Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 108 Lame Servant, Maid, and Little Fierce Woman

Dugu Jingyao solemnly said, "That He Youzhen is probably up to no good. He led the manor lord to Canglang Gorge, clearly to distract him."

Xiao Qingmei frowned, and her originally somewhat childish face instantly lost its gentleness.

She gently pushed the abacus aside and looked solemnly at Dugu Jingyao.

Dugu Jingyao approached and said, "Just now I went to examine Li Youcai and found that he was not sick at all. Moreover, I found Master Zhang at his place."

You know the hatred between Master Zhang and Master Yang. And he came with six or seven guards, each dressed in short armor and carrying a sharp weapon.

Xiao Qingmei's expression turned solemn: "He used to come to the fortress alone, and he rarely even brought his steward with him."

Dugu Jingyao said, "That's right. He Youzhen lured the manor lord away, Li Youcai pretended to be sick and stayed behind, and Zhang Yunyi, contrary to his usual behavior, came with his guards. What do you think he's trying to do?"

Xiao Qingmei slowly stood up and started walking outside.

As she approached the entrance to the flower hall, she suddenly stopped and turned back to give Dugu Jingyao a deep look.

"Thank you!"

Before Dugu Jingyao could say anything more, Xiao Qingmei hurried away.

……

Dusk, like a layer of ink-soaked gauze, slowly spread down from the horizon.

A gentle breeze, carrying the scent of fresh grass, slowly swept across the grassland.

This should be the time when herdsmen return to their pens and evening songs fill the air, but at this moment, the grassland is completely silent.

After entering the grassland, Leopard Leader led twenty warriors and sought out a herdsman to inquire about the location of their chieftain's camp.

Because the Bali tribe did not build cities, their tents moved along fertile lands and did not stay in one place for long.

On this vast grassland, as long as you see herds of cattle and sheep, you can find the herders and know the location of the Bali tribe.

but……

Leopard Head reined in his horse, and the black horse beneath him snorted and pawed restlessly.

He was followed by twenty strong guards, each with a curved sword at his waist and a longbow on his shoulder.

The group galloped across the grassland for a long time, but did not see a single herder's tent.

Before they could find a particular herder family, they saw a long line.

Those were herders, numbering at least a thousand.

They drove the cattle and sheep, with dozens of "high carts" protecting the middle of the procession.

The wheels of the tall cart were extremely large, even larger than those of the oxcart.

The vehicle has a simple canopy on the roof, which can provide shade and shelter from the rain.

At this moment, the vehicle was filled with hastily piled-up items, as well as elderly people, women, and children with terrified expressions.

The herdsmen on horseback guarding the outer perimeter were clad in animal hide armor, gripping longbows tightly in their hands, their quivers already mostly empty.

Many people had dark red bloodstains on their bodies, and their wounds were hastily wrapped with knotted burlap.

Some of the linen was soaked in blood, clearly indicating that they had just been through a fierce battle, and even the time for bandaging the wounds was extremely rushed.

The appearance of Leopard Head and his group instantly put the migrating caravan on edge.

Leopard Head spurred his horse closer and discovered that the herdsmen knights had already drawn their bows and were nervously charging at them, their eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.

However, it was probably based on their clothing and number that it was determined they were not enemies.

The arrows on the bows of those herdsmen warriors were already slightly lowered towards the ground.

Upon seeing this, Leopard Head quickly raised his hand to signal his men to stop, lest they approach rashly and provoke a fierce reaction from the other side.

Leopard Head raised his hands and said loudly, "I am Cheng Dakuan from Feng'an Fort. I have something to discuss with Chief Bali. Are you from the Bali tribe?"

A commotion arose on the other side, and someone shouted, "That's right, what do you want?"

Leopard Head said, "I want to see Chief Balimo. I came alone."

He paused for a moment, and seeing that the other party did not object, he then braced his legs against the stirrups, still holding his hands up, and slowly approached.

“I am acting on the orders of my family’s lord, and I have something to discuss with your clan chief.”

An elderly man, nearing fifty with gray hair, eyed Leopard Head warily for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Come with me!"

He spurred his horse forward and led the way, with Leopard Head immediately following, and several herdsmen warriors cautiously spurring their horses to catch up.

Soon, Leopard Head spotted a tall car.

The frame was made of sturdy elm wood, the wheels were half a foot higher than those of ordinary carriages, the spokes were wrapped with reinforced copper strips, and the sides of the carriage shaft were carved with simple wolf head patterns.

Even this carriage was covered in slash marks, and the leather curtain had several holes in it.

The cart was piled with blankets, pots and pans, and the chief of the Bali tribe, Balimo, lay among the blanket rolls and pots and pans.

His left chest was wrapped in thick white linen, and dark red bloodstains had seeped through the fabric.

