Su Mingyu followed behind Murong Ke, approaching the crowd.
Beneath the city walls, two men in coarse hemp clothing were screaming at the tops of their lungs, hurling insults at each other.
"Your son has no asshole!"
"I begot a daughter, you blind bastard! Your son's the one with no asshole!"
"Never heard of dog shit giving birth to a kid! You piece of garbage raised in an outhouse, get away from me, you stink to high heaven!"
"How dare your mother's son curse your own father?!"
"Ptoo! You turtle's grandson!"
"You ptoo!"
"You ptoo!"
"Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo..."
Su Mingyu's eyes widened. Although she had spent two years surrounded by men and had picked up plenty of foul language, this was the first time she had ever heard curses so crude and shallow, accompanied by actual spitting at each other.
Murong Ke frowned, turned his head, and asked Rong'er, "Is this what you call restraint?"
Rong'er gave two awkward, light coughs. "Uh... this is actually considered mild."
"At first, those refugees were somewhat afraid of the Shenwu Army. But when they realized the soldiers didn't dare fight back, they became completely uninhibited.
The one causing the biggest scene over there is a butcher. Seeing that the Shenwu Army didn't even carry weapons, he took the initiative to pick a fight.
As a result, one of the young soldiers in the Shenwu Army simply lay down on the ground and started vomiting blood."
Han Bing said in astonishment, "Is this butcher's internal energy really that formidable?"
Su Mingyu let out a snort of laughter. "Where in this world is there anyone whose martial arts can inflict internal injuries from a distance?
I'd bet eight coins out of ten that this little soldier named Wu Ming is just playing rogue to scare people."
Rong'er glanced at Su Mingyu, feeling no particular fondness for this woman who had suddenly appeared by Prince Ning's side.
Yet, seeing that Prince Ning showed no sign of rejection, she patiently explained, "This young lady guessed correctly."
"After Wu Ming collapsed, he vomited blood. Coincidentally, his mother had died of coughing up blood just a few days prior, and the doctor said it was consumption—highly contagious.
With the surrounding people stirring things up, those refugees immediately backed off three hundred paces.
Seeing this, the butcher lost half his momentum. He could only hurl insults at the Shenwu Army and the Prince from far away.
The Shenwu Army isn't soft either. The one spitting right now was a notorious scoundrel in Liangzhou City before joining the army. Back then, his insults were so vicious they literally scared his own uncle to death, so his family sent him off to the military to temper his temperament.
Before I went to fetch the Prince, he was already cursing at the city gate. It's been over an hour now, and judging by his energy, he looks like he could keep going..."
Su Mingyu looked at the serene Prince Ning, crying and laughing inwardly. What kind of bizarre freaks made up his Shenwu Army?
She had expected this trip to Liangzhou to be fraught with mortal danger, and yet—this was it?
Murong Ke waved his hand, and Han Bing stepped forward, shouting to the brawling crowd, "His Highness Prince Ning has arrived!"
The shouting and jeering stopped dead.
The refugees stretched their necks to look over.
"It really is Prince Ning! So Prince Ning didn't leave after all!"
channeling a bit of internal energy, Han Bing continued to shout, "Fellow villagers, do not panic.
His Highness the Prince went out of the city to secure food for everyone. The provisions are already on the way and will arrive shortly."
A gasp of shock erupted from the crowd. "Really? We're saved?"
Hearing this, the butcher raised his voice.
"Don't lie to us! Where is there any food left in the Northern Frontier? Aren't you just deliberately buying time to starve us all to death outside the city?
By the time the imperial court's disaster relief grain arrives, we'll all be dead, and all the good food and drink will be divided up among the people inside the city!"
At these words, the crowd of commoners, who had just been somewhat stirred with hope, instantly exploded into chaos.
"How can this be? We can't afford to wait! We're starving to death out here!"
"The Prince is trying to make us die!"
Han Bing waved his hand, trying to suppress the agitated emotions of the commoners. "Everyone, true or false, you'll know in half an hour.
If I have spoken a single half-sentence of falsehood, you may execute or mutilate us as you please!"
Most of those present had heard of Han Bing's reputation, and hearing this, their minds were set somewhat at ease.
Gritting his teeth, the butcher said, "Since the food is arriving soon, the Prince should let us into the city first.
Anyway, once we have the food, nobody will be afraid. In this freezing weather, any place to block the wind and snow will do. Am I right, fellow villagers?"
The butcher's words met with a strong response from the refugees.
Su Mingyu crossed her arms, adopting the attitude of a spectator watching a good show.
Ever since arriving in Liangzhou, Prince Ning had used his reputation for benevolence to attract countless commoners from the Northern Frontier to seek his protection. Liangzhou, which originally had a population of less than eighty thousand, now boasted a full one hundred and fifty thousand people.
Added to the refugees who had recently poured in, there were likely at least two hundred thousand people inside the city now.
One must remember that conditions in the Northern Frontier were harsh; even Suzhou, the most affluent city, had a mere one hundred and twenty thousand residents.
A sudden influx of so many people in a short period of time was bound to cause major problems.
If Prince Ning were sensible, building temporary sheds outside the city and dishing out bowls of rice porridge would have been more than enough.
As long as he ensured that the refugees both inside and outside the city did not starve to death, Liangzhou would not descend into chaos, and could even hold out for a few more days.
As for how to settle these people later, he could easily avoid the risk of forcefully cramming them into the city.
After all, the city simply could not hold that many people.
Even if he were plotting rebellion and needed to recruit troops and horses, he wouldn't dare do it so blatantly.
Wouldn't that just be making things infinitely harder for himself?
Just as Su Mingyu was watching to see what choice Prince Ning would make, she accidentally caught sight of something abnormal in the butcher's expression.
His eyes darted about, and he kept exchanging glances with others. This forced Su Mingyu to look at him more closely.
There were thick, coarse calluses on the butcher's hands.
Since he dealt with knives every day, some wear and tear on his hands was normal.
Yet Su Mingyu had been trained in martial arts herself; she was far too familiar with such calluses.
The hands of someone who chopped meat with a cleaver tended to develop calluses at the base of the thumb and the root of the index finger.
Only practitioners of swordsmanship had calluses along the sides, and of a deeper thickness.
Look at this butcher again. He had been arguing with the Shenwu Army for ages, yet his voice remained loud and his vital breath fully sustained.
Was this the condition a refugee who had starved for three days ought to be in?
Unless he wasn't a refugee at all!
Realizing this, Su Mingyu suddenly understood.
At a time like this, who would risk inciting the refugees to riot? The answer was glaringly obvious!
Su Mingyu looked toward Murong Ke, only to see his stern face still wearing that expression of a man owed a fortune, completely oblivious.
Meanwhile, the butcher had already slipped his body back into the flow of the crowd.
Retreating to the edge of the throng, he looked back at the Prince and the Shenwu Army trapped by the commoners, a triumphant smirk curving the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, he felt a chill on his neck. A long blade pressed directly against his skin, making him shudder violently.
Su Mingyu pinned him down with her blade, rendering him immobile. Terrified out of his wits, the butcher stammered, "Young lady, what are you doing?"
Su Mingyu struck his shoulder hard with the flat of her blade, and the sturdy man dropped directly to his knees. A distinct "crack" echoed out—the sound of shattering bone.
"Aah—!"
A miserable scream pierced the air, and the surrounding gazes slowly shifted toward them.
Su Mingyu pinned the butcher down with one foot while flashing a seductive wink at Murong Ke. "Don't be afraid, Your Highness Prince Ning! I've caught this troublemaker for you!"