In front of a dilapidated village.
The ground that had just rained seemed a bit muddy, and the earthy smell mixed with the stench from the road gave off a strange smell that was unbearable. The ground was not clean at all. If you stepped on it, you would be wet. It was stained with a large area of muddy water or something dirty.
"Move quickly! The rain has finally stopped. If we don't evacuate, whether it's the Four Nations Allied Forces or people from the imperial court, it won't make things easier for us!"
A middle-aged man with an unshaven beard strode along the muddy road, shouting loudly from time to time.
As his voice spread, the already busy crowd moved faster and faster, and occasionally there were sounds of children crying.
"Aunt Liu, you don't need to bring so many things! Put down the table, this is an escape! How can anyone escape with a table? You don't want to live anymore, don't you?!"
The middle-aged man walked up to a house that was packing large and small bags and even brought a table, and said helplessly.
"This table is made of fine mahogany. It was my dowry and is worth a lot of money." Aunt Liu gritted her teeth, full of reluctance.
"Yes, yes. But no matter how valuable it is, it's not as valuable as life and gold, right? If you can't take this thing away, it's different from before. We lost. This is an escape. It's an escape! Whoever runs slowly will be in trouble. ! Even if this thing is made of gold, it won’t work!”
The middle-aged man said helplessly.
"Okay, why did you fail?"
Aunt Liu said with a tearful voice, "It's only been a few years since Ansheng was born, and we have to leave again! If we leave, we won't be able to grow crops in the fields, and we'll have to lose another year when we get to a new place. We won't even have food by then." Gotta eat.”
"Take a step and talk about it."
The middle-aged man's eyes darkened and he walked towards the next place without saying anything.
Only Aunt Liu was left behind, and she continued unwillingly: "We have paid all the taxes. Why can't we live like this!"
This is a village occupied by the White Lotus Sect.
To be precise, they should be some farmers who have defected to the White Lotus Sect.
The word "rebellion" is not just a matter of words. It is a cause of occupying territory, expanding influence, recruiting people, and facing the encirclement and suppression of the imperial court.
In order to maintain the fighting power of the White Lotus sect, of course, taxes must be collected, and the taxes are no lower than those of the imperial court - or even more!
But the advantage is that there are no other exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and you can collect whatever you say.
In addition, most of the people who came here relied on fellow villagers to recruit fellow villagers, so although life was difficult, they could at least survive.
The premise is not to lose the battle.
However, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Before the leader of the White Lotus Sect left, the White Lotus Sect could still have a chance to compete with the people of the imperial court, and it could still sustain itself even if it was at a slight disadvantage.
Unfortunately, after the leader of the White Lotus sect disappeared with a group of key members of the sect, the situation of the White Lotus sect plummeted, almost as if the ice melted and the snow melted.
By now, they have actually started to go their separate ways.
"Move quickly! Bring more food and less heavy things! If you fall behind on the road, no one will rescue you! What about you, what do you want to do with two responsibilities?"
The middle-aged man came to another house, looked at the fourteen-year-old boy in front of him, and cursed.
"Uncle Zhong, you always have to use the pot, right?"
The young man was carrying a pot on his back, holding a pot in his arms, and there was a lot of dust on his clothes, "This is a good iron pot! Our family brought it, so many people can save it, and the food must be cooked before eating. Right? How can we keep chewing it raw?"
Zhong Yan was silent for a moment, "How far can you go with these two guys?"
"As far as you can go!"
The young man patted the big iron pot in his hand and said, "This thing is a good thing. Even if a knife comes at you, it can still block it. It's not much worse than those armors."
"As long as you like."
Zhong Yan stopped trying to persuade him.
Just as he was about to go to the next place to urge, he suddenly heard the young man ask: "Uncle Zhong, why did the White Lotus Sect lose?"
Zhong Yan looked back.
The young man's face looked a little frustrated and confused, "Don't they all say that Otsuki has come to an end?"
This question is difficult to answer.
Zhong Yan thought for a while and said: "We just lost, not died. Living is better than anything else. If we continue to live hard, maybe Da Yue will die tomorrow?"
Not much time for small talk.
As the saying goes, blessings never come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone.
