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

Chapter 529 Open the door and surrender

Xiuying looked at the village chief and said, "Village chief, the situation is critical. Please help me delay for as long as you can!"

The old village chief's eyes, which had been dimmed by despair, suddenly lit up like torches. He saw hope in Xiuying's eyes and knew that Xiuying must have an idea. "Okay, Xiuying, go ahead and do it. Leave this to me. Even if it costs me my life, I will make sure you earn enough time!"

Xiuying immediately turned around and hurried towards the hillside. At the same time, she called on several of her most capable and reliable servants to follow her and guard outside the warehouse.

After confirming she was alone in the warehouse, Xiuying quickly opened the system again. Her finger slid across the screen, deftly typing "helmet" into the search bar and clicking to buy 2000. In an instant, the once empty warehouse was filled with a pile of brand-new helmets.

With her head protected, Xiuying began to think about ways to protect her body. Unfortunately, the system did not have any suitable body protection equipment.

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she clicked on the kitchen supplies section and bought 4000 sturdy pot lids in one go. If everyone wore a pot lid on their chest and another on their back, and tied the two ends with a rope, it would be a good temporary protection measure.

After Xiuying finished her shopping, she opened the warehouse door and said, "Come in!" As the servants rushed in, she ordered them methodically, "Everyone, hurry up and distribute these things. Make sure everyone in the village gets one. Wear this helmet securely on your head like this. And these pot lids: put one in front and one in the back, and tie them tightly with ropes. The extra ones should be piled in the yard. If anyone's equipment is accidentally damaged, have them go to the yard and replace it."

The servants quickly and skillfully carried the helmets and pot lids to the front of the village. The villagers gathered around, gradually donning the protective gear Xiuying had prepared. While the gear looked a bit strange, it undoubtedly gave the villagers a sense of security in this life-or-death situation.

Wang Fuping's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow, where did Xiuying get these things? Look, these things look every bit as good as the equipment of the soldiers in Jizhou!"

Ma Caifeng couldn't wait to pick up a helmet and put it on her head. As she fiddled with it, she said excitedly, "Wow, this hat is not only very sturdy, but also so beautiful! Look, there's a leopard embroidered on it. It's so lifelike, just like the real thing!"

After hearing this, Wang Fuping quickly picked out a red helmet and put it on, showing it off happily: "Isn't it? This color is so bright! Look, there are yellow and green ones too. They are much better looking than the helmets those soldiers wear!"

Butcher Li held a pot lid in each hand, carefully sandwiched Aunt Li in the middle, and then quickly secured the lid with a rope.

After he finished, he even reached out and knocked on the pot lid, nodding with satisfaction. "Hey, this thing is really good quality, quite sturdy! Xiuying is really amazing, she can make any rare items for us."

Outside the village, the Jizhou soldiers stopped less than twenty meters away. A man stood steadily atop a luxurious carriage pulled by six sturdy horses.

This man stood tall and straight, radiating a chilling murderous aura. His graying hair, neatly tied into a soft white jade crown, stood out. He wore a gorgeous purple robe, embroidered with lifelike auspicious cloud patterns intricately in gold thread.

This person was none other than the Jizhou prefect, Liu Guozhong. He had heard that Futian Village, originally a run-down, dilapidated hamlet, had transformed itself into a renowned and prosperous place in just six months.

Especially after a famine, when food was scarce elsewhere and people were starving everywhere, there were still mountains of food here that could not be eaten.

In Liu Guozhong's eyes, Futian Village was now the largest granary in the Great Yan Kingdom. He knew that if he could capture this place, he would be holding the lifeblood of the Great Yan Kingdom. After all, in these turbulent times, war could break out at any time, and the most crucial and urgent need in war was food.

Liu Guozhong leaned slightly to the deputy general beside him and whispered something in his ear. The deputy general took a few steps forward and shouted at the top of his voice to the village: "People of Futian Village, listen up! Our lord is Liu Guozhong, the prefect of Jizhou! Lord Liu has always been perceptive and knows that you are all honest and kind people. Lord Liu is compassionate and never kills innocent people. If you will open the city gates and surrender, Lord Liu will forgive your past mistakes and ensure your safety!"

Liu Guozhong sat leisurely on the armchair that his servants had hurriedly brought, gazing indifferently at the village across the way. This village was truly remarkable. Not only did it store vast quantities of grain, effectively the lifeblood of Dayan, but it also boasted formidable walls. Even the village gate was constructed with such strength and poise.

Liu Guozhong's eyes slowly swept over the tense civilians on the city wall. A sneer of contempt appeared on the corner of his mouth. He turned to the Jizhou Prefecture's advisor beside him and said, "Look, what are they wearing?"

Following Liu Guozhong's gaze, the lawyer saw the villagers of Futian Village on the opposite wall. With pot lids tied to their bodies, they looked like turtles. He couldn't help but burst out laughing and said flatteringly, "Master, they are clearly a mob, like a bunch of shrimp soldiers and crab generals. How can they be our opponents? If we had known they were so weak, we could have sent out just a hundred or two hundred people and easily surrounded and wiped them out."

Upon hearing this, the lawyer raised his voice and shouted at the opposite village, "Everyone inside, listen up! Our master is a great judge respected by all the people. If you just open the door and surrender, I will show mercy and let you go!"

The village chief stood on the watchtower, looked outside, and shouted, "Sir, we're just a small, poor village. We're not as wealthy as you've heard. Every grain of food here is the product of our hard work and sweat. I urge you not to dream of such unrealistic dreams. If you think you can steal our food, you'll never succeed!"

In the village, Tian Guilan heard the shouting outside and couldn't help but waver. "Look at the situation outside. If we continue to fight them, what good will it bring? In my opinion, we should just open the gate and surrender. We'll be lucky to save our lives."