Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

Zhou Tianyang's gaze swept over them.

After confirming that there are no abnormalities.

Reassured, he looked away.

The group encountered no obstacles as they passed through the town.

A woman sitting on a doorstep sewing shoe soles looked up at them, then lowered her head and continued her work.

It's as if they've become accustomed to seeing people pass by on the street.

Two children were squatting at the alley entrance playing with pebbles. When they saw someone walk by, they curiously looked up, watched for a while, and then looked down again.

As Zhou Tianyang walked down the main street, his gaze quickly swept over both sides.

The whole town exuded its usual tranquility, without any unusual atmosphere.

After leaving the town.

Ma Yong slowed down his pace and waited for Zhou Tianyang to catch up.

The two walked side by side for a while, and Ma Yong looked at the mountain shadow and said:

"Commander, once we cross this ridge, we'll be in Tai'an territory."

"Should we spend the night at the foot of the mountain, or climb over in the dark?"

Zhou Tianyang also looked up at the mountain shadow.

"Let's find a place to spend the night at the foot of the mountain. It's not safe to hike at night, and we're not familiar with the terrain, so accidents can easily happen."

"We'll leave when it's light tomorrow."

Ma Yong responded and quickened his pace to go ahead and make the arrangements.

They reached the foot of the mountain just as darkness fell completely.

Ma Yong found a sheltered depression surrounded by bushes.

After the line stopped.

Zhou Tianyang had the dry rations he brought distributed, and then had two soldiers take turns fetching some water from nearby.

Liu Ping sat on a rock, slowly eating his dry rations.

After taking a few bites, he suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with emotion.

"In the few days since I came out of southeastern Shanxi, I have traveled through so many places and met more people than I did in the three years I spent in the rear."

Zhou Tianyang sat down next to him, broke off a piece of dry food and chewed it, giving a mumbled reply.

"There are all kinds of people, but most of them are ordinary people who just want to live a peaceful life."

Liu Ping remained silent for a moment.

"Once the war is over, these places will be able to settle down."

Zhou Tianyang did not respond.

He knew the war wouldn't be over in a day or two, but there was no point in saying it now.

He stuffed the last piece of dry rations into his mouth and patted the crumbs off his hands.

I stood up, walked to the edge of the bushes, and stood still, looking at the distant mountain shadows that had completely darkened.

He turned to Ma Yong and said:

"Set up sentry posts and maintain vigilance as usual tonight."

"We'll cross the mountain first thing tomorrow morning."

Ma Yong nodded in agreement and turned to make the arrangements.

Night fell.

the next morning.

"Commander, we've already seen the route."

Ma Yong raised his finger and pointed in the direction of the mountain ridge.

"There's a mountain path leading up from here; people must have walked on it before."

"After you cross that slope, it goes downhill, and that leads to the outskirts of Tai'an."

"Are there any signs that someone has walked here?"

"have."

"You can see some hoof prints and shoe prints on the road, both old and new."

"Someone should have walked this road in the last three to five days; it's not a deserted path."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

Thirty-two people lined up in a single column.

We started climbing up the mountain path that Ma Yong had explored.

The mountain path was indeed narrow; in the narrowest part, only one person could pass sideways.

The ground was covered with gravel, making it easy to slip and fall on loose stones if you weren't careful.

Ma Yong walked at the front, his steps very steady, taking each step firmly before moving on to the next, and the soldiers behind him maintained the same rhythm.

Zhou Tianyang walked in the middle of the group, slightly towards the front.

It allows you to see the road ahead clearly while also keeping an eye on Liu Ping, who is lagging behind.

Liu Ping found it more difficult to walk on the mountain path than he had in the previous days.

The mountain path was steeper than he had expected, and he had to stop and catch his breath every few dozen steps.

But he never slowed down the group; each time he stopped to catch his breath, he would continue climbing.

The soldier walking in front of him subtly slowed down.

After climbing for about half an hour, the team reached the top of the ridge.

There is a relatively flat area on the ridge, wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side.

Ma Yong stood at the highest point of the ridge, gazing into the distance, then turned and made a gesture to Zhou Tianyang.

Zhou Tianyang quickened his pace and walked over, standing next to Ma Yong and following his gaze.

The other side of the mountain ridge presents a completely different scene.

A wide, gently sloping area extends downwards, ending at rolling fields and villages.

"That's the territory of Tai'an."

Ma Yong pointed to the fields below the mountain.

"Follow that road southeast, bypass Tai'an City, and then go to Qufu."

"If we walk fast, we can get there tonight."

Zhou Tianyang didn't say anything, but just stood on the ridge for a while.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and called out to those behind him.

"Go down the mountain, walk slowly."

The downhill road is easier to walk than the uphill road.

The soldiers maintained the same pace they had used when they went up the mountain, steadily descending step by step.

Liu Ping was noticeably more relaxed going down the mountain than going up, and his steps were much more steady.

He could even exchange a few words with the soldiers next to him during the breaks.

It took more than an hour to descend the mountain.

After reaching the foot of the mountain, the road opened up again.

Large tracts of wheat fields and vegetable plots began to appear on both sides of the dirt road, and people were already working in some of them.

An old man in his fifties, carrying a hoe, walked down from the edge of the field and just passed by the group.

He glanced at the travelers, his gaze tinged with caution.

But he didn't linger and walked on with his head down.

Zhou Tianyang noticed a stone tablet standing on the ridge of a field by the roadside.

It was marked with words like "Tai'an County Boundary".

It seems they have officially entered the territory of Tai'an.

As instructed by Wang Jinghe, they were to bypass Tai'an City and travel directly through the small road outside the city to the southeast.

The group walked along the dirt road for about an hour, and then the outline of a row of houses appeared at the end of the fields ahead.

That was clearly not a county town, but just an ordinary large village with dozens of households living on both sides of the road.

Several elderly people were sitting at the entrance of the village, enjoying the cool air.

They saw this group of people approaching from afar.

They just glanced up and then continued their conversation without doing anything unusual.

When Zhou Tianyang led his team past the village entrance.

An old man sitting under a tree suddenly spoke up and asked a question.

"You came from the north?"

The tone was casual, as if it were just a casual chat, and it didn't sound malicious.

Zhou Tianyang didn't stop walking; he turned his head and responded.

"They came from Jinan and are heading south."

The old man nodded.

"The road over there is difficult to travel, so be careful."

"Thank you, sir."

Zhou Tianyang replied politely, then continued walking forward.

He noticed that the old man didn't ask any more questions.

He just lowered his head again to fiddle with the pipe in his hand.

They're like the kind of ordinary people you often see on the street who casually exchange a few words and then don't ask any further questions.

After passing through that village.

The farmland on both sides gradually turned into low shrubs and dry land.

The group continued moving forward.