Volume 1: Kyoto Winds and Clouds Chapter 40: Five Siblings Search for Their Brother

  Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan were deeply moved by Liu Zhang's words. Zhao Yun was born with a loyal heart, so he didn't have any other thoughts in mind. However, Xiahou Lan was different; he had been selfish since childhood, although he had hidden that self-interest for now. But how could Liu Zhang not see through it? Nevertheless, Liu Zhang didn't care about this; after all, his target was Zhao Yun, and Xiahou Lan was just a bonus catch!

  Zhaojia Village was actually not far from the mountain where Liu Zhang and others practiced martial arts. The group of people rushed to their destination, arriving in just two hours. However, when they arrived, everyone was shocked. Originally not prosperous, Zhaojia Village was even more dilapidated, with many houses razed to the ground, including Zhao Yun's home!

  "What...what's going on..." Zhao Yun was flustered, he had lost his parents since he was young and was raised by his older brother. Moreover, his beloved little sister was also nowhere to be found!

  "Are you..." An old man who might be Zhao Yun's neighbor saw him anxiously pacing back and forth beside the ruins, and immediately came over to ask. People in ancient times were much more enthusiastic than modern people!

  "Uncle Zhao, it's me, Xiaoyun!" Zhao Yun recognized the old man and immediately asked: "What about the village? What about my home? Where are my brother and sister?"

  "Alas! Xiao Yun! Where have you been all these years!" Zhao Dage said with a worried and bitter face: "Forget it! Let's not talk about that for now! Your brother and sister were kidnapped by bandits from a nearby mountain!"

  "What?! Zhao Yun's eyes immediately turned red as he grabbed Zhao Dage's words: "Old man, which mountain bandits?"

  "It's those people who used to come to our Zhaojia Village to rob us all the time!" Old Man Zhao said: "They don't know what they're doing, before they only robbed food, but last time they came, they even took people! Young and strong men, women, not just from our village, many people from neighboring villages were also taken away..."

  "What about Fan Juan?" Xiahou Lan hastily asked out a name.

  "Fan Juan?" Old Zhao said: "You're talking about the little girl next door to Xiao Yun's house! She seems to have been kidnapped too, because after our village was looted, I haven't seen her again!"

  "Damn it!" Xiahou Lan and Zhao Yun were furious, Xiahou Lan said: "Zilong, let's take down that damn stronghold, what do you say?"

  "Good!" Zhao Yun said angrily: "We learn martial arts, isn't it to protect the village, protect our families? These damned bandits!"

  "Halt!" Liu Zhang stopped Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan.

  "Third Master, don't stop me!" Xiahou Lan said: "We've been bullied by that gang of robbers since we were young. In the past, they would snatch some food or things from us, and we wouldn't bother to argue with them, after all, they didn't hurt anyone. But this time, they actually..."

  "I didn't say I'd stop you, on the contrary, I'll go with you too. But are we just going like this?" Liu Zhang was very depressed, remembering that according to legend, Tong Yuan gave Zhao Yun a very powerful gun and a white horse, but now Tong Yuan had left without even leaving behind a single hair.

  It's not surprising that Tong Yuan didn't get any horses or weapons for Zhao Yun. Originally, Tong Yuan was a direct disciple of Zhao Yun, and now he has to take care of Zhang Ren and Xiahou Lan as well. If he had to get horses and weapons for everyone, Tong Yuan couldn't have favored one over the others! Besides, Tong Yuan had already spent a lot on Liu Zhang in the past, so he wanted to save some for his old age. Moreover, Liu Zhang's father was the emperor of Youzhou, and his brother was the current emperor, so it wasn't like they couldn't find good horses or weapons? Therefore, Tong Yuan didn't get any horses or weapons for Zhao Yun.

  When Liu Zhang said that, Xiahou Lan and Zhao Yun suddenly realized they were unarmed. They had rushed to find the bandits so recklessly, it was no different from sending themselves to death. Zhao Yun touched his head with his hand, feeling a bit embarrassed. Xiahou Lan said: "Third Master, there is a blacksmith in the village who can make weapons, let's go ask him for a few!"

  "That blacksmith hasn't been kidnapped, has he?" Liu Zhang shook his head and said: "Besides, the blacksmith in your village, how high can their skills be? If the weapon breaks when killing bandits, wouldn't that be troublesome?"

  "Then..." Zhao Yun and Xiahou Lan also became somewhat anxious, they asked: "Third brother, what do you think we should do? We'll all listen to you!"

  Liu Zhang nodded and asked Old Man Zhao: "Excuse me, sir, how many days have those villagers been taken away?"

  "Two or three days!"

  "Hmm! If it's just a raid, then we need to act quickly. Now that two or three days have passed, the ones who were going to die are already dead, and those who aren't won't be at this gathering." Liu Zhang thought for a moment before saying: "Shi Ah, take my seal and go to Changshan County to ask the county magistrate for a batch of weapons, the more the better! Huang Xu, you go and prepare some food, hurry!"

  Zhao Yun said: "Third brother, just bring your weapons and we'll be fine, no need to buy food!"

  Liu Zhang shook his head and said, "Even if you're eager to save people, you have to eat your fill and drink enough first, right? If you can't even save them and instead get yourself trapped, that's just harming others! Remember, no matter what you do, you must prioritize your own safety before you can protect your family. When you're around, others will still be cautious for their own sake; when you're not around, what will they be cautious of? Don't rush into things, for in all matters, haste makes waste!"

  Xiahou Lan and Zhao Yun heard Liu Zhang's words and were momentarily stunned, then chorused: "Thank you, Third Brother, for your teachings!"

  Liu Zhang waved his hand and said: "We are family brothers, no need to be polite! Hurry up and rest for a while. When Huang Xu and Shi A return, we will set off according to the situation!"

