The atmosphere in the conference room was as heavy as a quagmire, making people feel stuck and unable to breathe.
An old man wearing glasses held the paper in his hand with a trembling voice, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and asked, "Is this the only letter?"
Intelligence team leader Zhou Xiaoren, who was sitting not far from him, smiled bitterly and said, "We have also gathered some other evidence from the caravan. The possibility of a bandit attack is very high."
"Alas, I have always said that this feudal society is full of evils, full of evils!" Li Mingde is the head of the education group, an old professor who has been teaching for a lifetime, but he still lost his composure in front of this letter. He threw the letter on the table, slapped his hands and said, "The common people are in poverty, but the lords don't care! The horse thieves are rampant, but the government doesn't care! What's the point of having this king?"
"It's been so many days since we dropped from the sky, and no one has come to take care of us. Even the earl here has disappeared. We can't use the common sense of our time to understand this ancient world." The speaker was the logistics team leader Bai Yicheng.
"I've been reading the history of the European feudal era recently. Don't count on the king. In a country like this with so many vassal states, it's good enough if the king's decrees can be issued from the royal territory. It's better to spend some money to ask the surrounding vassal states to send troops." Chang Lin wrote a few words on his notebook with a fountain pen and asked, "Team Leader Zhou, does the intelligence department have detailed information about the bandits' movements?"
"Well... We are still working hard. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Right now we have no people, no money, and no connections. We have to take it step by step." Zhou Xiaoren looked at the astonishing number in the letter again. "But we will do our best to get the news. After all, there are more than 2,000 bandits, so there will be some rumors."
When this number was mentioned, everyone's faces turned ugly. Then someone asked Wang Jiyuan whether he could fight. Wang Jiyuan looked calm, but his words made people feel like they were falling into an ice cave: "If we were outside this door, I would say that we have advanced weapons and we can defeat these backward enemies as long as we muster up courage. But here I can only say that there is insufficient intelligence and I can't judge."
"This, this is too unreliable. Shouldn't we make more preparations? On the one hand, find someone to negotiate with the horse bandits. At most, we will have to bleed a little. On the other hand, we should also consider a retreat route. In case we can't win, are there still places to go?" This is the business team leader Chu Ying. He was originally thin, and at this moment his face was ashen, just like the Impermanence in the TV show.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone loudly objected: "We must not negotiate! Negotiating with bandits is like inviting wolves into the house. If you provoke these maggots, you will be blackmailed by them every day in the future. Don't even think about living in peace. If other forces see us being such softies again, anyone can come up and step on us!"
Chu Ying looked over and found that it was Zhang Sicheng, who was usually silent. This guy usually looked for minerals quietly and rarely said anything in the committee. But today, he was like a chicken with blood. He stood up and pointed at Zhang Sicheng and said, "Don't take on so much responsibility here, because just one word from you will cause so many teachers and students to fight against the bandits."
Zhang Sicheng laughed in anger, "Oh, I've fought with goblins before, I know what it feels like! But why did we come to this world? Isn't it just to fight for survival? Not only will I fight, you have to do the same!"
"Don't you think your recklessness and impulsiveness have killed enough people? Didn't Professor Lin and his men die last time because of your mistake in command?"
Zhang Sicheng's face flushed. This was his biggest pain. He was depressed for a long time before he slowly figured out the matter. Even his mentality had changed. Now that it was being used as a scar, he immediately rolled up his sleeves and wanted to fight. Fortunately, Wang Jiyuan beside him grabbed him.
"Okay, okay. Team leader Chu was excited and said something without thinking. Teacher Zhang, don't worry, everyone recognizes what you have done. The most important thing right now is to get back to the problem at hand, how to deal with the horse thieves. We still have to discuss a practical and effective solution." Chang Lin came out to smooth things over.
"I don't agree with negotiations and preparing for retreat. If there was still a fight to be fought, there would be no hope once these two things are done," said Wang Jiyuan.
Chu Ying snorted coldly and sat down, obviously still unconvinced. Others were whispering to each other, and they probably didn't agree with Wang Jiyuan's words. The conference room was immediately filled with a buzz.
At this time, Guo Qian spoke up, "Everyone is thinking about how to deal with the horse bandits this time. But I think the problem with the horse bandits is not the horse bandits themselves. It's with us."
Everyone in the conference room fell silent, waiting to hear what Guo Qian was trying to say.
"Since we came to this world, we have actually been running around trying to survive. We have been busy for more than two months and have achieved a lot. But we still don't have an idea or a route. How are we going to survive? How are we going to survive?"
Guo Qian looked at everyone present. Some were confused, some were thoughtful, and some seemed impatient.
"There are many ways to survive, such as joining them, blending in with them, and becoming one of them. This is simple and convenient, and soon we will be one with them. But are you willing to do that?"
