The farmers who were drawing water immediately bristled when they heard this. They threw down their wooden buckets, gripped their carrying poles, and demanded, “Who—who dares to fight John Benson for water! Let’s see if we don’t beat him to death!”

It wasn’t just boasting; under the leadership of the old veteran Robert Benson, when it came to brawls, no one in the township could match the The Benson Family.

“It’s not us.”

George Benson hurriedly waved his hand and pointed west. “It’s The Miller Family and The Cooper Family fighting over water—they’ve started a brawl!”

……

“You should have said so earlier. If others are fighting over water, what’s it got to do with us? Our li doesn’t even share a branch canal with those two families.”

Upon hearing this, the farmers of John Benson hoisted their carrying poles back onto their shoulders and walked off, chatting and laughing.

But Henry Benson seemed thoughtful. He called a few apprentices and clan members to go west with him and take a look.

The Chengguo Canal was built during Emperor Wu of Han. If the Zhengguo and Bai Canals nourished the Shiwei Commandery east of the Jing River, then the Chengguo Canal benefited the three commanderies of Fuwei, Jingwei, and Liewei.

The authorities also attached great importance to the canals, appointing special water officials to manage them, dividing canal sections among the counties, and forbidding the building of dams upstream to store water and deprive those downstream—such things could cost lives.

But for the smaller branch canals below the county and township level, the water officials didn’t have the energy to manage them. Elsewhere, who knows, but in Linqu Township of Changping County, every two li shared a small canal, and the water was allocated according to population and farmland, with both sides agreeing on a fair ratio.

But this year, drought struck upstream, and the flow in the Chengguo Canal was reduced, making water resources immediately scarce.

After walking several li, they saw sparse wild trees in the fields and a small stream on a distant plateau, with two li situated next to each other. Groups of villagers surged out from each li, wielding pitchforks, sticks, hoes, and even sickles, aggressively heading toward the canal.

Henry Benson sent someone to ask, and the people of John Miller insisted, “The Cooper Family broke the old agreement and wants to take more water for their fields! They started the fight!”

As they got closer to the branch canal, they heard a noisy commotion. The The Miller Family farmers who had arrived first were being forced back step by step by a group of men in tight clothing, armed with swords and knives.

The The Miller Family, who had always kept their heads down working the land, were clearly no match for the The Cooper Family, who were famous in the county for their martial prowess. Facing these fierce and unruly young men, who wielded real weapons, how could mere farm tools stand a chance? Soon, sickles were snapped, pitchforks broken, and they fled in panic.

Watching this scene, Henry Benson gripped the ring-handled saber at his waist, hesitating.

In recent days, he had yielded both pears and learning, helping The Benson Family and The Foster Family resolve their feud, and had gained some reputation in the county. According to his plan, the next step was to establish his authority.

“If I can settle the dispute between these two families today, I’ll be able to make my mark.”

But those who try to mediate often get beaten. If he handled it poorly, he could offend both families at once. He had to think carefully—was it worth getting involved? And how should he mediate?

Henry Benson only remembered that his grandfather had been on good terms with The Miller Family, while relations with The Cooper Family were just so-so. The two brothers who led The Cooper Family were always domineering and might not respect a mere youth like him.

As he was thinking, a voice called out from behind—it was George Benson again, riding a donkey at full speed, shouting, “Young master, the county magistrate of Xianyu has sent for you! You’re to go to the county office at once—there’s something urgent!”

The county magistrate wants to see him? Why now, of all times?

Henry Benson frowned, looking again at the two distant clans brawling over water. The commotion was growing louder, The Miller Family were fleeing with their heads in their hands, many already bloodied, while The Cooper Family showed no sign of stopping. If he didn’t intervene, someone could die; but if he got involved, who knew when it would be resolved. Damn, which should he take care of first?

“Lun’er, you go to the county seat first—leave this to me.”

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out—it was Robert Benson, who had also arrived on horseback after hearing the news.

The old man, sword at his side, rode his horse across the canal. Though his hair was white, his heroic bearing was undiminished.

“Robert Benson is here! Let me see who dares draw their blades!”

Watching the backs of him and his old red horse, Henry Benson seemed to see his grandfather as he had been, following Colonel Chen Tang on a western expedition, galloping across the desert, a single Han man standing against five Hu nomads!

……

Chapter 7: Isn’t This Just Bullying Honest Folk?

In Linqu Township, The Cooper Family was run by two brothers. The head of the family was Bill Cooper, known as Bill, the elder, who focused on managing their farmland.

His younger brother was Leo Cooper, a chivalrous type. As soon as he came of age, he went out to make his way in the world. It was said he had once been a follower of the great hero Yuan She of Maoling, and had also mixed in the city of Chang’an—he was a man of the world.

After Leo returned, his aura was completely different. He claimed to have befriended many prominent figures in the Guanzhong hero circles, such as Yangling Yan Ben and Sheling Tu Men Shao.

“They all call me brother—we drink and eat meat together! We have a bond of life and death!”

The local youths believed his words and thus regarded Leo Cooper as the leader of the township’s heroes.

Though he claimed the title of “hero,” none of Leo Cooper’s actions showed any real chivalry. He only knew how to bully the neighboring lis, swaggering about with his followers all day.

His elder brother Bill Cooper, as the local constable, held an official position and was on good terms with the township bailiff. This made the The Cooper Brothers fearless when bullying their neighbors.

As neighbors, the The Miller Family could tolerate other things, but today’s water dispute concerned next year’s harvest and the very lives of their clan—there was no way they could back down!