In order not to attract attention, Shen Wen asked Zhang Yunzheng to choose a path far away from big towns, with only hillsides and plains along the way. The season has entered winter, coupled with successive years of drought, the trees withered and the grass withered, the scenery is normal.
After walking for more than half a month, they had already left the bustling market and went deep into the countryside. Judging from the dryness of the fields, they entered the disaster area. In order not to run into groups of refugees and small groups of bandits, they instead went out at night. The people led by Zhang Yunzheng were all sergeants, ordinary robbers were beaten away as soon as they fought, and seeing how poor their outfits were, no one pestered them for trouble, and they were still able to maintain their marching speed.
That evening, they left the depression where they camped and walked on a field road. After walking for a while, they heard someone shouting not far away: "Help! Someone is being beaten!"
The leader Zhang Yunzheng reined in the mule, and the others also stopped. The fourth prince Shi Helin in the car lifted the curtain to look out. In the twilight, I saw more than a dozen people chasing three people running towards this side. The three people had disheveled hair, and when they ran closer, one could see that one was still wearing an official uniform with an official hat in his hand, and the other two were dressed as government servants. . Those who pursued them were armed with sticks and were menacing.
The man in official uniform was in his thirties, thin and short, ran to Zhang Yunzheng's mule panting and waved his hands, "Hurry up, don't mind your own business!" Then he continued to run with two yamen servants.
Seeing this, Ji Wenzhao, who was riding on a mule, said, "You are wearing an official uniform, so you should be the magistrate of this county. Why were you chased and beaten here?"
The man hurriedly said: "Those are wealthy slaves, you don't want to mess with them! Let's go!" Then he fled.
While speaking, the dozen or so stick-wielding people arrived in front of the convoy, and one of them raised his stick at Zhang Yunzheng's mule and shouted, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
Zhang Yunzheng is naturally the kind of barbarian who is quick to hit, he stood up from the stirrups, cursed: "Bold!" He leaned forward and threw his whip at the man. His heavy riding whip made of cowhide and copper wire doubled as a weapon. It hit the man on the shoulder with a click. Duan Zeng, who was riding behind, said, "Oh! The bone is broken!"
The man yelled loudly, the stick fell to the ground, and he also fell to the ground with his hands on his shoulders. Seeing this, the others turned their faces away, stopped chasing the fleeing magistrate, and besieged them together.
Zhang Yunzheng also didn't get off the mule, he held the rein with one hand, led the mule to move in small steps, and swung the whip quickly with the other hand, one whip at a time, making people cover their heads, face, arms and hands, howling, a hundred times more vicious than Shen Xiang before.
Not long after, more than a dozen people supported each other and retreated, and several people shouted loudly: "You wait!" "You kid wants to die!"...
Zhang Yunzheng retorted: "If you dare to come again, you don't want to live!"
Shi Helin got out of the car in a hurry and shouted: "Harmony is the most precious thing! If you pay money, I can show you the wound..."
Those people ran away, and Duan Zeng said from behind: "Actually, you didn't hit all the acupuncture points. If you hit the whip more accurately, you can get twice the result with half the effort."
Zhang Yunzheng said without humility: "Who cares about acupuncture points in a hurry?"
Duan Zeng pointed to a point on the outside of the wrist: "If you hit here, it will be better than..." He pointed to the top of the forearm, "...here is better, almost no force is needed, and the hand can't be lifted..."
Shi Helin said anxiously: "How can you teach him this? You can't make enemies on the road!"
Duan Zeng glared at Shi Helin: "Didn't you hear what those people said? They will come back. We can only fight a few people here? If you don't tell him some tricks, he won't be able to fight. You go up and help fight?!"
The fourth prince got out of the car, stretched his waist, and said: "You have the right to do things, according to my law, if you encounter robbery..."
The county magistrate who had run away ran back panting again, and was standing next to the fourth prince, pointing at Zhang Yunzheng and saying: "You have caused... a big disaster... Hurry up and get out of here!"
Ji Wenzhao looked at him while riding on the mule and shook his head: "You are also the magistrate of a county, how did you get to this point?! You don't even have any official appearance!"
