Chapter 58: Who Is in Charge?

Shiqiao Village.

The gray-haired Clan Leader sat there, his face full of pain.

He was surrounded by people, chattering incessantly; his brain felt like it was about to be muddled by the noise.

Those few who had taken water to trade for food had eaten and heard the news, and upon returning, they unleashed a fierce torrent of words.

Everyone listened, stunned again and again, and then the pot boiled over.

"Clan Leader, we must make a choice! If we go on like this, we will either commit suicide or turn to robbery!"

"That's right, that's right!"

"Why don't we also follow them and flee to the Zhao Clan? Maybe we can farm there too. I just want to farm and raise chickens now, to live a stable life."

"That's right, that's right!"

"It would be fine if we could trade our labor for food; I'm starving to death!"

"Just..."

"Enough!" the Clan Leader roared.

The surroundings went quiet, and everyone stared at the Clan Leader.

But the Clan Leader's face was full of conflict, and he remained silent for a long time.

Then came another boom, even noisier than before.

"Why don't we send a few people to scout the path first? This is dangerous, I'll go first!"

"Count me in too!"

"You just went to eat porridge; this time it's my turn!"

In any case, staying behind was waiting for death; it was better to follow the refugees to seek a path to survival and also reduce the burden on the family.

Watching the various groups passing by to the South, they had actually long since had the thought. But they were cowardly, afraid.

Leaving home was not an easy thing for them.

Information was scarce, and not knowing the situation outside, they were even more afraid to go out.

If they hadn't been forced into a corner, they wouldn't have shown themselves when they saw Wen Gu's group.

The Shiqiao Village Clan Leader touched his increasingly thinning hair, his complexion looking even more weathered.

"Shut up!!"

The Clan Leader roared again.

Once it quieted down, without waiting for others to speak, he pointed to a few people and asked questions.

These were the very people who had taken the water to trade; they had chatted with Xiao Liu and the others for quite a while and learned many things.

"How many people survived in that group along the way?" the Clan Leader asked.

"Some encountered attacks in the wild, some got sick, and some met other large cities along the way and stayed there. Out of ten, seven or eight probably remained."

"That many survived?"

The Clan Leader thought of the stories passed down by their ancestors.

If they went to flee on their own, with the two hundred people in the village going out, if they fled nearby, maybe fifty or sixty would remain; if they ran further, perhaps only twenty or thirty could survive. And that was the best-case scenario; if things were worse, it was possible that not a single one would survive.

Going out in winter meant not having to fear sudden attacks by evil things, but the Beidi winter was bitterly cold, and people could freeze to death out there.

When the weather was warm, they didn't fear freezing, but the monsters outside were even more terrifying.

Just because they knew making a choice was extremely difficult, they couldn't make up their minds; everyone in the village was the same.

When they had food, they were unwilling to leave home, muddling through; as long as they weren't pushed to that point, they were unwilling to leave their hometown, surviving one day at a time.

What a pity...

In the past, the land was their life, but now that "life" was long gone.

Too many people were eaten by monsters while farming because they couldn't bear to leave their fields.

If they went to flee on their own, there would be no one to settle them when they arrived; they could only look to the kindness of the nobles and hope for a little charity. But in the current state of the world, one really couldn't count on the relief of the powerful.

Now, the people in the group outside the village said that if they followed, there would be people to help settle them, and they were deeply tempted.

As long as they could trade this strength for food, they were willing!

It would be even better if they could farm after going; as long as there was an army to protect them, they were willing to farm even if the rent was higher.

If they could trade their labor for food, they would be eternally grateful. What people feared in this world was trading their labor away, losing their lives, and still not getting anything in return.

"Then, let a portion of the people follow them to take a look first. We don't necessarily have to follow them all the way to the Xinzhou City area; we can also stay if we find a suitable place along the way..."

Before the Clan Leader finished speaking, the surroundings were noisy again, and they almost fought over the spots.

In the end, a few people turned into dozens, and they clamored to increase the number. Out of the two hundred people in the village, half were squeezed out—over one hundred and ten people, regardless of gender, mostly young and strong, who also ate the most.

But leaving was not something that could be done immediately; they still had to make some preparations for their homes.

Thus, the Shiqiao Village Clan Leader went to negotiate with Wen Gu in person and even cleared out some houses and empty courtyards to let Wen Gu's group stay for two days.

Their ancestors had lived here for generations, and they had built quite a few houses; although many now only had stone and earth walls left, and the grass and wood parts had been plucked for firewood, they were still passable for a temporary stay.

They dug out the coarse cloth they had hoarded on the road to set up a shed; there was little rain now, so there was no need to worry about getting wet.

Wen Gu agreed to stay for two more days, not only to wait for the people from Shiqiao Village but also to let his own group rest.

The winter in Beidi was cold, and it was a dry cold.

Most of the people in the group were from the South and were not accustomed to the autumn and winter seasons of the North.

They had been traveling continuously since leaving Jinwu City and had finally reached this point, so they stopped to take a breather.

The medicinal herbs they had originally brought were long gone; well, what was stored in the carriages now were the goods they had "looted from corpses" along the way, picked up from the ill-fated groups they encountered.

