I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

"Um... Captain."

Located more than ten miles west of Zhongdu Bridge, on a sheltered earthen slope, a newly lit bonfire flickered in the wind, illuminating several faces around them, their skin blue from the cold.

Old Liu held a piece of dry, hard flatbread that he had somehow found. He was still a little unsure of what to do, so he just rubbed his hands together by the fire.

"If we keep going west like this, will we really be able to survive? I've heard that the Taihang Mountains aren't very safe either. If we go any further west, we'll be in the Hedong region."

"We're going to Hedong."

Shen Lie sheathed the cleaned knife, took the flatbread, broke it in half, and handed one half to Sanlang beside him.

"If we don't go to Hedong, are we supposed to go to Bianliang and wait for the Khitans to come and shave our heads?"

"A haircut?"

Saburo took the cake but didn't dare to eat it; he just stared wide-eyed.

"Did the Khitans shave their heads?"

"Shaving once means gathering grain." Shen Lie stuffed a hard, rock-like cake into his mouth and chewed. "By then, Shi Jin will be dead, so there's no need to actually shave heads, but the left-fastening robe and such will still be necessary."

Old Liu and Sanlang looked at each other, clearly not understanding what "left-lapel" meant, but they understood the words "Shi Jin is dead."

Now, although this old man Liu was just a villager from the countryside, he knew about the general trend of the world.

Now that Du Chongwei has surrendered, the 200,000 elite troops of Jin have all fallen into enemy hands. From here, heading south, there is only flat land ahead.

Once the Khitan cavalry crossed the river, it would only take them a few days to reach Bianliang.

It seems that Shi Jin is truly doomed.

However, Shen Lie's insistence on going to Hedong was not to serve Liu Zhiyuan, who was about to establish the Later Han Dynasty.

"Captain." Liu Laosan, who was one of the few people in the village who had seen the world, could only rub his hands nervously, so much so that his hands trembled as he added firewood to the fire.

"I've heard that Liu, the military governor of Hedong, has 100,000 elite troops under his command and controls the fortified city of Taiyuan. Although the Khitans are powerful, they don't dare to provoke him easily. If we can escape to Taiyuan, does that mean we'll survive?"

"I can live."

"But whether we can live a peaceful life is another matter."

"Why is that?" Sanlang couldn't help but interject, "I heard that Liu Hedong is the pillar of our Shijin..."

Shen Lie, who was sitting cross-legged there, chuckled inwardly and casually picked up a twig to stir the fire.

Firstly, Liu Laosan and Sanlang were just ordinary people. In this era of limited information, they naturally regarded the powerful military governor of Hedong as their savior.

Secondly, how could he not understand that Liu Zhiyuan was not some Shi Jindongliang?

On the contrary, this guy is an even more cunning opportunist than Shi Jingtang!

Every single military governor during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was an ungrateful wretch.

Although Liu Zhiyuan was later hailed in historical records as the King of Taiyuan who rebuilt the Central Plains and even Emperor Gaozu of the Later Han Dynasty, at this moment, the performance of this Jiedushi of Hedong could hardly be considered that of a hero.

Going back from the Battle of Zhongdu Bridge, when the Khitans launched a large-scale southward invasion, Liu, the military governor who commanded the strong army of Hedong, did not send out any troops once, except for the two times when they were attacked at Xinkou and Shuozhou. He simply sat in Taiyuan and watched the tigers fight.

If Shen Lie's memory serves him correctly, it will be next year, after the Khitan Yelü Deguang destroys the Later Jin and enters Bianliang.

Instead of immediately raising an army to defend the emperor, Liu Zhiyuan sent his trusted confidant Wang Jun to Bianliang with rare treasures to submit a petition to Yelü Deguang and pledge allegiance.

The Khitan emperor was a shrewd man. He was overjoyed to see the gift, but he also saw through Liu Zhiyuan's indecisiveness. So he only gave him a wooden crutch in return and even affectionately called Liu Zhiyuan "son".

