Seeing that there were still people unwilling to follow his commands, A Shui didn't hesitate and directly kicked one of them.
"Didn't you hear me say to gather? If you're this limp, won't you all piss your pants when you see the Government Soldiers?"
It wasn't that A Shui was naturally cruel, but Qin Sang had told him that when leading these Rebel Soldiers, the more powerful he appeared and the more he acted like a petty man who had come into power, the more it would fit the style of the Rebel Soldiers.
When the time came for him to steal grain and water, it would be easier to win people's hearts.
These Rebel Soldiers were all blind followers; as long as a domineering person led them and gave them hope of being full and hydrated, they would be at his beck and call.
The Rebel Soldiers A Shui selected were the thinnest and weakest at the bottom. At that time, the Squad Leader beside Master Qian had hypocritically asked him why he chose these people, and A Shui had said flatteringly:
"Isn't it because I'm afraid I won't be able to suppress others? Besides, if those Government Soldiers really charge over, as long as I can outrun them, my chances of survival will be greater, won't they?"
These words had greatly surprised the Squad Leader at the time:
"No wonder you could come back alive; you're truly smart."
A Shui chuckled, but in his heart, he remembered Aunt's words.
Those oppressed at the bottom were the ones with the greatest resentment. Even if they plundered food, what they received was the least. They had the weakest sense of belonging to the Rebel Soldiers and usually only yielded out of necessity, so they were the easiest to incite to defection.
With the 'carrot and stick' and 'pie-in-the-sky' rhetoric provided by Aunt, it didn't take long for these fifty people to start taking A Shui seriously.
Because they heard A Shui say that he wasn't sending them to their deaths; he would find a way for everyone to come back alive.
This feeling of being valued was something these Rebel Soldiers hadn't experienced for a long time.
After finishing his lecture, A Shui led the team out of the town.
But before they had gone far, A Shui found a village for everyone to rest in:
"Sleep well first. We'll go to Tianjia Village tomorrow morning."
This once again won the favor of these fifty people.
In the middle of the night, A Shui sneaked out. Sure enough, on the main road, he found the large tree tied with Red Silk, and beneath the tree, he found a large bundle.
A Shui first drank his fill, then carried the bundle, took the Red Silk, and returned to the small village.
Upon returning to the village, A Shui intentionally made a lot of noise, waking up his subordinates who were already sleeping fitfully due to hunger.
"Boss?"
A Shui blew on the Fire Striker to light it, then lit a torch and shone it on the table. The few people in the room couldn't help but have their eyes turn red, and they immediately rushed forward.
A Shui brandished his knife:
"All of you, settle down for me."
He held the knife against their necks. Seeing that they were still struggling, A Shui added:
"I'm the one who got the grain and water. If you want to drink, listen to me. If anyone tries to snatch it again, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Hearing that they all had a share, everyone backed away, but their eyes still couldn't move from the large bundle on the table. One of them asked:
"Bo... Boss, where did you get these from?"
A Shui did not answer and said irritably:
"Go call all the brothers here."
Seeing his order, someone immediately agreed and went outside.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all fifty subordinates arrived. Everyone saw the large bag of grain and the jar of water on the table; their eyes weren't just red, they were glowing with a green light.
A Shui stood by the door holding his knife:
"Don't be in a hurry, come one by one. Everyone eat first, and then I'll tell you where these things came from."
Everyone nodded in unison, and only then did A Shui sheathe his knife and turn to the table:
"First one."
There was plenty of food in the bundle, all of which were hardened Pancakes and cold Steamed Buns.
Each person received one with some left over, and the water was also distributed using a ceramic bowl, one small bowl per person.
"Eat slowly, don't choke," A Shui reminded each person as he handed them their share.
This simple word of concern moved these people so much that they knelt down.
Some chewed on the dry Pancakes and drank the water, unable to stop themselves from sobbing aloud.
They thought of their wives and children who had died of hunger and thirst, and their parents who had gone on a hunger strike just to save a mouthful of food for them.
No one wolfed it down; some even ate only half and stuffed the remaining half of the pancake or bun into their shirts.
If it weren't for the fact that they had nothing to carry the water in, they definitely would have only drunk a tiny bit.
Every single one of them was terrified of hunger and thirst.
If it weren't for the sake of survival, who would want to be a devil eating human flesh and drinking human blood?
A Shui did the same as them, eating half and saving half, and finished the last bit of water.
After swallowing the last bit of his pancake, he spoke:
"Do you all really want to know where these Pancakes and water came from?"
Everyone nodded again in unison:
"Boss, where did you get these?"
"It couldn't have been stolen from those Government Soldiers, right?"
"Boss, can we still get more of these?"
A Shui waited for everyone to finish asking their curious questions before saying:
"These were stolen from the residence where Master Qian is staying."
Everyone was stunned.
"Stolen?"
"Master Qian and the others have water and grain? How come we didn't know?"
"Are you stupid? After plundering so many things, is it strange to have water and grain? We're all Rebel Soldiers now; do you expect them to treat everyone equally? If they did, would we be sent to our deaths?"
A Shui saw that everyone was filled with indignation and was very satisfied with their reaction:
"Today when I went to report matters to Master Qian, I caught a glimpse of these by accident. I thought I was seeing things, so I planned to go and confirm it tonight.
I didn't expect there to really be some, and quite a lot too. The warehouse had people guarding it.
It's just that I can't go back to steal anymore. I alerted someone when I was coming out today and almost got caught; they will definitely increase the guards.
Sigh, after everyone eats this meal, they'll be hungry again. It's my fault for messing things up."
A Shui's shameful apology made everyone feel particularly uneasy.
"Boss, you can't say that. If it weren't for you, we might have starved to death tonight."
"Yeah, if you hadn't discovered there was water and grain, no one would have known Master Qian was hiding so much food."
"These things were all snatched by everyone risking their lives. Why should we go hungry while they eat and drink well?"
A Shui saw that they were truly being incited by him. He chose to follow Qin Sang's plan and did not echo their sentiments:
"Everyone, don't be too angry. Master Qian must have his own difficulties for doing this. After all, there are so many of us; no matter how much grain is in the warehouse, it can't withstand the consumption. That's why he's keeping it for everyone."
These words, instead of soothing everyone's emotions, added fuel to the fire of their anger:
"Boss, why are you still speaking for Master Qian? He didn't give you any benefits."
"Exactly, Master Qian even sent you to your death."
"Boss, you are still too kind."
A Shui showed a look of bitterness:
"I'm just afraid—afraid that everyone will have a conflict with Master Qian. At that time, we might not get the grain and might even lose our lives instead.
Didn't you see the fate of those victims?
For now, Master Qian is still giving everyone a mouthful of meat to eat, so everyone should just endure it.
Maybe when the victims are all eaten, Master Qian will distribute grain to everyone."