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As people who had agreed to go on what was pretty much a 'suicide mission' with very little chance of returning alive, the loyalty of these captured soldiers towards the commonwealth was initially quite extreme.
Faced with not only complete abandonment, but also betrayal, however, quickly caused their convictions to waver. And when Emilia proposed 'rescuing' their families, a few finally couldn't help but start confessing.
Of course, they weren't stupid enough to just admit everything without considering the consequences.
If they really let this empress know what they were considering doing to her had they captured her alive, wouldn't she have them skinned on the spot?