It was a moonless night but the stars shone brightly enough that he could see across the river, where crowds of fleeing citizens swarmed the same ferry docks that Minghua 123 had departed an hour ago. The exodus out of Nanking thronged all the roads leading to the Yangtze River. On the muddy banks, khaki-clad soldiers pushed back the crush of people, only letting through those with tickets for the ferry. Even from this distance he could hear frantic shouting, as men and women clamored to get their families across.

The professor turned at the sound of his name. The army officer was calling for him.

“The Japanese have escalated air raids over Nanking and the surrounding countryside,” the young officer said. He was clean-shaven and not much older than the senior students. “They’ve been bombing boats used for troop transportation.”

“And you think these riverboats might look like military transports to them?” Professor Kang said.

“The waterways are risky right now, sir,” the young officer said. “Moon or no moon, some Japanese planes are following rivers, using them for navigation. Last night’s group narrowly missed getting strafed. You should take a different route. I advise the road through the hills, under the cover of Laoshan Forest. It’s a longer trek, but right now it’s the safest option.”

“And when we’re back on the open road?” the professor asked. “Surely we would be safe. The enemy wouldn’t attack civilians, would they, Captain Yuan?”

“There’s always the danger that an overexcited pilot mistakes you for a military convoy,” the captain said, “or they deliberately attack even though they can see you’re civilians. It’s been known to happen. Travel on moonless nights whenever possible. You’ll get used to walking by starlight.”

“I will take your advice,” Professor Kang said. “Captain Yuan, can you tell me anything at all about transportation once we’re farther inland? Any trains or trucks? Otherwise it’s twelve hundred miles to Chengtu. We’ll be on the road for months.”

“You’ll have to ask along the way.” Yuan shook his head. “Others will be making those arrangements and quite frankly, you can expect the situation to change constantly. Use the military maps I gave you. They’re very detailed. Towns, temples, water sources such as streams and wells. The towns are marked with population counts, so hopefully you can stop in places large enough to accommodate your group.”

“Very helpful,” the professor said, “thank you.”

“I wish I could do more,” Captain Yuan replied, “but universities all over eastern China are evacuating and transportation is tight. I’ll see what I can do, but I must get back to my unit in Nanking.”

“You’ve done more than enough already for your alma mater, Yuan.” Professor Kang smiled and held out his hand. “It’s good to see you again after all these years.”