Chapter 135: Chapter 135: The North-South Bridge is Right Before Our Eyes Chapter 135: Chapter 135: The North-South Bridge is Right Before Our Eyes So the Xuanwei Army and the Ninth Guard each took turns guarding for a month following a temporary agreement reached between the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince.

They did not want to cause trouble; they just wanted to wait for the swift pacification of the southern region.

After all, it did not matter to them who the new emperor would be—they did not take sides. As long as it did not affect the Northern Lands, that was fine.

However, as if three years passed in a blink, with the changing situation in the south, it seemed unlikely a new emperor would emerge soon. Should the south indeed split into three parts, the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince would effectively become rulers of their own domains, albeit passively.

And so, the North-South Bridge became the critical route for connecting with the south, and both the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince wanted to secure ownership of this bridge.

It was for this reason that the agreement, initially for one person to guard a month, was changed to each guarding for fifteen days.

Yet this agreement was also only temporary; once both sides organized their military resources, they would likely come to blows soon.

Originally, it made no difference to the refugees who controlled the area; all they cared about was crossing the bridge.

However, three days ago, the Ninth Guard suddenly changed the travel regulations.

While the Xuanwei Army had managed the bridge, it was open all day, allowing refugees to cross at any time.

Now, however, crossing was only allowed during Mao Hour—miss it, and one would have to wait until the next day.

In the past few days, complaints were rife among the people, but since the authority laid in the hands of others, there was nothing they could do.

Consequently, tens of thousands of refugees gathered near the North-South Bridge.

Even though the river was wide, looking from the high grounds of Biluo City, one could still see the masses of people thronging the opposite bank.

The seven-person team hadn’t reached the North-South Bridge yet when Xiao Chan returned with news from the front.

Li Wenli slightly furrowed his brows and said, “Go and see if there’s another path we can take.”

Xiao Chan, Smiling Face, and the Old Monk dispersed into the crowd again upon hearing this.

Li Wenli was not idle either. Leaving Rabbit to watch the horse carriage, he and Ah Dao entered the crowd to gather information.

Although Li Wenli wore only plain cotton clothes, his intrinsic quality and demeanor did not resemble that of a refugee at all.

Accompanied by a guard carrying a sword, who never left his side, refugees would instinctively show respect when they saw him approach.

Li Wenli paid no mind to people’s attitudes, instead respectfully asking, “Excuse me, fellow villager, how long have you been waiting here?”

“Thr… three days,” the uncle who was singled out answered with some unease.

Li Wenli was slightly surprised, “Why have you waited so long? Could it be that there is a long line ahead?”

“Must be many people, indeed. Every day there are countless individuals crossing the river—by the time it gets to us, our time slot has already passed.”

“Speaking of which, it’s strange. We’ve been queuing for three days, so by all accounts, we should have been able to cross by now, right? However, every time it’s our turn, a bunch of people cut in line, making it impossible for those of us who queued properly to get through.”

“Exactly, the soldiers guarding the bridge don’t even care; no matter what we say, there is no reaction from them.”

“Sheesh, don’t speak ill of the soldiers. After all, they are the Ninth Prince’s men. The Ninth Prince is a decent person; his Ninth Guard cannot be all that bad.”

Li Wenli had not expected the Ninth Prince to have such a high reputation among the refugees, who had long been numbed to indifference.

He couldn’t help but become intrigued, “How so?”

“Do I even need to say it?” The refugee uncle gave him a look, “Back when refugees flocked to the Northern Lands, the Fifth Prince did not take in a single one, whereas the Ninth Prince opened up three cities to accommodate the refugees, right?”

“Even though he only took in 30,000 people, at least those 30,000 lives were saved. From this perspective, the Ninth Prince is already quite benevolent.”

“Indeed, and look at this bridge crossing. Although he has specified the time, the refugees forced to remain here can still receive relief grain, which is carved out from military supplies!”