All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

"Bai Jiaxuan, now that things have come to this, why don't you offer some advice?"

Bai Jiaxuan cursed at the old man who had yelled at him. He still remembered that yesterday, this old man was the first to stand up and agree to Tian Fuxian's request.

He had already anticipated what would happen today. These old guys and these ignorant masses would never change unless they suffered a few more losses. Only after they suffered a few losses would they develop the will to resist.

Centuries of servility have instilled in them a deep-seated fear of the government.

Bai Jiaxuan tapped the pipe he had brought with him. He just didn't like smoking this thing. When he got to a big city, he would definitely buy a few cartons of cigarettes to bring back.

He cleared his throat, stood up, and then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Uncles and elders, I'll give you advice if you want, but if this happens again in the future, and you all agree to each other first, then I really won't care!"

Upon hearing this, the old men immediately recalled how they had all rushed to agree to Tian Fuxian's request yesterday, and felt a burning pain in their faces. However, as elders, they naturally wouldn't apologize to a junior.

An old man, relying on his age, shouted at Bai Jiaxuan with dissatisfaction.

"Jiaxuan, what are you saying? You are the clan leader, and this matter is originally your responsibility. We are just offering suggestions, but the final decision is still yours!"

Bai Jiaxuan glanced at the old man and recognized him as the show-off. He immediately stood up, put his hands behind his back, and addressed the group.

"What kind of talk is that? The clan chief isn't a dumping ground that you can use and discard as you please. If you think I'm not doing a good job as clan chief, then replace me. Let whoever wants to be the clan chief take over!"

As he spoke, Bai Jiaxuan tried to walk out of the ancestral hall.

Bai Jiaxuan's actions terrified the crowd below, who had already lost their sense of direction. They all blocked Bai Jiaxuan's path, crying and pleading for help. Several women whose men had been tied up even knelt down.

The old men behind him also had long faces. They exchanged glances and stepped forward to persuade Bai Jiaxuan as well.

Seeing that the time was right, Bai Jiaxuan waved his hand to quiet everyone down.

He then stepped forward, faced the crowd inside and outside the ancestral hall, and shouted loudly.

"Now that this has happened, let me tell you how to resolve it!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent and craned their necks to look at Bai Jiaxuan.

Bai Jiaxuan cleared his throat before speaking.

"Since everyone trusts me, I will tell you my solution. The first solution is for everyone to pool their money and grain, and then pay three more years' worth of grain tax to the county!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in uproar once again. Seeing this, Bai Jiaxuan quickly waved his hand to quiet everyone down before continuing.

"This method, not only will everyone disagree, but I will also disagree! Let's not even talk about whether we have enough money to pay for three years' worth of grain. Even if we sell everything we own to scrape together the money and grain, then that scoundrel Tian Fuxian will only be able to ride roughshod over us."

The despicable actions of Tian Fuxian are a case of officials forcing the people to rebel. I've decided to use flyers to gather the villagers from the surrounding area and ask them if the "county magistrate" wants us dead!

When Bai Jiaxuan said this, everyone was speechless, and some even stepped back. But soon, some young people got excited and pushed forward again, cheering.

"We support the clan chief! The officials are forcing the people to rebel. We're going to the county to ask if they'll give us a way to survive!"

The tradition of sending messages in the form of chicken feathers is a tradition in Bailuyuan. Guanzhong has been home to many fierce bandits since ancient times, who once ran rampant in the Bailuyuan area.

Later, the ancestors of Bailuyuan discussed with the clan chiefs of several other nearby villages, and they all gathered together to fight against the bandits. The way they were summoned was by using the chicken feather letter passed down from generation to generation.

Long ago, everyone agreed on a rule: after the message was delivered, each village would gather the next morning, and the person who sent the message would fire three shots with a gun. These three shots were the signal to start the uprising!

After the bandits were driven away, the tradition of using chicken feather letters was passed down from generation to generation. Later, whether it was the bandits or the government that were exploiting people too much, everyone discussed using chicken feather letters to summon people.

The letter from Bailu Plain had been kept in the clan chief's house, so it was normal for him to be a little scared after hearing Bai Jiaxuan's words.

After all, this is a confrontation with the government.

However, Bai Jiaxuan's reputation had already been recognized by a large number of young people, and Tian Fuxian had indeed pushed them too hard this time, so the group finally approved Bai Jiaxuan's "chicken feather letter" operation.

