In the early morning sun, a group of people carried patched packages on their backs, carrying the old and helping the young slowly.

An atmosphere of sadness and silence spread through this huge ranks, and even the most active children did not dare to speak out.

Everyone looked up at the sky, and faces with yellow muscles and thin muscles appeared.

"Grandpa, what's the place up ahead?"

"Chaohu Lake"

"Is there anything to eat?"

"It is said that there is food"

When the voice fell, the faces of the old and weak women and children showed a ray of hope.

But thinking about what happened along the way, I gradually became a little silent.

In this troubled world, they deeply realized what human life is, death, hunger and disease are always hanging over their heads, and they cannot be dispersed and driven away.

"Is there really anything to eat in Chaohu?"

A child asked with a wince, while looking at his little friend.

The woman held the child in her arms, and although her heart was full of worry, she still lied to satisfy his little wish.

"Yes"

"Really? Mother, you won't lie to me, will you?"

"You don't believe in being a mother?"

"This? The child is not suspicious of his mother, but he lied last time."

"Last time?"

A sad look appeared in the woman's eyes.

"Mother, I was wrong, I shouldn't have said what happened last time"

"It's okay"

Everyone's hearts sank at the same time, and a sigh echoed in their ears.

Wherever there are lakes, there are bound to be many fish.

In this troubled world, there is a fish belly, and it is also a treasure land that everyone fights for.

Now that chaos is everywhere, how can there be no one entrenched in such a precious place.

"Daddy, did you say that there will be water thieves entrenched in Chaohu Lake in front of you?"

"I don't know"

"How can there be no water thieves in Chaohu Lake"

"I heard that Chaohu Lake has fertile land and many fish, and even the fertile land has become a wasteland if there are bandits everywhere today."

"In this way, it seems that there should be a lot of water thieves there."

"Hey"

Several old men let out a long sigh.

"The old rules, the lottery decides, this time send those people to investigate"

"That's—That's the only way"

The refugees stopped and looked at each other with a look of wariness in their eyes.

They have survived until now because of this method, every time they go to a place, they first draw lots to decide who will go to investigate. If you encounter water bandits and bandits, you can also turn around, and as for those who go to investigate, they will naturally die or live.

"Ah, Daddy, let me go this time"

"I'll go too"

"I'll go too"

The three young men stepped forward and showed a determined look.

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

An old man looked at one of the young men with a complicated look in his eyes: "Child, you are the only young man among us."

"If there are water thieves ahead, once you are killed, what will happen to us old and weak women and children?" The old man asked.

The young man stepped forward: "It is precisely because there are only three of us left in the young man now, so we need to go and investigate"

"If there are water thieves in front of us, we still have hope of escaping, but if we send other people, how can we run through the water thieves with your physical strength?" The young man said.

The other two young men also echoed loudly: "Our relatives and our brothers have all died or been separated on the way, we have been cowards for so long, it's time for us to contribute to our fathers and take our own responsibilities."

"Ah, Dad, I heard that the water thieves in Chaohu Lake have been wiped out, so there should be no danger in investigating this time," said the young man.

Several old men glanced at each other, and one of them shook his head: "It's not appropriate"

"Haven't we been deceived by those bandits along the way? I don't know how many bandits disguised themselves as refugees, claiming that their place was peaceful and peaceful, but in the end, all the people who inquired about it went and never returned," said the old man.

The refugees were chattering.

"But they have a point"

"With the physical strength of the water thieves, if we go to investigate, we will definitely not return, but if they say that there is a possibility of survival"

"What if they die?"

"This?"

"Without the youth, where can we go? Do you want to bury the bones in Chaohu Lake? ”

Listening to these voices, the three young men glanced at each other, and there was a hint of death in their eyes.

"Although what Daddy and the elders said is true, this Chaohu Lake is no different from other lakes, and we will go to investigate that there is still a slight possibility of survival," said a young man.

The tone was raised to a few points: "This time we are arbitrary, please forgive me."

"Let's go," said the young man in a loud voice.

The two young men glanced at each other, didn't give everyone a chance to speak, turned around and strode away.

Looking at the backs of the three people, the lips of the old and weak women and children moved, and finally turned into a sigh.

"Mother, will these uncles come back?"

The child's inquiry rang in his ears and spread slowly in the wind.

There was no reply, only endless silence.

If these people do not return within an hour, it means that there is a great danger in Chaohu Lake.

They had to find a way to avoid Chaohu Lake, but how to avoid it when they got to this place? If you want to go south, you can't avoid it.

Besides, is the south really a peaceful place?

No one can answer this question, they can only use the South as a sustenance for their hearts.

Maybe one day they will only be dry bones on the side of the road, accompanied by a pile of wild grass.

……

The eyes of the three young men in front of them were covered with tears.

Compared to the rest of the place, it is clear that Chaohu Lake is a more dangerous place.

On the way, they learned a lot of news, it is said that there are thousands of water thieves in this area, and it is a burial place for refugees.

"Brother Bao, do you think we can still see them alive?" A young man asked.

Qing Zhuang, who was standing in front, said in a firm tone: "Yes, we will definitely survive, and didn't someone say that Chaohu Lake has been swept away by Chaohu Chief?" ”

"But, after all, there are thousands of water thieves," said another young man.

The three of them were silent for a while.

Although they learned the news that Chaohu Lake Chief Jia Niandang had leveled thousands of water thieves in Chaohu Lake, their hearts were full of doubts and disbelief.

With just a hundred soldiers, thousands of water thieves can be swept away, and how do you look at it and feel that it is a trick of water thieves.

Besides, there are not many such things they encounter on the road, and those water thieves and mountain thieves don't know how many rumors they spread in order to arrest them. In this way, they trap the fleeing people, take their wives and children as hostages and goods, and bully and even kill them unscrupulously.

The news of the government is not untrustworthy, but there is too much room for their hands in it, and how can officials and bandits unite with each other?

How miserable it would be for the bandits to occupy one or two villages, and then push out the village chiefs and town chiefs to exterminate one of the bandits in their name with the help of rumors in their name, and ignorant people fleeing to the city.

"We have no way out now, this is the only way, we have to go"

The two young men looked at each other and let out a long sigh at the same time.