Henry thought about it and agreed. The two had served together, making them comrades-in-arms, and they would have to spend the next month together day and night, so he set off with Edward as companions.

The terrain of Anlu County is lower in the south and higher in the north. The southern part is Yunmeng Marsh, with flat, fertile fields, known as "Yunmeng Township"; the central part is traversed by the Yun River, which flows into Yunmeng Marsh, forming river valley plains, called "Yun River Township"; the northern part is hilly, with layers of beautiful ridges, and is where the county seat is located. Henry and his companion slowly headed north along the road by Yunmeng Marsh.

After a night of heavy rain, the great Yunmeng Marsh had returned to calm. Fish leapt from the water, and white egrets strolled slowly along the shallows. Edward, being a local soldier, was very familiar with the area, and since he was quite talkative, he spent the whole way introducing the local customs and scenery to Henry.

"Henry, do you know that Anlu County, and even the whole of Nanjun, was still Chu territory just over fifty years ago?"

"Of course I know."

Henry nodded. Nanjun is what would later become Hubei Province, and was once the heartland of Chu, with its administrative center Jiangling being the capital city of Ying. Decades ago, the Qin general Bai Qi attacked Chu, and in the Battle of Yan and Ying, over a hundred thousand Chu people drowned, scattering the Chu army. King Qingxiang of Chu abandoned the capital and fled east, and it was after this that Qu Yuan, in his grief, threw himself into the river. Counting back three generations, Henry's ancestors were also Chu people, and even now, their accent had not changed.

"Then you should also know that the area around Yunmeng Marsh was the hunting ground of the Chu kings. My grandfather once told me about the grand scenes of the Chu king's hunts back then. It is said that a thousand chariots would be assembled, banners covered the sky, rhinoceroses and tigers were chased all over the place, and with a casual lift of the hand and a draw of the bow, one could shoot a deer dead..."

After saying this, Edward licked his lips. After chatting all the way, Henry had more or less figured out the temperament of this peer: talkative, a bit clever, and somewhat gluttonous. He laughed and said, "Are you thinking about eating meat again?"

"Who isn't?"

Edward retorted, but patted his skinny belly and sighed, "Unfortunately, Yunmeng Marsh has dried up a lot recently, and all kinds of wild animals have migrated elsewhere. Even the small marshes near the road where you could fish—now no one dares to go there."

Henry asked in surprise, "Why is that?"

"Because lately, many fugitives have fled south and become bandits in the marsh! I heard that many merchants and fishermen passing through here have been robbed and even killed! The county has repeatedly ordered the nearby outposts to hunt them down, but the bandits always escape. That's why I asked you to travel together."

"Fugitives turning to banditry?" Henry couldn't help but be moved. He looked into the distance—here, the marshes stretched endlessly, and shrubs grew thickly. It was indeed a good place to become a bandit and rob travelers.

Nanjun and the southern regions of Chu are interlaced, with dense forests and crisscrossing rivers and lakes. Whether it was Qin fugitives avoiding conscription or refugees from Chu, they all liked to run into Yunmeng Marsh.

In an official document "Yushu" from April this year, even the governor of Nanjun, Teng, helplessly admitted that Nanjun was the most licentious and least secure of all Qin's commanderies. Anlu County was the worst-hit area, with many small gangs of thieves along the banks, and the local people dared not go out alone.

Henry, however, was not afraid. He hadn't spent three years at the police academy for nothing—he had learned some fighting skills, and dealing with one or two bandits was no problem. He patted the short sword at his waist and smiled, "If those bandits are blind enough to try to rob us, then they've picked the wrong people!"

"Well said, Henry!" Edward laughed heartily, his eyes shining, and patted his chest, boasting, "Actually, I have some martial skills too. In Yun River Township, who doesn't know the name of Edward at the river mouth..."

Henry looked at his skinny, monkey-like frame and just smiled without saying anything.

Who would have thought, before the words had even faded, that at the end of the small path ahead, hidden by shrubs, countless green-headed wild ducks were startled into flight. Then came a desperate cry for help: "Bandits! Help! Help!"

"Bandits?" The previously boastful Edward immediately dropped to the ground in fright.

Henry, on the other hand, stood up straight, squinting to observe what was happening. He saw someone in the distance scrambling out of the bushes, running frantically toward the road. Not long after, several ragged men wielding weapons, their faces fierce, came chasing after him.

The direction of their chase was right toward where Henry and Edward were standing!

"One, two, three, four..."

Edward quickly counted the number of people and started to lose his nerve: "There are four bandits, and they're armed. I'm afraid we can't handle them. Henry, maybe we should just avoid them..."

No one answered. Edward turned around, only to his surprise, Henry had already stood up and was striding forward!

"What are you doing!"

Edward was shocked. He wanted to run away himself, but then remembered something. After hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and followed, cursing as he ran, "Henry, are you trying to get yourself killed!"

Henry looked back and saw that Edward had actually followed him. He couldn't help but look at him with new respect and said with a smile, "This place is wide and open. We can't hide, and we can't run far. We might as well help that person. Three against four—we might not lose. Besides, if we see someone in mortal danger and don't help, and the authorities find out later, we'll both be punished."

In his previous life, he had always had a strong sense of justice—his friends said he had a chivalrous spirit. After entering the police academy, he became even more responsible.