Chapter 251: The Pro-War Faction

Maomao’s claws were still stained with the blood of the poor little pig.

Yan Yu quickly pointed out a location on the rough map she had drawn.

Huh?

They were moving toward the river.

Yes, they were probably heading for Yongning City.

Assuming these Northern Rong had some knowledge of the Guanzhou region, then in their minds, the area where the village now stood should still be nothing but wilderness.

But once they came out of the mountains, they’d see that this wasteland had been cleared and settled.

A sudden development, an unexpected location—of course they’d investigate.

Entering the village would be inevitable.

Daya handed her younger sister a bamboo flask filled with hot water.

Yan Yu took a small sip. A subtle sweetness spread through her chest, warming her from the inside out.

It was sugar water.

Her small eyes narrowed in contentment, and as the warmth spread, her thoughts began to stir.

“They’ll come into the village to look around. When they realize there’s not a single soul here, what will they think?”

Yan Yu asked herself, then answered.

“Will they retreat? Probably not. After all the effort to cross the mountains and reach Guanzhou, they won’t just turn around empty-handed. No way they’d accept that.

If we put ourselves in their shoes—coming into a village, finding it deserted, with signs of a hasty departure—what’s the first thing they’d think? Exposure. They’ve been exposed.

And then? They’ll become extremely dangerous.”

Yan Yu’s little face tensed, her eyes filled with solemnity.

Li Xuemei offered a possibility. “They might set the village on fire.”

Daya’s pupils trembled. She clutched the hem of her clothes tightly.

Yan Yu continued, “If I were them, I’d try to find someone, figure out what happened. At the very least, I’d want to know what caused the slip-up.”

A spark flashed through her mind.

Yan Yu suddenly asked, “Mom, do you think the reason they disguised themselves as local hunters from Guanzhou was to come here and kill people?”

“Probably not,” Li Xuemei replied, offering her own guess. “More likely, they’re here to gather intel.”

“Then if we were just walking around the village like usual, would they attack us on sight? I don’t think so. They’d probably try to cozy up to us first, get us talking so they can learn what they want to know.”

Yan Yu had a bold idea.

But it was so bold that she was sure if she said it out loud, her mother would smack her.

Her eyes darted around uncontrollably, and sure enough, Li Xuemei’s hand came down on her head.

Not too hard, but not gentle either.

A stern scolding followed. “Don’t even think about it!”

Yan Yu scratched her head, looking a little wronged. “I didn’t even say anything yet.”

“Thinking it is bad enough!” Li Xuemei said firmly.

So Yan Yu had to switch tracks. “We’re afraid of their bows. The barbarians are born riders, raised in the saddle. Hunting and shooting are second nature to them. We don’t stand a chance in a head-on fight. But what about an ambush?”

Li Xuemei was deep in thought.

Daya suddenly spoke up. “Xiao Er, if they’re that dangerous, why don’t we just run? Leave the village. Auntie said they might burn it down.”

“After setting the fire, will they just turn back the way they came? Maybe. But they might also chase after anyone who fled. That’d be just as dangerous.”

Why didn’t Yan Yu just hide and stay put? Why was she always trying to go out?

Because she knew that every seemingly safe path came with hidden dangers.

Until the root of the threat was eliminated, there would be no true safety.

Old Mother Qi, who had been sitting silently to the side, finally spoke.

“Then kill them. End it once and for all.”

Yan Yu turned her head. The old matriarch of the Qi family was staring straight at them. Her pupils were unfocused, but her gaze was unwavering.

This was a woman of great wisdom.

Judging from the Qi family’s past actions, it was clear that Old Mother Qi had both intelligence and decisiveness.

“She’s right. We can’t let wolves like that roam free,” said Grandpa Hu as he walked over.

As one of the village elders, Grandpa Hu was actually against hiding.

You might avoid danger once, but could you avoid it a second time?

This was Guanzhou—a land where everyone was a soldier.

When facing the Northern Rong, fear and retreat led only to death. Fighting was the only way to survive.

Yes, they had just fled from Qishan.

But were they Qishan people?

No.

Their ancestors were from Guanzhou. This black soil was their true homeland.

If they wanted to take root here again, they needed more than just the skills to survive. They needed courage and resolve.

“Where’s the master builder who worked on your house? Call him over,” Grandpa Hu said. His hair was snow-white, but he was full of energy, his voice strong and clear.

Li Xuemei hesitated. Master Lu and the others hadn’t wanted to hide. They’d been shouting that if the Northern Rong dared step foot in Guanzhou, they’d make sure none of them left alive.

It had taken all her reasoning and persuasion to calm them down and convince them to hide in the ice cellar they’d dug.

Yan Yu twitched, then twitched again. Seeing that her mother didn’t object, she darted off like a nimble little monkey and quickly climbed out.

When she reached the ice cellar, she didn’t lift the lid right away. Instead, she called out from outside.

Only after getting a response from within did they work together to open the cover.

Master Lu didn’t need much explanation. Just hearing that the host family had called him over, he already had a good idea of what was going on.

Back in the cellar, Grandpa Hu was clearly part of the pro-war faction.

He and Master Lu hit it off instantly.

Grandpa Hu got straight to the point. “They’ve got bows, and they’re good shots. We can’t even get close. What do we do about that?”

Without hesitation, Master Lu replied, “We need someone to charge in with a shield or something solid to block the arrows. Or we use the terrain to ambush them. Either way, we force them into close combat, where their bows are useless.”

Seeing the thoughtful expressions on the faces around him, he misunderstood, thinking they were frightened. He quickly added, “It sounds dangerous, sure, but as long as we’re careful, it’s not that hard. Those barbarians are human too. They just look fierce. Our Guanzhou men are no pushovers either. Didn’t you say there were only six of them…?”

If it were our village, those six would be walking to their deaths.

But he swallowed the rest of that thought and didn’t say it aloud.

The fact that Xiao’an Village spotted their tracks early and even saw through the Northern Rong’s disguise was already impressive enough.

“Split them up and take them down one by one,” Master Lu offered a reassuring plan. “Don’t worry. We train in the military camp every year. We’ve even killed a few Northern Rong before. Even the younger ones in my family have seen blood.”

“If you trust me, gather the able-bodied men in the village. Find some thick wooden boards. Hide behind them and you won’t have to worry about arrows. Once they get close, leave the rest to us!”

Something occurred to him, and he turned to Li Xuemei. “Madam Yan, that new door panel at your house would work perfectly…”

Li Xuemei pressed her lips together. At this point, what else was there to say?

She was starting to feel convinced by these few in front of her.

In truth, countless bitter lessons from history have shown us that cowardice, evasion, and panic only fuel the enemy’s arrogance and make them even more brazen.

Li Xuemei didn’t want her daughter to take risks, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know what the right choice was.

“Take it. Use it.”

As a mother, Li Xuemei’s first thought would always be her daughter’s safety.

Not wanting your child to face danger—that’s only human.

(End of Chapter)