Chapter 4, Robbed by Bandits

The tension among the crowd eased slightly, and Zhang Chu quickly instructed everyone to light torches and search for food. They dispersed to look for supplies, and soon He Jin ran back, unable to contain his excitement, shouting loudly to everyone: "Food, food, so much food!" The others followed him to a nearby courtyard, and indeed, they discovered a large pile of food stored there, estimating it to be around four to five thousand pounds. It appeared that the bandits had killed the villagers and gathered the food here. They found a large pile of food stored in the courtyard, estimating it to be around four to five thousand pounds. It seemed that the bandits had killed the villagers and concentrated the food here.

Zhang Chu had no time to care about the life or death of the thief and chased after the innermost thief with a knife. In such a short time, the thief had already jumped up from the kang and crashed towards the window. The window shattered instantly, and the thief, along with the shards of glass, flew out. However, what frustrated the thief was that what awaited him outside was a knife. It turned out that Wu the carpenter remembered Zhang Chu's earlier words to guard the window and to use the knife if anyone tried to escape through it. When Wu heard the sound of the window breaking, he mustered his courage, closed his eyes, and swung the knife forcefully towards the direction of the window. The knife struck just as the thief jumped out, landing a blow right on the thief's head. Startled, Wu let go of the knife and crouched down, covering his head. The thief, with the knife embedded in his head, stumbled forward several steps before collapsing to the ground, motionless. At that moment, Zhang Chu and the others also rushed out from the side room.

Zhang Chu said loudly to everyone: "Look, if we do not take risks, what will be in the pot in a few days will be us"

He gazed silently at the human flesh in the pot for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth in agreement with Zhang Chu's suggestion

Zhang Chu, seeing this, shouted sternly: "Thrust!" Three long spears brushed past Zhang Chu's side and thrust forward, immediately piercing the bodies of the bandits

Zhang Chu handed the long spear to He Jin and the two sons of Yang the blacksmith, then taught them a simple thrusting movement, insisting that they must cooperate with each other. After that, the three of them took the long spear to the side to practice.

The sky has already darkened. Zhang Chu first found a secluded spot outside the village for everyone to stop and rest. The group, each holding their weapons, leaned against one another in silence. Although they could not fall asleep immediately, they were all enduring it, conserving their energy for the impending battle. Meanwhile, Zhang Chu was preoccupied with where everyone would go after this task was completed.

Wu Mujiang, being a local, is quite familiar with the surrounding environment. As he walks, he introduces Zhang Chu to the situation of the bandits' lair. The main river in Yan Chang County is the Yan River, with many tributaries flowing from various valleys, ultimately converging into the Yan River. In the valley where Chaoyang Village is located, there is a small tributary of the Yan River, which flows out from the deep mountains, passes through the basin where the village is situated, and then flows out through the mountain pass. Despite years of drought, the fields in the village still yield some harvest due to the presence of the river, allowing the villagers to survive. However, it is precisely because of the food that this small village attracted the attention of the bandits. The entire village was slaughtered by the gang of bandits known as Ban Bian Yun.

Upon arriving outside the courtyard and observing, there were no thieves on watch. The group climbed over the wall and jumped into the courtyard. Zhang Chu had learned from the interrogated thief that there were four thieves residing in the east wing of the courtyard, while one of the second-in-command was staying in the main house. Zhang Chu decided to deal with the thieves in the wing first

"To hell with it, being killed is better than being starved and cooked by someone!" shouted Yang Biao, the eldest son of blacksmith Yang, excitedly

As they spoke and walked, the crowd gradually approached the mountain pass. Cautiously observing, they discovered that the bandits had not stationed anyone at the mountain pass. Zhang Chu quickly led the group across this stretch of hillside. After crossing the hillside, the view suddenly opened up; within the valley was a fairly large basin, with a stream flowing through it. On both sides of the stream were vast fields, and near the foot of the mountain were some houses. This was Chaoyang Tun. From previous interrogations, it was known that the bandits were in the relatively well-built walled courtyard at the village entrance.

Fortunately, the thief did not escape thanks to the desperate throw made by the person wielding the spear just now. Previously, Zhang Chu was aware of everyone's limited combat abilities, which is why he devised such a high-stakes strategy, and unexpectedly, it truly proved effective

Zhang Chu urged everyone to quickly retrieve their weapons, and then conducted a thorough search of each room, feeling relieved only after finding no other thieves.

When the thief became still, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, with a loud bang, something crashed against the window of the main room. Everyone realized that the second-in-command of the thieves was still inside the main room, and they rushed to the window, surrounding it, but did not see anyone emerge.

