Pick up a princess to be your wife

"The brothers are on their way," Li Ertie said.

"Big brother, second brother, are we going to rob someone this time?" Zhao Cuo asked.

"You're not scared, are you?" Li Ertie asked with a smile.

Zhao Cuo's spirits lifted, and he said loudly, "With so much equipment, why would I be afraid?"

"Brother Ertie, this is your old profession, why don't you plan it?" Li Mu said with a smile.

Li Ertie scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "I haven't done this for so many years, I'm a bit rusty. It's more reliable if you do the planning."

Soon after, all the brothers arrived.

"Go get a map first," Li Mu said.

"Ready."

Li Ertie smiled smugly, took out a map from his sleeve, and handed it to Li Mu.

Li Mu spread out the map and placed it on the dilapidated table. Everyone gathered around and stared at the map carefully.

According to the information provided by He Xianzhi, Zero Money Shop would leave the city through the west gate and then head northwest along the official road to leave Luyang County.

The map shows that there is a rugged terrain about 30 li away from Luyang County.

"Brother Ertie, you come with me out of the city to scout the location; Zhao Cuo, you take a quick-thinking brother and keep an eye on Zero Money Shop's movements; the rest of you, familiarize yourselves with the equipment first. The crossbows aren't hard to use, they're easy to learn, so practice a bit first," Li Mu instructed.

Li Mu and Li Ertie got up, about to leave.

Zhao Cuo immediately called out to the two of them.

"It's best to bring chainmail when leaving the city, just in case," Zhao Cuo advised.

"No need, a knife will suffice," Li Mu said.

Li Mu took some white paper and a pen with him and left Luyang County together with Li Ertie.

This was the first time Li Mu had left the county town since he transmigrated.

The fields near the county town were neat and tidy.

As we moved further away from the county town, the sense of desolation grew stronger.

The fields showed signs of having been turned over many times, there wasn't even a weed in sight by the roadside, and the trees were reduced to bare trunks, without a single withered leaf.

Some trees even have no bark left. Upon closer inspection, you can clearly see gnaw marks on the trunk.

Along the roadside, there were pieces of white bones scattered about, some animal bones and some human bones.

Occasionally, you can see seven or eight people squatting in the dry fields, weakly digging at the soil, mostly looking for food.

Those people were dressed in tattered clothes, their hair was unkempt, and their movements were incredibly stiff.

Those people were all refugees.

Three months ago, these people all had their own homes and land to cultivate. While they weren't wealthy, they hadn't fallen to such a state.

In just over three months, countless people around the world have become homeless.

Without the protection of city walls, they lived in villages in the wilderness. Whenever refugees passed by, their homes would be robbed of everything, whether edible or not.

With no other way to survive, they became refugees and resorted to robbing other people's food and utensils.

Someone in the field dug up something, and suddenly several people rushed over and started fighting with the person.

One of them seemed to have found something, and immediately crawled out of the chaos, holding something in his hands and stuffing it into his mouth.

The others immediately pulled him back, turned him over, and started punching him hard in the stomach.

"Heaven is unjust!" Upon seeing this desolate scene, Li Ertie felt a surge of righteous indignation.

As the two were walking on the official road, a dozen or so refugees suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked their way.

These people had dull, confused eyes, looking like the eyes of wild beasts, devoid of any human luster.

"Those who come from the city must have money and plenty of food!"

"I found it first, don't try to take it from me!"

"Whoever grabs it belongs to whoever grabs it!"

These people suddenly went berserk and pounced on the two of them.

With two clanging sounds, Li Mu and Li Ertie simultaneously drew their swords from their sheaths.

The fleeing refugees who were rushing forward stopped in their tracks when they saw the narrow knife, and their eyes became much clearer.

Li Mu and Li Ertie walked forward at a leisurely pace, and the refugees who were blocking their way retreated.

They followed for two or three miles before retreating.

“These people were originally poor folks who suffered at the hands of refugees or bandits, and ended up like this. Tell me, did they deserve to die?” Li Ertie asked with some grief and indignation.

“They were robbed, they have no way to survive. Look at this wilderness, you can’t even find a single leaf. What can they do to survive?” Li Mu said.

"Do you feel sorry for them?" Li Ertie asked.

“It is indeed pitiful,” Li Mu nodded.

“I also feel sorry for them. If anyone is to blame, it’s that damned Wu Fengxian. If it weren’t for his rebellion, the world wouldn’t be in such chaos,” Li Ertie said indignantly.

“Wu Fengxian hasn’t yet wreaked havoc on Lingnan. The chaos in Lingnan is partly due to Wu Fengxian’s rebel army. But the bigger reason lies in the Lingnan Circuit itself,” Li Mu said.

“That’s true. It’s because of beasts like Zhou Wanfu who have been preying on the people, leaving them with no way to survive and turning them into refugees,” Li Ertie nodded.

“These beasts only care about their own interests and don’t care about the lives of ordinary people,” Li Mu said.

The more chaotic the times, the tighter the pockets of landlords and wealthy people will be, and they will take advantage of the chaos to make a fortune.

"Sigh." Li Ertie sighed heavily.

“Right now, the refugees outside Luyang County are not a significant force. But once their numbers increase and a leader gathers them together, they will become bandits. If they manage to capture any county town and acquire more resources, they will become a rebellious army that wreaks havoc in the region,” Li Mu said.

“Yes, they will harm even more people in the future. Thinking about it this way, are they pitiful or hateful?” Li Ertie felt that this question was somewhat profound and he did not know how to draw a conclusion.

After walking for more than an hour, the two finally arrived at their destination.

The road ahead was carved out between two mountains, with steep slopes on both sides, scattered with rocks and dry trees everywhere, making it a perfect place for an ambush.

Li Mu climbed to a high point and sketched the rugged terrain.

“We don’t have many men, so we’ll have to finish this quickly. This place is suitable for an ambush; we can use these boulders and trees as weapons,” Li Mu said.

"We'll do whatever you say, brothers," Li Ertie said.

“Call the brothers over tonight. We’ll set a trap here and wait for them to come to us,” Li Mu said.

“No problem, you stay here and keep watch, I’ll go back and get reinforcements,” Li Ertie said.

"Be careful on the road. If you encounter any refugees who try to harass you, just scare them away."

"understood."