Chapter 45, Gathering from All Sides

  Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu were led into the backyard, where they were instructed to have their attendants prepare tea and water to entertain the guests.

  Zu Zhao also introduced several uncles and aunts to Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu, and once again recounted the plan to surround the thieves.

  After brief consideration, Zhang Yuan made some suggestions on a few minor issues and generally did not raise any objections.

  Then, Zu Zhao had several uncles bring the people and horses that Zhang's brothers brought, and arranged them in a formation with Ben Zhuang's younger brother. After all, Zhang's brothers were not very familiar with others, so when arranging the formation, they tried to arrange them together as much as possible.

  Just before noon, Zu Fan received a message from Zu Zhao and rushed to the Zu family village on horseback. Upon hearing that everyone had gathered in the backyard and was about to set off, his face showed a hint of anxiety, and he hurried towards the backyard without stopping. As soon as he arrived at the backyard, the Zu family's sons and the Zhang brothers were already mounting their horses, preparing to head out of the village. In the crowd, Zu Fan only found Zu Ke and hastily asked him for specific news.

  Zu Ke told the situation of A Cheng, A Bao and others. He was puzzled that Zu Fan still rushed over at this time and said: "Earlier, I sent someone to find you and agreed to let you lead people to meet on the official road. Now you come here, aren't you unable to go now?"

  Zu Fan sighed and said, "The young master is so anxious, but he really doesn't know the situation in the county. Yesterday evening, County Magistrate Chen issued a strict order that without the approval of the prefectural government, no one would dare to cross the border easily. The news has already spread, not only can the Wen County Lieutenant not move, but also the more than ten brave men summoned by me cannot be called upon."

  Zu Ke let out an unhappy "hmm" and said sarcastically, "This Chen fellow is indeed a stickler for the rules! Fine, my family doesn't need his help anyway. How many troops can the county government mobilize? They're all just going to stand by and watch."

  Zu Fan heard this, and for a moment he was very embarrassed, his face heavy with concern. He knew that the Zu family was large and powerful, and it wasn't just a matter of needing support from the county government - in times of need, the county government might even have to ask the Zu family for help. But precisely because they were so large and powerful, they should be all the more cautious, lest they attract unwanted attention. Especially this time, with the Zu family making such a big move, deploying all their troops, if there was an investigation afterwards, it would be hard to defend themselves, and it could end in disaster.

  Yesterday, he specially sent someone to remind him of this matter, hoping that the ancestors would cooperate with the county government on this trip, and only then would they have something to say. At this moment, the ancestors had already set out on their journey, and even if he wanted to persuade them again, it would be useless.

  At this time, Zu Ke asked: "If you want to go together, get on the horse. If you are afraid of delaying, then go back by yourself."

  Having said that, he whipped his horse and followed the troops out of the backyard gate.

  Zu Feng let out a deep breath and hesitated for a moment.

  Zu Zhao, Zu Ling, Zu Ji, Zhang Yuan and Han Dang were at the front of the procession, with over a hundred people in front of and behind them, all fully armed. Under the clear winter sun, they looked majestic. As they passed by the nearby villages and farmland, many villagers saw the scene and stopped to stare in amazement. Although every year during the winter season, the county would gather all the strong men from each village and town to prepare for thieves, the scale was not as grand as this, but it was still an uncommon sight. Moreover, with the recent rumors of the horse robbery case spreading everywhere, it was likely related to this matter.

  The team's progress was not fast, and it wasn't until half a time later that they finally arrived at the official road in the east of the county.

  Originally, they had agreed to meet here with Zu Fan, but just now on the way, he heard Zu Ke talk about Zu Fan's affairs. So, Zu Zhao didn't stay long and led his team onto the official road, rushing towards Lingzhi County. It has to be said that Zu Zhao still had some regret for not going together with Zu Fan. Apart from admiring Zu Fan as a person, he also deeply understood that this time, the big movement of the Zu family must have an official identity as cover. Of course, now that things have come to this point, they naturally couldn't stop and turn back.

  Anyway, a chaotic world is coming, and all existing orders and rules will be overthrown.

  But just as they were leaving Dongxian, a voice suddenly came from behind.

  Zu Zhao slowed down, and the team of over 100 people followed suit. He turned his head back to look, only to see five figures chasing after them on the official road behind the team. Before long, as they approached, he could tell at a glance that the leader was none other than Zu Fan.

  Zuozhao reined in his horse and turned its head towards the rear of the team, welcoming them back.

  Zu Fuan and the other four riders quickly caught up with the team, they were not as fully armed as the Zu family brothers or the Zhang family brothers, but were lightly equipped and only carried a long sword.

  "A Fan, why have you come again?"

  "This matter is of great importance, even if it means disobeying orders, I won't hesitate. I just hope to be of some help." Zu Fan said with a serious expression.

  "Alright." Zu Zhao smiled slightly and didn't say much more, leading Zu Fan to catch up with the team.

  On the way to Lingzhi, Zu Zhao told Zu Fan about the pre-arranged encirclement plan because the troops had already been deployed and there was no way for Zu Fan to continue leading a decoy force, so he temporarily merged his troops under Zu Zhao's command.

  The procession gradually deviated from the official road after a short while. The shortcut led by Handang would not pass through any populated areas, and they galloped directly to the forest outside the east suburb of Lingzhi County through the barren plain in the north. During the entire journey, they only made two brief stops, where people and horses drank some water to replenish their energy. When they arrived at the border of Lingzhi County, it was just after noon. In order to meet with Zucheng, Zubao, and others in the county seat, Zu Zhao specially dispatched three sons to go to Xilitun Town in the south, instructing them to rush back to the east to report as soon as they received any news.