Zhang Chu observed the expressions of everyone, silently walked to the grass shed in the courtyard, and lifted the pot from the stove, bringing it in front of the crowd. The meat residue in the pot still emitted a strange aroma, yet everyone turned their faces away.

As one approaches the entrance of the valley, the terrain gradually rises. Towering peaks on both sides flank a river and the path leading into the mountains. The path into the mountains is located on the right side of the river, while the left side has long been carved into a deep ravine by the river's erosion. The road on the right can accommodate a large vehicle, and although it has a certain gradient making it somewhat difficult to traverse, it is the only route out of the valley, which the villagers can use to enter and exit. Years of passage have created two deep ruts in the center of the road. Furthermore, as the road continues to ascend, if a gate were to be constructed at the highest point of the slope, it would be very difficult for outsiders to breach it. No wonder the Half Cloud chose this valley as its stronghold.

"There are large vehicles, we can transport the grain with them," Yang Biao exclaimed happily

Zhang Chu saw that everyone agreed and immediately instructed them to prepare separately. Yang the blacksmith and his son found some iron materials to forge three short iron rods with pointed tips, which they then bound to three wooden sticks, each over one person in length, creating three simple long spears

Zhang Chu instructed the others to help him transport the stolen goods to a concealed location outside the village, telling the two young women and the child to hide there. He left most of the provisions with them, instructing them to wait there until the provisions were finished. If no one came to fetch them after the provisions were gone, they were to escape on their own.

In the dim light, Zhang Chu was able to see the situation inside the room. Four thieves were soundly asleep on the heated kang, their heads facing outward, with the sound of snoring filling the air. Zhang Chu gestured for the three people behind him to get ready. He himself quietly approached the thieves on the kang with a knife in hand. The thieves were still in deep slumber, presenting Zhang Chu with a rare opportunity. He aimed at the neck of the thief on the far left and swiftly slashed, instantly severing the thief's throat. The thief did not even make a sound before dying. Zhang Chu, suppressing the discomfort he felt after killing, moved on to the second thief, slashing at his neck as well. As the second thief's throat was cut, a spray of blood erupted from the wound, splattering all over Zhang Chu's face and also hitting the nearby thief. The nearby thief woke up in shock, and upon seeing someone standing before him with a knife, he immediately screamed and jumped up.

When Zhang Chu shared his thoughts with everyone, they were all taken aback, unable to comprehend the idea at first. Thieves and bandits typically rob others; it is illogical to rob bandits.

Zhang Chu took out the prepared soybean oil from his body, imitating the scenes he had seen in movies before, and poured the oil onto the door hinge. Then, he gently nudged the door bolt with the tip of his knife. The bolt moved, and with a soft sound, it was disengaged. The door was silently pushed open, and Zhang Chu led the way as he quietly entered the room

As the crowd was filled with confusion, the door of the main room opened silently, and a dark figure swiftly jumped out from within, rushing towards the courtyard wall. The shadow grasped the top of the wall and began to climb up. At that moment, three long spears, treated as javelins, were thrown at the shadow; two missed their target, but one struck the shadow's leg, causing it to fall from the top of the wall to the ground. Behind, Zhang Chu had already chased to the foot of the wall and struck the back of the man's neck with his knife. The man fell to the ground without uttering a sound, dead. At that moment, three long spears, treated as javelins, were thrown at the shadow; two missed their target, but one struck the shadow's leg, causing it to fall from the top of the wall to the ground. Behind, Zhang Chu had already chased to the foot of the wall and struck the back of the man's neck with his knife. The man fell to the ground without uttering a sound, dead.

Time passed little by little, and Zhang Chu estimated that it was probably the latter half of the night. He woke everyone up and reiterated their respective tasks and action plans, and together they stealthily approached the courtyard where the thieves were located

Upon hearing the sound, everyone looked over and indeed saw four or five large carts parked there. Everyone immediately joyfully went to pull the carts.

According to the previous plan, Yang the blacksmith and Wu the carpenter stood with knives at the windows and the entrance of the compartment, while the remaining three, including He Jin, each held long guns and followed behind Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu approached the door of the compartment with a knife, gently pushed the door panel with his hand, but the door did not move, indicating that it was secured from the inside

After all preparations were in place, Zhang Chu and his party of six set off into the mountains

We should quickly leave with the grain, as the more than twenty thieves who went out to steal are about to return. Everyone hurriedly began to move the grain.

Zhang Chu looked at the large vehicle but did not move, then suddenly said to everyone: "We are not leaving."