All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

The two opened their eyes at the same time, and almost simultaneously, they both let out a terrified scream.

Half an hour later, County Chief He sat in his office seat with a mixed expression and a long face.

He looked at the letter in his hand, his hands still trembling slightly, a lingering effect of the fear that had not yet dissipated.

After looking at it for a long time, he sighed deeply, crumpled the paper into a ball, threw it into the trash can next to him, and then strode towards the prison.

Bai Jiaxuan slept until noon, had lunch in the county town, and then slowly rode his horse back to Bailuyuan, carrying a burlap sack.

Back on the plain, it was already dark. Bai Jiaxuan had just arrived home when he heard the news that Lu Zilin and the other two had been sent back that afternoon.

Upon hearing the news, Bai Jiaxuan smiled, hummed a little tune, and went back to his room.

He didn't expect County Chief He to be so timid; he was intimidated and immediately backed down.

But thinking about it, it's understandable. He's only here to be the county magistrate for money. Rather than offending a bandit leader called Black King, it's better to let things slide and settle the matter.

Bai Jiaxuan's method was simple: he shaved off both of their hair, beards, and eyebrows with a razor to leave a deep impression on them, and then left them a letter.

The letter was simple and plain. Bai Jiaxuan first introduced himself, saying that he was the bandit leader Black King of Liufeng Mountain in the neighboring city. He said that he had been indebted to Lu Taiheng of Bailu Plain in the past. Now that he heard that County Magistrate He had arrested his son, he made a special trip to pay a visit to County Magistrate He. He wanted to be polite first and then resort to force, so that County Magistrate He could make his own decision.

After being frightened, County Magistrate He considered the matter carefully and decided that he should not make an enemy of this Black King. So he ordered Lu Zilin to be released without hesitation, and also released the other two. He even sent people to bring the three of them back, which was a way of making his stance clear.

Bai Jiaxuan didn't expect the other party to be so sensible, but this method could only be used once. If it was used too many times, the other party would either fight to the death or simply run away. If the next county magistrate was a tough nut to crack, then things would be difficult!

This time, the harvest was indeed very fruitful. Bai Jiaxuan did not expect that in addition to three hundred silver dollars, there were also twenty gold bars in County Magistrate He's box. County Magistrate He is quite wealthy!

Bai Jiaxuan happily hid the box, washed up, and then went to sleep with Xiangcao in his arms.

That matter is now resolved. The new year is just around the corner, and I still have a lot to do.

Next, he had to arrange for everyone to plant medicinal herbs so that everyone could live a better life. He also had to find a way to train those child soldiers in the mountains. Life was not easy at all!

After tossing and turning for a while, Bai Jiaxuan finally fell into a deep sleep...!

Chapter 37

After returning, Lu Zilin stayed in bed for three days before going out to see anyone. There was no other way; the injuries on his body were just too gruesome.

The sudden release of Lu Zilin and his two companions was rather strange, and no one could figure out what was going on.

However, Lu Zilin's father, Lu Taiheng, was aware of this matter. That evening, he brought Lu Zilin and two other young men with gifts to thank Bai Jiaxuan.

Bai Jiaxuan quickly waved his hand and said that he hadn't been able to help much with the matter, because he hadn't even asked his friends for help yet, and then County Magistrate He released the person.

Lu Taiheng and the others had some doubts, but since Bai Jiaxuan was unwilling to accept the gift, they didn't discuss it further, since it wasn't exactly a respectable matter.

After this ordeal, Lu Zilin became silent for several days, pouting and staying in his room all day. Perhaps he was worried about being caught again, and his usually playful nature had become quiet.

It wasn't until more than half a month had passed and the county had stopped bringing it up that Lu Zilin started acting up again. However, Bai Jiaxuan wasn't in the mood to deal with him and was busy with his own affairs.

With the matter of Lu Zilin settled, Bailu Plain returned to a temporary state of peace once again.

Perhaps because of the cold weather, Tian Fuxian hasn't been hanging around lately, but Bai Jiaxuan still has some scores to settle with that bastard.

Previously, Bai Jiaxuan was not at home. Tian Fuxian came to collect grain. Because Bai Jiaxuan was not at home, Tian Fuxian threatened the Bai family. Xiangcao was worried about the children, so she handed over the little grain stored in the house, as well as a few silver dollars, in exchange for grain.

With the grain delivered, Lu Zilin and the others were released, and the peasant delivery movement was temporarily quelled. In addition, County Magistrate He was probably genuinely worried about the Black King's retaliation, so he didn't bother Bailu Plain again.

However, perhaps for County Chief He, Zishui County is so big that he doesn't need to bother with the small village of Bailuyuan with its few hundred inhabitants; finding a way to make money is the real priority.

Before we knew it, it was the Spring Festival, and snow began to fall on Bailuyuan. In less than a day, the entire plain was covered in a blanket of white snow. The distant mountains were covered by a hazy snowflake. There was nothing else in the distance except white. A good snow promises a good harvest, and perhaps this year will be a good one.

But this New Year, like the weather, is bitterly cold for the villagers of Bailuyuan.

