Chapter 1: Perplexity

  As he walked home, Gao Huaiyuan told Xue Yan about the matter. After listening, Xue Yan furrowed his brow and said: "This matter seems to be somewhat improper, catching thieves is originally a matter for the government office, why must Young Master get involved in this muddy water?"

  "Don't you think these bandits are simply too detestable? Robbery is one thing, but to also murder and rape women, that's just unforgivable!" Gao Huaiyuan replied.

  "It's not that I don't think those scoundrels should be punished, but it wouldn't be suitable for you to take care of this matter personally. Although I know you despise evil, the last time you took down Jin Heihu was out of self-defense and necessity. But these bandits are said to have even more power than Jin Heihu did back then - they have thirty or forty people! Just relying on you and me, we might not be able to get the better of them if we encounter them. If we offend this kind of person, I'm afraid it will bring a lot of trouble for the Gao family in the future!" Xue Yan said as he walked alongside Gao Hua Yuan, expressing his concerns.

  "What you said is indeed correct, but a big man walking in the world always looks ahead and behind, fearing this and that, it's hard to achieve great things. I've made up my mind on this matter, don't say more. As for the old mansion, you take care of it for me, and let those servants follow your example too, even if they can't fight bravely, at least they'll be physically strong! I have my own thoughts in doing so." Gao Huaiyuan instructed Xue Yan.

  Xue Yan saw that Gao Huairen was unmoved, so he didn't say much more. However, he said: "Since the young master has made up his mind, I won't say anything else. But if you really go to find those rascals this time, take me with you, okay? My martial arts may not be as good as yours, but dealing with one or two people is no problem, and I can help you a bit!"

  "No need! This time, just take care of the old mansion for me, and that's enough. Your injuries have just healed, I don't want you to get hurt again for my sake. If I go with Inspector Xing this time, I'll bring Huang Yan and Zhou Huan along, as well as some young men from Wotou Village, so they can gain some experience." Gao Huaiyuan shook his head.

  Xue Yan was very grateful for Gao Huaiyuan's care, and although he didn't say anything out loud, in his heart he had already decided that this time, no matter what, he would follow Gao Huaiyuan; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to rest easy.

  Regarding Gao Huaiyuan's proposal to Liu Zhixian, there was soon news. During this period, not only did he have a headache over this matter, but also his subordinates, County Lieutenant and County Commander, had headaches. As soon as they heard that Liu Zhixian wanted the wealthy households in the countryside to send people to organize a militia to help the county government catch thieves, they immediately nodded in support. In their eyes, this was also a good thing. The County Commander was essentially the head of the public security bureau of the county, and he was more concerned about this matter than Liu Zhixian. If Liu Zhixian had not dared to establish an archery association, he would have organized one long ago to help him maintain local law and order. Now that he had Liu Zhixian's support, although he could not organize an archery association, such a militia was also a way to solve some problems. Therefore, Li Ma began to make arrangements.

  Soon, the wealthy households in each village received a notice from the county government, requiring them to send five family members per household, led by the local elders (elders were appointed by the Song Dynasty government to control the people, responsible for capturing thieves and similar to neighborhood heads and household heads, but mainly responsible for helping the government collect taxes). If a household had two able-bodied men, they had to send one person to patrol locally and prevent bandits from attacking their territory.

  As for the required weapons, let the elders or wealthy households handle it themselves. In short, let them take care of it, anyway, they can openly own their own weapons now.

  And this news was soon delivered to the Gao family's old mansion. The person who delivered it was none other than Xing, the captain of the city guards himself.

  Xing Captor has been extremely busy and worried lately, leading a group of runners to search for the thief's whereabouts in Daye County. However, after nearly a month of searching, they haven't caught even a single hair from the thief, but instead lost two of his own men. Xing Captor is furious about this. Recently, he heard that Liu Zhixian has asked for help from Gao Hua Yuan, and although it's unclear whether Gao can really assist him, Xing knows that Gao must have some skills, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to take down Jin Heihu and his gang earlier.

  So when he heard that various villages were organizing militia to help the county government defend the area, he was the first to bring several yamen runners and ran to the old Gao family mansion.

  The old mansion of the Gao family is considered a well-known large household in this area. After Gao Huaiyuan returned here, he managed it neatly and was kind and generous, doing things fairly, and had already gained some reputation among the local people. Although he was not a village head or a clan elder, no one in Gaojia Village dared to underestimate him.

  Even the local officials, such as the Li Zhang, Hu Chang and Qi Chang, didn't dare to bother them without a reason, and were quite polite to Gao Hua Yuan. As soon as they heard that Xing Bu Tou was going to organize a militia in this area, the first person they thought of was Gao Hua Yuan.

  Originally, this matter should have been handled by the village elder going to find Gao Huaiyuan, but Xing Buto instead had the village elder go and busy himself with other family matters. First, he went to another household to recruit strong young men, while the situation at the Gao household was special, not requiring them to join the local militia, but rather to follow him in capturing bandits. The village elder naturally did not dare refuse, and hastily agreed, going off to search for strong young men among the civilian households.

