Chapter 152: Fundraising

In the following days, Luoxia Village was bustling with activity.

The soldiers felled timber, moved stones, and dug earth, transforming the originally barren village into a solid fortress.

Jiang Xiaomu personally supervised the construction of the defenses and, according to the terrain, designed a series of mechanisms and traps.

To strengthen the defenses, Jiang Xiaomu also sent people to Wangzhou City to gather all the blacksmiths, who worked day and night to produce weapons and equipment.

Swords, spears, halberds, bows, arrows, shields — everything was available.

At the same time, Jiang Xiaomu did not forget to train the troops.

He divided the soldiers into several squads, rotating them through drills and teaching them various combat skills.

"Everyone, cheer up!"

Jiang Xiaomu shouted sternly:

"The barbarians are vicious; we must make thorough preparations to protect ourselves and our families!"

The soldiers were high-spirited, sweating profusely.

Jiang Xiaomu was directing the soldiers to push a huge stone to the village entrance, preparing to carve it into a ferocious beast's head to intimidate troublemakers.

Suddenly, a messenger covered in dust came running up, stumbling, and shouted loudly:

"General Jiang, the Prefect summons you!"

Jiang Xiaomu frowned slightly, handing over his task to Xiong Kuohai.

"Kuohai, you watch over things here; I'll be right back."

Having said that, he mounted his horse and galloped toward Wangzhou City.

In the study of the Governor's Mansion, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed water could drip from it.

Prefect Zhao's face was dark as he gripped a letter, his knuckles whitening.

Seeing Jiang Xiaomu enter, he slammed the letter heavily onto the table.

"Mr. Jiang, take a look! This is the Imperial Court's reply!"

Jiang Xiaomu picked up the letter and quickly skimmed it.

The letter's wording was ornate yet empty of substance.

In short, the treasury is empty, grain and military pay are lacking, and within three months the court cannot support Wangzhou City; it hopes the local troops and populace will be self-sufficient and must repel the Southern Barbarians.

"How outrageous!"

Jiang Xiaomu crumpled the letter into a ball, burning with anger.

"The court is trying to doom the people of Wangzhou to death!"

Prefect Zhao slumped into his chair and let out a long sigh.

"We also understand the court's difficulties."

"Years of warfare have left the treasury long empty."

"But... alas! What are we to do?"

Jiang Xiaomu suppressed his anger; complaining now would be useless.

He walked to the window, gazing at the bustling street outside, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

The people lived in peace and contentment, unaware that danger was imminent.

He must find a way to protect the city and these innocent people.

"Sir, how much grain do we still have?"

Jiang Xiaomu asked in a low voice.

Prefect Zhao gave a wry smile and said:

"Barely enough to last two months."

"Two months!"

"That's not even enough time to train new recruits!"

"What about weapons and equipment?"

Jiang Xiaomu continued to ask.

"The weapons stockpiled in the city are barely enough to equip the current soldiers."

Prefect Zhao paused, then added:

"However, most of these weapons are old and worn out, likely unable to withstand the Southern Barbarians' fine equipment."

Jiang Xiaomu's face grew even darker.

"Grain is scarce, weapons are outdated—how can we fight this war?"

He felt as if he were stuck in a mire, the more he struggled, the deeper he sank.

"Sir, I have an idea..."

Jiang Xiaomu's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Perhaps it can solve the grain problem."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Prefect Zhao's eyes lit up with hope.

"We can solicit grain donations from the wealthy merchants in the city."

Jiang Xiaomu said slowly:

"We'll say... we'll say it's to support the resistance against the Southern Barbarians, to defend home and country."

Prefect Zhao furrowed his brows.

"This... probably won't be easy; those wealthy merchants are all tightfisted."

"They won't part with a penny; getting them to donate grain is harder than climbing to heaven!"

Jiang Xiaomu's mouth corner curled into a cold smile.

"Don't worry, sir, I have a way to make them willingly pay."

Over the next few days, Jiang Xiaomu began his "fundraising" plan.

First he spread the news, saying he had received a divine dream from an immortal, knowing when and where the southern barbarian army would attack the city.

Only by donating grain and fodder can one receive the immortal's protection and avoid this calamity.

These rumors spread quickly throughout the city, the common folk gossiped, and the wealthy merchants were uneasy.

When the time was ripe, Jiang Xiaomu led a squad of soldiers and began "visiting" the wealthy merchants in the city house by house.

He didn't directly demand grain, but rather "kindly persuaded".

"Assistant Official Wang, I've long admired your great name! I've come today because I have a request."

Jiang Xiaomu clasped his hands in a salute, his face full of a false smile.

Assistant Official Wang looked at the burly, murderous-looking soldiers before him, his heart already pounding.

"General Jiang, please speak freely."

"Now the southern barbarian army presses the border; Hope Prefecture is in imminent danger."

"As citizens of Hope Prefecture, we ought to exert our utmost to defend home and country."

Jiang Xiaomu spoke passionately:

"Assistant Official Wang, with your vast wealth, surely you also have a patriotic heart."

"Would you be willing to donate some grain and fodder to support the troops at the front?"

Assistant Official Wang's eyes darted about as he silently cursed:

"This isn't fundraising; it's clearly robbery!"

But seeing the soldiers behind Jiang Xiaomu sharpening their knives, he dared not refuse.

"Of course, of course, General Jiang serves the nation and the people; how could I, an old man, stand by and do nothing?"

"I only have little grain stored; I can only contribute a token amount."

Jiang Xiaomu didn't call him out, smiling as he accepted several carts of grain from Assistant Official Wang's "token contribution".

Next, Jiang Xiaomu followed the same procedure, visiting the other wealthy merchants in the city.

Even Hawei made a generous donation of two chests of gold, silver, and jewels as military funds!

Although Hawei still felt sorry for those treasures, compared to his life, they were nothing.

Some merchants who knew the times obediently donated a large batch of grain and fodder.

And those stubborn merchants who refused to cooperate "unexpectedly" encountered some "misfortune".

Assistant Official Zhou's shop "unexpectedly" caught fire, turning to ashes overnight.

Assistant Official Li's son "accidentally" contracted a strange illness, beyond medical cure.

Assistant Official Zhao's warehouse was "visited" by bandits, suffering heavy losses……

These merchants, although they clearly knew who was behind the scenes, dared to be angry but not to speak.

They could only swallow their broken teeth and blood, obediently donating grain and fodder to Jiang Xiaomu to seek safety.

Under Jiang Xiaomu's "efforts", the granaries of Wangzhou City quickly filled with grain.

Seeing the grain and fodder piled up like a mountain, Jiang Xiaomu showed a satisfied smile.

He patted Assistant Official Zhao on the shoulder and said:

"Sir, we no longer need to worry about the grain and fodder problem."

Assistant Official Zhao looked at Jiang Xiaomu, his eyes full of complex emotions.

He both admired Jiang Xiaomu's courage and methods, yet felt somewhat uneasy about his approach.

But in this chaotic world, for survival, sometimes one must resort to extreme measures.

"Mr. Jiang, doing this, aren't you afraid of those merchants……"

Assistant Official Zhao wanted to speak but held back.

Jiang Xiaomu burst out laughing.

"Sir, rest assured, they dare not say anything."

"Even if they dared to speak, no one would dare believe them."

"In this world, whoever has the biggest fist holds the truth!"

Assistant Official Zhao nodded, at this moment he couldn't worry about so much.