An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"The whole way down here is a forest. If we keep being handcuffed, we'll be dead, just like them."

"Yes, open the shackles."

"Open the shackles!"

……

There were originally more than fifty serious criminals, but due to the inaction of the police, more than thirty of them were killed. The remaining twenty or so people, led by Heizi's mother, were also more or less injured. They all knew that if this continued, they would definitely be the ones to die. Now they just wanted to fight for their rights at the cost of their lives.

After the officers came to count the number of people and took a look around, they dared to question why these people didn't have shackles on their feet! They wanted to put the shackles back on them, which naturally led to a conflict.

"If you don't remove our shackles, we will die here today and we won't leave. Let's see how you will report back."

These people, who had all faced death, were no longer afraid of it. Even when faced with the whips swung by the officials, they did not flinch. They huddled together and were determined to fight for their rights even at the cost of their lives.

But Mr. Fang refused to give in. Even if Mr. Liu and County Magistrate Yan came out to persuade him, there was nothing they could do. If they continued like this, they would be delayed here again.

But now everyone is afraid that another wave of wolves will appear at night, so it would be best to get out of the forest as soon as possible.

Ever since the horse-frightening incident, the people in the General's Mansion have begun to doubt the group of officials led by Fang Zhushi. They all think that they are the instigators. However, it is easy to frighten the horses, and they don't know how they command the wolf pack.

And this morning, at the most critical moment, these twenty-odd prisoners finally had some conscience and returned the favor by finally standing up to the Jing family. Otherwise, the Jing family would have lost countless people facing the wolves alone, and it is unknown how long it would have taken to repel the wolves.

Their idea is to win over the serious criminals.

Jing Yongcheng spoke up at the right time: "Where were you officers when the wolves rushed in? You didn't dare to deal with the beasts that bit people to death, but instead went after the unarmed people who saved you. How can you be so unreasonable?"

Jing Changning agreed: "That's right, if they hadn't come to our rescue, the wolves would have attacked you after eating us. Don't think you'll be safe just by hiding in the house."

Someone took the lead, and those in the crowd who were protected by them also helped to speak out. They all knew that if there were more than twenty strong men (strong women), they could help a lot in times of crisis. At least now it seems that the remaining people do not look like bad people. There are many people who kill and burn people out of necessity, and they cannot help but cause suffering to others. The right and wrong is not for outsiders to judge.

Heizi also squeezed into the crowd at this time and quietly helped to defend himself: "The people my mother rescued were not bad people, otherwise they would have run away last night, and they might even have stolen your things and then ran away."

Little Tuanzi never thought Heizi was a bad person, and he also thought what he said was right: "Heizi's brother's mother is a good person."

Everyone:…

Madam Jing: "Yes, if they wanted to escape, they would have escaped long ago after removing the shackles last night. Why should they wait here and be tortured by you? They won't have a good life in Lingnan either."

"Since they won't run away, just keep them under close watch. They don't necessarily need to be shackled. If danger comes, they're quite skilled and can run fast, so they can even save your lives."

Seeing that the first people to come forward to support were all from the General's Mansion, Director Fang was extremely angry, but he was helpless in the face of so many motionless prisoners. County Lieutenant Yan and Master Liu gave him an ultimatum: "If this doesn't work, we have to go our separate ways!"

If they go separately, they will be in greater danger later on and will not be able to complete the task assigned by the forward.

The main parties involved were also afraid. Even if they had more people, they could not guarantee that the serious criminals would not rebel. There was a precedent for this in previous escort processes.

"I think what they said makes sense. If they had tried to escape and dived into the forest, they would have disappeared long ago. The rest are all well-behaved. Boss Fang, you should make a decision quickly! Don't delay things."

"That's right. We've only been out of the capital for a few days, and we haven't encountered any heavy rain, snow, or hail yet. We've already been delayed for a few days, and we don't know what will happen when we get back down!"

"If you don't send the prisoner to Lingnan on time, you will be punished. You'd better leave quickly."

Officer Fang could not withstand the siege of the more than 20 officers he brought with him. Who wouldn't want to escort the prisoner to the destination as quickly as possible and then go back to hug his children and wife and live in a warm bed?

He finally glared at the people who started the trouble and whipped each of them. Then he looked at his subordinates and saw that there were more than 20 of them, and there were only more than 20 prisoners. With one officer in charge of one prisoner, there should be nothing that could not be handled. So he finally agreed to their suggestion.

The runners from the post station went to the county early in the morning, and the mess here could only wait for the local authorities to deal with it.

In one afternoon, all the prisoners were asked to repair the car, make stretchers, and sharpen crutches, and decided to set off again early the next morning.

They had expected the journey ahead to be, if not fraught with danger, at least fraught with thorns, and that their escape from the forest would not be so peaceful. But for the next seven or eight days, until they emerged from the forest, everything was peaceful and tranquil, like a boat careening down a mountain stream, unperturbed by any turbulence and without a leak.

Even the relationship between the prisoners was extremely harmonious. Except that the team moved a little slower due to the presence of many injured people, there was not a single quarrel among them. The big brothers who loved to make trouble the most were also honest. They had been very clear-headed since the separation and had no conflict with the illegitimate children. They lived in peace.

If there was anything, it was to survive. When they passed another small town, the two brothers Jing Changming and Jing Changdu brought their family of seven and knelt down and kowtowed three times to their cousin Jing Yongqiang, begging them to lend them twenty taels of silver. They really didn't have a single penny in their hands and it was difficult for them to move forward.

They also promised to repay the 25 taels of silver, including principal and interest, when they arrived in Lingnan, and said that the whole family had signed and sealed it, and that as long as one person could reach Lingnan alive, they would not default on the debt. Their attitude was so sincere that it was convincing.

Jing Yongqiang was a little hesitant at first. After all, they had the least money among the families, and the remaining money was not much more than that of Datou and his family.

They felt sorry for them, and they didn't look like ungrateful people. Besides, they weren't the ones who had been causing trouble for the General's Mansion along the way. Finally, Jing Yongcheng consulted with the three brothers Jing Yongjian and Jing Yongqiang, and agreed that each family would contribute a little and lend them twenty taels.

It’s not that the General’s Mansion cannot afford to borrow these dozens of taels of silver, but it is because it has not been easy for everyone to reach Lingnan along the way. Let them all remember the kindness of the third branch and bring their hearts together.

The mountains were high and the journey was long; with only twenty taels of silver, so many people would definitely not reach Lingnan. Even so, they finally borrowed only thirty taels, saying that they now had clothes, bedding, and a cart, and although they were a little simple, they could get through with some hardship. Along the way, they could also ask their wives and children to find some wild vegetables and dig up some grass roots to make soup, and with the black-faced steamed buns distributed by the officials, saving a little should be enough. They were prepared to endure long-term hardships and did not want to rely entirely on the help they extended.