On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, willow-floss-like snow had begun drifting down in scattered flakes from the moment people rose that morning. It stopped for an hour or so around noon, but after midday, several fierce gusts of wind swept through, and the snow began to fall again.
By late afternoon, the sky had darkened. The snow came down heavily, flakes as broad as thumbs rustling as they tumbled from above. Before long, the entire town had turned white.
As night drew near, smoke rose from the chimneys throughout the town. The snow gathered around the sections of roof adjoining the chimneys had melted into rings, yet even that could not conceal the scents of mutton soup and stewed cured meats. Carried by the wind, the aromas drifted several miles.
The New Year was less than half a month away. Red lanterns had been hung around the town, and many households were hosting guests and banquets. At this time of year, every family was willing to spend generously on meat, and the festive atmosphere in town was thick.
Viewed from afar, beneath the vast, desolate expanse of snow, the little town—its lights shining brightly against the cold white landscape—looked more and more like a paradise hidden deep within the mountains.
“Damn, they really are rolling in fat.”
On the mountain road, a group of bandits had been crouching in the snow for nearly two hours. Blood Leopard sniffed at the aroma of supper drifting over from the town and could not resist spitting out a curse. Yet the town’s abundance made him all the more excited.
Even his teeth, chattering uncontrollably from the cold, steadied somewhat.
Lord Leopard swallowed, lowered the broadsword in his hand, and brushed the snowflakes from his face. Tugging at his gray-white padded jacket, he ordered, “Stay sharp. The moment night falls, we move in and tear the place apart!”
In town, Duan Yan had just finished leading the soldiers through their day’s training and was preparing to leave the drill ground and head home.
As he stepped outside, his eyes caught what seemed like a flash of light in the snow-covered woods a short distance away. He looked up at once, but all he saw was an endless expanse of white beneath the darkening sky. There was nothing there.
Third Son Qian shook himself and prepared to go home as well. Seeing Duan Yan standing blankly outside the drill ground, he hurried over.
“With snow falling this hard, why aren’t you holding an umbrella? Why are you just standing out here getting soaked?”
Duan Yan exhaled slowly. “Something feels wrong.”
Third Son Qian sniffed and said, “It is wrong.”
Duan Yan’s brows twitched. “You noticed it too?”
“Wang the Second, the Cook, across the street didn’t make his signature mutton offal soup this morning. He made braised pork instead.”
Duan Yan: “……”
He turned and went back into the drill ground. Third Son Qian, not understanding what was going on, followed him inside. Only after the lanterns along the street had brightened did Duan Yan emerge again and start home.
The snow was falling thickly. Song Fengsui poked his head out and glanced into the little courtyard, where the swirling flakes fell so densely that it seemed impossible to find even a gap in them through which to breathe.
He asked An Ge’er whether Duan Yan had returned yet. On hearing that he had not, Song Fengsui set down the medical text in his hands, draped a cloak over his shoulders, and decided to wait for him at the gate.
He had barely been standing at the entrance when a familiar figure appeared at the end of the alley.
Whenever Duan Yan went to or from the drill ground, he never took a carriage, whether the weather was windy or snowy. He either walked, or, if it was late or he had some urgent business, rode a horse there.
The lanterns lining the street cast long shadows. Song Fengsui rubbed his hands together and went out into the snow to meet him.
“Why are you so late when the snow is falling this hard?”
Seeing that the man had rushed out into the street without even an umbrella, Duan Yan quickly spread his cloak and sheltered him beneath it.
He pulled Young Master Song close. The other man was still warm, like a little stove, and Duan Yan tightened his embrace.
“I was supposed to dismiss everyone early, but something came up and delayed me.”
Song Fengsui did not press him about what had happened. There were always countless trivial matters at the drill ground; wherever there were many people, peace and quiet were hard to come by.
Leaning against Duan Yan’s chest, he said, “I made pork knuckle stewed with beans tonight. I put it in the pot a little late, so with you coming home late, it should be perfectly tender by now.”
“I happen to be hungry,” Duan Yan replied.
When they returned home, An Ge’er brought out hot water for Duan Yan to wash his hands and face. Hearing that he was hungry, Song Fengsui eagerly went to the kitchen himself, ladled out the stewed pork knuckle, and carried it into the room.
