"Sir, 3,800 people were captured in this battle, and about 5,000 swords and spears were seized. However, the quality is very poor, and most of them are rusty. They are not good things at first glance."
Li Zhen couldn't help but laugh and said: "Even if you are cannon fodder, at least you are just showing off. The people you are given are inferior swords, so who will sacrifice your life for them?"
Sun Jixian said: "Master, do you want to kill these prisoners?"
Once the war started, there was no mercy. Thirty-eight hundred prisoners were equivalent to adding three thousand eight hundred more mouths. Who knows if Timur sent these people to eat.
Li Zhen thought for a while and asked: "I guess these people are the old, weak, sick and disabled, right?"
Sun Jixian shook his head and said: "My lord, you guessed wrong. Most of them are young and strong."
Li Zhen asked doubtfully: "Five thousand young people are used as cannon fodder? Is Timur so rich?"
"My subordinates ordered people to inquire, and these people said that they were from the Sultan of Delhi and were not subjects of the Timur Khanate."
"Sultan of Delhi?"
Li Zhen thought for a moment, and then said: "Choose an officer from among the prisoners and follow me to see the emperor!"
"You still want to...see the emperor?"
"I don't understand what the Sultan of Delhi is like. Only the emperor knows what's going on, so stop asking and go!"
"yes!"
After a while, Li Zhen and Sun Jixian brought a Delhi officer to the Chinese army camp.
Fortunately, the Sultan of Delhi spoke Persian, and Alejandro could act as a translator.
This man's name was Lodi, and he was originally a colonel of the Sultan of Delhi. Half a year ago, the Sultan of Delhi was conquered by Timur's army, and the main city of Delhi fell. Lodi and his army became surrendered.
After Zhu Qizhen heard this, he felt a little strange and asked: "The Sultan of Delhi has been destroyed?"
"The Delhi Sultanate was almost destroyed. Some people were unwilling to surrender, so they formed a resistance army and wandered around the periphery of the kingdom. However, the scale was limited and could not pose a threat to Timur's army."
"Let's talk about your situation!"
Luo Di looked depressed and said: "I can't help it. If you don't surrender, you will die. Everyone will die. I still have parents, wives and children at home, and the soldiers under my command also have their families. If there is no choice, who would?"
surrender?"
"I'm asking you about the specific situation of this unit. How is its combat effectiveness?"
"The combat effectiveness... is very poor. I can't beat Timur, let alone you. Although we didn't die on the battlefield, Timur's army will not let our families go..."
The more Luo Di continued to speak, the uglier his face became.
The Sultan of Delhi was captured by Timur, and now he is a prisoner. You can imagine the plight of his family.
"How many troops do you have in total? Are they all in Timur's army?"
After listening to the translation, Lodi shook his head and said: "Barulus does not allow us to continue to retain the army. Most of the soldiers have retired and become farmers. We are the last batch. When we were preparing to retire, a war suddenly broke out in Tehran, so
, he was recruited here."
To be precise, the behavior of the Delhi soldiers was not considered a discharge, but was at most dismissed. However, Alessandro's Chinese proficiency was limited, and he had no time to think when translating, so he could only make do with it.
Fortunately, Zhu Qizhen and others understood clearly and had a general understanding of the situation of the Sultan in Delhi.
From the map point of view, the location of Delhi Sultan is very important, and it is an important hub for the expansion of the Timur Khanate's territory to the Indian continent.
Then, Zhu Qizhen had a bold idea in his mind.
If the Sultan of Delhi can be helped to regain his kingdom, the southern territory of the Timur Khanate will be cut off in the middle.
"Do you know the leader of that rebel army?"
"You mean Colonel Tugru, we have fought together and are relatively familiar with each other."
Zhu Qizhen asked: "Can I talk to you?"
Lodi shook his head in embarrassment and said: "I am a surrender now. Colonel Tugru will definitely kill me when he sees me."
"What if you join the resistance too?"
"Your Majesty the Emperor, I have surrendered twice and there is no way I can return to Delhi alive."
"I didn't say I'd kill you, so what's impossible?"
Luo Di was immediately confused and asked: "Your Majesty, will you really let me go?"
"Yes, let you go, along with your 3,800 soldiers!"
"But...why?"
"If I want to kill you, I will kill you, and if I want to let you go, I will let you go. Where and why are there so many?"
Lodi could only say: "I just don't understand..."
"Not only will I let you go, but I will also help you restore your country and drive Timur's army out of Delhi Sultan. Do you understand?"
Luo Di was completely stunned and thought to himself, "What's the point of understanding it? Timur's army of 500,000 is watching eagerly. Where can you find the people to help me restore my country?"
Zhu Qizhen continued: "You take my imperial edict and go south, all the way to the Kingdom of Tire on the south coast of Ceylon Island. There are my people there. When the time comes, you will obey his orders. I promise that there will be no more than three people."
By the end of the month, Timur's legions will either withdraw from Delhi or die in Delhi."
After hearing this, Lodi's face was full of questions. Is there still a Ming army stationed on Ceylon Island?
I didn't pay much attention to that place before, because the best part of the Indian mainland is in the Ganges River Basin, while the south is relatively barren, and there is no one to compete with it on weekdays. It is just some wandering tribes.
But I don't know when the Ming army reached Ceylon Island, which was very surprising.
Zhu Qizhen said in a deep voice: "Did you hear clearly what I just said?"
Luo Di nodded repeatedly and said, "Listen clearly!"
"Well, Beilin, you go and draw up a decree and order Liang Guogong Fan Zhong to lead the Ceylon Guard northward and stationed in Delhi Sultan."
"yes!"
After Beilin went down, Zhu Qizhen said to Lodi: "After you go back, you need to contact Colonel Tuglu as soon as possible and ask him to cooperate in sending troops so that you can restore the country as soon as possible."
Luo Di felt as if he was in a dream. He didn't know what to say and just nodded.
Zhu Qizhen turned around and ordered: "Prepare some food for them, rest for one night, and set off tomorrow."
"Wait a moment!"
Luo Di suddenly shouted: "I have something important, very important!"
Zhu Qizhen asked: "What's the matter?"
Lodi hurriedly said: "Timur's army is going to attack your supply line, so they selected a cavalry of three hundred men from my men and went around from the north!"
After Zhu Qizhen heard this, he was not nervous at all, but asked: "How is your people's combat effectiveness?"
"This, this... they are attacking by surprise, and their target is the food transport team!"
The implication is that we cannot defeat the regular army, but we are still confident of attacking the grain transport team by surprise.
Zhu Qizhen said: "For the sake of your initiative to provide information, I will give you a chance to take the person away!"
------------------
PS: Thank you to book friend saynol for watching all things happening with a cold eye and listening to the wind and rain for your reward!
Thank you all for your monthly votes and recommended votes!