At noon, the Jingzhou soldiers were mobilized in full force to capture and surrender at least 100,000 people.
On both sides of the Baihe River, clusters of people were separated like stacks of harvested wheat, and tents were built along the river. Now Cao's army was like refugees, and it was not easy to resettle them.
Liu Qi and his troops crossed the river, and only a few of Cao's soldiers escaped. They all lay down around the camp. Those who wanted to leave were too hungry to move.
Zhang He and Gao Lan surrendered voluntarily, but after the Battle of Guandu, the Battle of Nanyang forced them to change their allegiance. It was a difficult decision.
After Cao Cao eliminated Yuan Shao, he actually ordered a massacre in Ye City. When the two heard the news, they were filled with resentment, as their relatives and friends were all there, and none of them were spared.
During this southern expedition, they used human flesh as rations and killed ordinary civilians, but they actually turned on their own people and even killed the laborers and soldiers who were transporting food. They were completely inhumane.
In this battle, the Hebei army was almost wiped out. After the two learned the truth, they thought about it and realized that Cao Cao was plotting to kill someone with a borrowed knife. How could this not be chilling
Liu Qi dismounted to greet the two men and sighed, "In the past, Lord Yuan issued an edict to fight against the enemy, but unfortunately the two generals were plotted against by the villain and had no choice but to follow the enemy. Fortunately, the two of you have not forgotten your original intention and have served the country. From now on, you and I will work together to revive the Han Dynasty."
The two were touched to see Liu Qi still speaking up for them. Zhang He asked, "General, have you caught Cheng Yu? He is the culprit and must be eliminated."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Cheng Yu has been beheaded by Lu Chang. General Lu is from Bowang, Nanyang. When he saw his fellow townsman being slaughtered in such a brutal way, he was furious and beheaded him. He has already abandoned the dark and joined the light."
Zhang He sighed, "People say Cao Cao is a treacherous hero, having experienced many things, but I don't agree with that!"
Gao Lan said in dissatisfaction: "Jun Yi, you are still speaking for Cao thief?"
Zhang He sneered and said, "This man is really a traitor!"
Gao Lan nodded and said, "This thief first slaughtered innocent people in Hebei. Now that the military situation in Nanyang is critical, he wants to kill the newly surrendered Hebei troops to save food and grass. His vicious heart is chilling."
Zhang He clasped his fists and said, "It is a misfortune for the Han Dynasty that such traitors are in charge of government and oppress the emperor. We should eliminate these traitors for the country, no matter what it takes!"
Liu Qi was overjoyed and ordered the two men to recruit the surrendered soldiers. Those who were willing to continue to join the army were enlisted, those who were willing to stay and farm were allocated land, and those who were willing to return to their hometowns in the north were paid military pay and sent back.
Zhang He was shocked when he heard this and said, "General, sending these surrendered soldiers back to their hometowns is like letting a tiger return to the mountain."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "After what happened to these soldiers, most of them are probably unwilling to serve Cao Cao anymore. They will definitely hide their identities and flee. Let them spread the evil deeds of Cao Cao everywhere, which is ten times worse than rumors."
Zhang He suddenly realized, "General, you are kind and generous. This move will surely win the hearts of the people and make Cao Cao lose the support of the people. Hebei has just been pacified. The men of Yan and Zhao will never accept humiliation. This will surely make the old thief very anxious."
The two men thanked him again and returned to the camp to persuade them to surrender. They informed each unit of Liu Qi's conditions, and each person had three options.
Those Cao soldiers were originally lying on the ground like dead fish, but when they heard the news, it was as if a bucket of water was poured on them, and they jumped up and down again.
In the evening, Zhao Yun and Gan Ning sent people to report that the news that Cao Cao used human flesh as military rations spread. The morale of Cao's army that went to attack Anzhong and Xinye was instantly crushed, and countless people surrendered. The crisis in the two cities was resolved.
Liu Qi felt a little sorry when he heard the news that Xu Huang and Le Jin both escaped. He thought he could catch at least one of them!
If the Five Elite Generals could be dealt with, Cao Cao would only have his Cao Family Army left, and the threat would be greatly reduced.