  Any official who can become a county governor is not an eight-sided clever person. The governor of Changshan County heard that Liu Zhang wanted to eradicate the bandits, and immediately prepared a car of weapons and armor for them, along with several good horses, and also dispatched more than 1,000 troops. When Shi Ah brought these people and things back to Zhaojia Village, Zhao Yun and Xia Houlan's eyes were straight.

  After eating and drinking enough, resting for a night. Liu Zhang and others put on the armor sent by the guardian of Changshan County and went to the stronghold of the bandits who robbed Zhaojia Village. Since Xiahou Lan and Zhao Yun were from Changshan, they didn't need a guide at all.

  At the foot of the mountain, Liu Zhang looked at the dangerous terrain and couldn't help but frown. He could see that this mountain was easy to defend but hard to attack. To say nothing of only having a thousand men from Guangshan County, even if Huang Zhong's ten thousand men came, they would only be able to win a miserable victory.

  Liu Zhang thought for a moment and said: "Huang Xu, you stay at the foot of the mountain to command the troops. Anyone who escapes from the mountain will be beheaded!"

  "Yes!" Huang Zu was the worst in martial arts among Liu Zhang's men due to his illness since childhood. However, thanks to Huang Zhong's guidance back then, his ability to command troops was slightly inferior to Zhao Yun and Liu Zhang, but on par with Zhang Ren. As for Shi Er, he was a chivalrous man and couldn't be compared with military generals.

  "Master Brother, Zi Long, Shi Ah, Xia Hou Lan, shall we go up the mountain to have some fun with those bandits?" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "The five of us charging into the mountains can be considered our first battle down the mountain!"

  Zhang Ren nodded, as the saying goes, "the higher the skill, the bolder the heart". A little banditry was nothing in his eyes. In those years when Zhang Ren was by Tong Yuan's side, he had also attacked many mountain bandits and robbers' dens. At that time, Zhang Ren was still a child, and Tong Yuan's shadow made him envious. Now that he had learned the skills, he would naturally not be afraid of bandits. As for Shi Ah, his thoughts were similar to Zhang Ren's, while Zhao Yun and Xia Houlan were anxious to save people.

  "Report to the leader that someone is attacking the mountain!" Just as Zhao Yun and others rushed up the mountain, bandits had already reported this matter to the leader of the stronghold.

  "What?" The leader of the mountain stronghold was shocked, he had been stationed here for many years, and the government army had surrounded and attacked several times, but they all retreated in defeat. Suddenly hearing that someone was attacking the stronghold, he thought the government army had come again. The master of the house asked in a low voice: "How many people have come? Who is the commander?"

  "Report from the scout: 'Five men have arrived, but no commander!'"

  "You're kidding, right?" The Eldest Young Master let out a sigh of relief and said: "Just five people and you've been scared like this, do they have three heads and six arms or something?! Someone, go call the Second Young Master and Third Young Master, follow me to meet these reckless fools!"

  Just as the leader of the mountain stronghold gathered everyone to arrive at the front of the stronghold, Liu Zhang and others also arrived at the entrance of the large stronghold. The large stronghold opened with a loud noise, and the master of the house stood at the entrance with hundreds of people, laughing and saying: "I thought who would be so bold, it turned out to be five children who are still wet behind the ears! Do you know that this is looking for death? However, I think your martial arts skills are not bad. If you stay and become my subordinates, I will forgive your sins!"

  Liu Zhang and the five of them looked at each other in dismay. Indeed, they were not very old. The oldest, Shi Ah, was only nineteen years old, and the youngest, Xia Houlan, was just over thirteen years old. But they were all disciples of Tong Yuan, how could they be dealt with by some petty thieves? Xia Houlan being the youngest, as the saying goes: "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger", he pointed at the leader of the mountain stronghold with his long spear and said: "Is it you who kidnapped people from Zhao's village? Where are the kidnapped people?"

  "So it was for those people!" The master of the house suddenly realized: "Those people! Men were used by us as laborers, women were used by us to warm our beds, and those who didn't listen were already killed by me!"

  "Xiahou Lan and Zhao Yun's eyes all turned red!"

  "Never mind! Let's get rid of them first, and then we'll find out later!" Liu Zhang saw that most of these bandits were not good people, so he decisively said: "Everyone be careful, catch the leader first!"

  Five men came forward, and the master licked his lips and said: "Go! Kill them for me! Tonight, we'll use their flesh to drink wine!"

  Upon hearing the master's order, the thieves rushed up with a loud shout. Liu Zhang heard that these thieves actually ate human flesh, and his eyes shone brightly with cold light, and the long spear in his hand also became more fierce. In a short while, nearly a hundred bandits were killed.

  "The great master, these people are so formidable!" The second master said: "Let them kill for a while longer, the small ones we've gathered with such difficulty will be almost completely lost!"

  The master coldly snorted: "Originally, I still had a loving heart, but since they don't know what's good for them, let them go to death! Second brother, third brother, it's been a long time since we've exercised our hands and feet, hasn't it?"

  "Heh heh!" Third Master laughed and said: "I've been thinking of doing it for a long time, but since Big Brother didn't say anything, I didn't dare to make a move!"

  "Up!" The Eldest Young Master let out a loud shout and charged towards Liu Zhang's five men with the Second Young Master and Third Young Master.

  Liu Zhang looked at the three bandit leaders and smiled: "Big Brother, Zi Long, let's each take one, try to catch them alive!"

  After hearing Liu Zhang's words, the leader's eyes shone with a fierce light. Originally, he had wanted to capture Liu Zhang and his men alive, but now, for the sake of his dignity, Liu Zhang and his men must die!