“Husband, what you just said is really unfair. Sister Xiaorou did everything for the village and for you. How can you call it nonsense?”
Tang Xiaobei spoke up for Guan Xiaorou. “At that time, the county magistrate wanted to shut down the factory, and his men were already on the way. In that situation, what do you think Sister Xiaorou should have done?”
“I…” Jin Feng was stumped.
If he put himself in her position back in the village, he truly could not think of a better solution.
Although Guan Xiaorou’s method was outrageous, it was also the fastest way to ruin Cai Liuyang’s scheme.
“Alright, we are still far from Jinchuan. Whether you feel restless or truly unhappy, it is all pointless daydreaming since you cannot reach them.”
Tang Xiaobei ladled a spoonful of meat soup into Jin Feng’s bowl. “Hurry up and eat, then rest. We need to set off early tomorrow.”
“I wonder how Xiaorou and the others are doing right now!”
Jin Feng picked up his bowl and let out a soft sigh.
“Do not worry. Nothing bad will happen to them,” Tang Xiaobei comforted him.
After dinner, the two went to bed early.
Perhaps because of the news he had heard during the day, Jin Feng slept very restlessly and kept having nightmares.
In his dream, West River Bend had been overrun by bandits. When he returned, he saw only ruins and devastation.
He desperately searched for Guan Xiaorou and Tang Dongdong, turning the entire village upside down, yet he could not find any trace of them.
They were neither alive nor dead. No sign of them at all.
In panic, Jin Feng shouted their names loudly.
Then he was startled awake by the sound of his own sleep-talking.
Normally, if Tang Xiaobei heard Jin Feng calling Tang Dongdong’s name in his sleep, she would have teased him without mercy.
But this time she did not.
She could tell from his tone earlier that he had been extremely anxious and terrified.
“Bad dream?”
Tang Xiaobei lit a candle, took the teapot from the small stove, and poured him a bowl of warm water.
Jin Feng took the bowl, then casually lifted a corner of the tent flap.
He realised it was already dawn, so he gave up on sleeping, finished the water, and began to get dressed.
A thousand li away, Guan Xiaorou and Tang Dongdong were also awake.
The previous afternoon, the bandits had arrived one after another at the outskirts of West River Bend.
But the bandits probably knew that with the number of men they had at the time, it was almost impossible to breach West River Bend’s fortifications. So they did not attack immediately. Instead, they plundered all the surrounding villages and then camped nearby.
In such circumstances, how could Guan Xiaorou possibly sleep?
Not just the two of them. Most people in the village stayed awake, constantly on guard against the bandits.
The outer fortifications had been built to deal with large forces and could block the main roads into the village. However, there were still many hills around West River Bend. Hunters familiar with the terrain could easily sneak into the village through those paths.
After all, Jin Feng could not surround the entire village with fortifications.
To prevent bandits from slipping in secretly, the Tiger Hunting Team lit numerous bonfires around the whole village perimeter.
Patrol frequency was doubled.
But who could have predicted that in the middle of the night, fog would rise in the mountains?
At first it was only a light mist, but as the night deepened, the fog grew thicker.
By dawn, the fog had become so dense that one could hardly see a person three steps away.
“Sister-in-law, this is really bad!”
Xiao Yu looked at the thick fog and frowned tightly. “With fog this heavy, if the bandits use it to enter the village, we are in serious trouble.”
“Even heaven is not helping us!”
Guan Xiaorou sighed and said, “Send someone to inform the three village heads. Wake up all the Tiger Hunting Team members, increase patrol frequency, and absolutely do not let anyone sneak into the village!”
“Understood!” Xiao Yu turned and left.
But before she reached the door, a sudden clamour came from the distance.
In the fog, the southeast direction glowed bright red.
Guan Xiaorou’s heart tightened. She instinctively looked at Xiao Yu.
The fog was too thick. Xiao Yu could not see what was happening either, but she quickly steadied herself and comforted her. “Sister-in-law, do not panic yet. It is probably a fire somewhere. If the bandits were attacking, the escorts would have fired signal arrows.”
Just as she finished speaking, two sharp whistling sounds came from the southeast.
Immediately afterwards, there was a violent explosion.
Guan Xiaorou’s expression changed. She was about to send someone to find out what happened when a female escort came running into the courtyard at full speed.
“Madam, Team Leader, it’s bad! The bandits have set fire to Forts Number Two and Number Three.”
The female escort spoke rapidly. “An oil jar was thrown onto the grenade crate at Fort Number Three and ignited the whole box!”
“What?”
Tang Dongdong staggered and nearly collapsed to the ground.
Forts Number Two and Number Three were at the village entrance. If those two forts fell, it was almost the same as opening the gates of West River Bend.
“How could this happen?” Xiao Yu was equally shocked.
Yet Guan Xiaorou, who was usually gentle, became unusually calm at this moment. She asked, “Quickly, tell me exactly what happened.”
The female escort wiped the sweat from her face and recounted the events swiftly.
The bandits had not sneaked into the village under cover of the thick fog as Guan Xiaorou had feared. Instead, they had quietly approached the forts from the front, carrying oil jars.
Under normal conditions, they could never have succeeded.
But the fog earlier had been far too dense. By the time the escorts on watch at the forts noticed something wrong, the bandits were already right below the walls.
Then a dense rain of oil jars came crashing down.
Although the forts were made of concrete, once soaked in oil, they caught fire just the same.
The heavy crossbows and catapults mounted on top of the forts were also swallowed by the sea of flames.
Two seemingly indestructible forts were destroyed in this way.
“Madam, Team Leader, the bandits have already entered the village. Please make a decision quickly!” the female escort urged anxiously.
“Notify the Tiger Hunting Team to block them at once!”
Guan Xiaorou’s eyes were red as she gave the cold order. “Tell the three village heads that no matter what, the bandits must not be allowed into the village!”
“Yes!” The female escort agreed and ran off.
“Xiao Yu, send people to rally the day-shift female workers. Have them assist the Tiger Hunting Team as much as possible!”
Guan Xiaorou turned to Xiao Yu again. “If visibility is too poor, let them act freely. Kill any bandit they see!”
According to the plan, if the bandits attacked during the day, the day-shift female workers were to protect the textile mill and the ironworks workshop, while the night-shift female workers who were resting at home would assist the Tiger Hunting Team in driving the bandits out of the village.
“Yes!” Xiao Yu also left.
Guan Xiaorou pulled Tang Dongdong along and rushed into the textile mill.
The female workers had already heard the commotion outside. Some were curious, some were frightened, and some were eager to act.
But having often watched the female escorts train, the workers had been influenced. Although they could not yet obey orders with perfect discipline, none of them had left the workshop.
They all suppressed their curiosity and fear, waiting silently.
When they saw Guan Xiaorou and Tang Dongdong enter, all the female workers immediately straightened up and quietly picked up the crossbows beside them.
“Sisters, the bandits have entered the village. If you do not want to be violated, if you do not want to die, stand up for me!”
Guan Xiaorou shouted through the megaphone.
Whoosh!
All the female workers stood up at once.
“Very good! As we discussed before, Workshop One guards the east and south walls. Workshop Two guards the west and north walls!”
