In times of chaos and famine, I traded one pound of rice for two royal flushes.

Black Wind Village.

These three words seemed to possess some kind of magic, causing the surrounding air to freeze instantly.

The smiles on the faces of those who had just been cheering because their abdominal pain had subsided were now frozen, replaced by a deep-seated fear.

It was a fear more direct and more desperate than disease or hunger.

"Black Wind Stronghold...they...will they really come?"

"We've caused such a commotion and ruined so much meat... It's all over, all over!"

"Run! Let's run!"

Suppressed sobs and panicked whispers began to spread through the crowd.

The joy of escaping death was completely swallowed up by an even larger shadow.

Qin Shaolang's brows furrowed only briefly before relaxing again.

He looked at the old man named Li Bo in front of him, his voice completely calm.

"Be more specific."

These four simple words carry an undeniable power.

Li Bo was taken aback by his calm gaze, and subconsciously straightened his back, saying in a trembling voice, "Black Wind Stronghold is the largest band of bandits within a hundred miles, with several hundred people on the mountain! The leader is called 'Black Yama,' ruthless and merciless, killing without blinking an eye!"

"They are well-equipped with weapons, including swords and even bows and arrows! Every year after the autumn harvest, they would come down from the mountains to plunder, euphemistically calling it collecting 'autumn tribute.' The government of Lantian Town couldn't do anything about them."

"We're right on the main road they use to come down the mountain. In previous years, we refugees were so poor they couldn't care less about us. But this year... but this year we have meat!"

As Li Bo spoke, he glanced despairingly at the smoked meat hanging on the wooden rack, emitting an enticing aroma.

These things, once symbols of hope, have now become death warrants.

"Run?" A cold smile curled at the corner of Qin Shao-Lang's lips. "Where do you think you're going?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire camp, drowning out all the cries and discussions.

"With elderly people and children in tow, can we outrun their horses?"

"What will we eat and drink if we go deep into the mountains? Where will we sleep at night?"

"Even if you run away, are we just going to hand over this meat, this food we finally managed to get for the winter, like this?"

A series of questions struck everyone's heart like heavy hammer blows.

Yes.

They can't escape.

This group of people consisted of the old, the young, and the weak women. Even the few strong men had long been weakened by hunger.

Leaving this valley means certain death.

But if you don't run away and stay, facing hundreds of vicious bandits wielding sharp weapons, isn't that a dead end?

Despair once again enveloped everyone.

"Sir...then...if we give them the meat, will we be able to live?" a man asked in a trembling voice, clinging to his last glimmer of hope.

Qin Shaolang gave him a cold look.

"If we give it to them, what will we eat?"

"How are we going to get through this winter?"

"Are you gambling your lives on the kindness of a bunch of bandits? Betting they'll let us go after they take the loot?"

Qin Shao-Lang's voice suddenly rose in pitch, like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath.

"The word 'gambling' doesn't exist in my dictionary!"

"If you want to live, there's only one way."

He surveyed the fearful faces around him and said, slowly and deliberately, "Fight!"

beat?

Everyone was stunned.

Are they, the old, weak, sick, and disabled, really going to fight hundreds of ruthless bandits?

Isn't this like throwing an egg against a rock?

"Sir, what...what are we going to use to fight?" Wang Tiezhu was almost in tears. "We don't even have a decent kitchen knife!"

"Yes, Mr. Qin, that's Black Wind Stronghold! They'll kill us!"

The commotion in the crowd was even greater than before.

If before it was fear, now it is utter despair and collapse.

Just then, a clear, cold voice rang out.

"My father said that the key to defending a city lies in its terrain."

Su Jin, carrying a lantern, walked out from the back of the crowd.

She stood beside Qin Shaolang, her gaze sweeping over the restless crowd before finally settling on the entrance to the valley.

"This valley has a narrow entrance and steep cliffs on both sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange calming power that brought a moment of silence to the chaotic scene.

Everyone's eyes instinctively followed her, looking towards the only entrance.

Qin Shaolang glanced at Su Jin with some surprise.

He didn't expect that this seemingly weak woman, instead of panicking at this moment, would be able to point out the most crucial core issue.

Geographical advantage.

That's right, that's precisely the source of his confidence in uttering the word "hit".

"She's right."

Qin Shaolang took over the conversation, his voice regaining its usual calmness.

"No matter how many people Black Wind Stronghold has, only a few can pass through this entrance at a time."

"They had bows and arrows, but we hid behind rocks, and their arrows were just scrap metal."

"Although we have no swords, we have stones, wood, and this entire valley that we can use."

He walked up to Zhao Wu and Wang Tiezhu and commanded in a deep voice, "Zhao Wu, Wang Tiezhu!"

"Here!" The two of them straightened their chests instinctively.

"You two, immediately select all able-bodied men and divide them into two teams!"

"Zhao Wu, you take a team and go cut down as much wood as possible! Sharpen one end and make it into a deer antler spear, then place it at the entrance of the valley!"

"Wang Tiezhu, you're strong, take another team and move stones for me! Pile up stones on the hillsides on both sides of the valley entrance, the bigger the better!"

The command was clear and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Although Zhao Wu and Wang Tiezhu were still apprehensive, looking into Qin Shaolang's frighteningly calm eyes, they inexplicably felt a sense of reassurance.

"Yes!" the two shouted, then turned around and began to call for reinforcements.

Qin Shaolang then turned to Uncle Li: "Uncle Li, you take the old people and the women and tear all our cloth into strips, soak them in oil, and make torches."

"Also, let the children collect small stones that they can throw out, and pile them up on the hillside."

"Yes, sir!" Uncle Li nodded heavily, as if he had been given a pillar of support.

The originally chaotic crowd miraculously began to operate under Qin Shaolang's clear instructions.

Fear may still exist, but action is the best medicine to dispel it.

When people are busy making a living, they don't have the extra energy to overthink things.

The sounds of chopping trees, chanting as people moved stones, and tearing strips of cloth echoed through the valley.

The atmosphere of despair vanished, replaced by a resolute determination to burn one's bridges.

Su Jin looked at the man standing in the center of the crowd, calmly directing everything, and her heart was filled with turmoil.

From treating patients and saving lives to strategizing and deploying troops.

How many secrets is he still hiding?

This man seemed to have been born for this chaotic world.

"What are you standing there for?" Qin Shaolang's voice rang in her ear. "Go help out and count how much oil and cloth we have, and how many torches we can make."

"Oh... okay." Su Jin snapped out of her daze and immediately turned around to check the supplies.