The area leading from Wangshan Town to Yanglu County is a vast, open space, with a quarantine point established on the east side, heavily guarded by the county’s garrison to prevent infected patients from escaping and spreading the disease.
If it’s a matter of the town alone, it’s still under control. However, if the disease source escapes from Wangshan Town and spreads outside, the situation becos more severe and troubleso.
This is also Shang Jingwang’s intention.
To the west is the road leading to the county town, with twenty-four military officers guarding it in six shifts.
Although many people in the town and villages are still uninfected, and daily investigations continue, those suffering from the epidemic in Wangshan Town live scattered across all directions—nobody knows where the disease originates, and no cure has been found. Therefore, even those uninfected villagers are prohibited from leaving the town.
Huangfu Jingchen and the Undying Ghost Doctor initially intended to enter the town, but they saw from afar the sentry post teeming with noisy people, at least a few hundred.
The soldiers on duty were almost drowned out by this large crowd.
These people are from various villages.
The Undying Ghost Doctor glanced over there, then at Huangfu Jingchen, and said with a chuckle, "Young one, if these people break out, then things will get interesting!"
Huangfu Jingchen felt anxious, tucked the little sable into his sleeve, and spurred his horse forward. As he approached, he saw Shang Jingwang and Wang Bolao also hurriedly arriving.
The additional sixteen soldiers who had withdrawn for rest also rushed back in haste.
From afar, Wang Bolao shouted, "Folks, folks, don’t be impulsive..."
Being sowhat fat, he was already short of breath from rushing, and after shouting a few words, he was panting heavily.
The young n clashing with the soldiers were from the village. They were required to stay at ho, not allowed to go anywhere, and forced to drink preventive herbal dicine every day, with daily investigations. Each ti the town was investigated, a few were taken away—so were their relatives, so were their neighbors.
This kept their nerves taut.
Over these days, that tension finally snapped.
They couldn’t get the latest news, even though Wang Bolao, as the town head, continuously tried to reassure them, fear still gripped them.
They believed they were healthy, yet were kept at ho, while infections continued—so taken away today and so tomorrow, and those who were taken away never returned.
It was said they were sent to the quarantine point.
Soone ventured out at midnight to gather information and returned, terrified, saying many died at the quarantine point, and bodies were piled up and burned in pits behind it, burning all night until everyone at the quarantine point perished.
This ssage spread quietly across surrounding villages, inciting further panic. While they sat at ho, unaware how they might catch the disease, staying there would eventually lead to infection, being captured and taken away to never return, becoming one of the corpses burned silently at night. Isn’t this a waiting death?
Fear eventually rebounds when it reaches a certain level.
They decided to escape.
They were clearly uninfected, yet couldn’t leave because of those who were, and staying in the village ant waiting for death. So staying only led to demise!
Only by escaping and leaving this place could they avoid the epidemic and find a way to survive.
They learned the path out of town had a guard post, but few guarded it. As long as they broke through, they could escape.
Once they’re free, they can survive without waiting for death here.
It’s unclear who led the charge, but they chose today to rush the guard post, planning their escape.
Seeing many villagers carrying tools and weapons attacking the guard post, the soldiers sensed sothing amiss. Was this an attempt to breach? Quickly, they sent soone to report, while the remaining seven pointed their spears at the approaching crowd.
The gleaming, icy spear tips made them hesitate, their charge slowed. The soldiers hurriedly shouted, "What is this? Go back, no one is allowed through!"
After initial hesitance, the villagers paused briefly, steadied their resolve, and quickly regained composure.
Soone shouted, "Let us through. We’re not sick, why are we also being held here? Do you want everyone in the town to die?"
The soldiers on duty were secretly anxious, unable to stop so many rushing forward. Thankfully, they didn’t panic; one went to report while seven confronted the villagers. They were only responsible for guarding, following orders like a mountain. Facing so many emotionally distraught civilians, their hearts were anxious.
They said, "No matter your reasons, passing isn’t allowed. Go back quickly!"
A voice from among the villagers shouted, "They’re only seven with spears. We have hoes, bamboo poles, sickles. We’re not afraid. Break through first; otherwise, there’ll be no chance later. Must we wait to die in the village?"
"Yeah, rush through. If anyone blocks, then fight!"
The squad leader among the soldiers shouted, "Lord Shang ordered, those daring to breach the post and escape shall be killed without rcy!"
However, rather than scaring the villagers, this shout stirred them more: "Waiting to die in the village is also death, rushing the post is death too. If breaking through offers a way to live, then rush!"
Thus, chaos ensued, but thankfully two more shifts of soldiers rushed over. Well-trained, although so civilians got injured, a confrontation ford.
Yet, the villagers’ emotions were intensely agitated, especially when thinking of catching the disease at ho and being sent to quarantine, dying silently, cremated without remains, they looked at the soldiers as enemies.
They launched wave after wave of attacks, wielding farming tools. Rakes and sticks were longer than soldiers’ spears.
Luckily, these twenty-four soldiers were trained, more organized than the villagers, but fists couldn’t defeat four hands. There were just too many villagers.
The villagers, although temporarily prevented from breaking through, had the soldiers in a bind, looking to soon be overwheld.
The soldiers were also injured, hurt by hoes and sickles.
The number of villagers grew, emotions increasingly out of control. Initially only hoping to push the soldiers away, now violently swinging indiscriminately, the twenty-four soldiers retreated step by step, all wounded.
At this rate, these twenty-four soldiers would soon be engulfed by the crowd of villagers.
This was the scene Huangfu Jingchen witnessed.
The hurriedly arriving Shang Jingwang and Wang Bolao also saw this scene.
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