The man let out a long sigh, and gasped, "You are foreigners, what do you know? This is the territory of the Wang family, and it is their fields for thousands of miles. His family is married to the Lu family, and the Lu family's officials are all over the court. Who can resist?"
The fourth prince asked: "Then what are you doing?"
The man said: "I begged them to release grain, but they refused, so I measured the land! The court has an order to levy taxes according to the size of the land. Many big families have concealed the land, and the Wang family is the same. I found out the real amount and let them Taxes are paid by the mu, we cannot let them live comfortably!"
After hearing this, Ji Wenzhao got off his mule and saluted, "I misunderstood the county magistrate. In the next season... Ji Sheng, passing by here, may I ask what county is this?"
The magistrate also hurriedly returned the gift, saying: "This is Tuan County, Yunzhou. My surname is Lu and my name is Chengzi."
Ji Wenzhao was taken aback: "You are from the Lu family?!" The Lu family is the crown prince's support.
Lu Zhixian nodded: "It's a last branch of the Lu family, otherwise they wouldn't let me be the magistrate."
The fourth prince was a little unbelievable: "Then...why do you want to track down the number of Wang's fields?"
Lu Zhixian said sternly: "This young master seems to be a scholar, how can he forget the fundamentals of being a man? Although I come from the Lu family, I am an official of the imperial court. Do things. Besides, the Wang family’s land occupies a large part of this place. If the amount is not found out, a large amount of taxes will not be paid. It is now a famine year. If the distribution of taxes and grains is unfair, it will cause civil uprisings!"
Ji Wenzhao frowned: "Then the members of the Wang family can let you go?"
Lu Zhixian waved his hand and said: "They didn't dare to kill me, they just beat me a few times. It's okay, I've been running faster and faster in recent years, and they usually can't catch up..."
A yamen servant next to him complained: "My lord, I caught up with him ten days ago, and my lord begged for mercy!"
Lu Zhixian blushed a little, and reprimanded: "That was adapting to the situation! Do you understand?! We begged for mercy at the time, but now we have to measure again? Today, we measured nearly a hundred acres again, and I still won!"
The yamen servant squatted on the ground: "My lord, it's useless to measure it. Report the number and it has been changed. You are asking for trouble."
Lu Zhixian scolded: "You ignorant guy! The above-mentioned reform is the fault of the above-mentioned. I did what I should do, and my heart will be safe in the future! I am sorry for the years I have been an official here."
The yamen servant snorted, "You have been here for five years, and you haven't moved your nest yet. With all your troubles, the Wang family has spoken out. The Lu family has said that you should be demoted soon!"
Lu Zhixian waved his hands and said, "If you demote, just demote! Anyway, I've had enough trouble."
The fourth prince felt that something was wrong and asked, "Are you acting against the Lu family by acting like this? Even if you think of the name of the country, you will be considered a traitor to your ancestors. If you are demoted back to your hometown, you will not have a good life!"
Lu Zhi County was silent for a moment, and when he saw the concerned eyes of the fourth prince, he suddenly felt moved, and said, "Young master, to be honest, it's just a big reason for the country. I was bullied in middle school, my parents died early, and my land was taken away. I was adopted by my natal relatives, and I was selected. The Lu family asked me to come here to take care of the Wang family. How can I let them do what they want? If I was demoted , and I won’t go back to my hometown, anyway, I’m alone, and I happen to be going to the south, who wants to stay here!”
The yamen servant said: "Where is the money?! My lord, where does your money come from?"
Lu Zhixian said: "I am a Jinshi, and I can teach! Literacy is good, right? I will find a place with beautiful mountains and rivers, and I will be a teacher. I have to train a lot, and I can marry a young lady! It is far better than you here. It's better to be a government servant during the day and sell baskets at night!"
Ji Wenzhao saluted Lu Zhixian again, "I admire the county magistrate for not being greedy for riches and honor."
Lu Zhixian waved his hand: "Don't be sour, run for your life! Those people are cruel, if you get into trouble, you should leave quickly." Seeing Zhang Yunzheng's disapproving expression, he said again: "Don't be brave. Personally, there is no way to fight them. If they gather hundreds of people and kill you as bandits, the prefect of this state is the guest of the Wang family. How can they pursue the murderer? Your death will be in vain. I will follow you He said, hurry up and go to the northeast along this road, and don’t stop! By noon tomorrow, you should have arrived at the Hezhou area. The officials there have just been promoted, and there is no one to manage them, and it is in chaos. People in the Lu family dare not Crossing the border and committing murder, I will wait here to see if I can stop them for a while, you guys go away!"
