Chapter 103: Breaking

Pear Blossom and the others looked at the farce in front of them, exchanging glances.

This was originally a dispute between the Liu family and the people of the neighboring He Village, which was none of their business, and they didn’t want to get involved.

This year, the Liu family raised the rent, changing the split from a 70-30 to an 80-20 division. As a result, half of the villagers stopped renting and farming their land. Naturally, the family’s income decreased, and their dissatisfaction with the wealthy landowners grew. Now, seeing them suffer, they secretly felt pleased and had no intention of helping them.

Moreover, those were the people from Eagle’s Nest Ridge. Compared to the past Baihu Villa bandits, they were even worse—ruthless and vicious. Who would want to provoke a group of bandits like that?

Just as everyone was shaking their heads and preparing to leave, a heartbreaking cry rang out, growing louder as it approached.

On the other side of the road, two figures staggered forward, crying as they walked. Their voices were filled with sorrow and grievance, and anyone who heard it couldn’t help but feel moved.

Those with sharp eyes immediately recognized the newcomers: “He Da, isn’t that your in-law?”

He Da focused his gaze and was immediately startled. He rushed forward in a panic, asking, “In-laws, why are you here? Where’s our second daughter?”

The visitors were none other than the mother-in-law of He Da’s second daughter. Xu Laohan was weeping with a mournful face, his voice trembling as he spoke: “They’re gone, they’re all gone. Some are dead, the rest were taken up the mountain, and our house was burned…”

Zhang Sanye Sanye hurried forward and asked, “What happened?”

Xu Laohan continued, sobbing uncontrollably, “The bandits from Eagle’s Nest Ridge raided our village last night. The able-bodied men either got killed or were forced to join them. The women… were all taken up the mountain and violated. My poor granddaughter, she’s only twelve… and my little boy, only seven, was gutted and hung on a tree, left there for a day and night. They didn’t think much of us old folks, they chopped us up, slashed us, and left us with barely our lives. We just buried them…”

Xu Laohan seemed to have his tears broken open, sobbing uncontrollably.

The people of Daliushu Village, after hearing this, felt a chill run through their bodies, their teeth trembling uncontrollably.

He Da’s hands trembled so badly he couldn’t hold onto anything.

“How brutal…” someone muttered softly.

“What should we do? The Liu family just provoked the people from He Village, and the leader even said that the ghost of Eagle’s Nest Ridge is a relative of theirs. I think we’ll be their next target!”

“But we haven’t provoked them. If they want to make trouble with the Liu family, let them. What does it have to do with us?”

“That’s true, but didn’t Xu’s village also not provoke those bandits? And yet, they were still wiped out.”

“Exactly. Bandits don’t need any reason to massacre a village.”

The crowd murmured, and a sense of fear spread among them. Though they didn’t have much affection for the Liu family, none of them wanted to see their home become the next target of the bandits.

“What are we going to do?” someone sighed helplessly.

“Sigh, what can we do? We can only take it one step at a time. These days, the common folk are struggling,” another person shook his head in resignation.

“Let’s go home, let’s go home. If bandits do come, we can hide in the mountains. Go to Wuyin Mountain. Even if we die at the wolves’ mouths, it’s better than being tortured by those beasts.”

“That’s not how we should think. Our village is no pushover. We’ve been training for so long, maybe we can fight them off.”

“But those bandits are all ruthless outlaws, and I heard they have six or seven hundred people. Our village only has four or five hundred, with no more than a hundred or two hundred strong men. How can we fight them?”

“But we have Pear Blossom, don’t we? You saw that arrow just now.”

“We only have one Pear Blossom. One person can’t fight off so many.”

Pear Blossom heard the discussion and frowned slightly but did not speak.

The crowd sighed in unison and began to turn back toward their homes.

“Villagers—villagers—don’t go, please, I beg you, help us!”

Had this not happened, Liu would have probably still been clinging to hope. After hearing the old couple’s sobs, he knew a great disaster was coming. Therefore, he immediately rushed to stop the villagers, even though he had no idea what to do.

The villagers stopped and turned back when they heard his voice. Immediately, someone mocked, “We’re just small folks. We can’t get involved in the Liu family’s personal affairs.”

Another person chimed in, “Liu, don’t forget that the door you broke was counted as your responsibility. Make sure you send someone to fix it, or else we’ll make you pay for the repairs.”

“The door can be dealt with later,” Liu said with a mournful face, pleading with the village head, “Third Brother, oh Third Brother, for the sake of our long-standing relationship in the village, please help us.”

