noveltune 0020 Discussion
0020 Discussion
The late Ming Dynasty.
After Zhu Shiting used a combination of kindness and severity, the group from Zhoujiazhai were completely tamed and made obedient.
As for the other village leaders, after learning that the divine god had easily healed Zhou Gang's gunshot wound, they all showed him the utmost respect.
The mountain people all regarded Zhu Shiting as a great savior from the bottom of their hearts.
After all, he had been sending rice, pork, and bedding, and this time he had even stolen elixirs from the Heavenly Court to save the lowly lives of these mortals.
After following this strategy, Zhu Shiting has probably already maxed out the invisible favorability ratings of the more than 130 living people gathered in Yun Village this episode.
Seeing that his hastily prepared surgery hadn't gone wrong, Zhu Shiting breathed a sigh of relief, and his confidence in commanding the mountain people increased considerably.
So, taking advantage of the fact that his prestige had reached its peak after the surgery, Zhu Shiting summoned the leaders of each village as planned and went to a mountain terrace on one side of the village that overlooked Ruian County in the distance to discuss important matters concerning himself.
"This time, I, the immortal, have spent a lot of money on arranging things for the mortal realm. I originally wanted to do some rice business with your villages, but instead, I spent a lot of elixirs and medicines to save people."
"Have any of you made any gestures?"
Zhu Shiting brought over six plastic stools from the warehouse in the modern timeline and gestured for Sun Lu and the others to sit down together.
Seeing that the deity had once again conjured up these bright red altars and was now demanding offerings from them, Wang Feng, Zhou Ren, Lin Yu, and Old Man Li immediately became filled with fear and trepidation.
Sun Lu, representing the five villages, said, "To be honest, Your Excellency, our villages have had many private exchanges, and the situations are all quite similar. Apart from the two elder brothers of the Zhou family who went down the mountain and robbed some valuables, none of the other villages have the gold and jade you specifically requested."
They've all hidden themselves in Jiyun Mountain, becoming outlaws and living off wild fruits, hunting, and eating sweet potatoes. Where would they find any valuable treasures left?
Even those who committed serious crimes in Wenzhou Prefecture, like Zhoujiazhai, at most robbed some gold, silver and copper coins last year and took them up the mountain.
In order to buy food for the village to survive, all the necessary expenses had already been spent.
The only things left that couldn't be spent were those three gold ingots that couldn't be sold or converted into cash.
Upon hearing this news, Zhu Shiting's face showed a hint of disappointment. He shook his head and sighed, "Very well, since you families can't come up with any decent amount of wealth, then I'll consider this trip to the mortal realm a loss."
At this moment, Zhou Ren, who was now willing to serve Zhu Shiting, stood up and pointed to Ruian County, bathed in the afternoon sun, saying, "Since the immortals value wealth so much, why don't we gather our men and go down the mountain to rob a few wealthy families! Ruian County's inner city defenses are weak, with fewer than fifty registered soldiers. If our five families unite, breaking through the city won't be difficult!"
Upon hearing this terrible idea, Zhu Shiting's eyelids twitched, and he exclaimed inwardly: Good heavens!
The people of Zhoujiazhai are indeed worthy of being soldiers who fought against Japanese pirates and settled in the countryside. They all have a fierce spirit in their bones and are always thinking about going down the mountain to pull off a big heist.
Looking back at the modern world I live in, it seems that the people of Vancouver, besides being shrewd and pragmatic, also possess a certain spirit.
After all, this mountainous land beneath our feet is notoriously barren!
In the context of "one mountain, two rivers, and two parts farmland," clans in various parts of Wenzhou have fought fiercely and engaged in constant armed conflicts over the limited arable land resources.
The feud continued into the modern era, even resulting in a death during the Dragon Boat Festival races, which led to the suspension of dragon boat races in the entire Vancouver area for more than a decade, only to be lifted in the last year or two.
"No wonder General Qi came to Wenzhou to recruit soldiers in history. This kind of fierce and decisive personality is most likely passed down from the genes of these Zhou family ancestors." Zhu Shiting glanced at Zhou Ren and muttered to himself.
