Taiheiki

Chapter 98 Yuan Tian
This group of thieves was obviously not the latter. They had such a big ship, crossbows, and their leader and guards were all wearing armor and crossbows. The leader even had fish-scale iron armor. This was no longer something that the local archers could handle.

"You go back first, gather all the able-bodied men from each village, prepare weapons, repair the barriers of each village, and guard against attacks by thieves! After dawn, send someone to the county town to report the matter of the thieves to the county magistrate!" Yuan Tian whispered.

"Yes, Coach!"

"Understood, let's go back quickly!"

"As ordered!"

Everyone was about to leave, but they noticed Yuan Tian standing there, unmoved, so they asked, "Coach, you should go back too! It's dangerous to stay here for too long!"

"No, I want to take advantage of the darkness and go and see for myself the details of that gang of thieves!" Yuan Tian whispered, "Time is running out, don't delay, go back quickly!"

Seeing Yuan Tian's insistence, the villagers had no choice but to leave. Then a sharp voice said, "No, I'm not going back. I want to stay and accompany the coach!"

"You little bastard, why are you losing your temper again?" Aqiu's father cursed angrily, "Get out of here, or I'll beat you to death!"

"I won't!" Ah Qiu stubbornly stiffened his neck. "The coach doesn't know where the bandit camp is. I can lead the way for him. I, Ah Qiu, am not the kind of person who is afraid of death!"

When Yuan Tian heard this, his heart warmed up and he smiled, "Okay, then just follow me!" He bowed to Aqiu's father and said, "Brother Wang, please rest assured. I will definitely bring this child back safely!"

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After the villagers left, Yuan Tian didn't immediately head for the uninvited guests' camp. Instead, he took out two rice balls, gave one to Qiu, ate one himself, drank some water, and rested for a while before setting off. Qiu spent a long time finding his way back. He stumbled in the darkness and kept getting lost. Yuan Tian had to stop and wait for him before resuming his journey. Finally, he simply took Qiu's hand and led him through the woods.

"Relax, there's nothing to be afraid of." When they saw the vague light of fire coming from the lake in the night for the first time, Yuan Tian said, "Remember, there are quite a few people over there, but there's nothing to be afraid of. You have to know: they can't see anything now. As long as we move quietly and carefully and don't make any noise, no one can discover us." Aqiu nodded.

Yuan Tian carefully lowered himself, passed through the bushes, and crawled forward for a while before stopping. From this position, he could clearly see the boat on the lakeside with the help of the firelight. Now he was sure that Aqiu had not lied. The boat was indeed large, and the leader of this group must be extraordinary - ordinary thieves would not erect antlers and dig trenches outside the camp.

Yuan Tian observed for a while, then retreated cautiously. After a moment's thought, he asked, "I remember you said this gang of thieves had dogs with them?"

"Yeah! That's why I was discovered!" Aqiu replied angrily.

"Then we can't get too close!" Yuan Tian sighed, "Aqiu, there must be quite a few people in this group who have served in the military!"

"Been a soldier?"

"Yes, or maybe they are an army themselves!" Yuan Tian sighed: "Few bandits are diligent enough to build trenches and antlers outside the camp!"

"Am I mistaken? These people are not Jiang Zemin!"

"No, you're not mistaken!" Yuan Tian said, "In fact, the army and the thieves are often the same thing, and the thieves who become soldiers are much scarier than ordinary thieves."

"What do you mean--?" Qiu asked in confusion.

"What I mean is, this group of people is very powerful. Not to mention that the village is no match for them, even if we mobilize the county soldiers, I'm afraid they won't be their match!" Yuan Tian whispered, "We must change our strategy!"

"Change of strategy?"

"Yes, tomorrow morning, several nearby villages will send people to deliver cattle and wine to please this group of people!" Yuan Tian whispered, "This group of people should just be passing through. This area is very desolate, and there shouldn't be anything that can pique their interest!"

"Ah!" Aqiu was completely confused. He never expected that the invincible Coach Yuan and Master Yuan in his mind would actually offer to send cattle and wine to please this group of river bandits. He thought that Yuan Tian would lead them to defeat those guys miserably, and he could then strip off the leader's impressive armor and wear it himself.

