Chapter 260 I Want to Fight Ten
Ujiya's farm is small, with a stone wall enclosing a dozen or so houses. In the spacious courtyard, there are granaries full of wheat, and newly built warehouses also contain purchased pepper and medicinal herbs.
A river flows from afar, irrigating dozens of acres of fertile farmland. The idyllic rural atmosphere should have been heartwarming, but now it only evokes feelings of desolation and suffocation.
Autumn is supposed to be the harvest season, and a golden hue should be the color of a farm. But now the fields are black and covered in scorched ash, with choking fumes filling the air, leaving the farmers in despair.
"Ugia, don't act like a coward. There are no cowards in our pioneer team. Even if we die, we'll die with dignity."
Looking at Ujiya's ashen face, Liu Jin couldn't help but shove him and hurl a string of curses.
"Captain Liu, I've dragged you down. You should leave! The Ma family doesn't dare to provoke Da Xia Rao; they just want me to pay with my life."
"Bullshit! Since you signed a contract with the Development and Reform Bureau, you're one of us. How can we throw you out? These people dare to attack our development team; they're courting death."
Liu Jin was the captain of the guard team of the Kochi Pioneer Team under the Pioneer Administration. While most of the Pioneer Team's ships were returning to Taiyuan fully loaded with pepper, he was left behind to assist Ujiya in continuing to purchase local specialties.
Three days ago, suddenly thousands of Indian warriors surrounded the farm, claiming that Ujiya had killed Sharma, who had gone to sea with him, and had seized Sharma's property. They demanded that Ujiya pay with his life and declared that everything on the farm belonged to the Mara family.
Liu Jin berated the elder of the Mara family, declaring that Ujiya was a member of the Development Administration and was protected by the high-ranking official, and that the wealth on the farm belonged to the development team and no one could take it away.
After half a round of unsuccessful negotiations, the warriors of the Mara family finally came to blows, resulting in a chaotic battle in which both sides suffered heavy losses.
The Mara warriors hadn't expected the settlers to be so well-equipped. Not only were they armed with strong bows and crossbows, but the fact that dozens of men were all heavily armored caused the Mara warriors a lot of trouble. The Zhu warriors, who were fighting barefoot with only a Zhu scimitar, never imagined they would encounter such a tough opponent.
The low fence surrounding the farm became an insurmountable barrier for the Zhu soldiers, resulting in nearly two hundred deaths, yet they still couldn't breach it.
"Ugia, they haven't attacked since yesterday. Could they be waiting for reinforcements?"
Ugia shook his head and said, "No, the Mara family only has a little over a thousand warriors. Even so, the Mara family is the largest force in Kochi. Many Dishali warriors have less than a hundred men and are not qualified to cooperate with the Mara family."
"That's strange. Do they really want to starve us out?" Liu Jin racked his brains but still couldn't figure it out. The farm had a well and enough grain in the granary to last for several years. How could thousands of people stay outside for several years?
"Boss, come out and take a look! The Zhu people are making a move, it seems like reinforcements have arrived..." A high-ranking soldier guarding outside came in and reported to Liu Jin.
Liu Jin glanced at Ugia angrily. If this stupid guy hadn't helped everyone open up this trade route, he would have really wanted to beat him up.
The Indians surrounding the farm were clearly divided into two groups. One group consisted of Mara warriors, barefoot and carrying large machetes, looking like guerrillas.
The other group was significantly smaller, appearing to be only a dozen or so, but they all wore bronze-colored armor, which stood out vividly against the sun.
"How is this possible? These... are Brahmin warriors... why would they come to attack us?"
As soon as Ujiya, who was following closely behind Liu Jin, stepped onto the wall, he cried out in alarm, his voice trembling with fear.
"A Brahman warrior? What's different about him?" Liu Jin, seeing Ujiya's panicked state, dared not be careless and quickly inquired about the details.
"Brahmanism is the predecessor of Buddhism. Their warriors are devout believers who practice in temples. They renounce all their possessions and follow their teachers to practice Raja Yoga. They do not get involved in worldly conflicts and will not fight unless they encounter a powerful external enemy."
"You mean...they're treating us like...a powerful external enemy? We clearly gave them a discounted price..."
Liu Jin found it unbelievable. After all, many of their goods after arriving in Kochi were sold to Brahmin families. Why would monks who had extensive ties with Brahmins come to cause trouble for him?
Just then, a monk emerged from among the Indians and walked alone toward the farm.
The monk had a gaunt face but wise eyes. His worn robes were washed very clean, suggesting he was an ascetic.
"Could the noble person of Great Xia please speak out?"
“It’s Sakya Guru. He wants us to go out and talk to him.”
Ujiya quickly translated for Liu Jin, who thought for a moment, then led Ujiya down the wall and out to the monk.
"Great monk, did you bring your warriors here because you covet the wealth on the farm?"
Sweat poured down Ujiya's face. Accusing an ascetic of being greedy was a huge insult, but seeing Liu Jin's stern eyes, he had no choice but to translate verbatim.
Contrary to Ujiya's expectations, the Saga master did not become enraged. Instead, he calmly said, "You have blinded people with your wealth, causing their greed to obscure their goodness. If this continues, our peaceful lives will be destroyed by you. Therefore, we ask you to leave, and take your possessions with you."
Liu Jin was stunned. What did this monk mean? Had he made a mistake by helping these poor people get rich?
“Monk, we do business on a voluntary basis, and we make many people richer, their lives better, and they pay more taxes to your temple. Isn’t that more in line with your doctrine?”
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