Chapter 105: The First Battle

Pear Blossom knew that, with everything that had happened from last year until now, combined with the system’s attributes, she had gained a certain amount of reputation and trust.

However, she was still young, and there were still some people who hadn’t fully accepted her.

And for her to gain absolute control over the upcoming military arrangements, she needed to prove herself with solid achievements.

She then said to Mrs. Liu, “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, come here to retrieve the hostage.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Currently, the bandits from He Village and Eagle’s Nest Ridge had joined forces and formed a large faction. A young girl, not even in her teens, dared to think she could single-handedly retrieve the hostage from this group of ruthless wolves. This was nothing short of a challenge to the impossible.

Dagen quickly spoke up, “Daughter, this matter is not trivial. We need to discuss a plan first.”

Pear Blossom nodded and said, “Of course, I need everyone’s cooperation. However, once the hostage is returned, the subsequent anti-bandit efforts will be under my command. Do any of you have doubts?”

Everyone shook their heads. After all, it was Pear Blossom who had proposed and eventually secured the five acres of land. Since she had become an apprentice to the Murong family and had ties with the princess and the town government, if she could indeed rescue Liu Youtie and his son safely, it would prove she had real abilities.

Moreover, given her performance over the past year, everyone believed that it would be fine for her to take command.

Thus, under Pear Blossom’s arrangement, Dagen, as the eldest son of the Liu family, went to He Village to deliver a message: Tomorrow at noon, the people of He Village were to come to the five-li slope between two villages to collect grain.

Pear Blossom also used the system to locate where Liu Youtie and his son were being held.

The father and son were currently imprisoned at the Wei family’s home, with the head of the Wei family being Wei Hu, the leader who had come to provoke the village a few days ago. The hostages were guarded by Wei Hu’s 19-year-old son, Wei Gouzi.

It was said that Liu Youtie’s daughter was killed by this Wei Gouzi.

When Wei Gouzi heard that Liu Mingchang of Daliushu Village had agreed to provide grain, he laughed triumphantly, “Ha! I told you, these people won’t learn until they see the coffin! If you don’t show them some force, they’ll drag this out forever. A harsh lesson is what they need.”

After several rounds of grain requisition, plus the soaring grain prices, He Village and the surrounding villages had fallen into a state of food shortage. Every household was tightening their belts to get by. Now, with the Wei family growing stronger, anyone who had stored grain had it taken by force. Most of the families in the village had already resorted to foraging for wild vegetables and grass.

Thinking about the grain they would receive tomorrow, the group was overjoyed, celebrating with a drink.

However, after drinking, these people became like madmen, recklessly barging into homes, sneaking into women’s rooms, and committing immoral acts.

The entire village was now under the control of the Wei family, with some people becoming accomplices, others reduced to beasts of burden. The villagers dared not speak up in protest, helplessly allowing everything to happen.

The sounds of cursing and crying echoed, especially in the quiet of the night, and the whole night was filled with unrest.

At that moment, the back gate of the Wei family’s courtyard was pried open.

Liu Youtie in the cow shed had not slept all night. His stomach churned, as if his bile was about to rise. Every time he thought of the horrific scene before his daughter’s death and the bowl of “meat soup” he was forced to drink, the nauseating feeling would rise to his throat whenever he swallowed.

He hated himself for being arrogant. Despite knowing the chaos outside and that his family had already been threatened, he still disregarded it. Relying on two servants and a coachman, he took his child to the city. As a result, the two servants were killed, the coachman fled, and the remaining father and son fell into the hands of the villains.

Now, only his son lay beside him, and he wondered if the family would send food. If they didn’t, would the next bowl of “meat soup” be for his son?

And the one after that could it be for him?

He dared not think about it, his heart filled with extreme fear.

He couldn’t even close his eyes, afraid that when he opened them, his son would already be taken away.

Suddenly, faint footsteps echoed from the door, and his nerves instantly tensed. His body trembled uncontrollably, and he asked with a trembling voice, “Who?”

A woman’s voice lowered, “If you want to stay alive, don’t make a sound.”

Liu Youtie instantly recognized the voice. He couldn’t believe his ears.

