Chapter 2 Betrayal (Sixth Middle School) When the last courage is lost, human dignity is also gone. "Spare your life, Lord Commander!" The defeated ones knelt in a pool of blood of their comrades, kowtowing like garlic, with runny noses and tears mixed with them.
His face was covered with blood and mud, and he looked extremely cowardly.
But the county soldiers and minzhuang who rushed out of the city refused to believe the illusion in front of them. Just half an hour ago, these trembling lambs kneeling on the ground were still showing their sharp teeth. Their sword heads were stained with the blood of the city defenders.
, their howls made the whole city tremble. The evil they had done outside the city these days was clearly recorded by the embers that have not yet been extinguished.
Dozens of farming sites near Suichang were destroyed, thousands of houses were demolished, and tens of thousands of innocent people were killed. How can this debt be easily erased? The thatched huts on the south bank of the Sushui River were all built by refugees.
Under the organization of the Tuntian Ambassador, the building was built with shovelfuls of dirt and sweat. After years of displacement, it was finally possible to see some hope of peace, but the bandits destroyed all these hopes. How can this crime be forgiven?
No mobilization was needed. As soon as the city gate opened, all the strong men in the city came out to help them. They tied up the surrendered people one by one with dirty ropes and tied them into long strings. The old and weak men who had no strength to help tied them up one by one.
Pick up sticks and branches from the battlefield and beat the prisoners on their heads and faces!
"I told you to rob my livestock, to tear down my door..." The gray-haired old man and old lady scolded while beating them, "You who kill a thousand swordsmen, spit out my piglets! Spit out my ducks."
…….”
"You are so unscrupulous that you even stole the door panels, and you still ask people to live. If you don't ask me to live, I won't ask you to live!" The flames of hatred spread everywhere, and the people became more and more angry as they thought about it.
red
"Spare your life, sir! I was captured too!" The prisoners were ashamed and frightened. They held their heads and cried and begged for mercy. However, the people refused to easily forgive these saboteurs. They knocked a group of people to the ground and carried sticks.
Go to the next group and pick out the ones with clean clothes and armor, and the stronger ones, and ruthlessly attack them.
The neater the armor, the bigger the official, and the bigger the official, the more sins he has committed, so beating him will not be unfair. The transformation between wolf and sheep happened in a split second. Previously, the bandits were looting wantonly, but now the Boling Army is backing him up.
, the people will naturally not give up easily.
Listening to the noisy cries in the surrounding areas, Wang Xuba suddenly felt a little unspeakably uncomfortable. Those minions had done things outside Suichang City. He had done them without hesitation back then. At that time, he felt that he was doing something for God.
Xingdao, now looking at it from a different angle, suddenly discovered that the so-called way of heaven is just an excuse to fool oneself. Not only did the scholars sneer at this, but ordinary people did not believe that what they needed was a peaceful life, rather than someone relying on oneself.
Destroy them as you like or dislike and succumb to Yin's coercion. They may treat you with respect at that time, but once you are down, you will be beaten like a mad dog in water...
"Those who kill with a thousand swords are good people who do nothing but become bandits!"
"What a sin! Whose ancestor lacked great virtue..." Listening to the scoldings, Wang Xuba felt that the sticks were all hitting him. The pain was unforgettable and he was ashamed. "If I hadn't made the decision earlier...
..." He held the stick tightly, his knuckles gradually turning white. He felt that the sunlight above his head was dazzling, and the smell of blood around him was so strong that he could hardly breathe...
"General Wang, the commander ordered you to lead your cavalry to stay behind to help Magistrate Liu suppress the prisoners, clean the battlefield, and wait for our infantry to arrive before we can join together at Wulu!" The voice of the messenger suddenly rang in his ears.
Pull Wang Xuba's mind from nightmare back to reality
"Alas! General, I obey!" Wang Xuba stretched out his hand to wipe away his cold sweat, and hurriedly took the command arrow from the opponent's hand. According to the planned plan, after defeating the enemy's main force, the cavalry will follow the defeated army to pursue and suppress Old General Yang Yichen.
The soldiers and horses with their headquarters are blocking the shore of Hutuo River, which will be the final resting place of the invaders.
It would be a massacre without any suspense. Wang Xuba knew that Li Xu was taking care of him. After holding the command arrow, he glanced gratefully at the Chinese army. He saw the general raising the long spear in his hand high and smiling.
