RPAGF Chapter 579 Blood Feud
Chapter 579 Blood Feud
Chapter 579 Blood Feud
A short while later, Li Hechen hurried over and respectfully reported the events to Wang Wenzhou.
Zheng Yu's village, Jinfeng, is located at the border of Hanshan and Dangtu counties. Next to Jinfeng Village is a village called Yinfeng Village. Although the two villages have similar names, they have been sworn enemies for hundreds of years.
There is a river between the two villages, and both villages believe that the river belongs to them. Over the centuries, the two villages have fought many times over the river, and many people have died.
Because Jinfeng Village is located in Hanshan, most of the young people in the village work in Hanshan City. With the money they have, the villagers dug a reservoir on one side of their village last year. During the rainy season, they put water from the river into the reservoir for storage, and during the dry season, they use it to irrigate their farmland.
It's September now, the time for winter wheat sowing, but this year there's been a drought, and the river has dried up. Jinfeng Village has a reservoir, so they have water to grow wheat. Yinfeng Village doesn't, but the villagers of Yinfeng Village feel that the water comes from the river, the river belongs to their village, and they can also use the water from the reservoir.
The two villages often fought over the river's ownership. The villagers of Jinfeng Village dug a reservoir, and naturally wouldn't allow the villagers of Yinfeng Village to use it. So, the villagers from the two villages fought again. Since most of the young people from Jinfeng Village worked in Hanshan City, Yinfeng Village won this battle decisively.
Yinfeng Village seized the reservoir and killed three villagers from Jinfeng Village. The villagers of Jinfeng Village could not tolerate this and immediately sent messengers to Hanshan City to inform the able-bodied men in the city to return to the village and join the fight. Therefore, Zheng Yu led all the villagers in Hanshan City to prepare to return to Jinfeng Village.
After hearing what had happened, Wang Wenzhou looked at Li Hechen and reprimanded him, "Li Hechen, you knew about this, so why didn't you send someone to resolve the issue?"
Li Hechen bowed slightly and said with a wry smile, "Sir, these two villages have been fighting for hundreds of years, back when it was still Hanshan County. The two government offices of Hanshan County and Dangtu County reached a tacit agreement that the villagers should resolve their own affairs, and neither of our county offices would interfere. Even an upright official can't settle family disputes, and there's simply no way to resolve the affairs between these two villages."
Zheng Yu smiled awkwardly. What Li Hechen said was true. The two villages had a history of grudges, with one village killing the other's grandfather and the other killing the other's father. This had been going on for hundreds of years. The grudges were so great that no one could untangle them.
"You son of a bitch!" Wang Wenzhou pointed at Li Hechen and cursed, "As the person in charge of Hanshan government, you don't care about this matter, so you're all relaxed, while the people of Hanshan have to fight for their rights? Is this fucking reasonable? Where does your salary come from? From the taxes of the people of Hanshan! The people of Hanshan are your bread and butter. No matter what happens to your parents, you have to fucking take care of it!"
Empress Zhou frowned. Wang Wenzhou's words made sense, but the more she listened, the more uncomfortable she felt. The officials' salaries were paid by the Emperor; what did it have to do with the common people? Although the court's funds came from the people's taxes, his words clearly indicated he didn't want the people to believe in the Emperor's benevolence. That Wang Wenzhou, he truly had no respect for the Emperor and his father.
Li Hechen asked cautiously, "Sir, do you mean to let me handle this matter?"
Wang Wenzhou said coldly, "Li Hechen, remember this: you are the head of the Hanshan government. From now on, no matter who infringes upon the interests of the people of Hanshan, you must help them seek justice without hesitation!"
"Your Excellency is right!" Li Hechen quickly replied.
Wang Wenzhou thought for a moment and said, "I'll handle this. You take the special forces battalion, a thousand female guards, and a thousand labor camp inmates. Have them put on riot control equipment and come with me to deal with this matter."
"Yes!" Li Hechen hurriedly accepted the order and left. He was somewhat puzzled. The special forces alone numbered two thousand men. With their combat strength, they could take over not just a village, but even Dangtu County with their eyes closed. The lord was leading four thousand men—were they going to war?
Wang Wenzhou said to Zheng Yu, "You guys go back to the village first. Don't rush into fighting when you get back. Wait for me to bring my men over before we fight! We must win this battle. We must make sure that Yinfeng Village will never be able to hold its head up again!"
"Yes, Principal!" Zheng Yu was moved to tears! The principal was truly a just and upright official who was dedicated to serving the people. For hundreds of years, the government had never intervened in the war between two villages. Only an upright official like the principal would stand up for the people.
Empress Zhou looked at Wang Wenzhou and gently advised, "Boxin, stop making trouble! The people of Yinfeng Village are also citizens of the Ming Dynasty. You're leading a large army to suppress them; isn't that bullying them?"
Wang Wenzhou reached inside Empress Zhou's clothes, hugged her, kissed her, and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, what you said is right. But I am from Hanshan! I represent Hanshan! Since ancient times, every inch of land has been fought for. Whoever has the bigger fist represents justice! How can we, Hanshan, with such a strong military, allow people from other places to bully the people of Hanshan?"
Empress Zhou shook her head with a wry smile. This fellow is really irresponsible and ridiculous. It's just a fight between two villages, but according to him, it has already escalated to the national level.
Wang Wenzhou was certainly not acting recklessly; he did this to enhance the cohesion of the people of Hanshan. Foreign invasion presents the best opportunity to boost unity. Whether it's a nation or a team, they are most united when they are focused on external threats.
Wang Wenzhou intended to use this opportunity to ruthlessly criticize others and elevate himself. He wanted to deepen the understanding of Hanshan people about their identity as Hanshan natives, to instill pride in them, and to make them feel that being a Hanshan native made them superior to others. He wanted them to believe that no matter what happened, the Hanshan government would back them up, and that wherever they were, the Hanshan government would be their strongest support.
……
Ancestral hall in Jinfeng Village.
Wang Wenzhou sat in the head seat, holding a baby in each arm.
Zheng Yu's grandfather, Zheng Bin, sat beside him. Zheng Bin, who is in his fifties, is the village head of Jinfeng Village. He has a bandage wrapped around his forehead, a wound he sustained in the last battle.
The ancestral hall has now become the command center for this battle, where Wang Wenzhou is looking at the map and directing the deployment.
Wang Wenzhou pointed to the map and said, "Zheng Yu, you take the village militia, and I'll give you three hundred labor camp inmates. After dark, you must launch a full-scale attack on the reservoir. You must take it, but remember, it's best not to kill anyone. Capture them alive and throw them all into the reservoir, just make sure no one drowns."
Zheng Yu nodded and said confidently, "Principal, don't worry, I guarantee I will complete the mission. There are only 50-odd people guarding the reservoir in Yinfeng Village. Even without the labor camp trainees, I can take down the reservoir with the villagers who have returned."
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "We must be steady in war and not be concerned about the gains or losses of a single city or place. We must pursue strategic victory."
"Yes!" Zheng Yu quickly accepted the order.
"Xiao Liang!" Wang Wenzhou instructed.
Sheng Liang asked with a smile, "Big brother, shall I lead men to attack Dangtu County?"
"Screw your county town! We're not rebelling!" Wang Wenzhou said irritably. "Remember, you are all volunteers, friends and relatives of the people of Jinfeng Village, here to help. Your actions have nothing to do with the Hanshan government."