Chapter 3, Eating Human Flesh

He Jin no longer said anything

Zhang Chu looked at the group of men, women, and children, feeling quite troubled. Life had become as insignificant as grass; if food was not found soon, these people might collapse by the roadside from hunger, or even become food for others. It would be better for everyone to walk together and find a solution.

It turned out that this group of bandits was formed by refugees who had come together to escape famine. Their numbers were not large, only about thirty people, and the leader of the bandits was called Bantianyun. Due to their small numbers, they could not attack large villages and could only target smaller ones. A few days ago, they had just found a place to settle, which was not far from here, in a valley. In the valley, there was a small basin with only one village, called Chaoyang Village. The village had over forty households, with a stream flowing beside it. The entrance to the valley was a narrow road, flanked by high peaks on one side and a deep ravine carved by the stream on the other. The road beside the ravine could accommodate carts and horses. If a stockade were built along the road, it would become easy to defend and hard to attack. Bantianyun had his eyes set on this place and suddenly led the bandits to attack the village. The villagers were caught off guard, suffering heavy casualties, and the others were captured. Fearing that news would leak out, Bantianyun ordered the execution of all those who were captured. The bandits took over the village, and although they seized food supplies, Bantianyun decided to leave the second-in-command and four other bandits to guard the place for a long-term settlement. Bantianyun himself took twenty or so bandits down the mountain to raid for food. Bantianyun was ruthless; every time he arrived at a village, he would kill all the villagers and then set the village on fire, claiming it was to establish his authority and prepare for extorting food and valuables from other villages in the future. Now, Bantianyun had gone to raid the village to the east and would not return to the valley until at least tomorrow. After understanding the situation, Zhang Chu handed a knife to blacksmith Yang and then went to check the items stolen by the bandits.

Zhang Chu came to the courtyard and instructed He Jin to distribute the provisions found on the bandits to everyone. They quickly finished the provisions and looked at Zhang Chu. Zhang Chu had no choice but to say: "I have no food left either, you should all leave; perhaps you can find something to eat." However, none of them moved.

Zhang Chu instructed He Jin to release the older man and called him into the room for a private inquiry about the situation. He also untied one of the seven or eight-year-old boys and brought him into the room for a detailed inquiry about the circumstances, ultimately clarifying the current situation.

Yang the blacksmith said: "All the people in our village have been killed, and we have nowhere to take refuge. Moreover, it is very easy to be robbed by others when alone outside, or even to be eaten. I hope the master will take us along."

At this moment, the blacksmith Yang and his son returned, covered in blood, to return the knife to Zhang Chu, while the thief went to where he belonged

Zhang Chu climbed down from the wall and called He Jin aside, saying: "There are three thieves in the courtyard, and they all have knives. In a moment, you make some noise to lure one out. If one comes out, I will strangle him with a rope; it would be best to kill one without making a sound. After that, it will be easier. If two come out, you should run away."

Wu the carpenter replied: "Shaanxi has suffered from drought for consecutive years, and the impoverished populace has no surplus grain left, which is why entire villages have sent people out to escape famine. Although the wealthier landlords have surplus grain, they are very stingy and refuse to provide relief to the poor. Moreover, they have all built high walls around their villages, establishing fortified manors, and when they see refugees, they do not open the gates of their manors, preventing them from entering the village.

At this moment, Zhang Chu thought of the thief who had been injured and was still outside the courtyard, so he called He Jin and the blacksmith Yang to bring him in. Upon seeing the thief, several people were eager to kill him immediately for revenge, but Zhang Chu quickly stopped them, stating that there were still questions to be asked of this thief

Zhang Chu understood that he had encountered robbers. He turned to run but felt pity for the crying child. He gestured for He Jin to remain silent, then approached the courtyard wall and climbed up to peek inside. He saw three men with knives in the yard, one of whom was holding a boy of about ten by the hair and had a knife pressed against the child's neck. The other two men also held knives, forcing several men, women, and children who were tied together with ropes back against the wall. Fortunately, they were all facing the other way and did not notice Zhang Chu. In the grass shed of the courtyard, a fire was burning in the stove, and the aroma of meat wafted through the air.