Ji Wenzhao saluted the magistrate Lu and said, "Thank you magistrate for your help."
Lu Zhixian hastily saluted, and said to the fourth prince: "This young master looks weak and vulnerable, and he will definitely be stunned with a stick. Go, let's go!" The fourth prince was deeply convinced, and hurried back into the mule cart.
Ji Wenzhao got on the mule, and Zhang Yunzheng yelled: "Let's go!" The group walked on the potholed road, and after a long distance, they could still see the thin figure of Lu Zhixian standing on the road.
After riding for several miles, Zhang Yunzheng looked back and saw several horses following them in the distance. He signaled Ji Wenzhao to continue walking, slowed down the mule, rode to Shen Wen's car, and said, "Someone is following us."
Shen Wen saw everything from the beginning to the end in the car, and said: "We are a mule cart. Although it is not so fast, it lasts longer than walking. The county magistrate is right. As long as we don't stop, the other party will not be able to catch up and surround us. Us. Now that it's getting dark, they won't give chase."
Zhang Yunzheng sulked: "Why don't we fight?! We can win."
Shen Wen said: "This is someone related to the Lu family. It's a small matter. Maybe it can be brought to the capital. We can't fight now, just avoid it."
Zhang Yunzheng rode back to the front unhappily, and walked side by side with Ji Wenzhao. Ji Wenzhao asked with a smile, "She said she can't fight?"
Zhang Yunzheng twitched the corner of his mouth, Duan Zeng rode up, and said positively: "I have figured out a few more parts just now, I can tell you, if there is a fight, can you..."
While speaking, there was a sound of a bowstring behind him, and an arrow feather shot out and inserted into the last cart, which was exactly the mule cart that Shi Helin and the fourth prince were riding on.
Just as Zhang Yunzheng was about to strangle the mule back, Ji Wenzhao grabbed his sleeve and said, "You can't go back! This is to hold us back, leave him alone, this arrow is at the end of its strength, and it won't kill anyone, let's keep going!"
Zhang Yunzheng knew that Ji Wenzhao was right, so he could only shout, "Hurry up!"
Ever since the first arrow hit the car, Shi Helin had been holding his medical kit, sitting in the front of the car with the Fourth Prince, facing the rear of the car.
Outside the window, Ji Wenzhao said loudly, "Hurry up, hurry up! They won't be able to catch up." But even so, there were still the sound of arrows falling on the roof one after another.
Zhang Yunzheng rode out of Shen Wen's car again: "I brought a new crossbow, do I need it?"
Shen Wen replied: "No, just run faster."
Shi Helin heard it and shouted: "Why not? These arrows sound very loud!"
The fourth prince explained: "It must have been prepared for the border, how can you shoot your own people?"
Ji Wenzhao slowed down a bit, and turned around and shouted: "You have such strength, instead of serving the country and fighting Beirong, you actually shoot people here and kill unarmed refugees. What is your conscience?! Are you still a man?!"
After he finished speaking, the arrows behind him stopped, and Shi Helin in the car said with emotion: "No wonder people say that wise men can retreat with their tongues. Listen, after a few words from Mr. Ji, they will stop shooting arrows."
The fourth prince nodded and said: "It's because their conscience is still alive, otherwise it's useless..." Sure enough, "bang bang" was a few more arrows, Shi Helin called: "Hurry up! We are the last one, not a grass boat Borrow an arrow!"
The fourth prince comforted: "This car is very strong, you see those arrows didn't hit the car board, we should be safe."
Shi Helin breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately said worriedly: "The herbs we tied on the roof of the car should be fine, right?"
The fourth prince sighed: "Don't be too greedy."
Shi Helin murmured to him very seriously: "You really don't know how expensive the rice is. Those are not easy to find medicinal materials, otherwise that kid wouldn't know how to pick them. His eyes are very tricky..."