After closing the door, they paid no attention to table manners. Song Fengsui washed his hands and, instead of using chopsticks, simply picked up the tender, fall-apart pork knuckle with his hands.
Duan Yan did the same. The two of them ate with great relish.
Suddenly, the clang of a bronze gong rang out, dropping into their ears without warning.
Duan Yan instantly set down the pork knuckle in his hand and sprang to his feet.
“This is bad!”
Song Fengsui did not understand. He had vaguely heard a sound as well, but with the New Year approaching, the town’s mischievous children had somehow acquired firecrackers and would occasionally set one off, tossing it into a drainage ditch or a broken crock to make a loud bang.
It had been startling at first, but after hearing it so often, everyone had grown used to it.
Yet Duan Yan’s expression was clearly wrong, and Song Fengsui’s heart tightened.
“What is it?”
Before Duan Yan could answer, the door had just opened when another resounding clang of the bronze gong rang out. This time, Song Fengsui heard it clearly too.
Duan Yan strode outside, and Song Fengsui hurried after him.
Bronze gongs sounding at night were never a good sign. Sure enough, by the time they reached the main gate, the rapid thunder of hooves came charging toward them together with the beating gong, throwing the street into sudden turmoil.
“Bandits have entered the town! Bandits have entered the town!”
“All households, bolt your doors and windows!”
The mounted courier officer galloped through the streets, striking the gong and shouting at the top of his voice. The quiet of the snowy night was shattered in an instant.
Duan Yan pulled on a bamboo hat, hurriedly mounted his horse, and shouted, “Sui Sui, stay in the house and don’t go anywhere! Gou San’er, secure the doors and windows, gather the able-bodied men in the household, bring out the dogs, and keep watch over the gates and the base of the walls!”
Song Fengsui’s heart pounded. His hands still bore a trace of grease from the pork knuckle.
The sudden turn of events left his mind in a muddle. Watching Duan Yan spur his horse into the snowy street, he hurriedly came back to himself and called out, “Be careful!”
He quickly retreated into the residence and, together with Gou San’er, set about shutting the gates and fastening the heavy bars.
Then he immediately called for the household’s able-bodied men to retrieve the knives from the storeroom.
“If any fool really tries to force his way in, cut him down!”
On the northeastern side of the town, Blood Leopard and his bandits had no intention of entering openly through the town gate. Nor would they use the southwestern corner, where the enclosing wall was at its lowest. They knew that entering there would put them directly beside the town’s ironworks, where many skilled fighters were gathered and weapons were plentiful. They would run into trouble the moment they got inside.
Instead, they cunningly chose the northeastern side, where the wall was highest. Ordinary defenses there would certainly be weakest, and once inside, they would be less than half a quarter-hour from two or three grain shops.
At that point, they would set fire to the oil mill in the north, drawing everyone toward the rescue. Their group would split into two parties: one would turn back and rush to the ironworks to seize weapons, while the other would head for the livestock market. With horses and blades in hand, they could give free rein to their tempers and burn, kill, and plunder throughout the town.
Blood Leopard’s plan was meticulous, but he had not expected the town’s defenses to be anything but easy prey.
A group of more than twenty men, moving like ghostly shadows, crept to the base of the town wall. They climbed over it like snakes, making scarcely a sound, and slipped into the town over the wall—which was barely a meter high. Everything had gone smoothly.
There were no residences nearby, and not a single light could be seen.
Blood Leopard raised his hand, signaling the others to rush quickly in the planned direction. However, after running only a few steps, on the pitch - black path, he seemed to be tripped by something. Amid the rustling sound of the snow, several clear and eerie bell sounds could be heard.
Almost in an instant, the sound of frantic running footsteps rushed out. Before the bandits could even react, someone on the far street mounted a horse and galloped towards the main alley in the town. The gong rang urgently: "Bandits are coming! Bandits are coming!"
"Damn it! It's a trap!"
A shiver ran through the bandits' hearts. Who would have thought that someone was quietly waiting here to send a warning.
The group of people felt extremely anxious at the harsh sound of the gong. "Boss, what should we do?"