This fellow was being chased by Bald Falcon on that day, and he decisively abandoned his horse and went up the mountain, and actually managed to escape back to the tribe.

But before he could catch his breath, the bald tribe attacked.

Caught off guard, the Bali tribe suffered a crushing defeat and heavy losses.

Of course, even without being caught off guard, they were no match for the Bald Tribe.

Now, having finally shaken off their pursuers at a heavy cost, they are attempting a mass exodus.

When Ba Limo saw Leopard Head, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He recognized Leopard Head as the tall guard beside Yang Can, coughed twice, and said in a hoarse voice:
"Cough...cough cough! Are you the bodyguard next to Yang Can? What do you want with me?"

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Leopard Head frowned. The Bali tribe was clearly in big trouble.

But he didn't dare ask any more questions. He cupped his hands in greeting on his horse and got straight to the point: "Chief of Bali, I have come on the orders of Master Yang."

"Chief, recently there was a great battle at Canglang Gorge. Were the corpses collected by your men?"

Ba Limo chuckled twice, his voice hoarse as if he were grinding two stones.

"Restraint? What's there to restrain?"

He paused, his brow furrowing as the laughter aggravated his wound.

"Originally, we wanted to find out who those people were, but unfortunately there was nothing on them that could identify them."

Leopard Head's eyes lit up: "Then, where are those people's bodies?"

Ba Limo waved his hand casually: "Of course, we'll just leave it in the wilderness?"

"Huh?" Leopard Head was stunned.

In the hearts of Han people, the dead are paramount and burial brings peace; ultimately, it is a matter of respect for life.

Even if it's an enemy, digging a hole doesn't cost much, and then leaving it in the wilderness for wild animals to eat is too cold-blooded.

Ba Limo seemed to see through his thoughts, and a hint of disapproval appeared in his eyes.

"All things in nature are created and nourished one another. Their corpses are fed to wolves, and we hunt wolves to make coats from their pelts."

Their blood nourished the grasslands, the grasslands fed the cattle and sheep, and we ate the cattle and slaughtered the sheep.

It's just the natural order of things, what's wrong with that?

Leopard Head was speechless at his question. He had never imagined that life and death could be so directly linked to "survival." The cruelty and clarity of the grassland were beyond his comprehension.

Leopard Head gave a wry smile and shook his head, saying, "In that case, I'll take my leave..."

He spurred his horse to leave, but then stopped, looking at the fleeing group, and asked in confusion, "Chief Bali, what happened to you...? Did you encounter a powerful enemy?"

Ba Limo closed his eyes dejectedly: "We devour the weak, and the stronger devour us. This is the natural order of things, and we can't blame anyone else."

Seeing that he didn't want to say more, Leopard Head shook his head, picked up his horse, and rode away.

Since he had come here empty-handed, he had to hurry back to report to the manor lord and didn't want to waste time arguing with these Xianbei people.

Ba Limo struggled to sit up in the carriage, leaning against the pots and pans, watching Leopard Head ride lightly towards the twenty guards waiting for him, and a thought suddenly struck him.

The Bald Tribe marched thousands of miles and suddenly stormed into his camp, launching a siege against the Bald Tribe.

The opposing force was not large, but the Bali tribe was completely unprepared, and the scattered nomadic tribesmen did not even have time to gather together.

In this situation, they were certainly no match for the bald tribe warriors.

His headquarters was looted and massacred, and now only a little over a thousand people remain, most of whom are the elderly, women and children.

He originally intended to seek refuge with a large tribe that was not on friendly terms with the Bald Tribe, and then slowly gather the herders scattered across the grasslands.

However, they had too many elderly, weak, women and children, and each tribe was not close to the others because of the grasslands.

He was very worried that before he could find a tribe to join, before his nomadic people scattered across the grasslands could gather back upon hearing the news, he would be intercepted by the bald-haired pursuers, who were all elite cavalry warriors.

It's not so much about intercepting, but about blocking.

The bald tribe members are not stupid; they know who they can rely on.

The Helan tribe to the east and the Qigu tribe to the southwest are his best options at present.

What he could think of, the bald tribe could think of too.

Perhaps the brothers, Tuoba Wuyan and Tuoba Junxie, have already led their respective armies to intercept their path.

But who says he has to rely on the Helan or Qigu tribes?
This Yang Can...

Ba Limo couldn't help but recall a remark he had overheard during his visit to Feng'an Fort.

"The master of the manor improved the waterwheel, and the water can be turned up to a height of ten zhang. If another waterwheel is placed on a high place, even a very high slope can be turned into fertile fields."

"Yes, yes, you used to say you had too many kids and couldn't afford to raise them, but now look what's happened."

"If your little calves went off to clear land with their father, wouldn't your land increase several times over?"