"Do you think I'm a coward?" Yuan Tian smiled. "Aqiu, have you forgotten what I said on the first day of class? Military tactics and martial arts are both about survival. So when you encounter an opponent, the first thing you must do is learn to distinguish between their strengths and weaknesses. When you encounter a strong opponent, the first step is to retreat to a safe place! Using the weak to defeat the strong is courting death! Only by surviving can you have a future! Spring is coming soon, and the villagers need to start plowing the land and sowing seeds. The harvest will come in autumn. If we fight with this group of people in this area, no matter who wins or loses in the end, the spring plowing will be disrupted and the people in the village will starve to death. The best strategy is to get them to leave as soon as possible!"

"Hmm!" Aqiu seemed to understand but not quite, and nodded blankly.

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Wei Cong slept comfortably that night. This was the first time he slept in a house with a roof since leaving Chaisang. He didn't wake up until the sunlight shone on his face through the window. He yawned, got out of bed, and prepared to start a new day.

"Captain, we have a visitor!" Diwu Deng came in from outside. "Guest?" Wei Cong spat out the mouthwash in his mouth. Whenever possible, he cleaned and maintained his teeth with salt and a toothbrush every morning and evening. There were no dentists in those days.

"Yes!" Diwu Deng had long been accustomed to his boss's quirks. He considered them some of the noble's little quirks. "The villagers from several surrounding villages sent us two cows, seven or eight pigs, a few sheep, and some wine, saying they were rewards. I think they're trying to use these in exchange for us not looting their villages. It's best if we just leave!"

"You've arrived just in time!" Wei Cong laughed. "I was just worried about not having a guide familiar with the local conditions! Bring the leaders here!"

"Here!"

"Ayun, I'm going to meet a guest, please prepare some decent clothes for me!" Wei Cong said loudly. He knew it was ridiculous to judge people by their clothes, but people have been doing this since ancient times. Since that's the case, why not make good use of it?

"As you command!" A moment later, Ah Yun came in from the outer room, holding clothes. Despite being a fugitive, Wei Cong still had plenty of fine clothing around him—A Jing even sent someone to deliver five large camphorwood boxes filled with exquisite silk clothes, boots, and hair crowns. Although Wei Cong complained a little, he was still enjoying it all.

"My dear! Here are your clothes and hair crown. See if they fit you well!" Ayun put the clothes on the bed. Wei Cong took a look and said, "Yes, come and help me put on the clothes and comb my hair!"

"Yes!" Ayun responded, walked behind Wei Cong, and began to help Wei Cong put on the Quju, which was made of crimson Shu brocade with dense sunflower patterns all over it. Then she put on a soft deerskin belt, and finally combed her hair into a bun, put on a military hat, and put on a bird feather on each side of the hat.

"It's all done!" After everything was done, Ayun held up the bronze mirror by the window and showed it to Wei Cong: "Please look!"

"Hmm!" Although the image of himself in the bronze mirror was a little blurry, Wei Cong nodded with satisfaction: "Ayun, thank goodness you came. Without you, I really don't know what I would do!"

"My lord, you are too kind to me!" Ayun lowered her head, her face flushed.

"How could it be!" Wei Cong picked up his sword and hung it on the belt around his waist, then asked the outsider, "Have all the people arrived?"

"Everyone is here!" Liu Jiu's voice came from outside.

"Yes!" Wei Cong patted Ayun's shoulder and strode outward. The meeting place was the room closest to the lake in the long house by the lake. It was not large, but the floor was covered with reed mats and the walls were smooth. It was considered the best room in the long house. As Wei Cong entered, the soldiers guarding the gate shouted, "General Wei Cong has arrived———!" Everyone in the room knelt down at the sound of his voice.

Wei Cong sat down on the Hu couch in the middle, motioned them to stand up, and said gently, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. We passed through your place without informing you in advance, causing a disturbance to the villagers. We have done this before, and I didn't expect to have to burden you with expenses. I'm truly sorry!"

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Wei Cong's gentle words. The oldest elder bowed to Wei Cong and said, "These are just some country things, not worth much. Please accept them, General, and use them as a reward for your soldiers!"