On the entire Lunar New Year's Eve, not a single household in the entire Bailuyuan area set off firecrackers this year. The atmosphere was cold and quiet, and many families were living a miserable life!

All of this stemmed from the three consecutive years of grain requisition. During the time Bai Jiaxuan was away, Tian Fuxian led several spearmen and used threats and intimidation. In addition, the old men in the clan wanted to settle things peacefully and urged everyone to find a way to raise money and grain.

In the end, everyone sold everything they owned and emptied their coffers to raise enough money for the three years' worth of grain tax. Later, a poll tax was introduced, which effectively wiped out the savings of most families in Bailuyuan.

This incident has made this winter difficult. Several households have been without food for almost a month, surviving on bran, wild vegetables, and tree bark. Children are crying loudly from hunger, and their miserable state is comparable to that of a famine year.

As the clan leader, Bai Jiaxuan should have taken care of this matter long ago, but he hasn't been at home recently and is not very aware of it.

He was only called back from outside when a widow and her child knelt at his door.

Since Bai Jiaxuan returned to Bailuyuan, he has kept a low profile. He rarely goes to the village to cause trouble, and since it is winter and there is no need to work, he has not seen anyone all day.

After getting the funds from County Chief He, he now has money and guns, so he's bound to find a way to cause trouble. He won't have time to stay at home.

During this period, Bai Jiaxuan was always out and about, and he even brought Lu San along.

He had previously asked Zheng Mang to find a base in the surrounding mountains, and Zheng Mang actually found a good place.

Bai Jiaxuan had also visited the site a few days ago and thought it was indeed a good location. The chosen base was about 15 kilometers away from Bailuyuan, in a mountain to the west.

That place was originally a mine during the Ming Dynasty. It gradually declined in the late Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, it was mined for a period of time, but was later completely abandoned.

The mine has been abandoned for decades, and the surrounding mountains are steep. There isn't a soul in sight, let alone anyone else.

There are two reasons for choosing that one.

The first reason is that the place has been mined for iron ore for over a hundred years. Not only are there ready-made flat areas for camps, but there are also mine shafts that can be used to hide things, such as building their own munitions depots.

There used to be a path leading down the mountain, and it was a stone path. Although it is now abandoned, it can be easily repaired and used, which will save Bai Jiaxuan a lot of manpower.

The second reason is that the terrain here is treacherous, making it impossible for large groups of people to descend the mountain immediately. The narrowest part of the road can only be passed by wheelbarrows, and the surrounding area is full of rocky mountains, making road construction difficult.

Bai Jiaxuan observed the place all day and grew to like it more and more. If he built a few outposts in the most dangerous parts of the mountain and set up a machine gun, even a god couldn't conquer this place without airplanes and artillery.

If there were resources here, building a military camp for hundreds or thousands of people would not be a problem at all. Now, Bai Jiaxuan only needs to build a camp for about a hundred people, which is not difficult at all.

Now he has money and guns, the only drawback is the lack of manpower, which can only be addressed slowly. Currently, he only has Zheng Mang and Lu San as two people he can trust.

Bai Jiaxuan named this place Wuzhishan (Five Finger Mountain), and he also planned to name his organization Wuzhishan, with Zheng Mang continuing to be his thumb.

The reason for naming it Five Finger Mountain is simple: Bai Jiaxuan hopes that the team he builds will eventually possess seventy-two magical abilities, just like Sun Wukong.

Zheng Mang has been working almost non-stop these days, helping to select sites, then going to surrounding counties and cities to find people, and then practicing shooting with Bai Jiaxuan. His days are very fulfilling.

Lu San has been helping with logistics and procuring supplies at the base recently.

He now understood what Bai Jiaxuan was trying to do, but he had no objections. In fact, he was even a little envious as he watched Zheng Mang learn to shoot from Bai Jiaxuan.

Bai Jiaxuan never expected that Lu San, who was usually quite dull, would also be interested in guns.

He reluctantly taught Lu San as well, but Lu San's comprehension was far inferior to Zheng Mang's.

Bai Jiaxuan only taught Zheng Mang some basic shooting knowledge, and Zheng Mang was already quite proficient at it. The only drawback was that his accuracy was still a bit lacking.

However, this can be improved with more practice. Zheng Mang was reluctant to use the bullets, but Bai Jiaxuan waved his hand and brought over dozens of kilograms of bullets in a burlap sack, so there were plenty of bullets.

On the contrary, Lu San spent most of the day learning how to fire and load a gun, not to mention his accuracy.

However, there's no rush. We can take it slow. Bai Jiaxuan also told Lu San that he would be his liaison with Wuzhishan in the future. There are many things that he can't do in person, so Lu San will be his representative.

During this period, Zheng Mang brought back five dirty little beggars, aged between seven and thirteen. Zheng Mang did not dare to bring people to Wuzhi Mountain indiscriminately, and he observed these five little beggars for several days before deciding to bring them back.

Bai Jiaxuan had no objections. As long as they were honest and kind, that was fine. These little beggars wouldn't leave even if you chased them away, as long as they had food to eat.

