The scorching sun outside Duliang City was mercilessly scorching the earth.

The moat surrounding Duliang City also dried up, revealing the black silt at the bottom of the river.

The light blue city walls reflect dazzling light under the sunlight.

Li Yi and the people of Duliang City worked together and finally opened the gate of Wengcheng, and everyone hurried across the moat.

Li Yi protected everyone and stayed at the back.

When he crossed the moat, he saw that there were still many wooden piles and broken armors and weapons on the dry river bottom.

Of course, white bones are also indispensable.

This devastated Duliang City, like this dry moat, will always use time to cover up its past sufferings.

But now the Cao army once again knocked on its door with swords, just like a moat dried by the sun, and the military disaster and suffering were once again nakedly exposed to the broad daylight.

Li Yi could only lament that the world was so difficult and the people were like rotten dogs.

After the people rushed out of Duliang City, the joy of escaping from death could not be remembered for how long it lasted, and huge confusion quickly hit everyone's hearts.

"Where do we go from here?"

This question hit everyone's brains like a heavy hammer.

Duliang City is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the Huai River runs in front of the city. According to Feng Shui, this is a geomantic treasure.

But now the originally wide Huai River has completely dried up.

Looking around the other three sides of Duliang City, the originally lush and lush mountain forests have now turned into dead and barren forests due to drought.

Most of the leaves that could have blocked the coveted grass army have now turned into yellow fallen leaves.

Even if there are still some stubbornly clinging to the branches, they are all withered and lifeless.

If tens of thousands of people were to hide in such a mountain forest, they would definitely be discovered by the Grass Army soon.

Moreover, most of these people are old, weak, sick, and disabled, and it is very difficult to climb through the mountains and forests to avoid pursuit.

The most important thing is that in previous years the forests in the mountains were lush and there were many wild animals.

Even if tens of thousands of people hide there and starve for a short period of time, no one will starve to death.

But now there is no hope of wild fruits in the mountains and forests, and the wild animals are probably almost dead.

If you cross the Huai River, there is an endless plain in front of you. Standing outside Duliang City, you can see dozens of miles at a glance.

Escape on such an empty plain will basically become the best prey for the grass army to pursue.

Just when everyone was at a loss, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted: "I can't wait any longer. Let's go up the mountain separately."

This sound made everyone helpless and helpless.

The originally silent crowd soon became agitated, and everyone started shouting to find their relatives, friends, and hometowns.

Soon everyone started running towards the mountains around Duliang City.

Many of them ran around the moat towards the back hill of Duliang City.

This is undoubtedly a wise move, because everyone's habitual thinking is to run towards the nearby mountains and want to hide in the mountains as soon as possible.

The back mountain is farther away and closer to the city.

However, because when Duliang City was originally built, it was considered that the back mountain might be attacked by enemies, so the city gate at the back was not built.

Therefore, if the grass army wanted to capture them, they had to go out from the front city gate and bypass the entire city wall to reach the back mountain.

"Sir, please run with us!"

Li Yi, who was standing at the back, met the waiter and shopkeeper of the inn again.

They were a group of people running towards the back mountain.

Li Yi looked at the people who were spreading away, and then looked at the waiter and shopkeeper who still looked panicked and anxious.

So he also rushed towards the back mountain.

Compared with those panting people running with their belongings on their backs, Li Yi ran much easier.

Not only because he has few salutes, but also because of the training Taijizi has given him in the past few years.

Soon everyone approached the back mountain, and their pace slowed down.

Leaning against the city wall, Li Yi could vaguely hear the cheers of the grassroots troops in the city. He thought that the fighting in the city at this time might be very fierce.

By the time everyone got to the back mountain, they were almost exhausted and about to collapse.

Everyone found a place to sit and rest.

Li Yi followed everyone in the inn and found a place to sit down.

"I see that the guest officer has a weapon on his back, and after running so far without blushing or out of breath, he must be a promising young hero!"

Although the fat shopkeeper of the inn was panting like a broken bellows, he still struck up a conversation with Li Yi immediately.

