Chapter 125: Unable to Advance or Retreat
It is said that men don't shed tears easily, but these men cried even more sadly than women.
Everyone was extremely anxious and refused to accept this reality. They pulled them aside and asked, "How is this possible? Isn't Lan County said to be very wealthy? Isn't their county magistrate said to be a good official? How can such a good official not care about the lives of the people?"
"What? There's no one distributing porridge at the gate of Lan County! The city gate is full of refugees like us, huge crowds, at least 3,000 people! I asked clearly, no one has been distributing porridge for two days. It's said that a few days ago, a rich man was distributing porridge, but the people behind him didn't get to eat it, so they beat him up. Now there is no one distributing porridge at all, and the city gate is closed. I don't know when it will open again-"
"If we're not allowed to leave, can we go in? Once we're in, even if we have to do hard labor for them, as long as we can get some food—"
"I can't get in. The city gates are tightly shut."
"We are not allowed to enter the city, and there is no porridge. What should we do——"
"Oh my God, we are really going to starve to death—"
Everyone was silent.
Xu Qingying looked at Jiang Yongkang, and Jiang Yongkang nodded, indicating that what the man said was true.
Xu Qingying's heart also slowly sank.
Seeing panic spreading among the refugees, Xu Qingying said, "Don't worry, let's go and take a look. Isn't it said that the Lan County Magistrate is a good official? Let's go and beg him. He won't let us all starve to death in front of the city gate."
"That's right. At worst, we can follow Li Datou's example and rebel and capture Lan County! Didn't they say there are still three or four thousand refugees at the city gate? Let's work together. I don't believe we can't capture Lan County!"
"That's right, I'm going to starve to death, why bother with so much! I might as well risk my life. I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well die a full one!"
Xu Qingying thought, something bad has happened.
This kind of mob is most afraid of being instigated and shouted at. As expected, everyone completely forgot Xu Qingying's ideological education in the past few days. They cut branches to make weapons and ran towards the city gate.
The people in the exile team were still rational. They were used to Xu Qingying giving orders along the way, so when they encountered problems, they always asked Xu Qingying for orders first.
This time everyone gathered around her as usual, "Miss Xu, what should we do?"
"How about we just run away? Since Zhao Bantou and the others aren't around anymore, we can just lie and claim we're refugees and settle down wherever we can!"
"You're crazy! We still have family in Ye County. What if they can't find us in Lan County?"
"In my opinion, they have a large number of refugees and are very powerful. The two forces combined have about 5,000 to 6,000 people. They might be able to take the city. Let's take advantage of the chaos to get some food..."
"Have you forgotten what happened last night so quickly? If a fight breaks out, can we guarantee we'll escape unscathed? Besides, we have no food. If we rely on our status as exiled prisoners, we might be able to enter the city. The court doesn't care about refugees, but it doesn't say it doesn't care about exiled prisoners... We have banknotes on us, right? What can't we buy in the city?"
"You're right. Not only do the refugees have no food, we don't either. Why don't we go and see what's going on? If things aren't going well, we can retreat."
There was no other way, Xu Qingying could only agree.
They walked slowly at the back and finally arrived at the city gate.
Just as the vanguard said, a large number of refugees gathered at the city gate, and the crowd was so dense that there was no end in sight.
There were men and women, with their families. All the refugees had blue faces from the cold and were emaciated. Some had been hungry for too long, with lifeless eyes, their body fat depleted, and even their muscles began to atrophy, making them look like mummies.
Looking around, it was a dark mass, like a zombie crossing the land.
Xu Qingying said in a daze, "Snobbery makes people fight, and even the descendants kill each other. The title of brother in Huainan is engraved in the seal in the north. Lice grow in armor, and thousands of people die. Bones are exposed in the wild, and no rooster crows for a thousand miles. If only one out of a hundred people survives, the thought of it breaks one's heart."
As we approached, the city gate slowly opened, and several donkey carts drove out. A petty official shouted, "We're distributing porridge again today, 500 bowls a day. If you didn't get one, come back tomorrow!"
Five hundred bowls, but there are at least four or five thousand people at the city gate!
Xu Qingying never thought that there would be a time in her life when she would have to compete with refugees for food.
As soon as the clerk finished shouting, the earth shook and everyone rushed towards the city gate like a swarm of locusts.
"Let's go, let's go too!" Huang Cui'e pulled a few people towards the porridge stall.
But before they got close, they heard loud crying. It turned out that the porridge had been distributed and the people behind were not able to drink it. The refugees started to make trouble, but were beaten to death by the petty officials.
