Chapter 2: Encounter on the Return Journey

  After resting, Zu Chao decided to return to the county. Today's hunting trip was mainly to test the saddle and stirrups, and a morning of galloping was enough. With few prey caught, it was early autumn evening, so it was suitable to return to the county early. The group of over 20 people mounted their horses one after another and slowly ran back along the original road.

  After walking for seven or eight miles, I came to a forest that I had passed through before. The large leaves were still green, but they had lost a lot of moisture; swaying in the wind, the dappled shadows on the ground changed unpredictably.

  Not long after, a soft cry suddenly came from the end of the team: "Everyone look, there seems to be a deer over there?"

  A lone horse slowed down involuntarily, and Zu Zhao, who was at the front of the group, followed everyone's gaze to look north towards the forest. About two hundred steps away, a black shadow was swaying, but the amplitude was not very large. Due to the distance being too far, with many trees in between, it was impossible to identify clearly for the time being.

  Zu Jixing hastily caught up with Zu Zhao and said: "Young Master, show us another trick."

  Zu Zhao smiled casually, although he wasn't in a hurry to return to Xu Wu, but just looking at the excited expression of his cousin in front of him, it wasn't hard to guess what was on his mind. So he said directly: "Zu Ji, why don't you try this time, how about it?"

  Zu Ji immediately smiled and nodded repeatedly: "Good, good." After speaking, he took down the longbow from behind his back with a smooth motion.

  But then another attendant at the end of the line shouted: "That doesn't seem to be a deer, it's a horse! No...it doesn't seem to be a horse either...It looks like a bear but is a bit too small."

  Upon hearing this, Zu Zhao slightly furrowed his brow. For a hunter who had been hunting for years, judging prey from a side profile was as easy as eating a regular meal, so why was he being so evasive now? Although he felt puzzled, he couldn't rule out the possibility that he really hadn't seen clearly, so he didn't say anything else and instead focused his attention on the "prey" to the north.

  Zu Qi had already ridden off, and in order to avoid startling the prey and also to avoid the trees, his speed was not fast. When he got close to over a hundred steps away, he carefully drew his bow and took aim. Holding his breath, everything seemed to be under control, but unfortunately just as he released the bowstring, the horse's hoof stepped on a broken branch and slightly lost balance, and the arrow that flew out only grazed the corner of the "prey".

  "Damn it!" Just as he was about to lose his grip, Zu Qi's anger got the better of him and he cursed out loud. But just as he finished cursing, he suddenly saw a strange scene unfold before his eyes. He had thought that the "prey" would be frightened and run away, but instead it remained rooted to the spot, merely shaking violently for a moment. Hesitating for a moment, he suddenly felt that something was amiss and quickly turned around to shout, "Young Master, Uncle Hong."

  Zu Zhao and Hong Shu exchanged a glance, then led the crowd to gallop forward. When they arrived at Zu Ji's side, Zu Ji pointed in the direction of the "prey". Without saying anything extra, Zu Zhao urged his horse on, racing towards the front, while everyone else quietly tensed up and followed closely behind him.

  As he got closer to the "prey", Zu Chao's face became increasingly stern, and soon he saw clearly that the "prey" lying motionless behind a mound of earth was actually a person, only because it was covered with a brown cloak, so from a distance it looked like an animal. He thought to himself, earlier when he passed through this forest, he had stayed here for a while and hunted three or two birds, but at that time he did not find anyone else coming or going, so this person should have just arrived recently.

  He dismounted his horse and rushed to the man's side in three strides. The man was lying face down, with a neat opening on the back of his shoulder, apparently caused by a knife blade, which had cut deep into the flesh, staining a large area of his cloak red; there was another new wound on the left shoulder, which was a mark left by Zu Qi's arrow just now.

  Others arrived one after another, and Hong Shu was the first to arrive after dismounting. He first checked the other party's breath, then carefully examined the wound, and immediately frowned and said: "There is still breath, there is a chance to save him. From the wound, it should be from a Hu knife. Only a Hu knife can cut such a fine and deep wound." Having lived in the border for a long time, it was inevitable that they had to deal with the Hu people, so they had some understanding of the various Hu tribes.

  Zu Zhaoshao carefully turned the injured person over, and the other was about 40 years old. Judging from his neat and tidy clothes, he seemed to be from a wealthy family with a good social status. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and his face gradually showed displeasure. He said in a cold voice: "It's another barbarian's mischief. Is it really because the Great Han has no one?"

