Zhongyuan, Xingyang.
A majestic city, located on the plain, overlooking the mountains to the east. Between the mountains, you can see Xiongguan Sishui (Hulao Pass) in the distance. It is built between the mountains and a winding path leads from the back of the pass.
And out of the mountain is the main road, which reaches the east pass of Xingyang City. If it were in peacetime, the official road from Bishui Pass to Xingyang City would be busy with traffic and pedestrians. But now, in this time of war and chaos, except for the occasional
I saw a few people fleeing, dragging their families and carrying loads on carts, and almost no wild dogs could be seen. This important town in the Central Plains, which was supposed to be densely populated, now turned out to be like a ghostly dead city.
No anger at all.
On the official road, Liu Yu and Murong Lan walked together. Their faces were already wearing human skin masks made by Murong Lan. Liu Yu pretended to be a dark-faced middle-aged man in his thirties.
Murong Lan wore a mask of a Hu merchant who was nearly forty years old and had several yellow beards. They all wore leather robes with braided hair. Liu Yu's Bailiansu iron sword was slung behind his back, and Murong Lan's double swords were inserted into his body.
In the scabbard, tied to the sides of the legs, in standard barbarian dress.
It has been more than twenty days since we left Jiankang City. To be precise, from Shouchun to the north, this is the scene. It can be said that there is almost no smoke for a hundred miles and no pedestrians for thousands of miles. The Lianghuai and Huaihe Rivers were originally relatively prosperous.
In the eastern part of the Central Plains, after experiencing the looting by rioters after the Battle of Feishui, and the rise of bandits and horse thieves from all walks of life, many people fled, either following Murong Chui's army to the north, or moving south with their families.
, entering the Jin region, most of those who stayed behind were the old, weak, sick and disabled, relying on the last remaining food reserves to survive.
Liu Yu walked very slowly, and his mood was as heavy as his steps. As a soldier, he always moved with the army. Although he had seen many scenes of people fleeing the battlefield, this was his first time.
This time I entered the north alone. Compared with the last time I went to the Peace Valley of Ding Lingzhai, it was almost like heaven and hell.
When he just passed through the already deserted Sishuiguan with closed doors and open doors, he was already deeply shocked. Now he walked to the Xingyang City Pass and looked up at the majestic city wall. Hundreds of them were hanging on the city wall and had begun to rot.
The corpses in the ditch in front of the city gate were filled with headless corpses still wearing military uniforms. Their skin and flesh had already been pecked out by wild dogs and crows. The smell of carrion was nauseating, and they gathered in groups.
Flies were flying around on these corpses, enjoying their own delicious meal.
Liu Yu finally stopped, his brows furrowed, and there was a trace of anger in his eyes: "Who did this outrageous thing? They massacred people in the city and didn't even bury the bodies. What do they want to do?"
Murong Lan sighed softly. Even though she was separated by a mask, her face didn't look very good: "That was about two months ago, when my brother led an army to attack Xingyang. The Ding Ling people under Zhai Bin were not dead.
They looted the city again, beheaded all the hundreds of prisoners who were guarding the city, and hung their heads on the city wall, saying they wanted to show off their power."
"At that time, the elder brother was very dissatisfied and wanted to stop him, but Murong Feng persuaded the elder brother, saying that the Ding Ling people came to surrender on their own initiative. If we put more restraints on them at this time, I am afraid they will become rebellious. We are not in the Central Plains area for a long time.
Therefore, punishing those who resist us to establish military prestige is not an option."
Liu Yu was furious and said sternly: "That's nonsense! Of course soldiers should kill the enemy, but how can they kill prisoners who have laid down their weapons and civilians? If you can kill people just to establish your authority, then you have to
What does military discipline do?!”
A trace of anger flashed in Murong Lan's eyes, and she said coldly: "Liu Yu, don't yell at me. Don't you, the Beifu Army, stop killing prisoners? During the Battle of Junchuan, all the food floating in the river was for
You killed the prisoners, and you forgot about them so quickly?"
Liu Yu was speechless for a moment, then he stamped his foot heavily: "If I were the commander, I would never do this. As a soldier, I can not accept the enemy's surrender and destroy it on the battlefield, but killing prisoners is a matter of anger and resentment.
Not to mention robbing and massacring civilians.”
Murong Lan's eyes became lonely, and she sighed softly: "Liu Yu, you are right, and I agree with you. The more troubled the times, the more benevolent and righteous methods should be used, so as to win people's hearts. But
You have to know that in this world, there are few good people and many bad people, especially in troubled times, when order is destroyed and no one can rule with force, so stragglers will take turns to loot various places."
"Xingyang was originally an important town in the Central Plains, guarded by thousands of soldiers and horses. Ordinary bandits and bandits did not dare to attack. However, after it was defeated by the Yan army, there were no more Qin troops in this area. The remaining officials from nearby states and counties,
They either crossed the city and fled, or led the troops of the prefectures and counties to gather in Luoyang and take refuge with Fu Hui. However, the local soldiers often fled in large numbers on the road and turned into stragglers in groups, looting everywhere.
, Aren’t there four or five gangs of rogue bandits we encountered in total?”
Liu Yu gritted his teeth. Along the way, the two of them did encounter soldiers and bandits consisting of twenty or thirty people. They were wearing the Qin army's armor, but these people were also responsible for looting villages or blocking roads.
It was also their bad luck. When they met the two murderers Liu Yu and Murong Lan, they failed to rob but turned into ghosts. Every time Liu Yu killed the leader, the rest of the people were scattered, but the dry food they had brought along the way was in vain.
It depends on these people to contribute.
Murong Lan looked at Liu Yu and said sternly: "Liu Yu, I know you are in a bad mood. Originally, when we were walking on the trail a few days ago, we would encounter bandits. You don't want to see their evil behavior of bullying the weak and robbing the village.
, so we changed to the main road. I knew that if we took the main road and passed through the big city, we would most likely see a scene like this in Xingyang, which would make you even more angry. But you have to remember that this is a troubled world. In the future, you will
You will see more cruel and terrifying scenes. If one day you really want to regain the north and achieve hegemony, I'm afraid you will have to create such a world with your own hands."
Liu Yu said in a deep voice: "I will never be like you barbarians, or like those generals who commit crimes, relying on massacre and robbery to achieve their hegemony. Murong Lan, remember, I want to
What is being recovered is a north where the Han people can live and work in peace and contentment and enjoy peace, not a north like this. If I lead the army now, I will definitely protect the territory and the people."
Murong Lan sneered and said: "Yes, when you see this place you want to protect the country and the people, and then when you see the next city being looted and slaughtered like this, you want to divide your troops to protect the country and the people. May I ask General Liu how many troops you can divide?
To protect the territory and the people? Two thousand here, three thousand there. So even if you set out with a hundred thousand troops, how many will you have left by the time Luoyang falls?"
This chapter has been completed!