As for how kind-hearted the people of Lingwu City were, or how well they treated the common folk, that was not really the case.
There were many reasons for this.
First, Lingwu City's location was special, its status was special, and its policies were special.
It was only one city. Though its territory was vast and its population numerous, its various powers were likewise tangled and intertwined. With all sides checking one another, if they truly became desperate enough to devour anything in their path, the whole of Lingwu City would likely descend into chaos and be beaten into a single pot of porridge.
At the same time, being only one city meant that its disasters could not compare to those afflicting an entire province. They were more controllable, and the losses were somewhat smaller.
Second, it was for the sake of overall stability, to guard against the Pudu Cult members hiding who knew where from stirring up trouble.
Whenever rebellion occurred, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it was because the common people could no longer survive and were on the verge of starving to death, only to be incited and exploited by people with ulterior motives, thus creating a disturbance.
As long as the people had food to eat and clothes to wear, and the overall situation remained stable, a few ill-intentioned individuals were nothing to fear. They could not stir up much of a storm; at the very least, no major internal problems would arise.
That was why Beitang Ang had called upon every well-established power in Lingwu City to aid the people afflicted by this heavy snow, pinching those dangerous saplings to death while they were still in the bud.
The situation in Liang Prefecture could already be said to have turned chaotic. Though there had