bullyxtreme Chapter 32 Winning Hearts and Minds
Chapter 32 Winning Hearts and Minds
He stood up and gave instructions to the people behind him.
"Move all the rice, wheat, and beans out of the cupboard. Set up a few big pots in the yard outside the kitchen, and cook porridge here today so everyone can have a good meal."
Wang Fu's eyes immediately reddened, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing three times.
"My benefactor's kindness is immeasurable; I, Wang Fu, could never repay it even if I were to serve him like a slave for the rest of my life!"
Other people also knelt down, and the sound of kowtowing rose and fell.
"Oh, Your Honor!"
"My savior!"
Li Sheng raised his hand.
"Get up, everyone. Stop kowtowing and go help carry grain, firewood, and fetch water. Once the porridge is cooked, everyone can have a good meal."
The people then got up, wiping away their tears, and scrambled to carry grain, firewood, and water.
Before long, three large iron pots were set up in the open space in front of the fort.
Flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the water inside quickly boiled.
Wang Fu squatted in front of the stove adding firewood, his eyes fixed on the rice grains bubbling in the pot, his throat bobbing up and down incessantly.
A villager stirred the porridge in the pot with a long-handled wooden ladle. The white rice, the golden wheat grains, and a handful of beans filled the air with the aroma of rice, which wafted through the steam and permeated the entire courtyard.
Li Sheng stood to the side, watching the steaming scene with a calm gaze.
He knew that the porridge was made from grains found in the Wang family's kitchen, which was only a drop in the ocean compared to the seven thousand shi of grain in the three large warehouses.
But for these people, this was the first real grain they had seen in a very, very long time.
The people gathered around the pot, their eyes fixed on the rolling rice grains inside, their throats bobbing up and down.
Several children were drooling with envy, being pulled behind by their parents, but their eyes couldn't leave the pot.
Li Sheng stood not far away, watching this scene, lost in thought.
Liu Wu ran over at some point, approached him, and lowered his voice.
"Brother Sheng, the brothers are watching over that prisoner; he can't escape. I've come to check on the situation."
He glanced at the three large pots, then at Li Sheng, his eyes filled with urgency.
"Brother Sheng, how much grain does the Wang family actually have? How much will we get?"
"More than seven thousand shi (a unit of dry measure)."
Liu Wu's eyes widened instantly, his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, unable to utter a word for a long time.
It took him a while to find his voice, but he kept it very low, with barely suppressed excitement.
"Brother Sheng... more than seven thousand shi? More than seven thousand shi of grain?!"
Li Sheng nodded.
Liu Wu suddenly grabbed Li Sheng's arm, his fingers trembling.
"Brother Sheng! We've struck it rich! We've really struck it rich! This grain will last us a long time once it's transported back to Dongping Village, and with this grain, we can increase the amount of training the brothers do..."
Liu Wu couldn't contain his excitement at the thought of obtaining so much grain.
"Awu."
Li Sheng interrupted him.
Liu Wu was taken aback, then realized he had been too excited. He quickly let go of her hand and gave an embarrassed smile.
"Brother Sheng, I'm so happy..."
Li Sheng did not blame him, but looked at him calmly.
"Awu, I plan to distribute half of this grain."
Liu Wu's smile froze on his face.
"half?"
His mind raced for a moment before he realized what Li Sheng meant.
"Brother Sheng, you mean... we're going to give away half of our more than seven thousand shi of grain?"
"right."
"Brother Sheng!"
Liu Wu became anxious, his voice rose a few decibels, then he quickly lowered it again.
"Brother Sheng, I know you mean well, but this food was earned with our lives! Twelve of us brothers charged into a group of over a hundred bandits. If even one of us had fallen, we would all have perished here! This food was risked by our brothers; why should we share it with them?"
He glanced at the people waiting for food and said in a low voice.
"What did they do? Brother Sheng, we're already being merciful by not pursuing the matter of them joining the bandits in attacking us!"
Li Sheng did not answer immediately.
He looked at the emaciated people around the pot, and at the children's bright eyes as they stared into the pot, and remained silent for a moment.
"Awu, I have a question for you."
"Brother Sheng, you say it."
"We'll transport all this grain back to Dongpingli, and then what?"
Liu Wu was taken aback.
"And then? Then of course, you save them up and eat them slowly."
"What if we can't finish it?"
"If you can't finish it, just leave it; the food won't spoil."
Li Sheng shook his head.
"Awu, you're not that you don't understand, you just haven't thought about it that way."
"You see these people. They are tenant farmers and villagers near Wangjiawubao, barely scraping by, their lives hanging by a thread. When the bandits came, they followed them, because following the bandits meant food."
He paused.
"We've driven these bandits away today, but what about tomorrow? The day after? What if the next band of bandits comes? These people will just follow the next band of bandits. Without food, they become the bandits' source of soldiers. If you don't distribute food to them today, they might follow a new band of bandits to attack our Dongping Village tomorrow."
Liu Wu opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Li Sheng continued.
"Besides, even without bandits, these people can't survive. They'll have no choice but to sell themselves into servitude to powerful families like the Wang family. Once these powerful families have people, food, and land, they'll grow stronger, while the government's power will weaken. In the future, who will rule this world? What about our cause?"
Li Sheng's voice wasn't loud, but every word he spoke resonated deeply with Liu Wu.
"Grain piled up in a warehouse is just grain. But when grain is distributed to people, it reflects their hearts and minds. Ah Wu, tell me, which is more important, grain or people's hearts?"
Liu Wu remained silent for a long time.
He looked at the common people, then at Li Sheng, and finally let out a long sigh.
"Brother Sheng, you're right. I was thinking too narrowly."
He scratched his head and gave a wry smile.
"I just feel heartbroken. So much food, given away for nothing, what a waste!"
"It's not free."
Li Sheng corrected him.
"It's an exchange. We'll use these 3,600 bushels of grain to win the hearts of our fellow villagers. This is a deal we won't lose out on."
Liu Wu thought for a moment and nodded emphatically.
"Awu, there's one more thing."
"Brother Sheng, please speak."
"Where did the Wang family get this grain? They squeezed it from these people. It's only right that we return some to them. If we brothers pocket this grain, someone might report us to the authorities..."
Li Sheng's eyes were deep and unfathomable.
"Some people may lack courage in other areas, but they certainly have the guts to tattle and stab others in the back."
Li Sheng wouldn't blindly believe that all the people were good; he had seen quite a few bad people lurking among them...
Liu Wu was shocked, and his eyes were full of admiration as he looked at Li Sheng.
"Brother Sheng, I understand."