The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 359 I'll Find a Way

Yue Wenxuan carried the little beggar on his back and ran, catching up with the townspeople ahead.

The townspeople ran around until they reached a dense forest in the west of the town, where they lay down on the ground, panting heavily. When they saw Yue Wenxuan finally carrying the little beggar in, the beggars all showed expressions of "admiration."

"hero!"

"He's a true hero!"

Someone praised.

At this moment, someone remembered that this young beggar was the leader of the Beggars' Sect, a gang where beggars help each other.

Some beggars, feeling lost and helpless, couldn't help but gather around Yue Wenxuan.

Not far away, a town resident muttered, "Our town has been occupied by Zhang Yong. He won't be leaving anytime soon, will he? What should we do?"

“Brahma and my broken body, the mighty holy fire…” A man emerged from the crowd, muttering a few Manichaean slang terms, and then said, “Gentlemen, since the town is gone, why don’t you come with me to Dongting Lake and join the Chu Kingdom? Over there, we treat everyone equally, regardless of social status, and everyone can get rich together.”

Some of the townspeople were immediately drawn to him and began to seriously consider going to Hunan.

However, none of the beggars went over there, because... the beggars already knew that joining Manichaeism required paying "membership fees." Just like the issue Yue Wenxuan discussed with that so-called Fiery Dharma King last time, the Manichaeans were unwilling to "distribute the benefits downwards." They didn't distribute them to lazy people or useless people; instead, they required everyone to pay a "membership fee" to join the sect.

Only those who pay membership fees are brothers, and only then can we achieve equality between the rich and the poor. Those who don't pay membership fees are useless; they're just here to take advantage of us, so of course we won't let them join the church.

This bizarre move effectively shut out all the beggars.

Yue Wenxuan said, "Brothers in beggars, don't be afraid. Our Beggar Clan originally recruited beggars. Come with me."

The beggars were overjoyed.

Yue Wenxuan turned his head and shouted at the townspeople who wanted to go to Hunan: "You should think it through. Do you really think a sect that refuses to accept beggars will accept you? By the time you travel thousands of miles to Hunan, you won't look much different from beggars."

The townspeople: "!"

This is fucking ridiculous, you know what, you really shouldn't say it.

That seems to be the case.

The Manicheans were immediately enraged: "Hey, what do you mean by this, beggar? Are you trying to steal our people?"

Yue Wenxuan: "I didn't rob anyone. I just explained the situation and let the townspeople figure it out for themselves."

Manichaeism: "What kind of reasoning are you talking about? You're just trying to undermine me."

Yue Wenxuan shrugged: "You can also undermine me. If you have anything to say, just say it."

The Manicheans were taken aback. What kind of nonsense could a group of beggars possibly have? They were rotten to the core.

He could only say angrily, "What use is it to find a group of old, weak, women and children as beggars? These people can't do anything but eat."

Yue Wenxuan: "Look, look, you're too attached to appearances, aren't you? When you help others, your first thought is whether they are useful or not? I don't think like that. I just want to protect everyone's safety, that's all. Whether they are useful or not doesn't stop me from wanting to save them."

These words deeply moved the beggars.

The townspeople couldn't help but show their suspicions; the Manichaeans' intention to save people was impure.

Thinking about it this way, one would naturally lean towards Yue Wenxuan's side. Besides, Yue Wenxuan had just risked his life to save a little beggar, and his character had already earned him respect.

Enraged that the townspeople no longer believed him, the Manichean man took a large step forward and punched Yue Wenxuan in the face. But he seemed to have forgotten how easily Yue Wenxuan had dealt with the two bandits earlier.

The next instant, the Manicheans felt dizzy and were kicked into the air, spinning several times before landing heavily and rolling around a few times. They scrambled to their feet and fled westward in a sorry state.

After driving away the Manicheans, the townspeople all sided with Yue Wenxuan, turning to his side and saying, "Hero, what are we going to do now? We can't go back to the town! We have nowhere to live."

"Good sir, you must be a man of great insight. Please help us think of a solution."

Yue Wenxuan: "Everyone, don't rush! Let me think about it first."

Think about it for 0.32 seconds.

Take these people to the Northern Song Dynasty?
This idea is unreliable!
The journey from Jiangxi to Huainan was too long, and Zhang Jun's army blocked the way. Although the Northern Song Dynasty and Zhang Jun had already made a deal, Zhang Jun would only allow some merchant ships to pass through his territory, and certainly would not dare to openly allow tens of thousands of people to pass through his jurisdiction.

Then we'll have to find a different approach to solve the problem.

We still need to resettle them where they are and find a way to let them return to the town to live.

There's only one way: get Zhang Yong out of here.

Yue Wenxuan said, "Don't be afraid, everyone! I'll go to the town and reason with Zhang Yong to persuade him to return the town to everyone."

Everyone was astonished: "How is this possible?"

"How will you know if you don't try!" Yue Wenxuan said, "Give me some time, everyone. I'm going to the town. You all hide in the woods. If you still haven't seen me come out by tomorrow, you should run far away and find another way to make a living."

The townspeople were filled with fear, worried that something might have happened to the hero, but they had no other choice at the moment.

They could only watch as Yue Wenxuan emerged from the dense forest and headed towards Qiaoshe Town.

Yue Wenxuan let Su Qier control his body to walk towards the town, while he himself switched his consciousness out of the sand table and frantically searched for information on Zhang Yong... How exactly was this man subdued by Yue Fei? What were his characteristics? What were his historical achievements?

They just had to find out everything about Zhang Yong's ancestors for eighteen generations...
-
"Report! Brother Zhang Yong, a strong young beggar has come to the town gate all by himself and says he wants to see you."

Zhang Yong was a little confused when he heard the news: "A beggar? All alone?"

At this point, he suddenly remembered that not long ago he had seen a strong young beggar carrying a little beggar on his back and running away. The beggar had even beaten down two of his men. He was a real hero, and he had ordered his men not to pursue him.

Could it be that the hero has arrived?

Zhang Yong waved his hand: "Bring him in."

A moment later, Yue Wenxuan stood in front of him.

The two sized each other up...

After a long pause, Yue Wenxuan suddenly spoke: "General Zhang, you are facing imminent disaster and death is just around the corner."

These words startled Zhang Yong. He was known in history for his cowardice and fear of death, and upon hearing that he was going to die, he could no longer remain calm and hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Yue Wenxuan: "General Zhang used to serve under Du Chong (a general of the Southern Song Dynasty who guarded Kaifeng). Later, when Du Chong moved south, General Zhang betrayed the Southern Song and became a bandit. Not long ago, the court ordered you to attack Li Cheng, but you did not accept the order and continued to live a carefree life as a bandit. Do you know that you have already offended the Southern Song Dynasty badly, and there is no turning back? Soon, the Southern Song will send a large army to besiege you."

Zhang's facial muscles twitched visibly; he was frightened...

(End of this chapter)