  Gao Huaiyuan had expected the county government's notice to arrive soon, so he stayed at the Gao family's old mansion and waited for the news. When he heard that Xing Buzhang had come in person, he quickly invited him in and sat down to discuss the matter.

  "This time, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Young Master Gao to help me with this matter! These thieves are really too cunning, I've been searching for them for many days, but I haven't caught them yet. On the contrary, I lost two brothers, it's really infuriating! I also know that Young Master Gao is a capable person, so this time, no matter what you say, Young Master Gao must help me with this matter and vent my anger!" As soon as Xing Dui Tou sat down, he immediately poured out his grievances to Gao Huai Yuan. In the past year, Gao Huai Yuan had grown rapidly, his physique was now indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person, and he exuded a kind of calm and composed demeanor everywhere. Therefore, people who saw him no longer treated him like a child. Xing Dui Tou was most familiar with Gao Huai Yuan, so he also treated him as an equal."

  "This is naturally no problem, the day before yesterday I went to the county town and heard about this matter. Mr. Liu asked me to assist Big Brother Xing in doing this thing. Given our friendship, I wouldn't just sit back and do nothing! It's just that my ability is limited, and I'm afraid that when the time comes, I won't be able to help Captain Xing much!" Gao Huairen said politely.

  "Ah, ah! No need to be modest, Young Master Gao! You were able to subdue that Black Tiger last time, which proves you have the skills. This time, I'm counting on you! Don't give me any more polite refusals! This time, I've come from the county magistrate's office and brought some weapons for your guards to try out, see if they're suitable!" Xing the captain was also getting anxious, firmly believing that Gao Huaiyuan could help him, and had even thoughtfully brought along the equipment his men would use!

  Gao Huaiyuan was delighted to hear this, which would save him some money. He got up and examined the men brought by Xing Captor this time.

  This time, the county lieutenant also spent some money and took out some good things from the county government's warehouse to give to Xing Captor, including twenty Song-style hand knives. The hand knife is the only short-handled knife among the eight famous knives recorded in the "Wujing Zongyao" of the Song Dynasty. It has a curved blade mouth, a wider knife head, a thick back and a thin edge, which is sturdy and powerful, more suitable for chopping than the ring-headed straight-edged iron knife of the Han Dynasty, and is a commonly used weapon in the army. In terms of shape, it has already differed greatly from the horizontal knife of the Tang Dynasty, and is made of integral steel, but although this batch of knives is considered to be of relatively good quality, compared with the horizontal knife privately stored by Gao Huaiyuan, it becomes rubbish!

  Although the Song Dynasty was very wealthy, the military was too large and had to support too many people. It would be difficult for even a strong economy like the Song Dynasty to produce large quantities of high-quality horizontal knives and broadswords like those of the Tang Dynasty. The quality of mass-produced weapons during this time period was not comparable to those of the prosperous Tang era, so it's not surprising that they were of lower quality. Nevertheless, having a batch of such knives in Daye is still quite rare, and Gao Huaiyuan didn't bother to pick and choose anymore.

  Apart from the twenty daggers, Xing Bou also brought Gao Huaiyuan a single-hook gun, two long knives, ten wooden guns, ten black lacquer bows, and even two yellow birch crossbows. He also brought him ten wooden shields wrapped in raw cowhide, which he piled up in front of Gao Huaiyuan.

  Gao Huaiyuan was overjoyed, it seemed that the county magistrate had not treated him well in vain. This time he was really generous! He actually got so many good things for himself, it was a big deal! Human feelings are not sent in vain, they must be reciprocated! Gao Huaiyuan naturally wanted to accept this gift, so he let Xue Yan quickly put them away and took out several strings of money from behind to give to the county magistrate as a thank you.

  Xing Buchou didn't stand on ceremony, and put away the money. He handed over the documents from the county government to Gao Huaiyuan, proving that these things were legitimate and guaranteed that Gao Huaiyuan wouldn't get into trouble because of them. Then he asked Gao Huaiyuan: "I'm afraid I've been too presumptuous, thank you for your generosity, Young Master Gao! This time, County Lieutenant Wang and Magistrate Liu were indeed in a hurry, letting me take it myself. Anyway, they're just piled up in the warehouse, it's a waste. So I took a few more pieces, saying they're for the elderly here, and you can just take them away! But I don't know if you're satisfied with these things? Don't know how many guards Young Master Gao wants to bring this time to help me out? Are these guys enough?"

  Gao Huaiyuan was overjoyed as he held the document, feeling that his household's possession of weapons had been legitimized and no one could find fault with him on this matter. He smiled and said: "I'm more than satisfied! How could I not be satisfied with so many good things? I only have a few guards, does Captain Xing think this is some kind of stronghold? There are indeed many men, but I don't have that many people, even if we were to muster all our forces, there would only be a dozen or so. I'll personally accompany Captain Xing, please don't mind the small number!"

  As soon as Gao Huaiyuan heard that there were over a dozen people, Xing Buzhang was already quite satisfied. The two sat down and began discussing how to deal with these thieves. Naturally, Gao Huaiyuan wanted to carefully ask about the information Xing Buzhang had gathered during this time, analyze it, and figure out where to start. This was his area of expertise, and he was far more skilled than Xing Buzhang.

