72: Chapter 72 When the nation is in peril, no one is safe.

"Brothers, how long is this going to take? We could be walking until the end of time."

After moving away from the old man, Wang Ye complained to the audience in the livestream room.

He had already been walking for many days.

Now, he didn't even know where he was or how much further his destination was.

Along the way, everywhere he went, he saw only scenes of ruin and backwardness.

Wang Ye had never seen such backward villages and towns.

Even this county seat looked very backward.

You could see the whole city at a single glance.

The low city walls surprised him a bit, because he had only ever seen such walls in tourist attractions.

And most of them weren't even complete.

Many cities' ancient walls had gradually disappeared into history as urban society continued to develop.

"Brother Wang, just hang in there. Consider it a sightseeing trip."

"Yeah, honestly, the scenery along the way hasn't been too bad."

"I really didn't expect this game to be this massive. Could the map have been made according to real-world proportions?"

"It's very possible. I'm increasingly feeling like this game is actually a parallel world."

"For this parallel world, all of this is real history."

"It's hard to imagine how the people living in this world will manage to defeat the Little Devils."

Seeing the audience's comments, Wang Ye sighed in his heart as well.

When he first started playing this game, he couldn't believe it either—how could China possibly not be able to defeat Japan?

But after experiencing the game, reading the background story, and seeing everything along the way, he finally understood what it meant to be an agricultural nation.

How could such a backward country defeat an industrial nation?

But deep down, he didn't want to see China defeated.

Not for any particular reason, but because he firmly believed that the Chinese nation could not be defeated.

Even hundreds of years ago, when the Central Plains were occupied by foreign invaders, China eventually got back on track.

After asking the old man, Wang Ye glanced at the sun hanging high in the sky.

The sun had been scorching lately, and he often broke into a sweat while traveling.

He arrived at a teahouse and sat down to drink tea.

Life in this small county town made him feel very peaceful.

If there were no war, everything would be wonderful, right?

It's just that the war has already begun.

If they can't hold it back.

Under the vast sky, no egg remains unbroken.

This place won't be able to escape the devastation of war either.

There were quite a few customers drinking tea in the teahouse.

Wang Ye drank his tea while listening to them chat.

"Have you heard? The fighting in Shanghai is fierce."

"They say a lot of people have died. The Little Devils' planes and artillery are too powerful."

"Sigh, we definitely won't be able to beat them. I just hope the fighting doesn't reach us."

The ones chatting were three middle-aged men wearing coarse cloth shirts.

One of the men in a gray cloth shirt suddenly spoke up:

"I'm planning to flee south."

"Flee south? Where can you even run to? There are plenty of Little Devils in the south, too." Another man wearing a black mandarin jacket asked in astonishment and confusion.

"Go overseas. I heard people say you can escape to America. Once you get there, there's no war."

"That's not a scam, is it? Don't get swindled."

"I don't think so. I heard the county magistrate's son was arranged to take refuge in America."

"Really? If that's the case, I want to flee too. I'll take my whole family. As long as we don't stay here, that's all that matters."

Wang Ye listened to their conversation, but he didn't react much.

However, the audience in the livestream room started discussing it heatedly.

"Are they discussing fleeing overseas?"

"The nation is in peril, and they're actually thinking of fleeing abroad to take refuge."

"I feel like their thinking isn't wrong. As ordinary people, they have no way to deal with war. Fleeing anywhere is still fleeing; no one wants war to descend upon them."

"If you flee abroad, don't you become a rootless person? If everyone thought like that, where would the country be?"

"What else can they do besides flee? If they don't flee, aren't they just staying here waiting to die? If all the people are gone, what use is the country?"

"If everyone had your mindset, China would have perished long ago. If you aren't willing to defend your own motherland, there is no place for you in this world. People with your mindset are just parasites. You only want to suck blood and don't want to contribute."

"If everyone were as selfish as you, putting themselves first, no place would tolerate you. Only with a country can there be a home. If there is no country, where would your home be?"

Seeing the livestream room arguing, Wang Ye felt helpless.

He didn't interject, but in reality, he leaned towards the side of "only with a country can there be a home."

The reason why nations and countries exist in this world is because of a sense of identity.

If a person has no sense of identity with their country or nation, then they are just a stray dog.

A lone wolf that leaves the pack will eventually perish alone.

People without a sense of identity will not be tolerated anywhere.

This stems from the trust generated by a sense of identity.

Trust is the cornerstone of human communication.

He could understand the desire to flee in the face of war.

But promoting such ideas is not okay.

If everyone thought that way, where would the resistance be?

As soon as the enemy arrives, they would flee first.

If you don't even dare to defend your own things, you won't be able to survive anywhere you go.

After finishing his tea, he left the teahouse.

Afterward, he found someone driving a horse cart.

He asked which way to go to Raozhou.

"Raozhou? I happen to be going that way," the Cart Driver replied with a smile.

"Really? Can you give me a ride?" Wang Ye's eyes lit up. He had been searching for so long, and now he had actually stumbled upon a cart going to Raozhou.

"That's certainly possible, but it will cost a fare," the Cart Driver nodded.

"No problem, how much is the fare?" Wang Ye agreed immediately.

The Cart Driver discussed the fare with him.

Wang Ye took out all the money he had on him and found it was just enough.

After paying the fare, he set off for Raozhou with the Cart Driver that same day.

On the cart, the Cart Driver saw Wang Ye carrying a pack, and one of his arms seemed to be injured.

"Little brother, what happened to your arm?" the bored Cart Driver asked curiously.

"It's nothing, my arm is broken."

"Broken? Did you fall and break it?" the Cart Driver asked in surprise.

"No, it was blown off," Wang Ye shook his head.

"Blown off? Did you come from the battlefield?" the Cart Driver asked in astonishment.

"Yes, I came down from the battlefield a few days ago. My arm was blown off, so I can't fight anymore," Wang Ye didn't avoid the Cart Driver and told him directly.

"Then you're a little hero. How is the front line?" the Cart Driver asked curiously.

"Not good. A lot of people have died."

Wang Ye chatted with the Cart Driver.

"Sigh, those Little Devils are really sons of b*****s. They attacked the Northeast a few years ago, and this year they've started fighting again. I've heard many people say they want to attack our capital."

"The capital?"

"Yeah, the capital is right behind Shanghai," the Cart Driver nodded.

Now it was Wang Ye's turn to be stunned.

Isn't China's capital in Yanjing?

Behind Shanghai, there is only Jinling.

Jinling had served as the capital several hundred years ago, but later it was moved to Yanjing in the north.