"How much do these tens of thousands of people have to eat in a day? And we have to worry about them causing trouble. It's really troublesome. We might as well cut them all down. It's much easier to kill the dead. They don't need to eat, and they can also be used to scare the soldiers in the city. , frighten them all, and it will be convenient for us to attack the city."
Low voices of discussion reached Zhao Tuo's ears.
The skin on his face became tighter and tighter.
The Qin army generally does not kill civilians indiscriminately, because civilians' heads not only have no military merit, but they are also easily punished after being discovered.
But killing prisoners is a common thing within the Qin army.
Although after Lu Buwei and Wei Liao came to power, they successively reformed the Qin army with the "Role Army Theory", so that the Qin people were no longer simply the first to make meritorious deeds, and the Qin people had many more channels to obtain meritorious deeds.
A series of things such as capturing prisoners, capturing flags, and plundering military supplies can be converted into military merits and exchanged for titles.
But beheading is still the most common and clear feat among the Qin army.
Many times, when the Qin army won a battle and some teams still lacked a certain number of heads to make up for the loss or to offset the punishment, they would chop off the heads of some prisoners to make up the amount.
This has become an unspoken rule in the Qin army. Even military judges would turn a blind eye or close an eye.
But the situation today is different. The Qin army defeated the Qi army of 150,000 people. With the combination of formation killing and pursuit, it is estimated that the number of heads can reach about 20,000.
A rough estimate of the number of prisoners captured is over 50,000.
This number is very huge, but it is also easy to understand. After all, once the Qi people are overtaken by the Qin army, they will surrender in large numbers. If one person surrenders, ten thousand people will surrender.
It is really much easier to capture 50,000 Qi troops than to capture 50,000 scurrying pigs.
This battle has achieved huge gains and is of extraordinary significance. It is a huge collective achievement.
His meritorious deeds are enough to make all the soldiers of the Qin army who participated in the battle proud. Among them, the Qin soldiers who captured some victories can even be promoted to another level with their heads.
When the merits are sufficient and the basic needs of the soldiers are met, the necessity of killing prisoners is greatly reduced, and the only issue that needs to be considered is food.
Food can still be squeezed out, but if prisoners are killed on a large scale...
Zhao Tuo looked forward and saw that under the light of the torches held by the Qin soldiers around him, the densely packed Qi people in the open space were all looking towards him.
The faces were full of fear and fear, and begging.
Zhao Tuo closed his eyes, and what appeared in his mind were all the things he had heard about the Battle of Changping, where more than 400,000 Zhao troops were killed.
He was born in the State of Zhao, so he naturally knew how unforgettable the Zhao people, especially those in Handan and other places, were about that incident.
Large-scale killings are satisfying for a while, but they completely sow the seeds of hatred.
The side effects of killing prisoners can make the Qi army in Zhencheng fight to the end in the near future, but can make millions of people in the entire Qi region full of hatred towards the Qin State, saying that the surrender of the Qi State will be immediately abandoned.
Even he, General Zhao, who declared that those who surrendered would not be killed, would have his reputation ruined for breaking his promise.
Killing and surrendering is short-sighted.
Zhao Tuo secretly whispered in his heart, but his thoughts did not stop. This incident gave him an inspiration.
He took a step forward, looked at the Qi people, and spoke loudly in elegant language: "You Qi people are willing to surrender to our Qin army. It is very good. But your numbers are too many, and our army does not have enough food. In order to save food and avoid trouble , this general persuaded me to kill you all, so that I can achieve meritorious service, save food, and save a lot of trouble."
As he spoke, Zhao Tuo stretched out his hand and pointed at the confused black buttocks behind him.
At the same time, the translator following Zhao Tuo was also busy translating his words into Qi language and loudly announced to the tens of thousands of Qi people.
Wait until the words fall.
The tens of thousands of Qi troops here immediately became excited.
"You promised not to kill the surrenderer, how can you break your promise!"
"Qin people are barbarians! They really can't be trusted!"
"The Qin people who fucked your mother, Nai Gong will fight with you!"
Some people screamed and spat in the direction of the black buttocks, while trying to stand up and resist.
But these Qi prisoners had not only been disarmed long ago, but were also tied up with ropes in series. A bunch of people were tied together and couldn't move at all.
Not to mention that there were Qin soldiers around with swords and crossbows who immediately stepped forward, made fighting postures, and stared at them eagerly.
Compared with those compatriots who roared and wanted to resist, there were a large number of Qi people who saw that they had no ability to resist, and they all cried and begged.
"Please general, please spare our lives."
"I still have an old mother in my family who needs to be taken care of. I would like to ask the general to let me live so that my mother will not have nothing to rely on."
…
At this moment, the sounds of wailing, crying, begging for life, and angry roars merged together.
Zhao Tuo's face was calm and he raised his hand as if to be silent.
The surrounding Qin soldiers shouted loudly, suppressing the shouts of the Qi people. The translator even shouted: "The general has something to say."
After the surroundings calmed down, Zhao Tuo said: "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have said this to you."
"Since I was in the army, Zhao Tuo has never done anything to kill those who surrendered, as long as I promised not to kill those who surrendered. I didn't do it before, I didn't do it after, and I won't do it now! What this general said is to kill and destroy those who surrender. I, Zhao Tuo, will never do what I promise, so don’t worry!”
Hearing these words, whether they were those begging for mercy or those roaring to resist, they all seemed to have walked away from the line of life and death. Many people were sweating on their foreheads, and their eyes were filled with joy of surviving the disaster.
"General Zhao is merciful!"
"General, we will never forget this great kindness!"
