The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 197 The Origins of Refugees

The minor official, addressed as Mr. Li, calmly dismounted and said:

"The army's momentum is gradually building up; why does the general look doubtful?"

Sun Lang scratched his haphazardly tied-up hair and complained:

"I can't say whether they'll amount to anything, but there are just too many of them!"

"After a rough count over the past few days, less than 30% of them are the Liangdi rebels who raised the flag together back then."

“I do have some influence with those mountain bandits and local tyrants, and I can persuade them.”

"But the rest, it's hard to even understand them... Judging from their accents, they seem to be from Jizhou?"

"We can't persuade them, we can't get them to leave... but just stubbornly heading south like this isn't a solution!"

Mr. Li listened attentively, nodding as he spoke, appearing very patient.

After Sun Lang finished his rambling, he slowly said:

"Sili is the royal domain. Over the years, the government and soldiers have done a lot of work to clear the roads. Seven or eight out of ten rebels have been wiped out. These refugees are naturally not the same righteous men who raised the flag with the general back then."

Sun Lang: "Are you really from Jizhou?"

Mr. Li first nodded, then slowly shook his head and said:

"They may not all be from Jizhou, but they are definitely related to Jizhou."

"Last autumn in the seventh month, Jizhou was hit by a locust plague, which caused great harm."

"The imperial granaries were still insufficient to alleviate the disaster, so the emperor in Luoyang forcibly relocated households from Hebei to Henan."

"People are attached to their land and fear being moved. Migration often results in the destruction of families and the death of people."

Sun Lang wholeheartedly agreed with this.

Why did my family rise up in rebellion four years ago?

Wasn't it all to resist the government's conscription order?
He immediately understood what was going on and filled in the blanks in his mind:
"No wonder!"

"At the end of last year, the government troops in Huainan suffered a major defeat, and the Wu people went north. Henan had to conscript people in an emergency and had no time to settle the refugees in Hebei."

"When refugees have no food, they inevitably impact the local countryside, creating even more refugees... Over time, the number of refugees has grown to what it is today!"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Li suddenly began to mutter to himself.

Sun Lang recalled Hu Jushi's words of encouragement to study and listened attentively.

But all I heard was talk of the East and West banks of the Yellow River, of the pot calling the kettle black, of fish, turtles, chickens, pigs, dogs, and swine.

The rest is incomprehensible.

It's true that the more I listen, the hungrier I get.

In short, Mr. Li wrote a long passage in classical Chinese.

It concludes with the poignant statement, "If the king is without fault, the people of the world will flock to him."

Then, without further explanation, he pointed to the turbid waves of the Ru River and said:
"Continue downstream, and not far past Jia County is Xiangcheng."

"Xiangcheng is the seat of the Yingchuan Agricultural Commissioner, and there are garrison soldiers stationed near Mobei year-round. It is definitely not a place where one can survive."

Sun Lang nodded.

He came to Liangjia to gather a group of people and never expected to confront the government troops head-on.

Who knew this gathering would turn into tens of thousands of people!

If the officers and soldiers aren't blind, they'll definitely have to intervene.

"Then, sir, where do you think the way out lies?"

"Of course we'll go to Wancheng to find General Guan!" Mr. Li said matter-of-factly.

"However, as you said, with tens of thousands of people who cannot be mobilized and are all starving, it would be a pipe dream to think they could go to Wancheng."

"So why not find a foothold along the way, such as Chou County or Ye County?"

Sun Lang briefly recalled the locations of the two places and felt that the idea was not bad.

Both Chou and Ye are located in the foothills of the Funiu Mountains, separated from Xiangcheng by several large and small rivers, which is enough to limit the cavalry's performance.

In case of encountering government troops, they can always hide in the ravines.

Not far south of Ye County is Fangcheng Fortress.

This is the main road leading from Henan into Nanyang.

If they actually got there, General Guan might send troops to meet them, and they wouldn't have to live in fear anymore. So Sun Lang immediately summoned the leaders of various tribes, including those Jizhou people with strange accents.

After a heated debate and some physical demonstrations, most people were finally convinced to agree to switch sides on both a logical and physical level.

As for the few who are unwilling to follow, then they can only go their separate ways.

In the following days, the group traveled south from the right bank of the Ru River, crossed two or three small tributaries of the Ru River, and then went far around the county seat of Fucheng, which was guarded by government troops.

They finally crossed the Zhi River and arrived at the territory of Chou County.

Compared to the small waterway mentioned earlier, the Zhi River is a proper river.

This undoubtedly gives people a stronger sense of security.

Moreover, starting from Chou County, the area was under the jurisdiction of Nanyang Commandery.

This is another source of security.

"It's a strange thing, really."

With the pressure relieved, Sun Lang started chatting with Mr. Li again.

“When I wandered into this area in previous years, the officers and soldiers reacted very quickly and never let me stay on flat ground for long.”

"Not only have we been staying here for quite some time now, but even when government troops occasionally show themselves, they only follow from a distance, without any large army coming to attack. I wonder what the reason is?"

Mr. Li gently held the reins and calmly responded:

"Naturally, it's because most of the officers and soldiers in this area have gone to Huainan."

Sun Lang glanced sideways and exclaimed in surprise:

"So there's still a war going on in Huainan? It's been more than half a year already!"

He then said with admiration:

"I thought you were just an ordinary local official, but I never imagined you would be so knowledgeable about the world's affairs, managing to find a way for us to survive even in the jaws of death. I admire you greatly!"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Li solemnly replied:
"My path in life was not of my own making, but rather the work of a powerful figure behind me."

"To be honest, it was because I couldn't stand Wei Ting's behavior that I decided to defect to the Han."

"I am here both to guide you on your mission and because we are on the same path."

Sun Lang suddenly realized and asked curiously:

"I wonder who this important person you are referring to is? To be honest, I haven't asked for your name yet."

Mr. Li smiled mysteriously:
"I cannot reveal the name of that gentleman at the moment. I can only tell you that he is a high-ranking official in Luoyang, wearing gold and purple robes!"

"As for me, you can just call me Li Hong."

Sun Lang repeatedly said he dared not, but in his heart he didn't quite believe what the other party said.

How could that high-ranking official of the Wei court, holding a position worth ten thousand bushels of grain, possibly help his group of refugees to head south and surrender to the Han?
It can only be assumed that Mr. Li Hong was concerned about his lack of prestige, so he used a fictitious Wan Shi as an excuse.

In short, the group searched for food around Chou County, but were only half full.

They continued south along the foothills, heading towards their next destination.

This journey was even smoother, and we easily crossed another river, the Lishui River (a tributary of the Ru River, not the one in Wuling).

Here, the remnants of the ancient Chu Kingdom's "Great Wall" come into view.

Sun Lang even began to consider whether he could properly gather these more than 10,000 people if he could build a camp using these walls.
In chaotic times, how can you survive without some savings?
It's better than sleeping outdoors every day!
However, on this very day, Sun Lang was about to seriously survey the terrain.

Those soldiers who had come from behind suddenly began to assemble in large numbers under the city walls of Ye County.

Sun Lang does have some military experience.

Can't you see that the officers and soldiers are waiting in this direction, ready to let us walk into the trap?

So he immediately returned to gather his men and prepare to resist.

However, tens of thousands of people, who have not undergone military training, cannot be assembled so easily.

Sun Lang worked from day to night, and even with Li Hong's help, he could only manage to mobilize two or three thousand men.

Before they could even set up their formation, the government troops arrived with torches in hand.

At that moment, Sun Lang, instead of being frightened, felt as if his boots had landed safely.

It's time to come, it's coming.

(End of this chapter)