"Everyone!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "It would be rude to refuse your kindness. However, cattle are a treasure for farmers. If we eat two cows today, two families will be left without cattle to plow the spring fields, and two families will starve in the autumn! Wouldn't that harm them? How about this, you take the two cows back, and I'll take the rest!" Without waiting for anyone to speak, he shouted, "Come here, bring twenty pieces of silk!"

There was a response from the outside, and a moment later, twenty rolls of blue silk were delivered. Wei Cong smiled and said, "These are my return gifts. Please accept them!"

"This—how can this be!" The old man was stunned. Wei Cong's actions were completely beyond his imagination. In this day and age, not only were bandits, but even the government troops were not so reasonable. They had just seen the armor and weapons of this group from outside. Not to mention anything else, just the large ship on the water was more than the county could handle. When he first came in, he was worried that the reward he brought was too small and would anger this group, but he didn't expect them to not only return the oxen, but also return the gifts.

"Why not?" Wei Cong said, "It's impolite not to reciprocate. This is the first time we've met, but we'll get to know each other better. There will be many opportunities for us to interact in the future!" When he said this, he laughed loudly, and the local people who gave gifts also hurriedly followed suit.

Yuan Tian, mingling in the crowd, wasn't as easily fooled as these farmers. The moment he laid eyes on Wei Cong, he knew he was of more than ordinary origin. Considering the bizarrely shaped ship and the well-armored guards, this group definitely wasn't just a bunch of river thieves. And what could they possibly steal in a barren land like Yuhan County? Dried fish, corn, and linen? Wei Cong's subsequent actions only confirmed Yuan Tian's suspicions—this nobleman calling himself "General Jiangyi" must have some ulterior motive.

"Everyone!" Wei Cong leaned forward slightly to make himself more comfortable. "In a few days it will be the beginning of spring, the time to prepare for spring plowing. I know you are all busy at this time, so I will not waste time! I came here to find a mountain in the northeastern mountains. If anyone among you is familiar with the waterways in Yuhan County, please be my guide. I will reward you handsomely!"

"A mountain?" The elders looked at each other in confusion. After a few minutes, the old man said, "Sir, our county is located in a remote area. If you walk east from the county seat for a day, you will find mountains. They stretch for hundreds of miles and are all desolate and rarely visited by people. I wonder which mountain you are looking for?"

"Come here, bring me the map!" Wei Cong took a scroll from his subordinate and unfolded it in front of everyone. It turned out to be an extremely detailed map. Wei Cong pointed with his finger and said, "This is Yuhan County. The mountain is right here. There's a river connecting them. As long as we follow the waterway, we'll definitely find it!"

A closer look at the map revealed densely packed illustrations of prefectures, counties, rivers, and roads, each marked with distinct color blocks and accompanied by a scale marker. This map was a stark contrast to the maps of the time, which simply depicted towns, mountains, and rivers without any sense of scale. It turned out that this map was the result of Wei Cong's enlargement of the Jiangxi and Hubei sections of the map he had brought with him during his time travel, and then modified it to reflect the geographical and riverine conditions of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As the saying goes, an amateur sees the excitement, while an expert sees the details. These farmers had never seen a real map before, so they naturally couldn't grasp its intricacies. However, Yuan Tian knew that such maps were extremely valuable, possessed only in official possession, and even the most aristocratic families rarely possessed them. Although he couldn't immediately discern the significance of the map Wei Cong had produced, he felt it was far superior to the ones he had seen during his time as a minor official in the prefectures and counties. What was this man's origin, to have such a remarkable feat?

"Young Master!" After a brief discussion, the group pushed the elderly man in the lead and said, "If it's really as you say, then this river should be the Po River in this county. It's the largest river in this county, and it flows in the direction you mentioned!"

"Pojiang!" Wei Cong took a pen and wrote down the name beside the Rao River. "Then, are there any of you willing to be our guide? I just told you there will be a generous reward!"

"I'm willing to go!" Yuan Tian stepped forward and walked out of the crowd. "I know the Po River quite well and am willing to be your guide!"

"Are you willing?" Wei Cong looked the man up and down. The man was about seven feet tall, with a sturdy physique, especially his arms, whose sleeves were bulging with muscle. "What's your name and what do you do for a living?"

(End of this chapter)