The flames of war suddenly ignited
Wang Xiaoyao accepted these displaced refugees who were about to face death and made a three-point agreement with them: they needed to complete tasks assigned by the camp in exchange for food, they were not allowed to cause trouble in the camp, and they were not allowed to unilaterally harass the women in the camp.
When people learned of this refuge, they flocked there. Among the refugees were many talented individuals.
The most talented person is a feng shui master who lives in seclusion in the city.
This gentleman is not only proficient in geomancy, but also has some knowledge of Lu Ban's art.
It just so happens that Wang Xiaoyao adopted the Qianji Wanying Pavilion model in managing the refugees, emphasizing making the best use of their talents. He questioned each new refugee about their strengths, which is how he discovered such a remarkable person.
The feng shui master was indeed skilled; after searching for two or three days with his compass, he discovered the auspicious site where they would set up camp. He then helped Wang Xiaoyao plan the layout of the camp and taught the refugees some basic infrastructure knowledge. For example, how to use mortise and tenon joints, what kind of building would be more stable, how to dig canals to bring in water, and how to compost the waste.
Now, the gentleman holds a prominent position in the camp, which contradicts his original intention of living a life of seclusion. Wang Xiaoyao jokingly remarked that people always have to pay a price for the food they need.
This is the benefit of controlling survival resources and having absolute power of discourse.
The members of the Thousand Machines Pavilion responded to Wang Xiaoyao's call, took the granary, gathered together, and under her leadership, rationally planned and allocated resources, assigning men, women, young and old to different tasks according to their strengths, thus managing the camp chosen by the feng shui master into an orderly manner.
This history book depicts what cities looked like in their earliest days during the tribal era.
The refugees in the camp had found a home and a hope for survival, and they had absolute faith in Wang Xiaoyao. Nourished by this power and trust, Wang Xiaoyao even began to exhibit the subtle air of a leader.
Everything was running smoothly at the camp; Wang Xiaoyao's only concern was the supply of food.
Although they had stockpiled a considerable amount of grain, farming was impossible during wartime, and the people had no land. The stockpiled grain would eventually run out. Even if they immediately planned to cultivate the land, it would still be a long time before the harvest came next year.
Wang Pan'er smiled upon hearing this and informed Wang Xiaoyao that the Emperor had already dispatched a large army to suppress the rebellion. The Northern Di nomadic tribes were no match for the Great Xia.
Wang Xiaoyao felt reassured and temporarily put aside his worries about running out of ammunition and food. He happily dragged his sister to see the shack.
After meeting with several people in charge of the camp, Wang Pan'er settled down completely in the camp.
Wang Xiaoyao was extremely busy. She needed to grasp the camp's survival strategy, coordinate all the tasks that needed to be completed, and then have her subordinates break them down into smaller parts. When problems arose that others couldn't solve, Wang Xiaoyao had to make the final decision. Especially since the camp had only been established for a short time, all sorts of unpredictable situations kept arising, which was quite a test for everyone.
After resting for a day, Wang Pan'er began to help Wang Xiaoyao share the burden.
After she finished eating, Hongxiao and she strolled around the camp to digest their food and learn about the place where they would be living for the next few days.
She would greet any familiar faces she saw, and if she was familiar with someone and didn't have anything to do, she would stop and chat.
As Wang Pan'er strolled around, she noticed that although the camp was managed by people from the Thousand Machines and Myriad Responses Pavilion, the male-to-female ratio was not disproportionate.
She was somewhat surprised. How could these men, who were used to the advantages of being born into a family, be willing to let a group of women control their lives? What method did Wang Xiaoyao use to make them give up and tuck their tails between their legs?
Just then, Wang Pan'er happened to run into Liu Xiaoniang, the head chef of the medicinal cuisine restaurant, who was squatting by the river washing clothes. She took the initiative to go up and ask her about it.
Upon seeing that the visitor was her employer, Liu Xiaoniang was quite excited. As soon as Wang Pan'er posed a question, she began to talk non-stop.
Just as Wang Pan'er deduced based on her understanding of this group, they did indeed have a small-scale gathering, wanting to seize the granary from Wang Xiaoyao and replace her as the person in charge of the camp.
Wang Xiaoyao is usually decisive and efficient. Although his subordinates are all women, their large numbers give him a certain degree of authority, which keeps most of them in line and doing their jobs.
There were only seven or eight troublemakers who didn't know their own limitations. They thought that if a little girl could do it, it would be even easier for them. So, they discussed and planned their rebellion in a conceited way and then launched an uprising that very night.
Fortunately, the women remained clear-headed at the critical moment, knowing that if these thugs took away their power, they would immediately become human sacrifices to support them, or even be kicked out of the camp when supplies ran out, left to fend for themselves.
Having anticipated this, even though some of the troublemakers were relatives of the women, no one spoke up for them. Wang Xiaoyao and a few others who could make a name for themselves made an example of them by strangling their leader on the spot and clearing the rest out of the camp.
In times of war, even self-preservation is difficult. If wounded and thrown out, no one will offer a helping hand. Moreover, with their injuries, the lucky ones might find no food and slowly die of exhaustion, while the unlucky ones would be devoured on the spot by wild animals drawn by the scent of blood. Their fate was quite clear.
After dealing with the troublemakers, Wang Xiaoyao learned her lesson and kept a close watch on any tools that could temporarily serve as weapons, determined not to let them fall into the hands of others.
Later, the leader of the Xinglong Gang, along with his gang members and some refugees they had rescued, came to seek refuge with Wang Xiaoyao and held "friendly discussions."
