frightfiction Chapter 139 Who dares to say we definitely can't hold out?
Chapter 139 Who dares to say we definitely can't hold out?
Old Master Huo was stunned; he never expected to receive such an answer.
But after thinking about it, I realized that the girl in front of me was honest.
Although the Huo family is no longer a powerful clan, the entire clan, including women and children, still numbers over a hundred.
He believed she could support a family of nearly 10 people, but over a hundred...
If she agreed immediately, he would hesitate.
Seeing that he remained silent, Lin Chang'er assumed that he was disappointed and hesitant.
His palms tightened unconsciously, but no matter what, the coastal defense team had to be built.
She didn't want to give up, so Lin Chang'er lowered her head and pondered for a moment before asking, "Elder Huo, may I ask, what was your original intention in responding so generously?"
Old Huo was taken aback, and almost instinctively said, "We must protect this small piece of land under our feet, and not let our wives, children, and elderly be displaced."
Lin Chang'er laughed and said, "So, just hold on."
Old Huo paused again. "Yes, it would be good if we could just hold on, but just holding on is so difficult..."
Lin Chang'er continued, "Elder Huo, as far as we know, small-scale raids by the pirates are inevitable, but it's not time for a desperate battle yet. Who dares to say we definitely can't hold out? If we are well prepared, we might just defeat them decisively."
"It is precisely because the pirates have not yet become a major force that many people do not think much of it, which gives us time to prepare."
"Right now, our most important task is to make the most of this time."
Old Master Huo stroked his white beard and nodded. "I acted impulsively. You're right." As long as we are well prepared, who dares to say that we definitely can't hold out?
Lin Chang'er turned her head and smiled at Wu Qingfeng. Then, thinking of something, she said, "However, Master Huo should know the situation in the village. Although we are trying to protect the peace of the village, we don't have any money in the public treasury, and most of the other elders are against it..." Even if they did, they would never agree to use it as a subsidy.
"Changmei..." Wu Qingfeng called softly, leaning close to her ear and whispering, "I have the silver..."
Before he could speak, Lin Chang'er interrupted him, lightly scolding, "Are you crazy? With your status, you'd better not get involved in this kind of thing at all, otherwise, if someone impeaches you for raising a private army, do you want to keep your head?"
Although she came from a later era and did not agree with the system of this time, she did not have the power to overthrow it, but she could operate within a limited space.
Otherwise, why not simply let him rally support in the name of the county magistrate? And why have Uncle Hai organize the groups on a village-by-village basis?
Even she herself should not be touched.
But if all that time is spent practicing, how will they make a living?
Even if you're conscripted, at least you'll have a female soldier, right?
This is the most practical and important thing. If we can't even get enough to eat, everything else is out of the question.
She paused for a moment, then smiled at Elder Huo and said, "Elder Huo, I just had a discussion with my brother, and I have an idea..."
"Go ahead and say it," said Old Huo. Actually, he didn't intend to take the rice and grain from the public treasury, but Chang'er was very thoughtful.
Training is not something that can be done overnight. It may be possible to take care of farming at the same time, but let's not even talk about the harvest of the land in Linshui Village!
During the off-season, most men go out to work to supplement their family income.
However, once they start training, they will no longer be able to work, which will inevitably affect their livelihood. This is a real problem.
If they could receive subsidies from the public school, the women and children at home would feel at ease, and the men would feel more at ease as well.
Lin Chang'er said, "You should have heard that I've been doing some work lately and have hired people to help me. If you don't mind, brother, you can spend an hour or two helping me with my work after you finish training every day."
Old Master Huo narrowed his eyes. Although... he had heard about Lin Chang'er hiring helpers over the past few days.
They had previously hired 11 people to form a patrol team, two of whom were from the Huo family.
Every day, the late-night snacks or desserts brought back from her house had to be offered to him as a sign of respect.
So, in fact, he had just heard about the pirates in the south when the two men returned from town.
But the imperial court remained silent, so they could not and dared not act.
If we consider the village as a unit, then there's no need to consider it. This is why all the clan elders in the village, including Zhou Hai's own family, opposed it, while he was the only one who responded.
When it comes to Lin Chang'er's character, the two men in the clan both gave her a thumbs up without a second thought.
He wasn't afraid that Lin Chang'er was a shrewd businesswoman, but rather that she usually only hired a few women, which showed that her income was limited. Now that she had dozens more people, could she really afford it?
But she's definitely not the kind of person who just spouts off and brags all the time.
Old Master Huo thought for a moment and said, "I know you are helping the brothers solve the problem of supporting their families, but please forgive my impertinence, do you really need so many people?"
Lin Chang'er hadn't heard a response from him and thought she was being rejected.
Unexpectedly, the old man was actually thinking of her best interests.
He laughed and said, "Mr. Huo, you may not know this, but I don't just do seafood business. I also have a sugar business that I'm preparing to start."
My eldest and second eldest brothers are both frail, and my third brother and his children are young; they all need help with firewood and other necessities.
Old Master Huo nodded. That made sense. "Alright, but..."
Lin Chang'er asked, "But what?"
He asked, "Who will be in charge of this training? Whose orders will be given for daily deployment?"
Lin Chang'er paused. She only knew how to make and spend money; she was not proficient in matters involving troop deployment.
He subconsciously looked at Wu Qingfeng, "Brother, why don't you explain the more detailed rules to Elder Huo? Uncle Hai can also listen."
Wu Qingfeng didn't refuse and nodded. Lin Chang'er stood up first and said, "I'm going to talk to my aunts and sister-in-law."
She didn't interfere with how the men trained, but she could manage the women's affairs.
So they split into two groups. Wu Qingfeng, Zhou Hai, and Old Huo discussed the matter in the main room, while she went to the courtyard to invite the women to discuss it in the backyard.
Most of these women had a good relationship with Aunt Zhou and the others, and they came along today because their husbands were here.
They were all straightforward and, upon hearing about the events in the fishing village to the south, they were all heartbroken. When Lin Chang'er suggested that they learn some self-defense techniques, they were naturally eager to do so and immediately began practicing with Lin Chang'er.
As for the main room, Lin Chang'er didn't know exactly what Wu Qingfeng said to Old Master Huo. She only knew that when they came out of the main room, Old Master Huo kept calling him "my dear nephew," and the fervor in his eyes made him wish he could take him back to his own home to be his nephew.
Zhou Hai, though he didn't know what Wu Qingfeng had said to him, looked unhappy, but he still reluctantly continued to serve as the village head.
The men were all very generous and drank several pots of tea in the courtyard, while Gu's mother and sister-in-law treated them with great courtesy.
All the snacks in the house were laid out, but the men deliberately didn't touch them.
Without waiting for Lin Chang'er's instructions, Xiao Jinyu and the others had already counted the number of people. The Huo family had 36 men, not counting Huo Lao, and the other 8 members of the patrol team had also come. Including Zhou Lizheng and Huo Lao, there were a total of 46 people.
The number of children is not counted, and the number of women, excluding Lin Chang'er, Gu's mother, Gu's eldest sister-in-law and Gu's second sister-in-law, is 10 in total.
Old Master Huo was a decisive man, and he immediately announced the training plan, also mentioning that he would be helping Lin Chang'er. None of the men were unhappy; on the contrary, their eyes lit up.
Those who were clever knew that this was Lin Chang'er subsidizing them in various ways, while those who weren't so clever had also heard that Boss Lin had little work, good people, and high wages. In short, everyone was happy in their own way...