The "Slow Burn" of the Lin Ranch had finally ignited a flame that could be seen from the dark ridges of the Northern Waste. Prosperity in the Great Yan Dynasty was a double-edged sword; while it bought silk and stone, it also acted as a beacon for those who lived by the blade.
Qin Zhan spent the twilight hours sharpening not just his broken sword, but the instincts of the village recruits. He had moved the sheep and the nursing goat into the inner courtyard of the Big House. The Iron-Hoof bulls remained in the reinforced corral, their massive silhouettes looking like obsidian monuments in the moonlight.
"They won't come at dawn," Qin Zhan whispered to Lin Yan as they stood on the roof of the Big House. "Bandits are like rats—they prefer the shadows. They'll try to spook the herd, wait for the chaos, and pick off what they can."
Lin Yan looked at the 'Ranch Security' interface on his System.
> [Security Alert: Hostile Presence Detected]
> Group: Iron-Rat Bandits (12 riders).
> Tactics: Fire-starters and encirclement.
> Suggested Strategy: Utilize 'King Granite' (Alpha Bull) and the 'Stampede Logic'.
>
"We aren't going to hide, Qin Zhan," Lin Yan said, his voice cold. "If we hide, they'll just keep coming back. We need to show them that this ranch has teeth."
The Cowboy's Trap
Lin Yan directed his brothers with a calmness that belied the pounding of his heart. He didn't arm them with swords—they weren't soldiers. He armed them with the tools they knew.
"Da, San—get to the rear gate of the corral," Lin Yan ordered. "Don't open it until you hear my whistle. Er, you and the dogs stay by the wool-shed. If they throw torches, drown them."
Qin Zhan took the "high ground," perched on the stable roof with a recurve bow he'd salvaged. Lin Yan mounted the Silver Ghost. The stallion was restless, his silver coat shivering with the anticipation of the hunt.
At the hour of the Rat (midnight), the first sign of the enemy appeared. A flaming arrow arched through the sky, landing in a pile of damp straw near the fence. Then came the hooting—a jagged, predatory sound meant to terrify the livestock.
Twelve riders emerged from the treeline, their horses scrawny but fast. They carried hooked spears and torches, their faces obscured by soot-stained rags.
"Take the bulls!" their leader shouted, a man with a voice like grinding gravel. "Kill the men, keep the women for the winter!"
The Logic of the Stampede
The bandits charged toward the corral, expecting the peasants to flee. Instead, they were met with a piercing whistle that cut through the night air.
Lin Da and Lin San threw open the rear gates.
But the bulls didn't run away from the ranch. They were driven toward the bandits. Lin Yan had spent the last two days "pressure-training" the bulls to follow the lead of the Silver Ghost. As Lin Yan galloped the stallion across the front of the herd, the Iron-Hoof bulls, led by the massive King Granite, surged forward in a wall of muscle and horn.
The ground shook. The bandits' horses, sensing the raw, primal power of the charging bulls, bucked in terror.
"What is this?!" one bandit screamed as he was unseated.
"It's a ranch!" Lin Yan roared, the Silver Ghost pivoting on a dime as they circled the flank.
Qin Zhan's arrows began to fly. He wasn't aiming for kills—not yet. He was pinning the riders down, forcing them into the path of the stampede. The Iron-Hoof bulls didn't gore; they simply trampled. The sheer weight of an 1,800-pound bull at full tilt turned the bandits' light cavalry into a disorganized mess of broken wood and fleeing men.
The Lasso and the Law
As the main force of the bandits broke and fled back toward the woods, their leader tried to make a break for the wool-shed, a torch high in his hand.
"Not today," Lin Yan muttered.
He gave the Silver Ghost his head. The stallion ate the distance in seconds. Lin Yan stood in the stirrups, the reinforced 'Iron-Root' lariat spinning in a wide, hungry loop.
Whish.
The rope settled perfectly over the leader's shoulders. Lin Yan snubbed the rope around the saddle horn. The Silver Ghost sat back on his haunches, his powerful legs digging into the dirt. The bandit leader was yanked from his horse, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
The remaining bandits, seeing their leader captured and their horses crushed, didn't stay to fight. They vanished into the darkness, leaving behind five of their number in the mud.
The Morning After: Formation of the 'Range Guard'
As the sun rose over the blood-streaked mud of the courtyard, the Lin family emerged. They were shaken, but unharmed. The Big House stood tall, its rammed-earth walls scorched but unyielding.
Lin Yan dismounted, his legs trembling slightly from the adrenaline. He looked at the bandit leader, now tied securely to a fence post.
"The village will want to hand him to the Magistrate," Lin Da said, his face pale.
"No," Lin Yan said, looking at the village youths who had stood their ground with Lin San. "The Magistrate is twelve miles away. We are here. From this day forward, we protect our own."
He turned to Qin Zhan. "You asked me once if I was building a farm. I told you I was building a dynasty. A dynasty needs a 'Range Guard.' I want you to take these boys and the survivors who are willing to work, and train them. They aren't soldiers. They are Cowboys. Their duty is the herd, the land, and the family."
Qin Zhan looked at the Silver Ghost, then at the captured bandit, and finally at Lin Yan. He gave a sharp, crisp nod—the first time he had ever acknowledged Lin Yan as his true commander. "Understood. The Range Guard begins today."
The Cost of Growth
While the ranch had won the night, Lin Yan knew the "Slow Burn" was moving into a more dangerous phase. He looked at his System log.
> [Combat Victory Recorded]
> Reputation: 'The Iron-Handed Rancher'.
> Casualties: 0 (Family), 2 (Bulls - Minor injuries).
> Warning: The 'Iron-Rat' band was merely a scout for the Northern Marauders.
> Unlock: 'Defensive Outpost' Blueprint.
>
Lin Yan walked to the corral and touched the blood-stained horn of King Granite. The bull snorted and leaned into the touch. They had defended their home, but the world was getting smaller.
"Sisters," Lin Yan called out to Yue and Hua, who were already cleaning the soot from the loom-room windows. "Prepare a shipment of the silk-wool. We need to buy more than just silver. We need iron. We're going to build a forge on the ranch."
The era of the "Simple Farmer" was dead. The era of the "Ranch Lord" had begun.