Chapter 52: Can't Run Away

Cao Yao had naturally been wanted before — many times, in fact. Wanted posters for him had traveled from Shanxi all the way to Shaanxi.

But to him, those things might as well have been blank paper.

That was because Squad Leader Du Wu of Cao Yao's unit was a master of disguise — he could make a Han man look Mongol, or turn a woman into a man.

Yet that was not the real key. In this era, catching wanted fugitives relied on more than just blocking the front and chasing the rear — the crucial element was the tight-knit civilian organization. The baojia system was the most vital link in hunting down criminals.

Cao Yao rarely separated from his men. Staying together as a band of veterans was the single most critical condition that let him evade capture.

They had only just reached the mountain pass when his uncle Cai Zhongpan — who had clearly been waiting here for who knows how long — came up to meet them and immediately launched into a string of complaints.

He grumbled that Liu Chengzong had run into trouble and not even sent anyone home with word of it; the whole family had thought something had happened to him on the road.

But before his uncle could get more than a couple of sentences out, his eyes went wide and fixed on the scene behind Liu Chengzong. On the dark official road, a dense crowd led by Cao Yao was making its way toward Black Dragon Mountain — shoulder to shoulder, the old being supported and the young being led.

On the way into the mountains, Liu Chengzong first explained the matter of the refugees, and only then, full of worry, did he take out the wanted poster and tell his uncle what had happened.

To his surprise, Cai Zhongpan laughed the moment he saw the document, as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart. He clapped his hands and said, "This is good news! Whatever that clerk is up to, it doesn't involve Ruji. If he's not in it, then this son-in-law of mine hasn't brought trouble on your aunt's maiden family."

Cai Zhongpan was talking about his brother-in-law Chen Ruji, who had fled with him.

At this thought, Cai Zhongpan felt utterly relieved. He said, "Tomorrow, Ruji will make a trip to the county seat, meet this clerk, and see what he's after."

Cai Zhongpan's only gripe with the wanted poster was that the charges against him were basically made up.

He remembered everything that had happened that day clearly. The only one he had killed was that petty officer trying to steal credit, shot dead with a blunderbuss in a fit of rage. He might have wounded a few when charging out, but nothing fatal.

At most he had two lives on his hands — there was absolutely no way eight men had died.

Besides, he hadn't taken any silver.

Any official writing that poster, if he had half a brain, ought to stop and think about just how heavy two hundred taels of silver actually was.

Wearing winter clothes, carrying weapons, a pack on his back, with over ten jin of silver stuffed in his clothes — to go assassinate a military officer, kill eight government soldiers, and then make a clean escape while surrounded and pursued.

Honestly, Cai Zhongpan felt the man described on that poster wasn't him — it was a god of war.

And this thing shouldn't even be called a wanted poster. It was more like a notice warning Yan'an Prefecture to be careful: a god of war is headed your way.

What commoner, even one who'd eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gall, would dare provoke the man on this poster for a measly five qian reward?

Cai Zhongpan certainly wouldn't.

Back at Xingping Village, to settle these farming households, they still had to start by figuring things out at the old temple at the village entrance. They also found a few more abandoned cave dwellings, got some tenant farmers to help heat the kang beds, and temporarily moved them in. The last two households truly had nowhere to stay, so Liu Chengzong brought them home with him.

Originally, the Liu family in Xingping Village had been getting by decently. Nothing lavish or comfortable, but in famine years, just having enough food and clothing to be free from worry was contentment enough.

The turning point came when the two sons returned home. With outsiders around, sources of information multiplied, and the unrest outside began to affect even the people in this mountain hollow.

Everyone tightened their belts to build a fort on the ridge. Government troops came demanding grain. The neighboring Old Temple Village in Changping Village was massacred. One calamity after another, one incident after another — they came too fast, too sudden, hard to accept, yet they had no choice but to learn to accept them.

Just like now, when Liu Chengzong brought strangers into Xingping Village, the neighbors and elders of the same clan weren't the least bit surprised. Smiling, they got up to tell Liu Chengzong's mother the news: "Sister-in-law, Little Lion is back, and he's brought a few outsiders with him."

The family had grown used to this sort of thing too.

His elder brother Chengzu, not even knowing what was going on, had already packed up Chengyun's things from the side room and carried them into the brothers' shared room.

Old Master Liu, leaning on his little cane, assumed a dignified posture and sat in the central hall, quietly waiting for his son to come explain the reason.

These times had rapidly raised people's tolerance for the unexpected. There was nothing left that could surprise them now.

The moment Liu Chengzong entered the courtyard, he unfastened his armor clasps. Carrying his leather belt, he went into the hall to pay his respects to his father, and heard Liu Xiangyu say with a laugh, "A trip to the prefectural seat, and you're dressed like you're going to war. Did you get the deed stamped at the government office?"

