The group discovered that the closer they got to Leling Prefecture, the more people there were fleeing the famine, and they even had to slow down and wait for those in front to go first.
"Elder sister, keep your child close by and don't be so careful. There are so many people here, I'm afraid someone might kidnap the child."
Grandma Li held her precious baby in her arms and held the most mischievous dog, Gou Dan, by the hand in her left. She even had to watch him while he peed.
Zhen Wanwan also walked beside the donkey cart with her child in her arms, keeping a close eye on Erni on the cart while observing the surrounding situation.
There were so many people on the road that she felt as if she had traveled back to the small town where she had lived as a child.
Back then, the town was packed with people on market days, much like it is now.
The only difference is that there are no vendors selling things on the roadside.
At this moment, Gou Dan walked with his legs crossed, looking pitifully at Grandma Li and said, "Grandma, Grandma, I need to pee..."
Old Mrs. Li glared at him, pulling Gou Dan towards the roadside while muttering, "Lazybones, always pooping and peeing. I told you to drink less water, but you wouldn't listen."
"Sprinkle it all at once. If you get any dawdling on the way, I'll give you a good spanking!"
Hearing Old Lady Li's harsh words, Gou Dan shrank back, pulled up his pants, and went to relieve himself.
Seeing his second brother's actions, Erniu also started to feel the urge to urinate: "Grandma, I need to urinate too!"
"Go, go, go... Tiger, you hurry up too!"
Zhen Wanwan watched this scene with amusement, then gently asked Erni, "Erni, would you like to go to the restroom?"
Erni shook her head: "Auntie, I haven't drunk any water, so I don't need to go."
Seeing how well-behaved and sensible Erni was, Zhen Wanwan patted her little head tenderly.
Because there were many people on the road, they did not arrive at the city gate of Leling Prefecture until nearly 5 PM.
The refugees queuing to enter the city had completely blocked the entrance. Zhen Wanwan and her group arrived a little late, so they were on the outermost edge of the queue.
The city wall is about three stories high. There is a tiled house made of wood on the wall. There are three entrances to the city, and two large lanterns are hanging above the two sides of the main entrance.
Looking at the antique-style building in front of her, Zhen Wanwan was very excited, although it was not as luxurious or colorful as the buildings in TV dramas.
But the emphasis is on solemnity, inspiring awe and a sense of reverence in those who look up to it.
"We've finally arrived!"
The villagers obediently followed behind Lin Biao and his men, quietly waiting for the soldiers to check their travel permits one by one.
Many villagers outside the city set up camp in open spaces, and they didn't seem to be heading into the city.
This scene drew everyone's attention, and some whispered among themselves, "What are these people doing?"
Someone in the know explained, "Well, they've come to the prefectural city hoping that wealthy families will give them porridge to live on."
"Didn't you notice that most of these people are elderly people and children?"
Someone exclaimed, "You know what, I looked around and didn't see a single able-bodied man!"
As she spoke, she raised her chin and gave a haughty snort: "There are many things you don't know!"
"These people are all refugees from other places. I heard that their villages have been massacred by the rebel Yang Wang. The men were either imprisoned or slaughtered."
The man pointed to the old man and the child in the open space and explained, "They were lucky enough to run into General Xiao. That's why there are still a few people left who made it this far."
Lin, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), had also noticed the commotion earlier. His leg injury hadn't fully healed, and he limped over to the villager who had been speaking earlier.
He cupped his hands in a polite gesture to the villager and said, "Young man, I apologize for disturbing you. You just said that General Xiao saved them."
But as far as I know, General Xiao was fighting in Xinyang Prefecture just half a month ago. How come he's here again in just a few days?
The villager, suddenly annoyed by the questioning, said, "What do you know? That rebel king is the most treacherous. Just a few days ago, the barbarians he colluded with attacked our Leling Prefecture again."
"Otherwise, why would we be fleeing with our families?"
"What! They've attacked again?"
Zhen Wanwan was also shocked; how could one problem be solved only for another to arise?
They just escaped from the war-torn Xinyang Prefecture, how come they're attacking again so soon?
Everyone was stunned by the news, and their relaxed mood tightened up again.
They thought that by coming to the more prosperous Leling Prefecture, they would be free from the troubles of war, but they never expected that the rebels would leave them no way out!
The crowd began to riot, and the soldiers, seeing this, came over with their long guns.
"Who's causing trouble?"
The soldiers glanced around at Zhen Wanwan and the others, then turned their gaze to the villager who had spoken earlier.
"The troublemaker should be punished with 10 strokes of the cane according to the law. Take him away!"
The villagers were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Sir, it wasn't me, it really wasn't me, it was him, they were the ones who asked me... If you want to hit someone, go hit them!"
The villager pointed at Lin Biaotou, Zhen Wanwan, and the others.
The officers frowned and said sternly, "Except for women and children, all adult men who are causing trouble are to be taken away!"
Ah...aren't these soldiers a bit too domineering?
"What kind of logic is this? We didn't steal or rob anything, we just exchanged a few words."
"You can talk to the adults if you have something to say! Take him away!"
The soldiers not only took the people away, but also their luggage.
Seeing that someone was trying to take advantage of the situation and snatch the cart from Zhen Fugui's hand, Zhen Wanwan angrily blocked the soldiers' path.
"Sir, you're talking about troublemakers! We're all keeping our distance, are you going to try and rob us?"
When the officers and soldiers saw Zhen Wanwan holding an infant in her arms blocking the front of the cart, their plan to steal the child was shattered.
He sternly rebuked, "When officials are handling affairs, they don't give you a chance to reason with them. Get out of the way!"
Seeing his fierce expression, Zhen Wanwan became angry and took out the poison needle she had obtained from signing in.
She would dare to use poison as long as the soldiers dared to make a move!
Unfortunately, she underestimated the greed of the soldiers. When he saw that Zhen Wanwan refused to move aside, he swept her to the ground with a wave of his hand.
"Sister!" "Wanmeizi!" "Zhenniangzi..."
"You hurt my daughter! I'll fight you to the death!" Old Mrs. Li screamed and lunged forward, but was held back by the soldiers.
Grandpa Zhen desperately protected the donkey cart to prevent it from being taken away. The commotion was so loud that Erni, who was sitting in the donkey cart, burst into tears.
Qu Huaiyuan was too far away and was stopped outside by the soldiers, so he had to stand still and try to persuade them with reason.
The scene became increasingly chaotic.
Old Tie arrived with a large knife, only to be instantly subdued by the soldiers guarding the city.
The instant Zhen Wanwan fell, she had already pierced the soldier's arm with a needle.
The spot where she fell was relatively flat, but her palms were scraped raw.
Because Sweetie was held tightly in her arms, she was not injured.
Once the soldiers saw that there were no more people in the way, they prepared to take her family's cart away.
Suddenly my hand froze, and I couldn't muster any strength at all.
"What are you dawdling for? Get to work!"
Zhen Wanwan sneered; he didn't have more than two days left to live.
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