The turn of July and August in Mucheng is the same as elsewhere, and the sky is high and refreshing. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Mucheng at the turn of July and August was different from other places, and it was shrouded in haze.

This was the case since the young prisoners of war were released, and the whole city was plunged into an indescribable panic, with cries everywhere.

The mother who worries about her son, the wife who worries about her husband, and the child who is frightened...... Every person captured or killed in battle would have made three or five people tremble.

The priests tried every means to divinate in the hope of seeing a good sign, but they could not do so, because they could not think of a reason for explanation.

In the power structure similar to the council, the relatives and nobles who stayed in Mu Cheng or the sages who were trusted by everyone quarreled non-stop, which made the female leader Mu Hu frown.

3,000 people...... A full 3,000 people, even if they are not as strong as the clansmen who followed the Qiongxi expedition, they are also the light and strong people in the city, and they are also a group of people who have experienced the battle of the clan city.

But it was gone in just a day, gone, clean, leaving no trace except for the dozen or so people who were put back and the cries outside.

In front of her was the banner of Xia Cheng, according to the person who reported it, the leader of Xia Cheng had seen Qiongxi a few days ago, but why did he come here so quickly? Could it be that these people in Xia Cheng are birds that can fly?

"Tell me what to do. If what the man named Ji Xia said is true, Xi will be back soon, in September at most. That Ji Xia can't be fully believed in what he said, if he can really fight the night, why not fight with the night in the upper reaches of the big river? Obviously, he can't beat the night, so he ran here, and we just need to hold out until September. ”

Everyone sighed: "How can you last until September?" The corn is about to be harvested, and when the weather is dry and the wind blows, the people of Xiacheng outside only need a fire to burn the fields we have worked hard for a year. But what about us? We can only watch from inside the city, and we can't get any more people out to fight. ”

"Or ...... Shall we send people to other cities and ask them to gather a large army to drive out this group of people? ”

Mu Hu shook his head and frowned, "No." The armies of other cities always come in batches, but I am only afraid that Ji Xia will be cunning and break through each one, and it will be difficult for each city to defend at that time. The rest of the cities are either three or five thousand, or seven or eight hundred, and they come in a hurry, and Ji Xia splits up and strikes at them, are they more capable of fighting than the three thousand people we sent? ”

"Besides, Ji Xia came from afar, and he wouldn't know that Gaocheng was difficult to attack, and their Huasu tribes also had cities. Since he dared to come, it means that he has the means to break through the city. ”

At one point, there was an uproar below. All they were worried about was the harvest of the fields outside the city this year, because they did not dare to go out of the city for a decisive battle, and the battle the day before had already made them lose confidence. But they never feared the fall of the city.

Mucheng is not the largest city in the Dongyi Provinces, but the strong city walls are not comparable to those small cities, and there should be no problem in defending the city.

Someone couldn't help but say: "Fox, Ji Xia only has an army of 3,000, and he can't capture this city at all!" ”

Mu Hu snorted and said, "Can the number of sergeants tell the victory or defeat?" When they attacked the city on the east side last night, they dug up the embankment of the river with only 800 men, and made the ground clear, and soaked the city wall, and did not they also cause the city wall to collapse? Although Mucheng is quite high and is not afraid of digging rivers and irrigation, Ji Xia may not have no other way. ”

"If I had said three days ago that all the 3,000 men would have been captured, you would not have believed it, that man was very cunning, and he could not have come with a large army just to burn this piece of our field."

Mu Hu got up, thought for a long time, and said slowly: "If the field is gone, you can plant it again, and if the city wall is gone, you can build it again, but if the people in the city are captured by Ji Xia, Mu Cheng will be gone." What is the use of having empty fields and walls? ”

"Now there is only one way, taking advantage of Ji Xia's great victory, all of us will evacuate Mucheng and go to the eastern city for temporary refuge. It is convenient for many people to defend the city, and they will come back after returning to the army in the evening. ”

"But the evacuation must be done quickly and without delay. I don't want anything you can't want, just take people away and take away the food you need on the road. The people are light and strong in front, women and children in the back, and they don't stop for a moment! ”

As soon as the words fell, there was a sudden burst of reluctant objection from below. The wealth, slaves, land, and possessions of these people were all in the city, and they could not be carried all with them in a hasty evacuation, so they had to be thrown here. It is conceivable that those Xia Cheng people will definitely take these things with them after knowing that they have run away, and this is definitely not something they can give up.

This is the reason why some people objected, and said angrily: "Since my grandfather began to accumulate, is it possible that I will throw it all away here?" I'm against it! ”

"That is, the people of Xia City have only ambushed our 3,000 people in advance, but they may not be able to capture our city."

"If the leader has to leave, my clan won't leave, and will stay."

"So is our clan."

Mu Hu said angrily: "This is the only way to be stable, once it is delayed, Ji Xia will besiege the city, and we won't be able to leave if we want to!" ”

But even in spite of their anger, the people did not back down, and the opposition continued, and some even thought that the slaves in the city could be armed to help defend the city, and that they could be rewarded with the status of a countryman or some land.

All sorts of bizarre suggestions followed, but to no avail.

The decentralization of power and the system of public deliberation made Mu Hu extremely disgusted but helpless, the city where several clans gathered together could only be like this, and for a moment she was thinking about what method did the people of Xia Cheng on the opposite side use to make the people agree to go to such a far place?