Conditions were limited, and without sufficient medicinal herbs or a professional Doctor, if they got sick and couldn't pull through with medicine, they could only die there.

It wasn't as if such situations hadn't happened along the way.

The good thing was that the most dangerous times had passed, and with the destination in sight, everyone's spirits were different, their mental states were better, and their will to survive was strong.

Staying for two days, Wen Gu also asked the villagers of Shiqiao Village if there were any other survivors nearby. If possible, they should call everyone to come along.

The villagers of Shiqiao Village were actually quite willing to call for more people.

With fewer people, one gets bullied.

This was their deeply ingrained mindset.

Having more fellow villagers meant having more courage, and if they encountered monsters, there would be others to serve as cushions!

In this era, the mobility of people was very low, and ordinary commoners lacked the courage to leave home.

But forced by the situation, as long as someone took the lead, the herd mentality would take over; once they had something to rely on, they had courage.

One dragged three; one Shiqiao Village dragged out three more villages.

It was just that the number of survivors in those three villages was not high; the three combined did not even have as many people as Shiqiao Village had brought out.

"Actually, there are still some."

A villager told Wen Gu that he still knew of a few villages where people should also be alive; he had encountered them while gathering firewood before, but they were far away, and it was inconvenient for them to go find them.

Wen Gu immediately took out paper and pen and, based on the information provided by the villagers, drew a simple map.

"It doesn't matter, we'll just take a slight detour; it's not far."

It must be said that the time Wen Gu and his group arrived in Beidi was very clever.

These villages were close to Xinzhou and had not produced any bandits. If they had really been arrogant, they would have been wiped out long ago.

Daring to rob a group heading north—the Autumn Hunt Army wiped out more than just evil things. Anything coming from the south, whether it was people or goods, belonged to the Zhao Clan; whoever tried to snatch it got wiped out!

The remaining villages with survivors had people who were relatively timid; they had some stored grain before and had been cowering at home the whole time.

Now they were just in a state of having run out of grain, wanting to find a way to survive; as long as someone threw out bait to hook them, they could follow along.

Thus, the group with Wen Gu, who had stopped briefly, saw their numbers—which had been less than a hundred after losses—suddenly surge to nearly three hundred.

There were other survivors from other villages behind this, and the number would definitely continue to increase.

With a group of fierce men from the escort agency wielding weapons to keep order, these villagers dared not do anything out of line in the short term; helping the group push carts, chop wood, and do odd jobs in exchange for thin porridge was already enough to satisfy them.

It was only because they were close to their destination, with only a few days left, that Wen Gu dared to take in so many people at once.

Those villagers looked at the oxen, horses, donkeys, and mules in the group with immense envy.

Some missed their own donkeys that had been eaten by monsters, while others recalled whose ox had been attacked by monsters while plowing the fields, with neither the person nor the ox able to return.

They also fantasized about whether there would be land to farm when they reached Xinzhou.

Having relied on the heavens and the earth for generations to eat, they always felt adrift without farming.

In the carriage, Wen Gu looked at the destination on the drawn map that was getting closer and closer.

My dear aunt and uncle, is it really as I guessed?

After taking a detour, they picked up some more villagers.

The scenery nearby was desolate, and looking out, it was all barren.

"Look at how the surroundings have been cut down; even the tree roots have been pulled up. There is a town nearby."

"The closest one here should be Shuo City!"

Wen Gu raised his eyes and looked into the distance.

Shuo City was also in Xinzhou!

"Finally about to arrive!"

The closer one gets to the destination, the less one can let down their guard.

Zhou Shan and the others kept watch on the surroundings. Wen Gu did not know what position his uncle held in the Zhao Clan, or if he had any enemies. If he did, and with the world in chaos, no one would know if someone tripped them up while they were outside.

"Soldiers are coming!"

Head Escort Lin Biao warned.

In front, there were over twenty people riding horses, and behind them were dozens of armed Soldiers.

In places with many martial men, it was up to Zhou Shan and Head Escort Lin Biao to communicate.

The two rode their horses forward, leading men to protect Wen Gu in the rear.

The soldiers who came over were also very surprised.

At a glance, seeing so many people, they thought it was some wealthy family from the south. To have two or three hundred left by the time they reached here, they must have been a group of over a thousand when they set out!

They were even puzzled as to why this large group arrived earlier this year than in previous years.

The Xianshou Army had only just set out.

With so many people, they would travel slowly; could it be that this group set off at the beginning of autumn?

It was still hot in the south at the beginning of autumn; did they actually dare to set off?

When they got closer, they realized something was wrong.

It didn't look like it.

The carriages, horses, supplies, and Armored Soldiers were not numerous enough. The composition of the personnel did not look like that of a wealthy family either; most of them looked like ordinary villagers and refugees.

Head Escort Lin Biao and County Lieutenant Zhou went forward to talk to the other party.

They learned that these soldiers were the City Defense Army of Shuo City; unlike the Xianshou Army, they did not need to travel far and only patrolled near Shuo City to gather refugees.

The small leader who was speaking let his gaze linger on the horse lance held by Head Escort Lin Biao.

