Chapter 90: The Many Faces of Human Nature

The wife choked back a sob; they were already homeless, so what standing did they have left? He Lingchuan said in a low voice, "That man is no good. His mule is a bit old, but it can still carry two scrawny old people."

That elderly couple was very thin; together, the two of them weighed at most one hundred seventy or eighty catties.

The wife was stunned: "Then he?"

She stole a glance and saw that the mule was indeed limping slightly, though it was actually walking quite steadily.

"He is just reluctant to part with his wealth," He Lingchuan explained. "The commander saw this too, which is why he told him to throw away the goods and help his father onto the mule's back. But without money, it is hard for this man to gain a foothold in a new place. His parents are too old to work and earn money, and they are two extra mouths to feed."

"He refused, and the commander naturally wouldn't force him. The old woman climbing the mountain on her own was also because she understood her son's heart." Either he was disheartened, or he couldn't let go of his old companion.

Hearing this, Liu Sanjiu and his wife looked at each other in silence.

Some things cannot be scrutinized; once peeled back, they are entirely sordid.

They walked for another quarter of an hour like this when cavalrymen coming from the rear shouted loudly: "Move faster, everyone move faster, the enemy is catching up!"

The rolling thunder in the sky was not as terrifying as this sentence; screams and wails immediately erupted within the long procession, and their pace of movement visibly increased.

To fall behind now truly meant only one path: death! It was not easy to travel on a rainy night, and He Lingchuan saw many people stumbling as they ran, falling to the ground and struggling to get back up.

Many of the old and weak, once fallen, were trampled by others and never rose again.

He Lingchuan couldn't help but close his eyes.

Even though he knew history had blown away with the wind and everything before him was an illusion, having been here and seen it, his heart felt heavy, as if pressed by a giant stone.

How much difference was there between the lives of the people on this plain and the grass under their feet or the chickens in their cages?

Left to be slaughtered, treated as light, treated as base.

Just then, the speed of the procession suddenly slowed down, and chaos broke out in front.

People behind pushed those in front; it was blocked.

He Lingchuan had sharp hearing and could hear the cursing from ahead.

Crowds are like this: the more anxious and chaotic they are, the easier it is for mistakes to happen.

Standing here, he could only see the backs of the heads in the front rows. He Lingchuan placed his bundle on the ground and climbed up a half-withered desert poplar tree nearby.

In extreme weather, standing high makes one prone to being struck by lightning, but he accepted this risk.

Fortunately, the next two bolts of lightning struck in the distance, incidentally providing him with some light. Borrowing the glow, he saw dozens of carriages jammed by the riverbank ahead.

The carriages were all loaded with large chests; clearly, there were wealthy households among the refugees.

Those who had already passed need not be mentioned, but perhaps the household goods in the chests were too heavy, or perhaps the ground was too muddy; seven or eight carriages simply could not climb the slope. No matter how the drivers cracked their whips, the horses wailed, but the carriages remained stuck in the mud, motionless.

There were still twenty or thirty carriages lined up behind, waiting.

By now, the procession had reached the riverside. On one side was a cliff, on the other was the river, and the road in between was not wide, accommodating at most three carriages abreast.

And this was also a steep slope.

All those who came later had their path blocked.

Those who were empty-handed like He Lingchuan could still climb over the carriages; but who flees without bringing their family property? Those leading oxen and driving carts, carrying all their worldly possessions, simply had no way to escape.

With pursuers behind, the refugees were red-eyed with anxiety and stood on no ceremony with them, rushing up to drag at the carriages.

Who knew that from within the carriage formation, a shout rang out, and twenty or so armed escorts rushed out, holding gleaming weapons in one hand and shoving the refugees with the other: "Back, all back! Do you not want your lives?"

The two sides began to curse each other.

Of course, in the current situation, cursing could not solve the problem; it would only add fuel to the fire.

So, after a few dozen breaths, the refugees were the first to make a move, with some grabbing mud from the ground to throw at the escorts. The latter immediately fought back, and the scene turned into a brawl.

He Lingchuan counted; in the time it took to burn half a stick of incense, at least a dozen people were injured.

Not a single carriage had been moved. It had to be said, these escorts were quite dutiful.

The chaos here soon caught the attention of the Great Wind Army. He Lingchuan's old acquaintance arrived again, this time followed by a dozen subordinates.

The situation on the scene was clear at a glance, and he didn't listen to the nonsense from either side to avoid wasting time: "Whose carriages are these? Stand out!"

A fat man in brocade robes ran out from the carriage formation: "This military officer, what is your surname?"

"Xiao."

"Master Xiao, I am the steward for Prefect Sun! These are all items from the Sun estate. Please help us push them up..."

The commander waved his hand: "Move them away immediately, make way for the people!"

The fat man grew anxious: "Officer, this batch consists of valuable supplies, including military provisions that Prefect Sun is transporting to Panlong City. This was all agreed upon by both sides! For instance, the armor and weapons your army can use..."

By this time, the Panlong Wasteland had long been mired in a long-term stalemate, and military supplies and grain were the lifeblood of the cities. The commander took this seriously and said directly: "Open the chests for inspection!"

The merchant caravan obeyed and opened the chests, but some were fast and some were slow. The chests opened first were indeed filled with gleaming weapons, armor, medicine, and other military supplies.

The fat man said loudly: "Officer, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

The commander waved his hand, and the cavalrymen stepped forward to open the rest.

Looking down from above, He Lingchuan saw at once that among these dozens of chests, only about ten contained military supplies. The rest were all sorts of valuables: gold, silver, jewelry, precious ornaments, followed by clothing, antiques, small household items, and so on—there was nothing one could imagine that wasn't packed in there.

Just then, a bolt of lightning passed by, illuminating a chest of goldware until it shone brilliantly; there was even a small gold chamber pot among them...

The fat man wiped his forehead, though it was unclear if he was wiping away sweat or rain.

The crowd was silent for a few breaths, followed immediately by a tide of curses.

The commander gave an order with an expressionless face: "Unload the horses, drag the military supplies up! Push everything else aside!"

The fat man was desperate, rushing up to grab his hand: "You can't, you can't! If you throw away Prefect Sun's belongings, you won't be able to answer to the Commander-in-Chief!"

The commander shook off his hand, and a gold ingot flew out: "Push quickly, what are you standing there for! The sooner it's clear, the sooner we're on our way!"

This was a military order; were they willing to obey?

The onlookers: Of course! They swarmed up, helping the Great Wind Army push aside the Sun estate's private goods, then unhitched the horses and added them to the carriages transporting the military supplies.

During this process, some civilians naturally grabbed the Sun estate's valuables and hid them secretly. When the Sun estate servants saw this, they rushed up to catch the thieves, making the scene even more chaotic.

At this moment, a man of about thirty rushed over from the back, shouting: "Who dares touch my Sun family's things!"

He pointed at the commander and cursed: "You are so bold! My father, Prefect Sun, and Commander-in-Chief Zhong have supported each other for ten years, sharing life and death! Now that Weicheng has fallen, you soldiers dare to kick us while we're down and rob my family's property..."

Using this gold chamber pot, a small tribute to the great Mr. Saul Goodman!

(End of chapter)