MTLNOVEL Chapter 393: 393. Leave
After all, a four-legged animal pulling a cart is always faster than two-legged humans walking.
As more and more refugees appeared, the face of Lingyun State was revealed before them. Except for the barely maintained city walls, the inside of the city was in a state of disarray, making many hopeful refugees almost despair.
After enduring untold hardships to escape here, some even died of heat on the road. They thought they would find hope in Lingyun State, but to their surprise, the city people were no better off than them.
In such disappointing circumstances, more refugees scattered towards the surrounding counties and towns after passing through the state city. They were already exhausted from fleeing, yet most still hoped to find a place to rest for a few days and recover before making further plans.
The government officials were also powerless — no food, no medicine, and unable to even care for their own city folk, let alone this massive wave of refugees.
All they could do was refrain from stopping these refugees from entering the city, allocate a portion of the military to maintain the city's order, and disperse the disaster victims to various places. As for anything else, it was up to fate.
Fortunately, although the weather was hot, plants were still abundant, and the refugees managed to harvest a season's worth of grain. As long as there was water, they could endure.
Because of this, although the refugees were somewhat desperate, they still held on to hope and continued to move forward.
Initially, they could still travel some distance during the day. But with the sun rising and setting, temperatures increased daily. Travelling during the day became unbearable, turning into a life-threatening challenge. So, many refugees traveled at night, choosing to rest wherever they ended up during the day. Some who couldn't bear the heat sought refuge in the mountains.
But most chose to travel, albeit slowly, at night. Although they moved slower, it was safer.
After all, Lingyun State was far from what they imagined, lacking even a decent city wall, let alone a substantial moat for protection. Could it withstand the Northern Barbarians' army?
The thought of the Northern Barbarians' cruelty, which often involved skinning people alive and eating them raw, became the driving force behind their relentless journey. Not for themselves, but for their children. Having endured this much, they just wanted to see their children grow up safely.
By the time Sun Tan led his ragtag force of less than five thousand to reach Lingyun City in disgrace, the earliest arriving refugees had already gone far, with some even reaching New Moon City.
Upon seeing the citizens coming and going at the gates of New Moon City, the refugees suddenly felt a surge of hope because there was no numbness on the faces of these people, unlike those seen throughout their journey.
They even saw bartering within the city. Although the sudden arrival of the refugees made the residents' faces change and leave in a hurry, it seemed the city's order had begun to recover. Even being stopped by a government official felt comforting to them.
Unlike the neglect in the state city, these people were quickly gathered and settled into an abandoned village.
According to the government officials, they needed to be quarantined here for seven days. If no issues arose after seven days, they could register their household at the government office.
As to what "no issues" meant, they understood, having experienced plagues before.
But this also meant they were willing to accept them here. Once registered by the government, they wouldn't be easily expelled as vagrants, which tempted many.
This place was far enough from Yun City and had a significant distance from Lingyun State. They truly couldn't endure the hardship of traveling further, even if a night journey sunburned them. This was undoubtedly a good thing for them; most importantly, this was the best place they had seen on their journey. Further down, it might not be better than New Moon City.
Some chose to stay, while others chose to leave, mostly those with carts and livestock. Even though they travelled at night, their situation was much better, as having carts and livestock allowed them to carry sufficient water, sparing them from sunburns so painful that they couldn't even move.
These people almost universally set their sights on the Imperial City, believing the situation under the emperor's feet would be much better, at least safer, sparing them incessant worry.
Of course, there were also those undecided. They mostly picked a hidden spot outside the city as a temporary resting place, planning to settle in temporarily before making a decision.
Among them, a group from a village followed the river to the deserted village where Da Liu and others resided.
The sudden influx of so many uprooted refugees frightened Da Liu and several children within the village, who closed the courtyard gates as if facing a great enemy.
In such a remote and abandoned village, their intact house became the focus of everyone's attention.
Dagozi heard the thumping on the gate and held onto his younger siblings tightly. Their faces were pale with fear, knowing they had no means to resist if these people harbored any ill intent.
Luckily, the knocking stopped after an elder's scolding, and Da Liu, Gouzi, and their siblings breathed a slight sigh of relief.
However, they remained on edge, unable to sleep soundly at night. Da Liu, Caogen, and Gouzi, the older ones, even took turns keeping watch, never letting go of their weapons.
Aside from the initial knock, it was calm throughout the day, seemingly kept in check by the elder.
They could clearly hear the noise of this group chopping down trees and building shelters, making Da Liu and Gouzi more uneasy.
It meant these people weren't just settling temporarily. They planned to stay for a while given their large undertaking.
In the whole village, theirs was the only house. It was inconspicuous when no one was around, but with hundreds of newcomers, Da Gouzi couldn't believe no one coveted it, so other than making some noise in the courtyard to warn outsiders, they dared not leave.
Days passed in anxiety, praying these people would leave soon. Unfortunately, it was not to be; from afar, beyond the courtyard walls, they noticed these people's makeshift wooden huts seemed completed, showing no intent of leaving. Most worryingly, last night's watchful Da Liu heard movement outside the courtyard. If he hadn't shouted in a pretend adult voice, someone might have climbed over the wall.
Clearly... some had lost their patience.
Compared to the ramshackle huts, their brick house was obviously cooler and more coveted.
That night, Da Liu dared not rest. At dawn, when the siblings awoke, he recounted the previous night's events.
The older ones had worried expressions, and even the younger ones wore anxious faces.
"Brother Da Liu..." Gouzi clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and said firmly, "Why don't... we leave?"
"Leave?" Da Liu frowned. He had also considered leaving these past days, but where could these children go upon leaving? Even entering the city wouldn't protect their hard-earned grain.
Caogen, Huahua, Wan'er, and the younger siblings looked at him, their faces troubled at the suggestion.
The days of wandering were indeed too bitter. Now that they were finally able to settle down, the children truly didn't want to repeat the previous days of insecurity and daily bullying.