The atmosphere in the Capital City was different from that of the great army.
The entire city was clad in mourning white, sorrow and gravity written across every face.
The great army returning in triumph immediately put away its ease and joy. Remembering the grievous losses of this campaign, the delight of victory and survival faded considerably.
Thinking of their comrades-in-arms forever left beyond the Great Wall, everyone fell silent.
Even soldiers who had weathered the battlefield were like this, let alone the civil officials.
Among the ranks, some civil officials who remembered their colleagues could not help lowering their heads to wipe away tears. Then one affected another, and their grief deepened until they simply began to weep aloud.
When the Emperor went on campaign in person, he brought along a small Imperial Court, and among them, the lower- and middle-ranking officials of the Six Ministries were the ones who did most of the work.
Their losses had also been the most severe.
These people had no soldiers at their sides to protect them. After all, anyone capable had rushed headlong to protect the Emperor.
Those civil officials without combat ability ran for their lives. The fortunate escaped; the unfortunate were cut down.
Those who could fight picked up blades and swords to strike back. Nearly all of them died, and they died horribly.
When Chen Huai went to find the Emperor, he collected their bodies. Some could not even be pieced together into whole corpses. Their offices and identities could only be determined from scraps of clothing still clinging to severed limbs.
At least no single corpse had ended up with two different people's hands and feet.
Zhu Qiyu led the ministers and part of the Imperial Guards into the imperial city. The rest remained in the outer