This question scared the old village chief so much that he thought Qin Feng was finally going to show his fangs.
However, the old village chief found strangely that Qin Feng's tone was very relaxed, and even the surrounding soldiers looked calm.
As if this problem is no big deal at all.
At this point, even if he was walking on thin ice, the old village chief could only bite the bullet and answer.
"We do whatever the landlords ask us to do. We haven't been treated badly in these years. After all, we can still meet the basic needs of food and clothing."
After hearing the old village chief's answer, Qin Feng nodded with satisfaction.
Then Qin Feng continued to ask: "I wonder what the old gentleman thinks of this southern expedition?"
If the previous question only made the old village chief nervous, then this question was enough to scare him.
Without any hesitation, he quickly answered: "I... what can we, ordinary people, think about the war?"
"As long as you can stay alive."
This answer is extremely simple.
However, in order to understand the overall folk customs and public opinion in the southern border, Qin Feng still patiently continued to delve into the topic.
"To be honest, I am the commander of this southern expedition. All the command authority on the front line is controlled by me alone."
"In other words, my words can determine the future of the Southern Territory."
"Only by understanding the local people's livelihood conditions can I determine how to fight this battle."
"If the people are in dire straits, I will lead a large army to attack fiercely to resolve this battle as soon as possible and save the people from disaster."
"If the people are rich and live in peace and contentment, then I will only attack the city to minimize the losses to the people."
The old village chief was murmuring in his heart.
Are there really officials in this world who are willing to listen to the voices of the people?
No! Not only are they officials, the person standing in front of them is a prince!
Although until now, the old village chief is still not sure whether the seemingly kind prince in front of him really has a heart like a Bodhisattva, or whether he has a kind face and a dark heart.
But considering that he had no way out, the old village chief decided to give it a try.
He sighed softly and responded helplessly: "I don't dare to say that it's far away, but the people in these ten miles and eight towns are living a pretty good life."
"Eat well and wear warm clothes, and occasionally work as a herd or helper for the landlord's family to earn a little money to supplement the family income."
When the old village chief said this, he stopped talking.
In fact, the meaning is already very clear. This southern expedition will have a great impact on the southern border.
The originally hard but peaceful life was all in vain because of this war. Now, they can only hide and avoid being baptized by the flames of war.
And blindly avoiding it, naturally not producing, relying entirely on the surplus food accumulated previously.
If this continues, it will only be a matter of time before the people will be in dire straits.
The old village chief had been secretly sizing up Qin Feng and found that Qin Feng was actually deep in thought. It seemed that all his remarks just now were not just for fun, but to truly understand the sentiments of the people.
The old village chief gradually became bolder and asked tentatively: "My lord, how much grain do you plan to collect?"
"I don't dare to deceive the prince. There are only three hundred kilograms of grain left in the whole village."
"If we collect too much, we may not be able to hold on until the weather warms up."
Qin Feng fights with others all day long, how could he not know what the old village chief is thinking? This is a deliberate misfortune, hoping that Qin Feng can collect less food.
Qin Feng did not answer but asked: "How many people are there in your village?"
The old village chief blurted out without even thinking: "Counting all the old, weak, women and children, there are eighty-two people."
Liu Ming, who was on the side, added with a smile: "Didn't you just say that everyone in the village has fled?"
Realizing that he had spilled the beans, the old village chief's face turned pale and he quickly looked at Qin Feng.
Although he didn't know what the crime of deceiving the prince was, it was definitely... the death penalty had begun.
After all, if you cheat the county magistrate, you will have to pull off a layer of your skin, let alone the prince?
Just when he thought he was dead, he was surprised to find that instead of being angry at all, Qin Feng was still smiling.
The prince in front of me... is too amiable, right?
Under the confused gaze of the old village chief, Qin Feng waved and called Zhao Zhenhai, who was on alert not far away.
"Do we have enough food on the front line?"
Zhao Zhenhai shrugged: "It must be enough. After all, the military rations prepared at the beginning were to supply 20,000 pioneers."
"After several fierce battles, there are only three thousand infantry left. We have saved a lot of military rations..."
"As for our cavalry in the north, they have the support of the logistics battalion and are independent of the logistics of Sun Bo's vanguard army, so we have enough food."
Qin Feng nodded and immediately said with great enthusiasm: "Then go and prepare five hundred kilograms of grain and deliver it to the village."
Although Zhao Zhenhai was stunned for a moment, he noticed that Liu Ming next to him kept winking at him, so he had no choice but to endure his doubts and turned around.
The old village chief was dumbfounded. He had lived for decades and had seen countless soldiers and soldiers. No matter which army crossed the border, they would all be plucked by geese.
This was the first time he saw an army taking the initiative to distribute food to the people.
"My lord, what did you just say?"
"Giving us five hundred kilograms of grain for free? This...what the hell is going on?"
Seeing the old village chief's flattered face, Qin Feng seemed extremely relaxed and replied casually: "Don't you have enough food?"
"This king's trip south to conquer the wealthy families in southern Xinjiang is just one of the reasons. The second is of course to consolidate the lives of the people in southern Xinjiang."
"If I can help one, that's one."
It wasn't until this moment that the old village chief finally believed that the prince in front of him was indeed different!
Even if they come to conquer the southern border, it is not for the purpose of fighting for power, but for the welfare of the people.
The old village chief no longer had any worries. He fell to his knees with a thud and burst into tears.
"My lord, you are truly the master of Qingtian who makes decisions for the people."
"No need to send food, we still have enough to eat."
"The reason why the little old man deceived the prince again and again is just because he is worried that you are... the landlords."
"A few days ago, several young men from a neighboring village were deceived in this way, and they were all beheaded in the end."
Qin Feng, who had been feeling relaxed just now, frowned suddenly when he looked at the old village chief who was bursting into tears.
"Why, is there something hidden beneath this wealthy life?"
The old village chief wiped his tears and trembled: "We can barely eat enough, but...who wants to fight?"
"The landowner asked us to act as spies again and again, and asked us to hide all the supplies and then transport them to Gusu City little by little."
"If we are caught, wouldn't we become spies?"
