"Only one-tenth of the grain is in your hands, while nine-tenths are with Fuhe, open the granary, save the people..."
Yang Ge shouted loudly, turned, and rushed into the granary, slashing open a bag of grain. The yellow-orange wheat grains immediately flowed out like water.
Those locals who followed him into the Fuhe Grain Store’s gate were so taken aback by this scene that they stood hesitantly outside the granary, unsure whether to enter or reluctant to leave.
Seeing this, Yang Ge strode out of the granary, snatched the light from someone’s hands, illuminated his own face with the Nine-Barrel Mask, and shouted out strenuously, "The three big grain merchants control the channels of grain circulation, hoard greedily, and jack up the grain prices, forcing everyone to sell their homes, land, sons, and daughters, to buy their grain at exorbitant prices with the cheaply bought stock, an act not allowable by law, heaven, or humanity!
"Now that I’ve driven away those conscienceless cur from the Fuhe Grain Store, I open the warehouse and invite everyone to take grain. Any sin, I Zhang Mazi, will bear alone!"
"Please, everyone, hurry up. If we delay any longer, it will be dawn!"
"Also, after taking the grain, please help those who couldn’t get any grain as much as you can!"
"Zhang Mazi is here, thanking everyone on their behalf!"
He returned the light and stepped aside to clear the entrance of the granary: "Hurry up, time waits for no one!"
The number of locals gathering in the courtyard increased, their gazes shifting back and forth between him and the wheat grains flowing inside the granary.
The sound of swallowing saliva was everywhere.
But still, no one dared to step forward.
People who are used to being submissive find it very difficult to break old habits and choose to solve problems illegally.
Someone needs to lead the way.
That person couldn’t be Zhang Mazi, who appeared as a strongman.
It had to be someone they recognized.
It had to be someone just like them.
Yang Ge understood this, so even though he was very anxious, he had no other choice!
Time ticked by, second by second.
Each second seemed especially long and tense...
Just as Yang Ge couldn’t help but urge them again, finally, someone couldn’t resist the temptation of grain, stepped up quickly, and, with a "thud," kneeled down and knocked three times on the ground: "I will remember Zhang’s great kindness and virtue for a lifetime, in the next life I’ll be the ox or horse for Zhang, repaying Zhang’s great kindness!"
Yang Ge reached out to help him, but more people rushed forward to kneel, so he had to grab this person first.
After the first man got up, he wailed with tears streaming down his face: "Damn it all, I’m fed up with these miserable days. Even if it costs me my head, I’d rather die full than starve!"
He shouted and charged into the granary, grabbing a bag of grain and dragging it out with all his might.
The taste of hunger.
He really had had enough.
More torturous than hunger...
Was his son, so hungry he couldn’t sleep all night, the bedding covered in bite marks.
Was his wife, so starved she was cooking ash soup at home, yet still saving the last for him.
Was his elderly mother lying silently in bed, refusing even a mouthful of the ash soup brought to her...
And him, the supposed pillar of the family, could do nothing!
Absolutely nothing!
He’s a man!
A man...
As someone had taken the lead, the people inside the walls finally hesitated no longer.
They swarmed over to give Yang Ge head bumps.
They swarmed into the granary to get grain.
Yang Ge kept pulling the locals who were kowtowing before him, shouting hoarsely to be slower, be slower, and to watch out for people...
Before, he found them too slow.
Now he feared too many might rush in and cause a stampede.
Seeing more and more people gathering both inside and outside, Yang Ge grabbed a willow-leaf saber and shouted with all his might: "Brothers and sisters nearby, continue moving the grain. Elders and folks living far away, come with me to the Yongtai Grain Firm... Bring carts, push carts, basins, and jars!"
He leapt onto the wall from the crowd and ran towards the Yongtai Grain Firm’s granary.
Seeing this, the people crowding at the door headed forth, following his lead.
