As soon as Han Xin said this, everyone in the account, from Qu Ji, Zhao Yan, to the winged men in charge of military affairs, were all surprised. This was an option that had never appeared in their imagination.
In this world, if there are not enough beheaded prisoners, how can they be released after the war? Even if the nobles were released in the Spring and Autumn Period, it would have to be in exchange or for ransom.
"General, you can't do that. You allow the enemy to cause trouble!"
Captain Luo Jia even said distressedly: "After all, the prisoners have achieved military merit. If they are released, nothing will be lost. How can I explain to the soldiers?"
At the very beginning, Quji, a former military judge, stood up to refute this statement:
"The severed heads are buried or burned afterwards. After burning, the soldier's first contribution is not counted?"
"Similarly, the new "Military Rules" states that after a prisoner is captured, he will be tried by a military judge and judged. Depending on his crime, he will be executed, made a vassal, or released."
"Those prisoners who were finally released will not be counted as the military merits of the soldiers who captured them? How can this be the case? Lieutenant Luo, please do not spread rumors!"
What he said made Luo Jia reluctant to speak, so Qu Ji approached Han Xin and whispered: "Could it be that General Han wanted to imitate the regent's deliberate release of prisoners in Wuguan last year, which turned him away and had no choice but to join the Northern Expedition?"
Story? But the Zhao soldiers are no better than the soldiers surrendered in Guanzhong. Even if they are released, they will not be grateful, let alone be used by our army. I am afraid it is difficult to imitate..."
Indeed, the Zhao people are different from Wang Ben's army in surrendering soldiers. They are called brothers fighting against the wall. The few people sitting in the tent now are the generals who surrendered that day.
Qin and Zhao were neighbors who had been feuding for generations.
"I don't expect them to be used by me. I just hope that their return will dispel the Zhao people's desire to fight to the death."
Han Xin said: "I will take a look at the matter of hiding Wu Anjun in the Yushi Mansion."
It was an article about how King Zhao of Qin, after calming down the people and renovating the army, insisted on going his own way to fight the Battle of Handan, and ended up losing.
Because it involves many black spots of King Qin Zhao, it is naturally not accepted by the official historians of the Qin State who always report good news but not bad news. This was included by the Yu Shifu from the strategists' articles after Heifu came to Xianyang.
After the Battle of Changping, the Battle of Handan followed immediately. The Qin army came to Handan after a few months' rest, but was surprised to find that the spirit of the Zhao people was completely different from that of Changping...
"Renovate and manage the armor of soldiers to make them stronger, increase the city and dredge the ponds to make them stronger. The master will break the knots of his ministers, and the ministers will honor the deceased soldiers. As for the subordinates of Pingyuan Lord, they all have their wives and concubines mending the seams between the troops. Ministers
With one mind and the same effort from top to bottom, it is like when Gou Jian was trapped in Kuaiji..."
The reason is that the tragic scene of the Changping Battle gave all Zhao people a desire to die: Surrender is death, fighting is also death, how can a country die?
By a strange combination of circumstances, a country that had been slack and slack for a long time actually clenched into a fist under the threat of death.
Handan turned into a hard nut, and the Qin army continued to change generals for several years without being able to capture it. In the end, Chu and Wei came to save it, and what followed was the most inexplicable defeat in the history of Qin - the White Army a few years ago.
The Qin army, which was invincible under its command, was beaten to a pulp by the coalition forces. They retreated all the way and lost hundreds of miles. Some even surrendered in an organized manner under the leadership of Zheng Anping...
Han Xin liked the art of war and was fascinated by Bai Qi's military skills. This defeat left a deep impression on him.
He solemnly said: "Although I crossed the river, settled on the east side of the river, and descended to Changping in one fell swoop, I killed Lu Goujian and captured 40,000 Zhao soldiers, and half of Zhao's army was reduced. However, our army has been fighting continuously and has exhausted all its troops.
.”
"If we blindly slaughter Zhao soldiers now, the Zhao people will be frightened and regard me as a man-eating tiger and wolf, and they will fight to the death. By then, we will not be facing tens of thousands of Zhao soldiers, but also the King of Zhao and his generals and princes.
, but millions of Zhao people!”
To use Heifu's words, we are trapped in the vast ocean of the people, and we have to push the people we can win over to the other side's camp. Why bother...
"If you don't screen out and just massacre, you are really helping Li Zuoche. Raise the tired soldiers and attack Taiyuan. Under the fortified city of Handan, I am afraid that I will repeat the mistakes of the Battle of Handan. I can't pull it out after a long time.
Seeing that the situation has succumbed, the food has been exhausted."
