The will of the thousand people present was united at this moment. They had lived numbly on this cold land for decades and had never felt such passion.
Even Lü Tu himself, his voice cracking, uttered that famous line from his past life: "If the enemy can go there, so can I!"
The villagers, including the women and children, shouted the same phrase repeatedly at the top of their lungs; at that moment, they were all united in spirit.
Song Yuxi and Nangong Huiyu held Lu Tu's hands tightly, one on each side, and tears welled up in their eyes as they looked at Lu Tu with eyes full of joy and admiration.
"My lord, well said! A true man should have lofty ambitions, and we will support you no matter what you do!"
As everyone's emotions gradually calmed down, Lü Tu pointed at the 200 military slaves standing in the distance and said loudly, "They do the dirtiest and most tiring work every day, but I still looked down on them before because they could only tremble in fear in the face of the Wuhuan people, just like a cowardly old woman!"
But today, with most of them unarmed, they dared to follow me in charging against the fully armed Wuhuan cavalry. They are men of steel, men of unwavering courage! I apologize for my previous arrogance and contempt. I'm sorry.”
At this point, Lu Tu bowed deeply to the soldiers and slaves, which immediately shocked them. They quickly clasped their hands and knelt down, saying, "Sir, we are unworthy of such a gesture."
What was their status? Not to mention in the eyes of the government troops, even ordinary villagers and refugees had a higher status than them. Even the cattle and sheep they had just brought back were more valuable than their lives.
Lu Tu, a border army commander with outstanding military achievements and a hero renowned throughout Wuchuan, actually lowered himself and bowed in apology in front of so many people because of their disrespect for him.
What kind of person with such great character could possess such a broad mind?
The soldiers had previously thought they would be grateful to be freed from slavery, but they never expected to receive such courtesy from Lü Tu.
Many of them were so moved that they cried on the spot. They didn't know why, because they hadn't cried even when they were demoted to military slaves and separated from their families. But in this situation, they couldn't help but cry.
This is probably the sense of accomplishment that everyone longs for.
After straightening up, Lü Tu shouted to the crowd, "From this day forward, you are no longer slaves, you are free!"
This short sentence was enough to change the life trajectory of these 200 military slaves. If they had not encountered Lü Tu, their fate would probably have been to die of exhaustion in some muddy stable, training ground, or construction site, or to be used as human shields against the Wuhuan's attacks, trampled to death by horses' hooves, or killed by cold swords.
Lu Tu truly kept his promise, not only freeing them from slavery but also restoring their freedom. This meant they no longer had to toil away like oxen forever and could return to reunite with their families.
The 200 slave soldiers wept and said, "Thank you so much for your grace, my lord!"
Lu Tu continued, "You have all passed today's test! If you want to follow me, stay here and become my regular soldiers, each of you will receive one string of cash per month. If you want to go home and reunite with your families, come to me tomorrow morning to collect one string of cash as travel expenses."
These words shocked not only the military slaves but also the other villagers: "My God, Lord Lü is truly a man of great righteousness!"
"The lord has never treated us as slaves. Not only did he not force us to work day and night, but he also made sure we had enough to eat. He even gave us money when we wanted to go home. The lord really did not treat us like cattle or horses!"
In a flash, the slave soldiers kowtowed in unison, repeatedly shouting, "My lord, you are so righteous!"
Green Swallow shouted sternly, "Get up! You are all free now. From now on, no matter where you are, you must stand up straight and be a decent human being."
Chai Yong hastily wiped away his tears and spoke first: "If you don't mind, sir, I am willing to follow you and serve you like a dog or a horse."
"We are willing to follow you, sir!" most of the military slaves present shouted in unison.
Of course, a small number of people seemed quite conflicted. Lu Tu noticed their hesitation and called on Li Tao, asking, "What reward do you want for your great contribution today?"
Li Tao hesitated for a long time, his dark face turning red, before he stammered, "Sir, I have a favor to ask."
"explain."
"On the day I was demoted to a military slave, my wife was also demoted to a military prostitute. She is still suffering in the military market of Wuchuan Prefecture. I beg you, sir, if you can redeem my wife. I am willing to serve you like a cow or a horse."
Lu Tu waved his hand and said, "Granted. Tomorrow I will have Nie Yun take you to find your wife."
"Thank you, sir!"
Seeing that a few people still looked anxious, Lu Tu guessed they were in the same situation as Li Tao, and continued, "Which of you has a wife in the military market? I'll redeem her too!"
More than a dozen people stepped forward, and upon hearing this, they felt extremely ashamed.
"We swear to serve you to the death."
Lu Tu looked at Nie Yun, who understood and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely do it well."
The matter of the military slaves was settled. He didn't really care how much silver it cost. Perhaps it was because he had served in the military in two lifetimes. In his mind, money was something you couldn't take with you when you died, and only the money you spent counted.
Moreover, spending some money to win people's hearts and minds and get them to work for him is, in his view, the most worthwhile deal in the world.
Throughout history, those who have achieved great things have always been generous individuals. I have never heard of anyone who has succeeded by being stingy. Lord Xinling and Liu Laosan from ancient times are role models, not to mention Lu Junyi and Song Jiang.
Lu Tu looked at the refugees and said, "You have been here for some time now. From the day I registered you, you have been people of my Kuishan Village. However, you will need to cultivate your own land after the spring. I will allocate a special area for you."
The refugees never imagined they would have anything to do with this today. They were already happy to have food and shelter while they stayed here.
They actually want to give them land? The refugees fled famine all the way here, and wherever they went, they were treated like plagues. Only Lu Tu was willing to sincerely accept them.
More than 800 refugees also prostrated themselves on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, and said: "Thank you for your mercy, sir. We are willing to be loyal to you and will never leave the village."
Lu Tu nodded. Next came the most important thing. He looked at Song Yuxi, who understood Lu Tu's thoughts perfectly and nodded to him secretly. Lu Tu smiled knowingly. It was wonderful to have someone understand him.
"Today we have confiscated a total of 150 sheep and 15 cows. I plan to give one sheep to each of your two villages, and you will be responsible for managing them. The milk produced by the newborn lambs will belong to you."
Everyone was shocked: "Huh? Is this true?"
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