You rascal, stop right there!

The next day.

Bai Wan and Ling Shumo contacted the Dingbei Painting Society through the chamber of commerce that Xuan Li was familiar with.

The Dingbei Painting Society, which was mainly composed of craftsmen, artists, peddlers and porters from all over the world, learned the reason and prepared a boat.

However, how these eighteen people could get from the capital of Xingling to the Huai River on the outskirts of the city was a difficult problem.

Xuanli has a curfew!

You need to go through guard inspection when leaving the city, which is not easy.

As a last resort, Bai Wan had to find Brother Wang Zhiwang, the leader of the beggars in West City.

"Why do you think I will help you do this?" Wang Zhi scratched his itchy head which had not been washed for several days.

"Brother Wang, I am deeply grateful for your help last time. If I were truly completely helpless, I wouldn't be turning to you for help. You are no ordinary person."

Judging from the fact that he was able to sneak into the Xuanli Palace and steal the waist badges and palace clothes without any problems, he must be extraordinary.

He did not report it afterwards, which was quite a gesture of loyalty.

Ling Shumo bowed and performed a great salute.

Bai Wan also hurriedly bowed and said, "Brother Wang, if you need anything in the future, I will definitely help you! Whether it's fighting, destroying the place, or..."

Wang Zhi laughed and said, "Hey, I'm just a beggar, not a bully. It's not New Year's Day, why are you two so generous with your gifts?"

After saying this, the man sighed.

"Have you ever considered that there are more than eighteen Daqing refugees in Xuanli? Or have you ever considered that the ordinary people in Xuanli are actually living a life worse than that of pigs and dogs?"

The tone was somewhat teasing.

“How many do you think you can save?”

The scary thing about this incident is, what would the other refugees think when they saw these 18 people being rescued?

It is only possible to save these eighteen people, not that all eighteen people can be saved!

These words were like a stone dropped into water, stirring up waves...

So heavy and helpless.

Wang Zhi paused again and again, and scratched his buttocks while sighing.

"A scholar is just a scholar after all. All you can do is write, draw, and talk!"

Obviously, the other party seemed to have guessed who they were a long time ago.

This Wang Zhi looked like a sloppy beggar, with unwashed hair, unscratched lice, and trembling buttocks.

He was thought to be a poor but loyal hero, but in fact he was a very thoughtful person.

There was a brief silence around.

Bai Wan looked at Ling Shumo and nodded.

"Brother Wang, my name is Han Miaoran, also known as Yuebai. I came here to pray for the well-being of my old friend. What I saw was bizarre and horrific. I am overestimating my abilities!"

He looked sincere, not the ruffian he was before, but a man who cared about the people.

"My name is Ling Shumo, courtesy name Zichen. The world is ruled by virtue, yet I treat the people like straw dogs. I cannot stop hating you."

Ling Shumo also said.

"Aren't you afraid of death?" Wang Zhi stared at the two men meaningfully.

He pulled out a dagger from somewhere and placed it on the other person's shoulder.

The dagger pressed against Bai Wan's neck so tightly that it even caused a little bleeding.

Ling Shumo wanted to stop him, but when he raised his hand, he saw him signaling to stop.

Bai Wan smiled and ignored the threat: "Scared, extremely scared! But we are not the only ones in this world who are afraid of death!"

Having experienced the destruction of my country, the ruin of my family, and uprisings and rebellions, what else is there to be afraid of?

Wang Zhi's face suddenly turned red with laughter.

"As expected of the 'Moran Duo', you're worthy of my admiration. I can take you there!"

"Admire?"

Bai Wan and Ling Shumo were suddenly stunned, not knowing what was going on.

After a while, Wang Zhi led the two of them, disguised as beggars, to a thatched hut in Xicheng District.

Under his guidance, the thatched hut had a huge cave secret door in the last haystack in the corner.

As soon as they walked down, they were shocked by the scene before them.

As you step up the stairs, what comes into view is the front hall several meters high, with the top made of smooth stone and a gray-black passage.

There were actually quite a few people coming and going inside.

Men, women, young and old, some in rags, some neatly dressed.

The seemingly ordinary underground turned out to be an underground hiding place.

Under Xuanli's rule, the biggest threat to the Daqing people was being hunted down by the imperial court. In order to avoid being caught, they worked hard to dig out a dungeon for their own protection.

What shocked Bai Wan even more was that their underground tunnel was still being dug.

During the day, some people worked as peddlers or beggars, but at night they returned to live underground, digging tunnels to carry sand and soil out of the city.

There is a direct passage from the civilian area of the west city of Xingling to the north gate.

Because only when there are many Buddhist temples and the north side of the national temple Shanhua Temple is built, Xuanli, which advocates Buddhism, will not have soldiers stationed.

Everyone who came and went was cautious, their eyes gleaming. The people of Daqing in Xuanli did their best to hide and survive.

It turned out that Wang Zhi, the leader of the thatched hut, led the beggars to guard the entrances and exits every day to protect these people.

The air was eerily quiet, and the entire underground passage was filled with a chill.

"You guys are so awesome!"

Bai Wan shuddered and took the coat that Ling Shumo put on him.

"Wheel——"

Someone was already passing by, pushing a wooden cart and carrying a shovel for digging soil.

There are even some young people among them.

Unbelievable.

It is difficult to estimate the exact number of people hiding.

"You actually helped the people of Daqing build a shelter like this, and..."

Bai Wan looked at the sloppy beggar in front of him and felt that he had become taller and seemed to be otherworldly.

"Didn't Monk Xi Meng also save hundreds of people by painting the scroll of shocking changes with his own body?"

Wang Zhi scratched his itchy hair again.

"It's different. You are from Xuanli."

The scruffy beggar glanced at him and scratched his butt: "Who told you that the Xuanli people must fight to the death with the Daqing people?"

Bai Wan was stunned and stood there, opening her mouth slightly: "You..."

Wang Zhi stared at Bai Wan with a dejected look. "Not all Xuanli people want to invade Daqing. It was Jin Xizong and his royal family who were jealous of Daqing and wanted to expand their territory. However, we don't have the conditions to start a war."

Xuanli has a barren land, a sparse population, and little money from crops.

The people could never pay their taxes, and the royal family could never provide disaster relief.

So, I decided to win big.

Every household was forced to join the army, and money and food were seized to pay the soldiers.

Regardless of whether the people were willing or not, they forced their wives and daughters to be sent to the military camps as prostitutes and their sons to be soldiers. They forced the Chamber of Commerce to pay money and the farmers to hand over grain for nothing.

Who would be willing to do that?

In the end, there are only a bunch of old people left in the country, some with missing limbs.

Wang Zhi then exposed his left leg, which had been well covered, and a long and hideous scar could be clearly seen on it.

"I injured my leg to avoid enlistment! The invasion was wrong from the start. I can only try to make up for it."

Ling Shumo couldn't help but blurt out: "It's rare, sir, you are so righteous!"

Wang Zhi, however, laughed at himself: "Righteousness? It's better to say it's atonement."

"I once learned from Xuan Li's defeated soldiers and spies that Master Xi Meng painted the "Sword of Military Hearts" to depict the countless sorrows in the capital. It was a thought-provoking painting, and I have long admired it. I already knew your appearance when Xuan Li issued a nationwide wanted notice for you."

Final summary——

The previous sworn brotherhood was a natural thing, and helping him sneak into the palace was intentional.

Even they themselves wished that Emperor Xuanli would die.