  "Speaking of these thieves, I get angry. These cunning bandits are elusive, never staying in one place for long, finishing a job and leaving immediately, almost covering the entire Daye County. They've exhausted us brothers, but we can't find their hideout. Moreover, they're ruthless, killing anyone who discovers them, leaving no survivors. Their methods are cruel! It's also making it hard for us to find any useful clues! It's infuriating!" Xing the captain said, gritting his teeth in anger whenever he mentioned these thieves.

  "When was their last vote cast and where was it cast?" Gao Huaiyuan asked carefully.

  "It was five days ago, they last appeared in Qianjiazhuang, they climbed over the wall at midnight and entered the Qian family, killing both Qian Da Guanren and his concubine. Before killing Qian's concubine, they also raped her, and cleaned out Qian's money cabinet. They even killed the gatekeeper of the Qian family. However, other members of the Qian family were unaware of this. I've been to the scene, there are many footprints on the ground, at least a dozen or so people were involved in this matter. But after they left the Qian family, the trail went cold!" Xing Bu Tou replied.

  Gao Huaiyuan furrowed his brow, this gang of scoundrels didn't seem to be motivated by revenge, but rather were after wealth and willing to take lives. Their methods were indeed ruthless and excessive. If they weren't dealt with, who knows when they might even target the Gao family itself? He calmed down and continued questioning Xing Buzhang: "I heard you captured two of their brothers, what happened to them? I hope you can give me a clear explanation!"

  Xing caught the head thought for a moment, then said to Gao Huaiyuan: "This thing is ten days ago, I heard that in the vicinity of Bao'an Town, there was a civilian household being attacked by thieves. Except for the daughter of the family, all six people were killed. The daughter of the family was said to have some appearance, but after the accident, she disappeared. So I sent five brothers to check it out. As a result, only three people came back two days later. They said that those two people had investigated some news and went to Niangzi Lake to investigate the news. After that, they never came back! I also went there a few days ago, but nothing was found!"

  "Poor my two younger brothers, one of them just had a newborn son with his wife and now he's gone, the other one has an old mother over 70 years old at home, how pitiful!"

  After hearing this, Gao Hua yuan decided the direction of investigation in his heart, and then opened his mouth to say: "Since that's the case, we might as well start from Niangzi Lake area first, see if we can find any clues of the thieves. If we catch them, we can also avenge your two brothers!"

  "Alright! I also think those thieves might be around Nangzi Lake, let's start from there then! This time we catch them, I'll skin them alive! They're really infuriating me!" Xing the captain agreed with Gao Hua Yuan's opinion.

  Gao Huaiyuan let Xing Boutu and others rest in the old house for a day, and arranged for Xue Yan to entertain them well. He himself said he wanted to go into the mountains to summon his guards who were working in the fields, so he bid farewell to Xing Boutu, took the weapons brought by Xing Boutu, and rushed to Wohu Village overnight.

  Gao Huaiyuan had to take the lead this time, mainly because he couldn't shirk or avoid it. Another reason was that after more than half a year of training, some of his young men had grown strong and robust. After being trained by him, Huang Yan and Zhou Huan, they had gained some skills. In Gao Huaiyuan's opinion, if you want someone to become a qualified soldier, hiding and training every day is not enough. Real heroes are forged on the battlefield, not just through training!

  So this time, since he can't avoid this matter, he might as well take the opportunity to let his subordinates follow him out for some training. Those who haven't seen blood before will likely be delayed if they need to muster up courage in a hurry later on. At present, there is no war between Song and Jin, so it's unlikely that he can send them to the battlefield for training. He can't possibly let these young men start a rebellion! So this matter isn't necessarily bad for him either; it's a good chance for him to take his subordinates out to practice their skills on those bandits.

  This is the most important reason why Gao Huairen originally agreed to help Xing Hu, and it seems that things are better than he thought. At least Xing Hu is a reliable person who knows how to return favors. He has solved the problem of legally possessing weapons for him, and now he has a batch of usable equipment, which can be used to arm his small team.

  When Gao Huaiyuan arrived at Wohu Village, he saw that the village gate was closed tightly. In the dark shadows on the wall, if one didn't look carefully, it would be hard to notice a young man standing there, vigilantly gazing out of the village.

  Gao Huaiyuan was very satisfied. A few days ago, he heard that a notorious outlaw had appeared in the area of Daye County and immediately notified this side to be careful. Now it seems that the people here did not take his words as a joke, but seriously executed his orders. After getting off the mule cart, he stood at the door and shouted: "Hurry up and open the door for me, I'm here!"

  The young man on the wall who was keeping watch at night had already seen Gao Huaiyuan's mule cart coming and had informed the people inside the compound, and soon opened the gate to welcome him in.

  "Get everyone except the servants to gather in the backyard, and bring the car into the backyard too!" Gao Huaiyuan instructed Huang Yan as soon as he entered the courtyard.