  Since the Emperor Wu's northern expedition against the Xiongnu, the northern ethnic minorities have been in a state of disintegration. However, as time passed, by the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, domestic contradictions intensified, giving some ethnic minorities a chance to breathe. Although these ethnic minorities were not yet able to rival the Han dynasty, they repeatedly invaded and harassed the borders, burning, killing, and looting, causing no severe pain but constant itching, making the Great Han border never have a peaceful day.

  The itch of the isolated boots is no big deal, but it is a provocation and insult to the great Han nation's highest authority!

  At this point, Zu Chao has been very radical. On the one hand, he hates the evil forces of Zhang and his gang, on the other hand, it is also necessary for his own future development plan. His family is located in the border area of Youzhou, if he wants to set foot in the Central Plains in the chaotic world from now on, he must have a stable big rear base. Therefore, since childhood, he has often shown hostility towards foreign tribes in his family and clan, and his parents and ancestors were also border generals, naturally supporting this stance.

  Zu Ji, who was standing beside Zu Zhao, also gritted his teeth and chimed in: "Those thieving barbarians, just wait till I meet them, I'll make them know the ferocity of a great Han man!"

  The others were all from noble families, more or less affected by the Han-Hu contradiction, and at this moment none of them was not a resentful expression.

  Hong Shu didn't say much, reached out to lift the wounded person's cloak, planning to deal with the wound first. The dry blood stuck the cloak to the wound, and when he pulled on the cloak, it inevitably pulled on the wound as well. The injured person seemed to feel a sharp pain, suddenly stirring and letting out a low moan from their nostrils.

  "Don't worry, we are Han people." Hong Sheng comforted the injured person, fearing that they would struggle and move around in a panic.

  "We... encountered bandits... robbed... help my family... miss... still..." The other person struggled to open their eyes a crack, vaguely taking in the surroundings, and then squeezed out half a sentence. Before they could finish speaking, they fell back into a state of confusion, their eyelids collapsing weakly downwards.

  "Where were you attacked?" The people around didn't react, but Zu Zhao had already guessed roughly and immediately bent down to ask in a rapid voice.

  The injured man couldn't say a word, but with his last ounce of willpower, he raised his hand and pointed to the northwest direction of the forest.

  Zu Zhaow quickly made an inference that, given the person's injuries and mobility, they would not be able to walk more than five miles. In other words, the place where the opponent was ambushed must be within five miles northwest of here. He is familiar with the terrain of this forest area, which is not large, and after walking three miles north, he will leave the forest. Further north is the vast plain at the foot of Mount Yan in the south, also an important trade route for Han and Hu merchants. It is precisely because it is a border trade route that there are often Hu people's horse thieves lurking about.

  "A Zhong, A He, you two stay behind and help Uncle Hong take care of this person. The rest of you follow me."

  Zu Zhao didn't hesitate at all and made arrangements decisively. He then stood up and returned to his horse, jumping onto its back with ease.

  Others did not hesitate, and followed closely, one after another. Most of the people who went hunting this time were young and strong, and the men from the border towns were all fond of fighting and eager for battle. With their hot blood boiling over, they didn't care about anything else.

  "Your Highness, dare not rush forward, in case the bandits are numerous and you will harm yourself. Less than twenty miles east is the Lulong Pass, it's better to send someone on a fast horse to report to Lulong Pass first, and then follow with the relief troops." As the only elder in the team and one of the stewards of the ancestral house, Hong Shu couldn't help but think more, no matter what, he had to ensure the safety of the young master.

  "Uncle Hong, don't worry too much, I'll take care of it. After we've taken care of the wounded, we can let Ah Zhong and Ah He go to Lulong Pass for reinforcements. We'll go ahead and scout out the situation first." Zu Zhao said calmly. As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Uncle Hong's advice, he waved his whip and rode off in a northwesterly direction.

  Followers closely followed behind, with a majestic and heroic momentum.

  Hong Shu sighed and immediately ordered the two attendants who stayed to help: "A Zhong, hurry up and go to Lulong Pass."

  Also, I wish all readers a happy new year and a happy New Year's Day. Currently studying at the Communication University of China, I am quite busy with other things on weekdays, but I will definitely persist in writing this book well!