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Returning in Triumph, Sacrificing Blood to the Heavens (3)
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
After the Xiongnu soldiers within Qi Yuan’s borders were more or less eliminated, Jing Wan went out with Li Hong Yuan, going to see the current state of the northwest. How to put it, desolate and deserted. Although it was within expectation, but personally witnessing, one would still feel sorrowful. West Xiongnu was devoid of all humanity, burning, killing, and plundering, not sparing chicken or dog, truly less than animals.
Although right now, Qi Yuan’s army has deeply entered West Xiongnu’s interior, they were still unable to reach West Xiongnu’s level of brutality and cruelty. Setting aside the ordinary commoners, for the most part, not touching, even when encountering those Xiongnu nobles, although would still ‘rob the home’, and the people similarly killing, but the old, weak, women and children, they all won’t touch. Moreover, they will even leave them a certain amount of food. As for what it will be like in the future? Whether it’s tenaciously surviving, or starving to death after running out of food, that all has nothing to do with them, just asking at present that they at least need to maintain their humanity.
“If you don’t feel well inside, no need to look.” Li Hong Yuan consoled Jing Wan as such.
Jing Wan shook her head, “It’s nothing, just some empty houses, that’s all, still able to withstand.”
Just, with the northwest’s current situation, to want to restore to the past, afraid will need to migrate people from other places. This was going to be another big project. It goes without saying, under normal circumstances, it was very difficult to let those people voluntarily come over. After all, a war had just ended here. Ordinary people all possessed fear inside. Moreover, the people of the world all emphasized on ‘a falling leaf returning to the roots’. If not having no other choice, no one would want to leave one’s native home.
Although moving to the northwest, they might obtain a certain amount of subsidy, but for the people at present, they all hoped for stability and liked peace. That tiny bit of subsidy was far from enough to tempt them. Going to an unfamiliar place would make them produce certain negative emotions———The present environment caused a great majority of the people to not like thrills, lacking an adventurous spirit. If not a familiar place, one would feel fretful and restless.
“This matter, you don’t need to worry about. When time comes, it will be taken care of. If the imperial court feels greatly benevolent, then it’s nothing more than just a matter of spending some more money. Or perhaps, there’s nothing at all, forcibly implementing, and as time passes, they’ll just get used to it, thus it won’t matter.”
“I wasn’t thinking of taking charge, and not worrying. It’s merely just moving to another place, that’s all. Not that big of a deal.” Jing Wan shook her head.
However, speaking of which, habit was a scary thing, but sometimes, you also can’t deny its power.
At this time, Le Cheng Emperor no longer cared about anything else, directly issuing a decree, letting Jin Qinwang immediately return to the capital.
And at present, it was already towards the end of the second month. Based on Li Hong Yuan’s personality, even if having an imperial decree, he still won’t hastily rush back. The time spent along the way afraid will be countless times more than when coming. After all, they’d missed out on the great scenery of the northwest, so naturally can’t let go of the scenery on the way back.
Jing Wan’s carriage sickness right now although wasn’t that serious anymore, but comparatively speaking, she still liked riding on horseback more. No matter how comfortable the carriage was arranged, in the end, it was still the road the determined everything. Rocking and shaking, that narrow space inside the carriage truly wasn’t that comfortable.
Although the front was burning in war for days on end, for Jing Wan, it actually didn’t have too big of an influence. After all, she didn’t personally witness with her own eyes that bloody and cruel scene. Even if for the sake of ‘recalling past memories’, when perfectly fine, Li Hong Yuan still won’t let Jing Wan go experience for herself.
In this way, although not as good as the trip to Jiangnan, just in terms of Jing Wan’s own experience, it nevertheless seemed more peaceful than that time. That’s why, this was still considered a pretty good trip.
Because of slowing down the speed, when nearing the capital, they actually ran into Fu Yun Ting and them returning with the army. One has to know, Fu Yun Ting and them had spent quite some time cleaning up the aftermath of the war.
