Surprisingly, those severe losses were not the greatest blow dealt to the empire. After that skirmish, the entire economy of Zhen Huang City was completely paralyzed. In the sweltering heat of summer, the mountains of corpses brought about inevitable disease. Most infrastructure and buildings were burnt down in that inferno, resulting in huge batches of homeless refugees. Even injured soldiers had to make do resting on the roadside. Making matters worse, it rained profusely over the next few days. Bodies that had yet to be removed were soaked with water and quickly started decaying, giving off an intense stench, with flies buzzing around.