"Of course not. We have mastered so many different technologies, but we are still in such a mess. We might as well die." The speaker was Qiu Wenhan, the leader of the technology team. The others nodded as well. They were used to modern conveniences, so how could they easily integrate into such a primitive life
"Or should we be an independent entity, or let the people around us depend on us, and then transform them and create our own era?"
"That's right." Chang Lin nodded in agreement.
"Then this school and these talents are our greatest reliance." Guo Qian looked at Chu Ying and said, "If we retreat, we have nowhere to retreat. If we withdraw from the school, we will lose the opportunity to transform this era. There is nothing to talk about. We have been warned in advance, so we can make preparations early and wait for the opportunity. Our school has high buildings and walls, which are high above and easy to defend but difficult to attack. We have enough personnel, and most of them have received military training. The surrounding villagers will surely support us, and there are also mysterious messengers who are behind the horse thieves. In fact, it can be said that we have the right time, place, and people. If we can't get through the horse thieves, how can we face greater challenges? There is no need to talk about independence. I think Team Leader Wang should know our only choice."
"Yes. We still have a chance to win if we fight with our backs to the river." Wang Jiyuan answered cheerfully.
"So, there is not much to discuss about this matter. It is not a question of whether to fight or not, but a question of how to fight. In times of crisis, we only need one idea and one plan."
"Principal Guo, we haven't asked for the opinions of so many people in the school yet..." Chu Ying said with a stiff expression.
"Since you all trust us and agree to form this committee, we must shoulder our own responsibilities. Now, as the chairman of the committee, I require all departments to prepare for battle with all their strength. Does anyone object?" Guo Qian stood up, his tall figure was like a flag, giving people pressure and encouragement.
The meeting room was silent, but soon Wang Jiyuan's voice broke the silence: "Make sure to complete the task."
"Our geological team obeys the committee's orders. We will go wherever we are needed!" Next came Zhang Sicheng.
"The agricultural group will prepare enough food. If other departments need anything, you can tell me." Chang Lin said.
Then, other people's voices were heard one by one, and they all expressed their willingness to try their best to arrange the work of their department.
Chu Ying clenched his fists and looked at Chang Lin angrily, but when he saw that the other party shook his head at him, he had to stop.
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Ji Yijun's injury has improved a lot. Lying in bed for the past two days has exhausted his patience. He ignored the nurse's dissuasion and started practicing boxing in the ward. This boxing was much slower than usual, sluggish and unfamiliar, as if he was surrounded by sea water instead of air. But it was in this process that he could fully experience the strange power in his body. After exploring for a few days, he was almost certain that this was fighting spirit. His fighting spirit was very special, without obvious halo and elemental attributes, but it was very condensed and very helpful for the recovery of the body.
He was just finishing a White Crane Spreads Wings when the door opened.
I looked and saw Li Jia coming again. She had a basket with some local fruits in her hands. The world has changed, but some customs remain unchanged.
Ji Yijun put away his airs and joked, "Only a lazy person like you has the time to come and see me. When people heard that bandits were coming, the outside world was in chaos, right? I heard from the nurse that if you breathe in the air outside now, you will be choked to death by the smell of gunpowder, and if you light a cigarette, the school will be set on fire."
Li Jia looked a little anxious: "The arrival of the horse thieves is no joke. People's hearts are unstable now, and there are people saying all kinds of weird things. Besides, the enemies of the horse thieves can beat you down, which means there are similar masters among the horse thieves."
"Tsk, this is a different time. If we fight again now, I'm not afraid of her. I have already mastered some tips and I'm almost there." Ji Yijun made a cloud hand gesture, "You'll see how I teach the horse thieves a lesson. But shouldn't you go to the town to recruit militiamen?"
"I came here to say goodbye. I was sent to a nearby territory to get reinforcements. It's the territory of Viscount Ruiz, who is closest to us. I heard that he has quite a lot of military force under his command."
"Why would they send you? Aren't you just a shop keeper?" Ji Yijun asked curiously.
"Xiao Chen and Luo Ling are on official business, and Zhang Hong is missing. Most of the backbones of the foreign affairs team have important work to do. There is only one girl named Du Mei who can be sent. They are worried that the girl can't show up, so they asked our business team to send someone to assist. After all, I have lived in the town for a long time and have the most contact with the locals. So, it will be just her and I who will go."
"Oh, what a good job, not only can I be on my own, but also... a man and a woman alone, traveling together, there is hope, Li Jia!"
"Go away. I'm not a pervert like you. I'm worried to death about this. Unlike you, you have a confidante who sleeps with you every day." Li Jia waved at Ji Yijun as if to drive away a fly, said, "I'm leaving," and pushed the door open and left.
"Hey! You'd better be careful. I was counting on setting up a chain of supermarkets with you." Ji Yijun shouted out the door.
"Just take care of yourself and stop trying to be stubborn!" Li Jia's voice became increasingly distant as she walked.
Ji Yijun came to the window and saw people busy carrying materials to build shelters and piling up fortifications. He had no worries or fears in his heart, but was filled with a desire to try.
A smile appeared on his face, "This is my world."