knife

Chapter 798 Cover up
Kang Zhen's face was extremely pale.

Ke Wuji, He Yiming, Zhan Zhao, and others sitting next to him also had gloomy expressions.

A great victory was achieved, annihilating the enemy army, but there were no smiles on the faces of the people in the room. Instead, an invisible, heavy pressure permeated everyone.

Jiang Qian remained silent, her fingers interlaced and placed on her chest and abdomen as she quietly watched them.

"Your Majesty, the cleanup in Liyang City is still ongoing, but less than one or two out of ten people are still alive!" Kang Zhen swallowed hard and said with some difficulty, "Moreover, among those who are still alive, there are some who are extremely ill, and we don't know if they can be saved!"

"Holy Maiden, you didn't enter the city, you didn't see the horrific scene inside!" Ke Wuji said irritably, pulling out a flint from his pocket and striking it with a snap to light his tobacco. "This old man has killed countless people in his life, but this time, what I saw was truly horrifying. Tens of thousands of Southwest Wolf Soldiers, plus able-bodied men, seventy or eighty thousand people, all in less than ten days! Ten days!"

Zhan Zhao and He Yiming shook their heads repeatedly in silence, their minds still filled with the horrific scenes from within the city.

In a military camp marked with a sign that read "Shian Army," thousands of corpses lay scattered everywhere—from the drill ground to the dormitories, from the kitchen to the outhouse, and even in the passageways and storage rooms.

It is clear that each person suffered immense pain before their death.

They were all barely recognizable as human.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we'll truly be remembered with infamy for eternity." Kang Zhen rubbed his face with a bitter smile. "You should return to Yong'an County immediately. This matter was handled entirely by me from beginning to end; it has nothing to do with anyone else!"

Jiang Qian smiled faintly and said, "In yesterday's battle, I personally took to the field and killed Na Wei in front of tens of thousands of people with a single spear thrust. Now you think you can just walk away? Moreover, I, Jiang Qian, am willing to admit what I've done and have never tried to shift blame onto my subordinates. So what if I did it? If Chang Lei hadn't now besieged Zhongli County and Danyang City wasn't facing a great threat, how could this have happened? There's no need to discuss this matter any further."

Zhang Qingyun said, "Holy Maiden, there is a department under Zhi Qiu Courtyard that is in charge of public opinion. Let us handle this matter."

"How to say?"

“Springtime is naturally a high-incidence period for epidemics!” Zhang Qingyun said, “Liyang County was besieged and closed off, so the possibility of an epidemic was extremely high. This epidemic occurred naturally and had nothing to do with us. On the contrary, after the outbreak, we devoted manpower and resources to rescue and isolate people without regard to the consequences, to ensure that the epidemic did not spread to other places. As for those in Liyang City who contracted the disease, we also took great risks to treat them!”

The room fell silent for a long while before Jiang Qian finally asked, "Is this feasible?"

"History is written by the victors!" Zhang Qingyun said. "The events in Liyang County should be decided by the living. The dead cannot speak, and few would believe that someone would spread a plague. In the past, at most, people would throw dead livestock or people into the city, or poison the water sources. But we haven't even done that. We'll get to work immediately, start spreading the word, and slowly build up public opinion. This time, in order to hold Liyang City for a long time, Na Wei drove everyone except able-bodied men and women out of the city, and looted all the resources in the county, causing countless human tragedies. Countless people hate him, and since these people are all from the southwest, the locals don't have much affection for them. So once these rumors spread, everyone will easily accept that this guy has been punished by heaven." "That's the only way for now!" Kang Zhen's face flashed with joy. "Ordinary people are easy to fool, but Wu Feng and his men can probably figure it out. And so can our own people!"

“Wu Feng has also contracted the plague!” A fierce glint flashed in Zhang Qingyun’s eyes. “He is currently being treated by Gan Zhan! I think his condition is very serious and he is beyond saving! As for our own people, I think Kong Yuan can control his subordinates.”

"That's all we can do!" Jiang Qian nodded. "How's the disinfection work going in the city?"

“It will probably take about a month to clean it up completely. These tasks can be led by Kong Yuan and the local able-bodied men to handle the cleanup!” Zhang Qingyun said. “It won’t affect the army’s next move. However, Liyang County City was already badly damaged by Na Wei and his men, and now so many people have died inside. We’ve also burned down a lot of houses. I’m afraid the city will have to be relocated! After all, it’s not suitable for those who have returned to live there anymore!”

Jiang Qian pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's relocate and rebuild. Demolish the old city and build a new one on a different site. Have a team from Yong'an come over, and also recruit a large number of locals who are friendly to us. Most of the influential figures from Liyang in the past have been wiped out after this battle, so let's help another batch rise up! Let Zhi Qiu Academy take the lead on this matter!"

Zhang Qingyun nodded and said, "Understood."

The reconstruction of the city holds immense potential benefits. Jiang Qian entrusted this task to Zhang Qingyun as a reward for her contributions. After all, this matter originated in Zhi Qiu Courtyard, so it should also end there.

"That's settled then. Now let's discuss Chang Lei!" Jiang Qian said. "Now that the Battle of Liyang is over, dealing with him will be much easier. How's the information blockade going with Zhi Qiu Academy?"

“The entire city of Liyang has been completely locked down!” Zhang Qingyun said. “Now outsiders can only enter, not leave. Besides, it’s hard for outsiders to believe that tens of thousands of troops could be wiped out in a few days. So, Holy Maiden, we have at least ten to twenty days.”

Jiang Qian smiled and nodded, saying, "I have already sent someone to tell Lin Yunqi that we should feign defeat in Zhongli County to lure Chang Lei into a deep and isolated area. Isn't this guy planning to take Danyang City and then join forces with Na Wei to attack us and Liyang County from both sides? Then we will completely resolve this problem right here in Danyang City!"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone in the room stood up.

At the other end of the town, Gan Zhan carried the freshly prepared medicine towards a ward where Wu Feng, the highest-ranking figure among the surrendered enemy, was imprisoned.

This person, with a cultivation level of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan, was also infected with the disease, but his physique was strong and the disease had not penetrated deep into his internal organs. Therefore, in Gan Zhan's view, it was not a big problem to save him. Moreover, this person's recovery process could serve as important data for the future treatment of this kind of epidemic.

While these thoughts were swirling in his mind, he heard a familiar voice. Looking up, he saw Kong Yuan emerge from the room. Upon seeing Gan Zhan, Kong Yuan smiled and said, "You don't need to trouble yourself with this guy. He was too ill and is already dead!"

(End of this chapter)