Chapter 54: Plans Can’t Keep Up with Changes

“I don’t see many of them. Let’s contact the people behind us, take them all down, snatch our people back, and drive them away. Let’s see how they survive on their own!” Yan Lao’er had thought they were just robbing food—he hadn’t expected them to be this wicked.

“We can’t act rashly.” Yan Huaiwen was more thoughtful. “Do these people really have no family? Where are their families? Are they in the group?”

The village elders stopped shaking.

The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became.

“Scholar, could this be true?”

Yan Huaiwen said, “It’s not impossible.”

Unless they were bandits who lived by the blade, how could they not have family?

“Then these people… they have no conscience at all!”

“What should we do now?” Yan Lao’er felt like his brain wasn’t working again.

“First, we need to confirm whether they have weapons.” Yan Huaiwen’s voice was as calm as ever.

The village elders nodded quickly.

If these villains had weapons, what else was there to say? Run!

“They definitely have sickles and hoes.” Yan Lao’er had a crossbow himself—plenty deadly.

“If they are just farmers, then it’s easier to handle. Fathers and sons, brothers—they often look alike. Find those with similar features and few men among them; those are most likely their families.

Once we confirm that, we can avoid them and proceed with our plan…”

Yan Lao’er listened to his brother’s detailed plan—how to cause chaos, how to rescue their people in the turmoil, and how to leave without a trace. His heart filled with admiration.

See? Success is never accidental. Even when down on his luck, Old Yan already had the makings of a great leader!

Yan Yu perked up her little ears.

She wasn’t eavesdropping this time—she was openly listening.

She even whispered with Li Xuemei.

“Mom, look! Dad’s completely stunned. He probably thinks we need to gather a group, confront them, and yell, ‘Release the hostages!’”

Li Xuemei: You’ve watched too many cop movies.

“Your dad is just overwhelmed by your uncle’s presence.” Li Xuemei hit the nail on the head. “He’s probably admiring him a lot right now.”

“With Uncle’s intelligence, tsk tsk!” Yan Yu smacked her lips. “No wonder he’s the male lead. But my dad isn’t bad either—he identified the right choice early on. Clinging to Uncle’s leg is definitely the right strategy. We must stick to it firmly.”

“Isn’t it a bit risky?” Li Xuemei was worried. No matter how well-planned, things could go wrong.

Yan Yu thought seriously. “If it’s just ordinary people doing evil, Uncle’s plan may seem risky, but it actually minimizes harm.

Think about it, Mom. They starved the men in their families, which means they don’t have enough manpower. The moment chaos erupts, people will instinctively think of their families and rush to check on them.

At that moment, if someone is also stealing food, they won’t have time to care about anything else—they’ll focus on grabbing food first. By the time they turn back, it’ll be too late.”

And Uncle’s escape route was completely unexpected—not running forward, but backward…

Who would’ve thought of that?!

At their current pace, they should be near the border of Qishan and Leshan Prefectures.

Mountains surrounded them.

If they didn’t take the official road, the only option was to go into the mountains.

“But the men in the village will have to face them head-on. Isn’t there a safer way?” Li Xuemei worried. Yan Lao’er would definitely go—how could she not be concerned?

“Mom, trust me, our villagers are definitely the fastest runners.” Yan Yu proudly raised her little chin.

“Besides, who says people have to do all the dirty work? Don’t we have Sanbao? Let’s send Sanbao!” She said it as if it was the most natural thing.

Li Xuemei blinked, then suddenly laughed.

Yes! They had Sanbao!

Yan Yu ran Sanbao through the plan in her mind and couldn’t stop giggling.

Perfect!

—

Yan Huaiwen set the plan for midday rest.

By then, everyone would have been walking for two hours and would be exhausted.

They had confirmed that the group behind them weren’t real bandits—they had no weapons, and their families were indeed within the refugee group, somewhere in the middle.

Just as Yan Huaiwen predicted, they shared similar features, and there were few men among them.

It was hard to believe that people who had elderly parents and young children could commit such atrocities.

Dry weather, beware of fire.

Nothing causes chaos faster than a fire.

The elderly and children were to stay in the carts.

The village women huddled together nervously.

The older kids and a few remaining adult men guarded the carts.

When chaos erupted, they had to run.

Yan’s double-decker ox cart was too conspicuous, but that was fine—they could dismantle it.

Having a carpenter around was just that convenient.

Sanbao ran hard, clearing a path as he went.

After a few trips, Yan Lao’er dismantled his cart, turning it into a single-deck ox cart and hiding it further away.

The goods from both layers were piled together, but even with a new ox, it was too heavy to pull.

Li Xuemei, Da Ya, Er Ya, and a few slower women stayed behind to guard it.

A small spark ignited in the middle of the group.

Someone screamed, “Fire! Fire!”

The people trying to put it out failed—the fire grew larger instead.

Dry grass on the ground quickly caught, spreading into a blazing patch.

Before anyone could react, a masked group suddenly threw torches into the crowd.

“Ahh! Run! Bandits! Bandits are attacking!”

Hearing the screams, more people panicked and joined in the shouting.

“Run! Bandits are here! Take your elders, kids, and wives—run!”

The front of the group fell into chaos. Since they had just stopped, there wasn’t much to pack—everyone could flee immediately.

Seeing the front running, those in the back panicked even more, scattering like headless flies.

Just as expected, several men from the villainous group rushed forward to check.

Yan Lao’er, riding an ox, shouted, “Sanbao, charge!”

Sanbao kicked into gear, sprinting at full speed.

The village men, armed with clubs, tried to keep up but couldn’t.

Sanbao’s first targets were the villains.

With an unstoppable momentum, he charged through. Yan Lao’er, filled with excitement, let out a wild yell while tossing his own torch.

The villains scattered. With a sharp turn, Sanbao reached the grain carts.

At this moment, Qi Si and Qi Wu’s long legs gave them an advantage—they outran the entire village.

Seeing the scene, they had an epiphany. The grain carts were originally pulled by mules—why not use an ox?

Forget carrying sacks—just take the whole cart!

The two brothers exchanged a glance.

Qi Si swung his club to keep the enemies at bay.

Qi Wu got to work, hitching the ox to the cart.

Yan Lao’er was dumbfounded. “Hey, hey? What are you doing?”

This wasn’t part of the plan!

Qi Wu ignored him, moving quickly.

Luo Laoda arrived and saw their efficiency. “Great! Block them!”

They copied the club-swinging tactic.

Those villains might have sickles, hoes, and axes, but so what? Clubs had the advantage of reach!

Qi Wu finished harnessing the cart.

“Brother Yan, run!”

Yan Lao’er: …

Weren’t they here to rescue hostages? How did they actually turn into robbers?!

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