Xiong Wuliang watched Zilan giving orders with cold eyes, and his heart became cold.
It stands to reason that the Qi army is more numerous than the Chu army, and the supply line is relatively longer. It will take a while, and there is a high chance that Qi will retreat.
But according to Zilan's strategy, the hundreds of miles of land north of Xiapi will become Qi's territory.
If all the land is lost, what's the point of Qi retreating or not?
What's more, there are hundreds of thousands of Chu civilians north of Xiapi.
In just a few words from Zilan, these hundreds of thousands of Chu people were given up.
Even if Qi finally retreats, Chu will lose hundreds of miles of land and take away hundreds of thousands of people. So what is the use of Qi's retreat?
Moreover, the financial and national strength of the Chu State is not as good as that of the Qi State. If the logistics competition is delayed like this, Chu State may be the first to collapse!
Seeing the generals in the tent giving advice one after another, Zilan's face was so gloomy that she almost shed tears.
He doesn't see anything wrong with his strategy.
In Zilan's eyes, all the generals in the tent were rebelling against him!
Zilan waved her sleeves and walked away without saying a word.
The generals in the tent were left looking at each other in shock, and the two county magistrates who were covered in blood wanted to cry without tears.
…
Within three days, battle reports from the north reached Xiapi one after another.
Following the two counties of [Changshui] and [Zhucheng], four more counties in the northern part of Xiapi fell one after another.
It is said that this Qi army was very cruel, burning, killing, looting and committing all kinds of crimes wherever they went.
As more and more news comes back and is summarized, the intelligence of this Qi army gradually becomes clear——
The number of this Qi army is about 30,000, and its leader is Qi's vanguard general Jiang Yu.
A mere 30,000 people actually swept across the entire land hundreds of miles north of Xiapi. Speaking of which, all the countries in the world would laugh out loud!
Because of the brutality of the Qi army, more and more refugees fled back from the north and gathered outside Xiapi City.
"Commander, there are more and more refugees outside the city. It is estimated that there are tens of thousands of people!" A general reported to Zilan.
"The refugees lack food and clothing. Do we need to open a city to take them in?"
Zilan's face was as dark as water.
"You can't open the city easily without my command!"
"Who can guarantee that there are no Qi State craftsmen among these refugees?"
"As the saying goes, kindness does not control soldiers - the sacrifices of these people are worth it!"
Some generals couldn't bear it and admonished them: "Since we can't let them enter the city, we should also provide them with some food -"
"They are all the people of Da Chu. We can't just watch them starve to death outside the city, right?"
Zilan waved her sleeves and said decisively: "Our Chu army does not have enough food and grass, how can we distribute it to these refugees?"
"As my subjects of Dachu, I should fight to the end with the Qi people - these refugees dared to escape privately. I didn't order to shoot them all with arrows. I was showing mercy!"
…
There was a commotion among the refugees outside the city.
His hometown was burned and killed by the Qi people, but the 60,000 Chu troops stationed in Xiapi City remained indifferent.
Because they did not want to be insulted by the Qi people, these Chu people had a difficult journey and fled outside Xiapi City with their families. As a result, the city gate was closed tightly, and the crossbows on the city even tightened their bowstrings against them...
Zilan's soldiers shouted loudly on the city wall: "...Don't get close to the city wall, otherwise the arrows will have no eyes!"
The refugees in the city were in distress, and they fought for food.
The Chu soldiers on the city looked ashen, looking at the suffering of their compatriots, but they had no choice but to watch them starve to death with livid faces.
Morale was extremely low.
Wu Bi and other generals of the Chu army took turns going to Zilan's camp to persuade him, but they were unable to achieve any results. In the end, Zilan even claimed that he was ill, closed the door to thank guests, and stopped seeing anyone.
Xiong Wuliang was stationed in Bengbu. If this continues, the Chu army may become disorganized and dispersed before the Qi army reaches Xiapi.
"Open the door, I want to go out." Xiong Wuliang came to the city gate under the escort of everyone and said to the soldiers guarding the city gate.
Zilan's soldiers were guarding the city gate. Looking at Xiong Wuliang's bronze chariot, his lips trembled and he said: "To the Lord... The commander-in-chief has an order - without his order, no one is allowed to open the city gate."
Shaohu snorted coldly and pulled out the iron sword from his waist.
Zilan's soldiers were all frightened and turned pale.
They all knew that even General Liang Ming had been killed by Shao Hu, let alone ordinary soldiers like them.
Xiong Wuliang waved his hand and pressed the iron sword in Shaohu's hand: "The second and third sons are all acting under orders. I will not embarrass you and others - please open the city gate and let me out."
"If General Zilan wants to take the blame, I will take full responsibility for it and it has nothing to do with you."
All the soldiers looked at each other and finally opened the city gate.
Xiong Wuliang's bronze chariot drove out of the city and arrived at the refugee camp.
The refugees all looked pale and had swollen bodies.
Looking at Xiong Wuliang's driver, there was even undisguised resentment in his eyes.
Shaohu was very nervous, clenched his sword tightly, and vaguely protected Xiong Wuliang behind him.
Xiong Wuliang was heartbroken!
There are tens of thousands of people in front of us!
Population was the greatest wealth in the Warring States Period!
It should be noted that Xiong Wuliang's huge fiefdom only had a population of 60,000 at this time. The tens of thousands of people in front of us can form an army of thousands...
Such a huge fortune was just abandoned outside the city by Zi Lan?
Xiong Wuliang waved his hand, and the Shaohu sergeant guarding him took out some food...
The refugees came over like a swarm, their thin and pale faces full of longing.
Looking at the dozens of bags of food in front of Xiong Wuliang, everyone's eyes turned red!
Xiong Wuliang said in a deep voice: "Women and children should take it first, don't fight over it..."
As soon as he finished speaking, people swarmed forward and dozens of pockets were robbed.
As soon as a white-haired old woman grabbed a few handfuls of grain in her hand, she was knocked to the ground by four or five hungry men. They forcibly opened her hand, and the golden grain inside spilled on the ground.
Those big men were like hungry wolves, throwing themselves on the ground to grab food.
Look at the white-haired old mother, who has died in the trampling, and the young child beside her is crying helplessly...
Xiong Wuliang's face was ashen.
Blanch!
Xiong Wuliang waved his hand: "Kill!"
Shaohu and the others couldn't help but pounce on them with swords, killing several big men on the spot. Blood splattered everywhere, and a strong smell of blood filled the air.
The crowd was briefly stunned.
"General..." Another white-haired old woman came out and knelt down in front of Xiong Wuliang's car——
"The one who died just now was the old woman's sister. Now she has left behind a pair of young children with no one to take care of them... Please be kind to the general and take them away!"
Xiong Wuliang took a closer look.
This pair of children, a boy and a girl, looked to be in their early teens.
His face was covered with mud and his clothes were ragged, as if he would fall down any second.
Xiong Wuliang couldn't bear it, and was about to speak when he saw Zhao Hua rushing forward, grabbing Xiong Wuliang's sleeve, and whispered: "My lord, no."
"If these two young children are saved, how can the Lord take them all away if the others ask for help?"
"Sending some food to them is already the most benevolent thing..."
…