The amount of arable land will increase significantly in the territory of the Yu clan, so... the manpower they need will also increase significantly, right?
If I were to side with the valve… Pulling force suddenly began to struggle.

"Ouch!"

Despite the pain, Ba Limo sat up straight: "Quick, stop him! I have something to say!"

……

Inside Feng'an Fort, Zhang Yunyi and Li Youcai were attacking the inner courtyard of the Yang family mansion.

The residence built by Zhang Yunyi was designed with the issues of bandit prevention and fire prevention in mind from the very beginning.

The courtyards are nested in layers, with high walls and heavy doors separating the different courtyards.

Zhang Yunyi's own family's residence was particularly secluded.

To conceal their wealth, the inner residence had no main gate; instead, a high wall was built behind the main hall of the fake inner residence.

On either side of the high wall, there is a side door leading into the inner courtyard.

The side door was hidden in the shadow of the wall, making it not only concealed but also difficult to deploy troops and launch attacks.

Their original plan was to break into the inner quarters by surprise, take control of Xiao Qingmei, and then search the entire mansion.

When Zhang Yunyi led Li Youcai to the back gate of the house, they found that the narrow gate, which was two zhang high, was tightly closed, completely isolating them from the outside world, and they could not get in.

In desperation, they had no choice but to try to break large logs against each other or climb walls with ladders. In such a rush, there were no suitable tools available.

Li Youcai patted the courtyard wall beside him, the hard touch in his palm making him extremely irritated.

"Master Zhang, why did you build this 'house within a house' in the first place? And why did you build it so sturdily? How can we possibly attack it?"

Zhang Yunyi said with a wry smile, "These high walls and thick gates were originally meant to defend against bandits and thieves. How could I have known that one day they would come to attack my own home?"

Inside the inner courtyard, Xiao Qingmei, dressed in a neat and tidy outfit with a wide belt around her waist and carrying a gleaming short sword, patrolled the area while loudly encouraging everyone.

"The walls here are high and the gates are thick, they can't break in. Everyone work hard, the master will surely reward you handsomely when he returns!"

On the top of the wall, all the servants that Yang Can had bought were armed and guarding the top.

Xiao Qingmei quickly gathered them all together and moved them all into the inner quarters.

As for the rule that only the master of the manor is allowed to have a son in the inner quarters, we can disregard it in this emergency.

The maids and servants in the inner quarters were also busy; they worked together to carry a large log as thick as a bowl and braced it against the inside of the side door.

Several layers of thick felt were placed on the wood to prevent it from being damaged by the battering rams outside.

Others carried baskets and carried stones, tiles, and even boiling water to the top of the wall.

The large iron pot in the kitchen was still steaming, and several old women took turns carrying copper kettles to fetch water.

Old Xin, the woodcutter, stood trembling on the wall, carrying his sharpened wood-chopping knife.

This high wall is wide; although it's not as wide as a city wall where carriages and horses can gallop, it's wide enough for people to stand guard and walk on.

A long ladder was placed against the high wall, and several guards from the Zhang family, with knives in their mouths, quickly climbed up.

"Help! They're coming up here! They're going to kill us!"

Old Xin was terrified and charged at him, brandishing his machete.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Old Xin's hands moved as if he had epilepsy, wildly waving a machete in his hand.

Yet each stab, even in the midst of the chaos, precisely struck or slashed the vital points of the person climbing the wall.

As soon as a guard peeked out, a machete struck his neck, and blood splattered out instantly.

Just as another guard reached out to grab the top of the wall, Old Xin chopped off his hand with a knife. The guard screamed as four fingers were severed, and he fell to the ground.

If the blows hadn't hit any vital points, those guards might have climbed up.

But if you get stabbed in that vital spot, you'll immediately lose your fighting ability.

As Old Xin screamed like a pig being slaughtered, he frantically swung his machete, hacking down those who had climbed the wall like pigs and sheep.

Old Xin, who had a limp, already walked with an uneven gait, and in his panic, he seemed to be tumbling and crawling.

After he finished killing the man, he put the bloodstained knife in his mouth, picked up a rough earthenware jar, and smashed it down hard.

"boom!"

The jar slammed down on the head of a martial arts guard who was halfway up the mountain, and blood immediately streamed down his face.

The guard's eyes glazed over, and he suddenly stumbled and fell off the ladder, knocking two people who were climbing below him to the ground as well.

Outside the wall, Pan Xiaowan rushed over with Lai Xi.

"Li Youcai, are you crazy? What are you doing?"

Pan Xiaowan grabbed Li Youcai's arm, her expression changing, and said, "We came to Feng'an Village as guests, how did we end up fighting?"

Li Youcai explained with a helpless, bitter face, "Wife, this wasn't my idea!"

