However, upon Li Wenli’s words, they immediately became tense.
"Will that young officer really come looking for us?"
"He will," Li Wenli answered with certainty.
"Then what shall we do?" Old Uncle Qiu’s sweat beads began to form.
"Why don’t we sleep near the bridgehead tonight and cross the bridge first thing in the morning?" another uncle spoke up.
"Hmph, as if you’re the only one with that idea? The bridgehead is already full of people; even if we manage to squeeze in, there’s no place to set foot."
"What else can we do then?"
Every uncle’s face was filled with worry.
Li Wenli spoke up at the right moment, "There’s no need to panic so much. We’ve already blended in with the refugees; it’s not certain they’ll recognize us. Taking a chance might offer some hope."
"What if we are recognized?" The group, accustomed to the harsh ways of the world, were rather pessimistic.
"Uh..." Li Wenli hesitated slightly before speaking.
"In fact, I invited you all here today to discuss this very issue.
We encourage everyone to fend for themselves; those who already have plans can proceed as intended. For those who are lost and unsure where to go, consider these three directions for escape.
First, as you all mentioned, try to squeeze to the front and leave as soon as possible. But once you reach Biluo, do not enter the city, and immediately leave the territory of the Third Prince."
"Why is that?" The crowd was once again confused, "The Third Prince was the second to accept refugees after the Ninth Prince. Moreover, unlike the Ninth Prince, the Third Prince has no limit on the number of refugees and his resolve to allow them to recuperate is the clearest. If we leave the Third Prince’s territory, we might not find any other city willing to take in refugees."
"Aside from these three princes in the south, aren’t there many independent city-states? In my opinion, any one of those city-states is safer than his, and even going to the ownerless lands to start anew is not a bad choice."
The group shook their heads even more vigorously at this.
"The ownerless lands are too desolate, not to mention they’re full of venomous snakes and fierce beasts. It’s rumored that there are many wild tribes there that breathe fire and spit water. We might end up as their meal before we even start farming; it’s absolutely impossible to go there."
"The independent city-states aren’t much better. They are tiny, and any of those three princes could send an elite troop to eliminate the city lords. Then, if they massacre the city, the loss would outweigh the gain."
Li Wenli had only made a suggestion, but these people had many objections, as though they could write a whole book with them.
A trace of impatience flashed in his eyes as he said indifferently, "A suggestion is called a suggestion because it’s for reference only. Whether to adopt it is entirely up to you all."
"I actually think the young master makes sense. With the war between the Fifth Prince and Ninth Prince heating up, the barely stable situation is likely to be disrupted again. Indeed, these princes’ territories are not places to stay for long."
Among the voices of disagreement, only Old Uncle Qiu agreed with Li Wenli’s opinion.
Of course, if he knew nothing, he would naturally have the same thoughts as everyone else.
However, he knew the secret of the Fifth Prince hiding troops near Cold City, which changed the way he viewed the situation.
The Fifth Prince would sooner or later have to deal with these young nephews.
Therefore, seeking refuge in any young nephew’s domain was not safe; rather, those ownerless lands or city-states with lords were more sustainable in the long run.
After all, those places were easier to deal with, and the Fifth Prince would surely wait until the internal strife was over before reclaiming these smaller cities.
Yet this internal struggle could last as briefly as three to five years or as long as a century or more. By the time they came to us, we might have already passed away naturally, so why worry about anything else?