Chapter 472

Cai Qiu Calendar Year 299, October 27th, midnight.

North of Qingwu Village, still in the basement of that residential house.

"Clang, clang, clatter..."

More than thirty masked men in black entered one after another from outside the door. Each of them was carrying two large black bundles. Although they walked on tiptoe, crisp sounds of iron blocks clashing still came from the bundles.

"Be careful, don't alert anyone."

"What are you afraid of? At the end of the millet harvest, Zhang Long is pressing closer and closer. The people in the village who can move are basically all asleep at this hour; no one is awake at all."

"That makes sense. Both during the day and the first two hours after nightfall are spent harvesting millet; it's indeed impossible for anyone to be awake. Come in first!"

"Put everything down."

………………

The middle-aged man in the lead entered and first placed the two bundles on the ground. While signaling others to put down their bundles, he took off the mask on his face.

The others also put down their bundles one after another and then took off their masks.

The middle-aged man was none other than Hong Xicheng, the Qingwu branch leader of the Frost-Ash Society; the remaining 36 people were the core members of the Qingwu branch.

Hong Xicheng did not speak, but patiently opened the seventy-two bundles one by one. As the bundles unfolded, the blades, powerful bows, and battle armor inside slowly came into everyone's view.

Although there was only dim firelight in the room, the brand-new blades and armor still emitted a bright, glaring light under its reflection.

That glaring light made the breathing of the thirty-seven people instantly grow much heavier.

Hong Xicheng was the first to suppress the excitement in his heart. He took a slight breath, turned to face everyone, and said: "A total of 37 sets of Thousand-Forged battle armor; 20 powerful bows with a three-mane draw, with 2,000 matching iron arrows; 37 Ten-Thousand-Forged great sabers; and a total of 1,000 Thousand-Forged grade sabers and swords."

They were truly going to do something big!

After hearing the number of blades and armor in the bundles, this thought instantly popped into the minds of the thirty-six people below, and their hearts began to tremble violently.

The four domains of the Mo'ao River all implement a six-rank registration system, and the control measures for blades and armor matching the registration ranks are extremely strict.

Not to mention battle armor; for those below military registration, if an individual has no document for holding armor, even if they privately hide just one set of Thousand-Forged battle armor, once discovered, it is a capital crime. If the amount is over 10 sets, not only will they be implicated, but their whole family will be involved; over 100 sets, and the entire household is exterminated.

Chen Cang calls powerful bows with a draw of more than 1 mane 'sturdy bows'. After all, bows and arrows are essential tools for hunting, so the control is slightly looser. Commoners and above in the three ranks can trade them freely, only with restrictions on the quantity held.

The restrictions on weapons are similar to those on bows and arrows. For normal Thousand-Forged weapons used by the Frigid-Resistant level, as long as the quantity is not too large, no one cares if they are commoners. Ten-Thousand-Forged weapons are restricted; commoner families can have at most five. Exceeding five without reporting to the administration is also a major crime once verified.

Chen Cang is also one of the four domains, so the rules are naturally much the same.

From these restrictive rules, one can see that among the six ranks, the only ones considered normal commoners by the ruling class of the four domains are the four ranks of civil, military, noble, and hereditary. The remaining slave and lowly ranks are not within their consideration.

Qingwu Village is a slave village. Although these people have Frigid-Resistant cultivation, in the end, they are still slaves without masters, registered under the administration.

They actually all have Thousand-Forged weapons. After all, the administration relies on them to go out hunting and gathering, so it's impossible to be that strict. But those blades are not their private property; they are uniformly issued by the administration. When hunting and gathering activities are normal, the administration basically doesn't take them back, but in special circumstances, or if they sense something, the administration will immediately collect and take back the weapons.

In other words, this batch of blades and armor in front of them is definitely contraband. Once discovered by the administration, it is a capital crime.

Actually, when they were taking the bundles in Wufeng Valley just now, everyone already had a rough idea, but now that the bright blades were right in front of them, the impact on their hearts was undoubtedly greater.

"Having reached this point, we have no way back. The Qingwu branch has developed for nearly ten years, and you 36 people are considered the absolute core backbone. This branch leader will now announce to you the specific steps for this uprising..."

From the slightly trembling tone of Hong Xicheng, it could be seen that the heart of this branch leader was also not calm at this moment.

"I will distribute these battle armors and weapons according to the numbers you reported earlier.

The millet harvest period has not yet ended, so tomorrow and the day after, the administration people will still summon us to the millet fields as usual.

Only we Frigid-Resistant level people can go during the day, and the number is too small; if we carry anything, we'll be exposed, so don't even think about it.

Night is different. During the millet harvest, the fields need a large amount of coal. Every night, a large number of coal trucks go there. You start deploying when you go back later, dismantle all the blades and armor, hide them in those coal trucks, and take them over. Anyway, the coal is transported by our own people. At that time, secretly take out the weapons and hide them in the millet fields.