Blood Leopard's chest heaved heavily. He spat in anger at this cunning defense. However, the panicked and fearful sounds in the town that were stirred up by the gong actually excited him a bit.
"We've come all the way here. There's no way we're leaving without getting a share! Follow the plan!"
The group of mountain bandits immediately felt reassured, and they scurried out even faster than rats crossing the street. In a flash, they rushed out and soon went about their assigned tasks.
"Fire! There's a fire in the oil mill! Come and put it out!"
Screams suddenly rang out, and the chaotic footsteps made people's hearts jump into their throats.
An oil shop in the north of the town caught fire, accompanied by crackling sounds. Seeing the blazing fire in the direction of the oil mill, Blood Leopard grinned smugly. Well done! They had succeeded so quickly!
Without a moment's delay, following the plan, he led a group of his best men to the blacksmith shop to get weapons, while another group went to the livestock market. "Meet in the middle of the town after it's done!"
After saying that, a group of bandits waved their knives excitedly and rushed towards the blacksmith shop and the livestock market like a bunch of monkeys in an orchard.
"Today, I'm going to kill a hundred people! Burn down two streets of shops!"
"Capture a few young women and boys and use them in public! Hahaha!"
Blood Leopard led his men excitedly to the outside of the blacksmith shop. His arrogant boasting suddenly stopped when he reached the shop, leaving only the sound of the falling snow.
In front of the poorly - lit blacksmith shop, a young man was sitting astride a horse. His figure was not bulky, but he was very upright. Under his lean frame, there was a power no less than that of a strong man with well - defined muscles.
Blood Leopard could tell at a glance that this man was a tough opponent who knew martial arts.
Duan Yan looked down at the mountain bandits from his high position, and his eyes showed a look of contempt. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Blood Leopard was slightly intimidated by this situation at first. But seeing that it was just one man, he soon showed his evil face again. "Trying to play tricks on me, Blood Leopard. You've got some guts. But today, I'll cut out your guts and eat them with wine!"
He swung his knife heavily. "All of you, attack!"
More than a dozen bandits rushed straight at Duan Yan like wolves with red - hungry eyes. However, before they could get close to him, twenty militiamen with thick, large knives rushed out of the shop and quickly lined up behind Duan Yan.
Seeing the steady steps and piercing gazes of the militiamen, even Blood Leopard stopped his forward charge.
"...We've been tricked!"
Even the stupidest bandit could tell that this was a well - prepared trap at this sight. It was bad enough that there were so many officers, and they were so imposing. They didn't look like ordinary militiamen at all.
Blood Leopard's heart tightened. He saw from the corner of his eye that some of his men were shrinking back. He shouted loudly, "You bastards! It's just a few dozen militiamen. This is the perfect opportunity to wipe them all out and let you feel the power of Lord Leopard!"
"Kill them!"
Some of the bandits who were about to retreat were roused by Blood Leopard's shout. Following the order, they waved their knives and rushed forward to attack.
Duan Yan didn't back down either. He gave the order to kill the bandits, and soon the sound of heavy weapon collisions that made people clench their teeth rang out. On the thick, white snow on the ground, patches of bright red blood bloomed.
The bandits who came to rob the blacksmith shop were the best fighters in the bandit den. Led by Blood Leopard, they were not just bragging about being outlaws who often killed and looted.
Although the militiamen had made rapid progress in their training, they had never really fought with real weapons. Even though they were not weak in strength and fighting skills, they were a bit timid at first. Fortunately, with Duan Yan in the middle, fighting head - on with Blood Leopard as an example, the militiamen felt more confident and didn't lose their composure.
After avoiding slashing hard at the bandits' flesh for several times and getting cut by the bandits' vicious knives themselves, they finally realized that this kind of fight was a fight to the death. Only then did they start to fight seriously.
They dared to slash at the bandits' heads. After getting used to the sight of the bandits' skulls being split open, the militiamen, relying on their muscle memory from training, soon suppressed the bandits who had had a slight advantage.
On Duan Yan's side, Blood Leopard charged at him, wielding two knives and slashing wildly. His powerful, efficient, and closely - spaced knife attacks were such that if one couldn't dodge, even if one's body wasn't split in half, one's limbs would be cut off.
