A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

Sunset West Mountain.

Lingtou Village gradually fell into darkness.

At that moment, a figure could be seen standing guard in the village.

The guards of Lingtou Village seemed to have all hidden themselves away, and there was no tense atmosphere at all.

Looking at the defensive forces in the village, the officer and soldier leader was secretly delighted.

"All personnel, listen to my command: attack at midnight."

He gave the order, and the soldiers nearby immediately began to get to work.

"My lord, shouldn't we reconsider? Chen Mo has always been cunning and treacherous."

Wang Laoqi quickly tried to persuade him.

Throughout the day, he kept observing the situation in the village.

The unusual situation inside immediately aroused his suspicion.

"What are you afraid of? They're just a bunch of troublemakers. Do you think the soldiers can't beat them?"

The officer and soldier leader scoffed.

"That's not what I meant. It's just that, to be on the safe side, we might as well besiege it for a few more days and see how things go."

Wang Laoqi advised.

"This is just to investigate the strength of the rebels. You don't need to worry about the affairs of our officers and soldiers. Tell your men to guard the rear and make sure nothing goes wrong."

The officer in charge of the troops said arrogantly.

Seeing this, Wang Laoqi could no longer offer any advice and could only hope that the government troops would storm into the village and capture Chen Mo alive.

Night was falling.

In the darkness, hundreds of soldiers carried ladders and slowly approached Lingtou Village.

It was pitch black outside, and the fires on the village had been extinguished.

The entire Lingtou Village seemed to be in a state of complete vulnerability.

The soldiers outside easily reached the foot of the village under the cover of their weapons.

"superior!"

The officers and soldiers immediately gave the order.

Dozens of soldiers immediately climbed the ladders and scrambled up the village.

But as soon as they climbed up, before they could even stick their heads out, a large knife suddenly slashed at their necks.

In an instant, flames lit up the village and shouts filled the air.

"Damn it, it's an ambush!"

Some officers and soldiers shouted in terror.

"Kill them all!"

At that moment, Chen Mo, knife in hand, emerged from the shadows.

He had been observing the soldiers' movements the whole time.

In an instant, the entire village was engulfed in a bloody battle.

"Release the arrows!"

The villagers on both sides immediately grabbed their bows and arrows and started shooting at the soldiers below the village.

Caught off guard, the officers and soldiers realized they had fallen into the rebels' trap and immediately shouted, "Retreat!"

This was originally just a probing attack; he didn't want to launch a full-scale assault and waste his troops.

Before long, the group of soldiers stopped their attack and retreated.

Fortunately, the retreat was timely, and the government troops only lost about twenty men.

Although they were mentally prepared for a sneak attack, the officers and soldiers leader did not expect that these villagers would be so good at fighting.

These are no longer just ordinary villagers; we must be even more ruthless.

"Men, find the village's water source and cut off their water supply!"

It was only at this point that the officers and soldiers remembered this matter.

Looking at the defeated government troops, Wang Laoqi felt increasingly uneasy.

These officers and soldiers were indeed incompetent; they were not even as good as the Wang family doing it themselves.

Given the current situation, if the siege of the village continues, they definitely won't be able to hold out.

The sky gradually brightened.

Wang Laoqi got up early to observe the situation in the village.

I heard that the soldiers have successfully found the village's water source. As long as the siege continues, the village will surely fall without a fight.

"master!"

Just then, a shout came from behind.

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw it was Old Hu, the Wang family's steward.

"What is it?"

Wang Laoqi turned his head wearily and saw the butler rushing over.

These days, he has been staying outside the village, waiting for Lingtou Village to be captured, and leaving all the trivial matters at home to the steward.

"Something terrible has happened! The bandits from Qingfeng Village have robbed our Wang family's granary!"

The butler's face turned ashen.

"What?!"

Wang Laoqi's expression changed instantly.

"Which granary?!"

"It was...it was Warehouse Number Three. All the grain and cloth inside were looted by the bandits, and our men were killed!"

"The butler said, trembling."

"Number Three... what are you all good for?!"

Wang Laoqi's legs suddenly went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

This No. 3 warehouse stores the Wang family's most important grain, a full 50,000 jin, as well as a considerable amount of other supplies.

To guard against bandits attacking Shannan Town, he specifically chose a secret location outside the town to hide all the stored grain.

That location was known only to a few of Wang's closest confidants.

Where did those bandits from Qingfeng Village get their information?

They originally planned to besiege Dead Ridge Village, but now their own backyard is on fire.

Wang Laoqi originally intended to use this grain to provide supplies for the government troops. If the grain runs out now, the government troops will definitely retreat.

What should we do now...?

"We're doomed! These are born bandits!"

Wang Laoqi was so angry that he trembled all over.

Now we not only have to face Lingtou Village, but also the bandits of Qingfeng Village.

"Master... those bandits also said they're going to rob Shannan Town later. What should we do?"

The butler looked terrified.

Currently, most of the government's troops are besieging Lingtou Village.

In order to eliminate Chen Mo, Wang Laoqi summoned almost all of the Wang family's guards and servants to Lingtou Village to hold the fort.

There has been no progress at all in Lingtou Village. If this drags on, it will only give the bandits an opportunity.

"No! I have to go back right away!"

Wang Laoqi finally made up his mind and prepared to leave with his men.

As for Lingtou Village, let the government troops handle it themselves!

"Let's go."

Wang Laoqi quickly gave the instructions.

"Wang Laoqi! Where are you going?"

Suddenly, the officer in charge of the team came over and noticed Wang Laoqi's unusual behavior.

"Sir, I need to go back to Shannan Town to handle some business."

Wang Laoqi made up an excuse.

If the government troops knew that the Wang family's granary had been looted and there would be no more supplies, they would definitely choose to retreat, and all their previous efforts would be in vain.

"You can go back yourself, why should your men leave?"

The officers and soldiers in charge also noticed something was wrong.

"My lord, I heard that bandits are preparing to invade Shannan Town. I need to take some men back to guard the granary to prevent those bandits from stealing our grain."

Wang Laoqi suppressed his anger and explained calmly.

Seeing Wang Laoqi's strange expression, the officers and soldiers leader felt even more puzzled.

"The camp only has enough food for three days. Go back immediately and have all the supplies brought over."

The team leader gave another order.

Now the officers and soldiers have received another reinforcement team, which consumes a lot of food every day.

Previously, Wang Laoqi had promised that the Wang family would provide all the provisions needed to besiege Lingtou Village, which is why the government troops gathered their forces.

"Of course, of course! Sir, I'll head back now."

Wang Laoqi had no intention of lingering any longer.

"You have two days. If you can't deliver the grain, you'll be court-martialed!"

The officers and soldiers didn't stand on ceremony with Wang Laoqi and immediately issued a death order.

Looking at the situation before him, Wang Laoqi felt despair.

Now that the granary has been looted, the Wang family only has that much grain left. How will they survive the year...?