The sun had set, and the moon had risen high. Under the bright moonlight, outside Yuncheng, there was widespread grief and a tragic scene.
A gust of wind blew by, and various smells such as sour, smelly, and moldy mixed together, making people feel sick.
Jiang Yue tightened her mask, stood in the car, and looked towards the city gate.
The tall city gates were tightly shut, and soldiers on the gate towers stood in formation, their expressions tense and serious. I wonder if they'd received word that the neighboring city had been breached by refugees.
The number of people seems to be larger than that of Shuntian Prefecture City, and the soldiers are also more elite and strong.
Countless refugees set up camp outside the city. Those who were able to do so spread out their mats, while those who were not able to do so simply lay down on the ground and slept.
Most of them were families sitting together, either guarding their remaining food or their children. They were emaciated and had miserable faces.
Hearing the sound of the car, many people jumped up in shock and looked at them with unfriendly eyes.
But more people looked at the mule pulling the cart with envy.
The mule seemed to sense danger and began to stamp its hooves back and forth anxiously.
Jiang Nian touched the mule's back soothingly and placed the bloody knife in front of him.
Those malicious gazes disappeared one after another.
The two men found a rock and stopped upwind, away from where the crowd gathered.
Having rested during the day, they were not too sleepy yet, so they sat by the car door and waited for daybreak.
"Squeak--" There was a light sound of stepping on dry leaves, and Jiang Nian looked to the front right.
A tiptoeing man bent down to take a child from the arms of a sleeping woman.
Jiang Nian could see more clearly through the moonlight.
If he was the child's father, he was dressed in rags and had sunken cheeks. The child in the woman's arms was also thin, but he was wearing cotton clothes and only his face was dirty.
Jiang Nian got out of the car, picked up a small stone, and threw it towards the front right, hitting the man's elbow accurately.
He cried out in pain, and as his arms weakened, he let go of the child. He looked back in horror, but could not see who had thrown the stone.
The child fell from mid-air and hit the woman, and both the mother and the child woke up in shock.
Seeing a man in front of her with his hands half open, obviously trying to steal the child, her face changed and she quickly called out, "Husband, someone is trying to steal the child!"
This sharp cry instantly woke up a large group of people. Those who had children hugged them tightly, and those who didn't have children also hid the food.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the man took advantage of the chaos and ran away.
The woman's husband was a strong man with a fierce look on his face. He wanted to run after them, but his father beside him held him back. "Don't chase them now. Stay with the child. It would be bad if they have accomplices."
Hearing this, the two hugged the child tighter in fear.
After a while, the awakened person began to rest with half-closed eyes again. This kind of thing happened three or five times every day and was no longer uncommon.
As the sky brightened and the city gates opened, the refugees were already ready to rush in.
But the soldiers lined up in two rows, put up wooden fences to block the way, and pointed their spears at the refugees.
"Stop! Anyone who comes closer will be killed!"
The refugees were crying and looked terrified.
I also heard the guard say, "No one except citizens of this city is allowed to enter! Anyone who violates this will be killed!"
The refugees collapsed on the ground, wailing. They had traveled thousands of miles from their hometown, thinking they would be saved in their new place, but the result was the same.
Someone stepped forward to curse, but the leading soldier pierced his chest with a spear and said coldly, "If anyone disagrees, come forward and try again!"
The refugees retreated and returned to their original places, talking among themselves.
Some said they would rather return home and die at home. Others thought of heading south, perhaps to find water. Still others decided to stay here until the city's leaders showed some mercy...
Another half hour passed, the sky was bright, and some wealthy-looking people came out of the city.
They were dressed in cotton or silk, and their faces were not as sallow as those of ordinary people, but instead had a shiny look, indicating that they were living a good life.
They went to families with children, carefully selected them, and if they were satisfied, they would ask the children's parents whether they wanted to send the children to follow them to the city to enjoy a good life.
As for whether they work as maids or servants or do some other kind of work, that is not their business.
If they agree, they will be given ten whole-grain cakes immediately and then they can take the child away.
Ten! They can survive on just two bites a day. Ten of them should be enough to last them a month!
Those who have children are eager to make a move, and those who don’t have children are almost drooling, their eyes full of calculation.
"No! Don't take my child away! This is my child--" Some mothers were reluctant to let go and hugged their children crying, but were forcibly pulled away by the father.
"We are already half buried in the ground, why save us?" A sixty-year-old man with white hair and beard patted his son's hand.
He wanted to sacrifice his child to save his elderly parents, but the other party felt it was not worth it.
For a while, there were cries of weeping one after another, but they were stopped by the rich man wearing gold and silver, for fear of angering the officers and soldiers.
Jiang Yue watched coldly. The human trafficking at that time was really rampant.
In fact, it is enough to make bystanders shocked by the ruthlessness and power of natural disasters, as well as the cheapness of life. Just 10 small multi-grain cakes can take a life.
Soon, the wealthy returned with their cakes laden with food, their faces filled with satisfaction. Each of them led two children into the city. The children, weeping, turned back to look at their families, but their families scrambled for the cakes, not even giving them a last glance.
When passing by the guards, those wealthy people stuffed something into their hands, but the guards didn't even bother to stop them.
In fact, it is easy to imagine, it is nothing more than gold, silver or food.
She leaned close to Jiang Nian's ear, her voice muffled through the mask, "Shall we continue heading east now?"
Jiang Nian nodded, "Yeah."
A man in his early twenties overheard their conversation. He leaned over, put his hands in front of his mouth, and whispered, "If you want to go east now, the fastest way is to go through this city. If you take a detour, it will take ten more days."
He looked at the tall mule and said, "Even if you have a mule, you will have to travel another five days."
The man was of medium build, dressed in plain dark clothes, and his appearance was unremarkable and featureless. Jiang Yue suspected that he was doing something shameful, and no one would remember him.
The two looked at each other, then asked him, "Do you have a way to get us into the city?"
The man said proudly, "There is a way."
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