Fortunately, after everyone rested, they did not encounter any more dangers until they set off again. It took them more than an hour to reach the foot of the mountain, and another mile to reach the main road. At first, there were not many people on the main road, but later they saw two or three emaciated refugees.

At a fork in the road, besides the main road, there were two smaller paths. Song Zhuiyan and Zhong Qingyi stopped and hesitated, wondering which path to take.

Song Tantan ran over with her short legs, also very conflicted. She and her aunt were both newcomers and had no idea where to go. It seemed that they would encounter refugees no matter where they went. The refugees themselves were not the problem; the problem lay with those who used the refugee label to do bad things.

“Let’s take the main road. There are robbers on the mountain, and taking the back roads isn’t necessarily safe either. At least the main road is wide and has a good view,” Ye Moxun said as he walked over.

"Let's take the official road," Zhong Qingyi said, taking Ye Moxun's advice to heart.

Song Zhuiyan and Song Tantan had no objections; they needed someone to guide them.

So the group continued along the official road, and the day passed peacefully. Apart from occasionally seeing groups of refugees walking along listlessly, they did not encounter any other people with ulterior motives.

As evening fell, Song Tantan and his group arrived at the gate of a town. The city gate was tightly closed, and soldiers were guarding the city. Hundreds of refugees were outside the gate, trying to enter the city, but the people inside wouldn't let them in. So they sat outside the city gate and waited. As for what they were waiting for, they probably didn't even know themselves.

Song Tantan and her group also found an open space to sit down. They were also confused. The mountain was not safe, and for the time being, they could only drift along with the current, not knowing where to go.

"There are still intact towns these days, how come this place hasn't been destroyed?" Song Tantan whispered to Ye Moxun.

"The Great Jin Dynasty has been divided into five factions. Three of these factions are the current Crown Prince and his two brothers. The other two factions are the Duke of Zhenguo and General Du Kedu. The latter two held heavy military power during the reign of the late emperor and were stationed at the western and northern borders respectively. With the natural disasters and the invasion of the Hu people, these two began to harbor rebellious intentions."

"When did the late emperor pass away?" Song Tantan asked casually, as the emperor was something very distant to her.

"Two years ago, the Hu people invaded. The two generals who were guarding the border did not do their job and deliberately let the Hu people in. The late emperor was so angry that he collapsed and fell seriously ill. He passed away in less than two months."

Ye Moxun sighed softly. Although the late emperor was mediocre and did not achieve much during his more than ten years on the throne, he was still a benevolent emperor who did not kill innocent people indiscriminately and raised his dozen or so princes well. Under his rule, the Great Jin Dynasty was relatively stable.

If it weren't for the sudden natural disaster, he could probably have managed to rise to the position of Crown Prince. But when the disaster struck, he had no good measures to take. Even if he had some ability, he couldn't withstand the powerful destructive force of nature, and the Great Jin Dynasty would ultimately be doomed.

"The late emperor's mental fortitude wasn't very strong. In truth, it doesn't matter to the common people who are emperor. Whoever can ensure they have enough to eat and wear is a good emperor. But it seems that the court currently lacks anyone who can bring peace to the people. They all still have the mind to fight for the throne. What's the point of fighting for this terrified world?"

These people's ambitions are beyond our comprehension. Now that the rainfall is normal, we should be fully committed to agricultural production and bringing stability to the people. Unfortunately, these people insist on making the already crumbling Great Jin Dynasty even more dire. The people have been driven to the brink of despair, and I fear that the world will become even more chaotic in the future.

After the two little ones finished analyzing the current situation with serious expressions, they once again felt that finding a secluded, uninhabited place to live in seclusion was the best course of action.

"We'll rest for the night and leave tomorrow morning." They had no intention of going into the city anyway, so they decided to take a detour.

Song Zhuiyan inquired about the situation and learned that the world was divided into five forces. The natural disasters had already caused chaos, and now there was also internal strife and the danger of foreign invasion at any time. There was no limit to how chaotic things could get.

A group of people found an open space a little away from the refugee group, huddled together and whispered, sharing the information they had gathered.

“I’ve inquired around. The Crown Prince and Prince Duan’s men aren’t very friendly to refugees and are unwilling to accept them unless they are able-bodied men. The men of the other two generals often rob people of their belongings and even like to abduct pretty women. Only Prince Xian’s men are relatively normal,” Song Zhuiyan said.

“I’ve heard that too. Many refugees went south to seek refuge with Prince Xian. Prince Xian was granted the title of Prince ten years ago, and his fief is in Jiangnan. Jiangnan has always been prosperous, but unfortunately, many places in the south were hit by floods recently, resulting in countless deaths and injuries, and a plague broke out. Prince Xian himself was also in trouble.” Zhong Qingyi also told everyone what she had heard.

Everyone fell silent for a moment, as if they had nowhere else to go.

"Then let's go to Prince Duan's territory first, heading west. If it's too chaotic there, we'll go to the Crown Prince's territory, towards the capital. However, the capital probably won't hold out for long either. The Duke of Zhenguo and General Du have been eyeing it for a long time, and they'll probably be unable to hold back any longer and launch an attack soon," Ye Moxun analyzed.

"It's a pity that a plague is breaking out in Jiangnan. Otherwise, it would have been best to seek refuge with the Wise Prince. Now we can only take it one step at a time." Song Tantan looked at her short legs and expressed deep sorrow.

She felt the deep malice emanating from this chaotic and desolate era.

"If we had a horse-drawn carriage, a donkey cart, or an oxcart, that would be fine. It's really too hard to walk." If there were a place where they could exchange livestock, Song Tantan suggested exchanging grain for it.

"We'll see what happens on the road; there might be an opportunity." Ye Moxun didn't want to travel on foot. His body was already weak, and he was afraid that if he continued to suffer, his illness would worsen, and his body would be too weakened, which would shorten his lifespan.

"Really? That's great! If those barbarians had had horses last time, we wouldn't have had to work so hard." Song Tantan's big eyes sparkled, as if she could already see the carriage ahead.

Ye Moxun poured cold water on her enthusiasm, saying, "I used to traverse mountains and valleys; do you think a horse can climb mountains?"

So even if we had horses before, we couldn't bring them along.

"Let's not talk about what happened before. Let's think about how to get a carriage next." Song Tantan didn't bother arguing with him and happily fantasized about her carriage.

Sigh, her wish is so simple now. She hopes for world peace and stability. This is not a dream in the 21st century. Back then, she only thought about making more money so that her aunt could have an easier life, saving a lot of money, and then letting her aunt find a good man to marry.

When Song Tantan and the others wanted to eat, they noticed that the refugees around them were staring at them menacingly, as if they would immediately snatch any food they dared to offer.

"Hold your knives tight. We'll take turns eating, so be careful," Song Zhuiyan instructed everyone in a deep voice.

So the adults and children were paired up and surrounded in the middle to eat first, while the others stood back to back protecting them in the middle. After the first group finished eating, it was the turn of the people guarding the middle.

Song Tantan was in the second batch of food. She held a large knife and stared coldly ahead. To others, she looked cute and innocent, but after she brandished the knife a few times, the refugees knew she was not someone to be trifled with.