Forced Into the Palace: Becoming the Emperor's Favorite-Chapter 449: Village on Fire

The cries for help quickly found allies.

"Exactly, exactly, Old Deng’s family has lived in this village for so many years, generations without causing trouble. I don’t believe they’re traitors!"

"I don’t believe it either."

"Right, I don’t believe it! This general must be making things up just to kill people!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Suddenly, the voices of resistance grew even louder than before.

Seeing the situation getting out of control, Mr. Liu thought of suppressing them directly with force.

The defiant faces of these unruly villagers infuriated the always superior Mr. Liu.

After all, he originally intended to send them all to see King Yan together,

and now, he had a legitimate reason to do so.

Thinking that in the face of natural disasters, some man-made disasters were also possible,

he slightly raised one corner of his mouth and coldly said,

"Alright, every one of you is so bold and reckless. Since you want to shield the Da Jin spies, don’t blame this general for showing no mercy. Come on, kill them all!"

"Yes!"

As soon as Mr. Liu gave the order, all the elite soldiers had to act.

Even if some felt reluctant, they couldn’t disobey.

The five thousand elite soldiers that accompanied him were all battle-hardened.

Dealing with these unarmed civilians was as easy as chopping vegetables with a large knife.

So at his command, the soldiers started their assault.

In the skirmish, of course, the civilians were at a disadvantage.

The earthquake hadn’t harmed them, but the Northwest Army, whom they always revered as Heavenly Gods, lifted their hands against them.

And every move was meant to take lives.

Suddenly, the civilians’ indignation was exceptionally inflamed.

They harbored a do-or-die mentality to duel with the Northwest Army.

Their numbers were insufficient, and their strength was lacking.

But it didn’t mean they would tolerate such bullying.

Civilians in the Northwest Region had survived by battling with nature since ancient times.

The harsh environment forged their incredibly resilient spirits.

So, even if outnumbered, they never backed down.

Mr. Liu coldly watched these fearless civilians, feeling even more disdainful.

"Fools courting death!"

Then he turned his gaze towards the distant Cold Mountain.

Since Cold Mountain had collapsed, it was reasonable for the nearby villagers to be implicated too.

He didn’t care about the lives of these civilians, only focused on covering up the secret.

So he shouted even more harshly.

"Kill!"

"Yes!"

The whetted knives and swords of the Northwest Army were not aimed at the enemy country Da Jin, but at the Northwest civilians.

If such a reputation spread, many would surely feel disillusioned.

After half a day of slaughter, the once resistant villagers of Red Leaf Village gradually fell one by one.

Until the last person fell, the sunset’s glow covering the earth made it all the more haunting.

The villagers of Red Leaf Village probably didn’t expect,

to survive a natural disaster only to be wiped out by man-made calamity.

And for the participating elite soldiers, looking at a ground soaked in blood, for a moment, they were unsure.

If the orders they had followed were right or wrong.

"The spies are eliminated, we won’t stay here long, burn it down."

"Yes!"

When the fierce fire spread from Red Leaf Village to the collapsed Cold Mountain,

the previously calmed earthquake seemed to become violent again.

Rumbles, rumbles.

Like the roars of a Heavenly God, shaking the heart of every elite soldier.

"Could it be that the Heavenly God is angry and wants to punish us?"

A soldier, somewhat awestruck by the heavens, voiced, and then this sentiment spread.

Originally, they were puzzled about the massacre of Red Leaf Village’s villagers.

Now, this scene corroborated their thoughts.

But Mr. Liu understood.

The rumbling sound was the last remnants of saltpeter exploding inside Cold Mountain.

Once the sound ended, there would be no trace left.

His eyes shone brightly, yet he failed to notice the fear on the faces of the soldiers behind him.

The disappearance of Red Leaf Village became an indelible pain in their hearts.

Even after returning to the barracks with Mr. Liu, the scenes continued to haunt their minds.

Among them was a Colonel named Qiu Dong.

At the moment, his face was so gloomy it could drip water.

Laying on the wooden bed, once he closed his eyes, he heard the wails of the civilians.

He had killed enemy troops, killed bandits, but never unarmed civilians.

Yet today, he slaughtered a total of thirty-nine people!

The expressions and looks in their eyes before they died were imprinted in his mind, impossible to forget.

Turning over, he cursed.

"Did we join the army to kill innocent civilians?"

When the word ’innocent’ was spoken, the people around him fell silent too.

To them, those civilians were indeed innocent.

No witnesses, no evidence.

They were simply labeled as Da Jin spies and then killed and burned indiscriminately.

Weren’t they known as the loyal and brave Northwest Army?

How did they end up like this?

Covering his head with a blanket didn’t help.

The dying cries of the civilians still echoed in his ears.

Mr. Liu wouldn’t realize what kind of perilous seed he had sown for the future.

But instead, he was eager to deliver the message to his elder brother.

"Rest assured, elder brother, the Cold Mountain affair is over. Even if the Heavenly King himself came, he wouldn’t find any flaw."

"That’s good. What about the villagers?"

"Are you talking about the villagers of Red Leaf Village?"

"Exactly."

"Naturally, they were taken care of as Da Jin spies."

Hearing this, Uncle Liu looked at his brother.

Seeing the vicious glint in his eyes, he knew the villagers’ fate.

He sighed, feeling that these civilians died unjustly too.

But if in the face of great affairs, some innocent blood is shed, it seems forgivable.

So he let it go.

Hastening to continue with orders.

"The earthquake has widespread effects, since the Cold Mountain affair is finished, take people to do disaster relief, we can’t let people think the Northwest Army is inactive."

"Understood, I’m going right away!"

"There’s no rush, rest for half a day first."

"Yes."

To Uncle Liu, organizing the army took time, gathering relief supplies took time.

Only the disaster victims didn’t require time.

In the eyes of the two brothers, being able to go help was already a gift.

Unaware that if they didn’t rescue, others would!

For instance, the Anzhou Army.

For instance, the people led by Feng Qi.

The first to engage in the rescue was the Anzhou Army under Liang Qingde’s command.

Compared to the 600,000 Northwest Army, the Anzhou Army was just a local force.

Only fifty thousand strong.

But in this rescue operation, they played a main role.

The Anzhou Army wasn’t as well-trained as the Northwest Army, but they were fervent soldiers.

Born and bred in the Northwest.

Therefore, they spared no effort in rescuing civilians.