Chapter 356 - Chapter 356: Chapter 352: Recklessness_1 (1/2)

Chapter 356: Chapter 352: Recklessness_1

“You may not know this, but the Jurchens have overthrown the Liao Dynasty and are now gathering a massive army to attack Tokyo. When we left, news was already spreading that the Jurchens have reached Taiyuan Prefecture,” the coachman said as he bought a handful of pancakes, some salt, and large grains of rice and loaded them onto the cart.

“They have reached Taiyuan Prefecture? Then isn’t Tokyo in imminent danger?” Sun Licheng asked with a face full of shock.

“Exactly. But alas, many people don’t believe it,” the coachman replied as he prepared to leave. His wife, children, and old mother all sat on the cart with tired expressions.

Seeing them about to leave, Sun Licheng hurriedly asked, “Where are you all planning to go?”

The coachman replied, “I have a relative in Jiankang who trades there. We plan to seek refuge with him.”

Sun Licheng questioned several other coachmen, and they all said the same thing—they were evacuating to avoid the disaster.

He looked blank.

He found it hard to believe that the Jurchens, so few in number compared to the vast population of the Great Qian Dynasty, could have conquered Taiyuan Prefecture.

Jiang Erlang heard this too. He suppressed his worries, called for Nurse Zhang, and confirmed his niece’s diagnosis after she took his wife’s pulse.

Yanru was now four months pregnant and was expected to give birth in October, around the same time as Jiang Jie and Jiang Wu.

Shortly after, Jiang Erlang found his two brothers and told them about what he had learned in town.

“If this is true, I reckon Luzhou won’t escape either,” Jiang Sanlang said after some thought. “Next would be the county seat—our town is right next to the main road and wouldn’t be able to escape either.”

Jiang Dalang asked, “So, what should we do? Should we also head to Jiankang?”

Jiang Sanlang shook his head, “It’s too early. If they really get here, even Jiankang wouldn’t be safe.”

Jiang the elderly took his eyes off the pot he was repairing and said, “You don’t need to panic. If the enemy reaches here, we can hide in the mountains.”

Unless the Jurchens took over the entire Great Qian Dynasty, they wouldn’t bother hunting people down in the mountains.

The three brothers nodded, feeling slightly reassured.

Still, they realised they needed to share this information with the villagers, so they could prepare.

Soon after, Jiang Sanlang left to notify the Clan Leader, Chen Yin.

The women, including Chunniang and her sisters-in-law, were all listening on the side. When they heard that the barbarians were coming, they were terrified.

Yanru was especially scared. Her face turned white.

Now that she was pregnant, dealing with a war would be troublesome.

She glanced at Yingbao, wanting to say something, but then held back.

Yingbao knew what her aunt was worried about and comforted her, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

Yanru’s tears welled up in her eyes. She nodded gently.

Yingbao wasn’t exactly worried because in her previous life, the Jurchens didn’t come here.

However, she couldn’t say the same for Beijing and the Prefecture City.

Thinking of her elder sister and her family in Luzhou, Yingbao hurried off to write a letter.

She wanted them to come to the village.

Just as she finished writing the letter, Wei Zhan came running, “Yingbao, I want to return to the Prefecture City for a while. Could you lend me a horse?”

“You’re going home?” Yingbao asked.

“Yes! San Shushu said the barbarians are about to reach Beijing, so I want to bring my mother back here.” Wei Zhan realised that the villages up in the mountains were much safer than the cities in a time of war.

Yingbao agreed, “Okay, I’ll lend you the Red Date Horse. Once you reach the county, leave the horse at the specialty shop by the dock.”

Wei Zhan nodded heavily and headed towards the stable.

As he fitted the Red Date Horse with a saddle, Yingbao went to his room to pack things for him.

Clothing, silver coins, food, and water. Also, a knife for protection.

Wei Zhan took the bag and asked softly, “Yingbao, I’m going to the county first. Do you have any messages for Jiang Dalang?”