That was true, but there weren't many who were in the mood to sleep after they returned.
The battle the next day was crucial. It was a good opportunity for everyone to fight for credit and gain experience. No one wanted to miss it.
Just thinking about it made him excited. How could he fall asleep?
Not only could they not sleep, but the captives An Cui and the others could not sleep either. They were anxious about their future.
All of them looked dejected, like stray dogs.
"How does Liu Xi plan to deal with us tomorrow?"
Everyone had the same thought in their minds.
No one wanted to die, but the butcher's knife was in the hands of the enemy. There was nothing they could do.
"What are you afraid of? At most, we'll die. Why should a man be afraid of death? " A burly man with a bad temper said stubbornly, "I've heard that Liu Xi has killed countless people and is ruthless. If we don't surrender, we'll most likely die. If we surrender, we'll have to be subservient to this person for the rest of our lives. It's better to die than to be humiliated like this. If you're greedy for life and afraid of death, then surrender. "
When everyone heard this, their faces turned ashen.
They didn't know if they were frightened by the burly man's words or angered by them.
Someone said, "Is Liu Xi really so overbearing? If you don't surrender, you can just return to your hometown. Why do you want to kill people to vent your anger? "
Although it was normal to kill captives, not every captive could be killed. Scribes had certain privileges in this regard.
At most, they could live in seclusion. They didn't have to sacrifice their lives.
Of course, even though they said that, these people who were once in high positions of power and played with the wind and clouds couldn't be content with peace.
The choices in front of them were really limited. They had to worry about their heads.
In fact, many of them already had the idea of surrendering. It didn't matter which boss they worked for.
Whoever gave them money, power, and status would be their bread and butter.
If An Cui was defeated, they would jump ship. This was normal.
However, these words were too embarrassing to say. Whoever said it first would seem like the one who was fickle, fickle, and a vile person without loyalty.
In particular, the burly man spoke heroically. Whoever mentioned surrendering to Jiang Pengji would be the first to stand out.
To prevent the atmosphere from becoming too awkward, someone cleverly changed the topic.
"Our lives and deaths are still a small matter, but the Lord's situation is really not good."
If they submitted, they would have a chance to climb up in the future.
Didn't they see that Huang Song and Yang Tao's former officials were still enjoying themselves in Jiang Pengji's tent?
If An Cui pledged allegiance to Jiang Pengji, the outcome would be different. In the future, he would be conferred the title of marquis to appease them. He would have no real power in his hands and no more than three to five followers. He could only be an animal in Jiang Pengji's pen for the rest of his life, constantly worrying about his own life. Who would be willing to live such a life if they had a bit of dignity? An Cui had once been an all-powerful duke, so he could not tolerate such a great disparity.
"Master … Sigh, we can only blame ourselves for being useless and unable to protect Master …"
Everyone sighed and groaned, trying to push the blame onto themselves. It was as if An Cui's current predicament was their fault.
No matter how affectionate their words were, it was useless.
These words would not bring any substantial harm to them. Instead, it would deepen their image of loyalty and righteousness, so why not?
They were no fools. They had a vague idea of what had happened to An Cui.
An Cui probably wouldn't be able to escape this calamity.
Even so, they hadn't expected Jiang Pengji to deal with An Cui by killing him and sacrificing him to the flag!
What was sacrificing to the flag?
Before the army set off, they sacrificed living creatures to the gods and prayed for the gods' blessings to achieve victory.
Jiang Pengji had always disliked superstition. In the more than ten years of war, the number of times she sacrificed to the flag was pitifully few. Most of the time, it wasn't to pray for blessings to the gods, but to kill the enemy to boost morale. The living creatures she sacrificed to the flag included, but were not limited to, chickens, ducks, fish, geese, pigs, dogs, cows, sheep, enemies, and traitors. For example, during the battle in Changye, the fellows who had jumped between her and Huang Song had been captured by her tricks and killed as a sacrifice to the flag. However, most of these living creatures were small pawns. It was the first time she had encountered a leader like An Cui.
On the second day, the army gathered neatly. The half-dead An Cui was carried to the altar.
Upon seeing this, An Cui understood his fate. He was so angry that his face darkened.
"Liu Xi, how dare you humiliate me like this?"
Killing a duke to sacrifice to the flag … Weren't you afraid that this display would cause dissatisfaction among the scholars of the world?
Jiang Pengji pressed her left hand on the hilt of her sword. With a cold expression, she said, "How can this be called humiliating? You're unwilling to pledge allegiance to me, but I can't possibly release you as a commoner. Isn't this your fate of choice? How can you blame me? "
Jiang Pengji's counterattack last night had been merciless. Even though the arrow hadn't hurt An Cui's thigh artery, it had made him wish he were dead.
Later, when the medics pulled out the arrow to stop the bleeding, he fainted from the pain.
After a round of torment, he had lost half his life.
Now that he had been captured and brought to the altar as a sacrifice, An Cui's spirit became more and more dispirited. His angry questioning just now was more like the final radiance of a setting sun.
No matter how angry An Cui was, he couldn't change the fate of the loser.
Someone had gagged his mouth with a dirty handkerchief, and he was forced to kneel on the ground. With the posture of a sinner, he showed his sorry state to the thousands of soldiers below him. His opponent, Jiang Pengji, accepted everyone's worship and submission to her as a ruler.
An Cui's hands were tied behind his back with hemp rope. His shoulders were suppressed by two burly men on his left and right. His head, which was usually held high, had no choice but to hang down.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.
Apart from causing the wound on his thigh to open up and blood to flow, he didn't gain anything else.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps an hour, perhaps only half a cup of tea's time, a blinding white light flashed before his eyes.
An Cui subconsciously shrunk his head. He closed his left eyelid, which had been hit by the white light, and used his right eye to see the source of the white light.
It turned out to be the saber at Jiang Pengji's waist. The morning sun rose slowly from the east.
Puff!
The saber in her hand fell. With a flash of white light, An Cui's head was separated from his corpse.
Fresh blood sprayed onto the altar like a pillar, dyeing it scarlet.
The soldiers who witnessed this scene let out a tsunami of cheers. The "Liu" flag fluttered in the wind, forming a sea of red.
"The army has set out for battle. We wish you all a triumphant return."
The generals said, "We swear to live up to our mission even if we die."
Dozens of people shouted. Their voices reverberated in the drill ground, stirring up waves of hot blood and making one's heart surge. There was no need to elaborate on the outcome of letting a group of jackals, who had been boosted by morale, go on a punitive expedition against a group of stray dogs with low morale and a lack of food and rations.
After this battle, Jiang Pengji defeated An Cui's remaining army of more than 200,000 with only 100,000 troops. She achieved a complete victory.
The three armies continued south along the river, heading straight for An Cui's lair.
Two-thirds of Nansheng had fallen into Jiang Pengji's hands. The enemy troops along the way had little power to resist.
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