Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

"No problem, you can buy the cultivated herbs first, and I'll help you get the wild herbs when I have time in a few days."

Fang Wei naturally wouldn't refuse. Anyway, with the help of the Yao people, going into the mountains to collect herbs wouldn't be difficult.

"Thank you so much, Secretary Fang! Here's the list for you. Contact me again once you've prepared the goods. I promise I'll be there whenever you need me."

Section Chief Zhang smiled and took a list out of his bag, then handed it to Fang Wei.

noon.

Fang Wei invited Section Chief Zhang to his home for lunch and promised to prepare the wild herbs Zhang needed within a week.

The two sides had been dealing with each other for many years and had long since developed a tacit understanding. After finishing his meal, Section Chief Zhang left first.

Fang Wei did not rush into the mountains. After the forestry team completed this year's harvesting task, he called Wang Songlin and asked him to send more people to help with the harvesting.

early morning.

Fang Wei led dozens of people into the mountains, heading straight for the medicinal herb cultivation base.

Today's task is to collect medicinal herbs and prepare the goods according to the varieties and quantities on the purchase list. Nothing else matters.

This time, Chenzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital needed a large quantity of rare herbs, so he called 50 strong young men to help with the harvesting and try to complete the task as soon as possible.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, he'll take a good rest after finishing this task.

The first day of harvesting went smoothly, and everyone returned to the village singing and laughing all the way, sending all the collected herbs to the herbal medicine processing plant. Although the plant charged a processing fee, the processed herbs would fetch a higher price, so he didn't lose out.

the next day.

Fang Wei led the brothers into the mountains again. They could pick another batch of herbs today to complete the order, and then they wouldn't need to come back.

The group arrived at the herb cultivation base amidst laughter and conversation. Dozens of people dispersed and began working according to their assigned tasks. Fang Wei wasn't idle either; she was bending over and picking herbs just like everyone else.

"Ok?"

Fang Wei appeared to be concentrating on her work, but she was actually also paying attention to her surroundings.

Most of the Yao people in the village have already handed over their guns, with only a small number keeping a few hunting rifles. These days, the young men and women rarely hunt anymore, so weapons are of little use to them.

Fifty princes came today, but they only brought two hunting rifles, so Fang Wei had to keep a close watch on everything around him.

He was mainly looking for venomous snakes and wild beasts when he unexpectedly discovered someone approaching.

Almost no one comes to this area. Occasionally, a seasoned herb gatherer might visit, but there are very few throughout the year.

The incident a few days ago, in which the entire county set up roadblocks to prevent the murderer from entering the mountains, was still fresh in his mind. How could he dare to be careless? So he pretended to be going to rest and told one of the brothers that there were people nearby.

Word spread quickly, and soon everyone knew.

"Everyone, take a break, eat some dry rations, and then continue working."

Fang Wei sat under a big tree and invited everyone to rest.

The men put down their tools and gathered around, then sat down on the ground to eat lunch.

Fang Weiyi ate while observing her surroundings. The person hadn't left; they were hiding not far from everyone. Whether it was her imagination or not, the person seemed increasingly agitated as everyone began to eat.

By this time, the man's location had been completely pinpointed. If Fang Wei hadn't been worried that the other man might have a rifle, he would have rushed forward long ago; why would he still be putting on an act here?

After everyone finished eating and drinking some water, they continued working.

The remaining dry food and water were placed under the tree, so that there was no need to carry extra burdens while working, and it would be easier to unload the extra items on one's body.

However, only 50 princes were working on site, while Fang Wei was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone was diligently picking herbs when a figure crept up quietly. The man was filthy, looked haggard, and had a rifle slung across his shoulder.

"It could be that wanted criminal, otherwise it's too much of a coincidence."

At this moment, Fang Wei was hiding in a tree. The tree was so lush and leafy that it was impossible to spot someone hiding there.

The man, who looked like a beggar, quietly crept to the foot of a tree, and while the men working weren't looking, he stole a bag of dry rations and a water bottle.

This guy was obviously starving; he started wolfing down his food after running only a short distance.

The dry rations were already coarse, and coupled with how fast he ate, he choked so badly his eyes rolled back. Luckily, he had a jug of water with him, otherwise this foolish thief might have choked to death.

The guy picked up the water bottle and drank it in big gulps, completely unaware that someone was approaching.

Just as he put down the kettle and let out a long sigh of relief, several people suddenly rushed out and pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

Fang Wei walked over, cut the rifle sling with his knife, and took the rifle. Then he had one of the men continue searching him, and they found dozens of bullets.

There were also some odds and ends, which were all packed into bags.