"The shopkeeper is so complimentary. I learned some basic kung fu from my master, and I know some stick martial arts."

Li Yi humbly replied, as the saying goes: If you show courtesy for nothing, you are either committing adultery or stealing.

Li Yi was very wary of the fat shopkeeper's chatting. You must know that since he and Liu Yu stayed in the inn, the fat shopkeeper has never taken the initiative to talk.

Only the waiter in the shop had talked to him about the Cao Army, and it was just for the sake of the dime of money.

It is said that the car and boat shop should be killed even if they are innocent.

These people are all observant of words and deeds, bullying the weak and flattering the strong.

"Since you have such abilities, why don't you stay in the city? Maybe there will be some opportunities!"

The fat shopkeeper's words made Li Yi frown involuntarily.

Although he has been isolated from the world in the mountains for these years, Li Yi is not ignorant of the ways of the world.

Among the many knowledges taught by Taijizi is the art of speaking.

Li Yi immediately heard the implication of the fat shopkeeper.

The fat shopkeeper just said that Li Yi could stay in the city and wait for the grass army to fight with the big families.

Both the grassroots and the wealthy need people with martial arts skills to help them.

When the grass-roots army and the big players fight to the point of distinguishing the strong and weak, Li Yi can choose to join the stronger side.

This way he will definitely be able to benefit when the time comes.

Li Yi smiled slightly and said: "The shopkeeper is joking, I am a native of the mountains. I don't seek to be wealthy or famous in the world, but I seek freedom and peace of mind."

When the fat shopkeeper heard what Li Yi said, he was slightly startled for a moment, then looked a little embarrassed and couldn't help but smile.

"My lord, you have a good nature. There are not many young men with your kind nature these days."

The fat shopkeeper complimented with a smile on his face.

"The shopkeeper is so sorry for you. He is just an ordinary person."

Although Li Yi also had a smile on his face, he was a little more wary of the fat shopkeeper in his heart.

"Now that the grassroots army has entered the city, I don't know when they will retreat. I'm afraid this inn won't be open in a short time. Does the guest have somewhere to go?"

"The kid doesn't have a clear destination for this trip, so he plans to take things as they come."

Li Yi carefully considered every word, fearing that he would be tricked by the fat shopkeeper.

"In this case, we plan to leave Duliang County temporarily and go to Sizhou County to join our relatives. After the Cao army retreats, we will return to Duliang. Why don't you, the guest officer, accompany us?"

As soon as the fat shopkeeper said these words, Li Yi understood the fat shopkeeper's intention.

It turned out that the fat shopkeeper saw that Li Yi was carrying a spear and judged that he was a practicing master. He was afraid of an accident on the way to Sizhou County, so he wanted Li Yi to accompany them on the way to protect them.

But this put Li Yi in a bit of trouble.

He really wanted to go to Sizhou County first to pay homage to their family members.

His original plan was to go on the road alone, so that not only would he be able to travel faster, but he would also be less likely to encounter bandits on the target trail.

But now if he travels with this fat shopkeeper, all of them are carrying valuables. To the bandits, they are just like fat sheep coming to their doorstep.

Li Yi had to protect them. Although Li Yi was not afraid of bandits due to his martial arts skills, he did not want to cause trouble.

Before he could think of how to reject them, the fat shopkeeper seemed to have read through his thoughts.

"Don't worry, sir, we won't let you run away in vain, we can give you money, just treat us as hiring you as our bodyguard."

"Shopkeeper, please don't tell secrets. You see, your group of people are carrying so much property. If you really want to go to Sizhou County, I'm afraid it won't be too safe."

Li Yi thought for a while and expressed his concerns.

"Oh, what the guest officer said is that I didn't think carefully."

The fat shopkeeper slapped himself on the forehead and suddenly realized.

"Sir, this is easy to do. I will bury most of the gold and silver in the mountains right away. We will pack lightly and simply, so that even if we encounter bandits, we will not cause trouble."

With that said, the fat shopkeeper took a few people from the inn and walked towards the mountains. It seemed that they were looking for a place to bury their belongings.
To be continued...