Emperor Yuan six years, August.
At this time, the war between the coalition forces and Qi State had reached its most intense moment.
The entire land of Qi, spanning more than two thousand miles, has been completely burned by the flames of war.
Even Jiaodong County, which was at the rear and did not face the war directly, was still affected by the war and penetrated into every aspect.
Among them, Xue County, which had been pushed to the rear and captured by the coalition forces, was mostly captured. As Cao Cao completely pacified Qufu City, the activities of all Qi resistance forces also completely subsided and fell into silence.
This is not because the people of Qi do not want to resist here, but because there is really no one left in Xue County.
Xue County, which was originally prosperous and populated, has been completely turned into ruins due to the arrival of the war. The people are impoverished and scattered, the population has dropped sharply, all civilization has been destroyed, and almost returned to the barbaric age after the war.
In every city and every village, almost no one could be seen. Except for the coalition soldiers stationed there, no other Qi people were seen.
The reason lies in the initial massacre and indulgence of the coalition forces and Cao Cao's subsequent efficient massacre plan. Soldiers were specially sent to plunder and kill the local civilians of Qi State wantonly, making Xue County a county with an original population of nearly 800,000 and a wealth that ranked among the best in the world.
Today, the population is estimated to be 50,000, and they are all hiding in the mountains and forests, living a savage life of eating hair and drinking blood.
Moreover, the place is full of burned-out ruins. The fertile fields that were originally cultivated are also densely covered with various weeds. Wild beasts can be seen everywhere in the original settlement, creating a barbaric and desolate scene. .
It can be said that although Xue Jun was captured, it became a useless piece of cake.
All the local people had been killed, and the remaining people of Qi were like frightened birds, hiding in the deep mountains and forests in fear, not daring to come out.
Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to rely on the people of Qi to develop and manage this vast territory for the kings of various countries.
The coalition forces killed the relatives of these people, robbed their wealth, burned their homes, and turned them into the savages they are now.
Both sides have deep-seated hatred. How can these Qi people farm and develop, pay taxes, and serve in the military for their enemies
I'm afraid that after the coalition soldiers evacuated, only some basic security forces were left in the area.
These Qi people who were originally huddled in the corner will come out again and destroy the coalition's rule here!
Therefore, Xue County has completely become a ruin and useless, and it is impossible to provide any help to the coalition forces. What the coalition forces get is just a piece of uninhabited territory.
However, in this era, what use do they need these territories for
Although it is undeniable that with a vast territory, a country has enough strategic space and enough basic territory to thrive. As long as there is enough time and relying on this territory, a country can grow to unimaginable levels.
But now that the Warring States Period is full of disputes and all the countries in the world are surging, who knows when they will be attacked and when they will be wiped out? There is no time to develop this wasteland.
For the princes of various countries, although the territory of Guangrao is important, the people and wealth on the territory are more important.
Those common people can provide them with one army after another. Their wealth can supply the army with food and grass, allowing the army to fight longer wars.
With the army and food and grass, the princes of various countries can defend their basic territory and wait for opportunities to expand, taking an important step towards their ambition to unify the world.
As for Xue Jun, it is obviously impossible to achieve these two points.
On the contrary, they even had to join forces with the princes to replenish manpower and material resources, rebuild Xue County, and move their originally small population into hundreds of miles of the vast Xue County.
It's true that a mute eats Coptis chinensis and can't tell the pain.
And similarly, in Jibei County, Linzi County, and Langya County in Qi State.
Among the three front lines of Qi, Linzi County is better, being wrapped in the rear by Langya and Jibei counties. Although the war has also burned into some areas, it is not serious, and basic production in some places is still possible.
But Langya County and Jibei County were in dire straits. The war was raging directly on the land of the two counties. The remaining 700,000 troops of the coalition were killing and looting as much as they wanted on this land.
Attack the city and destroy the ground, and be invincible.
In a short period of time, more than half of the land in the two counties had fallen, and the remaining defenders gathered in the county towns of the two counties, the most majestic pass in the county, to passively defend.
As for the coalition soldiers, because many of them were strong men brought by force, they were not as capable of obeying orders as elites who had been trained for a long time.
Therefore, after many of them conquered a place, they did not immediately continue their efforts bravely and vigorously, but instead started to cause harm in the local area.
Countless beautiful women who were originally beyond their reach, luxurious treasures that they could not even imagine, and food with fragrant aroma that they had never smelled were displayed before their eyes.
It's like a beggar suddenly having a pile of gold in front of him, and someone telling him that the gold is for him to take. The excitement in their hearts must be so crazy that it is difficult to conceal it.
So many soldiers went crazy, robbing and killing everywhere, anything they could help take away. Whether dead or alive, people or objects, they all were taken away. What cannot be taken away is also burned with fire. I have the bad idea that if I can’t take it, no one else can take it either.
Therefore, their effect is significant.
All the cities and forts in nearly half of the two counties were captured, and local villages and towns were also burned. Countless people of Qi who originally lived and worked in peace and contentment were wailing and crying in their homes.
All coalition soldiers here unlimitedly release their inner evil and violence, and enjoy treatment that they could not enjoy in the past.
Moreover, their cruel and original masters treated them like livestock and drove them at will. If they didn't like them at all, they would kill and torture them at will.
What is even more unscrupulous is that these coalition soldiers also drove these original residents to serve as cannon fodder to attack one city after another.
As a result, there is no need to say more.
Those who guard the city are the relatives of these civilians. They see their parents, relatives, wives and children being tortured by their enemies outside. How could they bear to attack them and brutally kill them
Therefore, many cities fell so easily.
After the coalition forces used this method to capture more than 20 cities, the remaining defenders in the city did not end well under the pressure of their own superiors, as well as those who surrendered before. Instead, they lived with their relatives who had been saved. Killed by coalition forces.
Having learned from the past, I know that no matter what I do, I will inevitably escape this test, risking the lives of myself and my loved ones.
The defenders in the city could only hold back the pain and kill their relatives below with tears in their eyes.
However, in their hearts, they turned their grief and anger into strength. After the more and more killings of their relatives, they couldn't help but hate the culprit who was driving away their relatives even more. Their belief in resisting the coalition forces in their hearts could not help but become stronger.
It's not that they have reached the point where they can consciously kill the coalition forces without the urging of their superiors, and there is no need to worry about their defeat.
(End of chapter)