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"The government troops are entering the city, the government troops are entering the city." Li Tongliang and his men shouted as they rushed towards the north gate in a panic.
At this moment, there were cries of killing on the city wall and drums of war outside the city. In addition to the captives, even Qin Mu's 1,700 troops joined the siege.
Thousands of soldiers and horses set up ladders and rushed to the top of the city. The rest used bows and arrows to shoot at both sides of the city gate to suppress the rebels on both wings to come to support. A rain of arrows covered the top of the city like locusts in the sky, and hit the bricks and stones with a clanging sound. At the same time, they kept shooting at the rebels near the north gate tower. One by one, the rebels were shot and fell down, and some fell directly to the bottom of the city, like dumplings. The city was full of corpses, layer upon layer, and the blood dyed the top of the city scarlet, which was shocking.
When Li Tongliang rushed to the north gate with more than 300 people, the fighting on the city was at its most intense. The shouts and screams intertwined into a huge wave of sound, spreading in all directions.
The arrival of this group of troops made the rebels on the city wall hesitate. "The soldiers are coming, run away! The South Gate has been breached by the soldiers. The soldiers are coming into the city, run away!" The fire spread in the city and the smoke was thick. If there were only rioters or a few spies in the city, the rebels on the city wall could still hold out for a while. But when they heard that the South Gate had been breached, and Li Tongliang's troops were rushing in in a disorderly manner, they really looked like a defeated army, which immediately became the last straw that broke the camel's back for the rebels on the city wall.
After the uproar, the rebels on the city wall scattered like birds and beasts. No matter they were soldiers or generals, they no longer had the courage to hold on. They threw down their weapons one by one and fled down the city wall desperately. It was like a huge torrent, pouring down in all directions, so that Li Tongliang and his men were washed away to pieces and could not squeeze into the city wall.
Li Tongliang took advantage of the chaos to light a string of fireworks. Although the red fireworks were not as dazzling in the daytime as at night, they were still bright enough for people outside the city to see. When the rebels on the top of the city had almost fled, Li Tongliang and his men had the opportunity to rush into the city gate and hurriedly open it.
War is always full of variables. According to Qin Mu's plan, he would let Li Tongliang and others sneak into the city, pour medicine under the wells in the city, and wait for the rebels in the city to "flee thousands of miles", and then cooperate with internal and external forces to take down Yuanzhou City.
But plans cannot keep up with changes, and Qin Mu did not expect that Yuanzhou City would be in such a mess. It would allow the troops who sneaked into the city to easily find loopholes. Fortunately, Li Tongliang and his group were smart enough and did not stick to Qin Mu's plan. They made correct adjustments according to the actual situation.
The north gate of Yuanzhou was opened wide. Although the previous siege was also fierce, with 800 of the 1,300 prisoners killed or wounded in just two hours, and 600 to 700 rebels on the city walls killed or wounded, this had little to do with the "Qin Army". The Qin Army's own casualties were almost negligible, and they managed to take down Yuanzhou City.
Looking at the army rushing into the city like a tide, Qin Mu was quite emotional. Using prisoners to attack the rebels, this trick of driving away wolves and swallowing tigers, it seems that he needs to study it more and deepen it in the future.
Moreover, after a fierce battle, only 400 to 500 people were left out of the 1,300 prisoners. These people who survived the brutal battlefield elimination could easily become elite soldiers with a little training and brainwashing. At least they could fight against Zuo Liangyu, Zhang Xianzhong and the like and ensure that they would have the upper hand.
The defeated army was not much different from the sheep on the grassland. Qin Mu's men were like the wolves hunting the sheep. Working closely together, Su Jin led the cavalry to gallop outside the city, chasing the rebels escaping from the four gates. As soon as Liu Meng, Huo Sheng and others rushed into Yuanzhou City, they immediately divided their troops into several groups and bravely chased along the streets.
There were so many defeated soldiers that they were running around the streets like headless flies.
"Kill!" Every Qin soldier was full of vigor and courage, and they rushed forward, shouting and killing throughout the city.
Every time they came to a street intersection, they had to split up their troops. In the end, there were only dozens of people assigned to each street, but they were able to chase hundreds or thousands of defeated soldiers into tears.
Sheep are sheep, no matter how many there are. In such a great rout, no defeated soldier dared to turn back and fight. When they were chased with no way to escape, they fell to their knees, holding their heads and begging for mercy.
Qin Mu was still standing on the high slope outside the city, looking at the smoke-filled Yuanzhou City. At this moment, his mind was no longer on the war itself, but began to think about post-war matters.
Sima An reminded, "Sir, quickly send a message to General Liu, and have them organize the prisoners to put out the fire as soon as possible. If we wait any longer, Yuanzhou City might be destroyed by the fire."
Qin Mu nodded and instructed Zhu Yijin, "Yijin, go and pass the order. Tell Liu Meng and the others to set up a fire barrier as soon as possible to prevent the fire from spreading further."
"Yes, sir."
After receiving the order, Liu Meng drove two or three thousand prisoners to knock down the houses near the fire, creating a fire zone several feet wide. By dusk, after the fire destroyed nearly a quarter of Yuanzhou City, it was finally brought under control, leaving only lingering smoke.
Of the 10,000 rebels, more than 5,000 were captured and most of the rest fled out of the city. Su Jin's cavalry was too few to stop them all. The rebel leader Gao Ze was also missing, probably having escaped among the fleeing soldiers.
It is still unclear how much spoils were captured from the capture of Yuanzhou. Zhu Yijin and his men are gathering the property and counting it overnight. It is estimated that it will take more than one night to get a specific number.
