From a distance, Lu Baichuan had already added Da Yong to his death list.
Jiang Jiuniang was still whispering to Dayong.
"First, Brother Dayong, you need to incite everyone to fight for this position. That way, if any trouble arises later, everyone will share the blame and no one will blame anyone else. Secondly, you need to prove your strength with force. As for strategy, you'll find out during the competition."
Jiang Jiuniang still remembered that her purpose in coming was to rescue those women. As for the so-called strategy, who knows!
Naturally, the first step is to deceive them.
Dayong, however, believed her words without a doubt. After all, she was the first person to show him affection, and Dayong was confident that she would never lie to him.
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
As Dayong got up to leave, Jiang Jiuniang hurriedly asked him, "Brother Dayong, I'm full. Can I wander around a bit?"
"Sure, just don't wander off."
Although Da Yong was honest and simple, he had been a bandit for a while and had done a lot of bad things. Even though Jiang Jiu Niang had only come to ask for help, he never thought of letting her go and had even considered her as his own possession.
Jiang Jiuniang didn't care at all, and went to find the woman who was being held captive according to the information Qin Jian gave her.
The village was in chaos during this period, and the bandits were worried that the women might escape or betray them, so they kept them locked up.
There wasn't enough food in the village, so the women were only given a bowl of thin porridge each day to ensure they wouldn't starve, and they didn't have the strength to escape.
Jiang Jiuniang walked to a locked room and peeked out. Through the crack in the door, she could see a group of women lying numbly on the bed, too weak even to cry.
It seemed there was no hope of survival, as there were no one guarding the door. It was only when Jiang Jiuniang spoke that they were drawn to her attention.
"Hey, hey, hey, is anyone else able to talk?"
Her voice was soft, but loud enough for the people inside to hear.
The women inside were startled when they heard a woman's voice. If nothing unexpected happened, all the women were locked in this room, and the person outside was a newcomer.
Who are you?
Everyone was very wary, fearing that she was in cahoots with the bandits.
“Of course, he is your benefactor. Try to eat more at dinner to conserve your energy, otherwise you won’t have the strength to go down the mountain.”
Jiang Jiuniang wasn't worried about any traitors among them informing on them. In any case, even if they did, no one would necessarily believe them. At this moment, the bandits outside were already fighting over the leadership position, and the chaos was overwhelming, so they naturally had no time to pay attention to them.
Upon hearing this, everyone perked up immediately. If there was another way out, who would want to live like animals here?
They live in constant fear, worried that one wrong move could lead to their throat being slit.
"Alright! We'll do as you say, young lady!"
Without a second thought, one person answered – it was Qinglian's sister-in-law.
She doesn't care about anything now. As long as there's a chance to leave, she'll definitely try. At worst, her whole family will end up meeting in the underworld. She's not afraid of anything.
"Young Madam, aren't you afraid that woman might be one of the bandits?"
This is a maid from Qinglian's family. She was also captured and brought here. During this time, she and her mistress have been relying on each other for survival.
"I'm not afraid. I'm going to collect my parents' bodies and make sure they are laid to rest."
The woman's eyes were resolute; regardless of whether others left or not, she was determined to leave.
The little maidservant immediately fell silent. She was still somewhat frightened, and compared to that, she wanted to live more.
Jiang Jiuniang could hear their conversation, but she didn't say anything more. Anyway, it was their own choice. They were fools who wouldn't leave even if they had the chance, so she didn't need to meddle.
After giving her instructions, Jiang Jiuniang left. At this moment, the bandits were in a state of chaos, divided into two groups due to differing opinions.
One group of people believed that now was not the time to make these choices, since there were still people watching from the bottom of the mountain, and even if they were to make a choice, they should wait until after this crisis was over.
Another group, however, believed that precisely because there were people watching from the outside, it was even more necessary to choose a leader to lead everyone to repel the enemy, instead of the current disorganized state where people were being killed every day.
When Jiang Jiuniang arrived, they were still arguing fiercely. As a kind-hearted person, Jiang Jiuniang naturally had to step forward to help.
"My lords, please stop arguing. If you trust me, I can offer you some advice."
Her voice was soft and sweet, and unlike other women, she showed no fear or resistance towards others. Instead, she was quite respectful, which made these people, who had never been valued before, feel especially good.
Upon hearing her voice, everyone turned to look at her. Those who had never seen her before were filled with amazement, while those who had seen her before were filled with determination.
Ordinary women can be shared among everyone, but they can't bear to part with someone as beautiful as her.
"Young lady, you look like a cultured scholar. If you have any good suggestions, please speak up. We will all listen to you!"
Da Yong spoke first. If he had said something else, he probably would have been refuted, but his words resonated with everyone.
They were all roughnecks who didn't know many words. They had suffered greatly from their lack of education over the years. Right now, because of their lack of education, they couldn't tell who was superior. It would be better to have someone help them.
Jiang Jiuniang then began her nonsense: "Actually, what you all think makes a lot of sense. No matter what we do, it will benefit the development of our village. Since we can't decide which is better, let's draw lots to decide."
"Drawing lots represents the will of Heaven, and going along with the will of Heaven is certainly not a bad thing."
Everyone was completely bewildered; could it really be like this?
That makes sense, though. They have no other choice now, so they might as well go with the flow and there's nothing to argue about.
So everyone decided to draw lots, and to ensure fairness, they asked Jiang Jiuniang to help make the lots.
Jiang Jiuniang naturally wanted them to fight each other out, so she wrote "choose a leader" on both slips of paper.
Since they couldn't find any fault with her, she became even more reckless.
The answer was naturally to follow the will of Heaven and start selecting a new leader. Although those who opposed it were unwilling, they did not say anything more, after all, this was a newly established rule.
The group decided to rest well and fight again tomorrow.
"Didn't you sirs say that there are still people watching us from the foot of the mountain? If this drags on, it might not be good. In my opinion, we should hurry up and choose a leader so that we will have a chance of winning!"
She kept referring to them as "we," successfully pleasing the bandits. They didn't dwell on it for long and immediately started sparring in the open space.
Dinner was prepared by Jiang Jiuniang. She delivered more food than before to the imprisoned women without saying a word and then left.
As for what choice they will make, that's up to them.
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