Large numbers of fierce bandits spotted this vulnerability, so they directly abandoned the city and delved deep into the surrounding villages, claiming the mountains as their king and descending when hungry to plunder readily available resources, essentially finding themselves in a haven of comfort.
Regrettably, all the able-bodied men in these villages were at war, leaving only the elderly, weak, women, and children at home, who were utterly unable to resist.
It was said that many brides were abducted, and some women, in order to preserve their honor, resorted to drowning themselves or hanging themselves upon seeing the bandits enter the village, which was not a rare occurrence.
Bai Junjun and Li Wenli listened in shock, while the old woman continued.
"Although some refugees are not bandits, they also show weakness to deceive villagers into sympathy, then when villagers bring them food, they stealthily steal meat, grain, chickens, and sheep..."
In any case, these bandits and refugees resorted to all means possible, and the villagers who had been repeatedly victimized had reached a point where they changed color at the sight of strangers, shutting their doors to any outsiders.
To not engage was to not be deceived.
Of course, this only prevented ordinary refugees; they were helpless against the bandits.
If they resisted, they would only be killed.
Their village had undergone this ordeal seven days ago when bandits invaded the village, the Village Chief resisted, and as a result, a family of five was brutally murdered; they had just held their funeral.
"..." Bai Junjun clenched her fists as she listened.
She understood better than anyone the nature of the bandits.
These people had long lost their humanity, although they often claimed they were compelled by the harshness of life, yet even if they were placed back in the normal world, they would not change.
Once the devil inside them was unleashed, confining it back inside was more difficult than reaching the heavens.
Moreover, the Eastern Land was the wealthiest region in the south, which undoubtedly made it a mouse’s paradise in a rice barrel for these hungry wolves.
Bai Junjun was not sure whether Yuwen Qing had planned for these refugees when he made this decision.
If he had sufficient military and manpower to relocate these refugees for land reclamation, urging them to rebuild their homes, it would have been one thing; blindly letting refugees in without adequate control was like releasing fierce beasts onto his own territory.
Seeing the condition of these villages, it was likely that Yuwen Qing had not taken any measures, or if he had, he had overestimated himself and underestimated the destructive power of the refugees.
The pathetic local people were so troubled, they were beyond description.
Seeing the old woman growing more sorrowful, Li Wenli changed the topic, "Old lady, may I ask where this is? If we wish to go to the Old Capital City, which way should we head?"
"Ah?" The old lady’s attention was indeed diverted, slightly stunned, "You don’t know where this is?"
"To be frank, we came down from Biluo, originally following the official road to the Old Imperial Capital. However, we encountered bandits on the road and got separated from our family. Now, this place is all country roads with no signposts around. We had to specifically ask you for directions. Only by getting back to the official road will we know how to proceed."
The old lady relaxed upon hearing this.
"This place is Xinding Village in Dai County, several days’ journey from the official road. It’s said that there is a band of bandits on the way to the official road; just a few days ago, these bandits raided the village. You cannot rashly head in that direction now."
Li Wenli bowed to the old lady, "Thank you for your guidance, we will be careful."
"You’re welcome," the old lady sighed and glanced at the melons on the ground.
The melon field also suffered from the bandits’ mischief a few days ago; all the large, ripe ones were picked clean, and many unripe ones were smashed.
The village relied on these melons for a living, but now... they had been entirely ruined.