After surviving, a bunch of flatterers came directly to him, and many people in Qi looked at Zhao Tuo with eyes full of affection.
At the same time, there were also many people who stared at the black buttocks behind Zhao Tuo with hatred, and those pairs of eyes made the black buttocks hairy.
Zhao Tuo continued: "Since you have surrendered to me, I will not starve you. Although there is little food in the army, I will let the soldiers share some to feed you. When the logistics and baggage arrive, there will be a food supply." "
Hearing this, many Qi people burst into tears of gratitude.
General Zhao, not only did he not kill prisoners, he was actually willing to let his soldiers share food with us?
Before their gratitude had dissipated, Zhao Tuo's next words shocked them even more.
"But there are too many of you. Even if the food is distributed, it will be difficult to meet the demand before our army's baggage arrives. Therefore, I decided to select some of you and return them to Zhencheng. This will not only reduce the pressure on our army, but also It doesn’t count as abusing you.”
Zhao Tuo's voice was very clear, and the meaning of his words shocked these Qi prisoners.
Behind Zhao Tuo, all the Qin generals also looked at each other, and Heiyi even murmured: "Even if the general doesn't kill him, he won't put him back. It will increase the number of defenders in the city in vain. If this is the time to attack the city, wouldn't it mean that our army will be attacked?" It will be even more difficult to capture the city.”
"Haha, what the black-butt military commander said is ridiculous. The general's actions are truly high."
Li Shiqi's eyes were bright and he looked at Zhao Tuo in front of him with admiration.
At the same time, bursts of voices sounded in the Qin army camp.
"General Zhao, please let me go back!"
"Let me go! General Zhao, let me go!"
…
After dealing with the prisoners, Zhao Tuo returned to his tent to make the next detailed arrangements.
He ordered Zhao Guang to lead his troops to besiege Zhen City, surrounding three palaces and one, leaving the city gate leading to Ayi and blocking all other directions.
He also arranged for Shejian to guard the prisoners, and at the same time he was responsible for clearing out the defeated troops near Zhencheng to prevent those who escaped from reuniting and attacking the Qin army again.
Zhao Tuo also ordered Xiqigu, who was in charge of logistics, to build siege equipment. At the same time, he cleaned up the battlefield, counted the gains, and urged Puyang's large baggage team to quickly transport food.
When everything was done, all the generals were ordered to retire and leave.
Zhao Tuo then raised his head with a tired face and looked outside the tent. It was already dark.
However, there is still one person in his tent who has not left.
Zhao Tuo asked: "Sir, before you leave, do you have something to say?"
Li Shiqi chuckled and said: "I just saw what the general did today, and I am deeply impressed. The general wants to release 10,000 Qi people, old and weak, back to Zhencheng tomorrow. This is to weaken the Qi people's fighting spirit and at the same time to publicize the general's non-killing Can the policy of surrendering prisoners help us successfully break the city?"
Zhao Tuo nodded and said: "Although Da Sima was defeated, there are still tens of thousands of soldiers in the city and there are also many auxiliary troops. If we insist on defending the city, it will still be a bit troublesome."
"It is better to put these 10,000 people back. This will not only reduce the logistical pressure on our army, but also prevent us from getting a bad reputation for killing and capturing prisoners. It will also let the Qi people in the city know what it would be like to surrender to our Qin army."
"The people of Qi have been defeated and have no intention of fighting. If our army kills prisoners, they will be afraid and will fight to the death."
"And with these ten thousand people going back to promote our propaganda, a large part of the Qi people in the city will definitely have the intention to fight without death. The soldiers in the city have different hearts and minds, and their combat effectiveness will be weakened. When our army attacks the city, Most of these people will surrender, so that's a big advantage."
"The general's strategy is wonderful!"
Li Shiqi praised him, then smiled and said: "From what I see, these ten thousand people will probably be the first to surrender. The general will let them go back. This is using the food in the city to feed our prisoners." .”
Zhao Tuo smiled faintly and said: "But this is not enough. The situation in Zhencheng is different from the previous Daicheng."
"Although the Qi army was defeated, there was still a huge Qi State behind them. It has a vast territory and a large population. Even though this defeat can damage its bones and muscles, it still has its strength and can continue to recruit large armies to support it. Sima will also publicize this matter in the city and make the Qi people resist stubbornly, so if you want to get a large number of Qi people in the city to surrender, you need to add something."
Li Shiqi was thoughtful and asked: "Could it be that what the general said was General Meng's extraordinary army?"
"Of course!"
Zhao Tuo nodded and looked outside the tent.
"Meng Tian has crossed the river. He will lead his army all the way south, directly capture Ayi of Qi State, and steal the Qi army's retreat."
"Once Ayi is defeated, the connection between Zhencheng and Linzi will be severed, and the Qi army in Zhencheng will no longer receive support from Linzi. What will the Qi people in the city think when they know the news?"
"I surrounded three towers so that Zhencheng could smoothly get the news that Ayi had been conquered and spread the fear throughout the city."
"After a great defeat, and with the retreat route cut off, the Qi people in the city must be extremely frightened. At this time, the Qi soldiers I sent back will publicize the policy of surrendering to our army and the treatment of prisoners. I will then attack Zhen City. It will be a lot easier.”
"How can his great Sima resist such a three-pronged attack?"
Li Shiqi sighed in admiration: "What a three-pronged approach. The general's method of attacking the heart is really wonderful."
Zhao Tuo smiled slightly, staring at the dark night outside the tent and whispering.
"And Mengtian captured Ayi and cut off the Qi people's retreat. Da Sima will have no way to retreat."
"I will put an end to Da Sima in Zhencheng!"
There is another chapter tonight, it will be a little later
(End of chapter)
