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

"If it weren't for Chen Mo constantly provoking the Wang family and getting into trouble with the authorities, would our village have fallen to this state? Before, although we were poor, at least we had a stable life. Now, we're being chased by the authorities every day. Where do you think you can lead the villagers?"

Hu Jin looked serious and pointed at Chen Mo, giving him a good scolding.

"Old Hu, is it? If you don't want to leave, then stay in the village. I, Chen Mo, won't force you."

Chen Mo remained calm, his emotions unaffected by the old stubborn man.

At this moment, several people behind Hu Jin also stepped forward, complaining, "The government wants to kill you, Chen Mo, so why should we follow you to escape?"

"That's right, as long as you leave, the government won't make things difficult for us! This is also for the good of the village!"

They blamed Chen Mo for all the unrest.

Chen Mo watched coldly, then couldn't help but smile.

It seems these villagers are incredibly naive; the Wang family and the government won't take action against anyone else in Lingtou Village.

When Wang Laoqi oppressed the village, these people did not stand up for the village.

"You bunch of ingrates! Why didn't you say this when Brother Mo was distributing the grain to you? Now that you've received your share, you don't want to stand with the village through thick and thin?"

Sun Dazhu and the others were also agitated and rushed forward to curse at Hu Jin and the others.

"We put in a lot of effort when we were farming and building the village, so what's wrong with us getting a little grain?"

The people behind Hu Jin retorted.

"Chen Mo, you either turn yourself in now, or leave the village. Don't lead the village astray!"

Hu Jin's tone was icy.

"If it weren't for me, would you, old bones, be alive today?" Chen Mo sneered. "Back then, you had no food left, and you even came begging me to lend you some. Now that you're well-fed, you treat me like an enemy?"

This sentence immediately left Hu Jin and the others speechless.

They also knew that it was indeed Chen Mo who had provided the villagers with food for the winter.

"Before I helped you, how many people in Lingtou Village starved to death every year? And who led you in resisting the Wang family's oppression? Answer me!"

Chen Mo suddenly spoke sternly.

He had lost patience with this bunch of ingrates.

Hu Jin's face froze, but he still stubbornly said, "That's what you should do. Now that you've turned the whole village into rebels, you should give everyone some compensation."

"Yes, that's what we deserve!"

Several women nearby echoed in agreement.

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became tense.

The two sides argued, neither willing to give in.

The village, which once seemed united, is now showing cracks.

"I'm not going to argue with you. I'm giving you two choices: either stay with the rest of the group and leave, or pack your things, leave Lingtou Village, and go your separate ways."

Chen Mo continued.

Looking at these hesitant faces, he knew very well that there was no point in letting them continue arguing; it would only be a waste of time.

Outside the ancestral hall, there was a lot of noise.

"Let's go! Following Chen Mo, that jinx, will only get us beheaded by the authorities sooner or later!"

Hu Jin then incited the crowd.

He turned around and shouted at the still hesitant villagers, "Fellow villagers, think about it! We have money and food now, why don't we move to another place and live a peaceful life? It's better than becoming bandits in the mountains!"

"The government wants to kill Chen Mo because he led the rebellion. As long as we sever ties with him, we'll be fine. Those who don't want to die, come with me!"

Upon hearing his words, some of the villagers who were initially afraid began to back down.

"You old codger, if you want to get out, then get out. Why are you trying to drag others down with you?"

Sun Dazhu stepped forward and started cursing.

"Do you think the Wang family will let you off the hook if you go somewhere else?"

Others also spoke coldly.

These villagers, who had followed Chen Mo for a long time, had already seen through the situation.

Surrender will not bring you peace.

"It's better than following Chen Mo up the mountain and becoming bandits; at least we can live a few more days!"

Hu Jin continued loudly.

"Anyone who wants to go with him can leave right now, and I, Chen Mo, will absolutely not stop them."

At this moment, Chen Mo spoke up.

"Brother Mo!"

Sun Dazhu was utterly puzzled.

The villagers looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

A moment later, a middle-aged man came out with his head down and said in a low voice, "Chen Mo... can't stay here. I have a wife, children, and elderly parents at home. I really don't want to rebel..."

As soon as he finished speaking, two more villagers stepped forward, looking ashamed.

"Sorry, Chen Mo, we also want to leave..."

At that moment, ten people stepped forward.

Most of these people were rather timid, and they had only joined the resistance against the government troops out of desperation.

Chen Mo scanned their faces but did not speak.

These ten or so people weren't part of the core group in Lingtou Village; they hadn't gone with him to rob the grain carts.

Letting them go, although it will result in a significant loss of labor, is actually a good thing for the overall situation.

After a moment of silence, Chen Mo finally spoke, asking, "Is there anyone else who wants to back down?"

It was quiet.

After a while, a man stepped out from the crowd.

"My Zhang Yan family will absolutely not leave."

At this moment, Zhang Yan stepped forward.

His family had been threatened by Wang Mang and almost sold out the village. It was Chen Mo who did not pursue the matter, but instead gave them food and paid off their debts, allowing the Zhang family to survive.

After standing up again, his younger brother Zhang Shi also stepped forward to express his support for Chen Mo.

"We are not ungrateful people. Now that Chen Mo and the village are in trouble, how could we leave on our own?"

Zhang Shilang said loudly.

Immediately, the people around Chen Mo also echoed his sentiments.

"You think you can survive by leaving the village? The Wang family wants to devour us all. If it weren't for Chen Mo, we would have been driven to our deaths by the Wang family long ago. Now that we've become outlaws, at least we can at least have enough to eat!"

Zhang Yan spoke again with a firm tone.

"Old fools, if the Wang family finds out you left the village, they'll be the first to make trouble for you!"

Many villagers know that in these chaotic times, they must unite to survive.

Looking at the crowd before him, Hu Jin's face turned ashen, and he clenched his teeth tightly.

"Fine! If you're willing to die with him, then go ahead, don't drag us down with you!"

"Walk!"

After saying that, he turned and walked out with the dozen or so supporters behind him.

"Don't leave yet! Give all the grain back! You don't deserve what you received today!"

Sun Dazhu shouted.

"Why should I?!"

Hu Jin was very dissatisfied.

"We stole this grain; didn't you say you didn't want to be bandits? How dare you ask for this grain?"

Chen Mo said coldly.

He had previously distributed 100 jin of the grain he had seized from the Huang family to each household in order to better allocate it.

Now that Hu Jintao has the audacity to oppose it, he shouldn't even think about taking the grain away.

"That's right, you bunch of cowardly ingrates! Leave the food behind and get out of here!"

The bystanders all started cursing.

Hu Jin and the others stood there, stunned, looking at the menacing villagers, not daring to refute them.

"I wouldn't even want this filthy stuff!"