Chapter 4: Striking Down the Enemy

  "Ah, I see!" The county lieutenant nodded and smiled: "I was wondering how the leader of the thieves could be shot so easily. It turns out that it was just an ordinary thief who was accidentally shot by you, and the others were frightened and ran away in the night because they couldn't distinguish between reality and illusion. This explanation makes sense!" The county lieutenant originally wanted to take credit for himself, but if the leader of the thieves had already been shot dead by Yue Fei's arrow, then even if he captured all the thieves, his merit would be limited. It was better to insist that the person who was shot was just an ordinary thief.

  "This, this——" Hearing Zhu Zhi say so, Yue Fei also didn't know how to defend himself for a while. The bandits weren't an army, they had no flags or uniforms, and it was impossible to identify the leader through these means. Last night, he hadn't captured any prisoners to identify the corpses either. This was simply a headless account. He wasn't someone who was good with words, and for a while, he could only remain silent.

  "Little brother can shoot and kill thieves at night, his archery skills must be exceptional. I wonder how much strength he uses in his bow every day?" The county lieutenant looked at Yue Fei's thick hands and feet, as well as his broad chest and back, and the more he looked, the more he liked him. No matter what, being able to shoot and kill thieves dozens of steps away at night was no easy feat. His opponent looked like just a sixteen or seventeen year old youth, but with time, he would become an extraordinary figure!

  "The little man can open a bow of three hundred jin, and usually uses a one-and-a-half-stone bow."

  "What?" The county lieutenant could hardly believe his ears, he looked up and down at the Yue Fei in front of him, and laughed: "Haha, this is not a joke. Alright, you go to the outer room and greet the archers from various villages, as soon as there's news, we'll set off immediately!"

  The county lieutenant's promise of "eat as you like, with wine and meat, and 50 cents for each person" was very effective. By the hour of Wei (around 2 pm), more than 300 people had gathered in the courtyard of the county lieutenant's office, all of whom were archers and thieves from the suburbs of Anyang County. They were eating, drinking, and receiving rewards, making a loud noise and crowding together. Several people even brought horses and mules with them. Zhang Tiejiang also sent over some military equipment that had been repaired, including more than 20 long guns, over 30 wooden knives, 4 or 5 iron helmets, and 10 or more bows from the county arsenal, as well as 4 or 5 quivers of arrows. It looked like they were ready for battle, with a very impressive appearance.

  Everyone in the courtyard was eating and making merry, when suddenly a horseshoe sound came from outside, followed by a big sweaty man rushing in, running while shouting loudly: "General, General (a title for low-ranking military officers in Northern Song Dynasty), the bandits have been found, they've been found!"

  The county lieutenant, who was having a feast with several close friends on the hall, heard the joyful news and jumped up to welcome them. He hastily asked: "Where are the bandits? How many men and horses do they have?"

  "In Gaoping Village, about thirty miles from here, just follow the Qianjin Canal. I heard from villagers who escaped that there were fifty or sixty people, four or five horses, and many ox carts and mules, as well as forty or fifty laborers to help them transport their stolen goods. It looks like they made a pretty penny!" The man's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he spoke.

  Zhu Zhi didn't say a word, he was a native of Anyang and was very familiar with the local geography. The Gaoping Village mentioned by that man is located about twenty miles west of Anyang City. During the Tang Dynasty's Xianheng period, Li Jing, the governor of Xiangzhou, built an embankment here to divert the water from Anyang River eastward to irrigate the fields and fill the Guangrun Pond. In the Northern Song Dynasty's Yuanfeng period, Han Qi, who governed Xiangzhou again, dredged this canal and renamed it Qianjin Canal. The water flows around the north of Anyang City, branching into the city to provide irrigation. Along this Qianjin Canal, the road is flat and easy to follow, without worrying about getting lost, and there's no need to carry food or heavy loads, so they can advance lightly, and it's only a two- or three-hour journey.

  "Marshal, let's send out the troops!" The man couldn't bear to wait any longer and urged: "We have more than 300 people now, which means about five of us against one of them. We're sure to win! If we delay, we'll have to wait until tomorrow, but who knows what changes will happen by then?" He lowered his voice and leaned in close, whispering: "The ruts on the road are quite deep, from what I've seen, those bandits must have stolen a lot of goods!"

  Finally, these words moved Zhu Zhi. Why did the Han family rush to catch those thieves in such a hurry this morning? Was it really just for revenge? Everyone knows that the Han family of Anyang is one of the top families in Xiangzhou. The annual rent they collect from Anyang alone amounts to tens of thousands of stones. This group of bandits had just robbed Hu Jin Tang, and their pockets were certainly not short of money. If he caught them himself, the merit would be his, but this windfall alone might be enough for him to resign and return home immediately!

  As soon as he thought of this, Zhu Zhi's chest suddenly had a spark of fire, and the people were uncomfortable. He quickly walked to the front hall, shouting loudly: "Everyone stop eating, pack up your things, we have news of thieves, let's set off immediately!"

  Many people in the courtyard had just started eating and were excited to hear Zhu Zhi say that they were about to set off. They all complained loudly, saying that they hadn't eaten enough yet; some said they had just arrived and their horses were still very tired, wanting to rest for a while. The county lieutenant also knew that he couldn't use force at this time, so he waved his arm and laughed loudly: "You blind people, the wine and meat won't run away by themselves! We can eat after we kill the bandits. I'll set a reward here first - 500 coins for each person who goes to attack the bandits, 5 guan for beheading one bandit, and 100 guan for beheading the bandit leader. When you return, I'll slaughter ten sheep and open ten jars of good wine, and we'll have a hearty feast!"

