They, these rootless duckweed, will no longer have to wander aimlessly!

Entering the city, settling down and living a stable life—

This is a dream that no migrant worker could ever dare to even imagine in their entire life.

Right now, this dream is right ahead!

Many refugees were moved to tears, as if their weakened bodies had suddenly gained the strength to continue their migration.

Even if it meant death, they wanted to see what the city they had only ever dreamed of looked like.

Upon hearing the words "City Lord," the man who had been silently fiddling with the stone suddenly grabbed the stone fruit and held it tightly in his palm. He looked up at Li Yu's back, wanting to see what kind of future Li Yu could lead them to.

After giving a brief speech, Li Yu didn't linger.

He turned and led the more than a thousand refugees, whose flames of hope had been rekindled, toward the Zhongzhou border gate that had once seemed unattainable to them, a symbol of hope and order.

The leaders of those refugee groups watched Li Yu and his men leave, their eyes filled with hatred yet utterly helpless, like gamblers who had lost everything and could only curse inwardly.

Upon arriving at the wide-open city gate, the soldiers from Zhongzhou stepped aside and stood guard on both sides.

More than a thousand refugees followed Li Yu with excited expressions, step by step stepping into the Central Plains defense line that they had once tried their best to cross but could not.

The moment my body passed through the city gate, it was as if an invisible shackle snapped!

A sense of relief flashed in the eyes of the refugees.

They are finally... safe.

Finally, they no longer worried about being torn apart and eaten by strange beasts that could pounce at any moment, nor were they afraid of being suddenly attacked and killed by other refugees who were trying to steal their food.

"Boom—"

As the city gates closed, like a final judgment, all the endless resentment and despairing gazes outside were completely shut out, isolated in another world.

When Li Yu returned, he found that Xiao Zhan and Lu Fan were already waiting for him.

At this moment, the Qingcheng troops behind Lu Fan had finished their preparations, and everyone was standing at attention, ready to embark on their long journey.

When Lu Fan saw Li Yu leading a large group of newly selected refugees, his calm face showed no surprise. Instead, he felt it was only natural, and that Li Yu, as a refugee leader, was the normal person.

Xiao Zhan, standing to the side, felt quite uncomfortable looking at the two large groups of people behind Li Yu and Lu Fan.

So this is how you can be short-staffed...

He commanded the Northern Cavalry, emphasizing elite troops and discipline, and had never seen such a 'barbaric' method of expansion.

It's like picking up random people on the street.

However, this crude recruitment method completely overturned Xiao Zhan's preconceived notions, and he secretly thought that after returning to the Northern Territory, he would have to replenish the Northern Territory's iron cavalry as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, Xiao Zhan felt a mix of emotions, and his eyes betrayed his sadness.

Li Yu immediately noticed the change in Xiao Zhan's mood, stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and whispered words of comfort:

"Don't overthink it, at least the spirits of the Northern Iron Cavalry are still alive."

"Take the arrow I gave you, along with the ghosts of the Northern Iron Cavalry, back to the North. With that arrow as the core, it will be enough to keep the ghosts from dissipating, and they might even be able to return to the battlefield and charge alongside you!"

Li Yu's gaze was deep as he continued:

"In a sense, they did not completely perish; they simply changed their form and continue to protect the glory of the North."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan's body trembled slightly, but he quickly suppressed his sadness.

He naturally understood Li Yu's intentions; she was deliberately saying those words to him.

But the Northern Iron Cavalry still exists, even if only in the form of ghosts.

At the same time, Shi Yue came to report to Lu Fan: "City Lord, the Qingcheng relocation team is ready, the personnel are assembled and ready to set off at any time."

"knew..."

Before Lu Fan could speak further, Li Yu spoke to him first:

"Lu Fan, you take the Qingcheng team and go first."

After all, one group of them was going to Ningcheng, and the other was going to Kangcheng.

This is not just a matter of choosing completely different directions and routes. Given the migration speed of the refugees, they would probably be slower than the Qingcheng group. If they insisted on traveling together, it would only be a waste of time.

Moreover, Li Yu was also aware that many of the refugees he had just selected were already at their physical limits and were only able to reach the Central Plains defense line by sheer willpower to survive.

Now that we've suddenly relaxed, we urgently need food, water, and plenty of rest to recover our strength. We need at least a day to adjust before we can set off again.

Noticing Li Yu's gaze towards the refugees, and the fact that the refugees needed time to adjust, Lu Fan immediately understood and responded:

"Alright! In that case, I'll take my leave first. Li Yu, Xiao Zhan, farewell. See you in Jincheng in the future."

"Take care of yourself."

"Take care," Li Yu and Xiao Zhan replied.

Having said that, Lu Fan waved casually to the two men, then turned to the people of Qingcheng and gave his order without hesitation:

"Set off!"

Subsequently, Lu Fan led the massive Qingcheng migration team, slowly leaving the border of Zhongzhou and setting off towards Ningcheng in the interior of Zhongzhou.

Watching Lu Fan lead his team away, Li Yu turned to Chen Feng, who had been accompanying her, and said:

"Please arrange for some food and water to be distributed to the refugees I selected, and also set aside a temporary area for them to rest."

"Yes, Commander Li Yu, I'll take care of it right away!" Chen Feng replied immediately, his attitude still extremely respectful.

However, a flicker of uncontrollable ecstasy flashed in his lowered eyes!

I originally thought Li Yu would leave with Lu Fan.

Unexpectedly, Li Yu chose to stay and rest for another day... This was simply a godsend!

Even God is on his side!

In this way, he wouldn't need to ask the commander for help at all and could take full responsibility for maintaining the border.

Suppressing his excitement, Chen Fengqiang quickly assigned his soldiers to efficiently and properly settle the selected refugees, guiding them to a relatively clean and sheltered area within the defensive line, and distributing food and clean drinking water to them.

At the same time, he invited Li Yu and Xiao Zhan to rest in the most comfortable place inside the defense line.

Upon returning to his command room, Chen Feng strode to the table and, with trembling hands, retrieved the previous form from a hidden compartment below.

Unfolding the timetable marked with hydrological conditions and weather warnings, Chen Feng's lips curled into a cold smile.

He knew that the time had come to completely resolve the troubles gathered outside the Great Wall.

"Someone come here!" Chen Feng called out towards the door.

"Here." A trusted adjutant entered, his expression stern.

"Order the flood control team!" Chen Feng's eyes were sinister, and his voice was resolute:

"Have those awakened by water and earth elements use their abilities overnight to reinforce the foundation of the city wall. Once completed, continue to output their abilities to ensure that this section of the Great Wall can withstand the impact."

"Then notify all city defense personnel to implement the highest alert plan. Absolutely no refugees must be allowed to cross the defense line! Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" The adjutant acknowledged the order and turned to leave.

He knew full well what this order meant.