Nod to yourself!
"I will obey your orders!" Wang Xuba also raised the long spear in his hand and responded loudly. Li Xu usually didn't talk much, but every look and movement made people feel extremely comfortable.
"General, believe me, I'm not a bandit anymore, no!" He told himself happily. Then with the assistance of Fang Yannian, he led his 300 cavalry to leave the group and formed a formation in the center of the battlefield to prepare for battle. "Spit out my little pig!"
Spit out my duck!" The yelling and cursing all around was still there, but it no longer sounded awkward to people's ears, but instead seemed a bit more cordial.
"When things settle down, I will go back to the Laishui River to raise a few pigs." While vigilantly monitoring the movements of the defeated, Wang Xuba fantasized that as a reward for a military commander of his level, the Boling Army would give the king a reward by the Laishui River.
Xuba divided one hundred and twenty acres of irrigated land. Now those fields are being cleared by his uncle and several hired tenants. After the spring of next year, the yield of one hundred and twenty acres of fertile land can be sown. In addition to a few members of the family chewing bread
In addition, being able to have enough surplus food to raise some livestock will make the whole life better and put a happy smile on the faces of the women at home every day.
That dream was very close at hand. No matter who wanted to destroy it, Wang Xuba would draw his sword with him. Thinking of this, he felt a warm current melting into his heart, and the autumn light in front of him suddenly became gorgeous.
It wasn't until the sun set that Guo Xuan and Zhao Ziming divided their forces and led the soldiers of Zhuojun and the infantry of Boling Army to the outside of Suichang City. When they learned that the champion general had led the cavalry to chase the enemy and Zhubei, several generals refused the invitation to enter the city for a break.
, decided to lead the brothers over there overnight so that they could serve as the main force in the battle against Wulu.
"We can't give all the military exploits to the cavalry. We always follow the horse's butt and eat dirt!" Guo Xuan, the governor of Zhuo County, couldn't wait to suggest, "After meeting with Old General Yang, not counting the wasted effort of cleaning up Sun Dazi.
It will take at least a whole day for the general to cross the Hutuo River. We can catch up overnight and just make use of the pontoon bridge left by the brothers!"
"Yes, the general is loyal to us. We can't embarrass him and chase him across the Hutuo River. Let Yang Yichen see what kind of army can be called an elite!" Liu Yi, who had just been promoted to General of Guide, shouted loudly.
He and Lu Qin and several other officers who had transferred from the Xiongwu Camp had been highly valued in the Boling Army. While feeling grateful, they always wanted to do something to repay Li Xu for his kindness.
"Since there are not many bandits fleeing nearby, there is no need to leave too many brothers to restore local order!" Zhao Ziming, the sullen military commander, thought for a while and was inclined to rush to the next battlefield overnight. "Order the cook to prepare for the brothers at night."
Add an all-meat meal and tell everyone to hurry up and hurry up after eating. If we can block Gao Shida and Liu Badao between Raoyang and Wulu, within two years, no bandits will dare to enter us.
Six counties in one step!”
"Yes, let them know that they are afraid!" Other generals also expressed their agreement. With the power of a hundred battles, they do not think that there are other soldiers and horses in the world who are the opponents of the Boling Army. "This group of bandits is not small in power. In fact, it is a group of superiors."
Don’t leave bad stuff on the countertop. Finish cleaning up early and go home early to take care of your children so that you don’t have to run around outside when winter comes!”
"But, there are only a thousand Xiangyong left in this county, and there are more than 16,000 prisoners held in the school grounds outside the city!" Suichang County Magistrate Wang Jiude, who had no chance to interrupt for a long time, heard that everyone was about to make a decision overnight.
The decision to break camp was made with a pale face as a reminder that in the afternoon, just after the Boling Jingqi left, some daring prisoners tried to instigate trouble! Fortunately, Wang Xuba made an immediate decision and led three hundred cavalry to directly hack the leader to death.
another disaster
"Are they still unwilling to leave if we let them go?" Zhao Ziming's brows shrugged, and a cold light flashed across his eyes. After the Boling Army treated the rogue bandits as prisoners, they gave them a short lesson and ordered them to go home to work in the fields.
Most of the bandits in the six counties around Boling did indeed return to a peaceful life afterwards and stopped making mischief. Very few of the defeated were like what Wang Jiude said. After being forgiven, they did not want to be grateful.
