The first wave of so-called "returning-home bandit troops" that arrived at Gao Village Family came through Zhengjia Village and entered Cheng County.
The leader of this group went by the nickname Niu Nian, a native of Cheng County.
He was one of those veteran rebels who had crawled out of the mud back in the Tianqi 7 era. When the White Water Wang Er uprising first broke out, Niu Nian had followed it with more than forty villagers, stepping onto the path of rebellion like it was just another seasonal job change. Since then, he had drifted across regions as a roaming bandit, surviving from one collapsed order to the next.
Back then, when White Water Wang Er was killed by Cheng Xu and his severed head was hung at the city gate of Cheng County for public display, the momentum of the rebellion collapsed overnight. The uprising scattered like dry ash in the wind.
Niu Nian quickly realized he could no longer survive in Cheng County, so he moved to neighboring Heyang County. After a long stretch of wandering, he eventually attached himself to Fan Shanyue.
A few days ago, Fan Shanyue accepted imperial "pacification and recruitment," suddenly transforming from a rebel leader into an officially recognized "Heyang garrison commander." He dismissed his troops and ordered most of his subordinates to return to their hometowns.
And so Niu Nian had no choice but to begin the long journey back to Cheng County.
Now, standing on this mountain slope, just beyond it lay Zhengjia Village of Cheng County.
Niu Nian's mind was filled with only one question.
What now?
Even though the crime of rebellion had been pardoned on paper, was he supposed to go home and farm?
That was a joke.
A very bad joke.
The drought was still here. You could not grow a single grain of hope, let alone crops.
One of his subordinates leaned in and whispered, "Boss, look. Zhengjia Village does not seem affected by disaster. I can see green crops growing on the hillside fields."
Niu Nian looked up.
And it was true.
It was early autumn in the second year of Chongzhen, and the fields were already showing signs of harvest. The crops were lush, healthy, and full of life. Anyone could tell at a glance that a bumper harvest was coming.
Niu Nian's eyes lit up immediately.
"So Cheng County actually got rain?"
His subordinate lowered his voice further. "If we hit a village like this, we could make a fortune."
That sentence made Niu Nian hesitate.
For a moment, he stood at a crossroads between becoming a good man or continuing the familiar career path of being a very practical bad one.
And then it happened.
Ahead of them, a military force appeared.
Five hundred soldiers.
Not a large number, but their presence crushed the air itself.
Every single one of them was armored. Every single one carried firearms, spears, or crossbows. It was the kind of equipment that made it feel like they had been upgraded from humans into walking war machines.
At the front stood a masked general in patterned lamellar armor. He raised a hand in a surprisingly friendly gesture.
"You are under Fan Shanyue of Heyang? Returning home after receiving imperial amnesty?"
Niu Nian froze for half a heartbeat, then quickly nodded.
"Yes, yes, that is correct."
Cheng Xu chuckled softly.
"If you have accepted amnesty, then you are lawful civilians now. And lawful civilians should be fed."
He waved his hand.
Behind him, a logistics squad stepped forward. Large iron pots were set down in formation, still steaming. The aroma of cooked food drifted through the air like a warm hook pulling at every empty stomach.
The bandit group immediately brightened up.
Food.
Real food.
Cheng Xu's tone suddenly dropped.
"But if any of you are still thinking about doing crimes…"
He let out a slow, dangerous laugh.
"Then my weapons are not for decoration."
No one dared to move.
Not a single person.
The armed formation in front of them made even breathing feel like a suspicious activity.
Niu Nian quickly ordered his men to sit down and eat properly. Nobody was allowed to cause trouble. Not even thoughts of trouble were permitted.
While they were eating, Cheng Xu casually walked over and stopped beside Niu Nian.
"You are the leader?"
Niu Nian nodded. "These villagers have been following me for more than a year."
Cheng Xu grinned. "Let me guess. You are confused right now. If you go home, you cannot farm because of drought, so sooner or later you will rebel again?"
Niu Nian felt a bit awkward, but he refused to admit it.
"No, no. We will go back and farm properly."
Cheng Xu stared at him.
"You cannot fool me. You already know farming is impossible."
Niu Nian went silent.
Cheng Xu suddenly slapped his shoulder twice, hard enough to feel like a recruitment contract being physically enforced.
"Why follow Fan Shanyue at all? Why not follow me instead?"
