Looking at the tightly shut city gates, everyone broke down. The crowd jammed the entrance, pounding frantically in the hopes that someone would come out.
"Stop knocking! We've received orders from above. The county town can't help you either. You'd better hurry to the next city and stop wasting time here." A head popped over the city wall. The words only infuriated the people below.
"At least give us some water! How else are we supposed to keep going?"
"We don't have water either," the Government Official said, pointing to his own cracked and dry lips. "Right now, there's only one spring left in the entire county town. Each of us only gets a small half-bowl a day, barely enough to keep us alive.
"As you can see, it's still early in the day. You should hurry up and get moving!"
"Who knows if you're telling the truth?! There are thousands of lives at stake here. Are you just going to leave us to die?!" someone shouted. Enraged, many people picked up rocks and hurled them upward.
