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

"Behave yourself, or you'll be chained!"

On the mountain path, government troops were reprimanding Wang Mang and his men.

At this moment, Wang Mang was being bound by two soldiers, staggering behind the cavalry as he struggled down the mountain.

Even in this situation, Wang Mang still didn't think much of it. When he thought about Chen Mo's upcoming situation, which might be even more miserable than his own, Wang Mang couldn't help but laugh.

"Fire! Fire in the mountains!"

Just as we reached the halfway point of the mountain, we suddenly heard shouts.

"Oh no, isn't that our cultivated land? How did it get on fire!"

"Hurry and put out the fire, or it'll all burn down!"

Shouts rose and fell.

Upon hearing these words, Wang Mang's smile widened.

So it seems that what was burned just now was indeed the farmland cultivated by those villagers.

Okay, okay, keep it burning!

Wang Mang grinned wickedly as he watched the villagers running up the mountain, feeling even more gloating.

"How could a fire start in the middle of summer?"

"This is completely ruined. There's no way we'll have time to start clearing the land again before winter!"

The villagers ran past Wang Mang, completely unaware of the cavalry coming down the mountain.

Wang Mang was overjoyed and secretly glanced at the firelight behind him.

The wildfire had already spread to a large area, and with the nearby water source so far away, how could the villagers possibly put it out with the little water they had?

"Chen Mo! You've finally met your match!"

Wang Mang sneered inwardly.

In his view, he would only be locked up for a day or two at most, and when he got out, he would make Chen Mo kneel down and beg him.

"Behave yourself, don't move!"

The officer on horseback gave another order.

Wang Mang paid no attention and continued walking forward.

A chaotic scene unfolded in the mountains and forests.

From the darkness, several figures slowly emerged.

Chen Mo emerged from behind the rock, calmly looking at Wang Mang being taken away, then glancing at the raging fire behind him, without a trace of panic on his face.

"I didn't expect Wang Mang to be so bold as to set fire to the mountain. Luckily, Brother Mo, you were prepared."

Sun Dazhu walked out from behind.

"He won't give up until he's dead."

Chen Mo watched Wang Mang's figure and chuckled softly.

"Brother Mo, this fire looks pretty big. Will it really burn down to our land?"

Sun Dazhu looked solemn.

"Don't worry, it won't spread."

Chen Mo remained calm.

As soon as he finished speaking, two more figures emerged from the shadows.

It was the Zhang brothers.

As soon as Zhang Yan appeared, he knelt down in front of Chen Mo, looking remorseful, and said, "Brother Mo, it's all our fault. We were foolish and almost harmed the whole village!"

Zhang Shi also knelt down and bowed his head, saying, "Brother Mo, it was Wang Mang who threatened us with the child. We brothers were forced into this situation."

"Get up. You told me in time, which can be considered making amends for your mistakes."

Chen Mo bent down and helped them up.

Chen Mo had already noticed their strange expressions when they were fishing yesterday.

It wasn't until they were almost disbanded that I learned about this from Zhang Yan.

So Chen Mo decided to play along, having the Zhang brothers feign compliance and lead Wang Mang to a wasteland that was still being prepared for reclamation.

Although that area was not far from their potato field, Chen Mo had already had a large fire-resistant strip dug around it, so the fire couldn't reach it at all.

The villagers were unaware that only wasteland was being burned, so their obvious panic completely misled Wang Mang.

Seeing Chen Mo's magnanimity, the Zhang brothers couldn't help but feel even more guilty.

Zhang Yan sighed and said, "Brother Mo, Wang Mang will definitely not let this go."

"Then spread the word that all the land in our village has been burned, and see if Wang Mang is satisfied."

Chen Mo already had a plan in mind.

This play, of course, must continue.

"Thanks to Brother Mo for thinking things through, otherwise we two brothers would have really become sinners in the village."

Zhang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's just let this go, and be more careful from now on."

Chen Mo gave the instructions and then headed towards the fire.

The Zhang brothers nodded repeatedly and followed behind Chen Mo.

By this time, the fire in the valley had been burning for half an hour. Except for the few dozen trees inside that were still burning, the rest of the valley had been reduced to ashes.

The villagers arrived one after another, their faces filled with confusion as they looked at this unfamiliar place.

"This isn't our land either..."

"What exactly happened?"

Just as everyone was wondering, Chen Mo came to the front of them.

"Chen Mo, why is this ground on fire?"

Someone stepped forward and asked.

"The Wang family set the fire."

Chen Mo answered calmly.

"Is it the Wang family again?"

Everyone frowned.

"Damn it, they've already bullied us badly enough, now they're clearly trying to kill us!"

"Go check the fields quickly, don't let them actually burn our land."

"That damn Wang Mang, when I find him I'll give him a good whack with a hoe!"

The villagers spoke with righteous indignation.

"Don't worry, everyone. Wang Mang has already been captured by the government troops."

Chen Mo stood in front of the crowd, calming them down.

Chen Mo only told the dozen or so people who had been there before about this, and told them to dig a firebreak in advance.

The rest of the village remained completely unaware.

"Captured by government troops? Wang Mang is doomed this time!"

"Serves them right, they actually dared to set the mountain on fire, they must have had a death wish."

The anger of the group finally subsided.

Chen Mo walked to the edge of the fire, squatted down, and grabbed a handful of soil.

The fire is still burning.

"The fire started by the Wang family has actually done us a great favor."

Chen Mo suddenly laughed.

Why do you say that?

Sun Dazhu was somewhat puzzled.

The crowd gathered around.

"We didn't dare to burn the mountains when we were clearing land before, but now that Wang Mang has set fire to them, the ashes are the best fertilizer for the fields. It's much easier than if we cleared the land ourselves."

Chen Mo said calmly.

Moreover, this area was originally overgrown with weeds, which would have been time-consuming and laborious to clear. Now that it has been burned, not only have the weeds been cleared quickly, but fertilizer has also been applied. All that is needed now is to have someone turn the soil over, and it will become a large potato field again.

Upon hearing this, the villagers all burst into laughter.

"Listen up, everyone. Don't spread this around. We still need to be careful of the Wang family and keep quiet."

Chen Mo gave instructions to everyone.

"clear."

The villagers understood Chen Mo's meaning.

If the Wang family finds out that their scheme failed, they might come back for revenge next time.

"Wang Mang has been captured by the government troops; he certainly won't escape this time!"

"Perhaps this was also the idea of ​​other local gentry; they just don't want to see us poor people go hungry!"

The villagers present started discussing it again.

"Everyone, take a break. We'll just watch the fire."

Chen Mo gave further instructions, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Seeing that it was already past midnight, many people found a place to rest for a while.

Zhang Yan stood uneasily behind Chen Mo, only breathing a sigh of relief when Chen Mo didn't mention anything about their relationship with the Wang family.

After today's events, he became even more certain of his inner thoughts.

Following the Wang family will only lead to being bullied, but following Chen Mo is definitely the right path.