“Charge, let’s charge! Get into the city and find the Third Prince for justice!” The lead soldier finally snapped back to his senses and shouted.

“Quick! Into the city — we must get the Third Prince to give us an explanation.”

“You people staged all of this and got so many killed — and now you want to use us too?” A wounded soldier pulled out a short blade and lunged at the lead soldier.

“Give me back my brother’s life! Give me back my brother’s life!”

The soldiers assigned to oversee this chaos never imagined that the short blades they’d handed to these discarded troops — meant for use against the enemy — would suddenly be turned on them instead.

“They’re rebelling! Someone, help! They’re rebelling!” one man shouted.

At once, the dozen or so overseeing soldiers drew their long swords and thrust them toward the discarded soldiers holding blades.

A series of clanking sounds rang out as small projectiles struck the swords in the soldiers’ hands, shattering them instantly.

Sensing their lives were in danger, the wounded soldiers all pulled out their short blades to protect themselves.

In the moment the overseeing soldiers’ swords broke, no small number of short blades found their way into their bodies.

Fury boiling over, several dozen of the abandoned soldiers finished off the entire group that had been sent to oversee them.

Someone — no one knew who — fired off a signal flare just before dying.

But by then, the discarded soldiers’ eyes had already gone red with rage, and they showed no mercy to a single one of the men who had never treated them as human beings.

They were going to die anyway — might as well take everyone down with them!

“Run! The reinforcements will be here soon.” One wounded soldier turned back to call to the others.

In the chaos, he thought he glimpsed his own wife.

“Er Niu, is that you? I recognize your voice — where are you?” Madam Niu, who had just finished handing out food to some of the people, stood and looked toward where the voice had come from.

“Wife, it’s me — why did you come here?” Er Niu hugged his leg, limping forward.

“Er Niu, where are you? I can’t see you.” Madam Niu stood on tiptoe, her voice hoarse.

“Wife, I’m all right!”

Er Niu’s voice was swallowed up by the surrounding noise.

Ahead, some were handing out food to the people; others were tending to those who had fainted or been injured.

Behind, the men in charge had all been killed.

The whole scene had descended into chaos.

“Get the people into the city first!”

The moment Feng Jiu’er gave the order, everyone responded at once.

“Yes.”

Among the hundred or so people who had come out to deliver food, forty or fifty were farm women brought along at the last moment.

After the food-bearers came out, another three hundred soldiers followed, leaving the city as well.

Many of the farm women had come out not just to help the suffering common people, but hoping to find someone they longed to see.

Someone had just called out that they’d recognized their husband’s voice, and the others could no longer stay calm either.

But with the princess’s order given, they still chose to see the people settled first.

Working together, everyone managed to move all thousand-plus people outside the gate safely into the city.

Throughout the entire process, not a single enemy soldier had appeared.

This shattered the last flicker of hope in the hearts of those who had still clung to some illusion.

The city gate closed once more. Inside, layer upon layer of people filled the streets.

Many townsfolk who understood the situation came out to help — those with food brought food, those with clothing brought clothing, those with blankets brought blankets.

Even those who truly had nothing to spare were willing to step forward and contribute whatever little they could.

The entire morning, the area inside the gate was a scene of ceaseless activity.

Amid all the busyness, there was even more to be moved by.

Especially for those who found their own kin — even missing an arm or a leg, as long as they were alive, it was something worth celebrating.

In one corner, two women exchanged a glance and carefully rose to their feet.

Two flashes of silver light glinted briefly from within their sleeves.