After Xu Xing launched the public opinion offensive, her subordinates immediately began to execute it, starting with exposing the evil deeds of Xue Ba and Dong Chao. Only by exposing the actions of these two scumbags could they truly gain the support of the masses.
At this very moment, many men and women dressed in monk robes suddenly appeared on the city wall. These individuals were all filled with fanaticism, having been brainwashed by the Joyful Sect into believing that their actions were righteous. Upon reaching the city wall, they began distributing wealth, handing out gold, silver, and grain directly.
These Joyful Sect members, while distributing provisions, proclaimed, "These are bestowed upon you by the supremely virtuous and benevolent Grand Sect Master and the compassionate City Lord. Be grateful, for this is the mercy of two living Buddhas. Furthermore, the City Lord plans to distribute land after resisting the refugees. If these refugees breach the city, you will lose your chance at land."
It turned out that Xue Ba and Dong Chao, upon sensing something was amiss, had devised this plan to stabilize morale by offering sufficient benefits. The distribution of wealth and the promise of land were, in fact, their own stratagems.
"Distribute land to us? Is this true?" The crowd was stunned upon hearing this. Previously, all the land was occupied by the City Lord, and no one was allowed to cultivate it privately. This was the primary reason for their hatred of Xue Ba, as the absence of land meant the loss of their fundamental means of survival. Now, the City Lord promised to distribute land? This was unbelievable!
When the populace learned they could receive land, they became frenzied. Land was the most important thing, even in the apocalypse. The act of farming was etched into the very bones of the Chinese people. The prospect of land distribution was, therefore, incredibly appealing.
The cult members continued, "Of course, it's true. The City Lord's word is absolute, and the Grand Sect Master guarantees it. It will surely be implemented for you. So, fight diligently, and after the victory, you will be considered property owners."
The civilians on the city wall became excited upon learning about their future treatment. First, they received gold and silver treasures, and now the City Lord promised land. With such excellent benefits presented before them, everyone began to envision a brighter future.
The promises made within the city and outside were vastly different. Inside, wealth was distributed, and the benevolence of the City Lord and Sect Master was loudly proclaimed. However, outside the city, there was only repeated denunciation of Xue Ba and Dong Chao's crimes, with at most a promise not to harm civilians. In comparison, there was no need to elaborate. Naturally, people sided with the City Lord, because as long as the city held out, they would have wealth and a bright future. If the refugees from outside the city broke through, then everything would truly be lost.
Therefore, under these circumstances, the people outside the city merely spoke empty words, which naturally failed to move people's hearts. It had to be said that Dong Chao was quite adept at manipulating people's emotions.
At this moment, everyone on the city wall was joyfully discussing the potential land distribution. Unbeknownst to them, the people's emotions had stabilized. While hatred was difficult to forget, any grievance could be bought with wealth.
Moreover, there was a hidden condition in the land distribution that ordinary people had not discovered: Xue Ba was to be in charge of the distribution. If Xue Ba were to die, the matter of land distribution would become baseless. In this way, those within the city who wished to acquire property would have no choice but to desperately defend Wine City, otherwise, the distribution of land would be a mere fantasy.
Meanwhile, in the city tower on the west side of the city wall, Xue Ba and Dong Chao finally breathed a sigh of relief upon witnessing this change. As long as there was no chaos within the city at this juncture, they could persevere. As long as they could hold on, victory would undoubtedly be theirs.
Upon seeing the populace discussing land distribution, Xue Ba sneered and remarked, "These fools are so easily deceived. With just a few casual promises, they can be made to fight obediently for us. Hmph, after defeating the enemy, all the wealth and land will still be mine."
Xue Ba understood one thing clearly: as long as he held the power, he had everything. Not to mention anything else, the wealth distributed this time was merely for the subordinates to hold temporarily. After the war, it could always be reclaimed through taxation. As for land, anything was possible in dreams, so let them dream.
Dong Chao, at this moment, began to worry, "But what if the ability users attack the city? There is heavy snow both inside and outside the city, making it difficult to detect the ability users' powers."
Dong Chao had heard from his loyal followers that there were two ability users outside the city. He believed this news implicitly and was therefore most concerned about the formidable power of the ability users.
However, upon hearing Dong Chao's worries, Xue Ba disdainfully replied, "There is no need to worry about these two cowards who hide their faces. Someone previously broke into my palace; it was also a man and a woman. These are likely the two people from Yuzhou, but they dared not fight my soldiers. After their plot was exposed, they fled directly. In my opinion, these two ability users are just like that, their strength is not good."
Xue Ba had already determined who had entered his palace after reviewing the surveillance footage. He speculated that it was likely the two ability users from Yuzhou. These two individuals avoided confrontation with soldiers, indicating that their strength was certainly not impressive, so why worry?
