Back at the cabin, George Washington questioned William Grant in detail about the events of this trip.

To make a long story short.

Two days later, George T. bid farewell to his family, slung his pack over his shoulder, and, together with his group of friends, set out in grand fashion toward Yizhou.

There were quite a few people accompanying George T.—besides his inseparable companions Michael Bolton and Richard Cooper, there were more than twenty others.

Among this group, only George T. was relatively well-equipped. No one knew where he had gotten a set of leather helmet and armor, and a short sword hung at his side—this was the entirety of George T.’s gear for the expedition.

His equipment was actually the most complete in the group. Most people didn’t even have a decent weapon, let alone armor. Some had sickles tucked at their waists, others carried hoes on their shoulders.

This was understandable—anyone with a bit of money or a life worth living wouldn’t be willing to risk their life in Yizhou fighting the Nanman.

Nanyang Commandery bordered Yizhou, and Caiyang County was even closer to Yizhou. Heading west for just over fifty li was Xiangyang, and another fifty li west was Hanzhong Commandery in Yizhou.

During Wang Mang’s rule, all the place names in the country were changed, causing great confusion. Xiangyang was renamed Xiangyang (with a different character), but among the people, it was still commonly called Xiangyang.

Xiangyang was one of the gathering places for the rebel army, and the destination for George T. and his group was Xiangyang. With only fifty li to travel, they could easily reach it in a day.

George T. and the others set out just after the middle of the yin hour, which was a little after 4 a.m. It was still dark at that time, and by the mao hour, a little after 5 a.m., dawn had broken.

As they were walking, a young man hurried up to George T. at the front and said, “Brother Bosheng, there have been two people following us the whole time. Could they be lookouts for local bandits?”

With the country suffering from severe drought, the people were destitute, and many had turned to banditry. Murders and robberies occurred frequently everywhere.

Hearing that they might have encountered bandits, George T. and the others were not afraid; instead, they became excited. Richard Cooper grinned and said, “Heh, this is going to be fun. Before we get to Yizhou, we can practice on some bandits first!”

The people following George T. were all local ruffians and idlers, good for nothing except fighting. Hearing Richard Cooper’s words, everyone’s eyes lit up, and they rolled up their sleeves, all looking at George T. with eager anticipation.

George T. snorted with a laugh, gestured toward the woods by the roadside ahead, and said, “Let’s ambush in the woods up ahead. Once we see who’s following us, we’ll decide whether to make a move.”

Everyone looked to George T. for direction, and after he finished speaking, they all nodded in unison. Led by George T., the group suddenly quickened their pace and soon reached the woods.

At George T.’s signal, the group immediately split into two, one to the left and one to the right, hiding in the woods at lightning speed.

The two people following behind seemed to notice that George T.’s group had suddenly disappeared and quickened their pace as well.

When the two reached the edge of the woods, suddenly a whistle sounded from within, and with a loud shout, George T. and the others rushed out, surrounding the two in the middle.

When they saw who the two were, everyone was stunned. George T. exclaimed, “Little George?”

The ones following George T.’s group were George Washington and William Grant. George Washington glanced around at everyone, cleared his throat a little awkwardly, first cupped his hands in salute to his elder brother, then greeted Michael Bolton, Richard Cooper, and the others.

George T. quickly recovered from his shock. He didn’t even need to ask to know why George Washington had followed them. With a stern face, he asked, “Little George, you snuck out, didn’t you?”

Given their uncle’s temperament, there was no way he would allow Little George to join the rebel army. Even when George T. himself wanted to join, their uncle had made a huge fuss several times.

“Mm.” Sure enough, George Washington nodded and said softly, “Big brother, I left letters for uncle, aunt, and little sister!”

George T. pursed his lips and said, “Didn’t I tell you? You can’t come with us to Yizhou. You have to stay and take care of little sister!”

George Washington replied earnestly, “Big brother, little sister has uncle and aunt to look after her—she doesn’t need me at all!”

Seeing that George T. was about to refuse again, he quickly added, “Big brother, I’ve already run away, and I left letters behind. Uncle must have seen them by now. If I go back, he definitely won’t let me off easily! Besides, brothers fight together, fathers and sons go to war together—it’s only right that I go with you to Yizhou to join the rebel army.” As he spoke, he turned to Michael Bolton and Richard Cooper, the ones he was most familiar with, and winked at them repeatedly.

Michael Bolton and Richard Cooper were both amused by George Washington’s antics. They said to George T., “Bosheng, we’re just going to Yizhou. The big battles are for the soldiers; we’ll just be helping out, so there’s not much danger. Let Little George come along. Besides, with all of us looking after Little George, what do you have to worry about?”

“Yeah, big brother, I’m not a child anymore—I’m already twenty. Just let me go!” George Washington looked at George T. with anticipation.

George T. frowned deeply and refused in a low voice, “No! You go back right now!”

George Washington pulled a long face and said, “Big brother, it’s not necessarily safer at home than in Yizhou. Did you forget what happened last time?”