"Bandits"

In a valley in the Mount Tianzhu region stood an unremarkable village.

It was called a village, but even their most "refined" houses were merely crudely built wooden huts. Most people still lived in tents.

In fact, in the preceding years, they had not even had tents, and a dozen or more households could only squeeze into a wooden hut that let the wind in on every side.

Fortunately, while hunting in the mountains the previous year, the villagers had found a great many military tents, along with grain, weapons, and other supplies.

They did not know why those things were there, but who could turn down supplies picked up for free?

And so the village had come to look as it did now, with roughly seven or eight hundred residents.

Bandits often ran rampant in this era, and Lujiang had been that way for thirty years. Though these villagers had no wish to fight anyone, they had no choice but to take up the weapons they had found to protect themselves.

Carrying a wild rabbit, Jiang Dashan walked into the village in high spirits.

It was the depths of winter, with no farmwork to be done, and he could only watch helplessly as the rice in his family's jar dwindled little by little. These past few days, he had spent all day toiling in the mountains,

He had come back empty-handed for several days running, but today was different. He lifted the flap of his family's tent, and as soon as he entered, the warmth of the fire washed over him.

"Father!" the little girl called happily.

"Look what Father brought home!"

"Wow! We can have meat today!" The little girl's eyes were full of stars.

The woman beside her, however, looked at him with aching concern. "Husband, you needn't take such risks. If we're sparing with our food, we should be able to make it to next year."

"It's all right, my dear." As Jiang Dashan spoke, he carried the rabbit toward the entrance. "I'll go dress this game. You two just wait for a feast!"

His gaze was full of love as he looked at his wife and daughter.

Jiang Dashan then pushed aside the tent flap.

Just then, with a whoosh, a sharp arrow tore through the air and pierced straight through Jiang Dashan's temple!

Jiang Dashan's expression froze with that last trace of a smile still on his face, and the game in his hand dropped to the ground.

Hearing the noise outside the tent, mother and daughter rushed out in alarm. They could not believe what they saw.

"Husband!"

"Father!"

On a small slope not far from the tent, a Wei scout asked tentatively, "Commandant, these people don't look like bandits."

Wen Qin glared at him. "Look closely. Quite a few of them have weapons, and military weapons at that! All the tents they live in are plundered military tents! What could they be if not bandits?"

"But..."

"No buts." Wen Qin raised the long saber in his hand. "Pass on my command. Kill every last one of these bandits!"

Wen Qin was certain that the people before him were "bandits."

"Kill them!"

At the order, the horsemen surged forward together, charging toward the distant "bandits."

The "bandits" had no idea what was happening. Their eyes filled with terror as they shouted and screamed, fleeing in every direction.

The horsemen had these "unarmed" people in the palms of their hands. With his superb talent for command, Wen Qin ensured that those "bandits" crumbled at the first touch of the cavalry's initial charge!

Each cavalryman fought with the might of ten, slaughtering in every direction and sweeping aside whole armies.

At last, some villagers began to resist. Holding weapons ill-suited to their hands, they fought back against the cavalry with utterly amateurish moves.

But it was merely eggs hurled against stone. One of the "bandits" angrily raised a saber and hacked at an oncoming warhorse, aiming for its legs.

The cavalryman gave him no chance at all. With a sideways sweep of his spear, a head flew into the sky. The warhorse swiftly passed, leaving only a gushing crimson fountain behind it.

Similar scenes played out again and again throughout the little village. Unending wails and thunderous hoofbeats filled the entire valley.

A long time passed before the sounds of slaughter finally died away.

Wen Qin took a few men to clear the battlefield. First, he counted his men, and after confirming that not a single man had been lost, a smile curved his lips.

"Commandant Wen, we've found quite a lot of millet here, along with pickled vegetables, air-dried meat, and other provisions, plus over twenty military bows and crossbows and over a hundred military ring-pommel sabers."

Wen Qin surveyed his spoils with satisfaction, nodding emphatically. Then he ordered, "We can't take these supplies with us for now. Once we're back in Lujiang, we'll send some civilian laborers to collect them. But right now, we have something important to do."

Wen Qin casually pointed at the mangled corpses on the ground. "Heads are too heavy. We can't carry that many. Go cut off the bandits' ears. Once we're back, rewards will be granted according to merit."

"Yes, sir!"

The scouts were all excited. Even the scout who had been troubled by guilt earlier could no longer spare it much thought.

He grabbed his saber and went searching for his prey.

These were solid military merits. If his eyes and hands were quick enough, this haul of merit could at least keep his wife and children fed and clothed without worry for several years.

Before long, the scouts finished their harvesting, each securing a haul he was pleased with. Though the occasional quarrel broke out, Wen Qin put a stop to them all.

Once everything was done, Wen Qin led his troop back, "laden with spoils."

"Commandant Wen, you mean to say that with thirty horsemen, you routed more than eight hundred bandits and beheaded every last one?"

Inside a military tent outside Liu'an, Xiahou Xian looked at Wen Qin without expression.

Wen Qin said excitedly, "That's right! I'd long heard that bandits often appeared in that area and plundered the common people, so I took the scouts to patrol there,"

"And then I really did discover traces of the bandits. So I led the horsemen into their lair and caught the whole lot in one net."

"We also seized a quantity of their provisions and supplies. My lord, a great battle is about to begin in our Huainan. We cannot allow bandits like these to cause trouble behind our lines!"

Xiahou Xian nodded. "Commandant Wen, your valor truly is unmatched. Since I happen to be here today, summon all those soldiers. They shall be rewarded according to merit."

Overjoyed, Wen Qin hastily cupped his fist and left the camp. Before long, several dozen scouts followed him into the military tent.

Xiahou Xian rose and examined them one by one, but few dared meet his eyes.

"Tell me." Xiahou Xian sat back down on his couch chair. "Tell me what happened at the time."

After a long silence, someone finally spoke. Once one man started, the others followed. Every one of them boasted of how bravely he had fought and how the bandits had crumbled before him at a single blow.

In the end, they even began reporting how many bandits each had killed. By the look of it, they would not forgo any opportunity to claim merit.

Seeing Xiahou Xian's grave expression, Wen Qin felt a faint unease.

"My lord, that is what happened. Perhaps you could let them return first, and we can discuss the rewards later. You look tired today."

"No. Today's business will be finished today." Xiahou Xian swept his hand and called loudly, "Guards! Take every last one of these men outside and behead them!"