Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

Before nightfall, more than ten archers and servants were sent out.

The next morning, Sun Jizu left the city before dawn.

Forty archers were fully armed, with swords tucked behind their waists and quivers slung across their backs. The fletchings in their quivers gleamed gray in the morning light.

Unlike when they usually held short sticks, most of the archers couldn't help but hold their waist knives and rub them from time to time. Their expressions were solemn, and they exuded a hint of killing intent.

The group marched along the official road toward Linhe Township, their steps orderly, the soles of their boots making a dull thud on the rammed earth surface. More than ten of them carried bamboo baskets or burlap sacks, making their steps even heavier.

In a village near the river, there was an old well, and three old men were squatting by the well, shelling beans. When Sun Jizu and his men arrived, the beans spilled all over the ground from the old men's hands.

"County Commandant Sun!" An old man stood up, his knees covered in bean husks, clearly recognizing him.

Sun Jizu reined in his horse and stopped by the well. "Have the village officials arrived yet?"

"We've arrived. We delivered the message last night, and everyone's been waiting at the village ancestral hall this morning."

The ancestral hall consists of three old tile-roofed houses, with the threshold worn inward from being stepped on.

When Sun Jizu stepped inside, there were already more than a dozen people crammed in. The village elders and village heads were either sitting or standing, some with their hands behind their backs, some holding rough porcelain bowls, and some squatting on the threshold.

"County Commandant Sun, everyone has arrived." The elder of Linhe Township, surnamed Liu, was a round-faced old man who came forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "As you instructed last night, all the able-bodied men from each village are waiting at the village entrance."

"I was worried about not having enough manpower, so I also sent a message to Taiping Township through some young men in the village, saying that they would come over to join us once everyone was ready. They had all been trained as archers and were quite strong."

Sun Jizu nodded, and without saying a word, walked straight to the offering table in the ancestral hall, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and spread it out.

The paper depicted the topography of Wangjiazhuang, clearly marking the village's boundaries, entrances and exits, and the directions of several alleys. He pointed to the village entrance with one finger.

"Two hundred bandits have infiltrated Wangjiazhuang, disguised as day laborers. The total number of local residents in the village is less than one hundred households, and these two hundred bandits outnumber the able-bodied men in the village."

"First, organize the able-bodied men from each village into teams of fifty, each team taking a section of the village wall. Don't wait any longer; the teams should march as they form their ranks, surrounding Wangjiazhuang as quickly as possible!"

Liu Qizhang quickly turned around and shouted towards the door.

There was only one main road in the village, and it was already crowded with people. Some were carrying shoulder poles, some were holding hoes, and some were holding machetes.

Hearing the shouts, the crowd surged toward the ancestral hall, marching and forming ranks under the command of the head of the household. The sound of their footsteps gradually blended together on the dirt road.

Sun Jizu stepped out of the threshold and stood on the stone pier in front of the ancestral hall.

He was taller than the people below him, and his gaze swept across the crowd with the coldness of an old soldier who had licked blood from the edge of a knife.

The noise subsided.

"Today we're going to Wangjiazhuang to arrest someone. There are about two hundred bandits across the street, disguised as laborers from the village. You don't need to go in with knives and guns and fight to the death. Just surround the village to prevent the remaining bandits from escaping, and assist in arresting the thieves."

A burly man in the crowd shouted, "County Lieutenant Sun, how do you distinguish between thieves and civilians?"

"The villagers are all locals and know each other. Follow the villagers to identify people; apprehend any unfamiliar faces. Anyone carrying weapons, fleeing, or refusing to give their name should be arrested and questioned."

Sun Jizu paused for a moment, then added, "A reward of three hundred coins will be given for capturing a bandit alive, and two hundred coins for killing one. The wounded will receive a compensation of one string of cash, and those killed by bandits will receive a compensation of thirty strings of cash!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Although the reward for capturing the bandits alive wasn't much, the injured would receive a string of cash as compensation, which was quite tempting.

One string of cash is equivalent to a strong laborer's monthly income. Especially for these villagers, many families don't even reach this income because they have little land.

What's most enviable is the compensation for those who died in battle, which is a whopping thirty strings of cash!

Even the imperial guards who died in battle were only given a pension of fifty strings of cash.

The compensation for these volunteers was the same as that for the local militia!

Some people started pushing forward, while others turned around and ran home to grab something useful.

People from several neighboring villages gathered together, chattering and discussing which team would guard which side, who would be responsible for stopping people, and who would be responsible for blocking the road.

It took less than 15 minutes to form a 500-person formation.

The villagers were leading their respective groups, dispersing along the field ridges towards Wangjiazhuang.

The procession moved somewhat haphazardly, with hoes slung over their shoulders and carrying poles across their hands, as if they were attending a grand market that hadn't been seen in years. However, some greedy individuals had their eyes gradually turning red, and it was unclear what they were plotting.

As dawn broke, the group had already reached the outskirts of Wangjiazhuang. Sun Jizu straightened up on his horse and took a look.

The two old locust trees at the entrance of the village are still there, as are the haystacks beside them. The village is quiet at this time, with only a few elderly people who are usually early risers.

Sun Jizu gestured with his chin toward Wu Yan.

Wu Yan raised his long sword and swung it twice to the left and right. The archers split into two teams: one team advanced from the front of the village entrance, while the other team circled around to the back of the village to block them.

The able-bodied men followed the archers and filed in.

At the head of the procession were several local villagers from Linhe Township, who led the way pointing out the houses. Liu Qizhang followed beside Sun Jizu's warhorse, pointing to the first house on the left.

"This is Wang Quanyou's home. The elderly couple lives here with their grandson. They don't employ any day laborers."

Sun Jizu waved his hand behind him, and two strong young men stepped forward and pushed open the courtyard gate. The gate creaked open, and an old man squatted by the well, drawing water. Hearing the noise, he turned around, glanced at it, stood up, and wiped his hands on his clothes.

"Brother Liu Qi? What happened?"

"This is none of your business. Go back inside and close the door," Elder Liu called out into the courtyard.

The old man glanced at Sun Jizu, then at the archers and young men lined up, put down the water bucket, turned and went into the house. He locked the door from the inside.

There was no movement in the second courtyard.

Liu Qizhang called out twice, but no one answered.

Two strong young men climbed over the wall and went inside. A moment later, they opened the door and shouted outside, "It's empty, nobody's here."

The third and fourth shops were both empty.

When they reached the fifth house, a man in short brown clothes peeked out from the main room, saw that the courtyard gate was suddenly crowded with people, and retreated. The door slammed shut.

Sun Jizu pointed with his finger.

Twelve archers simultaneously raised their bows, aiming their arrows at the doors and windows.

Wu Yan carried his long sword to the courtyard gate and kicked the door.

The door, which wasn't latched, slammed against the wall with a bang.

Seven or eight men were crammed into the main room.

Some were squatting on the ground, others were leaning against the wall. They had no weapons in their hands, but the straw mats on the ground were half-open, revealing the machetes and iron rulers underneath.

A man with high cheekbones stood up, grinned, revealing half a set of yellow teeth, and said, "Sir, we are temporary laborers hired by the farm to harvest crops in the autumn. What are you doing here?"

Wu Yan did not answer.

He pointed the tip of his knife at the straw mat at the man's feet.

The man with yellow teeth looked down.