***
Qin Mu's tactics against Wang Yuncheng were not particularly sophisticated, as they had already been used by predecessors. However, this did not mean that the tactics were ineffective.
Wang Yuncheng's troops were rapist and predator by nature, and their military discipline was poor. When they saw the gold, silver and treasures scattered all over the ground, it was a fantasy to expect them to "not pick up anything on the road".
Qin Mu's tactic of "not picking up lost items on the road" could be said to be tailor-made for Wang Yuncheng. The effect was self-evident. In addition to the seven or eight hundred people who were killed on the spot, three thousand of Wang's troops were captured in one fell swoop. Only three or five hundred people were able to escape.
Qin Mu was too embarrassed to even mention the number of casualties. Apart from two unlucky guys, one had two front teeth knocked out due to a collision, and the other broke a leg when he fell while chasing the enemy. Apart from these two, no one died in the battle. Even Qin Mu could hardly believe the casualty figures reported by his men.
How could he have the nerve to say such a number of casualties? If he told others, they might say he was bullying others.
Looking at the three thousand captives kneeling on the ground, Qin Mu felt a headache and could not come up with an appropriate solution for a while.
These people have become rapists and predators. It is difficult to get them to change their ways and become new people! Therefore, Qin Mu does not intend to recruit these people.
And now Qin Mu might seize the opportunity to switch battles at any time. There was no point in keeping these three thousand prisoners. Instead, they would become a burden. Besides, he did not have much food to waste on three thousand people.
If he killed them all, Qin Mu would not be afraid of being accused of being tyrannical, but he had not yet obtained the official seal of the Ganzhou Military Preparations Department. If he killed the prisoners at this time, Wang Yuncheng who had escaped, and Wu Xueli who actually controlled the 80,000 left-wing troops would not let it go.
They will definitely put pressure on Lu Daqi. By then, let alone the official seal, Lu Daqi might even add a crime to himself in order to appease the 80,000 left-wing troops. This is a losing business for Qin Mu.
But if he just let these 3,000 people go like this, not to mention that Qin Mu was unwilling, it would also be very inappropriate. This battle was a trick, and it was not a victory by direct confrontation. Once these 3,000 people were released, they would soon feel dissatisfied, and it would not be surprising if they came back to cause trouble immediately.
When faced with such a problem, Qin Mu actually missed Sima An. It seemed that he still had too few talented people under him. When faced with a difficult problem, it was difficult to find someone to discuss it with.
There was also Zhang Zai next to him, who kept buzzing in Qin Mu's ear like a fly, begging Qin Mu to let him take the 3,000 prisoners back to Yuanzhou to ease the conflict between the two sides.
Before Qin Mu could say anything, Ling Zhan couldn't help himself. He put his sword on Zhang Zai's neck and said murderously, "Damn it, Zhang, do you think we are easy to talk to? Wang Yuncheng attacked us first. Why didn't you stop him at that time? Now you want us to release the captives to please him. Bah! Wang Yuncheng is a shit-eating dog, and Wu Xueli is a pig. If they dare to come again, I will kill them and drink with them. Zhang, if you know what's good for you, go back quickly. Let Lu Daqi reward us for the great achievement of taking back Yuanzhou, otherwise, I will go to Yuanzhou and ask him for it myself."
The skin on Zhang Zai's neck was cut. Blood dripped down, and he was so scared that he kept saying, "General, let's talk nicely. Didn't my commander-in-chief promise you rewards? Sir Qin, Sir Qin..."
Qin Mu ignored Zhang Zai's call. He walked up to a captive and asked calmly, "What's your name?"
The prisoner trembled and answered: "Zhao... Zhao Wei."
"Zhao Wei, right?" Qin Mu pointed to a captive next to Zhao Wei and asked, "Do you know him?"
"know."
"Then do you know how many women he raped and how many people he killed?"
“I… I don’t know…”
"If you don't know this, what use are you?"
Clang! The Juque sword was unsheathed, and Ling Guang slashed down diagonally. With a "puff!" sound, Zhao Wei's head rolled four or five feet away. The bleeding body slowly fell to the ground. The captives kneeling around him were in chaos. Some of them just stood up and were immediately shot into hedgehogs by the arrows. The rest saw the opportunity quickly and fell to the ground again, begging for mercy.
Qin Mu stepped forward again, pointed his sword at a captive and asked, "What's your name?"
"Hu...Hu Er."
"Do you know who this person next to you is?"
"know."
"Then do you know how many women he raped and how many people he killed?"
"I... no... no no no... I know his name is Hong Chao. I saw him rape eight women, one of which was a three-year-old girl. He also killed no less than twenty people..."
