go to Jiangjia Village to fetch water every day.
This is because there are only two wells in the entire village, one in the village and the other in the mountains behind the clan chief's house.
When you go to the village to fetch water, you can see the village guards patrolling the village with sticks in their hands.
The young man was quick-witted; he noticed something was wrong and ran over to warn him.
"I don't know. There are guards on the way up the mountain, so I can't get up there."
Zhao Jiuchang then remembered that the entire area of Jiangjia Village had been bought by a wealthy family, who was also said to be a villager of Jiangjia Village, apparently a woman named Jiang Bai.
The area around Pingshan was covered with thorny fences, leaving only one entrance into the mountain.
When he first arrived, he noticed that the people guarding the entrance were all skilled martial artists. He guessed that the people on the mountain were not to be trifled with and were keeping the villagers in check, telling them not to provoke them.
"Jiuchang, shouldn't we send a letter to that person on the mountain?"
“The villagers in Jiangjia Village are no longer selling grain to us. I asked around and they said that the city does not allow the sale of grain, so they can’t buy any grain.”
"We only have enough rations for less than ten days."
“The villagers don’t have any, but the wealthy households in these mountains always have grain to sell.”
The people of Zhao Family Village had naturally heard the news from the outside world long ago, and they knew more information than the clan leader and others.
The barbarians may attack, but not now.
They fled here after learning that all the barbarians in Nan'an County had been killed.
Upon arriving at their destination, they built simple wooden houses so that if the barbarians attacked, they could escape again.
Therefore, they were not as panicked as the villagers of Jiangjia Village; rather, the lack of food worried them more.
"I'll give it a try."
Zhao Jiuchang didn't say much, he just nodded in agreement.
Less than a day later, Jiang Bai received their invitation.
The post was made by a group of refugees at the foot of the mountain, who elected Zhao Jiuchang as their representative.
Jiang Bai looked at the post but did not reply immediately.
What has Er Ya been doing lately?
"Besides taking care of the master and keeping the lady company, the second young lady has been practicing martial arts diligently these days."
Holding the invitation in his hand, Jiang Bai pondered for a moment and said, "Let's send it away!"
She currently has only a few thousand kilograms of beans on hand, and no other grain.
Even if they beg her, it won't do any good.
"Madam Jiang will not see me?"
Zhao Jiuchang was slightly taken aback upon hearing the reply.
“My mistress said she can’t help you.”
The guard at Ping Shan was a black-clad guard in disguise. He had a stern face and looked quite ordinary.
"Young man, could you please make an exception? We're short of money and have no way to buy food. We beg Madam Jiang to have mercy and help us."
Zhao Jiuchang was a man who could humble himself. Even as a scholar, he could lower his head when everyone was facing life and death.
The Black-Clad Guards are a group of people who are cold-hearted and even colder. Don't be fooled by their appearance when they take off their masks and disguise themselves as ordinary people. In reality, they are still different from ordinary people.
At least, they won't have that much empathy.
He ignored the words and looked away, focusing on doing his job.
A hint of anger flashed in Zhao Jiuchang's eyes, but knowing that this person was not someone to be trifled with, he did not pursue the matter further.
He went back and told the villagers.
The people living at the foot of the mountain were a mixed bunch, including villagers who had fled from other places. The few who had power were just two or three households from the same village.
Zhao Jiuchang wielded great power here, so everyone relied on him to find solutions.
When the villagers heard that the wealthy family in Pingshan had rejected them, they couldn't help but feel despair.
"Uncle Jiuchang, how about I go with Erlaizi and the others to Jiangjia Village tonight to investigate?"
The boy who brought the news also had a large family to support.
Unfortunately, he had few family members, only a wife and an elderly mother, and he didn't have much money to spare.
When everyone else was spending money to buy grain, he was reluctant to spend his own money and wanted to wait until the price dropped a bit before buying. But because of this delay, he couldn't buy any more grain.
Others might be able to hold out for ten days, but his family could only hold out for three days at most, no, two days.
So he was more anxious than anyone else.
"Go! Focus on gathering information, but don't hurt anyone."
Zhao Jiuchang nodded.
He knew that the boy was a scoundrel who had been hanging out with some shady characters back in Zhao Family Village. He spent his days bullying men and women in the county. His only redeeming quality was his extreme filial piety towards his elderly mother.
He was the one who first received the news that the barbarians had reached Fengchuan County, which allowed them to escape in time. Therefore, Zhao Jiuchang still held him in high regard.
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