Within and beyond Heichun City, the air was thick with the stench of blood.
At dawn, the civilians hung from the city walls were brought down. Those who had survived the ordeal wept with joy.
Du Huang sat limply on the bloodstained wall. By the light of the flames, he saw a woman tending to an injured child.
She comforted the badly trembling woman beside her, who was also seriously wounded. “Don’t worry. The child has fainted, and the lash wounds are rather severe, but fortunately, nothing vital was damaged. I’ll apply some medicine shortly.”
“He has a slight fever as well. I’ll prepare some medicine for him later. As long as we keep the fever under control, he should be fine.”
The woman sobbed as she offered her thanks. “Th-thank you, benefactor.”
Kong Huaying shook her head. “We’re only carrying out our lord’s orders.”
She looked at the woman. “Your lash wounds are even more serious. We’ll examine them together later. For now, follow our soldiers downstairs. It’s too windy here to treat your wounds.”
“Go to the private residence in the south of the city. That’s our temporary clinic.” Fatigue colored Kong Huaying’s voice.
The injured soldiers of the Jinyang Army had all been sent to the prefectural governor’s residence, where Dr. Liu, her father, and the others were treating them.
She had not studied medicine for very long, but she was gifted. Having watched her father practice medicine since she was a child, she had a solid foundation and was now able to assist with minor treatments.
Once the work there was finished, she had been sent here to tend to the civilians who had just been rescued from the city wall.
Looking at some of the people who had already gone still, she let out a sigh. Not everyone could be so lucky. Some simply had not survived.
The elderly and the weak had been hung there for so long that it was only natural some of them had been unable to endure it.
The first rays of morning light shone over the bloodstained city, dispelling some of the gloom.
Long-forgotten shouts rang through the streets.
“We are the Jinyang Army! In last night’s battle, the Quzhao army was completely annihilated. The people of the city may remain safely in their homes. Later, we will visit each household to register the residents.”
Inside a house, an old woman listened as the shouts gradually faded into the distance. Through the narrow window, she could see nothing, yet her heart was pounding fiercely.
“The Jinyang Army?” she murmured. “The Quzhao army was annihilated? How is that possible?”
After hesitating for a moment, the woman placed her hand on the door bolt. “Mother, I want to go outside and look. My husband… he may still be hanging from the city wall.”
Before she could finish speaking, tears had already begun to fall.
The old woman was about to reply when a knock sounded at the door. Everyone inside jumped in fright. Remembering their neighbors’ warning, none of them dared to make a sound.
“Mother, it’s me.” A weak yet familiar voice came from outside the courtyard.
Clang.
The woman rushed out of the house. With a creak, she opened the gate and saw the familiar figure standing outside.
“My husband! My husband, it’s really you!” She threw herself against the man, her face blurred with tears.
The little girl and boy ran out as well, clutching his legs and crying, “Father! Father!”
The old woman leaned weakly against the doorframe, smiling as she wiped away her tears.
She had never imagined that her son would still be able to return alive.
Du Huang swayed and nearly lost his balance, but he still gently comforted them. “It’s all right now. It’s all right. I’m home.”
At that moment, the neighbors quietly emerged from their homes to watch the family reunite.
A white-haired old woman ran over. “Du Dalang, you’re back! Did you see my Erlang?”
Du Huang shook his head. “No, I didn’t. But don’t worry too much. The Jinyang Army rescued us. If nothing happened to him, he should be back soon.”
As he spoke, a thin, frail figure came walking over. The white-haired old woman ran toward him in delight.
“Erlang, Erlang! You really came back?”
Hu Erlang was a youth of sixteen or seventeen. When he saw her, tears streamed uncontrollably down his face. “Mother, I thought I was going to die. I thought I was going to die…”
“You—you’ve all seen the Jinyang Army?” one of the old men asked despite himself.
Du Huang wiped the grime from his face. “We have. The Jinyang Army are good people. Many of those hung from the city walls were injured, and they even helped treat our wounds.”
Hu Erlang nodded emphatically. “That’s right. They’re completely different from the armies I’ve seen before. I injured my hand, and one of their healers applied medicinal powder to it.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand. It was wrapped in bandages. When he had been tied up and hung there, a large patch of skin had been rubbed raw. After medicinal powder was sprinkled over it, the wound had been bandaged.
Everyone stared in astonishment. “Th-that medicine and those bandages aren’t cheap, are they? They just gave them to you for free?”
Hu Erlang nodded. “Some people were hurt even more badly, and the Jinyang Army’s healers were treating all of them. They’re good people.”
The villagers exchanged glances. At last, their anxious hearts began to settle.
“All right, everyone, go home for now,” the old man said. “Wait for the officials to come by later.”
Though everyone wanted to ask more questions, they knew this was not the time. Before long, they dispersed and returned to their homes.
Du Huang entered the courtyard. Seeing his mother crying by herself, he felt his eyes grow hot.
“Mother, I’m home.”
The old woman smiled through her tears. “You’re back. That’s all that matters. Hurry and wash up. I’ll make you something to eat.”
After a flurry of activity, the family sat down to a meal of coarse-grain porridge.
Perhaps because he had narrowly escaped death, or perhaps because they were celebrating the destruction of the Quzhao army, the old woman added a little more grain than usual. The entire family managed to eat until they were half full.
Only after seeing that her son had finally regained some strength did the old woman begin asking questions.
“Were all the people from Lanyou Street taken away?”
Du Huang nodded. He had been seized while out on an errand in Lanyou Street.
“The Quzhao soldiers must have been taking people at random. They didn’t spare the elderly, children, women, or anyone else. If they saw someone, they seized them.”
He took his mother’s still-trembling hand. “Mother, don’t be afraid. I feel that we’ve truly been saved this time. The Jinyang Army is incredibly powerful.”
At that moment, Jiang Jin and the others were also discussing Lanyou Street.
Dong Si was furious. “They didn’t even spare children only a few years old. Such atrocities are utterly beyond reason.”
Luo Qingci held a statistical report. “My lord, quite a few of these civilians are injured. If we provide medicine to all of them free of charge, the cost will be considerable.”
Jiang Jin did not hesitate for long. “It’s fine. Let the government cover the expense. What happened this time is at least partly connected to us.”
“Settle the people of the city as quickly as possible. There is still much to be done afterward,” she continued.
Luo Qingci nodded.
Jiang Jin turned to Zhou Sui. “I’m leaving Donghu Commandery in your hands. Arrange the defenses as you see fit. I should be back soon.”
Zhou Sui solemnly promised, “Rest assured, my lord. I will guard Donghu Commandery.”
Jiang Jin trusted Zhou Sui, so she simply replied, “Good.”
This time, Jiang Jin had brought only three thousand elite soldiers. Among the commanders were Yao Ji, Xia Chanyi, Shuangjiang, and Hua Ruo.
Yun Chengxuan and Dong Si were traveling with her as well.
The battle in Donghu Commandery had ended, but in some places, the fighting was only just beginning.