Amidst the "bang bang" sound of the arrow hitting the chariot, the fourth prince actually laughed when he heard Shi Helin's complaint.
They didn't stop until noon the next day, after crossing the state border for more than twenty miles. People were tired and animals were exhausted, so they found a forest and set up a curtain. They brought enough dry food, but the water ran out, so Zhang Yunzheng sent people to buy water from a nearby village, and everyone sat on the shaft of the cart to eat dry food.
The cold wind whizzed in, mixed with dust, and the dry bread was hard to swallow. Because Shen Wen usually meditates and exercises, it doesn't matter if he eats more or less. He just bites the cake with the tip of his teeth, and a bite is only the size of a sesame seed.
The fourth prince didn't want to eat hard pancakes, but he was so hungry that he bit into his mouth and almost scratched his tongue, so he could only frown and grind it with his teeth repeatedly. Su Wanniang thought of the fourth prince growing up in the palace, where did he experience such hardship? He took out a candied fruit from Shen Wen's food box, wrapped it in a handkerchief, and handed it to the fourth prince when he walked away from him. The fourth prince opened the handkerchief, put the candied fruit into his mouth, and sighed deeply.
Zhang Yunzheng came to Shen Wen's side and whispered, "Little wine pig! I have a small jar of wine with me, do you want to drink it?"
Ji Wenzhao heard it, and said loudly: "Hey! How can you be so biased?! Since there is wine, why don't you take it out for everyone to drink?!"
Zhang Yunzheng frowned: "It's not for you!"
Ji Wenzhao laughed loudly: "I'm ashamed to say it!"
Zhang Yunzheng looked at Shen Wen, Shen Wen smiled at him, tried to act coquettishly and said: "Thank you, give it to everyone, I don't dare to drink anymore."
Zhang Yunzheng unhappily took out a small jar from the luggage tied to the mule cart, and Duan Zeng sighed loudly: "Such a small jar? It's not enough for everyone to take a bite of!"
Zhang Yunzheng stared: "You still think it's too little? Then stop drinking!"
Ji Wenzhao hurriedly said: "One mouthful for one person is better than nothing! Hurry up, take out the cups and bowls!"
Su Wanniang went to get the bamboo cup, and Ji Wenzhao said to Zhang Yunzheng distrustfully, "Give me the jar, you're a big spender, I'll pour it!"
Zhang Yunzheng gave the jar to Ji Wenzhao unhappily. Ji Wenzhao carefully poured the wine into cups and bowls. The small jar of wine was soon empty. He asked people to pick it out by themselves. Every man, including Zhang Yunzheng's subordinates, got a glass. Shen Wen and Su Wanniang declined. But took a small bowl.
Ji Wenzhao said: "Go ahead!" Everyone drank the wine in one gulp, followed by smacking lips.
The fourth prince felt that he had never had such a delicious wine in his life. It obviously didn't taste very good, it was too sweet and had a sour taste, but for a thirsty throat and a cold body, it was a veritable nectar.
After Zhang Yunzheng finished drinking, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "It's really worth it! I'm mad at him!"
They waited for an hour, and the person who went to buy water came back with four or five cans of water, and said to Zhang Yunzheng: "There is a deep well in the village over there, and there is still water, and the water is extremely expensive, and a can costs ten taels of silver. There are quite a few corpses on the road, and it is said that they were the people who died in a fight two days ago when a neighboring village came to grab water."
Zhang Yunzheng said, "Then let's grab some water."
Shen Wen shook his head and said, "Let's not cause trouble, we have to leave quickly."
Ji Wenzhao also sighed: "These are beyond our control now."
Zhang Yunzheng fed a pot of water to the mules, Shen Wen insisted that they boil another pot of water, and then distributed half a bowl of water to each person. Everyone rested until sunset, and then set off again.
They walked in the middle of the night, and even in the dark, they could see the exposed corpses on the road. They passed a small village, it was pitch black, not even a dog barking. Zhang Yunzheng asked everyone to take a break, and sent people into the village to see if they could find some water. People who came back said that the village was completely empty, and all the wells found were dry.
Zhang Yunzheng found Shen Wen and said, "We really need to find water, we can't go this way."
