CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 73: STIRRING THE PEOPLE’S FURY

When Wu Mountain told him that Han San had killed an official and fled with people, Chen Mo knew that this group was going back to the village.

Because their families were still in the village.

In this world, those who can abandon their families are still the minority.

Therefore, Chen Mo deliberately did not warn the women in the village, just waiting for the official soldiers to come. When the soldiers took their families, he would then appear and save their families.

In this way, when they returned to the village to fetch their families, Chen Mo could win people’s hearts.

And this group of "deserters" who had been driven to a dead end had no choice but to turn to him.

In a way, he was also gambling.

If he won the gamble, he would have a group of followers and no longer stand alone against the government.

Even if he lost the gamble, he wouldn’t lose anything, he could just dive into the tunnels or the mountains.

The only thing he didn’t expect was that this group of "deserters" returned early and even targeted his home.

But that’s good, it saved some steps.

"Brother Mo, I am willing to follow you." A voice emerged from the crowd, he was also from Fu Ze Village.

In fact, when he saw Zhang River following Chen Mo and living a good life, he went to ask Zhang River if he could also follow Chen Mo. However, he was rejected at the time. Now there’s an opportunity, and hearing his promise, he immediately agreed.

With someone taking the lead, dozens of others happily agreed to follow Chen Mo.

"Then...what about the third thing?" someone from another village asked.

Seeing the situation unfold as he expected, Chen Mo was overjoyed and smiled slightly, "The third, Fu Ze Village will not collect taxes this year. Not only Fu Ze Village but also the neighboring villages won’t collect taxes. And starting next year, only a three-tenths land tax will be collected, and no other exorbitant taxes!"

Chen Mo’s target was no longer just limited to Fu Ze Village.

As for whether the taxes collected might be low?

Given the current situation, there’s no way to collect grain this year, it’s better to paint a bigger picture.

Boom!

Chen Mo’s words were like a bomb, instantly igniting the villagers. For the grassroots people, having a few acres of poor land is what they hope for and a vision for their life.

Some people, even when they can’t afford food, are unwilling to sell their land. One can imagine the importance of land in their hearts.

Soon, someone raised a question, "Our land deeds are gone. These lands no longer belong to us, we have no rights to farm them, even if we want to pay taxes, we can’t."

"Yeah, we have no land anymore, what’s the use of saying this?"

"..."

The crowd started to become noisy.

"Damn it, quiet down, let Brother Mo finish his words." Zhang River pointed his Tang Blade at the loudest voice, cursing.

The crowd immediately quieted down.

"Shui, don’t be rude." Chen Mo gently reprimanded Zhang River before continuing, "I’ve already said, Fu Ze Village and the nearby villages are all under my management. The land deeds the government took are invalid with me. The land is here, and the government can’t take it away. You can feel free to farm it."

Upon hearing this, the crowd began whispering to one another, each with an excited expression.

Chen Mo did not interfere and quietly watched them.

After a while, the noisy discussion gradually subsided.

At this point, an older-looking man said, "What if the government pursues accountability?"

This sentence was like a bucket of cold water poured over the crowd’s hearts.

But Chen Mo’s next words reignited them, "You are already dead criminals, are you still afraid of the government’s accountability? If the government dares to come and seize your lands again, then fight them. You dared to kill officials, dared to desert, and now your lives are almost gone, would you still not dare to fight them?"

These people had been oppressed by the government and gangs for so long, harboring a fire in their hearts. From the moment they became "deserters", it indicated that this fire had begun to release.

What Chen Mo needed to do was help them release this fire completely.

"Brother Mo is right, damn it, we’ve got nothing to lose, and in the future, we’ll have to confront the government anyway, might as well do it now. They won’t let us live, so we won’t let them live either," shouted the man who first agreed to follow Chen Mo.

"That’s right, fight the government, they’re too bullying."

"Fight!"

"Fight!"

The crowd’s anger was stirred up, and the atmosphere reached a climax.

Chen Mo glanced around, he raised his voice, "Now I’ve said my piece. Who wants to leave and who wants to stay is up to you."

Three or four hundred people stood there quietly, and none of them left.

"Good."

Chen Mo shouted, nodded in satisfaction, and continued, "Since everyone chooses to stay, then agree to follow me."

"If so, follow me."

Chen Mo glanced at the ten or so people from Da Han Village and then walked towards the outside of the courtyard.

"Brother Han Wu, what does that look mean?" With Han San dead, the people from Da Han Village looked at an older man from the same village, treating him as their backbone.

"How would I know, hurry up and follow." Han Wu hurriedly trotted to catch up.

Three or four hundred people, holding torches, followed behind Chen Mo, mightily.

"Brother Mo, where are we going?" Zhang River asked.

"Dadong Lake."

"What are we going to do at Dadong Lake?"

"To kill."

The anger in these people’s hearts has already been stirred up by him, so he must find a target for them to vent.

Attacking the county town is unrealistic, but occupying Dadong Lake is not difficult.

To prevent people from stealing fish at night, the Qinghe Gang also stationed people at Dadong Lake at night.

And these people are the best targets.

Chen Mo pulled Zhang River over and whispered in his ear, "You don’t need to follow, find Liu Shu and finish him."

Zhang River shuddered. That was Song Min’s biological father. Now that Song Min was with Brother Mo, but Brother Mo wanted him to kill Liu Shu, this...

"What, can’t do it?" Chen Mo saw Zhang River’s hesitation and frowned.

"Brother Mo, rest assured, I’ll complete it."

"Mm, make it clean."

...

Chen Mo did not immediately head to Dadong Lake with his men but first went to the neighboring Wang Family Manor.

Wang Family Manor was mostly populated by tenants of the Wang Family from the city. The reason they were not affected by the conscription this time was not due to the Wang Family’s kindness.

But if all the village tenants were conscripted, who would do this year’s spring plowing?

The Wang Family was not only unkind, but they also heavily exploited the tenants in the manor.

Moreover, last time when the Qinghe Gang raided the village, the Wang Family did not protect these tenants.

Wang Family Manor housed a Ninth-Grade Martial Artist from the Wang Family Faction and several Nursing Home guards. Their purpose was to discipline the manor’s tenants and supervise their spring plowing.

After Chen Mo entered Wang Family Manor with his people.

He asked Han Wu to gather everyone in the manor.

He then led his people to the landlord’s courtyard built in the manor by the Wang Family for garrison purposes, dragged out the Martial Artist from the Wang Family who was sleeping on the kang with a maid, and slit his throat in front of all the tenants.