The man struggled a few times, but seeing he couldn't break free, he gave up in futile resistance. He wouldn't answer any questions, only staring at Fang Wei with fierce eyes; he was clearly no good person. "Tie him up! We'll take him back after we're done."

Once the other party had taken the gun, Fang Wei had nothing to worry about.

Several princes tied the man up by the back of his hand, pushed and shoved him back into the woods, and then tied him to a tree.

Then everyone continued working, and only after all the herbs had been picked did they escort the guy back to the village.

As soon as Fang entered the house, he quickly called the local police station, and then the county bureau. He didn't know the man's identity, so he left it to the police officers to handle.

Less than an hour after I made the call, people from the township and county arrived.

"Secretary Fang, thank you so much. You helped us catch the fugitive. This guy was not only a fugitive but also a murderer. If he had escaped to a densely populated city, who knows what kind of trouble he would have caused."

Also, thank you all. You were all very vigilant and dared to fight back against unidentified individuals carrying firearms. You all did a great job. Thank you!

The county police quickly confirmed the "beggar's" identity; he was the murderer who killed the old man.

The deputy director bowed deeply to Fang Wei and the others. He had been suffering from insomnia almost every day these past few days. The capture of the vicious criminals posed a threat to the safety of the people's lives almost every minute and every second.

Unexpectedly, this guy actually ran into the mountains, only to be captured by Secretary Fang and his men.

The case was urgent, and they were in a hurry to get back and interrogate the man, so they didn't stay in the village for long and quickly escorted him back to the county town.

night.

Fang Wei set up several tables in the main dining hall and invited the brothers to drink.

"Secretary, how did you determine that this person is problematic? Just because he was carrying a gun? If it were me, I wouldn't dare to arrest him directly. After all, we're not police officers. What if we arrest the wrong person?"

Today was thrilling and exciting. After a few drinks, someone asked me the crucial question.

“I don’t know who he is, but the weapon he’s carrying is a threat to us, so we have to take him down first. It doesn’t matter if we arrest the wrong person; we can just apologize to him and give him some compensation.”

For Fang Wei, regardless of whether the situation was right or wrong, he had to take this person down.

Rifles posed too great a threat to everyone, and he had no choice but to protect himself.

Besides, if you encounter a stranger carrying a gun in a remote mountain forest, anyone would immediately think of a fugitive.

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted in the cafeteria.

Everyone thought the Party Secretary was funny and agreed with the other side's statement that regardless of right or wrong, they should take the person down first.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Fang Wei gave each of the princes 1000 yuan. This money was not only for their labor, but also a personal reward for their courage in the face of danger.

The brothers returned to the village happily, and Fang Wei went home, washed up, and went to sleep.

Pan Lianhua originally wanted to say a few words to him. The matter seemed to be going smoothly, but upon closer reflection, it was actually quite dangerous. It was only because Fang Wei acted decisively that he succeeded. If someone else had hesitated even slightly, it might have resulted in injury or death.

Scared to think about.

However, seeing that the man looked very tired, she didn't ask anything.

Two days later.

Fang Wei went to Luo Zhimin's office and listened to his detailed account of the case.

After killing the old man, the fugitive prepared some things and then headed into the Dayao Mountains. He had some experience in mountain activities, but not much, and after rashly entering the mountains, he found himself lost.

Fortunately, he had a gun, so he was able to hunt some game occasionally these days, and sometimes he could also find wild fruit to fill his stomach.

But he couldn't get out no matter what he did, enduring wind and rain, wandering around in the mountains until he met Fang Wei and others who were gathering herbs in the mountains.

Because the other side outnumbered him, he dared not act rashly, only thinking of taking the opportunity to steal some food. He dared not make contact with these dozens of people, planning to wait until someone was alone before subduing him and finding out the route to leave the mountains and reach the neighboring province.

As a result, he stole a few bites of food and was then pinned down by the other person.

"Secretary Fang, you have done a great service this time. The county has decided to give a reward to everyone who was there that day to commend your courageous act of risking your lives to capture the murderer."

"This is what we should do. Besides, there are 51 of us. Are we going to be scared by a rifle? But no matter what, we are very grateful for the county's recognition."

The two sat on the sofa, drinking tea and chatting. Luo Zhimin casually mentioned the rewards given to Fang Wei and others by the county.

Fang Wei wasn't particularly enthusiastic about rewards, but the princes would probably like them.

after a few days.

The county held a commendation meeting to recognize Fang Wei and others for their courageous act.

In addition to various honors and a reward of 1000 yuan per person, there were also certificates and awards, which made Wang Songlin, who represented 50 brothers to receive the awards, keep smiling.

Fang Wei didn't care much. He had received so many honors over the years that he was completely desensitized to them. (End of Chapter)