Chapter 111 - The Bandits' Counterattack

“Money is a worldly possession,” Xin Nari cursed Zhao Dachong inwardly, a “country bumpkin,” a “yokel,” blind to anything beyond the few coins in front of him. He patiently explained, “As long as we keep the team together, what is money but a word?” He counted on his fingers, “Don’t begrudge the expense. If you want Liu Si to do a job that could cost him his head, you must give him enough to buy his life! And my brothers here, without a few coins to reward them, will they be willing to fight?”

“What?! A few brats still need to be rewarded…”

“Hush!” Zhao Haixie quickly silenced Zhao Dachong, whispering, “The men Fourth Master Xin brought are all brothers who have nothing to do with our old Thirteen Villages!”

“That’s right!” Xin Nari said, “I’ve only been their leader for a few days. Why should I expect them to charge into battle for me?”

“Alright.” Though reluctant, Zhao Dachong agreed.

“Finally, what of the families of our men in the village? Have they been compensated?”

“The families of the dead have all been given a few taels of silver,” Zhao Dachong said, his guard up. “Do we have to give more?”

“That’s not necessary, but if you haven’t, you must!” Xin Nari was relieved to see he hadn’t completely bungled things. “You rest now and leave tonight. Go back, get everything ready, and send it to this place…”

The next day, as darkness enveloped the mountains, the stars twinkled with a cold light, occasionally obscured by passing clouds. In the deep mountains, the darkness was absolute. The band of bandits, hidden in a mountain gully, began to stir.

They had been on the run for days, their clothes in tatters, their faces pale and disheveled. They looked less like bandits and more like a group of starving refugees, but they all clutched weapons of some kind. Those without swords or spears carried sharpened wooden sticks.

Xin Nari and his men had been hiding in the mountains for days, their stomachs half-empty, anxiously awaiting news. They dared not leave the mountains. The villages, once a source of food, lodging, and women, had become like hedgehogs, and any approach risked attracting the tenacious bandit suppression teams. Now, as Xin Nari led them out, the bandits followed in silence, their minds filled with a mixture of hope and trepidation. After passing through a dense forest, Xin Nari calculated their position. They would reach the meeting point before dawn. He waved for everyone to stop and announced their destination: Daolu Village.

A cheer went up among the bandits. The promise of a friendly reception and a full meal was a welcome one. Xin Nari seized the opportunity.

“You can have food and women! When we get there, everyone will get a reward!” He paused. “There are only two female short-hairs in the village, plus seven or eight soldiers. Let’s go all out and wipe them out!”

A murmur of apprehension rippled through the ranks at the mention of fighting the short-hairs again. Xin Nari quickly reassured them, “Brothers, don’t worry! We have an inside man with the Australians. Their bird-guns won’t even fire! Defeat the Australians, and we’ll eat, drink, and be merry in the village for three days!”

The last sentence, a promise of a three-day holiday of looting and debauchery, ignited a spark of excitement in the crowd. Someone shouted, “Boss Xin, stop wasting your breath and take us there!”

“Alright, let’s go!”

They arrived outside Daolu Village before dawn. Xin Nari carefully concealed his troops in the mountain forest a few miles away. Zhao Dachong and Zhao Haixie had already arrived in the village earlier, mobilizing the bandits’ families to cook, boil water, and secretly deliver provisions to the forest.

At the sight of food, the bandits rushed forward, their hunger overcoming all else. They had not had a decent meal in days, and the lack of salt had left them feeling weak and weary. Xin Nari ordered that each man be given a tael of silver and then sent them to sleep and rest.

Zhao Dachong, Zhao Haixie, and Zhao Haiji were all waiting for him. The four of them gathered to discuss their plan.

“Old Man Mei said that the two women haven’t left yet, but six or seven of the guards have already gone. I heard they went to pick up the new captain.”

“Now there are only twelve or thirteen guards left. With just two more women, it’s no big deal!” Xin Nari’s confidence grew. “How’s the plan to bribe Liu Si to sabotage the ammunition?”

“That cost a lot of money,” Zhao Dachong said with a pained expression. “This kid put on airs at first, saying it was difficult to sabotage the ammunition. The soldiers’ ammunition pouches never leave their bodies. There are sentries on duty at night, so there’s no chance at all.”

