Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 36 Rightful Claim

Some people try to count on their fingers, but they still can't figure it out.

Because they had never seen so much grain in their entire lives.

Liu Gong almost dropped his cane, and Li Weng, who was beside him, quickly steadied it.

The old man composed himself, and the shock on his face slowly faded, replaced by a hint of caution.

He took two steps forward, stared into Li Sheng's eyes, and spoke in a low voice.

"Sheng-ge'er, tell me the truth, where did all this grain come from?"

Although his voice was soft, many people still heard it, and the noise in the threshing ground gradually subsided. Many people looked uneasy.

Yes, so much grain, could it be... a violation of the law?

In fact, they all vaguely knew that Li Sheng was going to start a rebellion in the future, but they pretended not to know as long as the matter was not brought to light.

Li Sheng met his gaze with a calm expression.

"Rest assured, everyone, this grain came from an honest and aboveboard source. Yesterday, I led my men to wipe out a band of rebels, and these are spoils of war seized from their den."

"Bandits?"

"Eliminated?"

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief, never expecting that Sheng-ge'er would do something so big after going out for a while!

They truly are blessed by the gods; surely a great figure will emerge from Dongping Village in the future!

Liu Gong also breathed a sigh of relief, stroked his beard, and looked at the unfamiliar faces who had been brought to the sidelines at the back of the crowd, and slowly asked.

"Then... those strangers you brought back, could they be the rebel bandits?"

Li Sheng nodded.

"Exactly."

A smile finally appeared on the old man's face, and all the wrinkles smoothed out.

He turned to the crowd, his voice much louder than before.

"Fellow villagers, you all heard that! Young Sheng, at such a young age, possesses such courage and bravery, leading the men of our village to wipe out the bandits and seize the grain! With a young man like him guarding Dongping Village, what else do we have to worry about!"

"Master Liu is right!"

"Well done, Sheng-ge!"

"We'll listen to Brother Sheng!"

Shouts rose and fell, and although the children didn't quite understand what the adults were excited about, they clapped and jumped along.

Li Sheng felt a little embarrassed by the scene and coughed.

At this point, Liu Gong continued speaking to the crowd.

"Gentlemen, it's not completely dark yet. Shouldn't we take this opportunity to celebrate for our heroes?"

"Yes! We should celebrate!"

Upon hearing Liu Gong's suggestion, everyone cheered joyfully.

Liu Gong then turned to look at Li Sheng.

"Brother Sheng, if I may be so bold as to suggest something, you see, the grain has been stored in the granary and the bandits have been captured, this is a double celebration. Why not, before it gets completely dark, hold a feast on the threshing floor, firstly to celebrate your triumphant return, and secondly to let the whole village, young and old, share in the joy... What do you think, Brother Sheng?"

Li Sheng glanced at the old man and nodded slightly.

"What Lord Liu said makes sense. Everyone has indeed worked hard these days, and we should have a proper celebration. Let's do as Lord Liu suggests."

When Liu Gong saw that his opinion had been approved by Li Sheng, the wrinkles on his face immediately smoothed out. He turned around and shouted loudly to the crowd.

"What are you all standing there for? Everyone, bring out what you can! Tonight, we'll have a feast right here in the threshing ground! First, to celebrate Sheng-ge's triumphant return; second, because we've all worked so hard these past few days, let's have a good celebration!"

"good!"

The crowd roared in agreement and happily dispersed, each heading home to move their belongings.

The women rolled up their sleeves to start a fire and cook, the men carried tables and chairs, and the children scurried around the campfire, making it even more lively than the New Year.

Liu Gong turned his head and looked at Li Sheng, his eyes full of affection.

"Sheng-ge'er, you guys go and rest too. Leave the rest to us."

Li Sheng clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed slightly.

"Then I'll trouble you to make the arrangements, Master Liu."

The old man paused for a moment, then his smile deepened.

Before long, the aroma of farm-style cooking wafted across the threshing ground.

Several large pots were cooking at the same time, with rice porridge boiling and vegetable soup bubbling. What was rare was that someone had also slaughtered chickens and pigs, and the aroma of meat filled the air, making people's mouths water.

The banquet stretched from one end of the threshing ground to the other, with men, women, and children sitting together, their laughter and chatter reaching the heavens.

The firelight illuminated every face.

After a period of frugality, everyone was finally able to have a full meal.

Li Sheng, holding a bowl of rice, sat in the corner, watching all this with a gratified expression.

A night of celebration...

The next day, Li Sheng, along with Liu Lu, Li Feng, and other brothers, escorted seven bandits to the outskirts of Xiapi County.

"Brother Sheng, is it really alright for us to escort these bandits to the county government to collect the reward?"

Li Feng frowned slightly and asked Li Sheng cautiously.

He was meticulous and hadn't forgotten that Sheng Ge had released a group of county soldiers. Later, he even sent Liu Lu into the city to investigate, and Sheng Ge's name was indeed circulating in the county. He then reported this to Sheng Ge.

However, the county government did not take any further action, and the matter was eventually dropped.

Li Sheng naturally understood what Li Feng was worried about, but this was a step he had to take in his plan.

Moreover, he was very pleased that Li Feng had noticed this.

Among the core team members, Liu Lu is too impulsive, Zhao Hu is reckless, and Li Shi is honest...

Li Feng, however, is meticulous and calm under pressure, possessing some talent for leadership, and deserves to be nurtured.

Of course, this doesn't mean that other people aren't worth developing; it just means that we can give more attention to them.

So he patiently explained.

"You are the people I trust most, my right-hand men. That's why I'm saying these things to you today."

Li Feng subconsciously straightened his back, and Liu Lu also dropped his playful expression and took half a step forward.

Li Sheng lowered his voice and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"We are going to start a rebellion in the future, and I have never hidden this from you. But we cannot openly raise our banners now, for a simple reason: we are still too weak."

Everyone nodded silently, knowing that what Brother Sheng said was true.

"Right now, the main force of the Yellow Turbans is engaged on the front lines, and the imperial forces are tied down. This is the perfect opportunity for us to develop covertly. Let's start by training a strong army as local militia. Once our power has grown and our foundation is solid, we can then openly raise our own banner."

The others nodded as if they understood, but Li Feng's eyes lit up.

"So, besides claiming the reward, is Brother Sheng leading the bandits to the county government office to gain official recognition?"

Seeing that Li Feng understood, Li Sheng nodded.

That's exactly it.

Seeing that Sheng Ge and Li Feng were speaking in riddles, Liu Lu scratched his head in confusion.

"Sheng-ge, what are you two talking about?"

Seeing Liu Lu's reaction, Li Sheng and Li Feng exchanged a smile.

"But Brother Sheng, aren't you worried that the county government will arrest us?"

Although Li Feng knew Li Sheng's intentions, he was still worried about the risks involved.

Li Sheng had a smile on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm confident in my abilities!"