With Jinyang City secured, none of those who deserved to be killed were spared, and the crisis on the front lines was considered resolved.
But the Xie family was facing a much bigger problem. By destroying the Cong family, they had also uprooted the emperor's spies in the northwest, which meant that their family had secretly turned against the royal family.
But life wouldn't be easy for the royal family either; the Rongdi had suffered such a great loss. Not only did they suffer heavy losses at Wanlin Peak, but they also lost a prince outside Juma Town. They would have to go to the emperor to make amends.
Now, besides the potential trouble the imperial court might cause, the Xie family also faces the threat of trouble from their relatives in the capital.
Fortunately, even though the Xie family had been loyal to the Great Zhou for many years, it did not prevent them from having a backup plan.
The other concubines were easy to deal with; few respectable wives had seen those people, so there was always a way to get them out.
But Xie's mother was different. She had been moving around the capital for many years, and if she were to suddenly disappear, she would surely be accused of disloyalty.
The clansmen who remained in the capital need not be worried about by the General's Mansion; those who were of one mind with the direct line had already found a way out.
Those who are indecisive and never satisfied with taking advantage should not blame them for giving up ruthlessly.
Back in Juma Town, seeing the peaceful military camp, Xie Teng finally felt relieved. After a short rest, she was ready to discuss matters in the capital with Xie Ming.
As soon as the siblings sat down, Xie Teng spoke up: "Aunt is quite ill. She said she's had enough of living and wants to stay at the manor for a while. I'm afraid she won't live much longer."
Xie Ming understood what his sister meant as soon as he heard it.
Xie's mother had a younger sister who was considered an unlucky person when she was young and was not well received in the family temple.
That aunt had suffered a lot since childhood due to lack of care, and her health was very poor. Only Xie's mother would often provide her with assistance and help.
Later, something happened to Xie's mother's family, and the head of the family was demoted by the court. Instead of blaming the man for his incompetence, everyone pushed all the blame onto his aunt.
In the end, she was expelled from the clan and driven out of the ancestral temple. It was Xie's mother who took her to the village and raised her. When she was a child, Xie Ming and her siblings would visit her.
The aunt looked about 70 or 80 percent like Xie's mother. Xie Ming still remembers that when he was a child, he was shy and didn't want to be held by strangers, but he was only willing to be close to his aunt.
Now that aunt has said these words, she clearly intends to use herself to help her sister escape. This method is indeed the best and most time-efficient.
So Xie Ming said, "I'll go back to Beijing with Fifth Brother!"
He said this not only to see his poor aunt off, but also to take his family out of the capital.
“You don’t need to go. I’ll go with your fifth brother. The Rongdi have suffered a great setback this time and will surely invade again. Also, you will take over the matter of that little prince.”
Xie Ming understood Xie Teng's meaning: Xie Teng thought he was worth training after seeing Xie Ming's performance this time?
After thinking it over, Xie Ming felt that this arrangement was acceptable, and he also wanted to see how far Xie Teng could go.
If she really meant that, then I would definitely take over Xie's army from now on.
Seeing her brother's knowing look, Xie Teng's lips curled slightly. It seemed someone knew her thoughts; to protect her family and the people, was there a more suitable position?
So the siblings tacitly agreed on the matter, and Xie Teng would set off once General Xie returned with the Xie family members.
As for General Xie, he will probably be stationed permanently in Jinyang City, where a major blunder occurred, resulting in the killing of many people after the enemy retreat.
Right now is a chaotic time, and General Xie will have to stay there to oversee things for the next three to five months.
Now that Xie Ming had taken over the care of the Little Prince, he quickly went to see the person who had been confined for several days.
When he finally pulled the little prince out of the dark, sunless basement, the prince could barely speak.
Confined to a small, dark, and oppressive dungeon, the young prince, who had enjoyed all the luxuries of life, began to suffer a mental breakdown in less than half a month.
After coming out, he was even a little lost, not knowing where he was. He looked quite silly and cute!
Xie Ming's interrogation went smoothly; he answered almost every question directly and readily provided evidence.
Having obtained what he wanted, Xie Ming immediately handed over all his statements to Xie Teng.
He didn't interfere with what Xie Teng said to the Xie family generals, and when he had free time, he went to train the assault team.
Every year at this time, the Rong and Di tribes like to raid southwards, and it would be unreasonable not to reciprocate.
He didn't care that the Great Zhou Dynasty was a land of propriety and that burning, killing, and looting were forbidden. The Xie family was about to rebel, so what was the point of maintaining propriety?
He wants to intimidate the world, and when the Xie family wants to go further in the future, they will inevitably face a situation of being attacked from both sides.
He was so skilled that people were afraid of him. As long as he stood in the Northwest, no one outside would dare to cross the line.
Once Xie Ming made up his mind, he started training his squad every day. They not only practiced the simplest killing methods, but he also tried the three-on-three tactic.
Just as the team was beginning to see results, the Rongdi sent messengers, their purpose being to demand the release of their young prince and prisoners of war.
Xie Ming never intended to release prisoners of war. They were natural killing machines, and if they were released, their knives would fall on the Northwest Army or the civilians next time.
So those people were sent away by him to clear land and mine, and they'll never be able to get out in this lifetime.
The little prince, who knew nothing, was a brat—timid and incompetent. If it weren't for his privileged background, he probably wouldn't have survived to adulthood in the borderlands.
If they want to redeem them, Xie Ming is naturally willing to release them back to cause trouble for their own people.
So no matter what the envoy said, Xie Ming insisted that there were no prisoners of war, only the little prince.
In the end, the envoy had no choice but to buy back the little prince, who had lost two sizes of weight, at a high price.
With the Rong and Di no longer restrained, their previous schemes had failed, resulting in the loss of so many soldiers and generals, and they had also lost a great deal of money and provisions in rescuing the little prince.
Thus began the "grass harvesting" before winter.
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