Ji Wenzhao also came over: "That's right!"
Zhang Yunzheng glared at him, feeling that he would interrupt everything.
Shen Wen frowned, trying to recall the terrain in this area. This is not the route she set at the beginning. She has read the records of this disaster, but she has not experienced it herself, so she cannot understand the real horror. At this time, she realized the danger, but she could no longer turn back the same way, so she had to try her best to find a relatively safe way.
Shen Wen said: "Continue walking towards the north, about a day's journey, there should be Xiangcheng. According to the records in the book, there is a spring in Xiangcheng, which is built under the seated Bodhisattva statue. No matter what kind of drought, it will last for thousands of years. In addition, Then, two hundred miles to the east, there is a lake with water from the Yellow River, so there should still be water."
Ji Wenzhao immediately said: "Then let's go to Xiangcheng first!"
Zhang Yunzheng glared at him again: "Do you need to say that?!"
Ji Wenzhao was not shocked, and said more authoritatively: "If we go, we will have to travel during the day, so we can't enter the city at night, right?"
Zhang Yunzheng thought for a while and said, "It's too dangerous to walk during the day, and now there are refugees on the road, if they come to snatch us, we won't be able to escape."
Ji Wenzhao said as if making a decision: "Our water won't last long, so we have to go there quickly."
Zhang Yunzheng agreed this time, and they continued walking at night. At dawn, they saw a large village in the distance, guarded by roadblocks and villagers outside the village, and Ji Wenzhao immediately said, "Avoid! Avoid! Don't go up there!"
Zhang Yunzheng asked: "There are people guarding over there, there must be water, maybe our people can spend a lot of money to buy water."
Ji Wenzhao shook his head resolutely: "No way! Look at the roadblocks outside the village, they must have been hit. They are armed, so they might..." Before he could finish speaking, there was shouting in the distance, and Zhang Yunzheng hurriedly led the The convoy hid beside a withered forest. In the distance, dust was flying in the fields. Many people ran towards the village and fought with the people in the village...
Ji Wenzhao said: "They are going to grab water, let's continue walking." He signaled Zhang Yunzheng to go in another direction.
Zhang Yunzheng turned his head to look, and said, "Don't you need to help them?"
Ji Wenzhao shook his head: "We can't help, we might get stuck in it."
The fourth prince looked into the distance from the car window, while Shi Helin said, "It has been drought for more than three years, let alone crops, people have no water to eat, and if they don't grab water, they can't survive."
Their team of mules gradually moved away from the battle, but after walking for a long time, they also became thirsty and drank all the precious water they had brought.
Ji Wenzhao and the fourth prince walked towards Zhang Yunzheng, Zhang Yunzheng said: "We are out of water, if we don't make it right, we have to grab water too."
The fourth prince said hoarsely, "It's better, don't grab it."
Zhang Yunzheng said, "Even if we can bear it, neither can the animals. We need water."
Ji Wenzhao looked far and wide, pointed in one direction and said, "There is a city over there, maybe it is Xiangcheng that Second Miss Shen mentioned, let's go there!"
Everyone had no choice but to nod. Because there was no water, they were depressed and silently drove the animals to go there.
A cloud of dust was splashed under the hooves of the animals, and the land next to it was so dry that cracks the size of a palm were cracked. The trees have long since died, and even the bark has been stripped.
Everyone's lips were dry and the animals stopped neighing. They avoided the refugees, walked through the fields and mounds, and finally approached the city.
Contrary to their original idea, there were not many refugees outside the city, and the city gate was empty.
Zhang Yunzheng led a group of people to the city gate. They wanted to fill the water, so they brought a vehicle. There were no refugees around, although it was a bit weird, it also made Zhang Yunzheng relax his vigilance.
When they arrived at the city gate, several big men stood guard on both sides of the road with big knives, signaling Zhang Yunzheng and others to stop.
Shen Wen kept looking out of the car window, seeing no one on the road, he became suspicious, when the car slowed down, Shen Wen jumped down and walked to the front of the team on foot.
They saw people guarding the village the day before yesterday. If there is water in this city, it is reasonable for the gatekeepers to hold swords for protection.
