Upon hearing Xiaoyue's words, the village chief frowned deeply, unable to sit still any longer. He slipped on his shoes and walked around dozens of times before stopping. He patted Xu Fanyuan on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Please invite Gao Sheng and Uncle Liang to come here first."
Xu Fanyuan sensed the seriousness of the situation. Without even changing out of the clothes he had just used to chop firewood, he was about to push open the door and go out, still holding the bowl of water he had brought to Xiaoyue.
Old Man Xu called out from behind, "Don't rush, don't rush. Put down the bowl first, and then after you invite those two out, go and invite Gao Lei, Gao Yu, Hu Banxia, Hu San, Niu San, and a few other young men to our house."
Xu Fanyuan smiled awkwardly at Xiaoyue, then quickly put the bowl in the kitchen and went to say goodbye to Village Chief Xu.
Old Man Xu called out from behind, "After you've invited them all to your home, go and tell everyone in the village to gather at the big well in the middle of the village in an hour."
After giving all his instructions, he smiled apologetically at Xiaoyue and comforted her, saying, "Girl, don't rush." He turned around and walked towards the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), stepping on one foot with the other. Seeing this, Xiaoyue quickly went forward to help Village Chief Xu.
Village Chief Xu smiled at Xiaoyue: "It's nothing, it's nothing, I'm just getting old."
Then, turning to the tofu lady who was already sitting in the village chief's house, he said, "Stay at my house for now. I didn't expect things to be this serious."
Uncle Liang was the first to arrive. After exchanging pleasantries and learning about the situation in Sanjiazi, his usually amiable expression immediately turned cold and stern, and the knuckles of his hands turned white. He said to Village Chief Xu, "Brother Xu, I'm going to go and see Sanjiazi."
Village Chief Xu said, "Of course, we should go and take a look. It would be best if we could also send a message to the town."
Soon Gao Sheng arrived with Gao Lei, Gao Yu, Hu Banxia, Hu San, and Niu San. They either sat or stood at the village chief's house, and the village chief hurriedly repeated Xiaoyue's words to them.
Village Chief Xu looked at Uncle Liang, whose eyes were also red with anxiety, much like his own. Village Chief Xu quickly calmed himself down and said to Uncle Liang, "Brother Liang, you once served as a scout in front of Lord Hou's army. Now, I'd like to trouble you to take Gao Sheng to Sanjiazi to investigate the situation. Gao Sheng is a steady person, and you both have a plan for doing things, which is why I feel comfortable letting you two go."
Uncle Liang clasped his hands in a fist salute to Village Chief Xu, and was about to leave with Gao Sheng when Village Chief Xu said, "If no one is blocking the road, it would be best to go to the town and see if there are any soldiers guarding the city gate. If there is nothing going on in the town, then tell the magistrate about the situation in Sanjiazi Village and see what arrangements he has. Then quickly return to the village."
Village Chief Xu held Uncle Liang's hand and said, "If the road to town is blocked, don't worry, just come back."
After seeing Uncle Liang and Gao Sheng off, Village Chief Xu silently returned to the house, glanced around at the young people in the room, and then said to everyone:
"I had Xu Fanyuan invite you all to my house separately because you are all young people in the village, full of energy and courage. A large group of young people, each expressing their own opinions, let's see what to do about the current situation?"
Hu San sat back on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said nonchalantly, "Either we hide out, or we fight those people back. Does anyone have any better ideas?"
Village Chief Xu shifted his gaze to Hu Banxia and Gao Lei. They were the only two in the village to pass the imperial examination and become scholars. Gao Lei's face turned red with embarrassment, but Hu Banxia spoke up: "No, let's hide everyone in the village in Qixing Mountain."
Everyone looked at Hu Banxia. Gao Lei seemed to have realized something and said, "Seven Star Mountain is not like Little Tiger Head Mountain. Little Tiger Head Mountain is not dangerous. If we could enter Seven Star Mountain, the young men in the village would have gone hunting long ago. Unfortunately, there is a circle of miasma at the foot of the mountain, and there are also swamps in the miasma area. The older generation has never been in there, so it is even more impossible for us to go in."
Niu San said in a simple and honest way, "There are foxes, wolves, tigers and bears in Qixing Mountain. The snakes hibernate in winter. Not to mention that you can't get into the mountain, even if you do, you will either be buried in the miasma or die in the mouth of wild beasts."
Hu San said without hesitation, "We have to give it a try. Anyway, I've never been to Seven Star Mountain since I was a child, and I never think about going there. Now is the perfect time. Whether we take a step forward or wait, we'll die. So why not give it a try? Who knows, we might just find a way to immortality."
Gao Yu also got up from the kang (a heated brick bed), patted Hu San on the shoulder, and said loudly, "I agree with what Hu San said."
At this moment, Li Lei pushed the door open and came in from the outside, calmly and silently saying, "I also agree with what Hu San said."
Gao Lei then casually dismissed the crowd, saying, "The distance from Qixing Mountain to Niukou Village is probably an hour's journey by oxcart. It's very far, and there's a swamp at the foot of the mountain. Once someone gets stuck, no one comes out alive."
Xiaoyue then came out of the inner room and said to Gao Lei, "It's almost Laba Festival. Haven't you heard the old folks say that the seventh and eighth days of the twelfth lunar month are so cold that your chin will freeze off? The swamp should have frozen over by now."
Niu San glanced at Xiaoyue and curled his lip in disdain, saying, "You don't know, there's still steam coming out of there on Laba Festival."
"Really?" Xiaoyue was overjoyed. "Then we're saved."
“If we hide in Qixing Mountain, those soldiers won’t be able to get in, then we’ll be safe,” Xiaoyue slammed her fist on the kang table and looked at Village Chief Xu standing on the ground. “Village Chief, shall we go to Qixing Mountain?”
The village chief hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "The swamps and miasma there are very serious. Anyone who goes to Seven Star Mountain will either get trapped in the swamp or be knocked unconscious by the miasma and never wake up."
While everyone was still discussing, Xu Fanyuan walked in from outside the courtyard and said to Village Chief Xu, "Dad, everyone in the village has already gathered by the well. Let's go now."
The group followed the village chief to the well. The village chief told the villagers what Xiaoyue had said. Meanwhile, Uncle Liang and Gao Sheng also drove their cart to the edge of the well.
The village chief couldn't wait for the two to arrive, so he hurried over to them and asked Uncle Liang anxiously, "What's the situation in your Sanjiazi Village?"
Liang Bo said, "We parked the oxcart far away and walked there. There were at least ten soldiers guarding that road. It seems that the group of people is trying to trap us like turtles in a jar. Our only way out has been blocked."
After hearing what the two men said, Village Chief Xu came to the well and stood on a large rock, saying to the villagers, "Now the villagers only have two options: one is to wait to die in the village, and the other is to escape to Little Tiger Head Mountain, where there is no cover. If the soldiers come down from Big Tiger Head Mountain, the whole village will die."
Hu San then shouted into the crowd, "There's another way!"
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