He had just heard another person call this man "Head Escort Lin Biao".

Head Escort Lin Biao?

The title was quite novel.

This City Defense Army suggested they go to Shuo City; Head Escort Lin Biao and Zhou Shan only said they had to discuss it with the people in the group.

The City Defense Army was not in a hurry, watching them turn their horses back.

"The one holding the horse lance just now must be their leader, right? Called Head Escort Lin Biao."

"It might be a term from the south; it sounds quite strange."

"Perhaps the person is named Lin Biao and is a leader, which is why they address him that way."

They chatted and laughed.

Patrolling today, they were lucky to encounter such a large group; bringing them back would even earn them merit.

Xinzhou was also in chaos at the beginning, and too many people died.

Over this past year, quite a lot more have been consumed.

Now there is experience, but there is not enough manpower, and there is still so much that needs to be done; people are lacking everywhere.

Over there, Head Lin Biao and Zhou Shan returned to the group and told Wen Gu the news they had just inquired about.

"This winter, every Town and County Town in Xinzhou must build defensive fortifications, and they are short on laborers. Besides this, whether it is for farming or in the army, people will be in short supply in the future," said Zhou Shan.

"What about Xinzhou City?" asked Wen Gu.

"Xinzhou City is undergoing expansion and needs even more people."

"It seems there is still some grain in storage," Wen Gu thought to himself.

The total population has been drastically reduced, yet the major Granaries are still there. The wealthy families coming from the south are also constantly replenishing supplies, and a lot more cargo will be brought over this winter.

Currently, the Six Great Clans of Beidi are scrambling for people and supplies.

Zhou Shan and the others also asked about the location of Shuo City and Xinzhou City.

They could have originally gone to Shuo City, the southernmost point of Xinzhou. But in order to pick up more surviving villagers, they took a slight detour.

"There is no need to detour to Shuo City now; head straight to Xinzhou City!" said Wen Gu.

"However, compared to Xinzhou City, Shuo City is indeed closer. See if anyone in the group wants to go to Shuo City."

There were indeed people in the group who were tempted.

They had not left their homes for many years, and this time they were forced to leave. They had been trembling with fear along the way, and now that they had a place to settle, they were unwilling to continue taking risks. Knowing that they could reach a nearby County Town by following these Soldiers, they were moved.

Zhou Shan took a count, and there were about seventy people.

Although that patrolling City Defense Army was a bit disappointed, they were still quite happy to see there were over seventy people.

They did not dare to force these groups coming from the south. Those who could make it here possessed a fierce courage and were not to be trifled with.

In any case, they would all end up belonging to their Zhao Clan!

They were in a good mood, so Head Lin Biao and Zhou Shan asked some more questions about Shuo City; as long as it did not involve secrets, they were willing to talk more.

Shuo City, like Jinwu City, is divided into an inner and outer city; the defensive fortifications to be reinforced this winter are all in the outer city.

As for Xinzhou City?

They were not sure, but Xinzhou City is currently expanding and is also in urgent need of manpower.

After some exchange, the two sides parted ways.

Watching the departing group, someone from the City Defense Army who was riding a horse said:

"The City Defender told us to keep an eye out for a scholar surnamed Wen among the northward-migrating groups; I forgot to ask just now."

"The City Defender also said to focus on those small groups of a few dozen people. Do you think the one that just passed by looks like one?"

"It certainly doesn't look like it."

"A scholar surnamed Wen? Who is it? Could it be a relative of the City Defender's family? Or a friend or relative of some big shot's family?"

"Who knows."

Turning their horses back to the city, they took those seventy-plus villagers back to Shuo City to register them.

The patrolling Soldiers chatted with them on the side.

At first, the villagers did not dare to speak, but gradually they became more familiar, and only when they saw the silhouette of Shuo City did they start chatting.

"Why didn't you follow that leader surnamed Lin?" someone asked.

The villagers were bewildered, "What leader surnamed Lin?"

"The one, the very sturdy one riding a horse and holding a horse lance."

"Oh, you mean Head Lin Biao? He is not the leader of the group."

"He's not? Then is it the one carrying a blade?"

"Not him either. That is Zhou something; I heard he is a formidable person!"

"Then who is the one in charge of your group?"

"It's a scholar!"

Although Qingyi Immortal is quite formidable, in their hearts, such immortals generally do not concern themselves with worldly matters.

Therefore, they implicitly assumed that the leader in charge of the group was the scholar sitting in the carriage.

The small leader of the City Defense Army felt a jolt in his heart: "A scholar? What is that scholar's surname?"

"Wen."

When they turned back to look for them, the people had long since run far away.

That day, the Shuo City City Defender received the report from his subordinates and immediately went back to write furiously.

First, a short message via flying slave—

Young Master! Your cousin surnamed Wen seems, perhaps, to have gone straight there!

He then wrote a detailed letter and had the Letter Messenger take it along to Xinzhou City:

Young Master, it is not that I was not diligent, it is just that, previously you said the cousin would be in a group of about a hundred people before encountering danger, so I specifically focused on small teams of a few dozen people. Who would have known he would bring hundreds of people over!

(End of chapter)