Bai Jiaxuan called this action the "Farmers' Handover Movement." Everyone took their farm tools and went to the county to ask the old men if they still wanted the people to live.

Even the old guys exchanged glances and stopped talking.

After Bai Jiaxuan mobilized the villagers at the ancestral hall, he had them take out chicken feather tokens, write three letters, and then have Lu San ride a horse to deliver them to several villages next to Bailu Plain overnight.

The surrounding villages have a combined population of over ten thousand. If these ten thousand people were to riot, farmers from other places would certainly follow suit. After all, the county is forcing everyone to pay three years' worth of grain taxes, isn't that forcing everyone to rebel?

After Bai Jiaxuan finished doing all this, his expression did not relax; instead, it became even more serious.

If tens of thousands of people storm the county government office, those bigwigs in the county will definitely release the people and temporarily suspend the grain collection.

But after this incident, once things stabilize in the county, they will definitely settle scores later; this has become a tradition among those old men.

The first one to be punished will be Bai Jiaxuan, the one who started the trouble. He will be made an example of, and Bai Jiaxuan will definitely not get away with it!

Bai Jiaxuan had no intention of sitting idly by and waiting for his death. He walked out of the door and slowly walked to the entrance of Bailuyuan Village. Looking at the mountains surrounding Bailuyuan, he secretly wondered if he should go up the mountain and become a bandit.

After thinking about it, I decided against it. It wouldn't matter if I left, but I couldn't take the more than a thousand people on the plain with me, and those with families couldn't leave either.

Besides, if I were to lead everyone from Bailuyuan to become bandits, it would violate the promise I made to my ancestors in the ancestral hall. I must protect Bailuyuan and help it get through this chaotic world in peace!

Bai Jiaxuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the thousands of acres of land in Bailuyuan. His mood grew heavier and heavier. If he wanted to protect Bailuyuan and help it get through the chaotic decades, he had to gain some power.

Bandits, bandits, Bai Jiaxuan thought to himself.

There have been bandits in Bailuyuan since ancient times, and they have continued to exist in recent years. However, they are usually just a few good-for-nothing lazybones who are unlucky and are wiped out within a few months.

Looking at the surrounding mountains, Bai Jiaxuan had a vague idea in his mind: instead of becoming a bandit himself, perhaps he could train a group of bandits.

This group of bandits doesn't need to be too large, but everyone must be elite, and their weapons can't be kitchen knives or hoes; even Hanyang rifles won't do.

Ideally, they should have military weapons, or even imported ones. These people can be trained slowly and raised in the vast mountains surrounding Bailuyuan. If trouble comes, they can be used as a sharp knife to threaten Zishui County, making those big shots prefer to give up Bailuyuan rather than offend those guys in the mountains!

The more Bai Jiaxuan thought about it, the more he felt there was potential, but then this problem arose.

The first is manpower, the second is weapons!

Bai Jiaxuan walked slowly home with his hands behind his back, deep in thought, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't come up with a solution.

The setting sun was like blood on the horizon. On the plain, Lu San rode back, panting heavily. Bai Jiaxuan, who hadn't arrived home yet, looked up at Lu San.

Lu San dismounted and hurriedly approached Bai Jiaxuan, excitedly shouting.

"Master, it's done. The message has been delivered. Tomorrow morning at 1:15 AM, everyone gather at the village entrance. As soon as we fire the guns, we'll rush into the county!"

Chapter 11

At this moment, in the county town, Tian Fuxian was somewhat uneasy. He kept feeling his eyelids twitching. Just then, someone outside the door called out that the county magistrate wanted to see him.

Tian Fuxian quickly straightened his collar and ran out the door.

Upon arriving at the county magistrate's office, Tian Fuxian cleared his throat, forced a humble smile, and knocked on the door.

Call them in from inside.

Tian Fuxian then cautiously pushed the door open and entered.

Sitting at the desk inside the room was a bald, middle-aged man. As soon as Tian Fuxian saw him, he immediately greeted him with a fawning expression.

"County Chief Shi, you wanted to see me?"

The bald man nodded, put down the documents in his hand, and asked seriously.

"You arrested so many people yesterday, surely no one from your region will come to the county to cause trouble?"