Zhang Chu handed the stick to He Jin, instructing him to stand two zhang away directly in front of the courtyard gate. Zhang Chu took out the rope that had previously strangled a wolf and hid it against the courtyard wall next to the door. He Jin picked up a few small stones from the ground and gently threw them at the courtyard door. The thieves heard the noise, and one of them came over to open the door a crack to look outside. Upon seeing He Jin standing there with the stick, appearing weak and alone, the thief stepped out with a knife. Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Chu swiftly looped the rope around the thief's neck from behind and then turned to carry the thief on his back. The thief's legs kicked and struggled in the air, unable to make a sound due to the tightening of the rope around his neck. After a while, the thief's body went limp, and the knife fell from his hand. Zhang Chu loosened the rope, picked up the knife from the ground, and instinctively stabbed the thief with it. Soon after, the thief's body went limp, and the knife fell from his hand. Zhang Chu loosened the rope, picked up the knife from the ground, and instinctively stabbed the thief with it.

At the beginning, the thief was quite defiant, knowing that once he fell into the hands of the villagers, death was inevitable. Zhang Chu asked him various questions, but he remained silent. With a smile, Zhang Chu placed his foot on the thief's injured leg and gently stepped down. Immediately, cold sweat began to bead on the thief's forehead, forcing him to divulge all the information he knew.

Just now, outside the courtyard, Zhang Chu instantly killed two thieves whom they had seen. They felt that following Zhang Chu would provide them with greater assurance of survival. Although the others were from the nearby Shantun village, their homes had been completely looted, and their families had all been killed. With no support left, they also hoped to leave with Zhang Chu

After the sound of the child, there was a commotion of fighting, and at the same time, an adult's voice scolded: "You little brats, if you don't eat human flesh, do you still want to eat grain? Keeping you around is just to look at your tender flesh; when there is no grain, I can kill you to eat. What use is it to keep you if you want to eat grain? I will slaughter you right now"

"Let us run," He Jin said uneasily

I want to save that child, " Zhang Chu said softly

The village they are currently in is called Jianshan Tun. The man in his forties who is speaking is named Yang Jinjun, a blacksmith. The two men in their twenties are Yang Jinjun's sons, Yang Biao and Yang Liu. The three of them make a living by blacksmithing in Yang Village, which is not far from here, the same village that Zhang Chu just passed through. Yesterday, bandits raided their village, killing anyone they saw and stealing anything they could find. Because the three of them possess blacksmithing skills, the bandits seized their workshop and forced them to carry their tools and materials, intending to take them back to the mountains to forge weapons for the bandits. Only by this means did the three of them escape death. The other villagers, including Yang Jinjun's wife, were all killed by the bandits. Today, the bandits raided Jianshan Tun again. The other individuals present are also from Jianshan Tun. The adult man, surnamed Wu, is named Wu Guo and is a carpenter. He was left behind by the bandits to prepare for building a stronghold. The two girls were kept by the bandit leader, while the two boys were said to be kept for making jerky when food supplies ran low. The other villagers were all killed. The bandits originally numbered more than twenty, but since the two raided villages were small and yielded little food, they left three bandits to escort Yang Jinjun and his sons to transport the stolen goods back to their hideout. The remaining bandits headed east to raid a larger village. The bandits who stayed behind were reluctant to give them food, instead boiling the flesh of the dead for them to eat. When the two children refused to eat and cried, Zhang Chu and the others heard them and killed the bandits.

One of the men in his forties replied, "We are villagers from this area, captured by these bandits. We hope the master will save us"

Zhang Chu inquired, "Are there any places nearby where one can find food"

Zhang Chu asked: "Who are you?"

Zhang Chu looked around helplessly. When he saw the bodies of the slain bandits, a bold idea suddenly struck him. The bandits had food; rather than being robbed by others, it would be better to rob them instead, which might allow him to live a little longer. Of course, he could not bring himself to rob the impoverished common people, who had nothing to steal, nor could he attack the wealthy landowners' strongholds. But now an opportunity lay before him: the bandits' lair had only five bandits. Surely, he could rob them. According to the interrogation earlier, there were only five bandits in Chaoyang Village, and their stronghold had not yet been fortified. Zhang Chu and his companions had six able-bodied men. Through the fight with the bandits today, Zhang Chu realized that due to his good nutrition and physical training during school, his physical fitness was superior to that of these bandits. Moreover, having killed three bandits today gave Zhang Chu confidence. It was better to take a gamble than to face certain death.

The items that the thieves intended to transport back consisted mainly of some iron tools and miscellaneous objects, including the iron pots from the villagers' homes. However, there was not much grain. A few taels of silver and some copper coins were found on the bodies of the deceased thieves, but there were no other usable items.