diymy Chapter 28 Complaining
Chapter 28 Complaining
Another old man stood up shakily, his cloudy tears streaming down the lines of his face.
"If the government... if we could rely on the government, we wouldn't be... wouldn't be forced into this situation by those thieves..."
"you do not say!"
A thin woman cursed.
"A few days ago, the county sent some officials down to collect some kind of 'bandit suppression tax,' which required each household to pay two hundred coins, supposedly to raise money to recruit local militia and forge weapons. We were dirt poor, and we scraped together what we could to pay, and what happened? When the bandits came, the government didn't even utter a sound!"
These words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.
"We paid three hundred coins!"
"We paid our taxes, but in the end, nobody cared about us!"
"What a load of bull! The government is corrupt, despicable, and shameless!"
The curses rose and fell, like a flood that had been suppressed for too long finally bursting through the dam.
Li Sheng listened quietly without interrupting.
This is exactly the effect he wanted.
Only when these people completely give up their hope of relying on the government will they realize that they can only depend on themselves.
Or rather, the only person willing to stand up for them was the one right in front of them.
Wang Mao stood to the side, his expression changing repeatedly.
Are these guys planning a rebellion too?!
Dongpingli... Li Sheng...
He seemed to remember something.
"You...you're Li Sheng from Dongping Village?"
Wang Mao took two steps forward, forcing a smile on his face.
"I remember now! A few days ago, a brother named Liu... Liu Lu came to visit me. He said he was from your Dongping Village and wanted to discuss mutual assistance with me. At the time... oh dear, I was too busy to properly entertain him. My apologies!"
As he spoke, he repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, his tone as warm as if he were meeting an old friend of many years.
"Li Zhuangshi is indeed a young hero! Meeting him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved! It's truly remarkable that your Dongping Village could produce someone like you! Truly remarkable!"
The people who had just been cursing the government froze instantly upon hearing Wang Mao's words.
As they watched Wang Mao and Li Sheng talking warmly, the little hope that had just risen in their hearts sank again.
So... so Li Sheng knows that old swindler Wang Mao?
So what he wanted to achieve by asking those questions was...
Li Sheng observed the people's reactions and his lips twitched slightly.
He looked at Wang Mao and said calmly.
"Master Wang has a good memory. That's right, I did send Brother Liu Lu here to help the villagers in the north and join forces to fight off the bandits. After all, when the bandits come, no one can escape."
He paused, his voice gradually turning cold.
"But what about you, Patriarch Wang? You didn't even let Liu Lu in the door, and sent a servant to deliver a message: 'A mere peasant like you dares to talk about joining forces with my Wang family?'"
Wang Mao's face turned deathly pale instantly.
"Li...Li, brave warrior, what are you talking about? It must be a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! That day I..."
"Misunderstand?"
Li Sheng didn't give him a chance to explain, his voice calm and unhurried.
"Liu Lu came back and told me that the gatekeeper of the Wang family said that their master said, 'Does a mere few dozen peasant families in Dongpingli deserve to stand up for the Wang family? Tell them to go back to where they came from.'"
Li Sheng looked calmly at Wang Mao.
"Patriarch Wang, did you say that?"
The room fell silent.
Upon hearing this, the despair on the faces of the people gradually turned into realization, and then into an indescribable sense of joy.
That's it!
It turns out that Li Sheng wasn't with the Wang family!
Not only are they not on the same side, they also have a grudge against each other!
"Okay! Okay!"
Someone in the crowd called out softly, followed by a burst of suppressed laughter.
Wang Mao's face turned a deep purplish-red, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single complete word for a long time.
"I...I...Li Zhuangshi, that day I was really...I was very busy, and it's possible that my servants relayed the wrong message..."
"Was it sent to the wrong person?"
Li Sheng smiled faintly and stopped looking at him.
He turned around, faced the people, and suddenly raised his voice a few decibels.
"Gentlemen, just now the Wang family head called you unruly commoners, traitors. But I want to hear how you were driven to such a desperate situation?"
The people looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Tell me your grievances and hardships."
Li Sheng's gaze swept over everyone.
"Today, I, Li Sheng, am here listening. Who will speak first?"
After a brief silence, the thin young woman suddenly knelt down with a thud, her voice trembling with sobs.
"Li Zhuangshi, let me speak! My wife was driven to her death by the Wang family!"
She raised her head, her eyes filled with hatred.
"Three years ago, my husband borrowed five bushels of grain from the Wang family, promising to repay it after the autumn harvest. But when the harvest came, the Wang family said they would repay three bushels for every one bushel borrowed, demanding fifteen bushels in total! How could my husband possibly pay that? So the Wang family took away our two acres of good land! My husband was furious and went to confront the Wang family, but they beat him up, breaking three of his ribs. He was bedridden for two months afterward, and then he died!"
After she finished speaking, she burst into tears.
Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.
An old man stepped forward, trembling, tears streaming down his face.
"The Wang family claimed they were responding to the government's call to form a local militia to protect the people and asked each household to contribute money and grain. We collected the money and grain and handed it in, but all those militiamen became the Wang family's bodyguards. They did nothing but collect rent and debts and guard the house! Are these our local militiamen? I think they're the Wang family's dogs!"
Another young man stepped forward, his eyes blazing with anger.
"My family's land was also taken away by the Wang family using this method! Everyone knows that the harvests have been bad these past few years. First, they borrowed grain, but the interest kept piling up and we couldn't pay it back, so they used our land as collateral. Most of the land in the village has ended up in the hands of the Wang family! Those of us who have lost our land can only become tenants for the Wang family. After paying the rent, the grain we grow isn't even enough to feed ourselves!"
"The Wang family also colluded with the county officials!"
A middle-aged man with a limp walked forward, lifted his trouser leg, and revealed a hideous scar.
"Back then, I went to the county to file a complaint, accusing the Wang family of forcibly occupying my land. As a result, the county clerk, having accepted bribes from the Wang family, accused me of falsely accusing an innocent person, gave me thirty lashes, and threw me out of the government office. That's when my leg was broken! It's never healed since!"
"The government is protecting the Wang family; we have nowhere to turn for justice!"
"The Wang family are ravenous wolves who devour people without spitting out the bones!"
"Give us back our land! Give us back our lives!"
The people became more and more agitated as they spoke, their voices turning from suppressed to roaring, and their tears from silent to wailing.
All the grievances, pain, and anger that had been building up for years poured out at this moment, like a river bursting its banks, and could no longer be contained.
Liu Wu stood to the side, his spear unconsciously drooping.
He looked at the people, at the tears and hatred on their faces, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
Zhao Hu's eyes were also slightly red.
Li Shi, being a man of strong emotions, wiped away his tears and muttered a curse under his breath.
"Damn the Wang family."
Even the elite soldiers who had followed Li Sheng out of Dongping Village had tears in their eyes.