But if it was really her, why would she come to save him?

However, the current situation didn’t leave him much time to think.

Pear Blossom quickly severed the ropes binding him from behind and asked, “Can you walk?”

Liu Youtie nodded hastily, “I can.”

Only then did Pear Blossom bend down and carry his son on her back, saying, “Follow me closely. Don’t fall behind.”

Liu Youtie clenched his teeth and nodded, struggling to stand up and quickly following.

In fact, when he was kidnapped, his body had been beaten so badly that there wasn’t a single good spot left, and every inch of him hurt. But now, even though his leg was crippled, he was determined to crawl out of this hellhole.

Guided by the system, Pear Blossom swiftly twisted and turned, weaving through the village.

Like Daliushu Village, He Village had watchtowers, but only two guards manned them, and their field of view was limited in the darkness. Thanks to the system’s guidance, Pear Blossom skillfully evaded detection from the watchtowers.

The bandits, relying on Eagle’s Nest Ridge as their stronghold, had little regard for the villagers of Daliushu Village. They never imagined anyone would dare to infiltrate their territory alone to rescue a hostage.

As Wei Gouzi said, “What does it matter if we kill a little kid? Even if we kill their whole family, they’ll only dare to be angry but won’t say a word. Our village has three to four hundred people, but they’ve all been controlled by our thirty or forty men. They’re a bunch of spineless cowards.”

So they tied up the people and threw them into the cow shed, while they themselves went to have fun with others’ daughters.

By the time they ran out of the village, Liu Youtie felt as if his heart might burst. He never expected to escape from that hellhole.

In his excitement, he collapsed onto the ground and began to cry.

Pear Blossom coldly snapped, “If you don’t want to go back, you can keep crying here. I won’t wait for you, and I won’t come back to save you!”

Hearing this, Liu Youtie quickly silenced himself, enduring the intense pain in his knee and gritting his teeth to continue following.

The two villages weren’t far apart. After running another three or four miles, they reached a dirt slope where two horses were tied. Pear Blossom said, “Get on the horse. Let’s go!”

From the sound of Liu Youtie’s stumbling steps, Pear Blossom could tell he was badly injured. So, instead of handing his son back to him, she directly carried him onto the horse and galloped toward Daliushu Village.

Liu Youtie gritted his teeth, mounted the horse, and followed behind. The wind howled past his ears, and he could no longer hold it in. He clutched the horse’s neck and cried out in agony.

After running for less than a quarter of an hour, as the distant lights flickered closer, he knew that, at this moment, he was safe.

Liu Youtie’s family anxiously waited near the village entrance, by the watchtower. When they saw two horses approaching and stopping at the village entrance, they quickly ran over to greet them.

Liu Youtie could no longer hold onto the reins and fell off the horse.

Everyone hurried to help him, and in the flickering light, they saw that he was barely recognizable.

Liu Youtie, seeing his parents, cried out, “Father, Liuya is gone… I ate Liuya… They forced me… It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken her to the street… It’s all my fault…”

When the villagers received the child’s head the previous day, they hadn’t thought much of it. They thought the bandits were just cruel. But now, hearing Liu Youtie say this, a chill ran down their spines, and they froze in fear.

Pear Blossom’s voice was low as she said, “Get them inside, quietly. When the Wei family wakes up and finds the person missing, they might send spies to investigate. We’ll act like we don’t know anything. When it’s time to trade grain, if they don’t see the person, we can at least delay them for a while.”

Hearing this, everyone quickly and quietly carried the father and son into the village.

Pear Blossom stood by the watchtower and did not enter the village.

It was the season between spring and summer, and the sounds of insects and birds filled the air from the surrounding fields and mountains. The owls near the watchtower hooted, adding to the night’s calm.

She looked up at the dark sky and the bright full moon, and a phrase spontaneously appeared in her mind: “Under the bright moon and sparse stars, the royal princess continues the line, and peace prevails across the land.”

Her grip on the curved knife tightened.

…

The next noon, two groups met at Wuli Slope.

As agreed, neither side could bring more than fifteen people.

