Chapter 6

What is a clan fight? A clan fight refers to a group event where people carry lethal weapons to fight and brawl.

In ancient China, due to factors such as isolated information and inconvenient transportation, people preferred to divide themselves into groups based on geographical differences. During the feudal period, the power of clan forces was extremely strong, and the government had no authority to manage them. Villages and regions often had irreconcilable conflicts over water sources, mountains, and various other issues, which ultimately could only be resolved through force. Therefore, clan fights became prevalent, especially in the southwestern regions like Guangdong, where they were the most common and bloody. During the late Qing Dynasty, a large-scale clan fight between the Hakka and the locals in the Guangdong region resulted in over a million casualties, making it one of the bloodiest clan fights in Chinese history. The result was that the western bank of the Pearl River was left with almost no Hakka people... (Refer to Liu Ping's "The Forgotten War—A Study of the Large-Scale Clan Fight Between the Locals and the Hakka in Guangdong During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi Periods")

Yueyang, of course, did not know about these things. At this moment, he was stunned by the scene before him. Over a thousand farmers and tenants from Wulizhai and about five or six hundred people brought by the Wang family were already fighting. They were using wooden sticks, hoes, shovels, and other tools to fight each other, with shouts, screams, and curses filling the air. People were being hit to the ground from time to time.

Yueyang noticed that Hu Laosan, the guard, was leading the charge. He was wielding a wooden stick, striking and blocking, and frequently knocking down people from the Wang family. Those who were knocked down were often left with bloody heads, making the scene extremely bloody. Due to the smaller number of people from the Wang family and the lack of a fierce leader like Hu Laosan, the Wang family began to retreat after about fifteen minutes of the fight.

Yueyang, who was watching from the side, was frightened. Having grown up in modern society, he had never seen such a large-scale and bloody scene. People were being hit to the ground one after another, and those who fell in the blood were ignored. As long as they could still stand, they continued to attack their opponents.

Yueyang stood under a big tree, with Shunbao and more than ten servants standing around him, forming a protective circle. Yueyang felt his legs trembling. He never imagined that a clan fight could be so bloody and cruel. Although he wanted to order the people from Wang's village to stop, his remaining rationality told him that doing so would not benefit him or the people of Wulizhai at all.

Yueyang bit his lips tightly, leaning against the tree behind him. He tried to reassure himself, "I am the young master of Yue Family Village and the leader of Wulizhai. I cannot fall!"

Seeing Yueyang's pale face, Shunbao whispered to him, "Young Master, don't be afraid. We have more people, and the Wang family is no match for us! Besides, with me here, they won't hurt you a bit!"

About two hours later, the Wang family gradually lost the upper hand. After more than two hundred people fell, the remaining three hundred fled, and the second son of the Wang family, Wang Chenglin, also escaped with the protection of a few servants. At this point, the people of Wulizhai raised their wooden sticks and farming tools and cheered loudly.

"We won!"

"The Wang family's brats know the power of Grandpa, hahaha!"

"Young Master, we won! We drove away all the people from the Wang family!" At this moment, Hu Laosan, who was covered in blood, walked up to Yueyang and shouted excitedly.

"Yes, we won!" Yueyang forced a smile, but it was more painful than crying.

Looking at the injured people on the ground, Yueyang took a deep breath and said to Hu Laosan, "Master Hu, organize people to gather all the injured and get doctors to treat them. All expenses will be covered by Yue Family Village!"

"This..." Hu Laosan hesitated and asked, "Young Master, should we treat the people from the Wang family as well? That will cost a lot of silver."

"Is silver more important than life?" Yueyang glared at him. "Although they are from the Wang family, they are also people from Yingzhou Prefecture, just like us. They are hardworking farmers who toil in the fields. We see them every day, and some of them might even be relatives of the people in Wulizhai. Now that the fight is over, we should help those we can."

Seeing Yueyang's displeased expression, Hu Laosan dared not say more. He bowed and went to organize people to treat the injured. Yueyang, looking at the injured people on the ground, felt no joy in victory. He sighed and turned to Shunbao, "Shunbao, let's go back."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Shunbao, who had been a book boy since childhood, was naturally good at reading people's moods. Seeing that his young master seemed unhappy, he quickly agreed and called a few servants to escort Yueyang back to Yue Family Village.