This speed is too fast.
Xu Huiming returned with a bombshell: "Sister, I just heard from that clerk that the porridge wasn't distributed a few days ago because a vassal king was rebelling. Come on, the notice is at the foot of the city wall, let's go check it out."
rebel?
These words were incredible. Compared to drinking porridge, these exiled prisoners were more concerned about the overall situation in the court.
So they all ran to the city wall to read the notice.
Miao and Zhao Zhenlan couldn't understand it, and couldn't help but pull Xu Qingying anxiously, "What does it say? Who rebelled? Is it talking about Li Datou?"
Xu Qingying's face darkened slightly.
Seeing Xu Qingying's grim expression, Feng'er quickly replied, "Madam, the Ming princes of Qiongzhou have rebelled! They've already taken over the neighboring Quanzhou and Chaozhou, and are preparing to march on the capital. The young emperor has ordered the princes from all over the country to come to the capital to protect him."
Feng Er asked curiously, "Hey, why did Prince Ming say he wanted to avenge his fiancée? Isn't the eldest daughter of the Fang family still fine?"
Fang Xun, however, had already seen the notice. His face turned from pale to blue, looking quite unpleasant. He clenched his fists and said, "Great, he's worthy of being a member of the Zhou family—no wonder… no wonder…"
Xu Qingying immediately said, "Fang Xun, there are so many people around, be careful with your words!"
"Girl, once the notice is out, everyone in our team will know about it. We can't hide this."
"If word gets out that Fang Ruyu is still alive, I'm afraid your whole family will be in danger. Since Prince Ming has insisted that it was Uncle Zhu who sent someone to kill Fang Ruyu as a pretext for rebellion, he won't leave anyone alive. The people in our team don't know that it was Prince Ming who chased us that night, so they will only wonder why Prince Ming insisted that Fang Ruyu was dead. But fortunately, we are now trapped in Jinzhou City, mixed in with the refugees. From now on, I will tell everyone not to reveal our identity as exiled prisoners. This will keep you safe for the time being."
Fang Xun seemed a little emotional, but he forced himself to bow and said, "Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, young lady."
"No need. We are now one and the same. If they kill you, they might kill us too."
Fang Xun's face turned pale, and he looked embarrassed. "It's our Fang family who has implicated everyone."
"Now that things have come to this, there is no need to say more. Go back and inform your Fang family, especially Fang Ruyu."
Fang Xun naturally understood and shook his head reluctantly. "My cousin and he were childhood sweethearts. She had been looking forward to marrying him and moving to Qiongzhou, but she never imagined that his Zhou family was so cruel and ruthless, capable of such a heartless act as murdering his wife. If he didn't want to marry my cousin, why didn't he ask for an imperial decree to cancel the engagement? He's saying that Uncle Zhu sent people to kill our entire Fang family. Uncle Zhu is such a pig-headed person, how could he even think of doing something like wiping out the entire family?"
Xu Huiming sneered, "If that's the case, then he has no legitimate reason to be a disciple. We have underestimated this Prince Ming..."
Fang Xun was shocked.
Xu Qingying sighed softly, looking at the refugees in the distance who were like ants, and suddenly felt powerless, "These are all trivial matters."
She pointed far away, her eyes filled with compassion, "This world... is going to be in chaos."
Feng'er's heart skipped a beat.
Xu Huiming felt a chill on his back when he was touched, but his vision was covered with mist and he could not see clearly.
Fang Xun asked, "Miss Xu...what do you mean?"
"The emperor is young, his relatives are monopolizing power, princes are entering the capital, the climate is unpredictable, and refugees are everywhere—" Xu Qingying sighed. The more she thought about it, the more familiar the scenario seemed, and she couldn't help but feel even more desperate. "Do you think... these ambitious princes will leave after entering the capital?"
A word can wake a dreamer up!
Fang Xun and Xu Huiming broke out in cold sweats instantly!
Fang Xun felt shortness of breath and nearly fainted. His face was pale and his voice trembled: "Zhu Ci has ruined my Great Zhou——"
Feng'er looked left and right, but couldn't understand why Miss Xu's words could make two grown men feel so heartbroken.
She has never been afraid of revealing her true colors in front of Xu Qingying. The girl said, if you don't understand, just ask. You will know next time after asking. Only by asking more questions can you become smarter.
So she said, "Young lady, I don't understand why those princes won't leave after entering the capital. Can't the young emperor just issue an imperial decree to expel them?"
