Volume 1, Chapter 5, Breaking the City and Fleeing
The atmosphere in the Xu family's yard was very gloomy, and at this moment three bullock carts were driving in quickly from the village entrance.
The other two oxcarts were found by Zhao Jin, Xu Wen's classmate in the county town. His family had some assets and had a farm in the suburbs.
Zhuangzi had been farming for a long time so he had two cows. Therefore, Xu and Wen found Zhao Jin as soon as they entered the city, and Zhao Jin's family was also preparing to go south.
His family had a carriage, so he gave the ox-cart to the Xu family. Xu Wenhao persuaded him to accept the thirty taels of silver.
In addition to Xu Wen and Lin Hu, the drivers were Chen Sihuai, who had just moved to the village for more than two years.
When Chen Sihuai came to Nanyun Village, he brought his five-year-old grandson Chen Siyuan with him. It has been almost three years now.
The expressions on the faces of the three of them were not good. When they arrived in front of Xu's house, Xu Wen thanked Chen Sihuai.
"Thanks to Uncle Chen for helping us drive back today. Next time...when I have free time, come and have a drink with my father at home."
Xu Wen paused when he talked about next time. Next time, they don't know where they will settle down. Chen Sihuai waved his hand.
"It's not a big deal. There is always a chance to drink. What we need to do now is to tell the village about the situation in the county as soon as possible."
After Chen Sihuai finished speaking, he said goodbye to the two of them and left. Xu Wen let Lin Hu enter the yard and informed his family about the situation in the city, while he hurried to the village chief's house.
When Xu Danian heard the news that the barbarians had broken through Hanshan Pass last night and that the border guard general Zhu Kui had led his army to retreat to Yuzhong County behind him, he couldn't stand anymore. He could only urge his family to pack their things and run to inform the villagers himself.
As the county seat closest to Hanshan Pass, Yuzhong County's city wall was built to be as indestructible as Hanshan Pass, but it could not withstand the menacing barbarian army.
After Yuzhong County is Nanyun County, which means that the enemy is almost there now. Xu Danian went from door to door to inform Shen Shizhong (around four o'clock in the afternoon) to assemble under the big banyan tree and set off.
The barbarians are about to attack. They are so hungry that they can eat people.
In the hundreds of years of battles in the past, there was no time when the barbarians broke into the city and properly resettled the people of other countries.
Most of them were killed by men, and the women and children were kidnapped. They never ended well.
After a while, most of the families in the village were ready and stood under the big banyan tree waiting to set off. Everyone's faces were filled with sadness and fear.
Sad to leave the place where I grew up, afraid of the difficulties ahead, afraid of dying in a foreign country.
Even the children who usually love to laugh and make noise felt this different atmosphere, and they all stayed close to their parents quietly.
"Hey, let's go, let's not look at it. As long as our family is neat and tidy, no matter where we go, we will still have a home in the house."
Before leaving, the Zhang family and others stood at the gate, their eyes red with reluctance. Xu Yunjin also stood beside Xu Yunmeng silently and held her sister's hand.
The people next to him felt uncomfortable looking at it. In the end, Mr. Xu sighed and stepped forward to persuade the old lady to leave, and the front door of the Xu family was locked.
After the group packed up, they drove the ox cart and pushed the wooden cart towards the entrance of the village. By then, almost everyone in the village was there.
By the end of Shenshi, all the people in Nanyun Village gathered under the big banyan tree. Just before leaving, many old people and women cried.
Xu Yunjin also feels uncomfortable, but she can't change this situation now.
Then Xu Danian spoke and set off, and everyone in Nanyun Village started their journey southward with the scorching sun above their heads.
The night before, several old people in the village had discussed the route to the south, and the official road was definitely not allowed.
If Yuzhong County and Nanyun County cannot defend themselves, the barbarians will definitely search for the people along the official roads, so now they can only take the mountain roads.
As long as they pass through the Nanyun Mountains, they can get out of Nanyun County and reach Anyi County behind.
Go south from the Anyi County trail, and then pass through Dafang, Changzhong, Xinyi, and Fengqing counties, and then you can reach the boundary of Annan Fucheng.
This route was proposed by Chen Sihuai. According to him, he used to be a bodyguard. He often traveled north and south. He had traveled to many places and was familiar with the roads.
The river next to Nanyun Village is also called Wuhe, because it is the smallest river among the five tributaries of Nanyun Mountains, and many people live on both sides of Wuhe.
