The environment in the city was filthy and chaotic. Beyond the lingering scent of gunpowder in the air, the cries of the common people also stirred the emotions of the group.
The soldiers on horseback remained silent, even their breathing kept deliberately low, as if to avoid causing any further commotion or harm to the people.
If they had escaped without witnessing the scenes before them, perhaps their guilt wouldn't have been so profound. But there were no 'ifs' in the world; they had truly seen it all with their own eyes.
Chehe City had suffered immense destruction. Although Huo Qiyuan brought a substantial number of people, the task of cleaning up still took considerable time. Later, they spent a full five days solely on clearing debris and bodies.
This was because, in addition to clearing, they had to constantly disinfect every corner of the city. The main reason was the scorching heat; within a day, many corpses, before they could be recovered, had already begun to decompose, emitting foul odors.
Not to mention the corpses buried for several days, by the time they were dug out, many had nearly turned into liquid. Even those that appeared relatively intact could not be pulled with any force, lest they fall apart in an instant!
Facing such gruesome scenes, the soldiers of Huaxia, from initial scalp prickling and uncontrollable vomiting, gradually adapted through self-repression and a numb, mechanical process of digging up bodies.
Four hours after the city’s bombardment, subordinates from various medical tents approached Huo Qiyuan, reporting a shortage of medicine. Many injured individuals were not receiving effective medication, and their wounds were quickly showing signs of infection. Huo Qiyuan was deeply concerned, fearing that if this continued, Chehe City would very likely erupt in an epidemic.
Fortunately, Su Muqing had previously prepared a large quantity of disinfectant for Si'an Prefecture. Due to the specific nature of that water-loving bacterium and virus, it had not been used. Now, it proved to be perfectly useful.
Huo Qiyuan ordered the inner city to be disinfected, and then he summoned Old Eagle, preparing to pursue Su Muqing and her companions.
He recalled Muqing mentioning that their journey had been rushed, driving day and night, which had made her feel quite uncomfortable. Therefore, they planned to travel at night on their return and find a place to rest during the day. Calculating based on this, they shouldn't have gone too far.
When Leng Si and the others returned, Huo Qiyuan was standing on Old Eagle's back. Old Eagle flapped its wings and soared into the air. Its vast wingspan spread out, blocking the sun's dazzling glare.
The captured soldiers all looked up, their mouths slightly agape, their eyes filled with a natural awe towards the powerful, looking down at the man from a superior position.
So, this was the Regent of the Huaxia Dynasty! No wonder they had reached Chehe City so quickly. If such a man were a general of their Dayu Dynasty, they wouldn't have fallen to this point.
Zhao Chenggong, struggling to lift his head on horseback at this moment, had a complex expression. Like Xu Zhipeng, he had been under Huo Sizhun. Later, unable to resist temptation, he chose to betray his former lord.
Whether out of guilt or some other reason, he had quickly changed his name. Perhaps at the moment he was entrusted with an important task by Emperor Rui, he truly felt a sense of accomplishment.
"I will go to His Majesty to get medicine. You all continue with the cleanup!" Huo Qiyuan said before flying away on Old Eagle.
He flew against the wind, his silver hair flowing elegantly and striking, his retreating figure slender, robust, and heroic. Apart from the Huaxia soldiers, who had seen him countless times and could control their expressions,
The remaining Dayu soldiers, who were captured, and the surviving, resettled commoners were all captivated. They stared blankly at the sky for a long time, and only when not a single speck could be seen in the sky did they realize their necks were stiff from looking up.
As Huo Qiyuan had predicted, he flew for over three hours under the scorching sun, his clothes soaked with sweat. Finally, around 4 PM, on the road back to Yaoking, he spotted Su Muqing and her group's carriage.
"Chirp~" Old Eagle's senses were incredibly sharp. Normally, it could spot prey from high in the sky and dive down to capture it. Upon spotting Su Muqing and her group, it began to descend directly without waiting for Huo Qiyuan's command.
Su Muqing and the others were eating roasted meat around a campfire in the shade. When they stopped to rest, Xu Fu complained that he felt like he was falling apart from sitting in the carriage and wanted to stretch his muscles.
Unexpectedly, he managed to hunt a creature that was neither quite a deer nor not, looking somewhat like a muntjac. Although not very large, it was enough for several of them to eat.
However, Xu Fu insisted it wasn't enough and said his luck was good today, vowing to take Zhou Shi with him to hunt two more prey. Su Muqing told them not to go too far and waited for them in place.
Suddenly! Did she hear a familiar sound? The cry of an eagle! Su Muqing looked up sharply and indeed saw an eagle diving towards them.
Seeing its suicidal speed and momentum, Su Muqing's heart tightened! Old Eagle was in such a hurry; had something happened? Could it be that something had happened to Huo Qiyuan?
Just as Su Muqing thought Old Eagle would indeed crash, it suddenly braked in mid-air and smoothly flew towards them.
Seeing the unharmed person on its back, Su Muqing finally relaxed. However, the confusion in her eyes deepened. Based on the timing, Big Brother Huo should still be in Chehe City; why was he suddenly here?
The trees here provided cover, making it difficult for Old Eagle to land. Su Muqing quickly went to meet it. "Big Brother Huo! Why are you here? Did something happen in Chehe City?"
"Yes! Before abandoning the city, the commander of the inner city ordered its destruction. Now, more than half of Chehe City is ruined, many civilians have died, and many more are injured. The medicine you gave me wasn't enough, so I hurried to catch up with you. Fortunately, I made it in time."
Huo Qiyuan said as he took the water Su Muqing handed him. His pale skin, exposed to the sun for so long, had turned a rare shade of red, and his lips were dry and chapped.
Seeing Old Eagle resting nearby, Su Muqing quickly prepared a large basin of water for it to quench its thirst. Old Eagle had recently injured its lungs from excessive flying, and after just recovering, it was already running around again. Su Muqing worried that if it continued to fly under the scorching sun like this, it would be more of a loss than a gain if something else happened.
Huo Qiyuan roughly described the situation in Chehe City to her. Upon hearing it, Su Muqing frowned deeply.
Although she hadn't witnessed such scenes firsthand, from Huo Qiyuan's description, she knew that the situation in Chehe City must have been惨烈 beyond words.