"You generals may not know something. They are all a group of habitual bandits. They are different from the local refugees who were recruited in the summer!" County Magistrate Wang Jiude glanced at Wang Xuba secretly and reported with a grimace, "Our local refugees are all
The folks from the mountain villages who were forced to go up there by the situation are thinking about their feelings no matter what!" He tried his best to choose words so as not to touch Wang Xuba's heartache. "But this group of people came all the way to rob, and they didn't get anything.
Let them go home when they have benefited. Of course they are unwilling to do so. Look at how much they have ruined Sui Chang these days. Except for the stones for the foundation, they cannot move away, and nothing else that can be moved is left at all!"
"What's going on is that all the farming sites outside the city have been destroyed by them. The thatched houses that General Spring just ordered the people from the county to build were burned down by these unscrupulous people!"
County Lieutenant Du Daan is an old brigade leader who retired due to injury. He has never read any books, so he speaks straightforwardly.
If you surrender after being captured, you can go home safely!”
"Let them go like this, and the people in the county won't agree!" Several bookkeepers said that their village was outside the city. Although most of the supplies were withdrawn to the city in time, the family's losses were still considerable.
Listening to the discussions around him, Wang Xuba's face looked a little green. He sympathized with the prisoners, but he could not deny that the accusations made by the county magistrate and county lieutenant were all true. The Yan army under his command also raided the people very ruthlessly.
But it was far from the point where even the door panels and window frames had to be dismantled. Among the materials collected from the bandit camp after the war, pots, bowls, ladles, and basins actually accounted for more than half. The greed of the bandits made him think that
People who are rogues feel ashamed
"They tried to cause trouble again in the afternoon! Thanks to General Wang, nothing happened. If the generals insist on leaving, please take these bandits away too!" County Magistrate Wang Jiude raised his hands and bowed to the generals, "Otherwise
If they start making trouble again, everyone in the county, old and young, will be wiped out!"
"That's not easy to handle. Let's take the prisoners to the river after dinner! Knife them one by one and send them directly back to their hometown!" Lu Qin was furious when he heard this. He pressed the handle of the knife and said loudly
"Yes, if you don't give them some color, maybe they will come back next time!" Guo Xuan responded loudly. He originally did not advocate blindly being gentle. Today, when he saw that someone had made a suggestion to kill people to establish power before him, he wished he could do it immediately.
make it a reality
"If you succeed, you will get rich. If you lose, you can also get dry food for the way home. How can anything in the world be so cheap? If we really let them go, these white-eyed wolves don't know how many accomplices they can recruit next time!" Zhang Fengcheng, Zhou Kang
Bosses who came from the imperial examination and soldiers who joined the army also suggested that the six counties of Boling were their hometown. In order to avoid another disaster in their homeland, they would not mind taking some extraordinary measures against the enemy.
"But the general has never killed prisoners!" Wang Xuba saw that most people began to respond to the suggestion of killing all the prisoners, and anxiously asked the army commander Zhao Ziming for help. The man had a very high status in the Boling army. He said
The words are worth a dozen words from Lu Qin and others.
"The Master said, repay kindness with kindness, how can you repay kindness with kindness?" What made Wang Xuba very disappointed was that Zhao Ziming, who had never disobeyed the general's orders, also changed his mind today. He actually said a sentence with a cold face that made him seem to understand.
I understand, but I feel so cold
"The general will probably be furious when he finds out!" Chief Shi Fang Yannian understood the meaning of Zhao Ziming's words. He hesitated and reminded in a low voice.
"The general doesn't know the news from Luoyang yet!" Zhao Ziming sighed and said faintly. Before crossing the river, he had not returned to Boling for nearly a month and received an urgent report from the county governor Zhang Gongyi.
After the report, all the generals present gasped in shock.
This is also one of the primary reasons why the generals are so murderous tonight. The old general Zhang Xutuo, who had always been kind to the bandits, was killed in battle more than a month ago. His head was hung on the flagpole of the mountain stronghold by the Wagang army. The officers and soldiers still have it.
Couldn't get it back
If the general knows that General Zhang died at the hands of rogue bandits, will he show mercy to the enemy? Zhao Ziming cannot guarantee what Li Xu will do, but what he must guarantee is that even if the general sends the elites of the six counties south to seek revenge, in a short time
No one dares to pry into his lair
This is our common home. No matter who infringes upon it, they must pay the price.