A hundred miles north of Liaodong Commandery lies a mountain forest stretching for a hundred miles from west to east. The weather has warmed up, and the trees have sprouted new branches and buds. From a distance, the forest appears as if it is covered with a layer of dark green curtain.
Under the morning sun, countless birds and beasts roamed the mountains and forests, foraging for food. The sounds of birdsong and animal roars filled the air, creating a vibrant scene.
On a small path near the northern part of the mountains, a group of nearly two thousand people were fleeing in panic towards the mountains.
The group consisted entirely of young and middle-aged men and women; there were no elderly people or children among them. Everyone was dressed in tattered clothes, and their faces showed deep exhaustion. Those at the back of the group kept looking back with lingering fear.
These people belong to a large tribe of Donghanye.
Not long ago, their tribe was attacked and destroyed by the Goguryeo army. Because they were young and quick, they managed to escape in the chaos.
After escaping, they fled south, hoping to seek refuge with the Han Dynasty.
A young man dressed in Hanfu ran at the very front of the group.
This man, named Li Qing, was a secret agent of the Investigation Bureau. He had entered Han Hui's territory disguised as a merchant from the Han Dynasty on Jia Xu's secret orders.
After the Han Hui tribe was breached, he fled with the young men and women.
After some persuasion and stating that only the Great Han could protect them, he led these people all the way to this place.
"Hurry up, everyone! Once we get through this forest, we'll be in Han territory. Then those damned Goguryeo people won't dare chase us anymore!"
Looking at the mountains and forests ahead, Li Qing turned around and shouted to the people behind him, then rushed straight into the mountains and forests, with the people behind him following closely behind.
"Whew!"
Once they entered the mountains, the young man's expression relaxed considerably. He then slowed his pace and led his followers towards the direction of the large Han man to the south.
As the group entered the forest, they startled countless birds, and many small animals scattered and fled.
"Roar~!"
Shortly after the group entered the forest, a loud tiger's roar reached their ears from deep within the woods, seemingly warning the uninvited guests who had suddenly barged in.
The crowd's expressions didn't change much upon hearing the tiger's roar. They had been fleeing for their lives and were on the verge of survival. How could a mere tiger possibly stop them?
The group of Han-Ye people merely glanced at the depths of the forest, showing no fear on their faces, before turning back to follow Li Qing southward.
This group of people had been active in the mountains and forests since childhood, so their pace was not slow. In just four hours, they left the mountains and forests and set foot on the territory of the Han Dynasty.
Looking up at the sun, which was already setting in the west, Li Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then, he focused his gaze on the south and spotted an official road leading to Liaodong Commandery of the Han Dynasty not far away.
"Everyone, hang in there a little longer. Once we get on that road, it won't be long before we reach Liaodong. Then we can finally have a good meal and get a good night's sleep!!!"
"good!!"
Hearing the young man's shout, the people in the group showed a hint of hope and relief, and then followed behind Li Qing.
Before long, Li Qing led everyone onto the official road leading to Liaodong County.
As the sun set, Li Qing gazed intently, and the outline of the Liaodong border town finally appeared at the end of the road.
"Haha~, we've arrived! Look, that's the city of the Han Dynasty!!"
Upon seeing that familiar outline, Li Qing couldn't help but raise his finger forward and burst into proud laughter.
"Great!! We're finally saved!!"
Upon seeing the Han city walls, the Han people cheered with joy. After a long and arduous escape, they finally saw hope.
Led by Li Qing, the Han-Hui people quickened their pace and headed towards the border town.
On the city wall, a large Chinese character flag stands tall and straight, fluttering in the wind.
Below the banner, two rows of Han soldiers in black armor stood ramrod straight, gazing northwards, guarding both sides of the banner.
Chen Jie, who had been promoted to the rank of centurion by Huangfu Song, led a squad of soldiers and patrolled back and forth on the city wall. As he walked, he kept turning his head to look north.
These soldiers were all from Youzhou Army under Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song!
Since Jia Xu sent Chen Hu to persuade Qiu Liju and Nanlou to send troops towards the Northern Wuhuan a dozen days ago, Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song have urgently dispatched half of the Youzhou army to Liaoxi, Liaodong and Lelang counties for defense, in order to prevent mutinous soldiers and refugees from rushing into the Han territory and causing damage.
Huangfu Song personally led troops to garrison Liaodong.
"General, what do you think?"
Just as Chen Jie was on his inspection tour, a soldier suddenly pointed to the official road outside the city.
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie quickly turned around and went to the wall, then stared intently at it.
A procession could be seen approaching the city wall from the official road a dozen miles away. From a distance, it looked like a swarm of ants.
Looking at the small group, whose formation was not only scattered but also without any flags, Chen Jie couldn't help but change his expression.
As the group drew closer, one of the soldiers couldn't help but turn to look at Chen Jie.
"General, these look like refugees?"
Chen Jie nodded. "Yes! It seems so. Immediately send someone to inform General Huangfu, and also lead a group to investigate and find out their origins!"
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