Chapter 119: A Bountiful Harvest

Upon hearing Chu Yun’s promise—two copper coins for transporting grain and twenty for locating a warhorse—the crowd erupted in excitement, all clamoring to head outside the city walls.

Those who had chosen to remain in Chu Family Town instead of following Chu Yun earlier cheered loudly, "Wonderful! From now on, we can join everyone for three meals a day and no longer suffer from hunger! The Count is truly magnificent, worthy of being a disciple of the immortals; his heart is as kind as theirs! It is a blessing that we did not run away the moment we saw the Shaman Doctor Sect attacking!"

The young, able-bodied men among them stepped forward, eager to join the effort to find horses and transport grain.

Chu Yun waved his hands to signal for silence, then used a jar as an improvised megaphone: "I am delighted to see such enthusiasm, but I must emphasize again: you must act in groups. Do not venture out alone, lest you encounter scattered enemy patrols."

"To ensure our ninety guards can effectively maintain order and protect you, we will divide into three groups. Each group will be protected by thirty guards and led by one of the three senior heads."

"The groups must not stray too far from one another. If any group spots enemy soldiers, they must immediately call for backup, and the other two groups must rush to assist without delay."

"Remember, we are one family, a single unit. No one must come to harm."

The people responded in unison, declaring that they were one family and would follow Chu Yun’s directives to the letter.

Chu Yun nodded with a smile. "Good. Divide yourselves into three groups quickly, take the transport carts, and head out to find those horses and grain!"

Following his command, the crowd split into three groups under their respective senior heads, grabbed the carts, and set out beyond the city gates.

Because the power of the explosives had been so terrifying, the Shaman Doctor Sect’s army had fled to a great distance, allowing the people of Chu Family Town to carry out their task without encountering any danger.

However, of the original three hundred horses, only one hundred and seventy-seven were recovered. Chu Yun was reasonably satisfied with this result, knowing that many animals had been injured or killed during the chaos.

Once the three senior heads tallied the haul, there were three hundred and fifty "shi" of supplies in total—fifty of which were fodder, and three hundred of which were grain, amounting to eighteen thousand catties. Chu Yun was pleasantly surprised; when he had infiltrated the enemy camp earlier, his own estimate had been very close to this figure.

This confirmed that there had been no loss of grain. More importantly, those who had gone to retrieve the supplies had not pilfered any, proving their unwavering loyalty.

Chu Yun instructed the three senior heads to calculate the merit of every individual involved, and he distributed rewards accordingly. Once that was concluded, he summoned the three senior heads, along with all the mid-level and junior heads. "You have all performed well during this period," he said. "You have not disappointed me, and you have fulfilled your duties."

The men beamed, responding with smiles, "The Count has treated us well and trusted us with management. It is only right that we work diligently and remain worthy of your favor."

Unexpectedly, Chu Yun’s expression shifted as he turned his gaze to a junior head named Yang Cheng. "But you, Yang Cheng, have disappointed me. You are the fourth brother of Yang Liu’er, my brother-in-law, yet you have failed to set a proper example. Instead, you have relied on our connection to commit various absurd acts. Do you not realize that your behavior shames Liu’er, and by extension, shames me?"

Yang Cheng knelt down immediately. "Brother-in-law, I was wrong! I am truly sorry!"

Chu Yun continued, "When Chu Dafu acted wrongly, relying on his status as my brother-in-law, I warned him, and that was meant as a warning to you as well. Liu’er has had a hard life; although she is the sixth, she has only her eldest sister and fourth brother to look to. We should be supporting one another, yet you have constantly caused me trouble. I will not list every single instance."

"Brother-in-law, I was wrong," Yang Cheng repeated. "I truly know my mistake."

Chu Yun waved his hand. "From this moment on, you are no longer a junior head. You are reassigned to Chu Lefu’s senior team. Because of this, both Chu Lefu and the mid-level head responsible for overseeing you have lost their opportunity for promotion."

Yang Cheng’s face fell, filled with dejection. Chu Lefu and the mid-level head also looked deeply troubled.

"Yang Cheng’s errors were also a failure of your supervision," Chu Yun stated.

Chu Lefu and the mid-level head nodded quickly. "We understand, Count. We will not let you down again."

Chu Yun nodded. "You have talent. Perform well, and strive to be promoted when the next opportunity arises." He then turned to the others. "From now on, our team—our family—will expand from three hundred people to five hundred and fifty."

"Therefore, we need one new captain, at least two more senior heads, six mid-level heads, and eighteen junior heads."

"The eighteen junior heads, along with the two mid-level heads and one senior head—a total of twenty-one positions—shall be elected by the two hundred new members themselves."

"The remaining leadership positions will be promoted from among you..."

Before he could finish, Chu Wencai raised his hand. Chu Yun paused and looked at him. "Wencai, do you have something to say?"

Chu Wencai replied, "Count, I know you have publicly promised to feed all five hundred and fifty people of Chu Family Town, and to keep your word, you cannot take it back."

"But what I want to ask is, if all five hundred and fifty of us are producing and eating together, who will manage the Shili Xiang Inn and the Xiqing Restaurant? If no one is conducting business in the town, it will lose its vitality."

"Previously, with three hundred of us adventuring together, living as one was fine, but now..." He shook his head, leaving the rest unsaid.

Chu Yun patted Chu Wencai on the shoulder with a smile. "You are truly a talent to have identified this so quickly. But at this moment, the most important thing is to forge all five hundred and fifty people of Chu Family Town into a single, cohesive unit."

"Just as the three hundred who followed me before did not flee when the Shaman Doctor Sect attacked. I believe that even without my master, the God of Thunder, casting his lightning, our unity alone could have overcome any difficulty and defeated them."

"As long as we are a single body rather than a scattered pile of sand, as long as we are bound together like a single rope, we can achieve great things and create miracles."

"I have said it before: we are one family now!"