Zhang Sanye, the village head, frowned tightly. “Liu, if you have grain, then quickly give it. We common folk cannot afford to provoke the bandits of Eagle’s Nest Ridge.”

“But where can I get so much grain? Right now, a pound of grain is more expensive than salt or oil. The price is sky-high. If I had that much silver, I would have sold it outside already. I really don’t have it!”

Zhang Sanye shook his head helplessly. “What can we do? You were greedy, and someone caught you by the weak spot. We can’t help you.”

Liu continued to plead, “Third Brother, we’ve been in the same village for so many years. You can’t just watch us and our dozens of people be driven to a dead end.”

Zhang Sanye sighed. “I’d like to help you, but I’m just an old man. What can I do? I can’t fight them off or scold them. You’re looking for the wrong person.”

Liu wasn’t giving up. “You’re the village head. Help us talk to the people in the village, get them to help us. We’ve been training all this time, and even if someone does come, if we fight together, we may not lose. Please, do us a favor, help us.”

Zhang Sanye’s face darkened at this. “Training? You never bothered to train with us. You never came for the patrols, never helped when the school was built. Now you have the nerve to mention this? Hah! Don’t bother asking me. I won’t even deign to speak with you.”

Liu flushed red with embarrassment. “I know, I know… I didn’t forget. Our family couldn’t send anyone, but I’ll pay. I’ll collect the money, I’ll make up for everything that was owed. I’ll pay it all at once. Is that okay?”

Zhang Laowu clicked his tongue. “You’re really something, Liu. You brought this trouble on yourself, and now you want to shift the burden onto others? You’re dreaming, old man.”

Liu’s face grew redder. “We’re all from the same village. We should help each other. It’s not like I did anything terrible. Those people knew my family had a lot of land and set a trap to extort me. You can’t just stand by and watch us be destroyed, can you?”

As Pear Blossom was about to mount her horse and head home, she overheard this and sneered. “Speaking of standing by and doing nothing, your family was the first to stand by when someone almost died. That day, you said it yourself—if your good son didn’t kill him with his own hands, he wasn’t at fault! Now you have the face to say such things to us? You’re truly shameless.”

Not far away, Liu Youtie’s face turned ashen.

Liu knew he was in the wrong, but if this situation wasn’t resolved, his family would likely be skinned alive, and once the bandits targeted them, they would never know peace.

Apart from the dozens of long-term laborers and a few bonded servants, he had no other support. Facing those bandits, who were ruthless and beyond the reach of the officials, even if he went to his eldest daughter or his in-laws, it would be futile.

Only the villagers in this village might still have a glimmer of hope.

At this moment, Pear Blossom straightened her back and sat upright on the horse, looking down at him from a high position.

Liu Laoye no longer had his usual aggressive demeanor. He quickly grabbed Liu Youtie behind him, forcefully pressed him to kneel, and his voice trembled with tears. “It was my fourth son who was wrong back then. He was bewitched and didn’t save the dying. I’ve already punished him severely at home. Pear Blossom, please, for the sake of being your grandfather, help our family.”

He had realized by now that, on the surface, the entire village might listen to Zhang Sanye, but in reality, the one holding true power was actually Da Gen’s daughter, his granddaughter, whom he had never cared about before.

Pear Blossom sneered. “Oh? Now you remember I’m your granddaughter? Did you ever raise my father for a day? Did you ever give my father a single coin? When our family didn’t share any of the land with you, and when we built our house, you didn’t contribute a single coin. Did you ever fulfill your responsibilities as a father? Now you come to beg us?”

“Pear Blossom, it’s the old man who has been wrong. I admit my mistake, please help us for the sake of the family.”

With that, he knelt in front of her with a loud thud, kowtowing several times.

Zhang Sanye and the others quickly stepped forward to pull him up and advised, “What are you doing? She’s just a young girl. Are you trying to shorten her life? You’re forcing her like this!”

Liu Laoye, tears streaming down his face, cried, “I have no other choice! Right now, those hungry wolves are eyeing us. If they only rob us once, we can grit our teeth and fight to the death, but these people smell the blood and keep coming back. Once is not enough for them. How can we withstand this?”

“Third Brother, Third Ye, please help me. If those people enter the village, they won’t just target our family. They won’t spare the others either. Helping me is helping everyone.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanye fell silent for a moment. After all, the case of Xu Laohan’s village was still fresh in his mind.

Liu Laoye continued kowtowing to Pear Blossom. “Granddaughter, eldest granddaughter, I beg you. If you help us this one time, I’ll promise you anything you want.”