"Very good, Hu Er, are you willing to avenge the people who died unjustly?"
“Little…little man….”
"Hmm? You don't want to?"
"No, no, no, I am willing."
"Very good, Yijin, give him a knife."
The prisoner next to him was so scared that he shouted repeatedly: "Sir, he is slandering me. I didn't rape anyone, I didn't kill anyone, he raped more people than me, killed more people than me, sir..."
"Hmm? You said he raped more women than you and killed more people than you. That means you admit that you raped women and killed civilians. It's just a matter of who raped more and who killed less. Am I right in understanding this?"
"This... Sir, please spare my life! Sir, please spare my life..."
"If I spare you, who will spare the victims? Hu Er, what are you waiting for?"
****
In the Yuanzhou government office, messengers were coming in and out, and scouts were coming and going continuously. The whole place was filled with a tense pre-war scene.
In the lobby, Lu Daqi, Jiangxi General Xu Kaijin, Wu Xueli and several of his important generals gathered in front of a map, arguing fiercely about the upcoming war.
Xu Kaijin was in his forties, with an ordinary appearance and calloused hands. He brought only 9,000 troops this time, but he was a hard-line advocate of war. He said, "Although Zhang Xianzhong has 200,000 troops, most of them are newly recruited rebels. Their fighting power must not be strong. They must be exhausted after coming all the way here. Our army can take advantage of his unstable foothold and take the initiative to attack and defeat him in one fell swoop..."
"General Xu is full of confidence, but I want to remind you that confidence is not enough to feed you." Chen Peizhu, the general of Wu Xueli's left camp, refuted with disdain, "Zhang Xianzhong is tired after coming from a long distance, but aren't our troops tired after coming from Jiujiang? Since General Xu is sure of victory, why not take his own troops to fight Zhang Xianzhong?"
"You..." Xu Kaijin had long been disgusted with the Zuo Jun army's burning, killing, raping and pillaging along the way. Hearing Chen Peizhu's words, he became even more furious. However, the situation was stronger than the man. He could only muster 9,000 men, so how could he dare to fight against Zhang Xianzhong's 200,000-man army
Helpless, Xu Kaijin turned to Lu Daqi and said, "Commander-in-chief, if we don't take the initiative to attack, Zhang Xianzhong's 200,000 troops will be able to march to Yuanzhou City unimpeded. By then, our army will be trapped in an isolated city with no reinforcements outside and no food and grass inside. Zhang Xianzhong doesn't need to attack the city, he just needs to block the four gates, and we will just be waiting for death."
Lu Daqi was no military idiot. He had won several great victories when he was the governor of Gansu. He had a certain strategic vision and knew that what Xu Kaijin said made sense. He said to Wu Xueli, "General Wu, it is indeed not appropriate for us to be trapped in Yuanzhou. How about this? Tiger Mouth, ten miles west of Yuanzhou, has a dangerous terrain. General Wu will first lead 50,000 troops to Tiger Mouth. When the time comes, we can fight and retreat, and then act according to the situation. This way, Yuanzhou can be prevented from being besieged and Tiger Mouth can be reinforced. What do you think, General Wu?"
Unlike Lü Daqi, who was nearly fifty years old and had gray hair on his temples, Wu Xueli was in his prime, less than thirty-seven years old. Although his name was Xueli, he had lived for thirty-seven years but still did not know what "etiquette" meant, and looked very ruffian.
But he picked his nose and answered: "General Lu, this month's food and wages have not been issued yet. Now the soldiers can't even get enough to eat. If they are asked to guard Tiger's Mouth and fight Zhang Xianzhong's 200,000 troops, I'm afraid no one will be willing to do so."
This was a naked threat. No matter how good Lu Daqi was at forbearance, he could not help but be filled with anger. A flash of cold light flashed in his eyes, and he said without showing any trace on his face: "General Wu, don't worry. I will raise food and wages as soon as possible. Now that Zhang's army is approaching, the war is imminent. I hope General Wu can put the overall situation first. Otherwise, once Yuanzhou is surrounded, none of us will be able to escape."
Wu Xueli laughed and was about to say something else when he saw Wang Yuncheng running in in a state of panic...
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ps: 2013 is about to pass, and Haoyuan would like to thank every friend who supports me. It is my greatest honor to have you by my side. Your support is my motivation to persevere. Thank you.
The journey of Ming Yang Tian Xia has just begun. In the coming 2014, I hope you can continue to support Ming Yang Tian Xia. Hao Yuan will definitely give you more wonderful stories in return. Finally, I wish you all a happy new year and good luck! (To be continued..)
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