"Brother, this suggestion is unacceptable!"
"Although Ruian County is small, the nine powerful families within the county keep a large number of servants and retainers. Our villages lack sharp weapons and armor, and facing the three-barreled guns and muskets of the city defenders will only increase casualties."
Just as he was pondering this, Lin Yu spoke up to stop him.
Seeing that the leader of Linjia Village spoke in a somewhat scholarly manner, displaying the air of a strategist, Zhu Shiting asked curiously, "Brother Lin, judging from your knowledge and eloquence, have you ever been to school?"
"To be honest, my family is considered wealthy farmers in Tangxia, Ruian. I studied hard for more than ten years and even passed the imperial examination to become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations)."
"However, six years ago, my academic title was stolen by a wealthy young man from the provincial capital. I was unable to win the case and ended up in a huge lawsuit. I had no choice but to move my entire family of over seventy people to the mountains to hide." Lin Yu introduced himself with a wry smile.
"Was my scholar's academic achievement stolen?"
After hearing the reason, Zhu Shiting looked somewhat speechless, thinking to himself, "Well, this guy is also a person with a tragic fate."
After finally passing the imperial examination, one is about to become a scholar and take up a post in one's hometown, or at the very least, a county magistrate's secretary.
As a result, someone else, relying on their high status and connections, easily took away the results of his ten years of hard study.
Even scholars have fallen to such a state; it seems that the corrupt officials of the late Ming Dynasty had indeed reached a point of utter lawlessness.
To thoroughly understand the situation of his followers, Zhu Shiting, after inquiring about the Lin Family Village, turned to the elderly man surnamed Li sitting in the corner and asked, "Grandpa Li, what's the situation with your Li Village?"
Zhu Shiting was most concerned about Lishan Village because in the modern era, his family's old house was located at the foot of Lishan Village.
In that village called Aodi Village, the Zhu and Li surnames make up roughly a 40/60 split.
If nothing unexpected happens, I might even be related to this old man Li!
The old man scratched his head and replied, "My lord, the 163 people in our Lishan Village are all impoverished families who lost their land at the foot of the mountain. There are a few skilled craftsmen in the village who can make some utensils. Although we are not as well-off as Scholar Lin and Lady Sun, at least we won't starve because of our skills."
"It turns out that artisans are banding together for mutual support!"
Zhu Shiting chuckled upon hearing this. His father was a bricklayer, so there was indeed a family tradition in his work.
He then took another look at the five leaders present: Sun, Zhou, Wang, Lin, and Li.
There were old and young, reserve militiamen, scholars, folk doctors, and craftsmen. Every household had its own unique skills, and together they temporarily formed a self-sufficient little community in Jiyun Mountain.
Zhu Shiting felt that he had stumbled upon the opportunity to gather such a group of talented people with interesting stories in such a short time.
After pondering for a moment, gazing at the town of Ruian bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, Zhu Shiting gave his first order in front of the five people: "Although I was unable to make a deal with you today and obtain the gold and jade artifacts I desired, I cannot bear to see the suffering of the people. Consider that rice a reward to you. Each of you should take some back to your village to eat and appease the people."
"Thank you for your generous gift, Immortal!"
Upon hearing that over a thousand catties of immortal rice would be given away free of charge, Sun Lu and the others were overjoyed and bowed deeply in respect.
Seeing this, Zhu Shiting waved his hand and continued to instruct, "Although we have not gained any wealth, I require each of you to contribute labor. Starting tomorrow, you families will set up camp here, with Jiyun Village as the leader! I will make further arrangements afterward."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ren, Wang Feng, Lin, and Old Li all changed their expressions drastically.
"The immortals want us to relocate our villages, but then the fields and hillsides in each village will be left unattended!"
"And with several families and hundreds of people gathered together, the expenses for food, clothing, and lodging are considerable," Old Li was the first to raise a question, muttering under his breath.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Shiting stood up, pointed to the sky, and said, "With this immortal and the Heavenly Court looking after you, you will naturally not starve to death! You can just gather your strongholds."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Shiting disappeared from the terrace in a flash, leaving the five chieftains looking at each other in bewilderment.