Dressed as a farmer's widow, she brought her daughter to stock up on food and reached the top

Chapter 501 Scarecrow

Xiuying and the old village chief quickly climbed up the observation tower. Along the way, they both thought they were soldiers sent by Jizhou, but when they saw the aggressive group coming, they were shocked - it turned out to be a group of bandits as fierce as wolves and tigers.

Each of these bandits was a fierce, ferocious beast. The first row held heavy, pitted shields, reminiscent of those used by soldiers on the battlefield. The second row held bows and arrows, their bows taut and their arrowheads gleaming with a cold light. Behind the archers came a group of fierce bandits wielding broadswords, their blades radiating bloodlust, their eyes filled with greed and brutality. This well-organized, menacing group exuded a strong sense of oppression.

Xiuying keenly noticed that among the bandits, there were three riding tall horses, standing behind a group of bandits holding shields. One of them was particularly special, his face was covered tightly, revealing only a pair of eyes, which were sinister and cold, making people shudder.

The old village chief stood on the observation deck, his brow furrowed as he stared intently at the bandits advancing aggressively. After a long pause, he couldn't help but gasp and mutter to himself, "My goodness, these bandits are so well-equipped now!"

A trace of vigilance flashed in Yang Qingfeng's eyes. He also stared at the group of bandits and said coldly, "They don't look like bandits at all. People who don't know the situation might think they are well-trained soldiers."

Xiuying felt something was amiss, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She turned to the old village chief and said sternly, "Old Village Chief, it seems they're up to something. We shouldn't rush into a fight."

The old village chief looked at Xiuying, his eyes full of trust: "Xiuying, you are now the commander-in-chief here. Everyone listens to your orders. Whatever you think, just give the order and let everyone follow it."

Xiuying nodded slightly. "Okay, old village chief. You stay here for a while and play along with these bandits, trying to buy time as long as possible."

Laocun replied, "Okay! You can go ahead and make the arrangements. I'll make sure things stay stable."

Xiuying quickly walked down the observation deck and came to Wang Daya below the stage. She whispered, "Daya, quickly tell the sisters on the wall to evacuate first. Move quickly and make sure nothing goes wrong! Then tell them to find somewhere to hide."

"Yes, ma'am!" As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Daya quickly ran towards the wall.

Below the wall, a high platform was built with thick wooden boards. The women of the village were standing on it in a neat row, holding bows and crossbows, waiting for the order to shoot the arrows in their hands.

Wang Daya ran over and shouted louder, "Everyone, please go down first. Our wife has new arrangements."

These women had received care and help from Xiuying during her busy farming season. When they heard that it was Xiuying's order, they immediately withdrew in an orderly manner without any hesitation.

After all the women had left, under Xiuying's command, Wang Dali brought several young and strong men and placed the scarecrows that had been made of straw in advance on the wooden platform.

The women stood in the audience, looking curiously at the circle of scarecrows.

One of the women couldn't help but murmur, "This is really strange. Are scarecrows really needed in war?"

Another woman echoed, "Yeah, normally these scarecrows are just placed in the fields to scare away birds. Does Xiuying really expect these scarecrows to scare away the bandits out there?"

Thinking of this, the women fell silent involuntarily. After all, Xiuying was just an ordinary peasant woman, how could she really understand the ins and outs of marching and fighting?

The last time Luo Jingan came, he only brought some officers and no heavy weapons. However, the bandits he faced this time were completely different from those officers and soldiers, and the situation was obviously much more difficult.

Wang Daya walked over quickly and shouted to the crowd, "Everyone, listen up! Find a place to hide quickly. Don't come out until you receive orders!"

Upon hearing this, the women immediately scattered, seeking shelter. The men, however, were not happy and began shouting, "Just let the women hide. We men can't be cowards. We must fight those kidnappers!"

Wang Dali responded loudly, "Everyone must follow the instructions. Everyone, regardless of gender, age or status, must find a good place to hide. This includes us old men and the elderly people cooking in the back. Daya, quickly go to the back and inform them to hide!"

"Okay, brother!" Daya responded and turned to run to the back.

At the back of the village, the cooks were mostly elderly people with limited mobility, but among them was the cowardly Tian Guilan. The elderly were busy washing vegetables.

An old man, washing vegetables, said angrily, "When our village drives away those bandits and kills a few of them, it will be considered revenge for Grandma Zhang!"

Third Uncle said with full of self-blame: "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have suggested that day to let Grandma Zhang send dumplings to Fusu. If she hadn't gone, we wouldn't have met those bandits, and we wouldn't have..." As he spoke, his voice gradually choked.

The old man next to him hurried to comfort him, "How can you be blamed for this? If you want to blame someone, blame the people who built the wall. They dared to cut corners and cause such a big disaster!"

As everyone was talking, Third Uncle's eyes turned red with self-blame, and everyone gathered around to comfort him.

Tian Guilan was holding a cucumber in her hand and chewing it with a sweet sound. This free cucumber was really delicious.

At this moment, Wang Daya came trotting over and said breathlessly to the old people, "Our wife told everyone to find a place to hide quickly, quickly!"

Several elderly people were still holding vegetables that had not been picked yet. Although they were old, they knew in their hearts that although they were not afraid of death, they would never drag their children down because of themselves.

A gray-haired old man looked at Wang Daya kindly and said, "Okay, girl, let's go hide now." Then he raised his voice and said, "Girl, tell those young people up there, we old bones are never afraid of death! If they need us, just let them know!"

Wang Daya nodded vigorously and replied, "Okay!" Before she finished speaking, she turned around and ran towards Xiuying to report.

The uncle looked at the old friends around him and said with concern: "Everyone, be careful and don't let the children worry." As he said this, he glanced at Tian Guilan, who was still leisurely eating a cucumber, and couldn't help but say: "You should also find a place to hide quickly."