Chapter 17

Yang Yuanzhao was confused and stood there, stunned. The caravan behind him, however, reacted like a drop of water in hot oil. Regardless of what they were doing—resting or eating—everyone quickly sprang into action. Especially the knife fighters of the Yang family caravan, who usually appeared carefree, now demonstrated their professionalism. Almost instantly, everyone was on high alert as soon as Yang Shunfa gave the order.

The wagons in the caravan, guided by the drivers, also began to move. Although the movements were not large, after a few adjustments, dozens of wagons formed a fixed defensive formation, centered around the wagons, creating a comprehensive defense. Even the drivers picked up their weapons.

After all this was done, they waited quietly. About five minutes later, Yang Yuanzhao heard the sound of heavy hooves coming from the south, with at least 30 horses galloping.

This was Yang Shunfa's ability—to judge whether someone was approaching from the slight vibrations in the ground, giving them time to react. In the northwest wilderness, the most common were horse caravans, and the appearance of a horse caravan often attracted a large number of bandits. At this moment, the galloping horsemen were very likely to be bandits.

Yang Yuanzhao, following Yang Shunfa's orders, had already entered the core area of the wagons. Yang Yue also had a serious expression. This route was within the Yang family's sphere of influence, but the numerous bandits were still unpredictable.

Soon, a red hue appeared. There were about 30 bandits, most of them wearing red jackets. Yang Yue said with a grim expression, "It's the Red Line!"

The Red Line, a group of bandits active in Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Mongolia, was led by Red Kite Tong Shan, a ruthless and experienced bandit with a bounty of 2,000 taels.

"It's not the main group; it seems to be a small team led by a cannon head!" Yang Shunfa whispered. Yang Yuanzhao was slightly surprised; the bandits were two miles away, yet he could see them so clearly.

The bandits gradually approached, seemingly noticing the caravan, and formed a semi-encircling formation. They paused for a moment upon seeing the Yang family's flag but still moved in. Both sides were on high alert. The bandits didn't all have guns; there were about seven or eight, including muskets and bird guns. The rest held bows, large knives, and even firewood sticks, but their horsemanship was excellent, maintaining a relatively neat formation throughout the journey.

Anyone could tell that these people had ill intentions. Some of the young knife fighters seemed nervous, their faces tense, while the more experienced ones remained relaxed, their guns always their best companions.

Among the bandits, a particularly burly man, the cannon head of the Red Line, Yan Laojiu, looked at the front with a grim expression. He had been ordered to raid near Datong but had little success. On his way back, he encountered this caravan. Upon getting closer, he realized it was the Yang family's caravan. In the northwest, bandits rarely directly confronted large families because of their deep roots. Not only did they have connections with the government, but their caravan guards were a significant force. There were only about 30 knife fighters, but each one held a foreign gun.

These were not just for show; he clearly saw at least 20 experienced knife fighters. Even if he led 30 men to charge, it might not be enough to break through their defense.

The battle seemed imminent, but when the bandits stopped 200 meters away, Yang Shunfa pushed aside the knife fighter next to him and walked out. The experienced ones understood, but the younger ones were puzzled. Yang Shunfa ignored them and walked until he was 50 meters from the bandits. At least seven or eight guns were aimed at him. He raised his hands to show he was unarmed and said loudly, "I am Yang Shunfa!"

"Ah, it's Fifth Master Yang!" Yan Laojiu bowed and said, "I am Yan Laojiu!"

Yan Laojiu, Yang Shunfa's eyes narrowed, but he showed no emotion. "Our Yang family follows the rules. I wonder why Master Yan is blocking our way?"

"Rules?" A middle-aged man in a white silk robe whispered something in Yan Laojiu's ear. Yan Laojiu smiled and said, "Since you follow the rules, I apologize for the inconvenience!"

After saying this, Yan Laojiu gave an order, and all the bandits turned around, their horses speeding up. Soon, the bandits disappeared into the wilderness.

Yang Yue's expression relaxed, and he said to Yang Yuanzhao, "That man in the silk robe should be the Red Line's scribe, Blackheart Scholar Wu Duo!"

"What are the rules?"

"The rules are the toll money!"

Yang Yuanzhao's face changed slightly. He didn't ask how much the toll money was. After arriving in Baotou and meeting Yang Yue, he had cooperated with three of the four major families to establish the Baotou Development Company. Everything seemed to be on track, and he had forgotten the harsh reality of history. It felt like a simple construction game where he just needed to keep building and advancing technology. However, the appearance of the Red Line made him realize that this was the brutal and chaotic late Qing dynasty. Even the Yang family, one of the four major families, had to pay toll money to deal with the bandits. According to historical records, there were over 20 million bandits in the Republic of China, with one bandit for every 20 people. No wonder China was in chaos for so long.

This incident was like a small ripple, causing no reaction in the caravan. Yang Shunfa maintained the alert for over half an hour before lifting it. Bandits breaking their word was common, but they wouldn't attack recklessly when they were at a disadvantage.

The wagons continued on their journey. The distance they needed to cover today was slightly longer. From Suiyuan to Datong, they had to travel several dozen kilometers more than the previous day. Due to the incident at noon, they were delayed for over an hour. They didn't stop much on the way and arrived in Datong late at night. After a long journey, Yang Yuanzhao had no intention of exploring Datong. Datong was famous for trade, but what left the deepest impression on Yang Yuanzhao was the mention of Datong girls in Louis Cha's "The Deer and the Cauldron."

The arrival of the horsemen broke the tranquility of Datong's night. This was the reality in China, even in a trade hub like Datong, few shops were open after 9 PM. Fortunately, the Yang family had strong influence in the northwest, with branches in every place. The masters had already made arrangements, and they followed the road to a large courtyard, where they smoothly settled in without much delay.

Lying in bed, Yang Yuanzhao couldn't fall asleep. Today's experience was too shocking. For the knife fighters, it might have been just another ordinary experience, but for Yang Yuanzhao, who came from a peaceful era, it was a stark and bloody reality. No battle or conflict had occurred, but behind the calm, there were countless deaths. Transportation was a bottleneck for commercial development. Yang Yuanzhao's many plans were based on convenient transportation. He was thinking about how to improve Baotou's transportation environment, but today's incident made him realize another threat—bandits. Even with the best trade routes, the presence of bandits meant everything had to start over. At this moment, the idea of controlling an armed force to protect him in this chaotic era, to have the power to amass wealth and build industrial bases, appeared in his mind. Unfortunately, he didn't have the ability to do so yet. He continued to work on the Committee 1888 he had started out of curiosity and instructed the apprentices to buy more jujube wood in Datong.

After a night's rest, the only event was Yang Yuanzhao buying several pieces of jujube wood. On the third day, they continued their journey. After Datong, the landscape of the Loess Plateau seemed to change slightly, with a hint of green on the surrounding mountains. Yang Yuanzhao felt the journey was speeding up, and just as he was wondering, the curtain of the wagon was suddenly lifted, and Yang Yue slipped in.

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