When Assistant General Nie returned with the three wounded bandits, they were kneeling in front of Manbao, tears and snot streaming down their faces as they recounted their miserable experiences of the past few days.

"...Last year, we took this same road and there were no bandits. Who knew this year the mountains would be infested with such ferocious bandits? Our master said it’s important to stay alive first. As long as Qing Mountain is there, we will not worry about having no firewood. So, if they wanted money, we gave money. If they wanted to take all the goods, we let them have them..."

The three paused their crying here, and Manbao asked, "And then?"

Wiping their tears, they said, "Perhaps seeing our master’s cooperation, they took all of us up the mountain, wanting us to join them in banditry."

Manbao and the others: "...That’s a bit too much."

"Isn’t it? We have families and businesses. How could we abandon everything to stay and become bandits?" The three said, "But they had knives, and we didn’t dare refuse outright, so we said we’d consider it. We helped with chopping wood and other tasks, which made them less vigilant against us."

However, there were still guards daily, preventing them from leaving designated areas.

"Last night was the bandit leader’s birthday, so there was a lively celebration. We took advantage of the dawn, when we were going to fetch water and cook for them, to escape."

Initially, they wanted to escape last night, but upon leaving they saw how dark it was in the woods. Not only was it pitch black, it was also chilly. They worried about wild beasts in the forest, so decided to wait till dawn, then used fetching water as an excuse to sneak away.

Most of them drank last night, and those who didn’t also stayed up late having fun. By early morning, they not only had to cook but also clean up the leftovers from the previous night’s feast. Even those in the kitchen didn’t want to get up so early, providing Old Master You and the others a chance to escape.

The three cried and pleaded with Zhou Man, "Lord Zhou, please rescue our master."

Manbao asked, "How many of you managed to escape?"

"Including us three, a total of fifteen. But shortly after escaping, we alerted someone. Our master told us to scatter, increasing our chances of survival. Regardless of who makes it out, we must inform the families."

Manbao asked, "Do you remember which direction each of them ran?"

The three looked at each other, scratched their heads, and finally, the eldest uncertainly pointed in two directions, "We’ve been running all day and don’t know if they changed directions."

They definitely changed, and quite drastically at that.

Manbao glanced at them and then looked at Assistant General Nie.

Assistant General Nie thought for a moment and said, "Let’s head back. If these bandits don’t return after dark, the horse bandits will know something’s wrong. We need to find a good place to set up camp."

They escorted the three bandits back, and once there, the group that had gone to ambush at another location also returned, with Old Master You among them.

Having already reunited with Mr. Zhuang, Old Master You couldn’t help but shed tears upon seeing Zhou Man and the others.

The six had only minor injuries, mere scrapes and bruises. The soldiers and guards sent did not suffer any injuries. After all, they ambushed successfully with bows and arrows, had the advantage of resting while the enemy approached, and outnumbered them two to one. It would be inexcusable to be hurt.

"Eight bandits, three dead, two seriously injured, and three slightly wounded. They look like they’ll survive. Assistant General, should we treat them?"

"Stop the bleeding, for now, we’ll kill them later, but first, we need to interrogate them."

But the horse bandits knew they would likely be sentenced to death, so they remained silent.

Bai Shan looked up at the sky and said to Manbao, "It’s getting late, and with so much luggage, we should dispatch a team to search and rescue. If we find them, we save them; if not, we must wait for reinforcements."

Manbao nodded, crouched down, and cut the arrows off the wounded, leaving the arrowheads inside, "Let’s find a place to camp first."

One of the officials who had led them there had already galloped back swiftly. A lone horse travels fast, but it’s uncertain if they can reach Liangzhou tonight.

Assistant General Nie also felt they should leave and find a place to camp.

The remaining officer racked his brains, "Sir, there’s nowhere nearby to hide. If there were, it would be over the mountain. On the other side is a vast grassland with several natural windbreaks, suitable for hiding."

Assistant General Nie replied, "That’s too far, and with horse bandits around, we can’t camp in a valley. We’d risk being surrounded."

Assistant General Nie considered, "Let’s head back. On the way here, I saw a wide meadow with many fresh sheep droppings, suggesting someone grazes there."

"Yes, that area has good pasture. People graze there until June before moving. Those familiar with the area know this."

Assistant General Nie nodded and ordered the bandits to be tied up and loaded onto a cart for the return trip.

Before leaving, he selected ten men from the soldiers, including a scout, and said, "Go to those two places. If you find anyone, rescue them. Try to gather intelligence on the horse bandits. Once Governor Duan sends in reinforcements, we’ll destroy them."

This implied a chance to earn merit. All ten men’s eyes brightened with excitement, and they agreed eagerly.

So they parted ways. Manbao and the others gave the carriage to Old Master You and the others, while they mounted their horses and rode away. She glanced back, got the exact direction from Keke, and told the ten about to set off, "When fleeing for their lives, people run wherever there’s an opening, making it hard to pinpoint a direction. If you can’t find anyone, follow that direction. Since everyone ran that way, the bandits’ lair might be in that direction."

Manbao pointed out two directions for them.

With solemn nods, the ten accepted their orders and quietly blended into the forest.

Bai Shan and the others retreated until the sunset, finally finding a suitable place. A scout who had gone ahead returned to report, "Sir, five miles ahead is a tribe’s campsite. It’s larger than Tutu’s tribe."

Assistant General Nie nodded and said to Manbao, "Lord Zhou, let’s camp here. The visibility is good, and we are far enough from the bandits’ lair. Even if attacked at night, we’ll have early warning, and five miles away is the herders’ tribe. The horse bandits might have some scruples."

The nomadic herders of the grasslands differ from ordinary people of the Central Plains. They can become soldiers as soon as they mount a horse. Thus, horse bandits generally avoid troubling local tribes.

Unlike the mountain bandits in the Central Plains who frequently descend to plunder villages.