Chapter 218: Chapter 150: Cleaning and Questioning
Translator: 549690339
The insurgents whose families were outside the city quickly chose to surrender.
With their cooperation, Lu Yuan’s army swiftly stormed into the city.
But not everyone was willing to surrender.
In a large crowd, there would always be those who did not care about their families. There were also those unwilling to reconcile with this situation, wanting to take one last gamble.
Therefore, after the army entered the city, there would occasionally be people ignoring all risks, ambushing soldiers from the shadows, trying to take a few with them before they died.
Fortunately, these people weren’t particularly powerful: at best they constituted the third rate, and most of them only knew the basics of martial arts.
Facing well-coordinated soldiers, they were merely victims of the swathes of weapons and arrows, incapable of stirring up any significant trouble before they were killed on the spot.
There were also those who, realizing the inevitable, abandoned their families, or ushered their families along, attempting to escape outside the city.
But Lu Yuan had already encircled the city from the outside, turning it into an iron barrel. Those who attempted to escape found themselves facing thousands of soldiers positioned in formation.
Confronted with a sea of soldiers, those attempting to flee did not have the courage to resist and opted to surrender immediately.
Naturally, apart from these fools, there were bound to be “smart ones” who chose to hide in ordinary citizens’ homes, changing their appearance and identity in an attempt to evade the crisis.
But when Lu Yuan came to Linwu, apart from quelling the rebellion, he had other objectives.
Now that Linwu was seized and the rebellion quelled, it was time to progress to other matters, such as the search for the Pure Water Xuan Niu and the inheritance of the Seven Star Sect’s martial arts techniques.
“Have the surrendering rebels lay down their arms and wait outside the city for reorganization.
Dispatch two battalions of soldiers to conduct a house-to-house search. Any household with a man should be suspected as harboring rebels and brought forth.
If they resist, kill them on the spot.
During the search, look for high-ranking members of the Seven Star Sect. If possible, capture them alive, I have great need of them.
Keep the gates sealed by the main army. Nobody is to leave without my command.”
Upon seeing that his army had secured two of the city gates and taken control of the city wall, Lu Yuan continued to deploy troops into the city while setting up defenses outside, issuing a ban.
Given the previous situation in Linwu, it could be said that all the men in the city were suspect. Capturing them was undeniable truth, with no mistakes.
Those who thought they could avoid disaster by hiding in ordinary homes were totally mistaken.
Whether for maintaining local peace or searching for the Seven Star Sect’s treasures, Lu Yuan would not let these rebels go unpunished.
The orders were quickly executed.
The surrendering rebels did not resist much; they obeyed orders willingly.
Their families were still crying outside the city walls!
Who would dare resist at this time? Would they just not care about their families’ lives?
The surrendered soldiers were promptly disarmed and assembled in groups in the open fields outside the city.
It was early February, and although the harsh winter had faded, a bone-chilling cold lingered.
Many of the surrendered soldiers were poor. A few days ago, they were drafted to defend the city wearing only thin clothing.
Now, left in the open plains, they trembled violently as the cold wind blew through them.
The coldness of their bodies did not cover the anxiety in their hearts.
Their eyes looked at the distance where their parents, wives, and families were also herded together by the imperial soldiers, crying and trembling on the distant open fields.
Seeing this scene, the rebel soldiers who surrendered out of concern for their families could hardly resist the urge to reunite with them.
But around them, imperial soldiers armed with guns and knives, bows and crossbows, were aiming their weapons at themselves, on high alert.
These soldiers, who would take action at any slight disagreement, caused the surrenders to suppress their restlessness and obediently stay in place, waiting in confusion and unease for the fate to come.
Meanwhile in the city, as wave after wave of surrendered soldiers left, the large city quickly emptied.
But the soldiers who entered the city did not stop there.
They followed Lu Yuan’s orders, conducting house-to-house searches.
Upon seeing a grown man in any house, they would grab and drag them out without any discussion. If anyone in the house dared to resist, they would immediately be cut down without any mercy.
Even women and children who tried to obstruct were treated as rebels and executed without mercy.
The soldiers had experienced hardships from these women and children while capturing people from the villages and countryside before. They had learnt their lesson and certainly wouldn’t fall into the same trap again.
As it turned out, this kind of caution and resolution were extremely useful.
During the city searches, many women and children demonstrated surprising martial prowess, much to the astonishment of the soldiers.
Despite appearing weak, these women and children had cultivated Inner Strength and were well-versed in martial arts.
Even when confronting veteran soldiers used to scenes of war, the women and children wielded their weapons even more fiercely.
Not just the women and children, even the men were quite formidable.
They would swing