“What happened then?”

“We promised him more silver and also said we’d give him Xin Nachun…” Zhao Dachong spoke without thinking, oblivious to the look Zhao Haixie shot him.

Xin Nari, however, remained calm. “He agreed.”

“He agreed, but not firmly.” Zhao Haiji, fearing his master would say something rash like “slut” and anger Xin Nari, quickly interjected, “He said it’s not possible to sabotage the ammunition, but he can sabotage the guns and make them misfire.”

Xin Nari considered this. If he had agreed without hesitation, it would have been suspicious. The reluctance made it more believable.

“Actually, what we promise him is just a word!” Zhao Haiji said, “After the matter is done, we’ll just—” he made a chopping motion.

A dead man needs no silver or women.

“No,” Xin Nari immediately objected. “We must keep Liu Si. We must give him everything we promised, not a single thing less.”

“Why?” Zhao Dachong shouted. He had long planned to kill Liu Si after the matter was done, not for Xin Nachun, but because the property promised to Liu Si was substantial, and the thought of parting with it broke his heart.

“Liu Si was personally trained by the Australians. He knows a lot about their background,” Xin Nari had been mulling this over for days. “From the looks of it, the Australians won’t be leaving anytime soon. If we want to deal with them, we need this person to lead the way!”

Zhao Haixie nodded, “Fourth Master Xin is right. We don’t need to be too stingy about this. Let’s get him to join us!”

Zhao Dachong had no choice but to agree.

“Tell me how you plan to do it,” Xin Nari said.

“Liu Si said he can get the ammunition sorted out before noon. We’ll make our move at noon,” Zhao Haixie said. “It’s hot in the afternoon, so most of them will be taking a nap. We’ll rush into the ancestral hall and catch them by surprise.”

“How are the families? Are they all ready?”

“More than sixty people came at once. They all want revenge on the Australians. Even the women have brought their scissors,” Zhao Dachong said excitedly. “I’ve persuaded the very old and the very young to go back.”

“The families should not go into battle,” Xin Nari thought for a moment. “Choose a few who are familiar with the roads and are fast on their feet to meet us at the village entrance and lead the way. The others will block the roads at the village entrance and around to prevent anyone from escaping.”

“Alright!” everyone agreed.

“Also, all our families’ doors should have a blue cloth strip hanging on them,” Xin Nari said. “My brothers now are not from this village. It would be embarrassing if they accidentally clashed with our own people.”

“That’s easy. I’ll inform all the families as soon as I get back,” Zhao Haixie said.

“Who will be in charge of opening the gate of the ancestral hall?”

“It’s been decided. Liu Si will be at the front gate, and Old Man Mei will be at the back gate,” Zhao Dachong said. “I’ve promised Old Man Mei land and silver.”

“That old man is still quite agile,” Xin Nari nodded. “We don’t need to keep him.”

“We will use three skyrockets as a signal, and all sides will attack at the same time!” Xin Nari’s expression turned murderous. Zhao Dachong, who had been calculating how to become the leader, felt a chill run down his spine. Seeing that his own clan’s elders were all obedient to this outsider, he began to doubt his own chances of becoming the leader.

“Damn it, you can’t stay either!” Zhao Dachong glared fiercely at Xin Nari, who was giving instructions to his men. He touched the small dagger in his bosom, murderous intent already taking root.

Just after noon, a dark, turbid stream of people ran wildly on the dirt road three miles away. More than fifty ragged bandits, waving their rusty swords and spears, rushed towards Daolu Village.

They ran in silence, their eyes burning with a mixture of greed and hatred. At the entrance of the village, a group of half-grown boys and young women with white flowers in their hair waited, holding newly sharpened wooden sticks with white tips. They joined the bandits, rushing towards the ancestral hall.

The few people on the street, seeing this scene, were stunned and ran back to their houses, bolting the doors and trembling as they listened to the commotion outside.

The gate of the ancestral hall was open as planned. Liu Si anxiously poked his head out, looking around. When he saw them coming, his expression relaxed. He waved his hand and pushed the door open wider. Zhao Haixie was the first to leap up the steps.

