For the next few days, the large boat sailed smoothly upstream towards Huainan Prefecture.
However, the further north they went, the more refugees they saw.
Once, when the boat docked by the river to resupply, a group of refugees even tried to storm the boat to snatch supplies.
But the boatmen were no pushovers. Those in their profession were boatmen on the surface, but fighters in reality. Each possessed considerable strength and some self-defense skills. How could those emaciated refugees be their match? They were quickly injured and kicked into the water.
The other refugees who still wanted to rush forward naturally dared not try again. They retreated to the side in a flurry, watching the people on the large boat with a mixture of wariness and longing. Some women and children knelt on the dock, kowtowing to the people on the boat, begging the noble lords on board to buy them. The scene was heartbreaking.
Chen Yuezhi and Jiang Xiao hid in the cabin, not daring to show their faces, and kept Jiang Wan locked in the room as well.
"Alas, what a sin!"
They were soft-hearted and could not bear to witness the suffering of the refugees, so they hid in their room. If they couldn't see it, it would be easier to bear.
After the boat set sail again, Jiang Pan came to their room.
Upon entering, Jiang Pan said, "This world is likely falling into complete chaos. We must hurry back after picking up Xiao Bao."
Chen Yuezhi nodded. "I thought life was unbearable when we escaped, but it's even more difficult now. Jiangnan... I'm afraid it will also fall into turmoil. We need to prepare earlier."
Three more days passed, and the group finally arrived at the dock of Huainan Prefecture.
The situation in Huainan Prefecture was even worse. The dock was crowded with refugees from all over, and the ship owner dared not let the large boat dock.
"Constable Jiang, look at this... how about I give you the small boat tied to the back of the ship, and you can row ashore? There are too many refugees. I fear if we dock, I won't be able to protect my ship."
The people and goods on this ship were not to be trifled with.
Jiang Pan was not unreasonable, so he nodded. "Then I'll have to trouble the ship owner to take us a bit further, to a place with fewer refugees."
There were so many refugees here that if they docked, it would be like sending themselves to be slaughtered.
The ship owner agreed and continued to sail forward. They traveled several miles before finally finding a place with few people and a suitable spot to dock.
The small boat was lowered. Yan Li and his disciple jumped onto the small boat to stabilize it, and then the Jiang family boarded.
Jiang Wan jumped down first, followed by Chen Yuezhi, then Jiang Xiao, and finally Jiang Pan.
There was no way to return the small boat to the ship owner, so Jiang Pan stood in the small boat and tossed a few taels of silver onto the large boat. "May you have a smooth journey."
The ship owner waved to them. "You be careful too."
The two boats then parted ways.
Yan Li and Jiang Pan each held an oar and rowed the small boat towards the shore.
Jiang Wan was not idle either. She gave a command to her little horse, asking it to check the situation on the shore to see if it was safe.
They were lucky. There were no refugees in sight in this area for the time being, making it suitable for docking.
After landing, they tied the boat to a tree on the shore.
This boat was destined to be lost, and who knew who would benefit from it.
Chen Yuezhi said, "I hope whoever finds it can earn a living with it."
The group did not linger. They found a place, changed their clothes, and put on some worn-out clothes they had specially bought on the boat.
They had no choice. With so many refugees, they would stand out if they were clean. To avoid trouble, it was best to disguise themselves.
After changing their clothes, they grabbed some mud and sand and rubbed it on their faces, making themselves look dusty and grimy, before heading towards the city of Huainan Prefecture.
As soon as they reached the official road, Chen Yuezhi couldn't help but tighten her grip on her two daughters' hands and whispered, "You must stick close and don't get separated. Especially Da Niu, you must be vigilant!"
Jiang Xiao nodded nervously, glancing at the surrounding refugees, feeling a little panicked.
Yan Li, Gu Chengzhou, and Jiang Pan dispersed themselves on both sides and behind the three women, thus preventing any sneak attacks from the sides or the rear.
Although they had disguised themselves, their figures were very different from those of the refugees, so they were quickly noticed by some refugees.
However, Jiang Pan and Yan Li exuded a cold aura, making them look formidable. Gu Chengzhou also held a sword, so for the time being, no one dared to provoke them.
Fortunately, they were not too far from the city of Huainan Prefecture. After walking for more than half a day mixed in with the crowd of refugees, they reached the foot of the city gate.
However, how to enter the city became a major problem.
The city gate of Huainan Prefecture was tightly shut, and on the city walls, rows of soldiers armed with bows stood in formation, ready to shoot arrows at the refugees at any moment.
In this situation, they couldn't get in even if they had wings.
Jiang Xiao looked at the closed city gate and the soldiers on the wall, her eyes welling up with tears of anxiety.
After finally arriving at their destination, they were now unable to enter. The thought of Xiao Bao being not far away made her so anxious that she wanted to bang on the city gate.
Chen Yuezhi held her tightly. "Da Niu, don't be reckless. If you cause a commotion, the soldiers on the city wall will shoot arrows. This is no joke!"
Jiang Xiao suppressed her impulse. "Mother, I know. I won't be reckless. But how can we get in?"
Chen Yuezhi was also worried. With Huainan Prefecture guarding against refugees so fiercely, it was impossible for them to enter the city through normal channels.
Jiang Wan observed the situation and said to them, "Let's go somewhere else. It's useless to crowd here. We won't be able to get in through the city gate. It's possible that the city guards will start slaughtering refugees soon."
Jiang Xiao's face turned pale with fright. "How dare they... these are human lives..."
Jiang Wan chuckled. In times of chaos, humans were worse than dogs. To protect the people inside the city, slaughtering refugees outside was not an uncommon practice.
The group squeezed out of the crowd of refugees and, under the cover of night, walked in a direction away from the crowd.
After walking for a short while, Yan Li and Gu Chengzhou quietly warned, "We have tails behind us. Keep going forward, don't look back."
Chen Yuezhi was so scared that she tightly grasped her two daughters' hands, her heart pounding in her throat.
The footsteps behind them were dense, and there were quite a few people.
"There's a kiln ahead. Let's go there."
Yan Li was familiar with this area and led them towards the kiln.
The tails behind them followed closely.
Upon reaching the kiln, Yan Li kicked open the dilapidated door. After confirming there was no danger inside, he let Chen Yuezhi and her two daughters enter.
As soon as they entered, the tails caught up.
"Now let's see where you can run. Be sensible and hand over those three women, and we'll spare the three of you!"
Yan Li and Gu Chengzhou exchanged a look, too lazy to waste words with these people. They raised their weapons and pounced on them.
Jiang Pan stayed behind to guard the door, preventing anyone from sneaking in.