"Father, the stamping is done. Your son didn't want to wear armor either — the weather's getting hotter and the padded tunic over the armor can smother a man to death. It's just that my mount is weak; it couldn't eat its fill at the border fort and had no strength. Coming home, at least it can finally eat properly, so I'm training its stamina, to keep it from collapsing and dragging me down if trouble comes later.

And if I hadn't gone to the prefectural seat, I wouldn't have known — outside the city walls, the countryside is crawling with armed men in armor, carrying blades, running wild without a care for the ban."

Liu Xiangyu nodded slowly. Seeing the fine sheen of sweat on Liu Chengzong's forehead, he couldn't help but smile. He waved his hand and said, "As long as you're fine. Have some water first. I heard from your mother that you brought outsiders back — what's that about?"

"It's far more than just these few."

Liu Chengzong picked up a cooled teacup from the table and gulped it down noisily. After swallowing, he wiped his mouth and said, "Eighty people. A new rule from the prefectural seat to deal with famine refugees — anyone buying a hundred mu of land must settle one refugee household for the government. The idea was to make the big households contribute, but our little household, swollen-faced pretending to be fat, got treated like a big one too. So now Liu Family Village has new farming households."

After speaking, he carefully watched his father's expression.

To Cao Yao, he could pour out his worries, but before his father, obedience and reverence had long been etched into his bones.

Over the past two days, he had grown used to seeing people's faces cloud over the moment they heard about this. Besides, there were already so many matters at home — the weight on his father's shoulders was no small thing. He was terrified that hearing this would make him fly into a rage and harm his health.

"Hmm…"

Old Master Liu let out a long breath. He did not complain the way others did. Slowly, he said, "A good policy. To join hearts and share strength through hardship — the prefectural office is right to do so."

The old man rose and led Liu Chengzong toward the study, asking as he walked, "Since they're here, we have to feed them. Out of these eighty, how many are able-bodied men?"

"Thirty-four able-bodied men, sixteen sturdy women, six elderly — men and women — and twenty-four children."

"Thirty-four, forty-six — come with me."

As he spoke, Liu Chengzong followed his father into the study. He watched the old man pick up a brush and continue, "Our Shaanxi land is barren. Those who labor are fated to suffer. Farm work doesn't stop all year. Able-bodied men must eat their fill — sixty jin of grain a month. The remaining forty-six will need thirty to forty jin a month. Calculated that way, to last until the seventh month, we'll need at least seven thousand two hundred jin."

"There are also the border troops to support — another expense. Old Temple Village was plundered clean by bandits. The family can give you seven or eight dan. That won't be enough. What do you plan to do?"

His father's open-mindedness caught Liu Chengzong off guard.

And the support of seven or eight dan of grain, given Black Dragon Mountain's current limited resources, was extraordinarily generous.

This emboldened Liu Chengzong. He said, "Your son was thinking, in the name of the Northern Township Militia, to seek contributions from the villages within forty li north and south along Panlong River. Each village, depending on the number of households, could donate three to five dan or seven to eight dan of grain per month. Each would build beacon towers, and when an alarm comes…"

Liu Xiangyu's face was calm. Seated behind his desk, he gave a soft laugh. "Have you gone mad? What foolish talk is this?"

The court refrained from restricting local militia arms on only two points: first, funding and provisions; second, equipment; and third, that the authority to command troops belonged to the public. In the end, it all came down to a single point — financial authority. With financial authority, any local armed force could kick the court aside and operate independently.

It didn't matter how many militiamen or local braves he, Liu Xiangyu, organized. But to go asking other villages for grain contributions at a time when even the court couldn't pay its soldiers — that was pure nonsense.

Liu Chengzong, however, was not discouraged. He continued, "When bandits come, they send up the alarm. I'll lead the border cavalry in a swift strike. Liu Family Village stretches twenty-five li north and sixteen li south. Upon hearing the alarm, we can reach any point within one shichen. We can guarantee that no village will be slaughtered by bandits again."

Hearing this, Liu Xiangyu shook his head. "It's not that this can't be done, but you can only have others negotiate it privately. The name 'Northern Township Militia' must not even be mentioned.

Unless you can go to the prefectural seat and get the prefect's approval for this — go ahead and ask, see which yamen would agree?

If the local magistrate doesn't speak, then even if bandits pass right by the mountain pass on the official road, I, your father, have no authority to lead the militia out to strike. Let alone privately seeking contributions in the countryside. You should know, you and your brother aren't afraid of trouble."

Old Master Liu sighed and raised a hand to point at Liu Chengzong. "You must tell this to Commander Cao when you go back as well. There are other ways to get grain. Do not invite disaster. The government troops don't dare strike the bandits, but they dare strike you. And if they can't strike you down — well, the several hundred people up and down Black Dragon Mountain are here, and they can't run away."