Jiang Yu did not refuse his help.
Instead, they wanted him to join them in relocating the Rouran people from the city.
Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
Qi Nuan's injuries have mostly healed, and she is no longer insistent on returning to Shangjun, but she still sent the letter.
After the death of the county magistrate of Wutu County, an internal strife broke out in Wutu County, resulting in the deaths and injuries of most of the people in the county town. For a time, Wutu County became quiet.
"Let's go down the mountain."
Qi Nuan said to Bai Jiao, "Hedong is in chaos now, and Wutu County is unsupervised. If we don't go down the mountain now, when will we?"
The girl's voice had returned to normal, but it was no longer as clear as before; instead, it was slightly hoarse, and she had become indifferent at some point.
Bai Jiao nodded; he had the same thought. They couldn't stay on the mountain forever.
Leaving aside the whole country, they could certainly try to win over Wutu County.
"Currently, there are three main forces in Wutu County: first, the remnants of the county magistrate's power; second, the local wealthy gentry; and third, the Wang family from Luoyang. However, the latter clearly looks down on this small Wutu County, and the remnants of the county magistrate's power are mostly in a sorry state now. Therefore..."
Bai Jiao looked around and said, "So our main targets are the local wealthy gentry, who are not popular. It will be easy for us to take over Wutu County."
The others nodded, unanimously agreeing with Bai Jiao's opinion.
Bai Jiao looked at Qi Nuan, who nodded to him. He said, "Then let's do it this way. We'll all go down the mountain at six o'clock tomorrow morning."
After arranging things, Qi Nuan left. However, in just three months, the number of people in the mountain stronghold was now more than six times that of when Qi Nuan first arrived.
Hedong County is conscripting soldiers, and many of them are deserters. It's not that they don't want to join the army, but the governor of Hedong County doesn't treat them like human beings.
Not only were they not allowed to eat their fill, but they also had to do heavy labor every day, and were subjected to verbal abuse or even beatings.
Left with no other choice, they had to flee.
Troops have been dispatched from various prefectures to Luoyang.
Hedong County also sent a token force of 5,000 men.
The governor of Hedong Commandery was a self-aware man. He knew the world was about to descend into chaos, and he was a man without talent. The struggle for power was none of his concern. He only wished for a few more days of peace and stability in the world.
Drink today, for tomorrow we die...
He was going to enjoy life to the fullest while he could, completely unconcerned about what was happening outside.
Bai Jiao's intentions were also clear: no one is willing to be subordinate to others, and he was no exception.
He had made preparations long ago, and the Xu family was his strongest supporter.
As soon as the sky began to lighten, Qi Nuan followed Bai Jiao and the others down the mountain.
"The world is inhumane, the emperor is tyrannical, and corrupt officials are in power. Now we are going to take back what is rightfully ours. Do you dare to do it?"
"I dare...I dare!"
“The lives of the wealthy and gentry are precious, and so are ours. Today we will take back the grain that they have taken from us.”
Wherever they went, they shouted slogans, gathered crowds, and marched in a grand procession toward Wutu County.
Qi Nuan did not comment on their actions. Perhaps some people's slogans were just as they claimed, for the sake of the people and the greater good of the country, while others simply wanted to take the opportunity to incite the public. But that didn't matter, as long as the final result was good.
Nobody's a fool. The public can be swayed, but only if they feel that the outcome is better for them.
There is never true ignorance.
It seemed to be going smoothly; they stormed all the way to the county government office in Wutu County.
Although there were those who were determined to resist to the death, they were only a minority. Most people surrendered when they saw someone attacking, and it didn't matter to them who the county magistrate of Wutu County was.
Of course, their hands were stained with blood, and so was Qi Nuan's. The boy still followed behind her to protect her. Qi Nuan did not refuse, but she did not accept it completely either.
She was no longer Qi Nuan, who was protected under someone's wings.
Perhaps she should have known long ago that without power, there is no voice.
Inside the county government office, Bai Jiao, his face still covered in blood, looked at Qi Nuan, who was also covered in blood, and asked, "What do you think we should do next?"
Qi Nuan looked up and said, "You have your own decision in mind, so why ask me?"
"Tonight, you will lead Ji Jin and the others to attack the Zhou family."
Qi Nuan nodded and accepted the task. The Zhou family was a well-known wealthy family in Wutu County. They had stockpiled a large amount of grain during the famine and later sold it at a high price.
He can hardly be considered a kind person.
Finally, Bai Jiao assigned tasks to the other people.
Qi Nuan understood that he might want to use war to sustain war. The families he was going to attack tonight were all well-known wealthy families in the area, and some of them were not really considered to be particularly wicked.
However, Bai Jiaoding would not allow any third party's voice to be heard in the city.
After the others left, Bai Jiao looked at Qi Nuan and asked softly:
Are you blaming me?
Qi Nuan shook her head, "No, I only feel gratitude towards you. If it weren't for you and Ji Jin saving me, I would have died long ago."
"Then why don't you take the medicine I gave you? If you had taken it, your voice wouldn't be like this now."
"I think it sounds great, don't I?" Qi Nuan's voice was hoarse, with what later generations would call a smoky voice. It wasn't unpleasant to listen to, but it wasn't exactly beautiful either.
Bai Jiao didn't speak, clearly he didn't think her voice was pleasant, but Qi Nuan didn't care.
Why not use the medicine he gave her?
Perhaps she didn't want to owe him any more. Since she knew what kind of person he was from the beginning, there was no need for unnecessary entanglement.
Qi Nuan knew that the two of them were not on the same path.
Bai Jiao stopped talking, glanced at the boy behind her, his eyes unreadable.
The boy now obeys Qi Nuan's every word, and his words as the eldest are less effective than those of the girl.
He could also sense the changes in the girl. If she was indifferent to everything at the beginning, she was becoming more and more ambitious now.
He didn't know if this was good or bad, but it was exactly what he needed; he was short of manpower right now.
Wutu County is still too small, and there aren't many capable people. Now he has to do everything himself.
There aren't that many selfless people in the world. There was a reason why he chose the people of Xujia Village, and they received his protection because of it, didn't they?
As for Ji Jin, he is the son of his benefactor, and he will treat him well.
It doesn't matter. He was alone before, and he is still alone now. He has been alone for over twenty years. As long as he gets what he wants, he doesn't care about anything else.
He has always been very patient, and there is nothing he cannot get if he wants it.
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