Xu Qingying shook her head. "It's not that simple. It's like a wealthy man with a fortune who, before dying, insists on having a child who can't even speak clearly to inherit the family fortune. The child is ignorant, so the only one left is his uncle. But the uncle is also clueless and doesn't know how to run a business. Now, another son has returned and also wants to inherit the family fortune. This uncle asks all his uncles and brothers to contribute their manpower and strength to support this youngest son—"
Feng'er understood immediately after hearing this. "Miss, you mean these uncles and aunts will secretly seize property under the guise of protecting their youngest son! I know there was a wealthy family in our time, but once someone died, the youngest son had no chance to keep the family property, and was completely devoured by his uncles. These princes are already ambitious, and Uncle Zhu summoned them back to the capital. Isn't that inviting wolves into the house?"
Feng'er immediately understood why Miss Xu had said that the world was going to be in chaos.
She jumped up. "This Uncle Zhu... is his brain broken? How could he come up with such a stupid idea?"
Xu Qingying nodded. "They are fighting for the throne. Every move they make affects the livelihoods of tens of millions of people. If a war really breaks out, the three hundred years of peace and stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty will come to an end. I'm afraid that all of us ordinary people will be caught up in the flames of war—"
Feng'er's face turned pale this time.
She had never experienced war, but she had seen the scene of the bandits attacking Zhangjia Village that night, and now she still dreams about those corpses.
Thinking that the Great Zhou Dynasty would soon be reduced to a scorched earth, Feng'er felt cold from head to toe.
That's war...
War means death, lots and lots of death. The people will suffer, and the country will be in turmoil...
Feng'er was in a trance and felt as if the sky was falling.
Xu Qingying and others went back and told everyone the news, but to make matters worse, others also brought back even worse news.
They learned from other refugees that the largest chieftain in Qianzhou had joined forces with other smaller chieftains in rebellion and declared that they would no longer pay tribute to the Zhou Dynasty. The Qianzhou guards and the chieftain were engaged in a fierce battle.
The Qianzhou area has been plunged into chaos. The important border passes and official roads are guarded, and it is impossible to enter or exit!
This news was like a bolt from the blue!
They were originally going to be exiled to Qianzhou, but when they were about to go, they suddenly heard that the chieftain of Qianzhou had rebelled? So they couldn't go to Qianzhou anymore?
At this moment, Xu Qingying felt that her fate was absurd.
At the same time, they were worried that the war would continue and harm innocent people. They didn't know what the situation was like for Xu Meixiao and others in Ye County.
Can Zhao Bantou and his companions overcome numerous obstacles and return to the capital?
Xu Qingying really wanted to curse, "Damn God!"
Now these people are in a state of being unable to retreat or advance.
Even Xu Qingying was helpless at this moment.
Miao, Lian, and Zhao hugged each other and cried. Everyone in the Xu family was silent. Huang Cui'e asked, "Does that mean we can't go to Qianzhou anymore? The court doesn't care about our lives anymore?"
"Mom, didn't you hear what Sixth Sister said just now? We are now illegal immigrants. There is no difference between us and refugees!"
Xu Huijia, however, was surprisingly optimistic. "I think it's a good idea. We can just become refugees, find a place to settle down, and change our household registration. That way, we can shed our status as lowly prisoners, right? Then, my second brother and Huiming, two scholars, can take the imperial examinations, and our Xu family will be able to improve its status once again!"
"You're dreaming," Xu Dekai punctured his son's fantasy without hesitation. "There are at least hundreds of thousands of refugees in Jinzhou. Which county has the capacity to accommodate so many? I'm afraid we'll starve to death or freeze to death on the road before we even settle down!"
"Don't we have over a thousand people?" Xu Huijia sighed. "I kind of understand Li Datou now. In this world, if I don't eat people, they will eat me. I might as well learn from Li Datou and rob him all the way! It's better than starving to death!"
"Yes, if all the refugees die, the government won't have to spend money on disaster relief, nor will it have to allocate new land for resettlement. It really kills two birds with one stone. It's a pity that we are just ants and no one will know if we die."
Jiang Yongkang glanced at him, then at Xu Qingying. "Miss Xu, the Great Zhou Dynasty suffered floods this summer and heavy snow in the winter. There's constant fighting in the north, and there's rebellion by vassal kings. I'm afraid it's almost over. Our group is stuck now, unable to advance or retreat. So, why don't you lead us to capture a city? Firstly, our team is made up of the elderly, the weak, and the sick, and we can't travel quickly in this icy and snowy place. Secondly, there are many bandits in Jinzhou. If we can find a safe place to stay, it will be much safer than walking in the wild. It's a good strategy that allows us to attack or defend."
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