Qing Huang Southern Territory.
About two to three li from the national border, three to four hundred people slowly approached, men, women, old, and young.
The strong and able-bodied pulled flat carts laden with pots, pans, tables, chairs, bedding, grain, water vats, and other belongings.
Pregnant women, infants, and the elderly sat on the carts, while older children walked alongside the caravan. The women carried parcels of various sizes, supporting each other as they went.
They appeared to be refugees fleeing a disaster.
Perhaps due to encountering many dangers on the road, those with some fighting capability carried sticks, shovels, or kitchen knives and sickles, walking on the outer perimeter and forming a protective circle around those within. Their clothes still bore dried bloodstains, and a few had bandages wrapped around their heads.
All of them had dry lips, their faces caked with dirt, moving forward slowly. They squinted occasionally towards the boundless desert ahead, or lowered their heads, stepping gingerly through the dusty yellow sand, their steps firm.
They walked slowly but without any hint of recoiling or wanting to turn back.
Each person carried a resolute determination, an unwavering focus on their goal.
They had been trekking through the desert for over a month. Finally, they saw patches of green grass appearing on the sand. At first, it was just sparse tufts, then they formed patches, and finally, a green ocean.
They had heard that the Qing Huang Kingdom was filled with green mountains and clear waters, with plants growing exceptionally lush. Ahead, mountainsides covered in greenery were now visible, suggesting they were nearing Qing Huang.
"Everyone, persevere! We should be there soon!" someone shouted loudly, their voice filled with immense excitement.
Everyone looked forward, their eyes shining with the light of hope.
However, just as all were filled with joy, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out from ahead. From behind the rolling hills, a cavalry troop of over a hundred men emerged.
Their attire was quite different from the Great Xia soldiers they had encountered before. Could these be Qing Huang soldiers? Would they charge and attack them?
The refugees all stopped, staring at the cavalry with wary eyes, instinctively tightening their grip on their makeshift weapons.
The cavalry, mounted on their horses, looked down upon the group of several hundred people, their eyes filled with shock.
These people must have been in the desert for a long time; they were all sun-darkened, with cracked lips and gaunt cheeks, resembling worn-out clay figures coated in dust.
"Who are you? Why are you trespassing into Qing Huang territory?" the leading cavalryman demanded loudly, pointing his weapon at the long procession.
In fact, yesterday he had received intelligence from scouts ahead that a large group of Great Xia citizens was heading into Qing Huang.
This morning, he had led his troops to wait here early.
Among the refugees, several middle-aged men walking at the front exchanged glances and nodded to each other. One of them stepped forward and respectfully said to the cavalry, "Greetings, soldiers. We are villagers from Red Tree Village, in Tianshui Town, Tasha County, Great Xia Kingdom.
Great Xia is now in chaos, and no one cares about the lives of ordinary people like us. We all desire a stable life. We heard that our village chief's wife, Bai Sheng, is a princess of the Qing Huang Kingdom and has returned to Qing Huang.
Therefore, we... wish to seek refuge with her. From this day forward, we will be citizens of Qing Huang. We implore you to inform Her Highness the Princess."
The cavalrymen were all astonished by the middle-aged man's words. So, they actually knew the Princess. However, with so many Great Xia citizens, if any Great Xia spies were mixed in, it would be disastrous.
The leading cavalryman pondered for a moment, then said loudly, "Do you truly know our Princess? Then tell us, which members of our Princess's family do you know? Come closer and speak!" Jin Shuwei pointed at the middle-aged man who had spoken earlier.
Seeing that the Qing Huang cavalry had not attacked them indiscriminately, the villagers felt largely reassured.
The middle-aged man who had just spoken stepped forward and lowered his voice slightly, saying, "Sir, my surname is Wang. My son, Wang Xiao Ma, works for Master—the Prince Consort. The Princess's name is Bai Sheng. The Prince Consort's original surname was Lu, but he later recognized his ancestors and changed his surname to Zuo, his given name being Zuo Ye.
The Prince Consort and the Princess's first child is a set of quadruplets: the eldest is Zuo Jin Hua, the second is Zuo Jin Ye, the third is Zuo Jin Rui, and the fourth is Zuo Jin Yi.
Master has a younger sister named Zuo Hua, a younger brother named Zuo Yun, and a youngest brother named Zuo Yu. The Princess's household also has many servants, such as Tian Gui Hua, Zhao Da Zhuang, Du Min, Feng Ping Yuan, Ma San, Huang Gou Sheng..."
"Enough, no need to say more!" the leading cavalryman said sternly. He believed these Great Xia people were indeed seeking refuge with the Princess, but they could not allow them all to enter the pass rashly because of this. He had to notify the Princess and ask her to come and verify them personally.
However, there were over four hundred people here. Although the Princess had left some provisions for their camp, she couldn't sustain so many mouths eating for free.
Moreover, judging by their appearance, these people were clearly capable of eating a lot. Having been starving for so many days, they would surely pounce on food like hungry wolves.
Seeing the cavalrymen still hesitating, another middle-aged man called out, "Sir, what we're saying is true. My daughter, Ga Mei, is very good friends with the Princess's younger sister-in-law, Zuo Hua.
If you don't believe us, you can ask Her Highness the Princess. All of us want to live good lives with the Princess and the Prince Consort, and we have no ill intentions."
"Ga Mei?" The soldiers seemed to recall this name.
After silently pondering, the leading cavalryman stood tall and declared, "Listen closely, everyone! My surname is Jin, and I am the Southern Territory Border Guard Commandant. You may call me Commandant Jin.
The relationship between Great Xia and Qing Huang, as you all know, is not good. Because you are from Great Xia, even though you claim to know our Princess, we cannot fully believe you until the Princess has personally verified you.
Therefore, you will first follow me to set up camp outside the pass and wait. I will order someone to go to Fengcheng immediately to notify Her Highness the Princess, so she can come and verify you personally.
Only after the verification is complete and if she agrees to let you enter Qing Huang can you come in. However, the Southern Territory is quite far from Fengcheng, so it may take some time. Our military camp's food supplies are insufficient, and we can only eat thin porridge at each meal. Can you endure this?"
Upon hearing Commandant Jin's words, all the villagers showed expressions of great joy, and many began to clap and cheer.
Xiao Ma's father said gratefully, "Thank you for your help, Commandant Jin. Your border guards are already short on food and supplies. We will not burden you further. We have brought our own provisions. As long as we can have a bowl of water, that will suffice. We've drunk all our water on the journey."
When Commandant Jin heard this, the anxiety in his heart immediately subsided. As long as his grain wasn't wasted, everything was fine. He couldn't help but smile and say, "Water is plentiful! Tidy up, everyone, and follow me!"
Xiao Ma's father immediately shouted for everyone to hurry and pack up, as they were about to follow Commandant Jin to the pass.