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

Chapter 269 Improving Military Strength

"You are such a kind-hearted child. God will surely bless you with everything going well. Good people will be rewarded." The village chief raised his hand and gently patted Xiuying's shoulder, his eyes full of love.

While the two were chatting, Awang and Afan, along with several women from Xiuying's family, marched into the village chief's house. They were all exhausted, panting, but their hands dared not slack off for a moment as they carefully placed twenty broadswords and twenty spears in the village chief's yard.

Awang wiped the sweat from his forehead, walked in quickly, and said respectfully, "Aunt Xiuying, we have taken all the things you asked us to take and put them in the yard."

The village chief was puzzled when he saw this. He frowned slightly and wondered, "Is Xiuying giving me something? How can I accept it?"

Xiuying seemed to see what the village chief was thinking and quickly told him, "Village chief, these weapons aren't for you personally. Master Chen gave these weapons to the village patrol team and asked you to distribute them. Bandits are rampant outside right now, and dangers are lurking everywhere. The last time Master Chen was transporting goods, he encountered bandits. It was extremely dangerous. Our village patrol team will have these weapons to protect themselves and keep our village safe."

At this point, Xiuying's face was filled with seriousness and worry: "With these weapons, the patrol brothers will be more confident when they go on patrol. With an extra layer of security, we villagers can sleep peacefully!"

Filled with curiosity, the village chief walked into the courtyard and was immediately stunned by the sight. The gleaming broadsword gleamed coldly in the sunlight, inspiring awe. The village chief's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the blade, gasping for air.

"Mr. Chen is truly a benevolent and righteous man, caring about the safety of our village. Such a kind act is truly a great blessing for our village!"

The village chief turned to look at Xiuying, his eyes firm as he said, "Xiuying, don't worry. I'll gather the patrols and distribute these weapons in a moment. I won't let Mr. Chen and you down."

Xiuying nodded slightly and continued, "Village Chief, of the four sides of the village, only the mountains behind it are relatively safe. However, if bandits attack on the other three sides, we will be easily surrounded. Therefore, the most important thing now is to build a wall to strengthen the village's defenses."

Xiuying frowned and pointed at the location of the village on the ground with her fingers as she spoke.

"With the wall and patrol teams equipped with these weapons, the safety of our village can be better guaranteed."

"Ding ding ding..." The familiar sound of a gong suddenly rang out under the old locust tree. The sound was crisp and loud, breaking the original tranquility of the village.

At the sound of the gong, villagers hurried out of their homes, and patrol members quickly gathered. Soon, the area under the old locust tree was crowded with people, whispering and discussing what had happened.

The village chief stood on a big rock and spoke first: "Fellow villagers, be quiet! Listen to me!" The village chief pressed down hard with his hands, signaling everyone to be quiet.

When the crowd quieted down, the village chief told everyone in a loud voice: "Mr. Chen cares about our village and donated weapons to the village patrol team. This is a great favor to our village!" The village chief's face was filled with excitement and gratitude, and his voice trembled slightly.

Then, the village chief began to distribute swords and spears in an orderly manner. As he distributed them, he urged the patrol members to take good care of and use these weapons to protect the safety of the village.

"Everyone must work together to protect our home!"

The village chief's words echoed among the crowd, making everyone feel the weight of their responsibility.

The patrolmen holding brand new swords and spears instantly felt as if they were full of power. Excitement flashed in their eyes and they gripped their weapons tightly.

Recalling the team transporting sweet potatoes out of the village a few days ago, I was so envious of the majestic swords and spears in those people's hands.

"I never thought we'd have swords now!" a patrolman said excitedly, his voice full of pride. He waved the sword in his hand, drawing cheers from those around him.

"Yes, with these, we can definitely defend the village firmly!" Another patrolman also said loudly.

Looking around the entire village, almost every household owns weapons.

Zhao Cunliang was standing in the crowd at the moment, saying with a smug look on his face, "Look, look! Our Guangzong and Yaozu went out to distribute sweet potatoes and not only got weapons, but also silver. Humph, it's just you people who haven't seen the world!"

Zhao Cunliang put his hands on his hips and held his head high. His arrogant look made people feel disgusted.

"Is Mr. Chen as good as you say?"

Zhao Cunliang curled his lips and continued in a sarcastic tone, "Master Chen gave us weapons because Awang was here. To put it bluntly, he hired a group of free guards. You guys, you still treat him as a benefactor, you are really stupid!"

Zhao Cunliang's voice rose a few notches.

"I think this Mr. Chen has ulterior motives. Who knows what benefits he will get from us in the future!"

Zhao Cunliang became more and more excited as he spoke, spit flying everywhere: "Don't let yourself be sold and then help others count money!" As he spoke, he glanced at everyone.

Someone immediately expressed dissatisfaction and shouted, "Zhao Cunliang, stop talking nonsense here! Everyone has seen and remembered Master Chen's kindness, so how can you be so irresponsible!"

Another person shouted, his voice filled with anger, "Don't judge others by your own standards!"

"That's right! Master Chen has always taken good care of our village. His kindness and righteousness are genuine. Unlike you, you are full of darkness and always say bad things that are irrelevant to the truth!"

Voices accusing Zhao Cunliang rose one after another in the crowd, and everyone expressed their dissatisfaction with him.

Seeing the clamor and excitement among the crowd, the village chief raised his hands and shouted, "Everyone, be quiet! Xiuying wants to speak!"

Everyone immediately quieted down, their eyes focused on Xiuying.

Xiuying cleared her throat and said seriously, "I have something I want to discuss with everyone. Everyone is familiar with the current situation outside. Severe drought and hail have left many areas with a total crop failure, leaving the people homeless and suffering terribly. Only in Futian Village, thanks to God's blessing, are every household stockpiled with food. We've even planted our second crop of sweet potatoes, and life is much better than before."