ebookland Chapter 494: No Idle People in the Village
Chapter 494: No Idle People in the Village
"That's right! Even if we don't provoke that corrupt official, he might turn his attention to us one day, and maybe even destroy our village." Another villager echoed loudly.
"In my opinion, our most urgent task now is to prepare quickly to deal with the trouble that may be brought by that dog official." An old man said seriously.
"Yes! Old village chief, Sister Xiuying, you just show us a clear way forward. We will do whatever you say!" someone in the crowd said, and instantly received responses from many people.
Xiuying's eyes were filled with relief, and she nodded gently. Although there were occasional minor frictions in this village, when faced with major events, the villagers always showed amazing unity.
Xiuying took a step forward and spoke methodically, "Everyone, listen to me! This time, we'll follow the same plan we used to deal with that corrupt official Luo Jing'an. The patrols will be divided into two groups: day and night. The daytime group must keep a close eye on the movements in and around the village, not missing any suspicious signs. The nighttime group must be even more vigilant, as visibility is poor at night and danger is more likely to lurk.
"Also, those guarding the village gate, especially those manning the lookout tower, have a heavy responsibility and must be extremely alert at all times. If you detect danger, day or night, you must ring the gong without hesitation to alert the entire village."
Butcher Li from the patrol team patted his chest and said loudly, "Xiuying, don't worry! I'll take care of the patrol team!"
Ma Ergun immediately responded, "Sister Xiuying, don't worry about the lookout tower. I will guard it well and make sure nothing goes wrong!"
Xiuying glanced at everyone and continued, "Fellow villagers, there are 1645 households in our village, totaling people. At this critical moment, we need everyone to take action!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly became tense.
An old woman with gray hair, her face full of worry, murmured: "Alas, what can an old woman like me do?"
A peasant woman also looked embarrassed and said, "I'm just a farming woman. Fighting in war is really..."
A young girl said anxiously: "I am just a girl, how can I fight against soldiers?"
Seeing this, Xiuying quickly raised her hand and signaled everyone to be quiet. She slowly said, "Everyone, listen to me. Every person in our Futian Village, even the grass and trees in the village, has its unique use.
There are 360 households in our village, of which 620 are over 340 years old, 480 are women, 105 are young men in their prime, 100 are teenagers who have reached the age of marriage, and are children.
Everyone's heart ached as they listened to Xiuying's announcement of these figures. Yes, so many elderly, weak, women, and children in the village, were they all going to die tragically at the hands of that corrupt official?
Xiuying continued, "Fellow villagers, there's an old saying: Where there's oppression, there's resistance! For our own lives, to protect our families, we must rise up and fight! Whether you're sixty or older, or a young child, we all must join this fight!"
Mrs. Sun was the first to step forward and shouted, "Xiuying, our whole family will follow your instructions! I have four sons and one daughter, and we are all six of us in this family. We will all go to the battlefield and fight that bastard official!"
Mrs. Li was not to be outdone. She said firmly, "Although we have only one daughter and no sons, the three of us are not afraid of death! As long as we can protect our village, we are not afraid of anything!"
"Okay!" Xiuying shouted, "Then let's work together to let that bastard official have a good taste of how powerful our Futian Village is, and let them know that the people of our Futian Village are not soft persimmons that can be easily manipulated!" She knew very well that the most important thing in doing anything is unity.
Xiuying then began to make arrangements: "The 620 elderly people in our village will be divided into three groups. Group one will be responsible for making breakfast, group two will be responsible for lunch, and group three will be responsible for dinner. They will be led by Grandma Zhang, Uncle San, and Grandpa Li respectively. The meals for the elderly are the energy supply for our entire village and are of vital importance.
The 340 women were divided into four groups. Two of the groups formed a shift, taking turns guarding the village wall, one day on duty and one day off. Aunt Li and Aunt Sun were in charge of organizing the work. The wall was the village's first line of defense, so everyone had to stay alert.
As for the 480 young men, they were divided into three groups, led by Li the Butcher, Jindan, and Ma Ergun. The first group specialized in bows and arrows, trained to hit their targets accurately; the second group was equipped with broadswords, ready for close combat at crucial moments; and the third group was responsible for stone throwing, using rocks to inflict heavy damage on the enemy.
Also, for the youth group, Afan, you will be responsible for leading everyone to practice archery as quickly as possible so that everyone can master archery skills as soon as possible.
Finally, 100 children, led by Guihua and Lamei, received pepper spray training. "Don't underestimate pepper spray; it can be very useful in critical moments."
Xiuying had already devised a comprehensive plan for the division of labor among the villagers. After all, most of the villagers had no martial arts experience. With such limited time available, the best way for them to quickly master and develop a certain level of combat effectiveness was through crossbow training. The crossbow Xiuying had purchased through the system was relatively simple to operate and easy to master.
As for the children in the village, arranging them to practice pepper spray was actually a precautionary measure. In case the corrupt official really led his troops to break through the village gate, these children would be able to use pepper spray to protect themselves in an emergency and would not be completely defenseless.
In Xiuying's mind, the core of the village's defense lies in its 340 women and 480 able-bodied men. While the women may not be as physically strong as the men, they are indispensable in tasks like guarding the walls. Meanwhile, the able-bodied men play a crucial role in defending the village from external enemies. Their various combat teams will shoulder the heavy responsibility of confronting the enemy head-on.
The village chief straightened his back and said in a loud voice, "Fellow villagers, listen carefully! Just follow Xiuying's instructions! Remember how we beat back that corrupt official Luo Jingan? This time, even if his backers show up, we won't be afraid! We in Futian Village have never been one to be trifled with!"
The villagers nodded in agreement, then dispersed in an orderly fashion. Everyone was preparing for the upcoming battle; Futian Village didn't want to keep idle people.