But Duan Yan moved nimbly from side to side and calmly dealt with Blood Leopard, who was as powerful and ruthless as a wild beast. After several rounds, he found Blood Leopard's weakness of being good at attacking but not good at defending. He propped his knife and leaped into the air, kicking Blood Leopard hard in the temple with a fierce kick.
Blood Leopard's head went blank with a loud noise. He staggered a few steps, and almost instantly, Duan Yan made up for it with a knife.
In the past, he was just like a new recruit and always found it hard to kill people. But after a fight with the bandits on the official road last time, he deeply understood that if he didn't kill the enemy, he would be restricted. So now he no longer used the method of subduing people without hurting them. He would end the fight as quickly as possible with the fastest speed and method.
"The bandit leader is dead! Surrender your weapons quickly, and you might be spared your lives!"
Duan Yan's shout made the bandits who were still fighting with the militiamen panic. They looked around in a hurry and saw Blood Leopard lying motionless on the ground. They screamed miserably, "Boss!"
The bandits, who were already no match for the militiamen, were completely at a loss when they saw that their leader was gone.
Some of them dropped their weapons and let the militiamen arrest them. However, there were still one or two who were stubbornly resisting, shouting painfully that they wanted to avenge their boss.
"You stupid monkeys. You still have the face to talk about revenge. You came into the town to burn and kill. You should have known that you would die here!"
The voice of Third Son Qian came from the other end of the street. The operation over there was a bit faster. The bandits who went to the livestock market were just a bunch of useless thugs. There were only three or four really capable ones. When they rushed over and saw Third Son Qian and a group of militiamen guarding outside, they were already in a panic and wanted to wait for help from this side. They were not as difficult to deal with as the group led by Blood Leopard.
The bandits, who still had a glimmer of hope for support from the other group, saw that their comrades had been captured and were being tied up and brought over. Their hearts sank into an ice - cold pit, and they completely lost the will to resist. They dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.
Duan Yan wiped the blood and snow off his face. The bamboo hat he had worn when he came out had been thrown aside during the fight because it was in the way.
Looking up and seeing the proud look on Third Son Qian's face and the energetic militiamen, he knew that everything had gone smoothly.
"Come on, the snow is falling heavily. Take the captives to the county jail. This will reassure the officials. After a half - night of chaos, the common people are also frightened."
Blood Leopard never knew that as soon as the sentinels sent out the news when they entered the town, the militiamen immediately hid in the oil mills and firewood sheds where fires were likely to break out, just to prevent bandits from setting fires to disrupt the town.
At first, they didn't know the bandits' plan either. But the bandits who went to set the fire were caught by the militiamen who had been on guard earlier. They were immediately tortured and interrogated, and then the plan was revealed.
In fact, no fire broke out in the oil mill at all. It was just an artificial fire scene created by Duan Yan by pouring oil on firewood and lighting it, just to deceive the bandits.
When Blood Leopard saw the fire, he thought the plan had succeeded and became even less vigilant. He rushed to the iron shop as originally planned, not knowing that the militiamen had been ambushed at both ends, just waiting for them to walk into the trap.
"This time, it was a success, but it wasn't because I was infallible. As the New Year was approaching, my father, my second uncle and I were all worried. The town's defense wasn't very effective, and we were afraid of a surprise attack by bandits at this time.
That day by the town gate, we discussed how to deal with it. It was my second uncle who came up with a good idea. He suggested stretching thin ropes around the town and tying bells to them. He also arranged for some fast - running sentinels to hide in the dark to send messages at any time.
It's a pity that these mountain bandits were too greedy. They knew they had already alerted the town, but they still rushed in. We couldn't even play the 'empty - city strategy' with them. Fortunately, we had trained some militiamen in advance, and there were some capable people in the town. Otherwise, we would have suffered a great loss tonight."
After finishing all the work, when Duan Yan returned to his residence from the county government office, it was already the middle of the night.
After all the bandits were captured, he immediately sent a message to Song Fengsui, for fear that he would be scared in the residence.
Hearing that everything was okay, Song Fengsui let out a long sigh of relief. But since he hadn't seen Duan Yan yet, he was still very worried.