The people of Nanyun Village walked along the river, and they tried their best to notify the villages they could reach. The rest was left to them to make their own decisions.
The first half of the road up the mountain along the river has been trampled by people who go up the mountain all year round to hunt and collect firewood. The road is not that difficult to walk. The young and middle-aged people in the village surround the old, weak, women, children and people pushing carts.
The farmers who worked all year round walked quickly, but the people with their families still walked for more than an hour before reaching an area they usually didn't set foot on.
It doesn't get dark until eight o'clock in mid-July. It seems that it will be completely dark in an hour, but you can't spend the night in the mountains. Usually few people set foot on the second half of the journey, and the closer you get to the mountains, the more dangerous it becomes.
"Everyone, hurry up. Don't drag them. Children who can't walk are put in backpacks or put on their own strollers. The road ahead is not easy to walk. While it's still bright, we have to get over the top of the mountain as soon as possible.
Rest in a safe place on the other side of the mountain."
Xu Danian and Mr. Xu, who were walking in front, saw that it was getting late, and after some discussion, they called several companies with remaining labor force in the village and asked them to go ahead and clear the way.
Chen Sihuai also left Chen Siyuan in the Xu family's team and moved forward to clear the way. After all, among these people, he was the only one with some boxing skills.
He had only one grandson and not much belongings. After handing the grain cart to the villagers, he led the young adults in the village to clear the way.
Xu Yunjin did not walk in the Xu family's team, but walked with Mr. Luo's granddaughter Luo Silan.
There are only three sons in the Luo family, Mr. Luo and his grandson. 7-year-old Luo Tiandong and Luo Silan are twins.
My mother passed away not long after she was injured while giving birth to two children.
Their father also died of an injury while going up the mountain to collect medicine when the siblings were two or three years old. From then on, only the grandfather and grandson were left in the Luo family to depend on each other.
Xu Yunjin had a lot of contact with Luo Silan because she studied medicine with Mr. Luo. The two grew up together, so Luo Silan was Xu Yunjin's first good sister in another world.
"Woad, how are you? Can you still keep walking? I'll help you carry the backpack."
Because Luo Silan stayed in her mother's womb for too long, her health was not as good as Luo Tiandong's after birth. Thanks to Xu Yunjin's teaching of Tai Chi, Luo Silan's health improved over the years.
However, after walking for so long, her body must have been unable to hold on any longer. She took Luo Silan's backpack and Xu Yunjin easily carried it on her back.
"I'm fine, thank you Ajin."
"Hey, we don't need to say thank you. If you really can't hold on, just tell us and then go sit in my car. Don't hold on."
Luo Silanlan's slightly pale face smiled at Xu Yunjin. Xu Yunjin was really worried that Luo Silanlan's body would be unable to bear the journey. Some of the medicinal materials he prepared were actually prepared for her.
Mrs. Zhang can be regarded as enjoying the blessings of descendants. She does not have to carry a basket or push a cart, she just holds a small basket in her hand.
It was prepared by Xu Yunjin for her. It contained a small bamboo tube of water and a fan. He walked to Grandma Chunhua and chatted with Grandma Chunhua while walking.
"Hey, I didn't say anything about going out for a walk when I was young. I only experienced this when I was old. God won't give us poor people a way to survive."
"Well, I don't know when we will get to the south. Although the boys in the family are all strong laborers and have all their belongings, it is easy to travel, but I am a half-grown boy living in poverty and there is not much food left at home.
I don’t know how long I can last.”
Grandma Chunhua is a neighbor of the Xu family. After being widowed in her early years, she raised three sons by herself. She is very close to the Zhang family who looks gentle and kind, but is actually sharp and aggressive.
The relationship between the two families is very good. Grandma Chunhua's family has three sons, five grandchildren and two granddaughters. A large family will consume a lot of food even if they save one day.
"Who says otherwise? Isn't it the same in our family? Looking at a few ox carts, I actually don't have much food. I hope that if we go south, some wild vegetables will grow on the ground. Otherwise, I don't know what to do if there is no water or food.
Living a good life."
The two old ladies were worried. In fact, their worries were not unreasonable. After all, the current situation was serious and the number of victims heading south would only increase.
If it doesn't rain, the most serious drinking water problem cannot be solved, and we don't know what we will do in the days to come. This chapter has been completed!