Pear Blossom, on hearing this, sneered. “Do you really intend to give me everything?”

Liu Laoye was stunned for a moment, his lips moving as he struggled to utter the words, “…Of course. As long as you ensure the safety of our whole family, I will agree to anything…”

However, his voice grew softer until it was nearly inaudible.

Pear Blossom pressed him further, “The Liu family currently has over 500 acres of land. If you agree to give five acres to each family in the village, I might be willing to help. I believe everyone would be willing too! Villagers, would you be willing?”

The crowd immediately erupted in excitement, and many people spoke up, saying, “If there’s really five acres of land, I’d be willing to risk my life.”

“Five acres of land? That’s enough to stop us from starving. If he’s willing to give us the land, we’ll gladly work for him!”

Upon hearing the buzzing voices around him, Liu Laoye began to sweat profusely. The village had seventy households, and if each one received five acres, that would be 350 acres of land. His vast estate would be split apart!

He suddenly fell silent.

Pear Blossom coldly glanced at him, then urged the horse forward, galloping toward the house at the end of the village.

…

In the evening, when Daniu and Erniu returned, Pear Blossom estimated that the teacher was about done with his meal, so she picked up her book bag and headed to the school.

Xia Xunyan meticulously checked his homework from the day before before beginning to teach her new knowledge.

After reflecting on the past two days, Pear Blossom seemed like a changed person, studying like mad. Even when she was patrolling the village, she was reciting from her books. As a result, when the teacher quizzed her, she was able to answer fluently, and her error rate for memorization had decreased by more than half.

Though the teacher’s tone remained as indifferent as ever, Pear Blossom could catch a hint of satisfaction in his gaze. Pear Blossom felt slightly reassured and promised herself never to slack off again.

However, she was keenly aware that the teacher’s willingness to teach her so thoroughly wasn’t just out of a sense of duty. It was also because of her sister’s favor.

The teacher had once been close to her sister. Although they had parted ways for some reason, it was clear that the teacher still wished the best for her. Now that she had the privilege of being favored by her sister, the teacher surely didn’t want anyone unworthy to be close to her sister.

The more Pear Blossom thought about it, the more ashamed she felt for her previous laziness. She wished she had a photographic memory to absorb all the knowledge and not disappoint the teacher’s expectations or her sister’s kindness.

After more than an hour of study, noticing Xia Xunyan’s slightly pale face, Pear Blossom hurriedly suggested ending the lesson for the day.

The teacher had to teach the children during the day and tutor her at night. It was incredibly exhausting, and Pear Blossom felt guilty for keeping the teacher up so late every time.

Xia Xunyan, indeed tired, closed the book but seemed to be deep in thought before asking, “I heard about what happened at the village entrance today. What do you think about the bandits from Eagle’s Nest Ridge?”

Pear Blossom replied honestly, “Given the current situation, it’s undeniable that the government is ineffective. Without the authorities stepping in, the people have no choice but to rely on themselves. Based on numbers, the bandits from Eagle’s Nest Ridge are not yet as large as the ones from Baihu Villa. But if they continue to grow, and one village after another falls, more and more people will join them, and the consequences will be unimaginable. However, if our village can defeat the bandits, it will be an uplifting message, and other villages will hold on longer when they see hope.”

Xia Xunyan asked again, “So, what you proposed, if Old man Liu is willing to provide land and lead the villagers to fight against the bandits, do you really think the villagers alone can defeat those bandits?”

Pear Blossom replied, “Although the bandits are ruthless, if the villagers can unite and fight together, it’s not impossible. However, at present, the bandits are very strong. Without enough incentive and motivation, the villagers wouldn’t be determined enough to resist. More people would choose to escape, preferring to retreat into the deep mountains and forests rather than standing up to fight.”

Xia Xunyan nodded and then posed an even more serious question: “If all the bandits launch an attack on Daliushu Village, how would you respond?”

Pear Blossom thought for a moment and said, “The bandit attack might only last for a few hours, half a day, or a day, but when Master was teaching his grandson military strategy, he once said that battles are not only about the moment of conflict but also about the accumulation of training and resources behind the scenes. Therefore, I believe that once we decide to resist the bandits to the end, we must make preparations in advance.”

Xia Xunyan looked at her and motioned for her to continue.

Pear Blossom continued, “First, we need to gather information. In addition to knowing the movements of the bandits, we also need to understand their equipment, combat strength, and tactical habits. It would be difficult for just our village to gather this information, but we can collaborate with other villages, sharing intelligence to form a large information network.”