Ji Wenzhao cupped his hands and saluted: "Everyone is polite, may I ask if this is Xiangcheng?"
One of the big men nodded and said, "Exactly."
Zhang Yunzheng asked, "Can we enter the city?"
Several big men looked at each other and smiled, one of them said: "Come in..."
Ji Wenzhao was a little vigilant, and said: "Be careful..." But Zhang Yunzheng was naturally bold, so he let go of the rein, and drove the mule to lead the way to the city gate. He was walking in front of several big men, when a man shouted: "Come on!" Suddenly, the big men raised their swords one after another, and slashed at Zhang Yunzheng from both sides. Following the shout, more than a dozen strong men ran out of the city gate.
Zhang Yunzheng was holding the whip in his hand, paying attention to these people, just as they raised their knives, Zhang Yunzheng raised his whip at the same time and shouted: "How dare you!" Zhang Yunzheng turned around on the saddle and drew back. Although he knocked one person away, the other two blades had already slashed at him...
Shen Wen was walking to the front of the team, she reacted quickly, and she could tell when the opponent raised his knife. Suddenly, time seemed to slow down, and Shen Wen felt great fear—if Zhang Yunzheng died... Her consciousness burst out suddenly, and the people around felt a tremor in the air, and the three big men beside Zhang Yunzheng's horse felt palpitations. I took a few steps back, feeling a little bewildered. Shen Wen hastily mobilized his consciousness, and was in a turmoil for a moment, unable to get up, and fell to his knees on the ground.
Taking advantage of the other party's retreat, Zhang Yunzheng pulled out his long sword from the saddle, jumped off the mule, and fought several people with his sword. The people led by Zhang Yunzheng also rushed up, showed their knives and guns, and fought with the men who ran out of the city.
Yan Shi and Su Wanniang saw each other from the car, got out of the car hurriedly, stepped forward in the chaos, and helped Shen Wen who was limp on the ground. Duan Zeng ran over, gave his pulse, and said, "Go back to the car! Let her rest!"
Several people rushed Shen Wen back to the carriage, Zhang Yunzheng and others gained the upper hand in the fight, Ji Wenzhao said: "Go to the city! Go to the city!"
Zhang Yunzheng yelled, and led his people to force the opponent into the city. Duan Zengshi and the fourth prince Lin got out of the car, helped lead the animals, drove the carriage, and followed Zhang Yunzheng into the city gate.
As soon as he entered the city, Zhang Yunzheng regretted it. Hundreds of people came in front of him. Zhang Yunzheng turned around and shouted: "Take the crossbow arrows and get out..."
Ji Wenzhao shouted: "Can't retreat! We need water!"
Zhang Yunzheng was anxious: "Did you see who they came?! We can't beat them! Let the carriage withdraw first!"
In the confusion of breath, Shen Wen took Su Wanniang's hand and said intermittently: "Light... light the fire..."
Su Wanniang's sharp voice sounded: "The master said, light the fire!"
Zhang Yunzheng understood immediately, and shouted loudly: "Light the torches!"
Ji Wenzhao also knew what Shen Wen meant, and secretly thought that Shen Wen was really vicious, but he had to do this at this time, so he shouted with all his strength: "Listen! As long as you dare to come up, we will burn this city!" He said to Duan Zengshi and the fourth prince Lin said: "Light the torch!"
Duan Zeng frantically found the torch and lit it. Shi Helin pulled the reins of several horses. Yulan, who was fighting in front, turned her head and said to the fourth prince, "There are crossbow arrows under the carriage."
The fourth prince hurriedly got into the car, and saw that there was no gap at all on the car board. He groped around the edge of the car with his hands, and finally found a hole. The wooden peg opened a large part of the car. A mezzanine was exposed underneath, and inside was something wrapped in oiled paper. The fourth prince picked up a package and tore open the oiled paper, and was surprised to find that it was a brand new crossbow. Look at the interlayer again, there is a long bag, he tore it open, it is a cluster of arrows. He took out an arrow, and took the crossbow and arrow out of the carriage. Seeing this, Shi Helin said tremblingly, "You can't shoot, they are all in one place, and you will hurt your own people by mistake."
