The sight of these people, some with severed limbs, others with only half a head, some with eyes wide in anger, others frozen in terror even in death, was enough to evoke a sigh of sorrow.
War, no matter who wins or loses, ultimately leaves everyone defeated.
For the sake of illusory power and status, glory and wealth, how many lives and at what cost have been paid.
"A general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand men," how tragic!
Now, he only wished this battle to be the last for the Great Jin, and that harmonious coexistence with neighboring states would be the best course of action.
The elites of the Northern Di had been annihilated. It was heard that some tribes had elected new leaders and migrated north with their people.
They were not the type to hunt down and kill every last one, so they would not easily disturb them.
However, some of the smaller surrounding states had harbored ambitions to annihilate the entire Northern Di tribe, thereby dividing their land and resources. But they were met with a warning from the Iron King Eagle Squad, who lay in wait and struck down three thousand of the leading nation's elite soldiers.
After that, no one dared to harbor any more thoughts about the remnants of the Northern Di.
Xiao Muqian's admiration for his young imperial uncle's capabilities grew.
Though he was thousands of miles away, everything was arranged so perfectly.
Not only was the siege of Liangzhou lifted, but no surrounding nation was allowed to rise to excessive power. Everything remained as it was, except that the Northern Di paid a heavy price for their greed.
Two to three hours later, a soldier reported that everything was ready.
With a command from Xiao Muqian, the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in this campaign were buried one by one.
Thus, the "War of Annihilation of the North," as it would later be known in history, finally drew to a close.
When Liangzhou sent the victory report to the banks of the Lanshui River, General Su wept tears of joy and let out a long roar to the heavens!
"Heaven blesses our Great Jin, Heaven blesses our Liangzhou!"
Those who were unaware naturally believed that it was the city defenders and the Jizhou army who had saved Liangzhou. Little did they know that the Iron King Eagle Squad was responsible for half of the credit, yet they had no desire for such glory and had already vanished without a trace.
Knowing their intentions, Xiao Ji did not mention much about them in the victory report.
On the other hand, the Ninth Prince, who received the victory report, suddenly "recovered" from his illness.
He immediately dispatched people to conscript civilians from the surrounding counties and prefectures who were skilled in bridge and road construction, and sent an additional fifty thousand troops to assist. Suddenly, the speed of bridge construction increased tenfold.
General Su and the captain exchanged glances, understanding the Ninth Prince's desire to claim the credit from their eyes.
Feeling indignant, they secretly wrote a letter, which was entrusted to the captain's trusted subordinate to rush to the Eastern Capital and present it to the Prince of Ding's mansion!
After burying the soldiers, Xiao Muqian led his men back to Liangzhou city, only to encounter some refugees on the way.
These refugees belonged to no country and had no household registration; they were ordinary people who scavenged for food in the vicinity.
They were neither part of the Great Jin nor the Northern Di, and thus lived a very difficult life year after year.
Now that their homes had been destroyed by war, they naturally had nowhere to go and could only wander about, subsisting on grass roots.
When Xiao Muqian saw them, they were all emaciated and sallow.
Some of them were women with children. Upon seeing the armored soldiers, they could only cry out and could not even speak coherently.
Alas, he sighed.
He gave them the meager rations he had, but they were quickly snatched away.
Those who managed to get some frantically stuffed it into their mouths, while those who did not could only look at Xiao Muqian with longing eyes, leaving him in a dilemma.
After a moment of thought, he ordered a rider to gallop back and inform Xiao Ji, asking if there was any place to accommodate them if he brought them back.
Liangzhou city itself had not yet recovered.
Bringing so many people back rashly was not appropriate. He would decide after seeing his uncle's plans.
They set up camp on the spot, and the soldiers gave them whatever water, dry rations, and even medicine they had.
Among them, a few men who could speak some Jin dialect timidly stepped forward and repeatedly thanked Xiao Muqian.
"There's no need for such gratitude. In the end, you were also victims of this war."
Hearing his words, the men fell silent. After a moment, they translated his words into a language their tribesmen could understand.
At that moment, some cried, some sat down, and the release from days of displacement finally came.
Ten li, not far, not near. The soldier who had gone to report returned and said to Xiao Muqian, "Young General, General Xiao has ordered you to bring all these people back. A place has already been set up in the city for their accommodation."
"Good."
His uncle was indeed kind-hearted.
He then said to the man who spoke Jin dialect, "Are you willing to return to Liangzhou city with me? There will be food, drink, and shelter!"
He tried to convey his meaning in the simplest terms. The man understood and nodded, then shook his head.
He then spoke to his tribesmen in a flurry of their language.
After a brief commotion, the man said, "Alright, but we will leave later!"
These people thought that if they went, they would become slaves, so they were naturally unwilling. However, they had no means of survival if they stayed outside, so they could only prioritize their hunger and think about other things later.
Xiao Muqian agreed, "Liangzhou city allows free entry and exit. You can rest assured."
Thus, on the way back to the city, Xiao Muqian not only brought back soldiers but also several hundred foreigners.
This matter quickly spread throughout Liangzhou city.
Some people thought he was compassionate and gave others a way to live, while others worried that there might be spies among these foreigners, who were feigning misery to spy on military intelligence.
Therefore, there was a heated argument!
Feng Shan stood firmly with Xiao Ji and Xiao Muqian. As everyone argued, he stepped forward to speak.
"Alright, everyone is simply worried that they might disrupt Liangzhou city. But there are only a few hundred foreigners, and there are women and children among them. How much chaos can they cause compared to the Northern Di? They are also innocent victims. We should help them if we can. There's no need to make special arrangements. Haven't the open tents used to treat the wounded soldiers been dismantled yet? They can stay there temporarily, and it won't cost much in terms of food."
After speaking, he handed a list to Xiao Ji.
"General Xiao, this is a small token of my Feng family's contribution to the reconstruction of Liangzhou. We have grain, cloth, horses, ironware, and medicinal materials. If you are still lacking anything, please tell me, and I, Feng Shan, will find a way to procure it for you."
With his declaration, other merchants also followed suit, offering their contributions.
After this battle, they knew that Xiao Ji and the city defenders were the absolute pillars of Liangzhou, capable of helping them recover to their former state as quickly as possible. This was beneficial for both Liangzhou city and themselves.
"General, there is also my Tie family's contribution."
"This is from my Ma family."
"And don't forget my Huo family!"
The city had not fallen, and their roots were not harmed in the slightest, so it was not difficult for them to offer these items.