This sudden outburst of curses left the scholars and students stunned, but it did not frighten them.
"What do you want?"
"Who are you?"
The scholars and students shouted hoarsely.
Before the surging crowd, though their faces turned pale, they maintained their stance, forcing themselves not to retreat.
"Who are we?"
The leader of the crowd shouted, his eyes burning with anger as he pointed behind him.
Behind him was the army formation of Duke of Chengguo, soldiers who had been rendered dazed and disoriented due to the unexpected events they encountered after leaving their camp.
"We are the very guilt you speak of for Duke of Chengguo!"
What did that mean?
"Duke of Chengguo defied imperial orders, sought glory recklessly, causing tens of thousands of soldiers to die—all for us."
"Duke of Chengguo was cunning and ambitious, seized power and resisted peace negotiations—all for us."
"Duke of Chengguo was warlike, obsessed with military strength, exhausting the national treasury, burdening the people—all for us."
"Duke of Chengguo was arrogant and overbearing, demanded rewards and fame—all for us."
"We are the sinners who made Duke of Chengguo Zhu Shan a minister of a fallen nation."
As he spoke, he took a step forward. Though clad in tattered clothes, disheveled and filthy, he exuded an aura that made the scholars involuntarily take a step back.
"If you want to question Duke of Chengguo's guilt, ask about our sins first!"
As his voice fell, an uproar erupted around them.
"If you want to question Duke of Chengguo's guilt, ask us first!"
It was like a raging storm at sea. The scholars, surrounded by the people, government soldiers, and civilians, felt shaken to their core.
Those scholars and students, who had faced down blood-soaked soldiers and valiant warriors adorned in iron armor without flinching, unexpectedly retreated a step before the accusations of this group of gaunt, destitute civilians.
"Who on earth are you?" a scholar asked.
This question stirred commotion once more.
"I'm from Baozhou."
"From Bazhou."
"From Xiongzhou."
Amid the countless voices shouting over one another, the words came through clearly to everyone's ears.
"We are the displaced people of the northern lands."
Northern lands' displaced people.
Displaced people, naturally, referred to those who had lost their homes and livelihoods.
Since the northern lands went to war with the Jurchen people, there had been many such displaced individuals. Nowadays, over half the beggars in the capital were displaced people from the northern lands. Everyone understood this status.
"No, you absolutely do not understand." An elderly man with a Bazhou accent said, his voice trembling, "You only know the phrase 'lost and displaced,' but you don't know what those four words truly mean!"
"It means losing your home, it means going hungry and cold, living in constant fear with no peace day or night!"
The old man swept his gaze across the crowd before him.
"The kind of idle comfort you all enjoy—that is something we'll never have again."
"What's even crueler is that all of this happened in the blink of an eye, overnight!"
His words stirred deep sorrow among the northern displaced people present.
"Once, we lived just like you, peaceful and well."
"Then the Jin thieves came slashing and killing just like that."
"Everything we had was gone in an instant."
Hearing the choking voices recounting their stories, the gathered crowd couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.
Even the government soldiers and scholars on duty, initially filled with fear, began to relax slightly. After all, they were just a group of displaced civilians without home or hope.
"This is war—the people suffer." A scholar said, stepping forward to address the crowd, "And so, all of this is the fault of Duke of Chengguo for waging war…"
Before he could finish his sentence, one of the nearby civilians spat directly in his face.
"Nonsense!"
It was a toothless old woman, leaning on a cane, speaking in a heavy dialect.
"If Duke of Chengguo hadn't led the soldiers to defend and fight for us, we'd all already be dead, without a single day of peace! You young man, with your sharp features, how can you spew such foolishness?"
"Exactly, it's outright ridiculous."
"If Duke of Chengguo and his good soldiers hadn't stood against the Jin thieves, how could we even live the way we do now?"
"You've had it too easy for too long and forgotten where it came from."
"To say such heartless words."
"Do you think the peace you're enjoying is handed to you by the wind?"
"It came at the cost of countless soldiers defending you, fighting off enemies, sacrificing their lives."
The angry voices came crashing down in a chaotic storm, silencing the previously outspoken scholar. The others, too, recoiled in fear, stepping back instinctively.
