Koi Fubao: Being loved by everyone on the road to escape from famine

Chapter 221 A glimmer of hope

"Everyone," she said with an unquestionable light in her eyes, "if there are warriors willing to step forward and fight for their homeland, please take that brave step forward."

However, the villagers exchanged anxious glances with each other, and no one dared to take that decisive step.

The wars of the past, the disaster that tore countless families apart and displaced them, loomed like a nightmare in everyone's mind, filling them with fear of war and making them unwilling to face a battlefield where life and death were uncertain again.

Seeing that everyone was indifferent, Xiao Zhixue's brows flashed with worry, and then she spoke again, with a sense of urgency in her tone: "Since no one is willing to embark on the road of exile, then everyone please return home immediately and pack your luggage quickly. While the government gate is not closed and the people have not come to force us, we need to set off immediately and leave this crisis-ridden Zhangzhou City."

Hearing this, the crowd seemed to be struck by thunder. They rushed to their homes in panic and packed their bags in a hurry. The air was filled with a hurried and tense atmosphere.

At this moment, the elderly Jiang Bo, learning of the impending accident, hurried to the crowd, his face full of surprise and reluctance.

"Miss Xiao, are you leaving so soon?"

Since the arrival of Xiao Zhixue and the villagers, this old house has regained some vitality. Now, this short-lived liveliness will disappear with their departure, and the old house will once again fall into the lonely silence of Jiang Bo.

He couldn't help feeling a sense of loss in his heart, but the current serious situation did not allow him to make too many attempts to retain the person.

Xiao Zhixue nodded slightly to Jiang Bo, with a complex light flashing in her eyes: "Jiang Bo, after this farewell, it may be difficult for us to see each other again, please take care of yourself."

Jiang Bo took a deep breath and sighed: "I am an old man, just muddling through day by day. What about you? What are your plans for the future?"

Xiao Zhixue lowered her head, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.

She was not completely sure about this unknown land, and the road ahead was full of unknowns and uncertainties.

Jiang Bo looked at Xiao Zhixue's sad face, and suddenly he had an idea: "Nanchong City is located in a remote area with few people. Neither country is willing to intervene in that area, and even the emperor's orders are difficult to execute. Miss Xiao, why don't you go there? Maybe you can avoid the disaster of exile this time."

When Xiao Zhixue heard this, a light immediately flashed in her eyes, as if she had found a glimmer of hope.

"Uncle Jiang, do you know the exact route to Nanchong City?"

A hint of hesitation flashed across Jiang Bo's face. "Although Nanchong is a no-go area, I heard that the people there are tough and unfriendly to outsiders. I'm afraid that if you go there, you'll encounter something unexpected."

Xiao Zhixue waved her hand gently, not caring at all: "I am not afraid of that kind of roughness. If we talk about toughness, perhaps I am not inferior to them."

Seeing that Xiao Zhixue had made up her mind, Jiang Bo did not say anything more. After all, the most urgent task was to avoid the crisis of conscription by the government.

"Okay, Miss Xiao, wait a moment. I will go and draw a topographic map."

After saying that, Jiang Bo hurried back into the house, and soon returned to everyone with a simple road map of Nanchong City.

"Miss Xiao, this is the map leading to Nanchong City. If you follow this map, you should be able to arrive in a few days."

Xiao Zhixue took the map, smiled, and nodded gratefully.

Just as everyone was ready and gathered around Xiao Zhixue, preparing to set off, bursts of noisy sounds suddenly came from outside the yard, mixed with fear and resistance.

"Please let me go. I can't go to the army. I have an old mother at home who needs to be supported!"

"Obey the imperial decree, and those who disobey will be executed!"

"Where is justice? Don't arrest my child!"

The people in the room changed their expressions when they heard the voice, and Xiao Zhixue frowned even more.

Before setting off, I was promised that it was voluntary conscription, but I didn't expect the situation to become so urgent that the officials had already begun to arrest people by force.

If no action is taken, Pei Ming might send troops to capture them directly.

Seeing everyone's panic, Xiao Zhixue quickly comforted them, "Don't panic, I'll go out and check the situation first."

After saying that, she strode out of the door, grabbed a busy official, and asked, "What happened? Didn't they say that exile is voluntary?"

When the officer saw that it was Xiao Zhixue, he lowered his voice and quietly told her a new piece of news: The emperor has ordered that all adult men in Zhangzhou City must unconditionally join the army, and violators will be severely punished.

Pei Ming was extremely anxious, fearing that the people Xiao Zhixue brought back could not be saved.

Xiao Zhixue understood in her heart that the emperor had obviously learned of the critical situation of the border defense line almost collapsing, so he issued the order for a full conscription.

Behind this decision, there is no doubt that the embarrassing reality is that the treasury is empty and the military force is short.

Xiao Zhixue immediately let go of the officer, ran quickly to a nearby tailor shop, and bought dozens of sets of women's clothing.

After returning to the old house, she quickly organized the villagers to change into women's clothes, using female attire as a cover in an attempt to avoid the search by the officials.

Although the men resisted such disguise in their hearts, at the critical moment of life and death, they had no time to care about their face.

Refusing to wear women's clothes meant being captured and sent to the front lines to become cannon fodder.

Xiao Wei was the first to step forward, took the women's clothing, and walked into the house resolutely.

Soon after, Xiao Tingxuan and Xiao Tingrui followed closely behind.

When others saw this, they followed suit, took the women's clothes and put them on quickly.

For a moment, a strange and tense atmosphere filled the old house, and everyone was prepared to evade pursuit under a new identity.

Xiao Zhixue had sharp eyes and caught the traces of stubble on the faces of several villagers. She quickly took out a sharp razor and trimmed them skillfully, ensuring that every strand of beard was carefully shaved off.

Then, she gently took out the powder from the brocade bag and used a delicate goat-hair brush to lightly paint on their cheeks and chins, cleverly concealing their original sharp edges and giving them a soft feminine outline.

As the highly respected village chief of Shangqiao Village, Lu Degui put aside his usual dignity at this moment, sat obediently on a small stool, and let Xiao Zhixue dress him up.

Looking at his son Lu Li wearing exquisite women's clothes, with a hint of playfulness in his eyes, he felt mixed emotions and a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, which showed helplessness and deep worry about the future.

Liu, Lu Li's wife, stood aside and witnessed this scene, with mixed emotions in her heart.

She tried hard to suppress her laughter, her fingers tightly twisted around her collar, her shoulders trembling slightly, for she was afraid that her laughter would break this solemn and strange atmosphere and bring unnecessary interruption to this tense moment of preparation.

The men became completely different under Xiao Zhixue's skillful hands. Despite this, there was still an unconcealable shyness on their faces. Occasionally, when their eyes met, they would avoid each other awkwardly.