After passing Yangzhou, the group traveled for another two days without stopping.
As they continued their journey, they were surprised to find that there were more and more refugees on the road.
This unusual situation immediately alerted everyone.
After some inquiries, the reason was finally learned.
It turns out that the prefect of Yangzhou was known for his tyrannical behavior, which had already aroused public resentment.
Now, because of his evil deeds of forcibly collecting taxes, he has provoked the refugees from Yazhou and Pingzhou to rise up and attack him, directly breaking through the checkpoints.
Without the control of officials, Yangzhou instantly descended into chaos, becoming a veritable hell on earth.
The villagers of Stone Village were filled with fear as they looked at the ferocious eyes of the refugees around them, which were like those of hungry wolves. Every step they took was as if they were walking on a knife's edge.
Faced with such a severe disaster, no one dared to relax in the slightest, and even at night, everyone had to remain vigilant.
To this end, the village chief organized the villagers to take turns keeping watch at night to ensure safety.
Time slipped by unnoticed, and before we knew it, it was the middle of the night.
At this time, a person's willpower is often at its weakest.
While fast asleep, Wang Xiuxiu suddenly felt something gently nudging her.
I opened my eyes groggily and found it was Songsong.
You know, Songsong has always been an obedient and good child. Unless something important happens, it will never wake you up.
Realizing this, Wang Xiuxiu suddenly opened her eyes wide, grabbed the stick beside her tightly, and quickly sat up.
By the faint moonlight, Wang Xiuxiu nervously looked towards the distant woods.
There were shadowy figures moving about there.
Without a second thought, Wang Xiuxiu shouted with all her might, "Help! Someone help!"
The shout was like a thunderclap ripped through the night sky, instantly waking all the sleeping villagers in the vicinity.
Just then, the figures that had been hiding there could no longer hold back and revealed themselves.
In an instant, the refugees surged out like a tidal wave, rushing towards the unsuspecting Stone Village camp with lightning speed.
These refugees, all dressed in rags and with menacing expressions, frantically robbed the villagers of their belongings.
Despite the villagers' valiant resistance, they were unarmed and powerless against the vicious vagrants.
The sounds of fierce fighting echoed through the sky, and many villagers were mercilessly knocked to the ground, groaning in pain.
Everyone's belongings were looted in an instant, and the scene was chaotic, with cries, shouts, and pleas for mercy rising and falling.
However, this did not arouse the slightest pity from the bandits.
They ran away after looting, without lingering for a fight, disappearing without a trace in an instant, leaving the angry villagers of Stone Village with no way to chase them.
The villagers could only watch helplessly as they drove away.
After an unknown amount of time, the chaotic scene finally came to a stop.
The villagers of Stone Village, robbed, looked at each other, speechless with grief.
Suddenly, someone seemed to remember something important: "Where did the people on night watch go tonight?"
Everyone snapped out of their daze and hurriedly began searching everywhere.
Finally, not far from the woods, they found the poor man who was on night watch.
His face was covered in blood, and he was quietly leaning against a large tree, his body stiff and lifeless.
Judging from the shocking wound on his head, it was clear that he was attacked while he was asleep and ultimately died from excessive blood loss.
The man's wife was struck dumb when she saw her husband, who had been perfectly fine just moments before, suddenly become like this.
After an unknown amount of time, she seemed to suddenly come to her senses, and rushed to her husband's side, bursting into heart-wrenching sobs.
Seeing this, the village chief sighed, beckoned to several young men, and they helped dig a pit to bury the person.
Finally, the village chief carved a sign with a knife and told his child, "If you have the chance in the future, remember to bring your father back to his hometown for burial."
That's how it is when you're fleeing from a country; dying far from home and even the thought of returning to your hometown is a luxury.
Being able to be buried in the ground, undisturbed by wild animals, is the last bit of care his family could give him...
"Alright, everyone, stop standing there! Disperse and go back to take stock of your belongings."
At the village chief's command, the villagers, who had been immersed in grief over the loss of their companions, suddenly awoke from their reverie. One by one, they lowered their heads and began to check their belongings that had been lost in the chaos.
The Wang family was relatively lucky; their resting spot was a little far from the grove of trees. As soon as Wang Xiuxiu called out, they immediately reacted, gathering all the valuables around them and hugging them to their chests.
However, even so, they were not spared, and a considerable amount of their food was still stolen by the refugees.
As Chen Chunhua tidied up the ransacked belongings, she cursed and swore, "These damned bastards, they're utterly heartless! The food we worked so hard to save up has been stolen by them!"
Hearing Chen Chunhua's cursing, Wang Xiuxiu hugged Songsong tightly, her eyes empty and helpless.
Although he suffered many grievances upon arriving in the capital.
However, I have never experienced anything as frightening as today.
The group of refugees rushed over like madmen, ignoring her. She could only rely on her instincts and keep hitting them with the stick.
But the man seemed completely oblivious to the pain, and continued to frantically snatch Wang Xiuxiu's bundle.
Aside from a few pieces of clothing, there were actually no valuables in the bundle.
Wang Xiuxiu knew that she could save her life and escape if she let go, but by then her fingers were already stiff and out of control, and she could not open them no matter what.
At this critical moment, fortunately someone came to the rescue, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Wang Xiuxiu looked at Songsong in her arms, "Songsong, what should we do? This world is getting harder and harder to live in."
Songsong seemed to sense its owner's emotions and gently rubbed against her hand, as if to comfort her.
As night deepened, the villagers of Stone Village spent a sleepless night in this unfamiliar land.
And what awaits them tomorrow?
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