  When the county lieutenant announced this generous reward, the crowd in the court couldn't help but cheer in unison. Their earlier complaints had vanished into thin air. Everyone quickly gathered their military equipment and luggage, preparing to set off.

  "Marshal, I have something to say!"

  The man who spoke was a sturdy fellow of thirty-six or seven, wearing a sheepskin coat with a glossy surface, although it had just passed the wheat harvest season. His hair was disheveled and tied up with a thin branch, his nose was high and deep-set, and his eyes were dark brown. He held a bone-tipped spear in his hand, wore a leather belt around his waist, and carried a leather pouch. On his feet were a pair of hemp shoes without earflaps. Behind him stood three men who looked similar to him, holding the reins of an unclipped horse. When Zhu Zhi saw the man clearly, he couldn't help but frown. It turned out that the speaker's name was Liu Sheng, and his family was quite prominent in the village. People called him Liu Dabu (Big Liu). His father, Liu Jia, was a client of the Guo family from the Song Dynasty, who did not have any land. The Liu family was poor and couldn't afford to marry off their daughter, so when Liu Jia was over thirty years old, he went on a trip to the north and brought back a Khitan woman as his wife. They had five sons, all of whom were rough and violent, and from a young age, they roamed the countryside unchecked, making a living by pulling carts, fighting, and selling tea leaves and livestock. Liu Sheng was also someone who often gave Zhu Zhi headaches, and he didn't expect him to show up today.

  "It turned out to be Liu Dajun from Guocun!" Zhu Zhi forced a smile on his face, cupped his hands and said: "With such a good fellow like you, those thieves will certainly not escape. What's the matter, is there any instruction?"

  Liu Sheng waved his hand and responded in a loud voice, "It's not that I'm giving orders, it's just that when I received the news today, I was having wine with Xue Erge. He said he had to go back and report to his father first before coming, but I couldn't wait, so I came ahead of him. Zhu Taiwei, if we're talking about military strategy, no one in Anyang County can compare to Mr. Xue. Why not wait another two hours until the people from the Xue family arrive, and then make a decision?"

  "Not bad!"

  "What Liu Da said is reasonable!"

  As soon as Liu Sheng's voice fell, it immediately triggered a burst of approval from the crowd, and it was clear that his "Xue Zhangren" had a great reputation in the minds of the people. However, Zhu Zhi's face flashed with a hint of anger, and he secretly seethed with rage. It turned out that this Xue Zhangren was a powerful figure in Anyang, and the Xue family was not a local surname, but rather one that had migrated from Hedong during the Artistic Ancestor period. In Anyang, they were considered a small surname, and there were over 100 households in the village with the same surname as theirs. But under Xue Zhangren's leadership, they were extremely united, and it was even more so that the local big surnames in nearby villages couldn't lift their heads. They had done a lot of illegal business, such as smuggling private tea, livestock, and salt, which naturally wouldn't have earned Zhu Zhi's favor. However, this wasn't the time to lose his temper, so Zhu Zhi suppressed his anger and said in a low voice, "Liu, your words are ridiculous. When will the Xue family arrive? Do we not catch thieves just because they're not here? We have over 300 people, and even if we fight, we'll definitely win. Those stolen goods will still belong to everyone."

  "Master Zhu, you can't say that! Charging into battle isn't like a village brawl over water rights, where hundreds of farmers grab their hoes and charge forward in a mob. Whoever has more people wins? No discipline, no control - having more men is useless! To be blunt, even if your head were to roll off, not even you, Master Zhu, could put it back on!"

  Zhu Zhi's words caused everyone to doubt, and Zhu Zhi saw the situation, his heart couldn't help but secretly annoy him. However, at this critical moment, it wasn't the time to show off his official power. He gritted his teeth, pulled Yue Fei over from beside him, and shouted loudly: "Everyone, the bandit leader Zhang Chao was shot dead by General Yue Fei's younger brother last night! Now there is no leader among the thieves, just a group of mobs who will flee at the sight of us. It's already late, if we drag on any longer it will be dark, and who knows where those thieves will run to? The heavy copper coins and fabrics are already laid out over there, go or not, it's up to you!" He shouted loudly to everyone: "Good men follow me to catch the thieves, come back and kill a sheep to open wine and drink to your heart's content, bring back flowers and red envelopes as rewards for your family!" At this time, he was anxious to lead everyone to catch the thieves and didn't care about revealing that Zhang Chao had already died.

  It was said that the notorious bandit leader Zhang Chao had been killed, and everyone was overjoyed. Thinking of the generous reward money and the loot in the bandits' hands, the archers shouted: "Let's follow General Ta to catch the thieves!" Several impatient ones had already jumped onto their horses and were ready to set off. Zhu Zhi still had a few moments of clarity and shouted loudly: "Everyone, don't be in a hurry! The bandits won't get away, each person bring some rice balls as dry rations for the road!"

  The crowd hastily wrapped rice balls in lotus leaves and rushed out. A man beside Liu Sheng asked, "Brother, shall we follow them?"

  Liu Sheng rubbed his head, gritted his teeth and said: "Let's go too, why should we be left out!" As he spoke, he grabbed the brother who was about to leave and whispered: "We shouldn't rush to the front, if things don't look right, let's retreat. With this chaotic situation, it might be over!"