The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#577 - 10% more

Ge Ping had long anticipated that there would be opposition to the matter of farming, so he wasn't particularly anxious when he saw the reaction.

He even allowed the people below to discuss it for a while before continuing, "I know everyone has many thoughts. That's fine. I can give you all some time to think it over. Afterwards, we'll follow the old rules. Everyone can express their opinions freely, but in the end, the minority must listen to the majority."

Before coming to the council hall, Ge Ping had already made a guarantee to Lu Jing, that those willing to farm would definitely outnumber those unwilling.

The reason was simple: everyone was afraid of hunger.

Before becoming bandits, most people had experienced days of not knowing where their next meal would come from. The initial reason for entering this line of work was simply to have a full stomach.

Although most people were making a lot of noise, the idea of filling their bellies without risking their lives was quite tempting to them. It was just that no one dared to voice it in this world where everyone was trying to show their ferocity.

But now that Ge Ping, the chief, had taken the lead, he was personally setting an example for everyone.

After all, Chief Ge was someone who used to chase after government soldiers and kill them. No one dared to question his courage. Since he was willing to farm, it seemed like there was no problem for everyone to follow him and farm together.

So, very quickly, some people began to stir.

These people didn't shout loudly, but instead communicated with each other through eye contact, searching for comrades in the crowd.

Ge Ping seized the opportunity and continued, "I can guarantee to everyone that as long as we farm peacefully, the government officials will no longer come to surround and suppress us. Moreover, I plan to spend the winter building a sturdy earthen fortress, so that those other bandits will have no way to deal with us."

The enchanting woman named Yu Zhen couldn't help but feel anxious upon hearing this. She knew that if things continued this way, Ge Ping's supporters would only increase, and in the end, he would likely get his wish.

There wasn't much of a conflict between her and Ge Ping. She had strongly supported Ge Ping's rise to the position of chief in the first place, and the two of them had even exchanged flirtatious glances back then.

It wasn't until later that Ge Ping brought back a young lady from who knows where, and became infatuated with that woman, that there was no further development between them. But Yu Zhen would at most make a few sarcastic remarks. After all, she had many men of her own, so it wasn't considered a deep-seated hatred.

The reason she was now standing up to oppose Ge Ping was simply because she had no interest in farming.

Moreover, she needed Ge Ping to continue being the chieftain, leading their group to rob and plunder everywhere, constantly depleting the strength of those government soldiers, and ultimately taking down Huaiyin County.

Therefore, she had to find a way to stop Ge Ping's halfway farming plan.

However, in terms of prestige, she, the second-in-command, was far inferior to Ge Ping, the chief. And in terms of martial arts, she knew that she was no match for Ge Ping. So, in the end, her gaze fell on Lu Jing, who was standing to the side.

Yu Zhen knew that everything that had happened today was related to this young man whose name she didn't even know.

She wasn't sure exactly how Lu Jing had managed to fool Ge Ping, causing Ge Ping to suddenly become infatuated and determined to start farming with him. But she figured that as long as this young man was dealt with, then all the beautiful blueprints that Ge Ping had painted would become a bubble.

After all, Ge Ping alone could never convince those government soldiers not to come and surround them.

Thinking of this, Yu Zhen no longer hesitated. She pulled her bodice down a bit more, then swayed her lotus steps and walked gracefully towards Lu Jing.

Then, without even saying hello, and ignoring the surprised gazes of the others, she jumped into Lu Jing's arms.

Afterwards, she grabbed one of Lu Jing's hands and wrapped it around her waist, and said softly, "Are the lands down the mountain all yours, young master? Then your family must be extraordinary, right?"

"Not really. I'm just a child from an ordinary family," Lu Jing said. "This land deed was given to me by someone else."

"Young master is joking. How could someone be so generous as to give away such a large piece of land to someone else?"

As soon as she said that, she noticed that Lu Jing's expression had become strange.

After a moment's thought, Yu Zhen also realized the reason. It turned out that it was because their group had occupied this place that Lu Jing had picked up such a big bargain.

So, Yu Zhen blushed deeply, but she paused for a moment and quickly continued, "Young master is truly blessed. Now you not only have land, but you've also found people to farm it for you. According to Chief Ge's meaning, from now on, we'll all be your tenants."

Yu Zhen deliberately emphasized the words "tenants."

Ge Ping frowned, wanting to say something, but after looking at Lu Jing, he swallowed the words back down.

However, if Lu Jing could take this opportunity to announce a rent exemption, or reduce the rent a little, perhaps more people would support Ge Ping. Wouldn't that be the same as the second-in-command shooting herself in the foot?

But to the boy's surprise, Lu Jing said, "Rent? I'm not too sure either. But however much they collect outside, I'll collect one-tenth more."

Even Yu Zhen was stunned. She couldn't say the words she had prepared.

She had heard of landlords who increased rent as soon as they arrived, but that was in peaceful times, when the tenants under them couldn't survive without land to cultivate. But she had to know that these were times of chaos.

Increase the rent at this time? Could this guy be crazy, or is he really just a rich young master with a flashy exterior but nothing inside?

But if that were the case, how could Ge Ping have been persuaded by such a person?

Many thoughts flashed through Yu Zhen's mind, but the situation was undoubtedly very good for her now. So, she quickly continued, "Then what about the fact that we previously occupied young master's precious land for our business? Is young master going to ask us to compensate for that too?"

"Of course," Lu Jing said. "There's no reason in the world to occupy someone else's land without paying compensation, is there? That doesn't make any sense."

"But… but I, this little girl, have nothing of value and don't know how to farm," Yu Zhen bit her lip. "How does young master plan for me to compensate?" As she spoke, she leaned forward a little more.

"It doesn't matter if you don't know how to farm," Lu Jing said. "You can still go and build the earthen fortress. And judging by your appearance, you also know martial arts, right? After building the earthen fortress, you can go on patrol and monitor the movements outside."

Yu Zhen almost twisted her nose in anger at Lu Jing's words, thinking to herself, is this guy even a man? He actually wants her, a woman, to build the earthen fortress, and after building the earthen fortress, she has to do the most tiring and dangerous patrolling work.

However, this was exactly what she wanted. She was originally trying to incite hatred among the people in the寨 towards Lu Jing, so the more arrogant Lu Jing behaved, the more beneficial it would be for her.