In other words, this founding emperor who was about to establish the Later Han Dynasty was actually the same as Shi Jingtang, who had been cursed for a thousand years.

They were essentially the eldest sons of the Khitans, only they didn't explicitly acknowledge their father-son relationship.

Therefore, if you look closely at the warlords of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, most of them were corrupt.

Fortunately, Shen Lie wasn't a morally fastidious person.

As an ordinary person who transmigrated from civilized society, what he needed most at this moment was not a moral exemplar, but a powerful figure who could help him survive in this chaotic world.

Although Liu Zhiyuan's character was questionable, he was still the future emperor.

More importantly, Guo Wei, the powerful ruler who would later end the chaotic Five Dynasties period and establish the Later Zhou Dynasty, was serving under Liu Zhiyuan at this very moment!

Upon realizing this, Shen Lie couldn't help but ponder how to use his position as General Wang Qing's subordinate to gain recognition from the future Emperor Guo Taizu.

Unexpectedly, just as Chief Shen was beginning to formulate his plans, Old Man Liu ate a couple of bites of bread, seemingly recovering, but unable to suppress his worries, he tentatively asked again:

"I haven't asked the captain yet..."

"Call me Shen Lie, or whatever else you like. There aren't as many rules outside the military."

A must-learn lesson for time travelers is to quickly adapt to their new identity.

"Brother Shen, although Liu Taiyuan of Hedong has a strong army, he is, after all, a Shatuo... If we Han people go there, do you think we'll fare well?"

"And what about the Shatuo people?"

Shen Lie swallowed the last bite of the biscuit, then grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and stuffed it into his mouth to melt, as if to moisten his throat.

"Du Chongwei was a Han Chinese, yet he was quicker than anyone to betray his country. General Wang Qing was a Han Chinese, yet he died in this freezing cold."

When Wang Qing was mentioned, Old Liu fell silent.

He bent down and poked at the campfire, sparks flying everywhere.

"We're going to Taiyuan, not to seek refuge with Liu Zhiyuan." Shen Lie suddenly stood up, stretching his stiff left leg. "We're going to find a real way to survive."

"A real way to survive?"

Sanlang, who hadn't dared to speak, looked up blankly.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you." Shen Lie didn't explain who Guo Wei was, because it would be pointless to explain.

At that time, because Liu Zhiyuan had not yet declared himself emperor, Guo Wei was not yet well-known and was far from the prestige he would later display when he donned the yellow robe.

"Have you rested enough?" Shen Lie bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, and rubbed his face vigorously to restore feeling to his frozen facial muscles.

"Let's go when we're ready. This place is too close to the battlefield; the Khitan cavalry could sneak up at any time."

Old Liu sighed, stood up, and casually patted the snow off his bottom.

"Wherever Brother Shen says we should go, we'll go."

The old man was a sensible man.

In this chaotic world, ordinary people like him are like duckweed, without any sense of direction.

Since this young man Shen seems to be capable and has status, following him is better than wandering around like a headless fly.

"Sanlang, help Brother Shen up." Old Liu kicked his nephew, who was still in a daze.

Sanlang quickly got up, handed the thick tree branch that he was using as a cane to Shen Lie, and then obediently supported Shen Lie's arm.

"Let's go."

Shen Lie glanced one last time at the southeast.

That was the direction of Bianliang, and also the stage where the Shi Jin Dynasty was about to fall.

Before long, that place will become a hell.

Yelü Deguang would ascend the throne there and establish the Liao dynasty, then drive the people of the Central Plains to the north like sheep.

The three of them, stumbling along, disappeared into the shadows of the Taihang Mountains.

As for whether the road ahead will be easy or not?

Shen Lie didn't know.

But he knew one thing.

Since we're already here, we can't just die like this, pathetic.

Even if it's just to show General Wang Qing, who can't even find peace underground, that he has to live a decent life.

The wind and snow intensified.