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

Fifty catties of grain was enough to sustain a family for a long time during this famine.

"Are these words all true?"

"Those beasts from the Wang family, they really eat people alive without spitting out the bones!"

"Don't rush, let's hear what Chen Mo has to say first."

The hundreds of villagers present started discussing it amongst themselves.

"I said here last time that whoever wants to eat their fill should follow me. If they don't want to, then they can continue to endure the Wang family's exploitation. I will never force them."

Chen Mo didn't waste any words; his words struck a chord with everyone.

These days, everyone wants to have enough to eat, but they've been scammed so many times that they don't dare to trust Chen Mo easily.

After all, in their eyes, Chen Mo was nothing more than a poor wretch who had almost starved to death.

Why should we believe you?

"Yeah, you're not doing so well yourself. How can you prove you can feed us?"

Another commotion broke out among the crowd, with voices of doubt rising.

"I think he's just making empty promises. Everyone, don't be swayed by him. Otherwise, you might even lose your family's food reserves."

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving, you've wasted my time."

"Everyone, please calm down. Chen Mo has something else to say."

Seeing that the scene was somewhat chaotic, Li Laogen quickly stepped forward.

Chen Mo didn't say much, but just winked at Sun Dazhu who was standing next to him.

Sun Dazhu understood and immediately, together with several villagers who had been clearing the land together, carried out three large baskets and placed them in front of the ancestral hall.

"All of you, take a good look at what this is."

As he spoke, Chen Mo lifted the burlap lining on the basket.

The basket was filled with potatoes, and on one of them were a pile of dried fish and even a piece of pork.

The crowd fell silent, staring in astonishment at the grain on the platform.

The aroma of the fish wafted into their noses, making them salivate.

These people haven't tasted the aroma of meat in a long time.

"What... what does this mean?"

"Where did all this food come from...?"

If Li Laogen hadn't sent people to stand guard on the steps beforehand, the people below would have been unable to resist rushing up to grab the loot.

"Look carefully, everyone. All this grain and meat came from the land I cleared up by leading people up the mountain."

As soon as these words came out, the audience fell silent.

Regardless of their previous doubts, the food was now laid out before them.

In their eyes, Chen Mo was just an honest and simple person. How could he suddenly have such great abilities?

"Think it over carefully: do you want to continue being exploited by the Wang family, or do you want to silently follow me and reclaim the wasteland?"

Chen Mo shouted loudly again.

"There are still hundreds of acres of wasteland on the back mountain that can be cultivated. I, Chen Mo, am not a selfish person. Of course, I will share the benefits. As for whether you can eat your fill if you follow me, this grain is the best proof."

This statement quickly gained the approval of some people present.

"Listen to me, everyone. I used to doubt Chen Mo's abilities, but now, following Brother Mo these past few days, we've been eating our fill every day, and occasionally even have meat!"

"We can testify as well!"

The dozen or so people who had followed Chen Mo in pioneering the land now stepped forward to support him.

As a result, many people present began to waver.

After all, following Chen Mo to reclaim wasteland in the mountains is much better than being a tenant farmer for the Wang family.

"I previously worked for General Zhao, and he recognized my abilities, allowing me to organize the villagers to reclaim wasteland and provide food for the army. From now on, with the government troops protecting us, if the Wang family dares to cause trouble, the government troops will naturally stand up for us!"

Chen Mo raised his arm high, his voice extremely loud.

These words caused an uproar among the crowd.

Not only is there food, but there's also no need to worry about the royal family's Asian garrison; this is simply a wonderful thing.

"I'm willing to work for you!"

"Me too!"

More and more people are starting to speak out.

Seeing that the villagers were gradually gaining their trust, Chen Mo finally smiled a little.

But at that moment, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.

"Chen Mo, stop trying to fool me!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

The man who spoke was Zhao Si, Wang Mang's lackey.

He stood outside the crowd, looking at Chen Mo with disdain.

"You say you were acting on behalf of Lieutenant General Zhao, what proof do you have?"

Zhao Si shouted at the top of his lungs.

This sentence immediately calmed down the initially enthusiastic crowd.

"Yes, these are just Chen Mo's personal opinions; who knows if they're true..."

The villagers standing nearby were once again filled with doubt.

Zhao Si shouted again, "You said you had no grain stored at home, so where did you steal this grain from? Maybe you just wanted to lure the villagers up the mountain to work as laborers, and then sell them all to bandits!"

The crowd quieted down again.

All eyes were on Chen Mo.

"Zhao Si, you want evidence? Then I'll prove it to you."

Chen Mo remained unusually calm and did not get angry.

His gaze was fixed on Zhao Si.

"A tiger appeared in Black Wind Ridge a few days ago, and it even caused a death. I'm sure you've all heard about that, right?"

Everyone nodded, but a hint of unease appeared on their faces.

"Now everyone doesn't need to pay back the debt. That tiger has already been hunted down and killed by General Zhao himself."

Chen Mo continued.

A gasp of surprise immediately rose from below.

"That day, Dazhu and I went hunting in the mountains and happened to run into General Zhao leading his troops to patrol Black Wind Ridge. General Zhao asked us to assist him in transporting the tiger's carcass to the town. It was because of this that we gained the general's appreciation."

Chen Mo spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I told the general about the situation in the village. I know that the Wang family has been oppressing the people. He trusts me, so he entrusted me to organize the villagers to reclaim wasteland and help the army collect food."

"If you don't believe me, you can go to town and ask around. Besides, the official documents should be issued in a few days, and then you'll know whether I've lied to you or not."

Chen Mo's tone was extremely frank.

"Seriously, such a thing exists?"

The crowd began to discuss it again.

"I can also testify that Mowazi has indeed been in contact with the town's government troops recently, and many people know about what happened to him in town the day before yesterday. If Chen Mo didn't have some ability, why would Lieutenant General Zhao believe him?"

Li Laogen also stepped forward to testify for Chen Mo.

"I've heard about it too, and General Zhao even taught the Wang family a lesson because of this. I never expected that the person who handled it was Chen Mo."

For a moment, people in the crowd began to talk about what was happening in the town.

Gradually, others became less suspicious.

"Zhao Si, everyone knows you're a lackey of the Wang family. Now you're coming out to cause trouble, are you just jealous that the villagers have no way to survive and are going to starve to death!"

Chen Mo questioned him sternly.

"You...you're kidding me! I just don't want everyone to be fooled by you!"

Zhao Si was startled by the fierce gaze, and a hint of tension flashed across his face, but he pretended to be calm.

"Me, Chen Mo, lying? You ask around, which of the villagers who followed me to reclaim the land didn't have enough to eat? Tell me, what did I lie about?"

Chen Mo's voice was deep and resonant, full of confidence.

"Zhao Si! You're a scourge on the village, get out of here!"