"The regent said that this battle was a battle of determination, not a battle of revenge. It is understandable that the Xihe army killed the Wei people, but the captured Zhao people did not participate in the Xihe massacre. Instead of killing them, it is better to use the regent's
Method……"
As time passed, everyone gradually understood what kind of battle Heifu liked to fight the most.
"Subduing the enemy's troops without fighting is a good thing for those who are good."
"When attacking with troops and strategies, attacking the heart is the most important thing."
Since it was a creative application of Heifu's theory, not only Qu Ji but also the staff members of the Wing Camp were also somewhat convinced.
Only Captain Zhao Yan was worried: "I'm afraid that after these Zhao soldiers go back, they will be reorganized and become enemies of our army.
"No time."
Han Xin said with a smile: "The generals and officers of that generation have been screened out a long time ago, and these people are detained and broken up. Even if Zhao has 40,000 soldiers, they are still a piece of loose sand. Even if I want to kill them, they will be separated."
It will take several months to reorganize training and fight again, but can Zhao Guo survive that long?"
Taking advantage of its fear and destroying it, Han Xin has already sounded the death knell of Zhao State in just a few seconds!
"What's more, do you know how frightened the bird is?"
After Han Xin told the story he heard from Lu Jia, he said: "Since the Zhao soldiers were released once, if they fight again next time and know that our army will not kill the prisoners, they will no longer have the will to fight and will collapse at the first touch. With these 40,000 frightened soldiers
Bird is enough to make all Zhao people lose their determination to fight to the death..."
The fewer people who are willing to fight to the death, the faster Han Xin's countdown to destroy Zhao will turn.
What's more, these Zhao people are not moving in the same direction.
"A group of people were escorted to Gaodu, and then went south, letting others go to Taihangxing."
"A group of people crossed Danshui eastward and entered Baixing..."
These Zhao soldiers were like a flock of panicked birds, flying in a familiar direction - crossing Taihang to go home, and there were only two shortest roads back home.
"Our army will send five thousand troops each and wait behind them, with spies among them, to see if we can seize the two dangerous passes of Tianjing Pass and Mengmen Pass in one fell swoop."
Taihangxing and Baixing are the second and third passes of Taihang Mountain respectively. They are the passage from Shangdang to Hanoi County. It is time to seize them.
As far as Han Xin knew, the Zhao army in Hanoi County only numbered more than ten thousand, but they had to defend Taihang and Sanxing, and they also had to take care of the long north bank of the river to guard against forced crossing by the Dongmen Leopards. The most terrible thing is that the Hanoi people helped Qin win Changping.
The key to the battle was regarded as the "new Qin people" and the good people of Qin.
Now that Zhao and Wei are weak, there are many more forces in Hanoi who want to surrender to Qin. They have been skewered by Li Shiqi. Even Sima Mao himself is in a dilemma...
Use the surrender of soldiers to bring the news of "Zhao Jun's defeat", and then seize the two counties to put more pressure on Sima Mao to force Hanoi to surrender, or cooperate with Dongmen Leopard to capture this county and completely connect the three rivers.
"The last batch, go north, leave Changping Pass, and let them go to the eldest son."
Han Xin will follow closely with the main force, with the defeated Zhao soldiers as the vanguard. Even if Li Zuoche wants to come to the party to fight to the death, the first thing he will have to face is the disorderly and troublesome collapse of his own soldiers. Han Xin is eager for him to come.
Mix in this muddy water.
Even if Li Zuoche does not come, after occupying Shangdang, Han Xin will have a complete advantage. He can besiege Taiyuan in the north, Hanoi as the rear in the south, and directly attack Huguan in the east and advance to Handan...
As for what kind of damage the hungry and destitute soldiers will cause to the place, and how many deaths will they suffer along the way? This is none of Han Xin's business.
What he cares about is the process of his generation's escape, how much trouble it can save him, and how many opportunities it can create. In the end, even if only one-tenth of the people can return to Zhao's homeland, it will be enough to cause chaos in the entire Handan.
Compared with fear, luck is more deadly in war!
Han Xin's plan finally got the approval of the Wing Battalion, and they would be responsible for the specific operations. At this time, Captain Zhao Yan said:
"Although the general has a good plan, for such a big matter, I'm afraid it would be better to write back to Xianyang and ask the regent for instructions."
"Time is running out!"
Han Xin shook his head decisively: "When the regent paid homage to the general, he held the ax in person and gave me its handle, saying: 'From now on, those who ascend to heaven will be controlled by the general.'" He held the ax again, held the handle, and gave me its blade, saying:
'Whoever goes down to the abyss from now on will be controlled by the general.' If you see it is empty, advance; if you see it is true, stop."
"Fighters are fleeting, and military rations are becoming increasingly empty. One trip to and from Xianyang, and the situation will change dramatically. Han Xin can only make a decisive decision!"