  The large group of people continued on for over ten more miles, and in front of them, the shadows of trees gradually appeared.

  Han Dang suggested that Zu Zhao and others divide their troops into four routes here, and agreed to advance together at dusk with the firelight and shouting sounds of the southern route as a signal. The eastern route's suspicious army was led by Zu Ke, because the journey was the farthest, so they set out first. The western route could temporarily stay in this place, starting to collect branches and tie them to the horse's tail. This branch of the suspicious army in the west was originally going to be led by Zu Fan, but it was adjusted during the formation just now, and now it is led by Zu Li. Zu Ling and Zu Zhao, Zu Li, Han Dang and others had a brief discussion again, and then gathered more than 50 people responsible for responding to the southern route, and went south around the outermost wilderness of the forest.

  Zuo Zhao personally led Zuo Ji, Gong Sun Long, Zuo Fan and Han Dang, leading more than 60 ambush troops on the north road, continuing to head north to Gebei.

  On the road, he carefully observed this piece of forest, and at a glance, it was not small. More than 40 thieves were hiding in it, like a needle hidden in the ocean. He couldn't help but worry that even if the thieves finally escaped to the north, with only more than 60 people under his command, he might not be able to guard the entire northern exit. If the ambush circle was set up in the wrong direction, they could only hastily change to a swift pursuit on horseback.

  After hurrying for two quarters of an hour, the road ahead became increasingly desolate, and the forest to the east also became more sparse.

  As Han Dang said, Zhengbei is a vast expanse of wilderness and Gobi Desert, with landforms that are sometimes undulating and sometimes flat.

  Zu Zhao followed Han Dang to change direction, slightly moving eastward. Until they came to a mound, he raised his hand to signal everyone to stop. The sixty or so people behind him slowed down and stopped near the mound, while the thief's hiding place in Shunlin was now located southward.

  "Great Master, if we are to set an ambush, this forest stretches for seven or eight miles, and the bandits can escape from any point. How are we supposed to anticipate their movements?" Zu Fan looked in the direction of the forest, saying with some concern.

  Others who heard this speech nodded their heads and looked around, some of whom shared the same feeling.

  Zu Zhao did not rush to respond to Zu Fan's words, but instead subconsciously glanced at Han Dang. After all, the idea of setting up an ambush in the north was proposed by Han Dang, and as a native of Lingzhou County, he should have known about this. However, at this moment, he found that Han Dang did not say a word, but instead stared at him with a strange gaze.

  He seemed to have some enlightenment in his heart, and in fact, he had been thinking about this problem on the way here. Although it was difficult to predict the escape route of the thieves, it was not impossible to do so. Setting up an ambush requires adapting to local conditions, and this place is both a desert and a hilly area, making the hills behind the best place for concealment, using the horizon to cover their tracks. Moreover, the high position of the hills can also provide an advantage in terms of visibility, and at that time, they can judge the general direction of the thieves' escape based on the firelight of the Zulinglei team from the south.

  Let's take a step back, even if the direction of the thieves' escape is not as predicted, it can be inferred that these thieves are mostly poor people who wouldn't know how to ride horses even if they had stolen more than ten fine horses. On the other hand, all those participating in this encirclement and capture operation are skilled in archery and horse riding, so pursuing them would not be a difficult task at all.

  Considering this, Zu Chao didn't hesitate any longer and said loudly: "Let's set up an ambush here. Everyone move your horses to the back of the hill and hide them well. Aji, go a hundred steps to the left to keep watch on the east; Axing, go a hundred steps to the right to keep watch on the west."

  Not far away, Han Dang heard Zu Zhao's order and a look of appreciation flashed across his face.

  The crowd of young men heard the order and no one had any objections, they all began to move towards the back of the hill.

  After riding for most of the day, many were exhausted and dismounted one after another at the back of the hill. Zu Zhao also arranged a few people to take turns watching the horses, just in case any accidents happened. In order to hurry along the road, no one had lunch, so they took out the dry rations they had prepared earlier and ate them with cold water.

  Zu Zhaung handed over the reins of his horse to a young man from behind the hill, and he, along with Han Dang, Zu Fan, and Gong Sun Long, crouched on top of the hill, intently watching the movements in the direction of the forest. However, at this moment, the forest was quiet and still, with only occasional bird calls echoing out, everything was peaceful and without any unusual signs, to the point where it would even make people wonder if they had come to the wrong place.

  "Ancestor's grandson, is that true? Are the thieves really hiding here?" Gong Sunlong asked while scratching his head.

  Zu Zhao didn't speak, in fact he also didn't have a hundred percent guarantee, this was also why he asked A Cheng and A Bao to go ahead and investigate the reason. However, from the map of Lingzhi County provided by Zu Fan, within a radius of a hundred miles, there was only this forest that could hide for a long time.

  "It's nine out of ten that there won't be any mistake. With Han Mou's understanding of this place, only this wild forest is suitable for hiding. The desolate north of the city is dozens of miles away, not only is it difficult to hide, but it's also hard to replenish supplies. If we head east again for seven or eight more miles, we'll reach He Shang Yi, where there are people and smoke, so the bandits wouldn't dare go that way?" Han Dang said with a very affirmative tone at this time.