“How is it?”

“Man, it took a lot of effort to get rid of the sentry,” Liu Si tilted his head. “The others are having a meeting in the back…”

Zhao Haixie ordered, “Hold the gate!” He and Zhao Dachong led the main force straight in. The first courtyard was empty, save for some bundles, quilts, and other soldiers’ belongings, neatly arranged in the room.

The absence of people made him suspicious, but there was no time for second thoughts. Zhao Haixie broke down the gate of the second courtyard, and everyone rushed in with a loud shout.

Suddenly, a group of people rushed out from the back alley, shouting and waving swords and spears. Both sides were stunned.

It was the group led by Xin Nari, who had entered from the back gate!

Xin Nari had led his men into the church through the open back door. The church was empty, save for Old Man Mei and a few other old people, who were frozen with fear. Xin Nari had no time for them and led his men straight into the second courtyard, where he unexpectedly met the group that had entered from the front.

The entire second courtyard was empty. Not a single member of the work team, not even a ghost, was in sight.

Just as Zhao Haixie was about to lead his men to search the rooms, a volley of gunfire erupted from the street outside.

The deadly whistle of the bullets made him shudder. When he looked for Liu Si, he was gone.

“It’s a trap!” Zhao Haixie shouted, “Run—”

His men descended into chaos. Some ran forward, some back, some tried to climb the walls. The courtyard was a scene of utter pandemonium.

On the roof, a dozen or so soldiers had appeared, their rifles firing into the courtyard in volleys. Xin Nari didn’t even have time to shout “it’s a trap” before the first volley struck. Five or six of his men fell, and the rest turned and fled. Then, a shower of grenades rained down. Iron and porcelain fragments flew through the air, and the courtyard was filled with the groans of the wounded. The bandits had completely lost their order. The sound of gunfire and explosions rose and fell in a deadly chorus.

Xin Nari was quick to react. He had already retreated to the church in the third courtyard. It was empty. The bandits who were supposed to be guarding the main gate were gone. The back gate was still open. He was slightly relieved and quickly waved his hand, “Run to the back gate!”

The bandits rushed out of the back gate in a chaotic swarm. “Where do you think you’re going!” A female general had already appeared at the back gate, clad in a stab-proof vest and an M80 steel helmet, a steel spear as tall as her eyebrows in her hand. She was awe-inspiring and heroic. It was none other than Dong Weiwei. She had practiced bodybuilding and was in excellent physical condition, much stronger than the average man of this time. She raised her spear and stabbed down a bandit who was moving the fastest.

“Brothers, let’s fight to the death!” Xin Nari saw that there was only a woman guarding the gate and knew something was wrong. He just waved his saber and incited the surviving bandits around him to howl and charge forward in a swarm, trying to kill their way through and escape through the gate. A row of soldiers had already appeared behind Dong Weiwei. They fired another volley, followed by a burst of shotgun fire. The courtyard was immediately littered with corpses and wounded.

However, Xin Nari did not charge with his men. Taking advantage of the chaos, he slipped to the side, ran into the alley, and quickly climbed over the wall, escaping the trap.

He didn’t care how many of his brothers could escape. He just ran straight out of the village—he couldn’t stay in the village, it was important to get away.

On the road, he met Zhao Dachong, who was supposed to be providing support on the street. He was also covered in black gunpowder smoke and was waving a precious sword.

“It’s a trap, damn it!” Zhao Dachong cursed, “That bastard Liu Si, I’m going to skin him alive—”

“Let’s go, what’s the point of saying that!” Xin Nari couldn’t be bothered with Liu Si or Liu Wu anymore and left him to run for his life.

The battle ended quickly. Zhao Haiji, Zhao Haixie, and Zhao Dachong were all killed. Xin Nachun, who was originally leading a dozen or so bandit families on the street to provide support, rolled on the ground and played dead after a few people were hit by the sudden random shots of the soldiers. When the battlefield was being cleared, she was kicked several times before she reluctantly got up and was tied up with the other prisoners with a rope. Of the fifty or so men brought by Xin Nari, and the more than thirty bandit families mobilized by Zhao Dachong in the village, all were killed or captured. Not a single one escaped.