"Who has too much grain? Besides, we barely drink that little bit of spring water, almost all of it is used for growing crops. Moreover, the former leader was truly a genuine old mountain bandit. He stockpiled grain to lead his brothers in rebelling amidst the chaos, to gain a foothold and become a local overlord."
"Rebellion?" Ah Jiu was truly impressed by that leader. It was a shame the rebellion couldn't happen, and he could only go down to make trouble with the King of Hell.
"The officials forced the people to rebel. Back then, we followed him because we wanted to carve out our own territory."
And this was considered carving out their own territory? Ah Jiu couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Could the arm twist the thigh? Now, they hadn't carved out any territory, but instead found a dilapidated temple.
"It's good enough to be alive now," the leader grabbed a steamed bun and tossed it out, "Kid, take it and eat."
The seven or eight-year-old boy outside, who had been watching eagerly, caught it:
"Thank you, Leader."
Ah Jiu sighed inwardly. No wonder the merit points were so high; it turned out these people were not the original group of bandits.
"Later, I realized our former leader had already offended the authorities, so those soldiers were determined not to let us off."
The leader shook his water skin, pried open the stopper, and wanted to take another sip. Perhaps unwilling to drink it, he refastened it.
"So, what are your plans now? You've been driven to this point." Ah Jiu had calculated the journey; they were fleeing towards Nanming City.
Perhaps they believed the most dangerous place was the safest.
"I don't know, we live one day at a time."
Ah Jiu could tell this fellow truly lacked the ruthlessness of the former leader. Perhaps his blood wasn't that of an old bandit, but rather the blood of a farmer driven to desperation.
"Reporting to the Leader, San Mao and Er Gouzi are both better."
A person ran in from outside, reporting with delight.
Ah Jiu didn't know who San Mao and Er Gouzi were, but to recover so quickly, they must be among those with minor injuries.
"Miss Meng's medical skills are truly remarkable. I, Ma Peng, will engrave this in my heart."
Ma Peng bowed gratefully.
"Forget it, wait for the messenger to come and take me back."
Ah Jiu said indifferently, the fright of last night making her feel like she had narrowly escaped death.
"I was indeed unclear about this matter. I heard that to invite Miss Jiu to the military camp for treatment required an official document from the authorities. I was afraid you wouldn't agree, so I offended you."
Ah Jiu remained silent. She didn't want any association with these bandits.
How could the leader not see this? He sighed and said, "Alright."
In the evening, Chu Lin returned with an extremely grim expression: "Leader, something bad has happened."
"What happened?" The leader glanced at Ah Jiu.
"Prince Qi's soldiers have already surrounded the city, and for the first time, they are using fire. It is said that all the civilians in the city are fleeing towards Nanzhou County. Even those who haven't escaped may not survive."
Chu Lin panted heavily, as if he had escaped himself.
Ah Jiu suddenly stood up. Fire attack. The great drought had already lasted for four years, and fire attack was the most deadly tactic.
"Take me back." Ah Jiu got up and ran out. Her father and mother, knowing she had been abducted, would definitely refuse to leave the city.
"Miss Meng, isn't returning to the city now courting death?" The leader looked at the frail figure and was suddenly moved:
"Chu Lin, escort Miss Meng back to the city. Perhaps her family is still inside."
Unlike them, who had lost and scattered on the road of famine.
Inside the city.
The air was filled with the strong smell of kerosene. Hundreds of soldiers were working tirelessly from the military reservoir to extinguish the fires.
Currently, the entire realm was facing a water shortage. Neither side could engage in a head-on battle; if you used fire, I'd use fire too. Fortunately, Nanming City had a reservoir.
Now, no one expected that war would become a competition of who had more water.
East Street, Hua Lan Medical Hall.
Everything was packed onto a carriage: "Mother, let's go. Now, we can only try our luck and see if the soldiers at the South Gate will open the city to let us out."
"I'm not leaving. If I leave now, where will my child find me if they come back looking for me?"
Cai Lihua hugged the wooden pillar in the front hall, refusing to let go, her eyes swollen from crying.
Meng Shaode gritted his teeth, his old face turning red, and punched the wooden pillar: "Cai'er, tell me the situation in detail again."
Clearly, Meng Shaode was also unwilling to abandon Ah Jiu.
Liu Cai'er cried anxiously:
"I've already told you several times, she was abducted. I also reported it to the authorities, but the yamen gates were tightly shut, and no one paid attention. I remembered Jiu'er had a friend working in the Inspectorate, so I went there. I found someone named Zhao Kun. He said he would bring people to find Jiu'er and would send her to Nanzhou County. Are you two not worried about yourselves? Are you disregarding your son's safety?"