As they retreated, the displaced civilians advanced.
"Do you even know what warfare truly is?"
"Have you seen hundreds of soldiers march out, only for one or two to return?"
"Have you ever seen the Jin thieves' weapons? A single blade slicing half a person's body?"
Their shouts brimmed with fury. One man brazenly stepped in front of a nearby soldier.
"Young brother, take off your armor and let them see."
The soldier, abruptly called upon, looked dazed.
Truth be told, ever since the accusations had begun, they had all stood frozen, not knowing how to react.
"First Division of the Armor Battalion, remove your armor and strip down!" A crisp, commanding voice rang out from the center of the military formation.
Though still a bit dazed, hearing this voice left no room for hesitation. The soldiers dismounted immediately, and with the sound of clattering metal, their armor was removed. The dozen or so soldiers now standing before everyone appeared frail and thin.
They didn't stop there. Unconcerned with the presence of women among the crowd, they swiftly removed their outer robes, baring themselves from the waist up.
The series of swift actions left the man who had called out momentarily stunned.
"Look at them..." he finally said, pointing to the soldiers, then turned to look himself. In that instant, his words faltered, his expression turning to disbelief.
Because of his call, everybody turned to look as well. What they saw beneath the soldiers' armor shocked them.
Without the shielding layers, their once-imposing figures appeared frail. But what stunned the crowd were the crisscrossing scars covering their bodies.
The dozen soldiers, tall or short, fat or thin, young or old, all bore a body full of scars. Knife wounds, arrow injuries, new scars, old scars—some shallow, some deep. It was hard to imagine how a person could survive with so many wounds, let alone still be standing.
The surrounding noise fell silent.
"So many wounds..." The man standing beside the soldier finally spoke again, his expression complex. "I didn't expect this."
He had expected soldiers, especially those from the northern lands, to bear some injuries. That was why he had called for the soldier to remove his armor and show if he had wounds.
But he had never expected there to be so many. Nor had he expected every one of these dozen soldiers to be like this. If these soldiers...
His gaze shifted toward the military formation.
The others followed his thoughts and turned their gazes toward the rest of the soldiers in the formation.
Those soldiers were still clad in armor, appearing strong and imposing. But one could not help but wonder—how many gunshots, arrows, and wounds had they endured? How many times had they rolled through the gates of death?
"You say they seek glory, that they are warlike. Are they not humans, too?" The man's voice rang out sharply, pointing at the soldiers and glaring at the scholars and students in fury. "Why don't you go seek some glory, then?"
Once again, a storm of accusations arose.
The scholars and students retreated another step.
"If peace negotiations had been reached earlier, none of this would be necessary!" someone muttered in defiance.
The statement did not provoke the northern displaced people; instead, it brought yet another wave of spitting and curses.
"Peace negotiations earlier? Do you know how peace negotiations come about? They don't just come blowing in with the wind! They're won by war!"
"If it weren't for Duke of Chengguo intimidating the Jin thieves, if it weren't for the soldiers' bloodshed, forcing the Jin thieves into retreat, they'd be insane to agree to peace negotiations voluntarily!"
"Not only would they not negotiate, but they'd march their iron hooves southward without hesitation!"
"Are you capital people all fools? Don't you understand this simple truth?"
Listening to the overwhelming flood of scolding, the citizens of the capital blushed deeply. More than fear, they were overcome with shame.
Yes, how could they not understand this truth? How had they forgotten it was those who guarded the borders for decades who afforded them more than a decade of peace and stability?
Otherwise, they, too, would have become like these northern displaced people.
Looking at the haggard, wretched state of the displaced people, recalling the lives they had described, the citizens of the capital couldn't help but shiver.
They didn't want to live such a life. How had they lost their minds to believe Duke of Chengguo and the soldiers were guilty? Wouldn't that destroy their own good days?
It was all the fault of these scholars!
In an instant, the citizens of the capital turned their gaze toward the scholars, then turned their backs on them, aligning themselves with the northern displaced people.
*****************
Sorry, I need to go for a follow-up and change my dressing. Only one update today.
Thank you, everyone. My apologies.