Lu Tu pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Have everyone in the village, except the women who cook, stop what they are doing and work overtime to build the city wall!"
"Sir, you mean..."
Lu Tu nodded: "That's right! Since the smallpox outbreak in Huai Shuo is happening so quickly, we need to prepare for the worst in advance. I estimate that Zhao Wuyou will guess that it was me. Given his character, he will most likely drive the smallpox refugees to our side."
Xiao Zhong became nervous upon hearing this: "But even if we add the soldiers and slaves we just gathered together, we only have a little over 2,800 people. Add the 300-plus Kunlun slaves, and we only have about 3,000 usable people. And the city wall we are planning is extremely large. It probably won't be possible in a few days."
Lu Tu led Xiao Zhong quickly toward the warehouse: "So we have to change our plan. We should build a small city first, and use city walls to create a barrier. As for the farmland, we can leave it outside and send soldiers out to guard it later."
Xiao Zhong knew this was a matter of life and death, and nodded, saying, "Understood, sir."
After arriving at the warehouse, Lü Tu immediately wrote a letter by hand and called Liu Hu over, saying, "Arrange for a quick-witted stranger to deliver this letter to Deng Lang in Huai Shuo. Be very careful."
Seeing Lü Tu's seriousness, Liu Hu quickly nodded: "Yes, sir. I'll go myself."
After thinking for a moment, Lü Tu said, "No, there are soldiers in Huai Shuo who might recognize you. You just need to do as I say."
"Understood, brother."
The selection ceremony for elite soldiers, which was supposed to be held this morning, was also forced to be suspended due to unforeseen circumstances. At this time, a large number of villagers gathered in the training ground.
Lu Tu seized this opportunity to go up and rally the crowd.
"Lord Lü, shall our competition continue today?"
Lu Tu gestured for everyone to be quiet, then said loudly, "The competition is suspended. We'll talk about it again in a few days. Right now, we have a more serious task for everyone."
Upon hearing this, the people present were not afraid; on the contrary, a hint of joy flashed in the eyes of many!
After all, they had spent quite a long time with Lü Tu, and in such situations, they had a greater chance to make meritorious contributions.
Once you gain Lü Tu's favor, it will be a chance to rise rapidly in your career. Lü Tu is different from other border military officers; he will never show favoritism to his relatives.
The soldiers under Lü Tu's command right now come from all walks of life, including beggars, slaves, and so on.
But as long as you have the ability to stand out from the crowd, Lü Tu will never treat you differently and will reward you equally.
The crowd shouted in unison, "Please speak, Your Excellency!"
Even the women were full of energy and showed no fear. They knew that Lu Tu would never send them to the battlefield, and that he would never mistreat them just because they were women. They thought that even doing logistical work, such as cooking or sewing, would be fine, since Lu Tu would reward them anyway.
Lu Tu's gaze swept over everyone present, and after seeing their expressions, he couldn't help but nod: "Today I learned that Huai Shuo City has also been hit by a smallpox epidemic. Huai Shuo has a much larger population than ours. Everyone knows how terrible smallpox is. I imagine it won't be long before a large number of refugees and bandits come to our city."
Upon hearing this, the originally high-spirited crowd immediately lost their nerve, and a commotion instantly erupted in the audience.
"What should we do? Smallpox doesn't discriminate between people from Wuchuan and Huaishuo; once you get it, you're not far from death."
"Yes, and Lord Lü just said that Huai Shuo has a lot of people, so they are definitely more terrifying than our Wu Chuan!"
"Stop talking nonsense. Let's hear what Lord Lü has to say. We can't just abandon our home and run away after hearing this, can we?"
Seeing this, Nie Yun, who was on the high platform, wanted to step forward and reprimand them, but was stopped by Lü Tu. It was normal for the villagers to have such a fear of difficulties. If they were forced not to discuss, it would only make them more anxious. It would be better to let them discuss it to their heart's content.
Lu Tu waved to Li Hao on the stage: "Pour me a bowl of water and bring me a stool to sit on for a while."
"clear!"
Soon Li Hao brought the things, and Lu Tu sat on the stool drinking cold water, watching the crowd below discuss in a relaxed manner.
The villagers were initially increasingly alarmed as they talked, and their fear gradually spread. But when they noticed Lu Tu standing calmly on the stage, they couldn't help but wonder, "Does Lord Lu still have this leisure?"
"Do you think Lord Lü might be bluffing us?"
"It's hard to say, but regardless of whether Huai Shuo has smallpox or not, I think that since Lord Lü is so relaxed, it means that he already has a solution."
Upon hearing this, the villagers present suddenly realized: "That's right! Logically speaking, Lord Lü should be more anxious than us, but since Lord Lü is so relaxed right now, let's not panic and listen to what Lord Lü has to say."
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the villagers, who had been making a ruckus and even considering fleeing the place, all calmed down and quietly watched as Lü Tu finished his bowl of water and then had Li Hao eagerly go and refill it for him.
Even after their patience had been worn down, Lü Tu still showed no intention of continuing the conversation, which greatly worried the villagers.
One of the bolder individuals raised his voice: "Lord Lü, what should we do next?"
Lu Tu's disdainful gaze swept over everyone present: "Why aren't you planning to run away? Actually, if you're willing to leave, I'd be very happy to welcome you."
Hearing this, even the dumbest person would know that Lu Tu was angry because of everyone's reaction earlier, and quickly waved his hand to explain: "Lord Lu, we didn't mean that. We will definitely live and die with the village."
Lu Tu sneered, smashed the ceramic bowl in his hand on the ground, and pointed at the man, saying, "Sun Lao Er, come out here! I remember you were the first one shouting that you wanted to flee, weren't you? Someone, go help Sun Lao Er pack his things and tell him to take his wife and mother and get out of here!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Lao Er and his family of three knelt down on the ground with a thud. His wife and mother, in particular, cried their hearts out, as if Lu Tu's order was a death sentence for them.
"Sir, I'm sorry, I spoke carelessly, I won't do it again!"
Lu Tu Chong's soldiers, still stunned, glared at him: "What did I just say? You're not even listening to me anymore?"
The soldiers had never seen Lü Tu lose his temper with them so much. They went straight up, grabbed Sun Lao Er and his family of three, dragged them towards their home.
After they had walked away, Lü Tu glared angrily at the crowd and said, "Don't forget, since you've followed me, Lü Tu, when have you ever gone hungry? Which of you doesn't have a roof over your head?"
The crowd remained silent, their heads bowed in silence.
Lu Tu's voice suddenly rose: "Those who don't trust me, Lu Tu, and want to escape from here, get out of here now! Also, what I'm saying isn't a discussion, it's an order!"
Everyone present trembled at Lü Tu's words and prostrated themselves on the ground.
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