A team of over six hundred young and strong men marched toward Zhao Family Village.
People from other villages along the way saw them.
They all avoided them.
They dared not approach and greet them, only shrinking far behind.
They were afraid that they were in trouble.
Soon, everyone arrived near Zhao Family Village.
Zhao Family Village had thousands of acres of land.
Therefore, before they saw the ten-foot-high rammed earth wall of Zhao Family Village, they saw the endless fields first.
Unlike their own withered and cracked fields.
The fields of Zhao Family Village were incredibly moist.
Clear water flowed through the crisscrossing canals.
There was no sign of drought at all.
Looking at the water.
Some people in the Chu family and Xiahou family who hadn't seen such clear water for a long time.
They couldn't help but kneel on the ground.
They bent over and scooped up a handful of water from the canal, splashing it on their faces.
It was cool and refreshing.
They hadn't done this since the drought began.
There was no other reason than it was too wasteful.
Water during a drought was calculated by drops.
Such a waste of water.
Were they not planning to live their lives anymore?
However, the actions of this small group instantly infected the entire team.
More and more people gathered around the canal.
Some scooped up water and drank it down.
Some scooped up water and poured it all over their bodies.
Others directly submerged their heads in the canal, just to feel the power of the flowing water.
Chu Ji and Xiahou Xing watched this scene.
They did not stop them.
Because they knew.
Only after they personally experienced the benefits of water, would they burst out with stronger fighting power later.
Yes, although they had not yet seen the people of Zhao Family Village.
But they were already preparing.
Because neither Chu Ji nor Xiahou Xing believed that the people of Zhao Family Village would easily give up this water.
Ultimately, they would have to resort to force.
Sure enough, after they finished experiencing the water and returned to the team.
The anger on their faces was even more apparent.
They no longer doubted the words of their clan leader and family head.
They harbored immense resentment towards the unseen people of Zhao Family Village.
If the people of Zhao Family Village hadn't cut off the Hu Tu River.
This water should have been ours...
We could have been as carefree and comfortable as we are now in using water, without having to meticulously watch our household water supplies dwindle day by day.
The withered crops in the fields could have come back to life.
Life and the future would have become increasingly hopeful.
They gathered the team again.
This team composed of the young and strong from the Chu family and Xiahou family.
Their fighting spirit soared.
In war, when there is no absolute advantage in numbers.
Morale is often the key to victory.
And now, the morale of this team was unprecedentedly high.
Soon, everyone arrived at the bank of the Hu Tu River.
The rammed earth wall of Zhao Family Village was not far away.
However, the eyes of this group of people were not on Zhao Family Village.
After all, their purpose in coming here was not to attack Zhao Family Village.
They were merely fighting for water.
If it could be resolved in the wild, of course, it was best to resolve it in the wild.
To go over the rammed earth wall and fight the people of Zhao Family Village.
Wasn't that playing to their enemy's strengths while exposing their own weaknesses?
It was a foolish act.
As they approached the Hu Tu River.
They saw more than ten human-powered treadmills standing by the river.
On the wheels of the treadmills.
Someone was constantly standing on each one, working hard to tread.
As one person got tired and stepped off the wheel, another immediately took over.
They hardly let the treadmill rest.
With every step.
You could see streams of water being drawn from the Hu Tu River by the treadmills.
Then they poured into large canals.
Finally, they flowed slowly into every inch of the farmland along smaller canals.
Chu Ji lightly coughed, interrupting everyone's thoughts, and said in a clear voice:
“Follow me, I will take you to find the people of Zhao Family Village to demand an explanation.”
As soon as the words left his mouth.
Everyone nodded, then followed Chu Ji towards the treadmills.
However, before they reached the treadmills.
They were stopped by two men from Zhao Family Village.
“Who are you?”
Chu Ji stepped forward and chuckled:
“Who are we? I am the clan leader of the Chu family from Xinghua Village. This is Xiahou Xing, the family head of the Xiahou family from Xinghua Village. Behind us are the children of the Chu family and Xiahou family from Xinghua Village.”
Hearing Xinghua Village.
The two villagers from Zhao Family Village frowned slightly.
