Chapter 95: Yan Yu’s Small Squad

Uncle An was very meticulous in his planning.

He chose young people, mostly teenagers. These kids were young, had sharp eyes, learned quickly, and were lively by nature. They soon blended in with the others.

The bamboo crossbow was different from a bow, but once they grasped the key points, it was even easier to use than archery. The boys picked it up quickly, and whenever they had free time, they would group up and head into the mountains.

From time to time, they would bring back a few wild chickens or rabbits to supplement their meals.

They also taught the villagers some survival skills—how to set traps, dig simple pitfalls, identify poisonous plants, avoid venomous snakes and insects, and navigate in the wild.

On the Yan family’s side, Yan Lao’er was the busiest. He had to practice calligraphy, train with the crossbow, and cook meals every day without fail.

Their family’s meals were the best—meat and vegetables every day. Occasionally, the hens at home would lay an extra egg or two.

Everyone knew that Yan Lao’er’s wife was pregnant, and from the scholar of the Yan family down to the youngest children, they all took it very seriously.

Qi Wu made a wooden frame for Yan Lao’er so that he could fix his brother’s calligraphy sheets inside, saving him from constantly folding and unfolding them.

So, whenever Yan Lao’er picked up this wooden frame and sat down by a flat boulder, everyone would tacitly avoid disturbing him.

The group moved slowly, as they had to accommodate the mountain villagers’ pace.

The mountain villagers, however, were astonished at how quickly these outsiders could traverse the mountain paths!

Not only did the people move fast, but even the livestock had been trained.

Especially the Yan family’s ox cart at the front—it climbed and descended slopes as if traveling on flat ground.

On the third night of their journey, Uncle An came to find Yan Lao’er.

“All the nearby mountain villages are empty!”

Yan Lao’er immediately understood. “They’ve all been taken into the bandits’ lair?”

“Most likely,” Uncle An said, secretly relieved.

That was close—they had almost been caught up in it.

Yan Huaiwen asked, “Roughly how many people were in those villages?”

Uncle An tried to recall.

“The smaller ones had a few dozen people, the larger ones barely reached a hundred.”

Their village was probably the largest nearby in terms of population and able-bodied men.

Other villages had larger mountains and richer resources, yet they had fewer people. It was all because the mountain bandits’ exploitation was too severe.

Yan Huaiwen did some calculations and formed a rough estimate.

“What do the bandits suddenly need so many people for?” he wondered.

Uncle An’s group had been recruited because of their strategic location—guarding the canyon exit, an important passage through the mountains—and because their village had a relatively large population, which Cloud-Piercing Stronghold needed to expand its ranks.

But rounding up all the mountain villages at once? That was unusual.

Just feeding so many people every day would be a huge cost, and bandits didn’t do unprofitable business. There had to be greater benefits at play.

They needed a large workforce.

For what purpose?

Yan Huaiwen silently recalled the memorials and official reports from Leshan Prefecture and the surrounding areas.

Drought, banditry…

Illegal mines!

Xizhou Prefecture bordered Leshan Prefecture. After Prince Si’s rebellion failed, the imperial court took over several illegal mines there. Those mines were filled with countless bones—victims of past disasters whom Prince Si had abducted en masse from various provinces.

There were still several years before Prince Si would rise in rebellion.

And to launch a rebellion, he would need soldiers, weapons, and resources.

With control over several illegal mines, Prince Si would have no shortage of money, grain, or weapons—but he would lack manpower.

Xizhou and Guanzhou were both major frontier towns responsible for border defense, and their military recruitment was heavy. If Prince Si wanted to form a private army, he probably wouldn’t find enough people within his own territory.

Mining and smelting iron required workers. Rebellion required manpower.

Turning his sights on disaster victims… it seemed like an obvious move.

Understanding the bigger picture, Yan Huaiwen sighed.

Natural disasters and human calamities—either one alone was enough to devastate the people.

But when both occurred together, the suffering was unbearable.

Even when he had been an official, he couldn’t ensure peace for the people. Now, what could he do?

Yan Lao’er soon noticed that something was off with Yan Huaiwen.

Normally, Yan Huaiwen was always reading or writing, sometimes spending entire days engrossed in his work, as if he had endless essays to compose.

But ever since Uncle An mentioned the abandoned villages, Yan Huaiwen had started practicing archery alongside the children of the family.

He even joined the group in clumsily swinging sticks and blades.

Although their movements were unrefined, the more they practiced, the more they adapted to their weapons and found their own optimal ways to exert force.

At the very least, their movements became smoother.

Under his influence, the entire group fell into a fervor for martial training.

Not just the children—even the women, when they had spare time, would shoot a few arrows at the targets.

Yan Xiao’er (Little Yan) began to stand out with her exceptional archery skills.

Big Dog, who had been the undisputed leader among the kids, sensed his dominance being challenged. So, he joined the ranks of the older half-grown boys led by Er Tie and San Tie.

Unexpectedly, Yan Xiao’er wasn’t interested in competing with him either—she joined the same older boys’ training instead. Since her aim was good, no one pushed her out.

The mountain children didn’t realize she was a girl. They simply assumed that “Yan Xiao’er” was the second son of the Yan family and eagerly challenged her.

“Yan Xiao’er, let’s see who has the better aim!”

Yan Yu was a little impatient. These boys—whether from her own village or the mountain villages—were all obsessed with her father’s iron crossbow, eager to touch it and try it out. They challenged her constantly, which was quite frustrating.

If she refused, it seemed like she was unsociable. It had taken her so much effort to integrate into the half-grown boys’ group.

But if she accepted, the power of the iron crossbow was undeniable—she genuinely worried they might hurt themselves.

It was like having the worries of an aunt while being stuck in a child’s body.

“I’ll compete, but only if you first defeat Er Tie and San Tie.” Yan Yu skillfully pushed the challenge onto others.

Er Tie and San Tie, for some reason, held themselves to the same training standards as adults and practiced diligently every day.

Their hard work paid off—they were among the first half-grown boys selected for the small squad.

Besides them, the squad included two brothers from the Hu family and several mountain boys.

When it came to sharp eyesight and accuracy, the mountain children had a natural edge.

“What, are you scared to compete?”

“I don’t have time. I have to go practice calligraphy.” Yan Yu put away her small crossbow and decisively walked away.

Arguing was pointless. If she won, it wasn’t honorable. If she lost, it would be embarrassing.

She claimed she was going to practice, but after lingering near her ox cart for a while, she slipped away with Mao Mao.

“Er Tie, San Tie, let’s go.” She whispered.

The two boys glanced around before casually leaving.

No one really noticed them.

Under the cover of night, the three moved slowly through the forest.

Mao Mao served as the perfect guide.

Yan Yu had trained with Mao Mao several times.

She wore her backpack on her front, with Mao Mao’s head and paws peeking out. If its left paw twitched, they turned left. If the right paw twitched, they turned right.

If both paws came together, it meant people ahead.

They moved slowly, never scouting too far at once.

But they enjoyed every moment of it.

Suddenly, Yan Yu stopped in her tracks. Mao Mao’s two paws lightly pressed together.

She squeezed its left paw—it extended two claws. Then the right paw—it extended one claw.

Five kilometers ahead.

Twenty-one people.