"I guarantee you will eat well, dress warm, and be fully equipped with proper weapons and armor. Compared to Fan Shanyue, this is ten times better."
Niu Nian was instantly shocked.
"Wait. I thought you were a general of the imperial court. Why does that sound like… you are also a bandit?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"Which faction are you from? Yichuan Wang Zuogua? Luochuan Bu Nizhi?"
Cheng Xu grinned widely.
"Gao Village Family. He Jiu unit."
That title sounded completely wrong in every possible direction.
Niu Nian felt his stress level spike like a mountain collapsing onto his shoulders.
But when he looked again at Cheng Xu's equipment, his armor, his disciplined soldiers, and the overwhelming sense of order…
He gritted his teeth.
"Fine. I join."
At the same time, in Shijia Valley.
Another returning bandit group had arrived.
This one was much larger.
More than three hundred men.
Their leader went by the nickname Ni Wa, also one of Fan Shanyue's fierce subordinates.
Old Nanfeng acted exactly like Cheng Xu on the other side. He also brought out food, set up pots, and treated them to a full meal.
The three hundred men ate until they were full and satisfied.
Then he asked them the same question.
Did they want to join Gao Village Family?
A life where they could eat enough, wear warm clothes, and live decently.
Ni Wa smiled strangely.
"Of course. We also want a good life."
While speaking politely, his hand moved behind his back.
He silently made a throat-slitting gesture.
One of his subordinates immediately understood and slipped back into the crowd of returning bandits. He whispered instructions to the small captains.
"When the signal comes, we strike together. Kill all of them claiming to be from Gao Village Family."
Someone hesitated. "They gave us food. We are still going to kill them?"
The subordinate sneered.
"Better to take their food than be fed by them. Understand?"
That logic immediately clicked for everyone.
"True."
"We have been looting all the way back anyway."
"Killing our way home is what real returnee glory looks like."
They had just eaten, their strength restored.
Now they prepared a coordinated ambush.
Weapons were quietly drawn.
The formation slowly closed in.
A killing net formed silently around Old Nanfeng's group.
Everything was ready.
Just waiting for Ni Wa's command.
Ni Wa casually placed an arm around Old Nanfeng's shoulder, smiling like a close brother.
"Brother Nanfeng, you are from Gao Village Family?"
Old Nanfeng nodded. "Yes. Want to join us? Good food, good life. Pretty decent days."
Ni Wa laughed loudly.
"Got it. We will head to Gao Village Family soon…"
Then his tone suddenly twisted.
"After we rob you clean!"
The moment those words exploded out, his hidden hand pulled a blade in a flash and swung directly at Old Nanfeng's face.
At the same time, all three hundred men erupted forward, weapons drawn, charging in like a collapsing flood.
Ni Wa thought he had perfect timing.
Ambush success guaranteed.
But reality did not cooperate.
Old Nanfeng had already anticipated it.
He grabbed Ni Wa's wrist mid-strike, twisted lightly, and redirected the blade in one smooth motion.
The knife turned in the air.
Then stabbed back into Ni Wa's own throat.
Blood burst out like a violently opened spring, spraying half a zhang into the air.
The battlefield froze for half a second.
The three hundred attackers were still mid-charge.
They all stopped mentally before their bodies caught up.
Old Nanfeng exhaled coldly.
"Kill them."
"All of them."
His hundred battle-hardened soldiers roared in unison and charged forward like a steel wave crashing into flesh.
And just like that, the valley turned into chaos.
Notes & Context
[1] "Accepting amnesty" (招抚 / 招安)
In the late Ming, bandit leaders were often absorbed into the state during manpower crises. Amnesty erased crimes on paper, but trust was thin—and many "converted" forces simply waited for a better opportunity.
[2] Why green fields matter
In drought-era North China, a single rain-fed village could mean survival. Such places became magnets for both refugees and violence.
[3] Food before loyalty
Historically, many armies—bandit or official—secured allegiance by feeding people first. Hunger decided ideology faster than speeches.
[4] Encirclement after feeding
A classic bandit tactic: eat to recover strength, then strike when the host relaxes. It failed here because lao nanfeng treated generosity as procedure, not trust.
[5] "Kill them all" discipline
Against numerically superior but disorganized foes, Ming border troops favored immediate, total counterattack to prevent regrouping—hesitation meant casualties.