"Everyone, hurry up!" someone shouted, and they all scattered.
In the early morning, Ajiu sat on the ox cart, blocking Tie Chu and Tie Dan. It wasn't until they left the village that Ajiu voiced her confusion:
"Why is it so quiet?" Since leaving the village, Ajiu had only seen a few elderly men and women sitting by their doors, looking at the horizon with complex expressions.
"They seemed to have run off last night." As soon as Meng Shaode said this, Cai Lihua grumbled, "Look at you playing the good Samaritan. Who will appreciate it?"
Ajiu stuck out her tongue and quickly changed the subject, "Mother, let's go to the Hualan Medical Hall when we enter the city to settle down."
"Your sister-in-law's place is fine for us to stay temporarily," Cai Lihua said.
After a brief discussion, they reached Liuxian county by noon. Ajiu immediately noticed a dense mass of ox carts and mule carts, with a large group of people gathered there.
Ajiu stood on the ox cart and looked ahead, but couldn't see the end of the line. Upon closer inspection, she realized that among the crowd were villagers from Hiba Village.
"Shaode, go to the front and inquire. We won't reach the city gate if we're blocked like this," Cai Lihua urged, fanning herself vigorously.
"Alright." Meng Shaode jumped off the ox cart.
The sound of hooves echoed from the front: "Make way, make way!"
In an instant, the oxen and mules in the crowd clumsily moved to the sides of the road, making the congestion even worse.
A man in armor with a red tassel on his helmet, looking like a general, rode a horse, followed by over a dozen cavalrymen. They passed by Ajiu one by one.
Behind them, a vast procession of infantry stretched for miles, their footsteps synchronized and mighty.
"The army of Nanming City has mobilized. It looks like they're going to war," Meng Shaode said with a heavy heart. "Fortunately, the King of Nanming didn't order a conscription."
Everyone's mood was somber.
Ajiu suddenly spotted a few familiar faces among the infantry. "Mother, is that Zheng Erfu over there?"
"Where?" Cai Lihua remembered the name vividly and leaned forward to look. "Isn't it him? And look, that's his elder brother! Why... why did they join the army?"
Ajiu gasped and quickly got off the ox cart. "Uncle Ma, why are you joining the army? You're not a citizen of Nanming."
Ajiu also spotted Ma Dabiao. "Uncle Zheng? Where is he?" Ajiu ran alongside the procession, asking questions. She looked back, but couldn't find Uncle Zheng Fengshou for a moment.
Ma Dabiao glanced sideways. "Jiu'er?"
His pupils contracted in surprise, and then his gaze dimmed. "Sir, may I speak to my niece for a moment?"
A cavalryman in front turned back and looked at the girl. "Hurry up, but don't delay the war too long."
Ma Dabiao then withdrew from the ranks:
"Jiu'er, I found the marker you left in Nanming City, but..."
Ma Dabiao was in a hurry and couldn't keep up with the procession. He glanced back and saw that there was still a long line behind them; he would be able to catch up at the end.
Ajiu could tell that Uncle Ma had volunteered. "But what?"
"But our villagers from Xinghua Village were driven to the gladiatorial arena and locked up as soon as we arrived in Liuxian. We had no chance to find you."
"Then how did you become soldiers of Nanming City?" And so willingly.
"Later, there was a riot, and we were forced to flee into the city. We needed to eat, after all. Who knew that your Uncle Zheng and I, along with a few neighbors, were caught by the soldiers of Nanming City right after entering and didn't even get a meal.
Then, we heard that the refugees from our area were stealing, killing, and setting fires. We thought we'd be implicated and all be executed. Unexpectedly, the King of Nanming, being wise and benevolent, locked us up and treated us well. He gave me a choice: if I joined the army, I would receive three steamed buns daily. So, we all volunteered to join the army."
So that was it. This King of Nanming was indeed benevolent and knew how to utilize his forces.
"Aren't you afraid of dying on the battlefield?" Ajiu asked worriedly, as they were all civilians with no fighting skills.