The chaos in Xixiang City continued until late at night before finally subsiding.
In the stillness of the night, only the soldiers' snores and the women's sobs rose and fell.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Sakqi left the city lord's mansion, and the soldiers who had stayed overnight in the homes of the common people began to gather in small groups.
The soldiers were carrying packs and food sacks on their backs, and some even had traces of blood on their bodies.
It is clear that the valuables and food were stolen from the homes of ordinary people, and people were even killed.
Sakhqi chose to turn a blind eye to this, as long as the soldiers were obedient and helped him retake those ports, he didn't care too much.
"The entire army is on a forced march, heading south to Ansu City, fifty li away!!"
Seeing that the army had assembled, Sakqi immediately mounted his horse.
The Parthian soldiers, their eyes gleaming, followed closely behind.
As the saying goes, once you've tasted the marrow, you'll know the flavor. The soldiers, who had indulged themselves in Xixiang City for a night, had clearly tasted the sweetness of it. When they heard that Sakqi was going to lead them straight to the next city, all the soldiers ran for their lives, afraid of falling behind.
After the army left, the city lord of Xixiang City led his servants out of the city lord's mansion to check on the people's condition.
As soon as he stepped onto the main street, the city lord of Xixiang frowned. Looking around, he saw that the once orderly street had become chaotic and devastated.
"Those bastards!"
Cursing inwardly, the city lord of Xixiang then led his men toward the nearest house.
As soon as they approached the house, a pungent smell of blood filled their nostrils, and the city lord of Xixiang almost vomited.
The city lord of Xixiang covered his mouth and nose with a grim expression, and made a gesture to his subordinate. The subordinate understood and immediately stepped forward to push open the courtyard gate.
As soon as the gate was opened, two corpses, one large and one small, lay in the courtyard. The older one was about thirty years old, and the younger one was no more than ten years old.
The city lord sighed, then looked past the corpses into the house. He saw that the house was in a mess, and several constables immediately went inside to check.
Soon, several constables also came out with grim expressions.
"Lord City Lord, all the valuables inside the house are gone."
Furthermore, three bodies were found in the inner room, two of which were an elderly couple, and the other was a young woman.
The woman's clothes were tattered, and she died with her eyes wide open, clearly having been raped to death..."
"Beasts! These beasts!!"
Upon hearing the bailiff's words, Lord Saigo could no longer contain his anger and cursed out loud.
Robbing people of their property, humiliating other men's wives and daughters, and murdering entire families—these crimes are utterly heinous and inhumane.
It's important to understand that in the past, even when Roman troops occasionally ventured into Parthia, they would at most capture some slaves and plunder some property.
But the crimes committed by the Parthian soldiers last night were even more hateful than those of the Romans.
After calming himself down, the city lord of Xixiang immediately turned to his subordinates and ordered, "Immediately mobilize all available manpower to check on the situation of the remaining residents of the city!"
"yes!"
Several constables agreed and then quickly ran out to gather the constables and guards in the city.
Soon, squads of constables and guards began to roam the streets and alleys, searching out the situation in people's homes.
As noon approached, the constable responsible for inspecting the city came before the city lord with a solemn expression.
"Lord of the city, after investigation, it was found that every household in the city was looted by those bastards. Their valuables and food were completely taken!"
According to rough estimates, fewer than 40,000 people survived in the city, most of whom were women, children, and the elderly…
"Does this mean that Xixiang City is about to become a dead city?"
Upon hearing the report from his subordinates, the city lord's face was filled with pain and dejection.
The city originally had a population of over 100,000, but in just one night, 60% of them were killed, leaving only some women and children who had no money and no food.
With no able-bodied men left in the household, the surviving women and children could do nothing but wait to starve to death.
The vast city of Xixiang is about to become a dead city, and one can only imagine the pain he, as the city lord, feels.
The constable standing nearby, seeing the city lord's appearance, also felt the same way and hated those inhuman beasts.
"Lord City Lord, Xixiang City has suffered such a calamity. As the city lord, you are certainly not immune to blame. Perhaps the Right Chancellor will even shift all the responsibility onto you..."
"Sigh, I know all that you're saying. It seems we can't stay in Anxi any longer!"
The city he once ruled has now become a hellish place, and whether he caused it or not, he can no longer stand here.
After a moment of contemplation, the Lord of Xixiang City immediately ordered, "Immediately dispatch a group of messengers on fast horses, heading south along the side roads, to inform the various cities along the way of our city's predicament and to let them prepare!"
Furthermore, we need to arrange for people to spread the word about the evil deeds of those bastards, so that everyone will know the sins they committed in my Xixiang City!
Even if we can't avenge the people, we should at least make things difficult for those bastards and slow down their march!
In the end, the Lord of Xixiang City also had bloodshot eyes and looked like he was gritting his teeth.
"Lord of the city, what should we do with the surviving women and children? Should we seek help from Commander Mokra?"
"Hmph~, those soldiers are all his men. Going after him is just asking for death."
Upon hearing his subordinate's question, the city lord of Xixiang snorted coldly and then ordered, "You shall send other men to the coastal cities to inform the Han army and General Daruk of the situation, hoping that they may have a change of heart and take us and the surviving civilians in!"
In the eyes of the lord of Xixiang, the only ones who could take him in at the moment were the Han army, who were considered invaders.
"Yes, sir!"
The constable agreed and then quickly left.
Soon, dozens of fast horses left Xixiang City and galloped off in all directions.
The lord of Xixiang City also ordered his men to gather the surviving women and children together, then opened the treasury and distributed the meager amount of food inside to everyone, while they waited for news from the Han army.
Ansu City is located fifty miles south of Xixiang City. It is not a large city, with a population of only over fifty thousand.
As afternoon approached, the city gates of Ansu City opened wide in the north. The city lord of Ansu and many officials stood respectfully at the city gates, gazing at the distant horizon.
Just an hour ago, the lord of Ansu City received a message from Sakqi, saying that the army would enter the city to rest for the night.
Upon receiving Sakqi's message, the Lord of Ansu City dared not delay. He hurriedly ordered people to clean the streets and personally led a group out of the city to welcome him.
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