Although they said they needed to run, it was obvious that Crown Prince Sohyeon, Prince Bongrim, and their wives simply couldn't manage it.
These four pampered nobles had been raised in comfort all their lives. Forget running—even walking quickly was already difficult for them.
Fortunately, Binsheng had prepared in advance.
From the forest beside the road, one of his subordinates suddenly appeared. He brought several sets of replacement clothes, a few horses, and even a carriage.
Crown Prince Sohyeon couldn't help but feel impressed.
"You really thought of everything. You even arranged someone here to receive us."
Binsheng grinned.
"This kind of operation is my specialty."
Everyone quickly changed clothes again, disguising themselves as a wealthy family traveling with their relatives.
The two women got into the carriage, while the men mounted horses. Then they galloped northward.
At this moment, the Qing pursuers were still focused on the south, so there were no defenses to the north at all. Their journey went extremely smoothly, and they easily passed several checkpoints.
At first, Crown Prince Sohyeon and Prince Bongrim felt nervous whenever they saw a checkpoint.
But they soon noticed something astonishing.
Every time they reached a checkpoint, Binsheng would casually produce a different kind of travel document.
Merchant permits.
Official passes.
Civilian identification.
He seemed to have every kind of document imaginable.
Crown Prince Sohyeon couldn't help asking,
"Just what kind of person are you?"
Binsheng chuckled.
"Deputy Director of Chang'an Factory."
Crown Prince Sohyeon blinked in confusion.
"???"
The title sounded completely absurd. He had no idea what it meant.
Prince Bongrim couldn't help asking another question.
"Mr. Binsheng… when the Qing captured us as hostages, they also took five hundred thousand Korean civilians. If we escape like this, will it cause harm to those ordinary people?"
Binsheng shook his head.
"Don't worry. It should be fine."
"The Qing captured the two of you for political purposes. But those five hundred thousand civilians were captured for their labor. They need them as slaves to work."
"Your escape doesn't affect their labor. If the Qing killed those civilians, it would only weaken themselves and serve no purpose."
Prince Bongrim nodded slowly.
"That makes sense. Then I can escape with peace of mind."
They continued riding forward.
After some time, everyone grew hungry.
But Crown Prince Sohyeon and Prince Bongrim didn't dare say they were starving. They were in the middle of an escape after all—no matter how hungry they were, they could only endure it.
Yet unexpectedly, ahead on the roadside another of Binsheng's subordinates suddenly appeared again.
He had already prepared food.
Not only that—he also brought another set of clothes.
In the blink of an eye, the group transformed once again, this time into a party of government officials traveling with their families.
Crown Prince Sohyeon sighed with admiration.
"The Ming Empire is truly impressive. To rescue just the two of us, they arranged everything so carefully."
Binsheng smiled.
"The more impressive part is still ahead."
They continued traveling north.
Soon, however, the scenery ahead started to look very strange.
The road passed between two mountains. Clearly, it must have been extremely difficult to build such a road.
Yet the Qing soldiers were organizing huge numbers of laborers to destroy it.
Large pits had been dug across the road.
Earthen walls were piled up everywhere.
Stones had been pushed onto the path.
The once smooth official road had been turned into a completely uneven mess.
Apparently heavy rain had fallen a few days earlier. Many of the pits had filled with water, leaving muddy puddles everywhere.
No one could even tell how deep the pits were.
The carriage could no longer pass through.
The two women had to get out and mount horses instead.
Even the warhorses had to move carefully across the uneven ground. A single misstep could easily cause them to stumble.
Crown Prince Sohyeon looked puzzled.
"What are they doing?"
Binsheng chuckled.
"They're preparing defenses against our Ming Empire's Great Iron Carts."
Crown Prince Sohyeon was surprised.
"What are Great Iron Carts?"
Binsheng replied casually,
"The Korean craftsmen you supervised were actually building those Great Iron Carts."
"But the blueprints I gave them were fake. The final machine will be missing its 'heart' and won't be able to move at all."
"Oh…"
Crown Prince Sohyeon nodded.
"So those Great Iron Carts are powerful enough to force the Qing to destroy their own roads?"
Binsheng just smiled without answering.
The group continued northward using their fake travel documents.
The farther north they went, the more tense the Qing soldiers became.
At every important checkpoint, soldiers were digging up the roads.
Nearly every proper highway had been destroyed.
Even on relatively flat plains, thousands of laborers were digging pits everywhere.
The four hostages were stunned.
They had never seen a country ruin its own land so thoroughly just to defend against an enemy.
Crown Prince Sohyeon muttered,
"If they do this, the Eight Banner army won't even be able to deploy their battle formations."
Binsheng shrugged.
"The era has changed. Military formations don't work anymore."
"From now on, every nation that becomes our enemy will be forced to follow the same path as the Qing."
Crown Prince Sohyeon looked confused.
"???"
Prince Bongrim looked equally puzzled.
"???"
But before long, they finally understood.
Binsheng's last group of support personnel was waiting near the border.
They replaced everyone's horses with the finest mounts available.
Then Binsheng said,
"Beyond this point is the border."
"The Qing army has stationed heavy troops there to defend against the Mongolian Ushin tribe."
"Needless to say, the entire border area has been dug up as well. They've practically tried to build a Great Wall there."
"All our fake documents will be useless."
The four hostages immediately understood.
"We have to break through?"
"Yes," Binsheng said. "We charge through."
"But let me make this clear first."
"Whether you succeed depends entirely on your own abilities."
"If you fall off your horse or fall behind, my men will not turn back to rescue you."
"Because if you are captured, the Qing will simply take you back to Shengjing and imprison you again. You won't die."
"But if my men are captured trying to save you… they will definitely die horribly."
The four hostages understood and nodded solemnly.
The two women were extremely nervous.
Their riding skills were terrible.
Binsheng laughed.
"Don't worry too much."
"The horses we just gave you are the best Mongolian horses. They run like the wind."
"Women are lighter than men, so the horses carry less weight. You'll actually run faster."
"Just hug the horse's neck tightly."
Then Binsheng raised his voice.
"Alright."
"Get ready to break through the checkpoint!"
He burst into laughter.
"Brothers! Let's charge!"
His ten veteran subordinates, the Top Ten Model Workers of Chang'an Factory, the Ten Outstanding Young Workers—all laughed loudly.
"Once we break through, we can go back to the factory and collect our rewards!"
"This mission will definitely earn a huge prize!"
"Gao Family Village never neglects those who earn merit!"
"This time we'll upgrade from Chang'an Factory model workers to Gao Family Village model workers!"
"Charge!"
More than a dozen horses suddenly surged forward toward the border.
The ground was filled with pits and holes, making it extremely difficult to ride.
The warhorses had to jump and weave constantly, the ride incredibly rough.
Binsheng and his men handled it easily.
But Crown Prince Sohyeon, Prince Bongrim, and their wives were having a miserable time.
Their riding skills were poor.
All they could do was cling tightly to the horses' necks and pray they wouldn't fall off.