Tian Fuxian was even more uneasy at this moment, but in front of the county magistrate, he naturally had to pretend to be full of confidence, so he quickly shouted.

"County Chief, don't worry, even if they dare to cause trouble, do you think they can outrun us with bullets?"

The county magistrate frowned and looked at Tian Fuxian.

Tian Fuxian then remembered that the county magistrate was a scholar who hated the kind of talk about fighting and killing, so he quickly continued.

"County Magistrate, you can rest assured. Since I was born in Bailu Plain, I have never seen anyone on our plain dare to cause trouble. Don't worry, they will definitely have to pay their grain this time. They will pay three years' worth of tax grain, not a single grain less!"

Upon hearing this answer, the county magistrate nodded in satisfaction and said, "Then you should hurry up with this matter. It would be best if you personally went to urge them on today. Once those troublemakers are dealt with, send them back!"

Tian Fuxian nodded in agreement immediately!

After leaving the office, Tian Fuxian touched his chest, feeling his heart pounding even faster. He then touched the Mauser pistol at his waist, which finally brought him some peace of mind.

But as he touched the Mauser pistol, he suddenly remembered Bai Jiaxuan's cold face from yesterday, and a chill ran down his spine once again. He silently prayed that nothing bad would happen!

But his expectations were obviously useless. He was just about to gather a few people to go to Bailuyuan with him when he heard several soldiers rushing into the county government office, shouting as they ran toward the county magistrate's office.

"Something's wrong! Something's wrong! Someone's attacking the city gate!"

Upon hearing this shout, Tian Fuxian felt his legs go weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.

The county magistrate hurriedly ran out of his office, summoned the soldiers in the courtyard, and rushed toward the city gate.

Tian Fuxian followed behind, and the image of that cold face resurfaced in his mind. He prayed once more in his heart.

"Heavens above, please don't let that bastard Bai Jiaxuan be the one instigating this trouble!"

As it turned out, fate was not on his side. When he and the county magistrate arrived at the city gate, it was already closed. They hurriedly climbed the city wall.

Once they reached the city wall, they looked down at the city gate and saw a dense, dark mass of heads crowding below, holding various farm tools and shouting.

In front of that group, a man on horseback was directing a group of burly men to carry a large tree stump and crash it into the city gate!

The person on horseback, who else could it be but Bai Jiaxuan!

At this moment, Tian Fuxian's legs finally gave way, and he collapsed onto the city wall, too afraid to look down!

The county magistrate in charge felt a chill run down his spine when he saw this. He looked behind him and saw only about twenty soldiers holding Hanyang rifles looking down tremblingly. Seeing Tian Fuxian's expression, he immediately guessed that this was the guy who had caused the trouble.

The county magistrate felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, but he mustered his strength, his mind racing, and he immediately roared at Tian Fuxian.

"Tian Fuxian, go and bring all those people you arrested yesterday here right now! Hurry!! Hurry!!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Fuxian's mind finally returned to normal, and he became more clear-headed. He quickly scrambled down the city wall.

The county magistrate pondered for a second, then finally stood up, revealing half of his body on the city wall. He then cleared his throat and shouted down.

"Fellow villagers, I am Shi Zhensheng, the county magistrate of Zishui County. Please don't act rashly or impulsively. Everything can be discussed! Now, please listen to me!"

The county magistrate's shout caused the farmers below to all look up at the city wall. It was the first time they had ever heard of the position of county magistrate, which was clearly different from the county magistrate in the Qing Dynasty.

This person's attire was noticeably different from what they had imagined Qing Dynasty officials to be. He was dressed in a rather unsightly black uniform, and he didn't seem to possess the imposing presence of a county magistrate.

However, County Chief Shi's words quickly drew everyone's attention.

County Chief Shi shouted down to the crowd.

"I hereby announce that all the extra grain collected this time is hereby void! I urge all my fellow villagers to return home. I promise you that the extra grain will be returned to you on the plains first thing tomorrow morning! From now on, our county government guarantees that we will absolutely not collect a single extra grain from you!"

As soon as County Magistrate Shi finished his heart-wrenching shout, tens of thousands of farmers below the city wall erupted in thunderous cheers. They raised their fences, hoes, sickles, and other farm tools, proclaiming their victory in this operation!

Upon hearing the deafening shouts below, County Magistrate Shi, atop the city wall, wiped the sweat from his brow and finally felt a little relieved.