After marrying Qiongxi, she stood with Qiongxi, and she also knew that Qiongxi wanted to take back the rights, but if she wanted to take back the power, she had to have prestige, if she wanted to have prestige, she had to fight, and if she wanted war, she wanted to not touch the rights of these people for the time being, and she needed to accumulate her own strength.

These fields and properties are the source of these people's strength, and Mu Hu is thinking about the city, which is indeed the only way out. But in the same way, it can also help Qiongxi help him to take a lot of power into his own hands after returning to Mu City.

But it was too difficult for them to give up these things, they didn't believe that the people of Xia Cheng would take the city at all, it was already August, as long as it lasted another month, how could such a large city hold out for these days in their opinion.

Mu Hu set his sights on some people who had a high prestige and a good reputation in the city, they were also nobles and big slave owners, and they had a lot of private property, but they had a good reputation on weekdays, and they could always help some low-level people.

At this time, Mu Hu hopes that at least these people can think of the safety of the city, at least be able to stand on her side and suppress those voices, she has no right to make decisions on such a big matter, and needs the support of the clansmen.

Since he is a sage, he naturally can't be full of land interests, and even if he wants to, he must say something nice, such as righteousness. They're good at that.

So after Mu Hu's eyes fell on a person, the man got up and said, "Fox, it's not impossible to withdraw, but how can you let the old and weak women and children stay behind?" If they withdrew like this, once the people of Xiacheng followed and followed, wouldn't those old and weak clans become their slaves? How can we bear it? ”

"Fox, listen to the outside, listen to the crying outside. Their sons, husbands, and fathers, were all taken away by the people of Xiacheng, and they were captured for the sake of Mu Cheng, so how could they let their children, women, and parents suffer such pain? ”

"Shouldn't this kind of thing be discussed with the whole country? We should ask them what they think. Do you want to leave the land where they have lived for so long and go to another city? Or will you stay here until the dome returns? ”

"Even if you want to go, you have to go together, not only can you not put the old and weak behind, but you should also break the back ...... with light and strong"

As he spoke, tears welled up in the sage's eyes, as if he was moved by the cry outside. If he really broke off lightly, he and his family and children might also be behind, but he knew that Mu Hu would not make such a decision, it was better to wait for death in the city if he walked slowly, and without the protection of the city wall, retreating under the enemy's nose was looking for death.

For a while, all the sages supported one after another, and Mu Hu secretly gritted his silver teeth and said I still don't know what you are?

But as soon as such righteous and awe-inspiring words were said, Mu Hu was a little breathless, of course she couldn't discuss it with all the people, because her prestige was not enough to make the clansmen obey her words, and how could her own mouth move everyone in the entire power center?

The nobles don't want to leave, because their roots are here, and after leaving and coming back with nothing, the ambitious Mouhu and Qiongxi will find an opportunity to take back their rights; The people of the country did not dare to leave, because their family background was too thin, and if they tossed a little, they would be destitute and even owe corn and grain and become slaves of the nobles.

But for the sake of the city, he had to leave, because Mu Hu was sure that the people of Xiacheng on the opposite side had a way to attack the city! raised an army of three or four thousand, came thousands of miles from afar, and left without finding anything, and the leader was afraid that he would not have to do it anymore.

She didn't know what to do, but she looked at the problem from the perspective of a leader, and her mind was far clearer than the nobles below.

After a long time, Mu Hu sighed and said: "Since everyone is unwilling to leave and wants to live and die with the city, there is only one way!" ”

"Slaves, give them citizenship, give them land, distribute weapons, and let them participate in the defense of the city! And the public will give a portion, and all of you will give a portion of the slaves and the land. You know, once the city is breached, we will be reduced to slavery. ”

When the people below heard that they were going to let themselves take out the land slaves, they felt a pain in their hearts and bowed their heads and were silent.

Mu Hu said: "Only by giving them land and the identity of the countrymen can the morale be high, the slaves can be effective, and the city is unbreakable." Now that they are not given land and people, should they be tied with ropes and guarded on the city walls? ”

Once again, the sages stood out and praised: "The fox's method is excellent. But the cities have their own laws, and the ancestors have their own rules. How can you get land without merit, and how can you get out of slavery without fighting the enemy? This is illegal. ”

"Weapons should be distributed to the slaves first, so that they can participate in the defense of the city. After the defense of the city is over, it will be decided according to the merits, so that everyone can be convinced. ”

There were countless praises for a while, and everyone thought: "Ji Xia may not attack the city." A siege may not necessarily break a city. If I don't attack, those slaves will naturally have no merit, and there will be no need to give them out of my land, nor will I need to turn my property into a countryman. If they really dared to attack the city, those slaves would fight to the death for the land, and there would be no one out of ten, and then they would be given some land at will, but the nine who died would be saved. ”

After a while, Mu Hu sat down helplessly and was silent.

She wanted to go by herself, but she didn't because she was the leader.

Responsibility prevents her from leaving, and the responsibility of the leader should make her stand with her people.

The right made her dare not leave, if she left, would the people of the city recognize this leader again?

After a long time, he sighed and said, "You dug up the walls of Mucheng by yourself, and cut off your own way of life. ”

"But what can I do if the people are like this? That's it...... Disperse and tell the clansmen that I will live and die with them with Mu Cheng. ”