Jiang Jin, unaware of his many thoughts, continued, "As for the Han Chinese corpses, ask Xia Chanyi or anyone in the city if there are any natural pits nearby, and bury them all."
Burning bodies wasn't easy, especially now with the frozen ground and snow everywhere—finding firewood to cut was also a challenge.
Fortunately, she had her space and had brought plenty of briquettes and charcoal; otherwise, firewood would have been a major problem for the city this winter.
"If there aren't any pits, we'll have to dig them ourselves. Let the people eat a hearty meal at noon and get them to help with the work," she said, resigned.
Zhou Sui nodded in agreement.
"As for our soldiers, when the time comes, we'll take them back to Gefeng and bury them in the martyrs' cemetery," Jiang Jin sighed.
Battles meant casualties—that was inevitable, even though she always tried to keep the losses to a minimum.
The soldiers who died this time weren't many; they were heroes. She thought they would want to return to Gefeng, the place where they had risen.
Zhou Sui nodded again. "Alright."
He added, "The houses in the city are mostly run-down. I've selected a private courtyard to serve as a temporary medical station."
The doctors who came this time were Suo Qian and Liu Mi, along with a group of young apothecaries.
Suo Qian had once been a military medic. Though he was no longer young, he could still endure a day or two of hard riding.
As for Liu Mi, she had long aspired to be a military medic and follow Jiang Jin in conquering the world. Over the past year, she had improved not only in medicine but also in horse riding and archery.
In her spare time, she even practiced boxing.
Military medics were in a high-risk profession, closest to the battlefield. It was wise for her to learn some boxing for self-defense—it could save her life in a critical moment.
If anyone had suffered the most on this trip, it was Qiu Liao. The relentless rapid march had nearly killed him; even walking had become a struggle with his legs sore.
But he didn't dare rest. He immediately threw himself into work with his clerks and petty officials.
Jiang Jin had no objections to the selection of the temporary medical station. "Handle it as you see fit."
After Zhou Sui left, Jiang Jin was about to take people out of the city to "bring back supplies" when she saw Jin Feng staring at Zhou Sui's retreating back like a love-struck fool.
Jiang Jin rubbed her forehead. It seemed this man was still a devoted fan of the Grand General. She cleared her throat and said, "Captain Jin, the city has just fallen, pardon our lack of hospitality."
Jin Feng snapped out of it, scratching his head. "Very thorough, very thorough."
As if realizing his words were awkward, he gave an embarrassed smile. "You're too kind. It's our duty. If there's anything you need help with, just say the word."
Jiang Jin glanced at the hundreds of soldiers from Daqing Prefecture behind him—all strong laborers.
"Then I won't be polite. Help us clean the city walls. The blood and flesh have frozen solid, stuck to the walls—it's a real pain to scrub off."
Jin Feng: "...Alright."
She truly wasn't holding back, instantly assigning him the dirtiest and most exhausting task.
Jiang Jin nodded. "Stay for a few more days."
Jin Feng: "...Alright."
Jiang Jin turned to Qingming. "For the next few days, take Captain Jin around and get him familiar with Lin County."
Qingming bowed. "Understood!"
Before long, Jiang Jin rode out of the city with a team.
The city had nothing left right now. She had to find a way to "transport supplies" back in a reasonable manner.
At the temporary medical station, Xia Chanyi was helping the medics treat the wounded.
"We need two people here to help!" Liu Mi shouted.
Xia Chanyi hurried over and saw Liu Mi stripping off Ye Shang's armor.
The long period of high tension, especially the month-long defense of the city, had left him constantly on edge.
Now that everything had settled, the moment he relaxed, exhaustion overwhelmed him. He had collapsed before even speaking with Jiang Jin.
Wen Ping and Ji Xin also went down with him.
They were too exhausted.
Although several stoves were burning inside the room, the temperature was still low. Ye Shang’s armor and clothes were frozen stiff, hard to remove.
