Boom!
The east, west, and north city gates of Youxin City collapsed with a loud bang. Huge rocks smashed into the positions where the city gates had been. Under the despairing gazes of the rebel soldiers who were about to retreat, the city gates were firmly blocked.
"Move the rocks! We will all die if we don't get out! "a person who looked like a general shouted from within the city.
However, what greeted him was a series of grenades thrown from the city walls.
At this time, the fire and blood were intertwined in Youxin City, and the sounds of killing were still incessant.
More than half of the city was engulfed in flames.
Countless people who were hiding in their homes were driven out by the fire or engulfed by the flames. The thick smoke forced people to cover their mouths, lower their bodies, and flee in panic.
The commoners were like fish in a net. Everywhere they looked, there were flames. It was as if the entire city had fallen into a sea of fire. This made them even more panicked. Most of them subconsciously ran in the direction of the nearest city gate.
"Run to the south of the city! There's no fire there!" A voice came from an unknown location, causing many of the panicking commoners to subconsciously run toward the south of the city.
The flow of people led to even more people.
People tended to follow the crowd, especially during such a disaster.
Figures stood on the roofs of houses outside the line of fire, looking down at the panicking commoners in the dark. From time to time, the glow of weapons would flash, followed by the blood-curdling screams of people dying.
Some of the rebel soldiers who were squeezed into the crowd spat out blood and fell to the ground.
The empress stood at the top of the city gate and looked down at the city that had fallen into a sea of fire. Ren Baqian was half a body behind her.
"Your Majesty, Sir, the refugees are surging over," Zuo Leng said in a deep voice as he landed ten meters away from them.
"Open the city gate! Let them leave the city and send someone with a loud voice to tell them who started the fire, "Ren Baqian said. At this time, he could already see the surging crowd below squeezing toward the city gate.
Even though it could be considered safe once they reached the south of the city, most of the commoners in the entire city were rushing toward this area. It was already overcrowded, and the crowd was pushing and shoving toward the city gate. Trampling, violence, and all kinds of other things were happening almost all the time.
Qing Ping landed in front of the empress and reported with a head in his hand, "Your Majesty, one of the traitors, Tie Zihe, has been beheaded!"
"Got it!" The empress didn't even look at them. She turned to Ren Baqian and said, "Even if these people manage to escape today, they won't be able to hold on until the rations are distributed."
"Your Majesty, please issue a decree to transfer food and congee from Xueyang and the other cities to help them. When you distribute the congee, tell them who gave them the food. The people who escaped here will definitely remember Your Majesty's kindness!" Ren Baqian thought for a moment and said.
"There's no more food in Jiangbei. When the army left, the surplus food was taken away," the empress said. Although it seemed like she had allowed him to do whatever he wanted recently, it didn't mean that she didn't know anything. "The provisions in Xueyang City can support us for a few days, but we need the army to return and then transfer the provisions here. It will take at least three days. I don't know how many things will happen in these three days.
"Then what is His Majesty's plan?"
"Let the people in the south of the city take out their surplus food and distribute it according to the number of people. It should be able to last for at least a few days. After that, we can transfer food over to ensure that they won't starve to death. "
As for whether the citizens of the south of the city were willing or not, it was not within her consideration.
She was already very kind to make such an arrangement.
"Your Majesty, this is the behavior of a wise ruler!" Ren Baqian said.
"Do you mean that I was a fatuous ruler in the past?" The empress turned her head and glanced at him.
"How is that possible? It's just that Your Majesty's wisdom in the past was for the sake of the aboriginals, "Ren Baqian replied.
"I see that you have put in a lot of effort for these people these days. We can't let them starve to death," the empress said faintly.
At this time, the area below them was in chaos. Countless people were squeezed together, crying and screaming.
The empress released her aura, which was like a mountain suppressing everyone's heart. The people below immediately quieted down. Everyone felt as if their necks were being strangled, and even breathing became difficult.
The empress withdrew her aura without saying a word. The victims below covered their mouths and didn't dare to make a sound.
"As expected of Your Majesty! Just by your aura alone, you are able to calm these panicking people down, "Ren Baqian praised.
"The fire is spreading!" The empress ignored him and looked into the distance.
"Guards!" Ren Baqian raised his head, took a glance, and ordered the guards. "Start from the location near the fire and inform the people in the south of the city to leave their houses with food and leave the city immediately!
In addition, let Protector General Xi send some people to maintain order and prevent chaos among the victims outside the city. "
The two of them stood on top of the city wall until the sky turned bright, and the shouting in the distance became softer.
That night, Xi Wanya and the soldiers of the Protectorate of the South gradually retreated with the fire and kept the rebel soldiers who wanted to rush out of the city.
The winged cavalry stopped the rebel soldiers who wanted to climb over the city wall and escape.
As for the protectorate, after guiding the civilians and clearing up the scattered soldiers, they were put into maintaining order outside the city.
Of the 150,000 rebel soldiers, only a few managed to escape.
Other than dying under swords, they were suffocated due to lack of oxygen in the fire.
"Your Majesty, it's over," Ren Baqian said from behind the empress.
The empress's red figure flashed on the city wall and disappeared as she returned to her carriage.
When the empress left, Ren Baqian stretched out his hand but grabbed nothing.
With his hands behind his back, he leisurely walked down the city wall and could still hear the voices of the people in the distance. "Don't you know who set the oil cans and firewood? Her Majesty saved your lives and gave you a way out … All the food will be distributed according to the number of people. As long as you hold on for a few days, the food from Xueyang City will keep you from starving … "
"Zuo Leng!"
"Sir Ren!"
"Organize these people and find some strong young men to extinguish the fire from the periphery. Search the city for valuables and food that hasn't been destroyed," Ren Baqian said. At this time, most of the people used stone jars to store food. Although some houses had been burned, the food in the stone jars was still edible.
"In addition, dig a pit outside the city and bury the corpses! This is to prevent an epidemic. Also, arrange for people to check the surroundings of the city to see how many rebel soldiers escaped and which direction they went. "
After giving instructions, Ren Baqian stood at the city gate and looked at the civilians who were still in fear and sorrow. He then returned to the side of the empress's carriage, lay on the ground, and closed his eyes to rest.
Not long after, two pieces of animal skin were thrown out of the carriage and pasted on his face.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ren Baqian happily spread the animal skin under him and fell asleep shortly after.
— —
Half a day later, the army returned to Xueyang City after resting for half a day, except for a few who stayed behind to maintain order.
It took them a day and a half to return to Xueyang City. Before they even entered the city, they smelled blood.
After entering the city to understand the situation, Rao Yu led the troops to attack after the army left.
The 1,000 aboriginal soldiers kept the 50,000 rebel soldiers out of the city for two days.
During this period, Hong Cheng also drove many strong young men to the top of the city wall to help defend the city. Under the threat of swords and blood, these young men were really useful. This caused the morale of the rebel soldiers to plummet, and Rao Yu had no choice but to retreat with hatred.
However, this also caused the people of Xueyang City to panic again.
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