Of course, this point was somewhat unnecessary for Pear Blossom, as she had a system in hand that could ensure all the intelligence within ten miles was accurate.

“Second, we need to prepare defensive structures in advance, such as digging trenches, building stone walls or wooden fences, and setting up several lines of defense around the village to deplete the bandits’ strength as they attack.”

“Third, the arrangement and training of personnel. Our village began training several months ago, but we have been training uniformly. If we decide to fight the bandits, we need to divide people into groups based on age and physical fitness and conduct targeted training. Perhaps we can select stronger and more capable villagers to form a special team for special training and equip them with better gear for tasks like raids.”

“Fourth, we must plan our tactics and strategies. Based on the actual situation of the bandits, we can adjust our tactics flexibly, such as luring the enemy in, dividing forces to strike, night raids, etc. We could also use tactics like spreading false information and creating panic to disrupt the bandits’ morale.”

“For this, I would have to consult with Master.”

After hearing her points, Xia Xunyan’s expression softened, but he shook his head. “At present, it seems you can handle it well on your own. Is there anything else?”

Pear Blossom replied, “There’s one more thing. We need external help or alliances. Everyone knows the story of the chopsticks. It applies to dealing with bandits as well. A single village may be able to resist one group of bandits, but if more bandits or refugees come, even the best-laid plans will be powerless. As for external help, I can ask my senior sister for assistance, but inter-village alliances must also be established.”

She continued, “The last point is logistics support. The elderly, weak, and women in the village can take care of this, mainly ensuring that the village’s food and water supply aren’t cut off by the bandits. We also need to prepare medical aid in advance to treat any injured during the fighting.”

After hearing this, Xia Xunyan stood up slightly excited, pacing around, then said, “What you’ve said is thorough and detailed. It’s not in vain that I stayed up late on New Year’s Eve to teach you military strategy. However, talking on paper is one thing, whether it succeeds or not depends on how you act.”

“If things are settled, I will do my best,” Pear Blossom said.

Xia Xunyan nodded in satisfaction, turned, and handed her another book, saying, “I’ve annotated this one. If you don’t come to class, you can study this at home. If you don’t understand anything, come and ask me.”

Pear Blossom hurriedly accepted the book respectfully.

However, as she took the book, she accidentally brushed against his hand and was startled by the coldness of his fingers.

Thinking of Dong Yun’s condition over the past two days, she became worried and tentatively asked, “Master, is it that you’ve had your period recently?”

Xia Xunyan didn’t expect her to ask about this. He said, “Is it that my hand is too cold and startled you?”

Pear Blossom nodded.

Xia Xunyan gently sighed. The person before him was able to instantly sense his condition, so she must have noticed that the princess was the same. He didn’t hide the truth and said, “Four years ago, when the princess and I fled south, we were pursued when we passed Lang River. It was in the dead of winter, and the river was frozen. There were no boats, and both of us happened to be on our periods. In such a desperate situation, we had to jump into the river and escape with the protection of the guards. The cold wind was like a knife, and the water was icy to the bone. It felt like my lungs were freezing. Since then, every time this period comes, my body is colder than usual.”

Pear Blossom shivered upon hearing this and couldn’t help herself.

She didn’t know that her sister was cold because of such a reason.

The phoenix in distress, the road was rugged, far beyond her imagination. She once arrogantly said she would be the eagle by the phoenix’s side, but was that really the case?

Her clenched fingers almost pierced her flesh, and the pain was suffocating. Suddenly, she stood up and said, “I’ll go make charcoal for you, Master.”

Xia Xunyan looked at her back, a bitter smile on his face, and let her busy herself.

What he didn’t tell Pear Blossom was that after the incident at Lang River, in March the following year, he and Mingyue arrived at the Weishui River. Looking at the surging river, he told Mingyue it was too cold, and he was afraid, so they should delay crossing the river.

Mingyue, heartbroken for him, agreed. But the next day, when the agreed time came, Mingyue didn’t wait for him but instead waited for the news of his marriage to the General Zhennan.

In Hongzhou, there are dozens of rivers, and he could no longer bear to see Mingyue in the spring chill, facing the situation where she would have to jump into the river if encountered.

At least within Hongzhou, Mingyue doesn’t need to do this.

Fortunately, now someone cares for Mingyue.

Thinking about the girl’s battle plan against the bandits at Eagle’s Nest Ridge, the female teacher thought that with her around, the event of crossing the river in winter might never happen again.