They had heard of it, of course.
But Xinghua Village was more than ten miles away from Zhao Family Village.
What could have happened that required them to make such a fuss?
Over six hundred young and strong men.
It seemed like all the young and strong men of the two families in Xinghua Village had come.
Furthermore, they all had angry faces, looking fierce and menacing.
The key was that they all carried weapons.
This clearly meant they were up to no good!
Thinking of this.
The two villagers both felt a surge of anxiety.
One of the villagers immediately winked at the other.
The other villager instantly understood.
He bent over and retreated two steps.
Then, without looking back, he ran towards the village as fast as he could.
He was not running away.
But returning to inform the clan leader.
Such a major event could only be handled by the clan leader.
The other villager took a deep breath and remained calm, still blocking the way of the people from Xinghua Village.
He was simply focusing on one word.
Delay.
Delay until the clan leader arrived, delay until most of the people of Zhao Family Village arrived.
As for his own safety.
He had already put it aside.
As long as he didn't die, he would go back and ask Zhao Li for two bowls of milk.
Even if he was missing an arm or a leg.
He could recover quickly.
“So it's the famous Chu family and Xiahou family from Xinghua Village. This young man greets you.”
“Just wondering what brings you all to Zhao Family Village with so many people?”
Chu Ji and Xiahou Xing looked at each other, somewhat incredulous.
Little Zhao Family Village really had its share of talented people.
Just one person dared to stop them, six hundred people with weapons.
Chu Ji didn't answer but instead asked back:
“And who are you?”
The villager from Zhao Family Village bowed slightly:
“This young man is Zhao Can, an insignificant person in Zhao Family Village.”
Chu Ji nodded slightly:
“Zhao Can? Good, I remember you. But we need to go to the bank of the Hu Tu River, will you let us or not?”
Go to the bank of the Hu Tu River?
It's that simple?
Zhao Can immediately felt relieved.
But he quickly realized that the Hu Tu River wasn't exclusive to Zhao Family Village.
Xinghua Village also had it.
Could it be that they couldn't go to the bank of the Hu Tu River in Xinghua Village, and had to come to the bank of the Hu Tu River in Zhao Family Village?
Was there another reason?
In an instant, Zhao Can thought a lot.
However, regardless of the matter, he couldn't let them pass before the clan leader arrived.
After all, who knew if they were telling the truth or not?
What if they were lying?
As soon as they were let through, they immediately changed direction.
In the end, if they caused significant losses to Zhao Family Village.
Then he would have committed a grave error.
Zhao Can shook his head and said firmly:
“I'm sorry, I can't let you pass.”
Chu Ji stared at Zhao Can:
“Aren't you afraid of all these people behind me?”
Zhao Can nodded frankly:
“Of course I'm afraid, I'm just an ordinary person.”
“But this is my duty, so I can't let you pass.”
“If you're not in a hurry, my younger brother has already gone to find the clan leader.”
“You can wait for our clan leader to come and discuss it with him.”
“The two great families of Xinghua Village shouldn't make things difficult for a mere insignificant person like me, right?”
Chu Ji admired Zhao Can.
He was not afraid of danger, and could still handle the situation calmly, he was a talented person.
Although they came to grab water.
They were not really in a hurry.
Besides, Zhao Can was right.
The Hu Tu River was not a lifeless object, but a river. No matter how they fought over it, the water still flowed forward relentlessly.
Therefore, even if they wanted to take the water of the Hu Tu River from the Zhao family.
They still needed the consent and approval of the Zhao family clan leader and most of the villagers of Zhao Family Village.
Otherwise, if the Zhao Family Village upstream cut off the flow every few days.
They would have no recourse.
Unless......they wiped them out completely.
But were the officials of the Han Dynasty really just eating for free?
Besides, the Zhao family couldn't possibly be willing to submit to their fate.
In the end, even if they won, the Chu family and Xiahou family would suffer heavy losses.
They might even be ruined forever.
Therefore, peaceful negotiation was the best option.
But if not.
He would not hesitate to use force and forcibly compel the Zhao family to agree.
They absolutely could not give up on water.
At worst......they would send more people to patrol every day.
............
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