His words made Xiao Ji suddenly realize.
They had been so focused on dealing with the Northern Di people that they had completely forgotten the hidden dangers around them.
Liangzhou City was the foremost city in the northwest of the Great Jin, with many small countries bordering it.
In times of peace, everyone naturally prospered together. But if Liangzhou City were to be captured by the Northern Di, or if both sides were to suffer heavy losses, it was hard to guarantee that someone wouldn't take advantage of the situation. At that time, Liangzhou City would have no power to resist and could be easily defeated.
The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
He thanked the leader again, "General, I will always remember your great kindness. I will personally thank Prince Ding for saving the city in the future!"
"General Xiao, you are too kind. His Highness said that the rivers and mountains of the Great Jin will not allow any outsiders to invade! The Southern Yue did so in the past, and the Northern Di do so today. Those who dare to invade our territory will surely be sent back with nothing!"
His voice was not loud, but it resonated in everyone's hearts.
For a moment, Prince Ding, who was thousands of miles away, became a towering figure of authority in their minds. Those who had met him and those who hadn't were filled with admiration and respect.
This was admiration and submission to absolute strength!
After saying this, the leader of the Iron King Eagle Squad nodded slightly at Xiao Ji and then hurriedly left with his men.
No one knew their names, nor could they remember their faces. As the sun gradually set, they too disappeared into the vast twilight.
The Iron King Eagle Squad continued their legend, never defeated, unstoppable.
It had been almost four months since the beginning of the year. First, they were besieged, then fiercely attacked. Now, Liangzhou City finally welcomed its first peaceful night!
Everyone was exhausted. The cheers of victory after a great battle, in the face of a field of corpses, seemed somewhat tragic and desolate.
If possible, they would have preferred this never to have happened.
As night fell, Xiao Ji rested for a while and finally ate a full meal before discussing with everyone how to restore the livelihood of Liangzhou.
Fortunately, the city had not fallen. Once the civilians returned, everything could orderly return to its original state.
However, the defending army had suffered severe casualties. Originally, there were over fifty thousand soldiers, and now there were less than twenty thousand. The reinforcements from Jizhou Army were only thirty to forty thousand, and now only a few thousand remained.
Looking at his former colleagues and subordinates dying one by one in Liangzhou, his heart was filled with sadness and regret.
In this battle alone, many passionate men from the Jizhou Army who had come to assist vowed not to return to Jizhou, but to stay in Liangzhou and protect the peace of this land for the people.
One person shouted, and a thousand followed. This scene deeply moved both Xiao Ji and Xiao Muqian.
The generals of Prince Ding's army, who had previously held prejudices against the Jizhou Army, were now filled with admiration for them.
They might have been a bit soft before, but after this period of tempering, their combat strength and resilience had improved significantly. They had also cooperated well with the original defending army, developing a sense of camaraderie.
As for Commander Cheng, who led the Jizhou Army, he unfortunately died in this battle. Xiao Ji ordered him to be buried with great honor in the Loyal Bones Mausoleum in the northwest, giving him the utmost respect!
Deputy General Zhen was not in much better condition. He was ambushed from behind by the Northern Di and sustained several knife wounds. He was now in the medical hall, receiving intensive treatment.
Xiao Muqian felt somewhat sorry for General Su. When he left, he had clearly handed over Deputy General Zhen in good condition, and now the man was on the brink of death.
Xiao Ji, standing beside him, saw his emotions and patted his shoulder, saying,
"As military officers, our lives are always on the line. You don't need to blame yourself too much. Deputy General Zhen is a fine man, and I'm sure General Su and his family will be proud of him!"
"Mm."
While Liangzhou was cleaning up the battlefield in the aftermath of the disaster, General Su on the other side was leading his men to build a bridge across the Lanshui River day and night.
This place was about twenty miles from Liangzhou City. By all rights, they should not be able to hear or see anything from there.
Yet, for some reason, whenever General Su closed his eyes, he could hear the sound of Northern Di soldiers' swords piercing the bodies of Great Jin soldiers, smell the scent of blood flowing everywhere, and even see the mottled city walls in the midst of battle.
In all his years of military service, this was the first time he felt so helpless!
"General, these craftsmen have been building the bridge for several days without rest. If not for the quick reflexes of those around them, they might have fallen into the river. Can we let them rest?"
The speaker was a commander under him, who had followed him for many years. Liangzhou was besieged, and the stone bridge was blown up. He was also worried and anxious, but this was not a solution.
Even if they worked these craftsmen to death, they couldn't grow wings and fly across.
General Su knew very well that this was a drop in the bucket, but without doing it, he felt even more uneasy, as if he were abandoning his brothers who had gone through life and death together.
He should have gone to Liangzhou to reinforce with Xiao Muqian back then, and he wouldn't have to face the Ninth Prince and his hypocritical subordinates here every day.
Thinking of them made him feel disgusted.
They had no idea what the situation was like inside Liangzhou City. One was the Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition, and the other was the Governor-General of the Northwest. They had troops, provisions, and weapons, yet they acted as if it had nothing to do with them.
The two of them put on a show of heartfelt grief every day, but in reality, they were thinking about how to absolve themselves of responsibility for delaying the military operations.
And now, the Ninth Prince had "fallen ill" from excessive worry and was confined to the Governor-General's mansion. A large group of medical officers and doctors were attending to him. If an uninformed person saw this, they would think he was being treated after a fierce battle with the enemy.
Despite such a grand display, they only sent two thousand men to help him build the bridge.
They even claimed it was to preserve strength for the future.
Future, my foot!
If Liangzhou City could not be held, they would all eventually become souls under the swords of the Northern Di.
General Su couldn't help but recall the battle of Southern Yue many years ago, and he deeply regretted it. Such a gifted talent had fallen in the southwest. If he were in command of the central army today, he would never have allowed Liangzhou to suffer this ordeal!
Even if people were tied together with ropes and swam across, they would never have sat here and waited for death!
He looked in the direction of Liangzhou City and prayed to the heavens, hoping they could hold on!
As dawn broke, the sun rose from the horizon once again.
The same sunlight fell on Liangzhou City, but Liangzhou was no longer solemn as it was yesterday. Instead, it was a scene of rebuilding from ruins.
About ten miles outside Liangzhou City, in an open area, pits were being dug.
The number of fallen brothers and enemy soldiers in this battle was no less than one hundred thousand. If not handled properly, Liangzhou City might have to battle an epidemic before its livelihood could be restored.
Therefore, Xiao Muqian was ordered to bury the bodies here and handle their affairs.