The more this happened, the more worried Zhao Yan became as a confidant promoted by Han Xin.
In Zhao Yan's mind, he proposed killing the prisoners. In addition to eliminating future troubles so that the army could easily go on the road and complete the plan to seize Shangdang, it would also allow Han Xin to commit suicide!
He did not dare to say it out loud at the time, but he secretly murmured in his heart: "Didn't the regent rely on the Qi people who killed and caused trouble in Jiaodong to gain the complete trust of Emperor Qin Shihuang?"
In Zhao Yan's view, Han Xin had achieved great success at a young age and was in charge of the army alone in Hebei. He had 80,000 to 90,000 men under his command, and he had won two games in a row. He was close to being granted the title of Marquis of Che. In the future, he might not be rewarded for his high achievements. Even if the regent trusted him again,
It's time for some scoundrels in the court to slander them. It's better to kill prisoners to show that they have no intention of gaining self-respect in Hebei and winning people's hearts...
But now, Han Xin has chosen a method that is easiest to disintegrate the fighting spirit of the Zhao army and destroy the Zhao country at the minimum cost.
But it is also the easiest to be criticized as "buying people's hearts."
Seeing that Han Xin had made up his mind, Zhao Yan sighed secretly and resigned.
"General Han, General Han, you really don't think about yourself at all..."
…
The plan was set, but Quji looked at the Danshui Valley in front of him, feeling a little disappointed. It is said that 400,000 lives were buried here, although it seems that not that many have been dug out now.
"Should Lord Wu An have done the same thing back then?" he suddenly said.
Han Xin was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "That's four hundred thousand."
"And this is forty thousand."
"My choice is ten times easier than Wu Anjun..."
Soldiers are important matters of the country, the place of life and death, and the path to survival. We must pay attention to them.
An excellent commander will not consider how to show mercy to the enemy and reduce casualties.
He only needs to think about how to win the war at the minimum cost!
So in essence, Han Xin and Bai Qi are no different. Regardless of their status or temperament in daily life, once they arrive on the battlefield, they are both cold-blooded animals called "soldiers". In order to win, they will do whatever it takes. The only difference is where they are.
It's just a matter of situation.
The soldiers only need to walk in Shura Field (narration, no need to be serious), but the general...
The general has to transform himself into a Shura! Opening and closing your mouth can affect the life and death of thousands of people; if you hesitate, you will be defeated!
Only in this way can one be able to survive a hundred battles and be named the God of War and the Immortal of Soldiers.
And sometimes, fake kindness is also a tactic to defeat the enemy.
This is what Han Xin learned from Heifu...
"And at that time, the two countries were mutually beneficial, but now, it seems that the two countries are very different, just like..."
Han Xin was at a loss for words. After thinking for a long time, he remembered the scene when his wife was kneading dough at home, so he made an analogy.
"It's like the dough has been mixed with water and kneaded together."
"Even if it is separated and closed again, it will be much easier than when the noodles are still dry."
"And Mr. Wu An, he added a lot of water to this basin..."
Qu Ji thoughtfully added: "No...it's because of the added blood. In this world, Lord Wu An and many generals rely on the blood shed by killing millions of people, and then with a wave of Qin Shi Huang's hand,
He Cheng’s noodles…”
The scene of Qin Shihuang stroking his sleeves and kneading the dough seems a bit inconsistent, but fortunately, now that the person kneading the dough is replaced by a rough guy like Hei Fu, it seems to match better...
He had to build a temple to show his merits to Bai Qi, but it was undeniable that along with the sea of blood, there was also a dead end.
Fifty years ago, while Bai Qi eliminated the armed forces of Zhao and laid the foundation for Qin to destroy Zhao, he also made 450,000 knots in Changping...
They are densely packed and knotted together. Fifty years have passed and the body has turned into bones, but they still cannot be dissolved. The Qin Dynasty ruled for more than ten years and it was difficult to touch them.
Qu Ji sighed with emotion: "Forty thousand Zhao soldiers were released today. I dare not say that we have solved the knot in one breath."
"But it's at least a good start! The world is unified, and it's a good start for the Xia to put down their grudges!"
Han Xin laughed: "Yes, it was the knot tied by Lord Wu An in the past."
"Today, it is up to me, a young military strategist, to solve the problem..."
"otherwise."
Quji, however, corrected the somewhat proud Han Xin with a tone that left no room for doubt:
"Although General Han is a good soldier, in the final analysis, the person who can really untie this knot is the Regent. It is the Regent who is wise and kind, and has the world in his heart!"
"Any aggressive victory we can achieve can only be achieved under the wise leadership of the Great Qin Regent Xia Gong. I hope General Han will remember this!"