Given the current situation, the Wuhuan people have most likely set their sights on the coal mine in Luzhuang Village; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent more than 20 cavalrymen to occupy it.
Since those Wuhuan soldiers did not return to report, their respective tribes must have known of their deaths, and their numbers would likely be even greater when they invaded again.
Lu Tu's immediate priority is to continue digging trenches in the narrow area north of Luzhuang Village. Otherwise, the Wuhuan people could easily advance through there. Although the pass is narrow and only two people can ride through at a time, the terrain is flat, and if they break through, it will be a devastating disaster for our side.
It's likely that Yun Tian already knew the Wuhuan people had their eyes on the village before assigning it to him, which is why he hadn't sent anyone to take over the coal mine for the past few days.
Since that's the case, it's just what Lü Tu wanted. He can take the open-pit coal mine for himself. Anyway, it would be a waste if the Commandant embezzled it. He might as well use it himself, which can at least improve the daily lives of thousands of people in four villages.
There's no rush with the coal mine matter. Let's wait until Xiao Zhong leads his men to build the railroad tracks to the mine before transporting the coal that was dug out earlier. That will save on transportation time, and it'll only take a few days anyway.
The most troublesome problem for Lü Tu right now is who to send to mine coal. This is a difficult task. He only has more than 1,000 soldiers and civilians under his command, and he would be heartbroken if he lost even one.
Lu Tu summoned Ban Wei and Ban Yingying and asked, "How am I feeling?"
Ban Wei praised, "Lord Lü, to be honest, I have never seen such a nice village. It's not that it is built in a magnificent way, but that everyone is very friendly to each other. This is something I have never seen in Daozhuang Village."
Ban Yingying nodded in agreement: "I just arrived here yesterday, and an aunt saw that my clothes were torn. She even brought me a needle and thread to mend them. She also taught me needlework! Brother, I miss Mom."
As she spoke, Ban Yingying's eyes reddened, and tears began to fall from her lips. Ban Wei quickly hugged her and stroked her head, saying, "From now on, we siblings will live here with Lord Lü. No one can bully us."
Lu Tu, watching from the side, nodded secretly: "He's a responsible man. Since you're willing to follow me, you'll be in charge of managing the people of Daozhuang and Luzhuang villages from now on."
"Huh? Me?" Banwei's eyes widened in disbelief. He never imagined that such immense wealth would come so easily.
Lu Tu patted his thin, bony shoulder with appreciation: "You have good character, a sense of responsibility, and you've also studied for a while and can read. From now on, you'll be responsible for supervising the execution of the orders I pass down."
“But... people won’t respect me. My family is an outsider who only moved here ten years ago.”
Lu Tu nodded and said, "Come with me."
Banwei is indeed the most suitable candidate in this situation. What's more, this kid has courage. At least he wasn't scared out of his wits when he saw the Wuwan people, which is already quite good for an ordinary person.
It should be noted that even Chai Yong and others who had served in the border army had only the courage to flee when they first encountered the Wuhuan people attacking.
No matter what you do, you need courage to pave the way.
He led Banwei and his sister to the gathering place of Daozhuang and Liangcun villages, which was the shacks where refugees used to live.
At this moment, the villagers were sitting around the bonfires to keep warm. After all, Lu Tu had brought them back but had not yet assigned them jobs, and these villagers were obviously not yet fully integrated.
At least from their still numb expressions, one could see some clues; they stood there like walking corpses, utterly devoid of vitality.
Upon seeing Lü Tu arrive, everyone snapped out of their daze and knelt on the ground in sincere admiration: "Greetings, Lord Lü!"
After all, Lu Tu had given them real food, and with the two meals they had eaten last night and this morning, they had almost forgotten how long it had been since they had eaten breakfast. They never expected that this captain would care for the people like his own children and be so considerate of the common people.
Of course, there were also those who shirked their duties, but Lu Tu was too lazy to find them one by one. After all, these people would still have to work later, and it would be clear who was slacking off then.
"Everyone, get up. Have you eaten?"
Everyone said in unison, "We're full, thank you, sir. We haven't had a proper meal in a very, very long time."
Lu Tu nodded: "That's good. I have an announcement to make. Starting today, no one will live in the villages of Luzhuang and Daozhuang. You have one day to go back and pack your belongings and bring them here."
Everyone exclaimed in surprise, "Sir, that's my family's ancestral home!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone mocked him, saying, "Your dilapidated house is drafty everywhere. What kind of house is that? You wouldn't come even if you could eat your fill living here? I'm definitely coming."
This statement resonates with most people; no matter how important the old houses are to them, nothing is more important than having enough to eat.
Especially after a brief encounter with the people of Kuishan and Songshan villages, it was discovered that they seemed to deeply believe in Lü Tu's words, indicating that Lü Tu was a man of his word and would probably not harm them.
“We are willing to move here, but it’s inconvenient for so many of us to be crammed into a shack. Lord Lü, are you going to build us a house?” A man in his early twenties in the crowd said.
Lu Tu could tell at a glance who this man was. He must be an idle loafer who loved to take advantage of others. Sure enough, Ban Wei, who was standing to the side, scolded, "Han Wannian! Lord Lu has his own arrangements. You are not allowed to stir up trouble!"
Seeing Ban Wei standing beside Lü Tu with a smug, arrogant air, Han Wannian curled his lip in disdain and said, "Who do you think you are, Ban Wei? You dare to make decisions for Lord Lü? Lord Lü is kind-hearted; perhaps he can't bear to see us suffer and will build us new houses to live in?"
In a fit of anger, Banwei was about to continue arguing: "You..."
But Lu Tu stopped him and shook his head slightly. Then he looked at everyone and said, "Han Wannian is right. You do need houses to shelter you from the wind and rain, but you have to build them!"
"We'll build it? Most of the people in our two villages are orphans or widows, or they're too old to build houses."
Han Wannian had become the villagers' mouthpiece, speaking up for them before anyone could react. The villagers from both villages were mostly indecisive, and they were easily swayed by this, echoing, "Yes, sir, have pity on us!"
Lu Tu's gaze swept over Han Wannian. This kid actually dared to try and morally blackmail him like Xiao Zhong? Did he think he was easy to bully? Xiao Zhong was practically his wife's family; how could a brainless idiot like Han Wannian compare?
He looked at Han Wannian and asked, "You said everyone is too old to work, is that right?"
“Yes, Lord Lü, can’t you see that?” Han Wannian stood beside a group of old women, who nodded in agreement. “Yes, sir, we can’t work, we can only wait to die.”
Lu Tu laughed loudly, "Since you all think you can only wait to die, then all those over 40 years old can go home. From now on, anyone who dares to set foot in Songshan Village will be killed without mercy!"
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