The flames gathered more and more, the steps grew heavier and heavier.
"Open the granary, save the people," the slogan, like the scattering of sparks, ignited the night in Luting County.
Some pushed out their own pushcarts and wheelbarrows.
Some carried out their own rice bins and wooden basins.
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Others brandished their own firewood knives and kitchen knives...
A hot and irritable mood flowed through the air.
Warming up, warming up...
It seemed as if just one more blaze was needed to truly turn Luting into a sea of flames!
The development of the situation was just as Yang Ge had predicted.
But there seemed to be something more...
For example, those constables, government officials, and county soldiers, who wouldn’t need the Embroidered Uniform Guard to restrain them?
At this time, even if someone pushed them out the door, they would find a hole to crawl back into!
They had the guts to bully others, and quite a big one at that!
But they really had no courage, nor did they want to have the courage, to suppress a riot...
...
"Bang."
Yang Ge shattered the Yongtai Granary’s gate with one strike; upon seeing him, Ling Guan inside turned from pale to purple in fear.
He removed his sword and opened his hands, approaching proactively: "Zhang, haven’t we already agreed? Every three days, three thousand eight hundred pounds of sorghum rice..."
Yang Ge, holding his saber, pointed at him, not allowing him to get close, "You yourself know full well why I must do this; you’re a sensible man, I don’t want to hit you hard, you’d better not get in my way!"
He forced Ling Guan back as he stepped through the gate.
Ling Guan retreated step by step following his movements.
A large crowd of people surged in behind Yang Ge, heading straight for the granary...
Ling Guan wanted to speak but hesitated, hesitated then wanted to speak, and in the end, he let out a heavy sigh: "This way, there will be no more room for easing the situation!"
Yang Ge laughed, "There’s never been any room to begin with!"
Ling Guan sighed, shaking his head without speaking.
Yang Ge said softly, "You’re not a bad person; if one day you stop working for the Wang Family, perhaps we could become friends."
Ling Guan forced a smile and bowed with clasped hands: "Zhang flatters me."
Yang Ge shook his head: "If you’d give me face, let the Wang Family not lay hands on these people. I opened the granary, and I am distributing the grain. There are specific targets for grievances, direct them at me if necessary."
After thinking for a moment, Ling Guan sighed again: "Ling is of little influence, I’m afraid I will disappoint you, Zhang."
Yang Ge: "It’s best not to disappoint me. Right now, I only want to take the grain; don’t force me to kill. The Wang Family does not know how fearful a master who is about to refine his essence into Qi can be, but you should."
"If I’m truly pushed to the brink, while it might be difficult for me to totally destroy the Yongtai Grain Firm, if I just aim to kill the entire Wang family, I can assure you that those behind them won’t be able to save them!"
Ling Guan gave Yang Ge a deeply shocked look.
He knew Yang Ge was extremely skilled in martial arts.
But he didn’t know that Yang Ge was nearing the True Essence realm!
The Qi Sea denotes a master, who with a big mouth, devours from all directions.
The True Essence represents a giant, who with one hand steadies a region.
Between the two, there is no comparison!
Commonly recognized in the martial world, even the weakest giant of the True Essence could kill the strongest of the Qi Sea masters within ten moves!
In the blink of an eye, Ling Guan’s mind had raced through countless thoughts, and he immediately bowed solemnly to Yang Ge, "Ling will do his utmost to persuade my leaders not to make things difficult for the people of Lu Ting."
Yang Ge sheathed his saber and nodded: "I knew it, I didn’t misjudge you... You should go now, don’t just stand here, they’re shy and thin-skinned!"
Ling Guan’s face twitched without words, gave Yang Ge a salute, and turned to leave.
Yang Ge stood inside the courtyard wall, watching as the crowd came and went, carrying away most of the grain from the storehouse, before he finally turned and leaped onto the wall top, calling out loudly, "Some of you, come with me to the Fengyu Rice Shop!"