No matter how chaotic it was, there were no signs of a fight.
Is there no one in this village?
That's impossible!
According to the documents, the village has a total of 123 people, more than half of whom are hunters.
But nowadays even hunters have a hard time. More than a hundred people are now being assigned to land reclamation work, and the government provides most of their food.
Shenxi sent people to search and inquire everywhere.
It wasn't until dawn that the guards found a few people.
Several people had already heard from the guards that the commander had arrived.
When I met Shen Xi, he seemed quite different from the rumored leader.
According to legend, the leader was over ten feet tall and a god descended to earth.
According to legend, the leader possessed immense strength and was incredibly powerful.
If Shenxi knew that people were spreading rumors about her like this, she would definitely be both amused and exasperated.
Is this her?
Isn't this the appearance of the Giant Spirit God?
She should at least be described as exceptional, talented, heroic, and possessing both wisdom and courage!
One of the bolder villagers asked doubtfully, "Are you really our Chief Shen?"
A guard shouted, "Who else could it be but the commander?"
The villager dared not question again and obediently knelt down with his head down.
Shenxi was not used to having others kneel, but in this era, kneeling was the proper etiquette for those in positions of power.
Chenxi softened his voice and asked, "Where are the people in this village?"
The same bold villager replied, "We're all hiding in the mountains. Last night, during our patrol, we spotted someone coming to the village and sent out a warning, so we all ran into the mountains."
"Didn't those people come looking for you?"
“We’ve searched, but we’re most familiar with the mountains in this area. If we hide, it will be very difficult for people to find us, especially at night when it’s pitch black.”
"Moreover, when they were looking for us, several of them were injured by a trap and then gave up."
Seeing that the man answered fluently, Chenxi asked, "What's your name?"
"Reporting to the commander, my name is Lu Yuanjun."
"Alright, Lu Yuanjun, only a few of you have come out. Why haven't the others come out yet?"
Lu Yuanjun raised his head slightly; looking down for too long made his neck uncomfortable.
“We’re here to gather information. We were the ones who noticed something was wrong during our night patrol last night, which is why we issued the warning.”
Chen Xi nodded and said, "Alright, stop kneeling and get up!"
A few people took advantage of the situation. There were many hunters in their village, and they were always quite vigilant about danger.
They are also very sensitive to goodwill.
They sensed the leader's goodwill.
"Lu Yuanjun, go and tell the people who are hiding to come out. There is no danger anymore."
"yes."
The danger has passed, so of course we should come out. We can't stay hidden in the mountains forever.
Shenxi instructed, "Ankang, send some men to search around and see if there are any traces left by the bandits."
"yes."
I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid the bandits might launch a surprise attack.
When the village chief led the villagers out, Shenxi saw more than a hundred villagers in tattered clothes and couldn't help but sigh.
The people are still very poor. She can provide some food, but she can't supply the necessities of life in a short time.
Moreover, even their food is earned through their labor.
There's a saying: "A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment."
Giving should be done in moderation. Nowadays, she gives these villagers food, which they can exchange for labor, and she also has people dig wells so that they can live a stable life. The people are already very grateful.
However, if everything is given away, far exceeding the value of labor, people may be very grateful at first, but over time they may become demanding. Once the supply stops increasing, the most likely outcome is that they will hate those in power.
"The more you work, the more you earn; the less you work, the less you earn; and if you don't work, you get nothing."
The twelve-character mantra, Shenxi must never forget.
She didn't want to support lazy people, parasites, or cunning and deceitful individuals.
Once everything is back on track and the world is at peace, the lives of these ordinary people will be better.
Meanwhile, the infantrymen sent by Zheng Hongfang were complaining bitterly, and Company Commander Li De kept urging them to hurry forward.
But they were exhausted. They had traveled for half the night and were not only tired but also starving.
Li De was already fed up with the infantry being too slow.
The commander had already finished fighting and left, and they arrived at Wangjiazhuang half an hour later.
Twenty-odd people were left behind to help the people of Wangjiazhuang clean up the mess, while the rest were asked to catch up with Chenxi's team.
Li De also walked, and he was exhausted.
His horse had already been given to Shenxi's guards.
"These bandits are really too much trouble, they're not human."
"Company commander, how about we take a break? We've been running all night and we're really exhausted."
Li De glared at him: "Even if we can't hold on, we have to. The leaders are all charging ahead, how can we hold them back?"
One of his platoon leaders still advised, "Chasing like this isn't a solution. The soldiers are all hungry, and if we keep chasing, they won't have the strength, and it will only slow us down."
Li De rubbed his rumbling stomach; even he, let alone the soldiers, was about to give up.
He had to order them to rest for a while, eat something, and then continue their journey.
"I hope the leader doesn't run into trouble. If something happens, we can't afford to take responsibility."
Chenxi sat on a clean rock, waiting for the villagers to come down the mountain.
After a while, the villagers all came down the mountain and knelt down when they saw Chenxi: "This humble subject greets the leader."
Shenxi gestured for everyone to stand up.
"Get up, everyone. It's so uncomfortable to talk while kneeling."
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