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

Chapter 530 Disparity in Strength

Zhao Cunliang, blind and lame in one leg, lay weakly on the kang at home. His eldest and second sons each had a broken hand and were likewise confined to their homes.

Tian Guilan, with her two young sons, was guarding under the wall, busy helping the people above pass arrow feathers.

San Gouzi suddenly shouted, interrupting Tian Guilan: "Tian Guilan! Stop talking nonsense here and shaking everyone's morale! A few days ago, Zhao Cunliang was blinded and his leg was broken, and Yaozu's hand was chopped off. You haven't explained this matter clearly to everyone!"

Tian Guilan's heart skipped a beat, and her face turned red and white. She could only swallow the ugly thing that happened at home, and she dared not speak out loud.

If everyone knew that their family was colluding with bandits, they would definitely be driven out of the village. Once driven out of the village, their family would be in such a state, some with broken hands, some with broken legs, some with blind eyes, and without the protection of the village, they would starve to death.

Seeing Tian Guilan fall silent, San Gouzi raised his voice, "Fellow villagers! Do you know that back then, Master Zhang oversaw the construction of the city wall in Pingyang County. It was originally intended to protect the people in the area, but that corrupt official, Liu Guozhong, embezzled the money for the construction and framed us! Look at our village wall now; it's so sturdy! The formula used here is the same one Master Zhang used when he built the wall in Pingyang County!"

Tian Guilan muttered softly, "Who can vouch for what you said? I think you made up these stories because you wanted to instigate revenge for Grandma Zhang's death."

Hearing this, some villagers couldn't help but waver. After all, the prefect of Jizhou was outside, and he had clearly stated that if they surrendered, they would be spared. It seemed unnecessary to risk their lives for a dead man.

At this critical moment when everyone was in panic, Fusu stepped forward and said, "I can prove that what San Gouzi said is absolutely true!"

Zhuiying followed Fusu closely and walked in front of the crowd, saying, "Liu Guozhong is a corrupt official who takes human life lightly! Countless people have died at his hands, so how could he let you go so easily? Once you open the door, you will only face death!"

At the same time, Xiuying's servant hurried to the front carrying the injured black dog that had not yet recovered.

Black Dog raised his head with difficulty and said in a weak voice, "I can testify! My family is originally from Jizhou. I was the young master of the Juxian Restaurant. Liu Guozhong killed my parents and seized my family's property. In Jizhou, except for two extremely powerful families, almost all the other shops have become Liu Guozhong's property, and all of these properties were acquired by him at the cost of others' lives!"

Xiuying glanced at the villagers, all clutching weapons and displaying varying expressions, and slowly spoke, "Fellow villagers, please consider this carefully. Liu Guozhong is now a local tyrant in Jizhou. Since he's capable of seizing all of Jizhou's assets, turning Futian Village into his granary is no problem for him."

If he succeeds, with our village's grain as a backing, Concubine Sun's party will be even more powerful, and it is very likely that they will seize the world. I, Xiuying, am just a woman, uneducated, and don't understand those profound principles.

But I do understand the saying, 'When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?' If our Futian Village is gone, how can any of us remain unscathed?"

Li Tu suddenly roared, "Tian Guilan! If you're determined to surrender, then get out of here! From the moment you step out of this village, you're no longer a member of Futian Village!"

Mrs. Sun also shouted angrily, "That's right! Take your blind man and your son with a broken hand and get out of here! Don't try to shake the morale of the army here!"

"I think we should tie her up first!" Ma Ergun said as he quickly found a rope from the aunt next to him and threw it to Wang Fuping, muttering, "How could their Zhao Cunliang gouge out his own eyes with a knife and cut off his own legs? And how could Yaozu cut off his own hand for no reason? This matter is very strange, and there is still no explanation!"

Wang Fuping and several other skilled women immediately sprang into action. They quickly tied up Tian Guilan and threw her aside like a sack.

From the lookout, the village chief, seeing the villagers fully prepared, shouted to the soldiers outside, "Listen up, everyone outside! We've discussed this: we won't open this gate! We in Futian Village are no fools. We all know exactly what kind of person you are, Liu Guozhong. If you truly don't intend to attack us, why have you brought so many soldiers here? Are you just bored and want to take a stroll in this remote village?"

When had Liu Guozhong ever been ridiculed like this? Although he was only a prefect, he was a big favorite with Concubine Sun. Whenever the third-rank officials in the court saw him, they would bow respectfully.

In Jizhou, he was like a local emperor, his word was final. Looking at the small village before him, he thought to himself that if he could seize Futian Village, the largest granary in the world, he might have a chance to ascend to the highest throne and become a true emperor.

Faced with these "ungrateful" villagers, Liu Guozhong had already lost his patience. A ferocious look flashed across his face. "Humph, they are just a bunch of untouchables like snakes, insects and ants. Just kill them!"

Upon receiving Liu Guozhong's order, the deputy general waved his flag without hesitation. Instantly, the Jizhou soldiers, like a herd of well-trained beasts, charged towards Futian Village, wielding gleaming swords and sturdy shields.

At the rear of the team were soldiers pushing ladders, advancing step by step.

Xiuying stood on the wall, her eyes fixed on the approaching enemy. When the opportunity arose, she immediately gave orders to the villagers, who were holding their crossbows tightly in their hands: "Archers in the first row, aim at the soldiers pushing the ladders and release your arrows! Archers in the second row, aim at the soldiers charging in front and shoot!"

Immediately afterwards, Xiuying rushed to the open space in front of the village and looked at the trebuchets with a serious expression. "Everyone, listen up! Focus your firepower on the enemy trebuchets as quickly as possible and destroy them!"

However, just as Xiuying finished her words, a huge rock came roaring down from the sky above Futian Village like a meteor. With a loud "bang", the rock landed squarely next to a modified catapult.

Accompanied by a burst of terrified screams, the villagers under the catapult were instantly crushed by the stones, and the catapult was smashed to pieces under the powerful impact, with parts flying everywhere.