Heyin County.
Beneath the night sky, a great crowd of people ran in a dark, milling mass.
They had not formed ranks, much less organized themselves. They simply ran in chaos, with people falling behind from time to time, cries and curses sounding all along the road.
Meanwhile, at Heyin's docks, a party had already boarded a boat. The fisherman trembled in fright, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at the fully armed men around him.
Wang Yuan boarded the boat with more than ten fully armed trusted aides beside him. Guo Ze, tightly trussed up, was among them too.
"Set off!"
At Wang Yuan's command, the boat slowly drew away from shore. Several small boats surrounded it, their occupants crouching low and stealing glances around them.
"Big brother... all those people, money, grain... are we just abandoning them like this?"
One of his trusted aides spoke up.
His face was full of reluctance.
They had tasted what it was like to be generals for only a few hours, and now they had to abandon everything and flee with their elder brother. None of them wanted to let it go.
Wang Yuan, however, remained exceptionally calm.
"Luoyang's cavalry might already be outside the county seat. If we don't leave, are we supposed to lead those farmers against tens of thousands of soldiers?"
"Big brother, of course we have to leave, but why not bring more things with us? Those Wanderers were quite good too. At least we could have brought some money and grain..."
Wang Yuan shook his head. "These are all worldly possessions. Don't dwell on them. Sooner or later, we'll get them again."
"In this battle, we made our name resound. That is enough. That is the capital we'll use to gain wealth and rank in