Zhou Wan'er voiced all her concerns.

The current situation is a dilemma. They want to go home, but the world is in chaos, bandits are everywhere, the road is long and arduous, and the two countries are currently at war. Even if they reach the border safely, the million-strong army is not to be underestimated, and they may not be able to return unscathed.

If they don't go home, they will have to give up this excellent opportunity, and their future hopes will become even slimmer. Moreover, if they continue to follow Sun Jian as members of the Zhou royal family, they will one day bring disaster upon Sun Jian and get him killed.

Do you believe me?

Sun Jian stared intently into Zhou Wan'er's eyes.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Wan'er nodded firmly.

"I will find a way to get you back to Da Zhou safely within six months, but you can't leave casually before then."

"Really...really?"

Zhou Wan'er's eyes were glistening with tears, which would probably fall if she didn't try her best to control them.

"Of course it's true. Okay, now let's tidy up the house together with your Qingcheng sister and Zijian sister."

Sun Jian patted her head affectionately, then turned and left the room, leaving Zhou Wan'er staring blankly at his retreating figure.

The system notification tone also sounded at that moment.

"Ding! The system has detected that Zhou Wan'er's favorability towards you has increased by 3 points, and the current value is 39 points."

Upon hearing the system notification, Sun Jian's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

On the other side, upon learning that Sun Jian was leaving that very day, the villagers lined up at the door of Sun Jian's house, clamoring to see him.

Knowing they could not disobey the emperor's decree, they could not stop the fait accompli, no matter how unwilling they were.

Seeing that everyone was there, Sun Jian said loudly, "It's good that everyone is here. I was just looking for you all."

"Old Cao, take some men and pack up everything usable from the brewery and load it into the truck."

"Old Jiang, keep some of the iron farm tools I gave everyone before so the villagers can continue planting potatoes. Pack the rest for me and load them onto the truck. Do the same with the other seeds."

"Ergou, let's not work on the unfinished new shed for now. Go and inform everyone that I'm setting off today."

"As for that batch of potatoes, I've already spoken to the officers in the honor guard, so you can load them without worry."

After giving these instructions, Sun Jian originally wanted to have a private chat with the village chief, but to his surprise, Lao Cao, Lao Jiang, Er Gou, and the others all stood there looking embarrassed and refused to move.

"What? Now that you know I'm leaving today, you're not listening to me anymore?"

Seeing their indifference, Sun Jian couldn't help but feel annoyed.

“Sun Jian, it’s not what you think, they…” The village chief was also quite anxious at this moment, and quickly explained on behalf of everyone.

"What's wrong with them? They're so hesitant to speak."

Sun Jian raised his eyebrows, looking surprised.

Old Cao sighed softly. He was a straightforward person and didn't like beating around the bush. He said directly, "Forget it, village chief, let me say it. Sun Jian, we want to follow you."

"Follow me?"

Everyone nodded, their expressions very sincere.

“We just want to follow you. Only by following you can we have a good life. Only by following you can we, the lowly people, live with dignity.”

“Yes, Sun Jian, just let everyone follow you. They don’t need wages, as long as you provide meals. You don’t need to worry about their lodging.”

"Yes! Yes! We're all convinced that we can only survive by following you."

In an instant, the crowd cheered, all wanting to follow Sun Jian to the capital.

“Sun Jian, just let these young men from the village come with you. Once you get to the capital, whatever you want to do, these villagers know you well and can help you. If you think they are a burden, you can even let them farm the land,” the village chief advised from the side.

"Damn it, this won't do! If the whole village follows me, won't Sun Family Village be gone?"

Sun Jian was stunned. He hadn't expected that the villagers would trust him so much in such a short time.

It's true that I'm helping myself, but I'm not going there to enjoy myself. On the contrary, the place I'm going to is likely to be a den of dragons and tigers, and I might even lose my life. How am I supposed to settle these villagers?

Perhaps sensing Sun Jian's concerns, the village chief spoke up, "Sun Jian, don't overthink it. It's just a few able-bodied young men from the village following you, only a few dozen people."

"I'd be more than capable of helping you out, running errands, and doing chores."

“If you leave them here, they won’t survive until this batch of potatoes is planted.”

"Once we get to Kyoto, we can lease another plot of land and grow potatoes there too."

"Don't worry, not all the young and strong will go. Only Lao Jiang, Er Gou, Gou Sheng, and the rest of the landless people will go. They won't have to worry about making a living in the village."

"But this..."

Sun Jian wasn't worried about the village's livelihood; he felt that this might be against the rules.

Who would bring so many villagers with them when they go to Beijing to take up a new post?

It makes it seem like they're forcing someone to abdicate.

"Are you worried about the adults? Don't worry, I've already spoken to the old man beforehand, and they said it's fine."

After listening to the village chief's words and seeing the burning gazes of Lao Jiang, Lao Cao, and the others, Sun Jian fell into deep thought.

They've already put it this way, and I do need some help when I get to Kyoto.

Besides, Lao Jiang, Lao Cao, and others were already used to it, and they had passed on their skills to them, so why not use it?

Since neither Lord Liu nor Eunuch Zhang had any objections, it would be unreasonable for me to refuse again.

"Alright, let's hit the road together then."

Upon hearing this, the villagers who followed Sun Jian were thrilled and shouted "Long live Sun Jian!" Some villagers who couldn't go were also disappointed, but they still reminded Sun Jian to come home more often when he had time.

After everything was settled, the time to depart was fast approaching.

Sun Jian, accompanied by his three wives and a group of villagers led by Old Cao and Old Jiang from Sun Family Village, embarked on his journey to the capital.

Kyoto and Chang'an were not particularly far from Hongnong County, about 400 kilometers away as the crow flies. However, this was not the world of later times with high-speed rail and highways. The journey required crossing the Qinling Mountains and bypassing the Yellow River. Even if you traveled along the pipeline, it would take about seven or eight days to reach the destination.

Time flies, and the six days of travel have passed in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, the journey was relatively uneventful, and the closer they got to Chang'an, the more peaceful it became. Sun Jian's entourage also traveled relatively quickly, arriving near Chang'an by the evening of the sixth day.

In the evening, the honor guard set up camp in an open field.

Everyone gathered around the campfire, their faces beaming with joy.

"Sun Jian, we'll arrive in Chang'an, the capital, tomorrow. We've traveled through wind and rain without stopping," Cao Cao said to Sun Jian with a simple and honest expression, munching on a potato.