Seeing that he didn't come back late, Song Fengsui first went to the Song's residence to comfort his mother. His father and second uncle had gone to the county government office.
After that, when he got back home, Duan Yan finally came back, covered in snow. Having been outside for a long time, he still smelled of blood on his body.
Song Fengsui was afraid that he was injured again and immediately checked him carefully. It turned out that he wasn't lying, and he really wasn't hurt.
He had been sitting in the house, terrified, not knowing what was going on outside. Then, by the candlelight, he listened as Duan Yan told him everything that had happened.
"It's lucky that the mountain bandit who was captured first couldn't stand the interrogation. If we hadn't pried out the truth from him, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Hearing about tonight's great victory, Song Fengsui had a false alarm. But thinking about all the details, he still felt a little scared.
Duan Yan laughed without a care and said, "At first, he refused to talk. Then I thought of the itching powder you used for self - defense. I sprinkled it on the whip and whipped the bandit. Once the powder got into his wounds and made him itch inside, he couldn't stand it and confessed everything."
"You're right. If we hadn't found out the truth, it would have been much more troublesome. At that time, we couldn't have set up the ambush so quickly to wait for Blood Leopard. But if we thought about it carefully, we could also figure out that the mountain bandits would go for the horses and weapons. They came from the mountains. If they wanted to rob, these things were indispensable. Since they carried limited supplies with them, they would definitely get them after entering the town."
The town's defense had been set up long ago. But the reason why things went so smoothly today was that Duan Yan saw a flash of light before nightfall. He suspected it was the reflection of a knife in the snow, so he guessed that there might be mountain bandits in the snow in the distance.
They were either lying in ambush for a night attack or trying to spy on the town's situation.
Anyway, they couldn't miss any sign of trouble. The current situation in the town didn't allow for the slightest negligence, or they would suffer a great loss.
Fortunately, Duan Yan was cautious and not afraid of trouble. He made some arrangements in advance and strengthened the usual defenses.
Although the bandits' attack on the town caused panic and chaos, it also brought some benefits.
Firstly, after interrogating the captured bandits, they learned the location of the bandit stronghold. And this time, the bandits had launched a full - scale attack on the town, so there was no longer any threat in the stronghold.
So Duan Yan took two cowardly and talkative bandits as hostages and led the battle - experienced militiamen to the stronghold. They cleared the stronghold inside and out. They brought back ten shi of rice, a cartload of cloth, and two large bags of salt! There were also some scattered poultry and livestock, such as chickens, ducks, rabbits, sheep, donkeys, and horses.
The ordinary villagers who had been captured by the bandits and forced to work in the stronghold were also rescued. Those from their salt town were brought back, and those from other places were sent back to their hometowns voluntarily.
After returning, Duan Yan asked the county government office to arrange for the goods seized from the bandit stronghold to be used as rewards for the militiamen who had participated in defending the town.
This first great victory in the fight against the bandits and the rewards they received made the militiamen in the drill ground extremely motivated, and they trained even more hard.
Secondly, since the war broke out outside, the hearts of the people in the town had been a bit scattered. After experiencing the panic of the bandit attack in this troubled time and seeing that the county government office could really protect them, the people finally united a bit.
Many strong young men in the town voluntarily went to the county government office to sign up and were willing to join in the construction of the town's defense. The wealthy families in the town, who used to only care about their own business, also provided manpower and materials to assist the county government office in accelerating the construction of the town wall.
They finally realized that if they didn't unite and follow the orders of the county government office, when the bandits came, ordinary people would have no way to resist and would only end up being killed. And the wealthy families, being more prominent, would be easy targets without the protection of the county government office, and their fate wouldn't be much better than that of ordinary people.
With more people involved in the town's construction, the progress was much faster.
Thirdly, this was something that Duan Yan and the others didn't know. This successful capture of the bandits and the raid on their stronghold undoubtedly gave a strong shock to the mountain bandits in the nearby area.
The county government office had never been able to achieve such a feat before, but the people of Yan Town had done it. How could the bandits not be in awe?
So, by killing one to warn a hundred, the town got a rare period of peace.
