The men from Huai Shuo wore bitter expressions: "Lord Lü, since we have done something wrong, we are willing to pay the price. What will it take for you to allow us to take Lieutenant Yuan away?"
Lu Tu waved his hand and said, "To prevent you from going back on your word, put down your weapons and take your men with you."
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"Weapons are our lifeblood as soldiers; how can we just throw them away like that?"
"Captain Lü, you've really gone too far!"
Lu Tu shouted angrily, "So what if I bully you? Look carefully, this is my land! I have a land deed. You came to my house with knives. I'm already being generous by not keeping you all here as military slaves. Anyone who dares to say another word will be executed without mercy!"
As he finished speaking, the hundreds of soldiers behind him raised their long swords. Of course, many of the soldiers in the back row didn't have any weapons yet, but they all raised farm tools such as hoes and shovels.
They shouted in unison, "Kill!"
The collective momentum they displayed stood in stark contrast to the dejected state of the Huai Shuo border troops opposite them, clearly demonstrating the superiority of their opponents!
Even Yuan Xu, who was lying on the ground, was dumbfounded. He had only heard that Lü Tu was very brave, but he did not expect that his soldiers, who had previously seemed easy to bully, would suddenly turn red-eyed and appear fearless when he arrived at the scene.
He deeply felt the gap between himself and Lü Tu. If the two sides were to face off on the battlefield, he was afraid that his side would not even be able to withstand a single charge from Lü Tu and his men. These men were already in a desperate stance, and who would be willing to go up and die?
Yuan Xu, furious, pounded his chest and cursed at the Huai Shuo border troops, "Useless trash! Why don't you listen to Commandant Lü and put down your weapons? Do you really want to see me die here?"
"My lord, this is a newly issued sword!"
"I'll make you all put it down!"
The men of Huai Shuo felt utterly humiliated. Lü Tu, alone on horseback, dared to charge into their own ranks and kill people right in front of them.
On the other hand, Yuan Xu on his side didn't even have the courage to resist, and even yelled at them to put down their weapons immediately.
As someone threw their long sword to the ground, the clanging sound of metal clashing against metal echoed across the arena.
Meanwhile, the soldiers in the village continued to march forward, shouting, "Kill!"
Lu Tu raised his hand to stop his men, then looked at the Huai Shuo border troops and said, "Take Yuan Xu and get out of here!"
The Huai Shuo border troops remained silent throughout, like defeated roosters with their heads bowed. Several men came up and lifted Yuan Xu onto the horse.
Lu Tu didn't let them leave the horses behind. After all, you can't push people to the brink, or even a rabbit will bite when cornered. He just watched them drive away.
"Your Excellency is mighty!"
"Big Brother is incredibly brave and invincible!"
Cheers erupted from behind them; this victory was absolutely exhilarating! Although they hadn't really fought, it had greatly boosted their morale.
Lu Tu waved his hand and said, "Pack your things and go home!"
Many villagers also came along, including several male refugees. They were extremely envious of Lü Tu for acquiring so many weapons so effortlessly.
In the Great Yu Dynasty, where weapons control was extremely strict, even in the northern border where the Fubing system was implemented, knives were rare items. The lethality of having a knife and not having a knife were completely different, not to mention that this was a knife issued within the border army, which was much better than the broken knives used by those mountain bandits.
Lu Tu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew his own situation. If a few brave young men in Huai Shuo's army had attacked without thinking, the others would have been provoked and swarmed to deal with Lu Tu.
The price for this show-off was indeed high, but the gains were also extremely rich: a full 400 longswords, enough for Lu Tu to equip every soldier under his command with one, and the long spears forged by Hu Delu could be used to develop other long spear units later.
When the time comes, the long spears, long swords, and bows and arrows will form a military formation, and when faced with the Wuhuan people's large-scale attack, the chances of victory will be even greater.
Life is getting better and better!
Everyone carried a knife back to the village. Along the way, the women left behind in the village couldn't stop smiling. As long as their side kept winning battles, it meant they were safe.
In a place like Wuchuan, it's absolutely impossible to live a peaceful life without bloodshed. Not only do you have to be wary of the Wuhuan in the north, but also various mountain bandits and outlaws, and other border troops could stab you in the back at any time.
Surrounded by the welcoming crowds, even the displaced people who usually did hard labor felt a sense of pride and honor, a feeling of self-affirmation they had never experienced before.
More and more people followed behind, all wanting to go to the training ground with Lü Tu to see how the weapons would be distributed.
At this moment, on the high platform of the training ground, Xiao Zhong seemed to have anticipated that Lü Tu would end the dispute quickly. He had been waiting here for a long time. Not far from him were Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu. The two women looked at Lü Tu from a distance, their faces beaming with happy smiles.
Xiao Zhong shouted, "Everyone, let's give a round of applause to welcome Lord Lü back in triumph once again, protecting the village!"
Enthusiastic applause resounded throughout the training ground, and everyone looked at Lü Tu with admiration on their faces.
Xiao Zhong continued to employ his skillful brainwashing techniques, shouting with great emotion, "With Lord Lü around, the sky is a clear sky, and the villagers are very happy..."
"I miss you so much I'm dying, I'll find a carpenter to carve you. I'll carve Lord Lü on the headboard of my bed, and dream about you every day."
After listening to a long string of witty and seemingly unrelated remarks, Lu Tu was stunned. This guy was indeed worthy of being from the White Lotus Sect; his skill in instigating and inciting the people was truly extraordinary.
If Xiao Zhongyi had come and started spouting some nonsensical grand principles, the villagers, with their limited education, wouldn't have listened at all. Yet, he managed to stir everyone's emotions with the most ordinary words, which was quite remarkable.
Especially the young ladies in the village, who were waiting to be married, looked at Lü Tu with such intense, almost envious, gazes. This included some of the older women who were sitting on the ground, looking at Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu with envious eyes.
After Xiao Zhong finished speaking, he cupped his hands to Lü Tu and said, "Now, Lord Lü, please say a few words to us!"
Lu Tu clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd and said, "I'm not exaggerating. We won a battle against the Wuhuan people last time, but I was seriously injured and haven't recovered yet. Today, we have double happiness, how can we not celebrate?"
"Tomorrow at noon, everyone will have a big feast. Eat as much as you want, all you can eat!"
Upon hearing this, the room fell into complete silence, and Lu Tu was puzzled as to what was going on.
But the next second, a deafening shout erupted: "Lord Lü is truly a just and upright official! I never thought we'd live to see such a grand feast!"
Some villagers were even more excited, kneeling down and praying towards a certain spot, saying, "Father and Mother, can you hear me? I can finally eat at a feast, the kind where you can eat as much as you want!"
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