Chapter 46, Tian Yu and Tian Xian

  The clouds are light and the wind is gentle, but the sky's color gradually darkens. The whistling north wind is like a hidden assassin with a knife blade.

  Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the west, and Ah Xing, who was responsible for monitoring from a hundred steps away, hurried back, startling the crowd of younger brothers who were resting behind the hill. Everyone's spirits lifted, and they raised their weapons. Ah Xing climbed up the hill to find Zu Zhao, Zu Fan, and others, pointing in the direction of the west while speaking with some urgency:

  "Big brother, people have come from the west. Many of them."

  Zu Zhao and others heard this, all of them had a few points of astonishment. The west was exactly the direction they came from, Zu Lie and more than ten other young men of the Zu family were lurking there, how could they easily let people come over at this time? Zu Zhao stood up straight and walked towards the west for a while, standing on the slope of the hillside, looking out, only to see the silhouette of a dozen or so knights rushing from the end of the forest in the distance, with rolling dust flying behind them, showing a somewhat urgent momentum.

  "Who are they?" Gong Sunlong said with one hand on his sword and a frown.

  "It seems like everyone is armed." Zu Fan narrowed his eyes and looked around for a while before saying this in an unexpectedly calm tone.

  If they were carrying regular army swords, then they obviously weren't bandits.

  "Look quickly, isn't that Zhao San Ge." The approaching figure was getting closer and closer, Zu Xing suddenly pointed at the leader and shouted loudly.

  As soon as this was said, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Zhao San Ge is also a fellow villager and originally followed Zǔ Lì's western route team, but somehow he appeared here now. Moreover, the western route team had at most just over ten people, yet now there were more than ten people who appeared, even more than the western route team, where did they come from?

  Before long, the knights were getting closer and closer. Zu Chao quickly recognized that the leader was indeed Zhao San, while the others following behind him were mostly men wearing dark clothes. Among them, there were also a few who were dressed in ordinary attire, carrying swords and bows, either possibly being "guests" under someone's roof or possibly being hunters.

  "Huh? How can there be an official difference?" Zu Fan, who held a government position, recognized the identity of those men in blue robes at a glance.

  "Could it be Wen Xianwei and his men arriving?" Zu Xing couldn't help but ask.

  "It's impossible, I've already discussed it with Lord Wen earlier. In order to conceal our tracks, we won't be wearing official robes." Zu Fan shook his head and said.

  "Who could it be?" Gong Sunlong wondered in puzzlement.

  "It seems to be a yamen runner from the county government." Han Dang said calmly.

  "How could this be?" Gong Sunlong exclaimed in surprise. Everyone knew that Han Dang was currently wanted by the authorities of Zhishui County, and they all became worried.

  "No harm, if I were the kind of person to surrender easily, I wouldn't be with you all today." Han Dang said with a nonchalant expression, a hint of a smile on his lips, but his eyes were extremely sharp.

  "Brother Han, don't be impatient," Zu Zhao said calmly, "I will keep my promise to you and not go back on my word. However, I'm sure these people are not here for Brother Han."

  "How can you be so sure?" Gong Sunlong asked.

  Zu Zhao didn't say much more, although Zu Lie didn't know Han Dang's identity, but with his analytical mind, he should have understood the importance of distinguishing between light and heavy, urgent and slow. At this moment, everyone was fully armed and gathered here, and within one or two hours, they would formally begin their action. How could they afford to lose sight of the big picture because of a small matter? Moreover, yesterday Xu Wuxian County had sent an official document announcing the news of the horse robbery case, and Lingzhixian County was already aware of this matter. At this moment, these officials saw the fully armed Zu family sons, and they should have known what was going on. Even if we take a step back, how would Lingzhixian County know that Han Dang was here?

  Before long, Zhao San and the livery-clad knights approached. Upon seeing the Zou family members on the hill, they immediately slowed down their horses.

  Arriving at the foot of the hill, Zhao San was the first to dismount and rushed over to Zu Chao and the others in a few strides.

  Before Zhao San could speak, Zu Fan asked hastily: "How did you come? Are they people from Lingzhi County?"

  Zhao San nodded while hastily saying: "That's right, these few are all the bailiffs of Ling County. Young Master, something has happened, the situation has changed, A Cheng and the others..." He couldn't catch his breath to continue speaking.

  At this time, several officials wearing official robes also dismounted their horses and walked over under the leadership of a leader.

  That leader was no longer in his 'confused' years, with a slender figure, although he was dressed as a martial artist, but it was difficult to hide the temperament of a scholar. Taking advantage of Zhao San's pause, he walked up with big strides, bowed and saluted Zuo Zhao and others, saying: "I am Tian Xian, the Gong Cao of Ling County. I have come here specially at the order of the county magistrate, may I ask which one is Grandson Zuo?"