The Liu family had nearly ten ox carts, each with a huge cart attached. Unsurprisingly, they were filled with grain to be delivered to the other side.

Liu Youtie’s father stood at the front, his eyes bloodshot with rage. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Where are my son and grandson?”

Wei Hu, who was at the front, sneered, “How do I know if you’re pulling tricks again like last time? I won’t release them until I get the grain!”

Liu Youtie’s father clenched his teeth, “No deal. I need to see my son first before giving you the grain.”

“What? You think you can stand up to us with just this small group of people?” Wei Hu mocked, his face full of derision. “Let me tell you, old man, I never intended to release anyone. Not only will we not release them, we’ll flatten your Daliushu Village! The grain is already here, and if you think you can take it back, that’s impossible.”

“You—” Liu Youtie’s father was furious. He turned to the ox cart convoy and shouted, “We’re leaving!”

“Oh? Old man, do you really think you and your ten people can escape from our grasp?” Wei Hu taunted, waving the gleaming big knife in his hand.

It must be said that this group of people could control the entire He Village, not just because of their cruelty, but because of the weapons they obtained from the bandits. The villagers of He Village had nothing but axes, knives, and hoes, which were no match against the sharp, gleaming machetes the bandits carried. After more than ten villagers were hacked down, the rest dared not resist and simply obeyed the bandits’ rule or joined them.

Old man Liu looked at the other party’s fierce expression and his face turned pale. Without hesitation, he grabbed the ox cart and turned it around to leave.

Wei Hu saw this and snorted coldly, waving his hand, “Where do you think you’re going? Men, hurry up and kill them all, the grain will be ours!”

The dozen or so men behind him immediately surged forward, charging at the ox cart convoy of the big willow tree village.

Old man Liu and a few of the car drivers, frightened, quickly abandoned the ox carts and retreated. Wei Hu and the others laughed loudly. One of them grabbed the ox rope and said, “This trip was worth it. Not only did we get the grain, but we also got a few oxen. This will be enough for us to eat for a while.”

However, before he finished speaking, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his abdomen.

His voice cut off abruptly.

Looking down, he saw someone emerge from under the tarpaulin covering the cart, and a knife had pierced through his body.

The others hiding in the other ox carts immediately threw off the tarps, popped their heads out, and began waving wooden spears forward, catching the enemy off guard. In the blink of an eye, they had stabbed five or six men. The remaining few hurriedly retreated.

But they had barely run ten steps when the sound of hooves came from the side. They looked up and saw a young woman riding a horse at full speed, holding a large knife that gleamed with cold light.

The large knife swung through the air, severing two heads in one strike. The two men didn’t have time to make a sound before their heads rolled to the ground, their faces twisted in disbelief and fear.

The remaining five or six men were surrounded by the oncoming Dagen and others, and wooden spears stabbed into their chests, blood splattering on the spot.

The entire fight lasted no more than fifteen minutes.

Some of the villagers had killed for the first time. Although their bodies were still trembling, their confidence quickly overcame their fear, given the success of their first battle.

Zhang Laowu shouted to Pear Blossom, “Eldest niece, your plan was brilliant. We wiped out this group with almost no effort.”

Pear Blossom shook her head and said, “These people are just a rabble, not real bandits. You all heard what they said just now. Even if we gave them the grain, they would still flatten our village. If a few punks from He Village are so lawless, just imagine how much worse real bandits would be. It seems that from now on, we have no choice but to move forward, there’s no retreat!”

Liu Youyin shouted, “What’s the point of looking back? We must fight these beasts to the end!”

“A kind person gets bullied. Whether you stick your head out or not, it’s a knife either way. I don’t want to live like a coward.”

The villagers of He Village had already learned from Liu Youyin that ordinary villagers and women were being treated as food or playthings. Everyone realized that compromising with these people would only lead to a bad end. The only option left was to fight back!

Pear Blossom said, “Bury the bodies and then head back. When the news reaches Eagle’s Nest Ridge, they’ll surely retaliate. We need to be ready.”

Hearing this, everyone quickly cleaned up the battlefield and followed the carts back to the village.