PFC Chapter 34 Uniting the Majority
Chapter 34 Uniting the Majority
Li Sheng didn't say anything more. He scooped a spoonful of porridge from the pot, blew on it, and took a sip.
"The porridge is ready."
He put down his spoon, looked around, and spoke in a deep and powerful voice.
"Line up. The elderly and children go first. Anyone who dares to grab something, Li's iron halberd is no joke!"
The group of people, who had been deep in thought, slowly began to move.
No one fought over it, and no one shouted.
Seeing this, Li Sheng nodded with satisfaction.
"After everyone has finished their porridge, you can take back the land that the Wang family took from you."
He waved his hand.
"Furthermore, half of the grain in the Wang family's granary will be distributed to everyone present. Each household will receive grain according to the number of people in their household, with absolutely no deductions!"
The room remained silent for a full three breaths.
The people stared wide-eyed, as if they hadn't heard clearly, exchanging bewildered glances.
"My benefactor said... to distribute the grain?"
"Half? Half of the Wang family's?"
"No way... How could this be..."
A middle-aged man mustered his courage and asked.
"My benefactor... are you serious? Not only are you giving us land, but you're also going to share our grain?"
Li Sheng nodded.
In that instant, it was as if someone had poured a ladle of water into boiling oil; the scene erupted.
Cries, shouts, cheers, and kowtows mingled together, surging in like a tide and engulfing the entire fortified village.
Some people knelt on the ground and wailed, some laughed loudly, some jumped and danced with the people around them, and some collapsed on the ground, covering their mouths and sobbing uncontrollably.
"We have food to eat... Finally, we have food to eat..."
"Mother! Did you see that? We have grain!"
"Your Honor! Your Honor!"
Li Sheng looked calmly at the weeping crowd before him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Liu Wu, watching all this from behind, finally understood what Li Sheng had just said.
Being able to exchange grain for these things is indeed much more valuable than the grain itself.
After distributing the porridge, Li Sheng took the opportunity of counting the number of people to conduct a general survey of the villagers.
Of the 147 households, over 100 were elderly people over 30 or 40 years old, nearly 100 were children under 15, over 160 were adult women, and only 41 were able-bodied men.
It is currently spring plowing season, but most of the men have been conscripted by the government to perform corvée labor.
Li Sheng stared at the unbalanced population structure for a long time without saying a word.
There was still some porridge left in the pot. Li Sheng picked it up and walked towards the courtyard where the prisoners were being held.
The prisoners had already realized that Li Sheng and his men were not government soldiers.
However, they are now prisoners, so even if they knew, it would be of no use.
After Li Sheng entered the courtyard, he used a few tricks to divide the already disunited bandits. He let the prisoners identify the most heinous villains among them, and the rest could be released and even given a bowl of porridge.
Soon, seven of the twenty-one prisoners were identified and put in solitary confinement.
The remaining fourteen prisoners, who had been starving for almost a whole day, were deeply grateful after receiving porridge and food from Li Sheng. They expressed their willingness to follow Li Sheng, which was naturally something Li Sheng wanted to see.
In his view, these people are still capable of being reformed.
After everything was settled, everyone was finally able to get a short rest.
The next day, Li Sheng and others harnessed the Wang family's oxen and carts, loaded them with grain, and prepared to return to Dongpingli.
At this moment, the people all knelt down. Wang Fu, the young man who was the first to lead Li Sheng, cried and asked on behalf of the crowd.
"Our benefactors, you're leaving. What will we do now?"
Although they now have land and grain, their population is mostly old and young, with more women than men, and the able-bodied have all been confiscated by the government.
They were completely unable to resist the bandits.
Wang Fu raised his head, his eyes reddening.
"The government can't be relied on; we can only rely on you, our benefactor!"
The white-haired old woman behind him answered tremblingly.
"Yes, my benefactor, please help us..."
The cries and pleas mingled together, sounding especially clear in the morning mist.
Liu Wu stood behind Li Sheng, turning his head to look at him, wondering what decision Brother Sheng would make.
Li Sheng remained silent for a moment, then jumped off the oxcart, walked to an old man, and bent down to help him up.
"Everyone, stand up and speak. Kneeling like this is making me feel utterly ashamed!"
The old man stood up, his legs still trembling. Many people followed suit, but they still stared expectantly at Li Sheng.
Li Sheng did not rush to speak, his gaze sweeping across the faces of every commoner.
"Gentlemen, I know you are afraid. But there is something I must say beforehand."
He said earnestly.
"Asking for help is useless. I can help you today, but what if I leave tomorrow? What if the bandits come again the day after? You can't keep relying on outsiders to save you. Only you yourselves can save you."
The people looked at each other, a hint of confusion flashing in their eyes.
"So... what does my benefactor mean...?"
"What I mean is, you guys need to stand up for yourselves."
Li Sheng's gaze sharpened.
"You have hands and feet, land and food, what do you lack? You lack local militia who can truly protect you."
The middle-aged man said with a bitter face.
"What my benefactor says makes sense, but... who among us is fit to be a local militia? We're not good at fighting, our hands tremble when we pick up a knife..."
"Yes, my benefactor, how could we manage on our own..."
"My benefactor, please take us with you..."
The people all spoke at once, but they all meant the same thing: they didn't have the ability and wanted Li Sheng to help them.
Li Sheng looked at them and remained silent for a while.
How can a savior be waited for or begged for?
The young, strong men in the crowd lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with Li Sheng. Fear was written all over their faces.
They have been oppressed for too long, they are afraid of hunger, they are afraid of being beaten. Until they are truly in dire straits, they will still wait for others to save them.
Li Sheng sighed inwardly.
"it is good."
He spoke.
The people looked at Li Sheng, and their eyes lit up again.
"I promise you. Once I have transported the grain back to Dongping Village and handed these wicked bandits over to the authorities, I will immediately bring my men back to guide you in forming a local militia and teach you how to protect your homes."
He paused, then raised his voice a few decibels.
"But everyone must remember, I'm not here to watch over your homes. Only by uniting and supporting each other can we survive in this chaotic world. Dongping Village, your village, and all the surrounding villages, only by working together can we protect our land and our food."
The middle-aged man nodded heavily.
"Our benefactor is right! We will listen to our benefactor!"
"Yes! We'll listen to our benefactor!"
"My benefactor, you must return soon!"
Seeing that most of the people clearly hadn't listened to him, Li Sheng could only shake his head helplessly in his heart.
We still need to continue educating the people! Otherwise, even if our forces grow large in the future, the fruits of victory will be usurped...
Li Sheng nodded, turned around, jumped onto the carriage shaft, and grasped the iron halberd standing beside him.
"Don't worry, everyone. I, Li Sheng, keep my word. In the next few days, you should first select the candidates for the local militia, and then ensure proper protection and vigilance. I'll be back soon."
"Please come back soon...we're waiting for you..."
"My benefactor, come back quickly!"
The people saw them off with tears in their eyes, and lingered for a long time.
The oxen mooed, and the cart rolled on.
Li Sheng sat on the carriage shaft, his iron halberd placed beside him. He glanced back at the figures that were gradually shrinking in size, his gaze calm.
"Brother Sheng, why don't we just take them on?"
At this moment, Liu Wu asked.