  Zu Zhao took a step forward and bowed, saying: "I am Zu Zhao. I don't know why Sir Tian has come?"

  Tian Xun carefully observed Zuo Zhao for a while, then said in a calm tone: "Yesterday, our county received an official document from County Magistrate Chen. This matter is of great importance and cannot be handled rashly. Since yesterday, we have been taking precautions. We had planned to meet with County Magistrate Chen first and then discuss the details, but unexpectedly, something unexpected happened at noon today. Several young men from your estate were injured while escaping to Dongji Market, one of whom was seriously injured and unfortunately died. After receiving the report, we immediately went to provide assistance."

  Everyone's face changed color upon hearing this.

  The "several sons" mentioned by Tian Xiong are obviously Zucheng, Zubao and Zuzhong.

  Early in the morning, I heard that Zu Cheng and others had gone to investigate the enemy's situation at night, which had already caused people to worry. Unexpectedly, the worrying thing came true, and they were indeed ambushed by the thieves. Thinking of the horse robbery case, many people have died, and now another young man unfortunately 'died unjustly'. All the people present could not help but clench their fists and sigh, feeling deeply grieved.

  Gongsun Long looked at Zu Zhao, and suddenly found that at this time, Zu Zhao could still remain calm. Except for frowning, there was no 'wave' on his face. He just wanted to say something, but the words reached the edge of his mouth, and he was interrupted by Tian Xian.

  After a pause, Tian Xuan continued: "Please rest assured, the other injured people have been properly settled and there is no danger to their lives. In addition, several of the injured people specifically told us about the bandits' situation, saying that the bandits are indeed hiding in the forest, but there are many people, with nearly half of them being riders, far more than the forty or so people we previously investigated."

  "What?"

  On the side, Zhang Yu couldn't help but burst into a loud scolding: "Could it be that this King Zheng is intentionally deceiving me? Hmph, after I return, I will definitely have this villain cut into a thousand pieces and sliced into ten thousand strips. Such a treacherous villain, death is not enough to atone for his crimes."

  Han Dang, Zhang Yuan and others all had varying degrees of 'color' changes. They did not expect that this trip would have many uncertain accidents, including the specific number of thieves. Naturally, they would not easily believe Wang Zheng's one-sided words. But even with such thoughts, they never expected that the actual situation would be so wrong. Not only was the number of thieves far more than 40 people, but there were also half of them on horseback!

  His eyebrows furrowed even deeper, and although he couldn't determine the situation yet, he could believe that Wang Zheng wasn't lying. With Wang Zheng's current circumstances, lying wouldn't bring him any benefits, and Wang Zheng was absolutely not a "devoted" guardian who would make self-sacrifices for the sake of "preserving the overall situation". The only thing he could infer was that within these two days, another wave of bandits had appeared.

  But why are there so many riders? If they were indeed riders, it would obviously also mean that these thieves are not ordinary, and what would their real actions be?

  Zu Feng strongly supported a breath and asked Tian Xian: "How many bandits are there?"

  Tian Xuan let out a sigh and said: "According to them, there were at least sixty or seventy people, and possibly over a hundred."

  Among the crowd, a wave of private discussions immediately arose, and the number of thieves suddenly doubled. This is not a good omen. The ancestors' family members and Anyang Pavilion's wandering sons who came to surround and annihilate the thieves this time totaled only over 130 people. Although their weapons and equipment were excellent, in order to avoid searching for needles in the ocean and dividing into four parts, the smallest suspicious army had only a dozen or so people. If the thieves saw through the suspicious army's plan, or if they collided head-on with any of the teams, the outcome would be immediately clear.

  What I fear is that this time we won't be able to eliminate the bandits and instead will suffer a counterattack from them.

  Tian Xuan immediately said, "Before I came to receive the order, it was hoped that Zǔ Gōngzi could quickly pass on the message and gather the righteous scholars of your village to temporarily retreat to the county city. Wait until you and I discuss countermeasures in both counties, deploy troops, and then capture the bandits once and for all."

  Zhang Yuan, Han Dang, Zu Fan and others all cast their eyes on Zu Zhao, waiting for Zu Zhao to respond.

  Zu Zhao was silent for a moment, then turned to Tian Xian and asked: "The thieves have been alarmed and should retreat as soon as possible. But when we arrived here this afternoon, we didn't encounter any suspicious people. It's not hard to imagine that the thieves are still hiding in there at this time. If they're so reckless, either they're desperate or they have other plans."

  Zu Fan and Zhang Yuan stared at each other in dismay for a while before they suddenly came to their senses.