Dong Chao harbored many anxieties, but seeing Xue Ba's confident demeanor, he felt that the matter should be alright.
Xu Xing, seeing that there was no disturbance on the city wall and no one was responding to her, immediately realized that there was no opportunity to attack at this moment. The enemy was well-prepared, and attacking the city at this time would be unwise.
"Alright, it's a cold day. Hurry back to the nearby camps to rest. Leave a contingent to maintain surveillance, conserve your strength, and await the opportune moment for battle," Xu Xing instructed everyone.
Now that Fairy Xing had spoken, who would dare to be negligent? Xu Xing was a goddess in the eyes of the refugees. Since the goddess had ordered them to conserve their strength, they naturally had to comply.
It was rather strange, but the snow this year was exceptionally heavy. Wine City rarely experienced such heavy snowfall. Being located in the south, days of heavy snowfall were infrequent. Even when it snowed, it was merely a light dusting of snow. The slightest dusting of snow, upon falling to the ground, could not even cover the ground. However, this time, the heavy snow had not stopped after a night and was still falling from the sky.
Xu Xing was quite helpless. Her footprints left deep impressions on the ground. Under these circumstances, the difficulty of attacking the city was immense, so she could only wait for the snow to stop.
The battle had not commenced, but Wine City was already surrounded. The lives of the refugees during this period could only be described as hellish. Their pent-up anger could not be vented, but everyone harbored a strong resolve: to make the scoundrels within Wine City pay the price.
Those outside the city began to rest, and those inside the city were also similar, resting in batches in preparation for the subsequent battle.
Within the city, there was a temple called Donglai Temple. It was said to have been built by Xuanzang when he arrived from the east. However, whether this was true or not, no one could say for sure. Everyone would try to embellish their own reputations, and associating themselves with famous people was a common practice. Anything linked to a celebrity would gain prominence.
However, Donglai Temple was now in disrepair. Only an old monk remained in the entire temple. If this old monk were not Dong Chao's master, Donglai Temple might have long since been seized. The old monk could have enjoyed wealth and status simply by flattering them, but Master Zhizhen ultimately remained silent. In this situation, Elder Zhizhen continued to live a life of poverty.
As night fell, a fire was lit in Donglai Temple, and more than ten people stealthily slipped in from outside the gate. These were about ten lean men, appearing to have been starving for a long time, their cheekbones visible on their gaunt faces.
Master Zhizhen was very pleased to see their arrival and said, "I have not summoned you today for alms. I know that all of you are devoted to the righteous path. Now, I hope you will lend me a hand."
Master Zhizhen had been in Wine City for decades. Not only was he familiar with all the major and minor affairs of Wine City, but over the years, he had also come to know many people who yearned for Buddhist teachings. Currently, Master Zhizhen had found a group of people he could contact and hoped they would help him.
After Master Zhizhen finished speaking, these individuals immediately responded, "Master, what are you saying? As long as you speak, we will certainly help. Please, do not hesitate to tell us."
These were all devotees of Donglai Temple, who had known Master Zhizhen for a long time. Master Zhizhen often resolved their doubts, and over time, they had become acquainted. Now, their relationships were coming into play.
Master Zhizhen said solemnly, "Wine City has now become a living hell. If this continues, Wine City will surely descend into an abyss of eternal damnation. The city is filled with people who are neither human nor ghost. If this continues, Wine City will face only despair. Therefore, we must change all of this."
The crowd nodded repeatedly and said, "Master Zhizhen, please tell us. If there is anything you need us to accomplish, we will certainly complete it."
Master Zhizhen nodded and found a thick stack of papers nearby. These were all written in brush calligraphy, a testament to the immense effort involved. Master Zhizhen solemnly handed the thick stack of papers to the crowd and said, "Then I trouble you all to post these things in various places throughout the city. This will be your contribution to saving Wine City."
The crowd took the thick stack of white papers handed to them by Master Zhizhen. Upon closer inspection, they were stunned, for what appeared before them were words inciting rebellion. If these were posted, they would undoubtedly cause a sensation.
At this moment, someone asked in surprise, "Master, did you write all these leaflets yourself?"
Printing leaflets was a simple matter now, as photocopiers existed, allowing them to print as many as they wanted. However, these were leaflets inciting rebellion, and if discovered, they would mean immediate death.
Master Zhizhen said helplessly, "I wrote these one by one. Fortunately, I learned to copy scriptures when I was young, so I can still manage to copy leaflets now. I spent half a year writing this much, please forgive my humble efforts."
The crowd, seeing the leaflets in their hands, which numbered at least three thousand in total, was utterly awestruck. What kind of person could possess such immense perseverance to complete such a arduous task?
"Master Zhizhen, what are you doing this for? If the refugees outside break in, we ourselves will be affected," someone couldn't help but inquire.