Remember, the time for transporting weapons is only the next two days; it must be completed within two days..."

As Hong Xicheng detailed the ingenious method for transporting weapons, the eyes of the people below instantly lit up, and their originally anxious mood eased a lot.

Although Hong Xicheng only talked about transporting weapons, they could already analyze the general deployment of this uprising:

The uprising location is in the millet fields, and the specific time is the night of October 30th.

Just from the choice of time and place, it is enough to see that this uprising was carefully considered and meticulously deployed.

Although they have ten thousand members in Qingwu Village, it must be said that compared to the administration's foundation, their strength is still far behind, so choosing the millet fields as the uprising location absolutely makes sense.

If the uprising happens during the day, it's a competition of Frigid-Resistant levels. They only have 37 Frigid-Resistant level people in total, and even counting that young manager and the two stronger protectors, there's no chance of winning, so it must be at night.

As for the choice of October 30th, it is even more brilliant. It happens to be the end of the millet harvest period, and the administration people are happy about completing this year's millet quota, which can be said to be the time when their mentality is most relaxed.

Sometimes, whether things can be accomplished depends on whether there is a comprehensive plan.

They might not have great strength, but their age is here, and they have spent most of their lives in slave villages, so they have some experience.

This deployment of transporting weapons alone can be called brilliant. If Hong Xicheng can think so precisely and thoroughly, then the matter is half-done.

And here, the words of branch leader Hong Xicheng continued:

"The day after tomorrow, which is the daytime of the 30th, when our thirty-seven people arrive at the millet fields, just pretend to be busy, conserve energy, and wait for all the members to arrive after nightfall. Take the weapons in the fields, and the manager will blow the bone whistle five times. When everyone hears the whistle, gather immediately, and then..."

Then naturally, it's time to settle old scores!

Although Hong Xicheng didn't finish speaking, everyone naturally understood the meaning, and thick murderous intent instantly rose in their eyes.

"This is the Divine Courage Pill and Blood-Strengthening Pill rewarded by the main branch..."

Hong Xicheng then took out a small bundle and took out twenty medicine bottles, ten red and ten green, from the bundle.

"The green ones are Divine Courage Pills; taking them can block all pain, and the duration is one hour. The red ones are Blood-Strengthening Pills, which can quickly restore depleted blood and Qi. There are 1,000 of each type of pill. We have over a thousand members at the Earth-Digging Realm limit, so we can almost equip each person with a pair.

Our strength is not as good as the administration's, and after three months of millet harvesting, everyone is in a state of depleted blood and Qi, so don't hesitate. On the night of the 30th, as soon as you hear the manager blow the whistle, everyone must immediately take the two pills. You convey this matter down; there can be no mistakes."

Hearing Hong Xicheng's final solemn tone, everyone's expressions became much more serious, and they bowed and answered in unison: "This subordinate obeys!"

"Alright, that's all for tonight. Now distribute the things. After distributing, go back and prepare immediately. Leave separately; be sure to be careful!"

"Yes!"

Hong Xicheng led everyone to start dividing the weapons, armor, and pills. He was clearly familiar with the situation of the thirty-six groups and finished in less than a quarter of an hour.

Just as everyone was about to take their leave, an old man suddenly asked: "Branch leader, what about after our uprising succeeds? Where should we go?"

That's right!

After the uprising succeeds, what will they do? Where should they go?

Hearing this question, everyone who was just about to leave felt their hearts skip a beat, and then they all turned to look at Hong Xicheng.

This precise and thoughtful deployment had clearly shown everyone the hope of a successful uprising; otherwise, they wouldn't have asked this question. But it must be said that the answer to this question was even more important than the uprising itself.

The 36 people in the room were at least over forty years old. They had wives and children, and none of them were hot-headed people.

Rising up in rebellion is to stop being a slave and to live a good life, not to go to one's death in a muddled way.

As long as everything goes according to Hong Xicheng's plan, they will likely succeed this time, but what about after success?

Running is impossible. Dragging their families around in the Frozen Abyss is no different from seeking death; staying in the village is also waiting for death. Not to mention the thousands of troops in the Lu He Valley camp, they will definitely not let them go...

"Do you all think, what are we doing this time?"

Hong Xicheng did not answer everyone's question directly, but asked a question with a heavy tone.

Everyone looked at each other, and finally, an old man spoke slowly.

"Rebellion!"

"That's right, it is rebellion..."

After Hong Xicheng finished speaking, he paused and continued to ask: "Then do you think that relying solely on our Qingwu branch, can we succeed in rebellion?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this and looked at him in confusion.

"The leader of this uprising is the Hekou branch. Our Qingwu branch, including the branches of the other fourteen villages in Lu He Valley, are only providing support!"

Boom…………

This sentence from Hong Xicheng exploded in everyone's hearts. Everyone's pupils shook violently, and a flush of red instantly rushed to their faces.

