Chapter 6: The County Magistrate’s Robbery
This afternoon’s meal was truly fragrant and thick, and everyone ate their fill.

It felt great! Especially for Cui Erhu and Chen Maolin, who were eating without any restraint! They really were like big kids, leaving their parents broke!

Tian Mi also happily finished an entire bowl. She wanted to lose weight, not shorten her life, so she needed to consume enough.

They decided not to deprive themselves anymore; being well-fed would give them the strength to protect everyone in times of danger.

In fact, they still had some meat in their rations, but that stuff smelled too good when cooked, so they didn’t dare to prepare it.

Tian Mi had originally planned to find an opportunity to draw some water from the pit, but it had been discovered and was now guarded. She couldn’t go there anymore. As the evening sun began to set and the heat lessened, they set off again, with all the women wearing sun hats, which made things a bit cooler.

After eating, they all marched out with swagger, brandishing their large knives. Even the five or six-year-old Cui Erniu and Liu Niansheng were like this, making Tian Mi unable to suppress a smile. The other disaster victims on the road dared not approach them anymore.

They walked from evening until night, and because it was cool, they moved quite quickly. After dinner, everyone’s spirits improved significantly, and even the journey didn’t feel as arduous. When they got hungry, Aunt Feng took out some steamed buns to share, and they ate while walking. By midnight, everyone was tired and found a clearing by the roadside to rest for two hours. There were already two groups there, one with ten or so people and the other with over thirty, all traveling with their families and only armed with farming tools. They clearly didn’t seem like bad people, so Tian Dabiao had the group stop opposite them, keeping a distance to give each other a sense of safety.

Everyone worked together to quickly build a fire, taking the water off the livestock’s backs and placing it in the center. The group then gathered around the water to sleep, as it was their lifeline, and they couldn’t let the livestock accidentally knock it over. They didn’t need to unload the food; the livestock rested and munched on hay. Tian Mi only gave them two ladles of water in front of everyone, of course quietly using well water, which they drank happily.

They spread hay on the ground and soon fell asleep.

That night, it was Cui Erhu and Tian Dabiao’s turn to keep watch, each taking a turn for one hour.

Just as everyone was sleeping soundly, a rapid sound of hooves approached. Before Cui Erhu could call out, everyone woke up, grabbed their weapons, and prepared to respond. The other two groups also picked up their hoes, sickles, and knives.

They remained alert, watching the direction from which the hoofbeats were coming.

However, they were too weak to pose much of a threat.

Soon, a group of over a dozen men rode in on horses. They were all young men in their twenties, fierce-looking, and upon reaching them, shouted, “Leave your food and water, and get lost!”

The three groups remained locked in a standoff, still holding their weapons. Their food and water were their lives; they couldn’t just give them up.

Upon seeing Tian Dabiao’s strong build, holding a large knife and looking menacing, the attackers felt a bit intimidated.

Uncle Liu, using the light from the fire, carefully observed the newcomers. These people were from the county office; had they turned into bandits?

Many from the county office should recognize the Fenwei Escort Agency, after all, their agency was quite famous in the county. However, after fleeing for so long, everyone had become disheveled and unrecognizable.

Uncle Liu immediately put on a smile and called out, “Captain Li, what brings you here? We are from the Fenwei Escort Agency! These are all escort members.”

The leading man recognized them and said, “The county magistrate wants to requisition your water and food. Hand them over!”

Ha ha ha! They had already crossed several counties; how could the magistrate from Qing Shui County come here to collect? It was one thing to extort in the county, but now they had fled to this place and turned to robbery.

Uncle Liu laughed and said, “Captain Li, you must be joking. We from the Fenwei Escort Agency are out on a job, and when faced with robbery, we always fight back. Captain Li, you can give it a try!”

These officials usually only bullied ordinary people and merchants; if they really faced the seasoned escort members, they had no chance of winning.

They turned their eyes to them.

Those were the real disaster victims fleeing from the famine. Upon hearing that this group of people were from the government and were armed and ready to rob them, they trembled in fear but still couldn’t bear to give up.

One man said, “We barely have a few pounds of food left and hardly any water. If you want to rob us, we’ll fight to the death!”

After two months of fleeing, they had seen too many people starve to death or die of thirst, so these supplies were their lifeline.

These officials, accustomed to flaunting their power under the magistrate, realized that the men from the Jin Wang were about to strike. The county magistrate decisively led them to abandon the city. Over the past month and a half of fleeing, they had come to understand the harsh reality: they were overrun by the desperate victims who snatched away their food and water. The victims were willing to risk their lives to fight back, which terrified them, leaving them utterly helpless.

Now, they themselves had little food and water left and didn’t dare to take the main roads, opting for smaller paths to rob, only to encounter resistance. Damn it, did they really think the weapons in their hands were just for show?

They raised their weapons and prepared to strike at the nearest group.

Those people gripped their farming tools, ready to resist, their eyes filled with despair.

Tian Dabiao shouted, “Does Captain Li really think all of us from the Fenwei Escort Agency are pushovers?”

Captain Li turned to look and said, “We won’t make things difficult for you. What? Do you still want to meddle?”

Tian Dabiao had never liked the county officials; they were extremely shameless. Most importantly, the eldest son, Xu Yunzhao, married a girl from the Zhou family, using the influence of this shameless magistrate. Although he didn’t want his daughter to marry the eldest son, he couldn’t stand seeing his daughter being bullied.

Zhou Shouxin was a merchant in the county, and his sister was the magistrate’s concubine. He took pride in being the magistrate’s brother-in-law, flaunting his power in the county. His daughter, Zhou Rongrong, often bullied Tian Mi after she took a liking to Xu Yunzhao.

Of course, the original owner was not an easy target either, as she had immense strength and could easily make others cry.

Thus, Zhou Rongrong brought in her cousin, Cheng Yuhuan, the illegitimate daughter of the magistrate. This woman, despite her small stature, was extremely malicious. Unlike Zhou Rongrong, who would just argue and occasionally get physical, Cheng Yuhuan deliberately hired local thugs to harass the original owner, tarnishing her reputation and making her afraid to go outside, leaving her seething with anger.

Tian Dabiao said, “If the road is uneven, someone will smooth it out; if the situation is unfair, someone will take charge.”

Captain Li glared at Tian Dabiao and said fiercely, “You all just wait!”

As he spoke, he rode off with his men.

Seeing them leave, Tian Dabiao immediately shouted, “Quick, quick, quick, gather your things and hurry up!”

Two young men from the opposite group approached Tian Dabiao and knelt, saying, “Thank you for saving us, brave warrior!”

Tian Dabiao hurriedly helped them up and said, “No time for idle talk. They are the ones leading the charge; that shameless magistrate has other men with him. Quickly gather your things and run.”

Just a moment ago, they had been so confident, and now they were so cowardly!

If he didn’t step up, those people would drag them down. When that shameless magistrate arrived, they would still be robbed.

Everyone quickly tied their belongings to the livestock, leading them away, while the other two groups also hurriedly packed up and left.

Ah! Here we go again, running away!

Tian Mi had bad memories associated with Magistrate Cheng, especially regarding his illegitimate daughter, Cheng Yuhuan!

Due to Xu Yunzhao, she had had quite a few interactions with the Zhou family girls, and Cheng Yuhuan was her cousin. However, she had married a few days ago, so she shouldn’t be with Magistrate Cheng anymore!