Without a word, Xia Chanyi joined the effort to peel them off.
But the more they worked, the quieter everyone became.
Because he hadn't taken off his armor for so long, many of Ye Shang’s wounds had fused with the fabric and metal. As they peeled the clothes away, they tore off chunks of flesh.
Whether he was numb from the cold or slipping in and out of consciousness, Ye Shang didn't even grunt, letting them do their work.
Xia Chanyi, brave as she was on the battlefield, couldn't bear to see her own people like this. Her heart felt heavy.
She only stepped back after helping strip all of Ye Shang's armor and clothes, when Liu Mi began tending to his wounds.
Standing in the courtyard, listening to the muffled cries of pain and the medics' words of encouragement and comfort, she realized—
The battle for Lin County might have ended, but the battle here had just begun.
"Lady Xia, is that you?" a weak voice called out.
Xia Chanyi turned and saw Ji Xin, wrapped in a military greatcoat, leaning against the wall in surprise. Clearly, he had already been 'stripped of armor' and treated for his injuries.
Xia Chanyi wasn't surprised. "It's me. You... are you alright?"
Ji Xin shook his head, looking at her with a complicated expression. "Ye Shang's master... is also your master?"
Xia Chanyi nodded. "Yes."
Ji Xin's face turned serious. "So, the one who rescued us from prison back then was your lord?"
Xia Chanyi nodded again. "That's right."
Ji Xin's emotions churned, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Then, recalling something, he asked, "That Suo Qian fellow, is he also...?"
His injuries weren't too severe. A young apothecary had stripped his armor and treated his wounds. Meanwhile, Suo Qian was still busy treating Li Qian.
Xia Chanyi confirmed. "Yes, he's likely helping with wound treatment now."
Seeing his expression, she asked, "Where were you planning to go?"
Ji Xin was silent for a moment before speaking. "I want to find my older brother's body and give him a proper burial."
Xia Chanyi sighed. "Don't worry. My lord has already given orders. His remains will be set aside separately for you to handle."
Right or wrong, worthy or unworthy, Luo Lan was a notable figure.
Regarding his funeral, Jiang Jin was willing to show a certain amount of respect.
"Thank you," Ji Xin said, lowering his head.
With his uninjured left hand, he clutched his sleeve slightly. This coat they called a "greatcoat" was filled with cotton—soft and warm.
Without saying anything else, just this one coat was enough to know that under Jiang Jin's rule, the lives of soldiers and commoners in Jinyang Army must have been far from bad.
Compared to Lin County, it was night and day.
Xia Chanyi shook her head. "Thank my lord instead. For now, get some rest and recover. We'll talk about the rest later."
Qu Shilang hadn't even reached Wuqin yet when he sent a messenger ahead to inform the Great Chanyu, Qu Zhao.
The Great Chanyu's vision went dark, and he nearly stumbled. After a long moment, he ground his teeth. "Qu Shilang had tens of thousands of soldiers—how could he be driven back by just a few thousand from the Jinyang Army?"
He couldn't understand how a sure thing had fallen apart at the last moment.
The messenger didn't dare raise his head. "At the time, our forces were spread out attacking the four city gates. The Jinyang Army appeared suddenly and attacked us from behind. Together with the Han people within Lin County, they besieged us."
"Most importantly, their repeating crossbows were devastatingly powerful." The messenger shuddered at the thought of those weapons.
The Great Chanyu forced down the fury in his chest and ordered, "Go, summon Advisor Meng and the others."
The room was heated by burning coals, but it was still freezing, making even breathing uncomfortable.
Wrapped in his thick, heavy cloak, the Great Chanyu's face was dark.
"Tell me," he said, suppressing his anger as he looked at the assembled men below, "how did the Jinyang Army suddenly reach Lin County?"
Seeing that everyone remained silent, he barked, "Most of Fengzhou is under our control, so how did the Jinyang army reach our doorstep without any of our men noticing?"