He has received news that the war between Huang Tianjun, Mo Zhe and the four-nation coalition forces in Yangzhou is also extremely unfavorable. People have already been arranged to cross the Yuan River and migrate to Yuzhou.
Calculating the time it took for him to receive the news, I am afraid that the entire Yangzhou has been completely lost!
When the house leaks, it rains continuously all night, and when the boat leaks, it encounters a strong wind.
At this time, the White Lotus Sect was defeated again, casting a deep shadow on the already chaotic situation.
Fleeing peasants were everywhere. Looking around, the Four Nations Allied Forces, Dayue Temple, and even Huang Tianjun were all enemies.
No one knows where the way out is.
After running through the entire village, Zhong Yan stood at the entrance of the village, watching each family of neighbors dragging their families with them out of their new homes that they had not lived in for a few years. He wished he could look back three times.
Walking at the end was an old man with gray hair. He didn't bring anything with him. He was just leaning on a datewood crutch. His dim and old eyes were silently watching a group of people who had grown up walking away and leaving their hometown. , the dark and skinny face was as silent and quiet as dry tree bark.
Zhong Yan ran over quickly and said loudly: "Uncle San, where are your things?!"
The old man's eyes turned to him, and he paused for a moment before reacting, "Young man Zhong."
"Uncle San, hurry up and pack up! You won't be able to catch up later." Zhong Yan said anxiously.
"I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving."
The old man shook his head and said, "At my age, I have lived enough, and I can't afford to struggle anymore. The road is not easy, so you should be careful on the way. I will stay here and won't go anywhere."
"What do you mean?"
Zhong Yan frowned, "I'm not dead yet, I'll take you with me!"
When San Bo's children joined the White Lotus Sect with him and fought against the imperial men, he was lucky enough to save his life.
But several of Sanbo's children died on the battlefield.
Where can there be no death in a war? There is no way around it.
The remaining women and children might still be worthy of someone's attention, but the remaining old and weak can only resign themselves to their fate. At this time of year, compassion cannot be eaten as food, and occasional relief is okay. If you really want to take it with you, it will only add to the burden. Countless troubles.
"Go? Where to go?"
Sanbo shook his head slowly, stretched out a finger that had been chopped off for some reason, and pointed at his head, "I am old, my ears are going deaf, and my eyes are going blind, but my brain is not broken yet. Back then, we were also people who had studied for a few years. People, sometimes you have to accept your fate."
He looked at the neighbors in front of him who were dragging their families to the next safe place, "When will this day end? How does that word mean lingering, yes, lingering."
The jujube crutch hit the ground hard several times, splashing mud and dirt. The old man repeated: "A bereaved dog, just hanging on for a breath!"
"If you move a tree to death, you will move a person to life. It's better to be alive than to be dead. Third uncle, please stop being stubborn and clean up quickly. I'll take you with me."
Zhong Yan looked at the sky and said anxiously: "The rain has just stopped not long ago. There is a lot of rain at this time. If we don't take advantage of the clear weather and hurry up, when it starts raining, we will not be able to stop for a day." Let’s go, that’ll be troublesome!”
"Winter is coming soon. If we leave at this time, how many more days can we live?"
The old man still shook his head, "You go. I'm old and can't walk anymore. Whoever wants my old life, let him take it."
"Don't say that. Mo Qiu, does Mozi know? He is a born saint. He brought Mozi to Yuzhou. Everyone says he is a born saint. We can't see a way out. Maybe others can find a way?
Emperor Zongming was killed by him back then. If you don't believe me, how can you not believe in a saint? Come on, San Bo, we are really wasting time! "
Zhong Yan was still trying to comfort him and even moved Mo Qiu out directly.
Yuzhou and Yangzhou are next to each other, and Mo Qiu's reputation has naturally spread. In addition, Wang Mang spared no effort to praise him when he was in the White Lotus Sect, which gave many people a general understanding of what Mo Qiu did. Even if they knew I'm not too clear about it, but I also understand that he is an out-and-out good person.
"Don't try to lie to me. I've eaten more salt than those brats have eaten. What have I never seen before? A born saint? Can a saint conjure up an army of millions? I'm just lying to myself. Just yourself!"