However, the most important thing right now is to clean up the battlefield, calm people's hearts, and stabilize Nanyang completely.
There are nearly 200,000 prisoners and so many corpses after the war. The hot summer can easily lead to an epidemic, and cleaning up the aftermath is not an easy task!
While he was visiting the surrendered troops and winning over their hearts, Zhuge Liang also came to the front line, looked at the tragic scene, and sighed helplessly.
Liu Qi said: "Cao's army has entered Nanyang, but the Eastern Wu has not taken any action. Zhou Yu has been training troops in Chaisang for a long time, and Sun Quan is determined to attack Jiangxia for revenge. This time he is acting out of character, so he may have other intentions."
Apart from Nanyang, what he cared about most was Jiangxia. Although Gan Ning returned to Jingzhou by accident, Huang Zu was still no match for Sun Quan.
Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and said with a smile: "Don't worry, General. I expect that the Eastern Wu navy has already set out, but they are not attacking Jiangxia, but going to Huainan."
Liu Qi was stunned: "Sun Quan is not in a hurry to take revenge anymore?"
In the past few years, Sun Ce and Sun Quan have attacked Jiangxia many times for revenge, showing an attitude of irreconcilable hostility. Are they going to miss this great opportunity
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Sun Quan has great ambitions, and Zhou Yu is also a good general. How could they ignore the overall situation for personal revenge? Cao Cao's army is heading south and is being held back in Nanyang, leaving Xuzhou empty. This is a good opportunity for Dongwu to move north!"
"So that's it!" Liu Qi suddenly realized.
Although he has some foresight, he is still not as good as Zhuge Liang in judging the situation. Now that history has deviated and gone off track, he needs to learn more.
After a pause, he smiled and said, "If Sun Quan leads his troops north, the Eastern Wu will probably return in defeat this time."
Zhuge Liang asked, "Why do you think so?"
Liu Qi also put on an air of insight into worldly affairs, stood with his hands behind his back facing the wind, and said slowly: "Cao Cao is the best at using people. How can he ignore Xuzhou when his army marches south? Zhang Liao, the garrison commander of Hefei, is an experienced fighter, and Sun Quan has never led an army before. If he rushes to show off his abilities, he will surely suffer a great defeat."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "General, Zhongyuan, I agree with you!"
Liu Qi felt relieved, thinking to himself, you all rely on your intelligence and talent to show off, although I am a little inferior, my experience is not to be underestimated, and no one can compare to me in knowing people.
The defeat of Cao's army in Nanyang was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime plan for the Eastern Wu, but if it was Sun Quan who led the army, that might not have been the case.
The current defender of Hefei is Zhang Liao, Sun Quan's nemesis, and the situation is much more stable than when Eastern Wu attacked Hefei in history.
If Sun Quan wanted to force his way forward, the Battle of Xiaoyaojin would probably have to take place in advance!
Some people can seize the opportunity to become famous in one battle, while others can waste the good opportunity in vain and lament that time is running out and God is unfair.
But no matter what, the situation in Jingzhou has basically stabilized. The crime Cao Cao committed in Nanyang this time is even more despicable than the massacre in Xuzhou. Cao's army will never set foot in Jingzhou again.
Sun Quan's dispatch of troops to the north meant that the war between Sun and Cao would break out again. If they were deadlocked in Huainan, it would be a good opportunity for Jingzhou to develop.
As long as Liu Qi does not take the initiative to provoke Jiangdong like Sun Quan and Zhou Yu did during this period, they can fight with peace of mind.
Although the current Sun-Liu alliance has not been formally formed, it is enough for both parties to reach a tacit understanding!
Even if you form an alliance, with Sun Quan's character, you never know when he might stab you in the back. It is better to be safer if you stay vigilant at all times!
Thinking of Guan Yu's attack on Fancheng, if Sun Quan had not launched a surprise attack on Jingzhou but instead attacked Xuzhou, perhaps the two families would have divided the Central Plains long ago, and history would have taken a different course.
For Liu Qi, the next step is to develop steadily, build high walls, store up grain, and slowly become king!