The fourth prince saw that the arrow of the crossbow was a little bit cold, and knew that it was sharp and a sharp weapon for killing people. They have arrived in other people's cities, should these people deserve to die? ... For a moment, he was a little at a loss, and stood awkwardly holding the crossbow.
The people rushing towards them hesitated when they heard Ji Wenzhao's shout. Perennial drought, the house has long been dry, if there is sparks, it is bound to be a conflagration across the city. Those people all lived in this city, and many of them had families. If the city burned down, their families would be gone, just like refugees.
Seeing their hesitation, Ji Wenzhao shouted again: "We just want some water, if we want to be strong, we will not be soft!"
Everyone was still blocking the way, Ji Wenzhao turned his head and saw the fourth prince holding a crossbow arrow, and shouted: "Tie on the rocket and shoot an arrow first!"
The people in front began to separate: "Stop! Stop! My house is on the side of the road!" "Even if they burn down the city, they won't be able to escape by themselves!" "Don't! My father is sick in the house!"…
Zhang Yunzheng turned around and rode on a mule, and shouted, "Get out of the way! Even if we burn the city, we can escape!"
He took the lead and walked into the crowd, and the people gradually backed away because they didn't dare to act rashly because someone was lighting a torch behind them.
Shen Wen closed his eyes, tried his best to breathe evenly, wanted to slow down quickly, and whispered: "In the northeast of the city, Guanyin Temple."
Su Wanniang shouted again: "Go to the Guanyin Temple in the northeast of the city."
The people outside heard it, and shouted again: "They are going to fetch spring water, no!" "Don't let them pass!" They stopped them again.
Ji Wenzhao said: "That is the spring water of the Buddhist family. It was originally intended to benefit all living beings. How can you take it away?"
The other party shouted: "Here we are, what should we do if we run out of water? You robbers!"
Ji Wenzhao said: "That spring water is famous and has lasted for thousands of years! Even if you give us some, it will not dry up. Besides, we can exchange it with grain!"
A person on the opposite side smiled: "Who are you lying to?! If you have food, you are in the car right now, why did we give you water? Wouldn't it be better to steal your food?!"
Zhang Yunzheng sneered and said, "That depends on whether you can grab it or not!"
Ji Wenzhao said: "We are out of water! We have no way to survive, and we will die together with you!"
Yan babbled in the car in a low voice: "I can't die, I have to go to the border, I can't die..."
Shen Wen's head was like cold water pouring down, and finally calmed down. She still has too many things to do, she can't die now.
The man shouted: "How many of them are there?! There are still animals! The torches are not far away, let's go together!" People were about to rush over, and Zhang Yunzheng and others were about to start fighting again.
The fourth prince unwound the crossbow in his hand and shot it into the air. The crossbow hissed away and landed far away among the houses far away. People stopped again.
Ji Wenzhao sternly said, "Did you see that?! If the arrow had been brought with fire, your city would already be on fire! This is a warning! If anyone comes over again, we will start burning the city!"
Just as the man was about to say something more, he suddenly coughed. Zhang Yunzheng took the opportunity to kick the mule, knocked aside the surrounding crowd, and pushed forward.
In this way, under Ji Wenzhao's loud threats, Zhang Yunzheng led the people to the northeast.
They walked through a section of street where the air stank and smelled of blood, and the road was lined with bones.
Ji Wenzhao looked at it for a long time, and suddenly lost his voice: "That is a human hand, people cannibalize people, you people cannibalize people!"
People didn't answer in silence, they just surrounded them.
Hearing what Ji Wenzhao said, Zhang Yunzheng didn't dare to be careless anymore, and now he understands why there are no people outside the city: this is a city that eats people.
Not only Zhang Yunzheng, but everyone else heard it. Everyone was very energetic, knowing that if they were not careful, they would become food.
They finally found Guanyin Temple.
There were people all around the temple, Ji Wenzhao threatened and lured again hoarsely, Zhang Yunzheng asked four or five people to light torches with Duan Zeng, used the torch to fend off the people, led the convoy into the temple, and found the spring pool.
The spring really gushes from under a statue of Guanyin, but there is no monk among the people around. Ji Wenzhao shouted: "Abbot! Abbot! We need to change some water..."