Bai Jiaxuan also planned to hire a few more farmhands for his family, and then leave the farm work to them.

I and Lu San will no longer work in the fields. Lu San will follow me to sell medicinal powder and also keep in touch with people in Wuzhishan.

But a farmer who is never home, especially a clan leader, will inevitably arouse suspicion sooner or later.

Moreover, the large boxes he brought back this time had already aroused suspicion among many people.

Bai Jiaxuan also instructed Lu San to slowly move the weapons from his home to Wuzhishan using the method of ants moving house.

Bai Jiaxuan had to deal with this matter as soon as possible. His rule for recruiting people in Wuzhishan was that he would never recruit people from Bailuyuan.

He didn't plan to develop any power on Bailu Plain. He only hoped that Bailu Plain could continue to live a peaceful life and that the future would pass by this chaotic world in an ordinary way.

However, sometimes, the future is not as simple as Bai Jiaxuan thought. In the original work, his children sacrificed themselves for the revolution one by one. In this life, who can guarantee that?

Bai Jiaxuan heard that something had happened in the village that day, so he rushed home and inquired about the situation of the widow Zhang. He learned that many families in the village who were in dire straits had run out of food, and many families had once again returned to the situation of eating tree bark and chewing grass roots to survive.

Bai Jiaxuan was shocked when he heard this. He did not expect that farmers in this era had such poor risk resistance that three years of grain tax could drive people to their deaths.

Throughout Chinese history, the biggest reason for population decline has not been war, but famine. In ancient times, when various natural and man-made disasters occurred, the death toll was so high that thousands of miles of land were desolate and deserted.

This is why the population of Bailuyuan has remained around one thousand for hundreds of years. The grain production of Bailuyuan is only enough for a little over one thousand people to barely survive. Once the population exceeds this number, disaster will naturally strike, forcing Bailuyuan to reduce its population.

Upon learning of the famine in the village, Bai Jiaxuan made a grand gesture the day before the heavy snowfall, ordering someone to buy ten cartloads of grain from the county town.

He was just about to take this opportunity to implement the plan to plant Chinese medicinal herbs next year. Only by giving everyone hope could they follow Bai Jiaxuan without hesitation.

Chapter 38

The heavy snow that had lasted for two days and nights finally stopped. As soon as the snow stopped and the sky began to clear, Bai Jiaxuan had a few idle men in the village beat drums and gongs to get everyone to gather at the ancestral hall for a meeting.

Hearing that the clan chief was calling a meeting, many people were reluctant to go out in the heavy snow, because it was too cold outside.

Many children from poor families didn't even have a tattered cotton-padded coat; they wore patched-up single-layer clothes and old cotton shoes with holes in them, shivering from the cold.

However, Bai Jiaxuan had those idlers go from house to house shouting that if people came to a meeting, each household could receive a liter of wheat.

Upon hearing that they could receive wheat for free, everyone disregarded the cold weather, opened their doors, crossed their arms and rolled them up in their sleeves, shivering and trembling as they made their way through the thick snow to the ancestral hall.

Bai Jiaxuan stood outside the ancestral hall with a cold face, looking at the villagers in tattered cotton-padded coats and the children shivering from the cold, his expression growing increasingly somber.

Two years have passed since I came into this world, and my child is already a year old. But the villagers of Bailuyuan are living worse and worse each year. In the past two years, because there was no grain requisition, everyone was able to barely make ends meet. This year, with the grain cut off, many families have fallen into abject poverty once again.

Looking at all the villagers with their hunched backs, almost everyone had those disgusting frostbite on their bodies and faces, Bai Jiaxuan sighed deeply. It seemed that he had to speed up the plan to help the villagers get rich.

Ultimately, the allure of a liter of wheat was irresistible. In less than half an hour, the ancestral hall was packed with people, and many others couldn't get in. They all waited in the square outside the hall, surrounding the three carts of wheat, for their share.

Bai Jiaxuan bought ten cartloads of wheat, and these three cartloads were intended to be given away for free, so that everyone would at least not starve to death.

Looking at the truckloads of grain, everyone's eyes were filled with longing. They would rather freeze than move an inch further.

Bai Jiaxuan's legs were also numb from the cold. He jumped around to stretch his body. Seeing that almost everyone had arrived and seeing the expectant eyes of so many people, he didn't want to waste any more words and immediately shouted loudly to everyone.

"I have two things to say today. Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me!"

Upon hearing Bai Jiaxuan's words, everyone fell silent and turned their gazes to him.

Bai Jiaxuan glanced around and saw Lu Zilin, who was squeezed at the front of the crowd. Lu Zilin was also staring at him with wide eyes, obviously wanting to hear what Bai Jiaxuan had to say!

Several old men were helped to walk to Bai Jiaxuan's side. Because it was too cold, they didn't want to sit on the sidelines and stood behind Bai Jiaxuan. Their eyes were not very friendly when they looked at Bai Jiaxuan, because Bai Jiaxuan had not informed them about the grain delivery to each household.

The old men started whispering among themselves, clearly wanting to find out what Bai Jiaxuan was up to.