The Yuanzhou government office was brightly lit. Generals Liu Meng, Huo Sheng and others each had their own tasks, some guarding the city gates, some patrolling the streets. Only Qin Mu and Sima An were sitting opposite each other under the lights in the government office.
The two of them ate the hot meal brought by Li Shi while discussing things in a low voice.
"Zhang Qi has stored all the loot he and his 20,000 vanguards have plundered in Yuanzhou City. The value of the gold and silver treasures alone is estimated to be no less than three million taels. How do you plan to deal with these treasures, sir?"
Qin Mu stopped eating and tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks, laughing: "I am as poor as a beggar now. My Qiao'er doesn't even put more salt in her cooking. Her mouth is so salty that it's almost tasteless. What else can I do?"
Being able to capture Yuanzhou City so easily and obtain such rich spoils, Qin Mu was naturally in a very good mood, and his words could not help but carry a hint of sarcasm.
Sima An also looked relaxed, but he quickly said seriously: "Sir, it is impossible to hide such a large amount of food and treasures from others if we take them back to Ganzhou. Lü Daqi's army of 10,000 is in need of food and fodder. If you transport all the spoils back to Ganzhou, I'm afraid Lü Daqi will not let it go."
"Mr. Sima, don't worry about this. What can Lü Daqi do if he finds out? Zuo Liangyu's 80,000 troops are looting along the way, and he can't do anything about it. It's reasonable for me to lead the army to defeat the enemy and take some of the spoils."
“Sir, you just used the trick of driving away the wolf and swallowing the tiger. If Lu Daqi also learns it, this problem will not be simple.”
"Let's wait until Lu Daqi can withstand Zhang Xianzhong's 200,000 troops. By the way, Mr. Sima, you have this concern. Do you think that if Lu Daqi and Zhang Xianzhong fight against each other, Lu Daqi will definitely win?" Qin Mu asked with interest.
Sima An smiled and said jokingly, "If it were just two tigers fighting, it would be hard to predict who would win. But you seem to have forgotten that there is a lion squatting next to you. With this lion around, I believe Zhang Xianzhong will definitely not get away with it."
"Uh..." Qin Mu thought about it and it was true. Although he would be sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight, he couldn't just watch Lü Daqi lose. It was not in his own interest to give Jiangxi to Zhang Xianzhong. "Since Mr. Sima sees me as a lion who can decide the outcome, what should Lü Daqi, a paper tiger, be worried about?"
"Sir, what you should worry about is not Lü Daqi, the paper tiger. It is the righteousness. How to occupy the righteousness everywhere is what you must consider carefully in the future. Liu Bei had nothing back then. He was not good enough in literature to maintain the country, nor in martial arts to stabilize the country. His wisdom and strategies were not outstanding. In the end, he was able to establish Shu Han and divide the world into three parts. He relied on nothing more than a righteous reputation.
You now have many strong generals under your command, so I have nothing to worry about in terms of war. But you must not take your righteousness for granted just because you have won a few great victories. In two or three days, Lu Daqi will arrive in Yuanzhou. How to strike a balance in dealing with him so that you can always be righteous and not be regarded as a traitor by the world is the key.
Furthermore, it is good for you to show off your strength appropriately, which can both shock some people and attract some people to come and join you; but everything should be done in moderation. If you show off your strength too much, your neighbors will look at you with awe, become uneasy, and even be on guard and secretly obstruct you, which will not be worth the loss. "
Qin Mu listened carefully, stood up, bowed to Sima An solemnly and said, "Thank you Mr. Sima for your kind advice. I have learned a lot."
Sima An stood up quickly and said, "My Lord, I am sorry for the humiliation. I will be going back to Ganzhou tomorrow, so I have to say a few more words. You all understand these principles. I am just worried that you will lose yourself in the situation."
The reason why Qin Mu treated Sima An with such courtesy was that Sima An was a rare talent. If one wanted to establish a solid base, it was not enough to have generals who were good at fighting. One must also have talents in civil administration to ensure the development of people's livelihood, the stability of landlords, and thus meet the supply of the army.
"After Mr. Sima returns this time, all the affairs of Ganzhou will be entrusted to him. No matter what, we must ensure the stability of Ganzhou. If Mr. Sima is not convenient to come forward, he can leave the matter of Yang Tinglin to Tian Yimu. Whether it is house arrest or forced imprisonment, before I return to Ganzhou, we must ensure that someone is always watching him. First, we can't let him commit suicide again, and second, we can't let him have any contact with the outside world, including my wife, who must be secretly monitored and must not be neglected."
"I know, sir, don't worry. By the way, when you mentioned the matter of Ganzhou, I remembered something."
"Oh, Mr. Sima, if you have something to say, just tell me."
"Your Excellency, as the magistrate of Huichang, is in charge of Ganzhou affairs. It's fine now, but it will inevitably become inappropriate over time. This time we wiped out Zhang Xianzhong's 20,000 elite vanguards and recaptured the Jiangyou Gate, which is equivalent to saving the entire Jiangxi. Lu Daqi is the governor-general of four provinces and the general manager of the war in Jiangnan. If the rewards and punishments are not clear, how can he convince the people? He is now in power, so it is no problem to give him an official title. When he arrives in Yuanzhou, Your Excellency might as well choose an appropriate time to give him an official title."
"Yeah!" Qin Mu couldn't help but laugh out loud with his head raised after hearing this.
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ps: It is said that the monthly tickets will be doubled after midnight. I don’t know if it is true. You may as well try to vote for the monthly tickets after midnight. Yes, vote more!
The most painful thing about writing a book is watching others earning monthly tickets and counting rewards, while you can only count your toes... ... ... Monthly tickets, I want monthly tickets!
.(To be continued..)
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