The old man's hair is all gray, but his voice is still very powerful, "Those people, they just want someone to suddenly come out to save themselves, so that they can feel better. I have lived to this age, and I have understood it and want to rely on it." If you follow others, you won’t get far.”
"Third uncle."
Zhong Yan's brows furrowed tightly.
"You should leave too. You are still young and still have a future. I, an old guy, only have a handful of rotten bones left. What else can I hide from?"
The third uncle stopped arguing with him. The jujube stick in his hand hit the muddy ground, and his stooped and old figure walked towards the village.
He was clearly going home, but he was running in the opposite direction from the people in the village, drifting further and further away.
The corners of Zhong Yan's eyes were a little moist. He wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't. After a moment of silence, he left the village and walked forward.
Before they left the village too far, a commotion suddenly broke out in front of the crowd.
Zhong Yan's eyes darkened. He had just left the village. He shouldn't have bumped into people on any road. He put his palm on the sword in his arms. He walked forward and asked, "What's going on? "
But I saw a man riding a tall horse, shouting loudly: "Don't run away! No need to run away! Hall Master Wang has an order, everyone should go back to their homes, the savior is here!"
Hearing his voice, Zhong Yan froze on the spot. After a while, he seemed to wake up from a big dream, and rushed over like the crazy villagers, "I am from Hongyang Hall! What exactly is going on? ? When did Hall Master Wang give the order? Didn’t the last order also ask us to evacuate? Who is the savior?!"
He asked questions one after another, with thousands of doubts hidden in his heart.
"Hall Master Wang has returned and settled in Qiuye Village! I don't know who the savior is. Those who were from Hongyang Hall can hurry over. Hall Master Wang has a new order! Don't crowd around me, disperse quickly. I have to continue to notify the next village!"
The people on horseback kept shouting loudly, and their voices were already hoarse.
"Drink some water first, then say a few words."
Zhong Yan handed over a water bag, "When did Hall Master Wang's order come out?"
"Three days ago, Hall Master Wang said that there was a way to solve the problem between the imperial court and the Four Nations Allied Forces. I don't know the specifics. He was just sent here to inform everyone that they don't need to run around anymore and stay safe!"
The man said: "If you want to know more, go to Qiuye Village and ask. Hall Master Wang and the others are staying there, and the Saint is also there! I have to continue to inform you!"
After saying that, he immediately took advantage of the gap in the crowd and galloped towards the next place with his horse and whip raised.
Zhong Yan thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone in the village should go back first. I'll go to Qiuye Village first to see how the situation is!"
Now that autumn is about to pass and winter is coming again, who would be willing to flee at this time without leaving their hometown?
Similar scenes keep happening everywhere.
The people who originally belonged to Hongyang Hall also began to gather towards Qiuye Village, wanting to know what kind of savior could make Hall Master Wang issue such an order and change his previous decision.
Not far from Akino Village, on the banks of the Source River.
Gu Dan stood in front of the river, quietly watching the people in the distance who were gathering towards Qiuye Village from time to time.
Beside him is Xun Ke.
"If this continues, it won't be long before Master Mo will receive news from us, right? After so long, I can finally see Master Mo again!"
Xun Ke's voice was a little excited.
Mo Qiu brought him to the imperial capital from Yuzhou, and he has been staying in the Gu family courtyard ever since.
Although he is nominally Mo Qiu's disciple, he has actually been practicing with Gu Dan.
It has been more than six years since Mo Qiu killed the emperor and left the imperial capital. He has not seen each other for more than six years.
He had many ideas in his heart that he wanted to discuss and communicate with Master Mo.
"Will do."
Gu Dan nodded.
First, calm down the people in Yuzhou, and then clean up the moths inside. The news will spread enough, and Mo Qiu will definitely be able to receive the news by then.
Brothers working together can cut through metal.
He is responsible for ending the troubled times. Construction should be left to the people of this era.
Immortalism does not allow for the existence of variables. After all, there is not much he can do, otherwise good things will turn into bad things.
"Huh? What are those people doing?"
As he spoke, Xun Ke's eyes narrowed slightly.
I saw two groups of men carrying long knives and rushing straight into Qiuye Village with murderous intent.
In the distance, a powerful roar could be heard.
"Wang Mang! Do you want to rebel against the White Lotus Sect?!"
(End of chapter)
