Chapter 114: Redistribution of Benefits

Wei Lao-si burst into his home, shouting, "Quick! Pack everything up!"

Wei Bing, thirteen years old, walked out rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Fourth Uncle, what’s going on?"

Wei Lao-si, burning with anxiety, urged, "Just pack your things, hurry!"

"Why?"

"No time to explain!"

Wei Lao-si pulled some gold and silver from under the bed and began stuffing clothes into a bundle. Clutching his belongings, he headed toward the door, calling out, "Big Brother! Second Brother! Get up!"

As he turned back, he saw Elder Wei standing behind him, leaning on his cane with a stern expression.

"Father..."

"What are you doing?"

"Father, you don't understand. The people from Luhe Gully left the village a full night ago and haven't returned," Wei Lao-si said.

"And so what?" Elder Wei asked.

"There were only thirty of them! If they haven't returned after a whole night, it must mean..." Wei Lao-si’s throat felt parched. He thought the conclusion was obvious to anyone, but in his panic, he stuttered.

There were five hundred bandits! At most, their side had fifty men. What did it mean that they hadn't returned? It meant they were all dead out there!

While Wei Lao-si scrambled to save his family, Elder Wei said unhurriedly, "Sigh, Fourth, look at the magpie nest behind the house. If it falls, can the eggs inside survive on their own?"

Wei Lao-si was confused, but Elder Wei simply shook his head and walked away. The other Wei brothers returned to their rooms. Only Wei Lao-si remained. He slammed his bundle onto the ground and shouted, "If we don't leave now, it'll be too late!"

Receiving no response from the house, he muttered to himself, "Fine, stay then. I’m leaving alone!"

He gathered his valuables again, wrapped them in a cloth, and headed out of the village alone. The fences at the village entrance had recently been replaced by gray, nondescript walls—something Wei Bing called "cement." But because the men from Luhe Gully had already left, the novelty of this "cement" couldn't stop him.

Halfway there, he discovered he wasn't the only one with this idea. Many villagers from Windstone Village, carrying large and small bundles, had gathered there, all seemingly intent on fleeing.

Wei Lao-si looked at them, knowing this was only human nature. If you knew the bandits were coming and didn't run, you were a fool!

After the villagers had trickled out, dawn broke, and a column of spearmen marched neatly into the village...

***

"Did you hear? The bandits were beaten back! Luhe Gully won!"

"Is that for real?"

"Yes! We won!"

News always travels fast. Xu Wenshan's troops had been back to recuperate for only half a day, yet the word that the Luhe Gully forces had wiped out all the bandits had already spread throughout the village. Most villagers were skeptical of such good news, but the bandit camp that had burned all night outside the village was undeniable, and the bandits who used to harass them daily were nowhere to be found. That, too, was real.

They had truly won.

The news fermented rapidly, brewing a storm of happiness across Windstone Village. When the people of Luhe Gully had first arrived to overthrow the village head and declare that Windstone would be free from the Salt Gang's oppression, the joy had come too suddenly for them to process. But this time, the bandit crisis had kept them under pressure for days; in this moment of final release, they felt the joy deeply and truly.

Perhaps they had been suppressed for too long, becoming numb, forgetting what it meant to be alive.

In the evening, Xu Wenshan gathered all the villagers in the square for another meeting.

"You may already know—the bandit camp has been burned. They turned on each other, and now they can no longer threaten us. We... we have won."

Even though this had been whispered among the cheering villagers for hours, it did not stop them from venting their fervor. They raised their fists to the sky and let out loud shouts.

"Also, I keep hearing you describe this battle as one between Luhe Gully and the bandits, or between Luhe Gully and the village head. I believe this description is wrong. This was not Luhe Gully’s battle. This was your battle."

Xu Wenshan’s tone shifted. There were things he had to say. The villagers gradually quieted down.

"It was you who were oppressed by the Salt Gang, and you who were plundered by the bandits. If this is only Luhe Gully’s battle, then Luhe Gully will simply become your next village head, your next Black Wind Stronghold."

"If you are willing to fight for yourselves, you can be your own masters. If you treat the fight as someone else's business, you will always be slaves."

"When I returned to the stronghold today, I saw many villagers fleeing over the walls. They thought we couldn't defeat the bandits, so they slipped away. I can understand that; everyone fears death, and no one wants to die in vain. But what I find strange is this: you all have hands and feet, and you all want to live. Why would you rather head into the wilderness to be bitten by beasts or killed by monsters than pick up a blade and fight for your own village?"

"Some of you helped build the defenses, and some served as auxiliary troops. But many others refused to even be auxiliaries. When the enemy attacked, you hid your heads in your homes, praying for the 'people of Luhe Gully' to drive the bandits away. When hope seemed lost, you just threw it all away and ran."

"There are even those who, having suffered the slightest inconvenience, start cursing those of us on the front lines, blaming us for not protecting you well enough. Then, when we win, you come out to celebrate. You complain if you get too little of the spoils, and you complain if you have to bear the burden. There are many such people."

"What I want to say is this: you deserve your suffering, and you deserve to be bullied."

"Starting today, the management of the Windstone salt mines will change. Everything from before is void. From this day forward, the person in charge of the salt mines is—Zhang Aniu."

The villagers’ eyes turned toward Zhang Aniu. He broke into a cold sweat, pointing at his own nose and silently mouthing, "Me?"

Xu Wenshan ignored him and continued, "The salt mine will appoint a technical foreman. I had intended for that to be Wei Lao-si, but since he ran away, it will be Wei the Eldest. Remember, from now on, use the sun-drying method."

Elder Wei managed a bitter smile, feeling quite uncomfortable under the villagers' gazes. At least Xu Wenshan had left him some dignity by appointing his other son, or he wouldn't have been able to show his face.

Xu Wenshan continued, "From now on, there is no such thing as Windstone Village. Effective immediately, Windstone Village is annexed into Luhe Gully. Those who do not work in the salt mines will move to Luhe Gully with my troops."

This announcement sent the entire crowd into an uproar.