After isolating herself for a period, Ye Qingcheng found that she was fine. However, upon inquiring about the injured and Wang Daocheng, she learned that they had all died.
Wang Daocheng deserved his death, while the wounded soldiers could not accept becoming monsters and chose to die.
Ye Qingcheng felt a complex emotion. She thought that if she were to turn into a zombie, she would also thrust a knife into her own throat, cutting off her path to harm others in the future.
Xiao Wangye and Ye Qingcheng now understood her unusual origins through tacit agreement. Strangely, Xiao Wangye did not press for details this time.
Ye Qingcheng knew she couldn't reveal her transmigration. She also dared not admit to Xiao Wangye's previous guess about her being a soul-possessor. Pretending ignorance was impossible with Xiao Wangye, so she decided to tell a story that was half true and half false. This time, she didn't even need to pretend, yet Ye Qingcheng was even more worried.
At the same time, Ye Qingcheng also heard that Xiao Wangye had captured some militiamen who were mixed in the recovered territories. Ye Qingcheng felt these people did not deserve to die.
Having just finished her isolation, Ye Qingcheng found it inconvenient to take on patients again. She had planned to get some water to moisten her throat and wash up, but she passed by the place where those people were being held.
She stopped and asked the surrounding guards, "What does the Prince plan to do with these people?"
The guard, having heard of Physician Ye and knowing she had recently suffered unjust misfortune and was released, did not know any camp gossip. He spoke animatedly to her, "Hard to say. Do you know what they did before?"
His demeanor clearly indicated he needed an audience. Ye Qingcheng was amused and said directly, "Is there something I haven't heard? Brother, let me have some fun too."
The young guard whispered to her, "When this group encountered us, they had internal strife. Some felt we were untrustworthy and preferred to remain independent. Others, however, thought of returning to the Cheng Kingdom with us to find their relatives and friends."
"Mhm, and then."
"Then, there was an oddball who directly jumped in front of the army and cursed our Regent King, hey!" the guard said indignantly.
"It's just that His Highness is magnanimous and hasn't settled accounts with them yet."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Let them cause trouble, but to curse the top leader to his face, what was that about? However, she wasn't clear about Xiao Wangye's current situation. As someone who idled around the army, Ye Qingcheng couldn't resist going to observe the ever-busy Regent King.
Ahem, it was definitely not to watch a show.
However, Ye Qingcheng's internal energy had not been neglected during this time. Her more acute senses allowed her to hear the voices of the tied-up group. Xiao Wangye had not mistreated them; they were provided with food and water at fixed times, and they wore shackles, treating adults and children the same.
"We still need to escape. If we don't escape, we'll still be locked up and confined by those soldiers! Look at those soldiers, what's so amazing about them? These are the same people who plundered the people's wealth when they entered the village back then, do you still believe them?" a middle-aged man with bulging veins on his forehead whispered to those around him. However, his words likely held little sway among the group, with only a sparse few agreeing with him.
Another person spat at him and retorted directly, "Those soldiers are not good, but neither are you! We are locked up here now, isn't it all because of you!"
It turned out that the middle-aged man had deliberately incited a fool in the same group. That person believed whatever he heard. After hearing the middle-aged man's words, his anger flared, and he clashed with the soldiers who were reorganizing the lost territories, even severely demeaning the Regent King's crippled leg.
Ye Qingcheng had always heard of Xiao Wangye's reputation for brutality, but this time his brutality did not manifest, igniting her fervent curiosity.
From these people's mouths, Ye Qingcheng learned that after Xiao Wangye's leg was crippled, the barbarians received the news and secretly struck back.
The lost territories of that year were precisely where the barbarians, to mock Xiao Wangye, had attacked and then proceeded to hack at the civilians' legs, forcing them to crawl like horses and be treated like dogs.
The soldiers guarding this area at the time had already been replaced. The general who came then was the type to take office just before the end of a major battle to gain military merit. He arrived full of ambition and left in disarray, but at least he returned alive, leaving the local populace to suffer. It was fortunate that Xiao Wangye had defended the border and fought battles. After a few victories, the people's morale had not stabilized for long before their homeland was lost again.
"The Cheng Kingdom is truly unreliable; it's better to rely on ourselves! We've been lingering around for so long, and aren't we still doing alright? Look at the Regent King now, he's a cripple, why is he still fighting? He'll probably need a wheelchair on the battlefield. Could it be that they're counting on those barbarians to say, 'Hey, you're disabled, let us have a quick kill'?"
Most of these people wished to live in peace and did not want to wander in a chaotic world, but they also feared losing their homes and families again. This was not something they had discussed properly before a single fool caused the army to round them all up.
Most people felt a shared sentiment, wanting to just get by and find a good way out for themselves and their families.
However, these people did not trust the Cheng Kingdom, believing that the Cheng Kingdom only suffered defeats, mistreated its citizens, and refused to surrender.
Ye Qingcheng thought that as long as the border was not peaceful, the common people would live in constant fear. She thought for a moment and headed towards Xiao Wangye's location.
She hadn't treated his leg for several days, only letting him soak it in medicinal herbs. She needed to check on his leg.
When Ye Qingcheng arrived, there were few people around, so she smoothly entered Xiao Wangye's tent.
Then, not knowing how to start, she looked around Xiao Wangye's tent. Hmm, it was quite spacious.
Xiao Wangye's side was filled with a low-pressure atmosphere. If Ye Qingcheng didn't speak, he wouldn't either. As the atmosphere between them grew increasingly tense, Ye Qingcheng, remembering "a good woman does not fight with a man," spoke first, "Ahem, those new people you captured, what are your plans?"
Xiao Wangye put down the military report in his hand, which made a crisp "pat" sound. He said with a cool and sarcastic tone, "What, for which deity are you performing good deeds today, meddling in human military affairs?"
Ye Qingcheng: . .
"No, no, no, I'm just here to offer a small suggestion."
She simply felt that based on her understanding of Xiao Wangye, he wouldn't make things difficult for them. However, how to settle them would be difficult, and she felt she might be able to do something for them.
Xiao Wangye gestured for her to speak indifferently.
"Well, according to the current laws, they are considered refugees. But they have all raised troops around here, so they are more or less capable." It's just that they didn't resist much when they were captured.
"So?"
"So, I was thinking, if we were to incorporate them and take good care of the elderly, weak, women, and children among them, wouldn't that be quite good?"