In the northwest army, of the three hundred thousand that Fu Yun Ting was able to maneuver, one third was the border army, while the rest were the prefectural army of the various northwest prefectures.
Over the course of the war, nearly a hundred thousand were lost. This amount also made one shocked and astonished, but in comparison, Xiongnu’s casualties were even greater. It can be said as the whole army perishing. Thinking of it like this, one more or less was comforted.
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
Returning to the capital with Fu Yun Ting was just less than half of the high ranking officers. They for the most part were all people that performed very exceptionally this time. The rest, the roughly twenty thousand people, those were the ones that Fu Yun Ting originally took from the capital.
After going through the baptism of blood, the trial of life and death, they were mighty and imposing, similarly having a menacing aura.
Just, among the troops, there was also the prisoner carriage. Obviously, when returning to the capital, there will also be a grand ceremony offering up the prisoners of war.
Fu Yun Ting doing this, admittedly, had the factor of boosting support for himself. But, defeating a country, taking their important members prisoner, and carrying out a prisoner offering ceremony was also a way to show off one’s own country’s might and calm the people. As such, no one would rashly say anything. Even if Le Cheng Emperor knows this is going to increase Fu Yun Ting’s hand, he still can only keep his mouth shut. Even if he’s the emperor, he still can’t change this bit.
The news of Qi Yuan seizing a complete victory already spread throughout the capital, and because of this, one can imagine, just how grand it will be when they return to the capital. As such, Li Hong Yuan just ordered someone to change route and directly go to the estate, waiting for everything to finish before returning to the capital.
Although the trip wasn’t considered tiring, but returning to a familiar place, Jing Wan still felt her whole body relaxing, feeling more at ease.
In reality, it was just as how Li Hong Yuan and Jing Wan predicted. As Fu Yun Ting approached the capital with the army, the city gates widely opened, and outside the gates a dense crowd of commoners gathered, welcoming in the narrow streets, the cheers shaking the skies.
Have to say, at this time, although they appeared scary, they still made even more people’s heart race. How many people loved and admired heroes.
Le Cheng Emperor personally led the court officials, as well as his sons, to the city gates to welcome.
The dengwen[1] drums have long sounded, beat after beat, sounding endlessly.
Outside the city gates, Fu Yun Ting descended his horse, kneeling down on one knee, not using the excuse of ‘donning armor, thus not convenient to kneel’. If he really did that, that would really be looking to die. Having Jin Qinwang suppressing, Fu Yun Ting never once became conceited.
Fu Yun Ting loudly chanted, “Long live the emperor.” The soldiers behind him all followed after.
Afterwards, he had West Xiongnu’s Daxian Wang, as well as the Xiongnu high ranking generals that were captured all offered to Le Cheng Emperor.
Setting aside Fu Yun Ting, Le Cheng Emperor was still quite happy. Regardless of whether it was putting on a face, or being genuine and sincere, at this time, he all clapped his hands, greatly praising, loudly adding, “All will be rewarded.”
Shortly after, the captives in the prisoner carriage all got pulled down, pressing to kneel on the ground.
The large blade was already all propped up on their necks. As the command sounded, one after another, the heads fell to the ground.
Daxian Wang was in the very back. The beheading started from the very front. For those in the back, it was more than enough to have the entire process taken in clearly.
Killing on the battlefield was one thing, but this kind of thing, watching one’s comrade get beheaded and soon will be one’s turn, that kind of mental pressure, for those whose tolerance was slightly weaker, perhaps would just go crazy on the spot.
Having Daxian Wang placed last, it goes without saying, he will endure the most pressure.
However, Daxian Wang disregarded the entire process. Even if getting beaten by the Qi Yaun soldiers, he still held his head high. That was his own pride, not lowering his head to anyone at any time.
[1] Dengwen drums are drums that can only be sounded for very very special occasions. If someone were to casually sound them, can even get their entire family executed.
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