Baozhu made do with a night in the oxcart, then set off again the next day. The party finally learned the underlying reason for the recent shortage of food along their route: the two powerful eastern military commands, the Ziqing Garrison and the Huaixi Garrison, had mustered tens of thousands of troops and come to blows over territory and cities, cutting off the grain transport route from Jianghuai.
Luoyang was a vital hub for transporting Jianghuai grain northward. Once those shipments stopped, it was like a hand closing around a person's throat. Although Luoyang's great granaries held reserves, priority had to go to Chang'an, where the Son of Heaven resided. With drought spreading as well, famine hung like dark clouds over the Capital Circuit. Luoyang had now forbidden starving refugees from entering the city, lest they riot and rise against the authorities.
More and more people along the road had the sallow faces of the malnourished and clothes that scarcely covered their bodies. Groups of young, able-bodied men roamed the countryside, their eyes gleaming green with hunger.
Wei Xun put away his teasing, sardonic smile. He watched the situation closely, stopping and starting, sometimes deliberately leading everyone into the weeds or ruins beside the road to hide. After their third encounter with refugees, he took his blue cloth robe from his bundle and handed it to Baozhu.
"Your clothes draw too much attention. Cover them up for now."
Baozhu was wearing the silk brocade robe Pang Liangji had given her. Frightened, she asked softly, "Will they rob us?"
Wei Xun said, "If robbery is all they do, we can count ourselves lucky. People driven mad by hunger are like starving wolves. They'll eat people."
Fear made Baozhu's voice rise despite herself. "In broad daylight? How could they?"
Then she turned