Because the discussion took place at the dinner table, the women busy at the stove were aware of the content of their negotiation.
The content is roughly about dividing the land into plots and agreeing on the rights and obligations of both parties.
Although Fang Jiming was a benevolent and righteous man, he had long held a leading position and enjoyed the support of many, and he was unwilling to fade into obscurity. In addition, the Xinglong Gang had a considerable number of members, and the members completely trusted him. Fang Jiming wanted to gain a certain degree of influence within the camp, which led to this negotiation.
Whether it was Fang Jiming's scheme or not, some members of the Xinglong Gang were dissatisfied with Wang Xiaoyao and spoke rudely on the spot. Fang Jiming calmed the agitated members and earnestly advised them, saying that the Xinglong Gang had run out of food and had come to the camp to seek refuge, so they should not be rude. Moreover, Wang Xiaoyao had the ability to gather so many refugees here, while the Xinglong Gang could not, which was enough to prove that Wang Xiaoyao's ability was superior to Fang Jiming's.
Regardless of whether Fang Jiming was playing the good cop/bad cop role, his humble attitude gave Wang Xiaoyao enough face. Moreover, this group of "江湖" (jianghu, meaning people who travel the world) had solid skills and equipment, making them excellent at patrolling and guarding the camp, and the camp needed such talent.
After careful consideration, Wang Xiaoyao concluded that the biggest drawback of this group was that they were more difficult to manage than ordinary thugs. Giving Fang Jiming a certain degree of authority in the camp in exchange for the stability of the Xinglong Gang members was a fair trade. Moreover, the Qianji Wanying Pavilion had a large and powerful force with a unified leadership. Even if the Xinglong Gang wanted to rebel, given past experiences, the women would not hesitate to act. They couldn't fight against so many opponents, and they would have to think carefully before taking any action.
Wang Xiaoyao and Fang Jiming toasted each other with tea instead of wine and happily reached a conclusion.
Fang Jiming successfully saved his brothers' lives and gained some say in the camp. Because of Wang Xiaoyao's influence, whenever there was a decision to be made in the camp, he led the Xinglong Gang to give Wang Xiaoyao their full support.
With the example set before him and the protection of the Xinglong Gang, the camp now follows Wang Xiaoyao's lead without question, and no one can harbor any disloyal thoughts, cause trouble, or usurp power.
With the addition of the Xinglong Gang and the camp beginning to take shape, Wang Xiaoyao felt she could do something even more meaningful. She discussed it with Fang Jiming and began a search and rescue operation for refugees. As more people joined, the camp naturally developed into the structure Wang Pan'er had envisioned.
After hearing what Liu Xiaoniang had to say, Hongxiao was deeply shocked.
In her memory, Wang Xiaoyao was a carefree little girl who followed her sister around. She did seem smart and clever, but she could never have imagined that she was so shrewd.
Wang Pan'er wasn't too surprised; the only thing she hadn't expected was Wang Xiaoyao's rapid growth.
However, as Mu Chuan said, what kind of ordinary person could a country girl who dared to raise a weapon to defend herself against her biological father under feudal ethics be?
Everything is in flux and evolving. War brings killing and death, but it can also spur change and progress. We need to view this dialectically.
The evolution of any civilization is built from flesh and blood. It was precisely this harsh environment that rapidly reshaped Wang Xiaoyao's flesh and bones, making her grow into the form that Wang Pan'er had foreseen.
Powerful, confident, and full of vitality, like a female eagle spreading its wings, commanding the world with boundless energy.
She has such a younger sister, she must be incredibly proud!
Wang Pan'er stood up straighter than usual, and then, accompanied by Hongxiao, toured the campsite before starting to think about some things she could do.
The camp was safe. Although the two guards who came with her were only carrying out the task of protecting Wang Pan'er and were not involved in the mission, the others in the camp would not say much. However, she was a relative of Wang Xiaoyao and could not act rashly. She had to resolutely prevent any privileged behavior so as not to affect the credibility that Wang Xiaoyao had built up among the refugees.
She instructed two guards to start going to Wang Xiaoyao's place tomorrow to accept missions in exchange for rations. They were highly skilled in martial arts, so she encouraged them to choose relatively dangerous missions.
Although the eldest princess was kind, she was also upright and incorruptible, inspiring everyone in the household to be righteous as well. As soon as Wang Pan'er gave the order, the two guards immediately set off to receive their mission.
Hongxiao is a girl, a personal maid trained by the eldest princess. She is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and her methods and understanding are also quite good. Tomorrow, I will ask Wang Xiaoyao to take a look and see if there are any suitable tasks that can be assigned to her.
After dinner, Wang Pan'er and the others lit a campfire before the sun completely set. During this extraordinary period, the camp was under martial law; although it was generally safe, people were inevitably on edge.
The fire could dispel the unease brought by the darkness and also prevent wild animals and accidents, so everyone spontaneously gathered firewood to keep the campfire burning all night.
The refugees were divided into two groups to rest, one group during the first half of the night and the other during the second half, so that they would have the ability to resist or escape at any time in case of an emergency.
Wang Pan'er counted on her fingers and concluded that even with the shifts and an afternoon nap, each person could still get about four hours of sleep each day, which was quite a reasonable arrangement.
After the bonfire was lit, the young men and women began their entertainment around it, some singing and others dancing.
Although the days of refuge were very difficult, it was necessary to find joy in the midst of hardship and vent one's mental depression and anxiety.
Wang Pan'er's shack wasn't far from the campfire. Accompanied by the distant firelight and the hazy singing, she slept the most peaceful sleep she had had since separating from Mu Chuan.
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