There are sixteen slave villages in the Lu He Valley area, all distributed along the west side of the millet fields. The village that is most central, has the most people, and is closest to the Lu He camp is called Hekou Village.

"My lord, I will go back and prepare now!"

"With sixteen branches rebelling together, what is there to fear? Branch leader, I'm leaving now."

"Sixteen branches, adding up to over a hundred thousand members, what is there to fear?"

"This subordinate will go back and prepare now."

………………

Strength in numbers has always been an ironclad truth!

Once there are many people, their courage will immediately grow. Learning that the entire Lu He Valley area's sixteen villages were participating in this uprising and that the Hekou branch was the leader, the thirty-six people below instantly cast aside all concerns in their minds and left one after another to go back and prepare.

In an instant, they no longer worried about what would happen after success.

With so many people participating, they were no longer afraid of the thousands of troops in the Lu He Valley camp. Not to mention the Lu He Valley camp, even if the commandery city or the town city pursued them, what could they do?

More than a hundred thousand members, plus their families, would be at least five or six hundred thousand people.

The law does not punish the masses. No matter how cruel the hearts or how black the hands of the high-level officials in Yan Ling Commandery or even Chen Cang are, it is impossible for them to risk universal condemnation and kill all six hundred thousand of them at once.

The undercurrents in Qingwu Village began to surge rapidly from this point on.

On October 28th and 29th, for two consecutive days, the speed of the iron-wheeled carts transporting coal to the millet fields in the village slowed down a bit, and the ruts were slightly deeper than usual. Unfortunately, these changes were extremely subtle and difficult to detect.

General Manager Zhang Long and the other eight deputy managers were immersed in the joy of completing this year's millet quota. They wouldn't pay attention to small matters like coal transport in previous years, let alone now.

Cai Qiu Calendar Year 299, October 29th, late night.

"Reporting to the General Manager, as of today, the total weight of millet in the village warehouse has reached 19,422 jin, only 78 jin short of this year's quota."

In the main building of Qingwu Village, hearing the data reported by his cousin, the clerk Zhang Hu who was in charge of the warehouse, Zhang Long's face was instantly full of smiles. He picked up the wine cup in his hand and said loudly to the dozen or so people below: "The last 78 jin, once tomorrow ends, it will be about done. Everyone has worked hard for these two months. This manager toasts you all; let's consider it an early celebration!"

"You are too polite, General Manager."

"The General Manager goes to the millet fields to supervise every day; you have worked hard. This cup of wine should be us toasting you."

"That's right, that's right, the General Manager has worked hard; we should be toasting you!"

…………

Hearing the flattery from the people below, the smile on Zhang Long's face became even richer, and then he thought of something and chuckled: "I have checked, the millet harvest period is slightly longer this year, and it is expected that we can harvest for another three days..."

Another three days of harvesting!

The dozen or so people below were slightly shocked when they heard this, then turned to look at Zhang Long, their eyes full of brightness.

"The quota given by the commandery city is 19,500 jin. It will overflow by tomorrow at the latest, which means the millet harvested after that will be outside the quota."

Since it is outside the quota, naturally it does not need to be turned over to the commandery city.

Millet is a good thing; 1 jin can sell for more than 300 taels of silver!

"Everyone, let's follow the rules of previous years. Take 30% of the extra millet and send it to the Lu He camp, and we will divide the rest. Whether we can divide it depends on how hard you work in these last three days..."

The expressions of the dozen or so people below flickered instantly.

"Because there are those at the Earth-Digging Realm limit acting as shields, the death rate of the Frigid-Resistant level is not high this year; only 18 have died so far."

"But there are only a little over 3,000 Earth-Digging Realm limits left in the village. In these last three days, relying on this few people, how much millet can they harvest?"

"Then how about in the next three days... call all the Earth-Digging Realms over?"

Suddenly, a thin middle-aged man in a yellow robe at the table spoke tentatively, and everyone's eyes instantly focused on him.

"How ruthless! No wonder this Liu Zhang can make such a big fortune!"

Seeing the middle-aged man in the yellow robe, everyone couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.

Liu Zhang is one of the eight deputy managers, responsible for the second district of Qingwu Village. His cultivation has grown extremely fast in recent years, with a strength of 31 manes. It is said that like General Manager Zhang Long, he has also set up a family business in the commandery city.

For those of them who work in slave villages, their fixed income is set in stone, and the difference is not big. The biggest source of oil is the slaves below. Liu Zhang has lived so well in recent years, which naturally means he exploits those below more ruthlessly.

Saying he exploits those below ruthlessly was just a guess before, but now that he has taken the initiative to propose pulling all the Earth-Digging Realms in the village to harvest millet, it can be considered to have confirmed that guess.

The silence in the room was deafening. After looking at each other for a long time, someone was finally tempted by this proposal.

"Anyway, so many have died this year, it doesn't matter if these last two days are added."