As soon as he finished speaking, the man broke free from the village chief's hand without waiting for the village chief to react, and continued to run back desperately. Soon his figure disappeared from everyone's sight.
Everyone was stunned when they heard this! They stood there motionless as if they were under a spell.
What?
Want to conscript men?
These words exploded in everyone's ears like a bombshell, instantly making everyone's heart sink to the bottom.
"Oh my God, are you going to let us live? The drought isn't over yet and now there's a war!" Someone shouted to the sky with a look of despair on his face, his voice full of accusations against this cruel fate.
"Village chief, what should we do?" Someone came to his senses and looked to the village chief for help, his eyes full of confusion and fear, hoping that the village chief could give him some advice and point out a clear way forward.
"Should we run back?" someone else asked timidly. At this moment, everyone was at a loss as to what to do. They could only look at the village chief, hoping that he could make a decision.
When everyone heard the news that they were going to conscript men, they were immediately in an uproar and started talking about it in a noisy manner.
Everyone was talking at once, some had terrified looks on their faces, some were sighing, and all the noises mixed together, making people's ears buzz.
The village chief stood there, feeling as if his head was about to explode from the noise, his brows tightly furrowed into a knot.
He knew very well that Pingning County was the only way to go south. Now that the city was conscripting young men, it was absolutely impossible to go back. This would be courting death.
After much thought, it seemed that the only option was to go around Pingning County and take the difficult mountain road. Although the mountain road was difficult and dangerous, there was no better way at the moment.
The village chief took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and shouted loudly, "Ahem, everyone knows the situation now. We have no choice but to take the mountain road to bypass Pingning County. Although the mountain road is difficult to walk on, it is better than being conscripted!"
"It's good to walk on the mountain road, as long as we don't get drafted!" Someone responded immediately, with a hint of relief in his voice, as if as long as he could avoid being drafted, the hardship of walking on the mountain road would not matter.
"Yeah, maybe we can find food in the mountains!" Another person echoed, with a glimmer of expectation in his eyes, thinking that there might be some wild fruits, vegetables and the like in the mountains that could provide some food for everyone.
"Listen to the village chief and take the mountain road!" Everyone nodded in agreement. At this moment, no one had any other ideas. They could only hope to follow the village chief and take the mountain road, so that they could safely bypass Pingning County and continue their journey south.
Seeing that no one had any objection, the village chief took the lead and led everyone to walk towards the vast mountains with slightly heavy but firm steps.
The conditions in the mountains are really difficult. The road can hardly be called a road. It is completely an undeveloped wilderness.
There are dense vegetation, horizontal branches, protruding rocks and deep and shallow gullies everywhere. People have to grope their way forward carefully when walking in it, not to mention the heavy ox carts and carts.
Every step forward requires a lot of effort to clear away the weeds and shrubs that block the way, and sometimes we even have to work together to move the huge rocks that block the way.
In such an environment, the wheels of ox carts and carts either got stuck or sank into mud pits or ditches. No matter how hard the oxen and mules pulled, they just kept spinning in place, emitting dull moos and neighs, and could not move at all.
Everyone looked at these vehicles, which they had originally placed high hopes on, hoping to rely on them to carry more precious belongings, and their hearts were filled with helplessness and reluctance.
But the reality is that keeping them will only be a burden and slow down the progress of the entire team.
In the end, everyone gritted their teeth and made up their minds to unload the things on the carts bit by bit. They had no choice but to give up the ox carts and carts that had been with them for a long time.
The villagers carefully placed some of the heavier items on the backs of cows and mules, and tied them up carefully with ropes, for fear that they would fall or be lost along the way.
And the remaining items can only be carried or held by people.
The men gritted their teeth and carried the heavy bags on their shoulders, their bodies slightly bent under the weight; the women were not to be outdone, they held bedding, clothes and other items tightly in their arms, and also carried a few small packages in their hands.
The children who were originally sitting in the car had no choice but to get out and walk. The younger children were so tired that they cried after walking a few steps. They could only be carried on the backs of adults, with their little faces pressed tightly against the adults' backs, their eyes full of fear and fatigue.
In this way, this group of ragged people walked slowly into the mountains, step by step, on this difficult mountain road.
The outskirts of the mountain had long been plundered into a mess by the refugees who had passed by before. The leaves and bark that originally grew on the trees had been ruthlessly removed, leaving only bare tree trunks, trembling in the wind, as if telling of their past experiences.
The entire periphery looks like a scene of withering and decay, which makes people feel more and more heavy and desperate.
However, as everyone slowly walked deeper into the mountains, the situation seemed to have taken a turn for the better.
The green gradually increased, and the tender leaves swayed gently in the breeze, as if waving to people; the emerald green grass seemed to have laid a soft carpet on the earth, and occasionally a few unknown small flowers could be seen, looming in the grass, blooming with their own faint light.
For this group of people who could only see withered and yellow scenery every day, all this was like discovering a new world. Everyone felt refreshed, and there was a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
Walking in this forest, the temperature was obviously several degrees lower than outside. The feeling of heat finally dissipated gradually, and the cool air blew in our faces, allowing everyone to feel a rare sense of comfort during this tiring journey.
However, this seemingly beautiful forest hides countless dangers.
Various poisonous insects and snakes seem to be the guardians of this forest, ready to give intruders a warning at any time.
Even ferocious wild animals such as wolves and tigers may roam in these mountains and forests.
For the villagers of Sujia Village, these wild beasts are unavoidable.
But even so, in order to avoid being drafted and to find a peaceful place to start a new life, the people of Sujia Village held back their energy and bravely moved forward with passion.
Even though there is unknown fear ahead, they do not retreat. Step by step, they continue to walk firmly into the depths of the mountains, as if in the invisible distance, the beautiful life they have always dreamed of is waiting for them.
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