Steward He suspects Yang Can of smuggling armor and has ordered us to thoroughly investigate the Yang residence.

But little did we know that Qingmei was prepared; the door was closed as soon as we arrived at the inner quarters…

He was actually feeling wronged, and he hoped that the matter could be resolved peacefully and quietly.

Originally, the plan was to subdue Qingmei by surprise and search the Yang residence without bloodshed.

As it turned out, they were already prepared.

He tried to call out to Qingmei, explaining the pros and cons, and persuade her to open the door.

But Zhang Yunyi, like a mad dog, immediately ordered an attack.

Now that the die is cast, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and go along with it.

Now he only hopes that there really is a batch of armored soldiers in the Yang family, otherwise he doesn't dare to think about how things will end.

"Deacon He? Deacon He is telling you to die, are you going or not?"

Pan Xiaowan grew angrier as she listened, and angrily pinched the fat on Li Youcai's body.

"This is a job that offends people, and no one else would do it, so it was assigned to you?"
"Let others fight if they want, you're coming back with me! Get your men!"

Pan Xiaowan grabbed Li Youcai's ear and twisted it.

"Hey, hey, my wife, be gentle, your ear's going to fall off..."

Li Youcai was being dragged away by Pan Xiaowan, his ear twisted and his body turned sideways.

His face was full of helplessness, and he was wincing in pain. But deep down, he was secretly delighted.

With his wife making such a fuss, he was able to leave.

Li Youcai obediently followed Pan Xiaowan out, even lifting his leg, but Zhang Yunyi blocked his way.

"Madam Pan, we are on official business. You are a woman, so it's best not to interfere!"

Zhang Yunyi suddenly stepped in front of Pan Xiaowan, his expression cold and stern.

Now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to go all the way; he cannot allow Li Youcai to back down.

Zhang Yunyi ruthlessly raised his hand and slapped away Pan Xiaowan's hand that was twisting Li Youcai's arm, and said sternly:
"What kind of time is this? What kind of place is this? Who gives you the right to cause trouble here? Get out of here!"

Li Youcai's expression changed: "Master Zhang, this is my wife. You're going a bit too far, aren't you?"

Every time Zhang Yunyi went to Phoenix Mountain, he would try to curry favor with Li Youcai and present him with generous gifts.

But Zhang Yunyi's blatant disrespect towards his wife today left him feeling quite resentful.

However, given the current situation, Zhang Yunyi absolutely cannot allow any further accidents to occur, even if it means offending Li Youcai.

Moreover, he just felt that Li Youcai was afraid of his wife. Li Youcai himself dared not offend his beloved wife, so having him step forward to curb Pan Xiaowan's arrogance might just be what Li Youcai wanted.

"It's none of your business how I discipline my own man."

Pan Xiaowan was furious, and with her slender fingers, she scratched Zhang Yunyi's face.

"oops!"

Zhang Yunyi felt a sharp pain on his cheek, and when he touched it, his hand was covered in blood.

Enraged, he swung his arm forcefully, causing Pan Xiaowan to lose her balance, stumble a few steps, and fall to the ground with a thud.

Upon seeing this, Li Youcai hurriedly went to help Pan Xiaowan: "Oh, my wife, are you alright? Get up, get up quickly. Master Zhang, don't go too far."

Pan Xiaowan got up, shoved Li Youcai aside, pointed at Zhang Yunyi and shouted angrily, "Zhang Yunyi, you attacked the inner quarters of the Yang family without permission. This was your idea. Everyone saw it."

Pan Xiaowan loudly addressed the Phoenix Mountain guards brought by Li Youcai: "He has a personal grudge against Master Yang, so don't be foolish enough to let him use you."

There's no benefit whatsoever. If the young mistress investigates, you'll all be among the victims."

Zhang Yunyi said sternly, "Madam Pan, if you dare to disrupt the morale of my army again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"Zhang Yunyi, that's enough!"

Li Youcai, unusually assertive, reprimanded Zhang Yunyi, then spoke humbly to Pan Xiaowan, "Wife, you should go back. Don't make things difficult for your husband."

"Humph!"

Pan Xiaowan glanced at Zhang Yunyi; blood was seeping from the scratches she had made on his neck.

Pan Xiaowan then haughtily tossed her skirt and said to Lai Xi, "Little Lai, let's go!"

Pan Xiaowan stormed off in a huff.

Zhang Yunyi snorted coldly, dabbed his cheeks and neck with a handkerchief, and felt even more annoyed when he saw the bloodstains.

He turned around and shouted, "Listen up, all of you! Attack with all your might! Whoever manages to break into the inner quarters, I will reward him with ten bolts of brocade and a beautiful maid! Kill them!"

(End of this chapter)