By the time they returned to Yue Family Village, it was already the afternoon. Yueyang went to his courtyard and locked himself in the study on the west side. He didn't come out even when it was time for dinner. The Linglong sisters were worried when they saw this.

Yulong, holding a food box, walked into the living room and asked Yuling, "Sister, what's wrong with the young master? Why has he been locked in his room since he came back from the river? It's dinner time now."

Yuling shook her head, "I'm not sure either, but I heard from Shunbao that we won against the Wang family today. However, the scene was too brutal, and I guess the young master can't accept it yet."

Yulong thought for a moment, "Ah... I see. Should we go in and persuade the young master? If the old lady finds out, she will definitely blame us for not taking good care of him."

Yuling hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Well... that's fine. Let's go in."

When the two entered the study, they saw Yueyang sitting behind the desk, holding a book, but his eyes were unfocused.

The Linglong sisters looked at each other, and Yuling stepped forward and said softly, "Young Master, are you still troubled by today's events?"

Yueyang sighed slightly, "Yes, you don't know how brutal the scene was today. A thousand people fighting, countless farmers and tenants fighting over water, with hundreds of people injured or even killed. They are all our fellow citizens of the Ming Dynasty. Why has it come to this?"

Yulong pouted, "Young Master, I and my sister have heard that you have a good heart. But you must understand that the Sanggan River is the lifeline of Wulizhai. The Wang family already has the Huns River, which, although it has less water, is still usable. But they are still not satisfied and want to dig a channel to divert water from us. If they succeed, they will be happy, but what about us? Should our fields be left to wither? And this is all because of the people from the Wang family. If they hadn't incited their tenants to cause trouble, things wouldn't have come to this, right?"

Seeing Yulong's pouting and angry but cute expression, Yueyang couldn't help but laugh, and his mood improved a bit. He pinched her soft cheek and teased, "Hehe, I didn't realize that our Yulong is so righteous!"

Yulong's face turned red, and she said shyly, "Not really. I heard from Shunbao and the servants that the young master was very impressive today. The second son of the Wang family was initially very aggressive, and even Master Hu was at a loss for words. But fortunately, the young master arrived in time and scolded the second son of the Wang family into silence. Then the young master ordered the tenants and villagers to fight the people from the Wang family, and the scene was truly impressive! The young master is really amazing!" As she said this, Yulong looked at Yueyang with admiration.

Yuling also agreed, "Ling is right. But the most despicable one is still the second son of the Wang family, who incited his tenants to fight for water. He should be the one to receive the punishment." As she said this, Yuling looked at Yueyang with a gentle and warm gaze.

Yueyang didn't pay much attention to the Linglong sisters' gazes. He just shook his head and sighed, "In the end, it's all because of the lack of water. If there was enough water, the people wouldn't have fought over it. But there is one thing I find very strange. Since the weather is dry, why don't people dig more wells? Wouldn't that help alleviate the drought?"

Hearing Yueyang's words, the Linglong sisters were speechless. Yuling shook her head in confusion, "I... I don't know either. But I've heard that digging wells is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming task, and there's no guarantee of finding water. It also costs a lot of money!"

"Is that so!" Yueyang thought for a moment and said, "Yulong, go and call Shunbao and the steward to the front courtyard. I have some questions for them."

"Yes!"

Soon, within about fifteen minutes, Shunbao and the steward of Yue Family Village were called to the living room in the back courtyard.

The steward of Yue Family Village was named Yue Laifu, a middle-aged man in his forties, who was plump and had a cheerful appearance. However, Yueyang did not underestimate him because he had heard from the Linglong sisters that Yue Laifu's ancestors for three generations had been the stewards of Yue Family Village, and his loyalty to Yue Family Village was unquestionable. Even the old lady held him in high regard. Moreover, Yue Laifu was the father of Yueyang's book boy, Shunbao.

PS: Brothers, this is the second update. Don't forget to vote and recommend if you like it. If you think it's good, please add it to your collection!

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