  The forest is vast, and the bandits only attacked Zu Cheng, Zu Bao and others at noon. Even if they retreat, it will take some time to travel, after all, half of the bandits have no horses.

  If so, when the thieves fled north, Zu Zhao's team had just arrived, and they would certainly see the tail of the thieves' large army on the barren plain; to the east is the official road, which is easy to attract attention; to the south, within thirty miles, is Lingzhixian County, and the thieves will not choose this route even if they are foolish; to the west is even more impossible, and they would directly collide head-on with Zu's large army.

  Tian Xuan narrowed his eyes, although he didn't care about Zu Zhao's previous words, but he realized the importance of the other party's last sentence. The thief had already startled the snake, but still didn't hurry to escape, which was indeed not a simple matter. After a moment of contemplation, he said: "Zu Gongzi, I understand your meaning, however, even so, now that the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, it's not suitable to make rash moves. In my opinion, we should still deliberate carefully before making a decision."

  Zhu Fan also chimed in, "Young Master, the number of bandits is unclear and our plan has changed. It's better to retreat first."

  Zu Zhaowu will not be self-willed, but if he withdraws now, it is uncertain whether the thieves hiding in the forest will take advantage of the situation to escape. He has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and cannot afford any mistakes.

  As he looked in the direction of the forest, another idea suddenly floated into his mind. After a moment's thought, he immediately said with a resolute tone: "We can temporarily not enter the forest, but we must surround it on all sides. The bandits may not escape now, but that doesn't mean they won't escape tonight. Even if the thieves try to hold out in the forest, we can design a plan to force them to flee. This time I came here, I must avenge my clan's unfortunate death and not let one thief go."

  Upon hearing Zushao's arrangement, the crowd could finally breathe a sigh of relief. They were only worried that the young master would get hot-headed and insist on his original plan, which might lead to even greater losses. As soon as revenge was mentioned, all the Zushao family members present felt a surge of bloodlust and agreed with the young master's decision to lay siege to the enemy. When the bandits appeared, from darkness to light, everyone still had confidence in facing them head-on. Would the Zushao family descendants be afraid of a mob? Even if it meant fighting one against ten, they wouldn't mind.

  Tian Xuan was somewhat surprised that Zu Chao, who showed no fear at all, made such a quick decision. He had heard of Zu Chao's reputation before, but he thought that the other party was only sixteen years old, how could he have such a calm and composed demeanor?

  He fell silent for a moment, then burst out laughing and bowed to Zu Chao again: "I've long heard that the great young master Zu's bold words 'If only the flying general of Longcheng were here, I would not let the barbarian horses cross the Yin Mountains' were truly impressive. Today, I have the pleasure of meeting you, and indeed, your reputation precedes you. Tian is deeply impressed."

  Zu Zhao remained calm and composed, still humble and courteous, saying: "Governor Tian is overpraising me, I am ashamed and dare not accept it."

  Tian Xuan nodded slowly and said in a low voice, "To be honest, before I left the city, someone had already told me that you, Zǔ Gōngzǐ, would not easily withdraw. Since this is the case, I can only hurry back to the county town first, report this matter to County Magistrate Dàxiān, and urge him to quickly request reinforcements from the official army at Lúlóng Sài. Before the reinforcements arrive, please be more careful, Zǔ Gōngzǐ."

  Zu Zhao was taken aback, he hadn't expected Tian Xian's attitude to change so quickly, and even more unexpected was that there were still people in the county who could predict his actions. He bowed again to Tian Xian and asked: "I wonder who told you, sir, that you can anticipate things like a god?"

  Tian Xuan smiled and said, "It's embarrassing to say this, but the one who said this is actually my nephew Tian. It's not that I'm deceiving you, but my nephew lives in Yu Yang, and since he was young, he has been clever and quick-witted, and everyone in the village knows his name. Because the end of the year is approaching, my nephew's whole family came to my house from Yu Yang to celebrate the holiday. Although he is only thirteen years old, he has exceptional talent, and after hearing only one sentence of 'Dragon City Flying General' from his ancestor, he was able to infer his ancestor's personality on his own. That's why he told me before he left just now. I originally thought it was just a joke, but unexpectedly, it really came true."

  Not only did Zu Chao feel that this matter was strange, but the people around him also thought it was a strange thing, and suddenly they were interested.

  Zu Chao's expression didn't change as he said, "Is that so? Such a rare talent actually exists?"

  Tian Xuan continued, "The words spoken by my nephew can be summed up in two sentences: 'But the dragon city flying general, do not teach the barbarian horse to cross the Yin mountain.' The person who uttered these heroic words is either a proud and arrogant individual or someone with an unyielding and extraordinary will. In either case, they would never easily forgive this evil bandit who robbed and killed, nor would they easily retreat."

