At this point, the soldiers of the Xuanjia Army were also moved.
Si Fengwu seized the opportunity and said, "They are prisoners of war, and what they need is our full rescue, not to be seen as a stain and wished to be a thousand miles away.
The same goes for you. If, one day, you are unfortunately captured by the enemy, you can rest assured and seek to survive, and I will come to rescue you.
Dying in vain is not the mark of a true hero. The Xuanjia Army only needs living soldiers to expand territories and protect the people. We do not need dead heroes to be mourned and commemorated daily.
I don't have time for that, nor will any other soldier!"
After these words, a profound silence fell upon the scene.
Outside the vast Imperial Medical Office, one could faintly hear the distant clash of swords and the rising and falling of breaths.
Not far away, a few people who had been peeking timidly mixed into the newcomers.
They could faintly hear their exclamations, "No wonder Si Fengwu won, no wonder!"
"Indeed, with such skill in winning people's hearts, why worry that the soldiers under his command will not be loyal to him wholeheartedly!"
After this remark, one of them angrily said, "What do you mean?
Are you so easily swayed by Si Fengwu's little trick of winning people's hearts?
You inflate the enemy's prestige and diminish your own. Do you still deserve to be a minister of the Great Wei?"
...
Beneath the crudely made Northern Wei civilian attire, a refined fur-lined jacket, which only a few high-ranking Northern Wei officials could wear, was faintly visible.
Although they dared not be too arrogant at the time due to Guihua City being occupied by the Xuanjia Army, their words were full of dissatisfaction towards Si Fengwu.
His colleagues, covering his mouth in fear, said with immense bitterness, "The Emperor himself is living as a guest in the Turkic lands. Where is there any Great Wei left?
Let alone ministers of Great Wei. Brother Bogu, please control your temper. We can die, but what about the large families behind us!"
This extremely bitter and powerless statement caused the hot-tempered man to instantly shed his aggressive aura.
Three tall and strong men, supporting each other, walked away with unsteady steps.
Not far away, a few people who had been watching from afar quietly followed them.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingwan was furious about the news brought by Duanyue. She grabbed her whip and rushed out, followed by Ying Yi and Li Su.
Mounting their horses, before Lu Qingwan could even ask for details, Ying Yi proactively reported, "The other party is very cunning. They specifically strike in crowded places, leave immediately after their actions, and show no hesitation.
Our men are scattered throughout the city, casting a wide net, but we have had no success so far.
Li Qing believes these people have an unusual origin and specifically ordered me to report this."
A sparrow, the size of a child's fist, followed Lu Qingwan, sometimes circling her head, sometimes hopping onto her horse. After Ying Yi finished speaking, Lu Qingwan stroked the sparrow's feathers and released it, "Thank you for your hard work. I'll give you beef jerky when you return."
The little sparrow chirped and flew away. Lu Qingwan instructed Ying Yi, "Have the brothers keep an eye out for news of the golden eagles. Now, summon a troop of soldiers and follow me to the scene of the incident."
...
Most of the Northern Wei region was desolate. Although the name included "city," most places were not even as developed as the border villages of the Great Qian.
But Guihua City was different.
Guihua City was a true metropolis, a city of prosperity in every sense of the word.
Although the five districts, southeast, northwest, and central, were divided in a simple and rough manner, in reality, it had everything a city should have.
Furthermore, the Northern Wei Emperor, in order to escape, did not inform the citizens of the city about the Xuanjia Army's approach, so not many people had fled.
At that time, Lu Qingwan was in the most prosperous western district.
When she entered the city, she had seen what could be called prosperous residential houses and shops. Although various stalls were not displaying goods, one could still vaguely glimpse the prosperity of the past.
She could even feel, without any effort, the gazes of those people cautiously hiding in the houses, observing the movements of the Xuanjia Army.
But now, the exquisite residential houses and shops had long turned into a sea of fire. The streets, wider than those in the capital of the Great Qian, were strewn with the bodies of Northern Wei civilians who had been killed with a single blow.
Some of the bodies were already frozen stiff.
The nearby survivors cried inconsolably.
Upon seeing Lu Qingwan lead the Xuanjia Army, the robust young men roared and charged forward, intending to fight the Xuanjia Army, while the weak women and children trembled in fear.
The jabbering Northern Wei language entered Lu Qingwan's ears as a string of meaningless syllables. Besides the instinctive anger and fear of humans, she couldn't understand their words.
Just as she was anxiously about to turn back and ask Li Qing to find a translator, in the spatial laboratory, Da Bai suddenly jumped onto the central control panel and started fiddling with it.
Lu Qingwan's head felt as if it had been electrocuted, causing her such pain that she almost lost control of her composure in public.
At first, she thought Da Bai was being mischievous and intended to scold it for choosing the wrong time to play.
But just as she opened her mouth, the Northern Wei words, which she couldn't understand before, suddenly transformed into plain language she could comprehend. She involuntarily opened her mouth and uttered two unfamiliar syllables.
"Quiet!"
In her mind, she was still thinking in her most familiar Mandarin Chinese, but what came out of her mouth was a Northern Wei language that even she found strange.
Lu Qingwan was stunned. Meeting the surprised gazes of Li Qing and Ying Yi, she maintained her composure and continued to speak.
"I am the Princess Consort of Qin, and also the matriarch of the Xuanjia Army.
I guarantee with my husband Si Fengwu's and my own life that your relatives and friends were not killed by my Xuanjia Army soldiers.
It was someone deliberately disguised as Xuanjia Army soldiers, intending to incite your anger and make you enemies of the Xuanjia Army, so that they could profit from the chaos.
As Lu Qingwan spoke, she gestured for the Xuanjia Army soldiers to come forward.
Seeing the hateful and fearful expressions of the Northern Wei civilians, she announced loudly, 'I have brought a troop of genuine Xuanjia Army soldiers. I can temporarily disarm them. You can come forward and examine them carefully. They are different from the people who harmed you...'"
As Lu Qingwan said this, Ying Yi tacitly stepped forward and collected the weapons from the soldiers' hands.
Because the soldiers brought were from the Sky-Grade Camp of the Xuanjia Army, they did not question Lu Qingwan's orders in the slightest and immediately handed over their weapons.
Upon seeing this, the Northern Wei civilians' expressions relaxed slightly.
Some young people even wanted to step forward to observe the Xuanjia Army up close, but before they could act, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted urgently.
"Everyone, don't believe this enchantress! She is from the Xuanjia Army, so of course, she won't admit that her people killed our friends and relatives!
Guihua City is already theirs, and the city gates have long been closed. If not for the Xuanjia Army, who else would dare to kill and set fires in the city?
Those people were all wearing Xuanjia Army armor and speaking the official language of the Great Qian. Have you forgotten?"
This highly inflammatory speech reignited the burning anger of the Northern Wei civilians, who were already filled with grief and indignation.