Someone said: "What are you shouting for?! He's already dead!"
Ji Wenzhao wanted to say something else, but Zhang Yunzheng said, "Don't worry about that! Fill the water!" Everyone without torches went to fetch water, and Su Wanniang and Yan also got out of the car to help.
When all the water bags were filled, the pond was still not dry.
A group of people exited the Guanyin Temple, Ji Wenzhao said: "Everyone get in the car and get on the horse!"
Duan Zeng got on a mule, and the fourth prince Shi Helin immediately returned to the car. Shi Helin whispered to the fourth prince, "I don't know if we can run out..."
Someone shouted outside: "You are robbers! Who are you to steal our water?"
Zhang Yunzheng retorted: "You are the robbers! Obviously there is water, why don't you share it with everyone? Why do you want to kill people?"
Another person shouted: "It's not enough if you divide it! What do you eat if you don't kill people?! You don't want us to eat people, why don't you share your livestock with us all?!"
Zhang Yunzheng was speechless, looking at Ji Wenzhao, Ji Wenzhao kept his mouth shut.
A group of people rode to the city gate, this time Zhang Yunzheng rode last, Ji Wenzhao and Duan Zeng took the lead. They went out of the city and put out the torches, followed by a group of people running up to them: "They can't burn the city! Take them down!" "They have food!" "Those animals!"...
Ji Wenzhao yelled: "Run!" But their mule carts were already loaded with goods, and they were filled with water bags just now, so how could they run fast
Zhang Yunzheng waved his long sword from behind to force the approaching people away, shouting: "Take out the food!"
A person knocked on the car in which the fourth prince and Shi Helin were sitting with a whip. Shi Helin pulled out a grain bag from under the car seat in a panic, and said to the fourth prince, "You have it over there too." Shi Helin opened the curtain of the car and handed the food bag to the people riding on the animals outside.
Those who were chasing them shouted: "Hurry up and grab the food! Don't let them escape!"
Ji Wenzhao yelled, "Cut open the grain bags and sprinkle them on the road!"
Hearing the sound, the person holding the bag sliced open the grain bag, and the rice and water flowed onto the road. Some of the people chasing up stooped to pick up the grain, shouting: "Don't step on it! Don't step on it!" The crowd was in chaos .
They stepped up their whips and rushed, and the mule cart rushed out from the crowd's pursuit, mixed with dust. Zhang Yunzheng had another two bags of grain sprinkled before he threw away the chasing crowd. Looking back, they saw that the place where the grain had been sown just now was already a battlefield. People were tearing and kicking each other, mixed with faint howling and crying.
Ji Wenzhao, who was in the lead, slowed down until he could no longer see those people, letting the animals breathe.
Zhang Yunzheng said to Ji Wenzhao angrily: "If you say you don't want to grab the water, don't you still have to grab the water? It's more dangerous than anything else in the end! It's better to start at the beginning!"
Ji Wenzhao sighed: "Do you know what is forced? You can't take this step until the end, otherwise you will lose your morality..."
Shen Wen lay down slumped, she was really scared now: she obviously underestimated the danger of the road, and almost broke here today. If she dies, what will happen to Border Gate? How to defend Beirong in the future? Even if she is not dead, Zhang Yunzheng, Yan Shi, Su Wanniang, the Fourth Prince, Duan Zeng, Shi Helin, those people brought by Zhang Yunzheng, who died is not her responsibility? When she thought of this possibility, she burst into a cold sweat...
Ji Wenzhao didn't dare to stay for too long, fearing that those people would come after him, so he walked straight into the dark. The mule was walking more and more slowly, Zhang Yunzheng found a sag on the slope for people to stop, and Ji Wenzhao next to him got off the mule stiffly, moved a few steps and sat on the ground.
Except for the sound of the wind, there was silence in all directions, all the trees had withered and withered, the animals had been eaten long ago, and there seemed to be no other creatures in the world except them and their group.
Because Zhang Yunzheng saw Shen Wen kneeling on the ground, he got off his mule and went to see Shen Wen. He was surprised to find Shen Wen lying in the carriage, watching under the torch, his face was gray and gloomy. Zhang Yunzheng chuckled and asked, "Aren't you scared out of your wits?"