  As for this explanation, Zu Zhao really had nothing to say. Fortunately, the other party gave two completely different evaluations, and did not put himself in a derogatory position.

  With a calm smile, he turned and asked: "May I ask this young brother's name?"

  Tian Xuan said: "My nephew's name is Yu."

  Zu Zhao's face changed slightly, combined with Tian Xian's previous introduction to this nephew's origin and age, it can be inferred that the other party is indeed the famous general of the Three Kingdoms period, Tian Yu. Tian Yu followed Liu Bei at a young age, but not for long, yet he left Liu Bei with the evaluation "I regret that I couldn't work with you", which shows that he was indeed a teenage prodigy.

  With a nod and a smile, he said: "If there's an opportunity, I'd really like to meet this young brother."

  Tian Xuan saw Zu Zhao's calm and composed demeanor from start to finish, and he couldn't help but admire him even more. With such a magnanimous attitude, it was clear that the other party was not an arrogant person. So, he also didn't beat around the bush and replied straightforwardly: "Very good, it's rare for Master Zu to give me face. Another day, when I have some free time, I'll make sure to visit you in the county town."

  After agreeing, Zu Zhao again asked Tian Xian to provide some logistical support in the name of the local county government. This time, Zu's family only brought half a day's worth of dry rations, and it was very cold at night, so they had to solve the basic living problems. Tian Xian agreed, saying that he would arrange for civilians to send dry rations and water soon, and promised that this matter would not be delayed for too long, knowing the bandits' whereabouts, and at the latest, action could be taken in two days.

  The handover is complete, Tian Xian prepares to leave, but then turns back after just a few steps.

  Zu Zhao asked: "Is there anything else, Lord Tian?"

  Tian Xuan's face showed a hint of hesitation, and he said: "I almost forgot, the wounded hero at your manor asked me to tell you, Young Master, that the arrow that killed Ah Zhong was a black arrow."

  Everyone around heard this and showed a stern expression.

  Zu Zhao's face showed a somber expression, he didn't reveal too much emotion, after a slight sigh, he said to Tian Xuan: "Thanks for your trouble, Lord Tian."

  After Tian Xuan left with the county government's capture officer, Zu Zhao did not rush to arrange for his sons to go and inform other troops.

  He turned around and asked Han Dang first: "Brother Han, did you know that Tian Gong Cao just now?"

  Han thought for a moment and said, "I don't know him, this Tian Gong Cao must have taken office not long ago. However, I did hear about his reputation some time ago, he is a man of integrity and principle."

  Zu Zhao nodded, and with that, he felt at ease knowing that Tian Xian would definitely fulfill his promise, not only ensuring the logistical support for the Zu family's children but also expediting the county government to dispatch troops.

  At this time, Zu Fan was slightly anxious and urged forward: "Young Master, why not immediately send someone to inform the other troops? The sky is getting dark and the road is far away. I'm afraid the south side doesn't know about the change in situation yet."

  Zu Zhao remained calm and composed, saying: "I am certain that there will be a thick fog tonight in this area, which is heaven's assistance to us. Why not take advantage of the situation and let Xi Lu's people and Dong Lu's people rush to this place to join forces with us? Then we can coordinate with Ling Shu from the south and create a commotion and firelight outside the forest."

  Everyone had just heard Zu Chao say that he would force the bandits to flee, but they didn't expect him to start acting immediately.

  Zufan said with concern: "Young master, this is somewhat too arrogant."

  Han said after a moment of contemplation: "If there really is a thick fog, perhaps it can be done."

  Everyone's eyes fell on Zu Chao again, before this, no one knew that Zu Chao would understand the art of astrology, as it is said "the heavens have unpredictable winds and clouds", those who can predict the weather are almost like having a magical skill that communicates with heaven.

  Tian Yu (171-252), courtesy name Guo Rang, was a native of Yuyang, Youzhou (now northeast of Wuqing District, Tianjin). He was a general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. Initially, he followed Liu Bei, but returned to his hometown due to his mother's old age. Later, he followed Gongsun Zan, and after Gongsun Zan's defeat, he persuaded Xianyu Fu to surrender to Cao Cao. When Cao Cao conquered Hebei, Tian Yu was formally appointed by Cao Cao and served as the Administrator of Yingyin, Langling, and Yiyang, among other positions. Later, Tian Yu often guarded the northern border of Cao Wei, and participated in battles against the Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Qiang tribes, achieving many merits; he also participated in battles against Sun Wu, killing Zhou He at Chengshan and defeating Sun Quan at Xincheng. He was promoted to Taizhong Dafu and enfeoffed as Marquis of Changle Ting. He had one son, Tian Pengzu.

  Sorry about missing a chapter yesterday!