Nobles, generals, ministers, aristocrats, how many of them really cared about the lives of the common people?
Perhaps they never cared.
Those who had the knowledge and the right to speak never cared.
They would only remember the glory of Hailong Harbor in the past. They would even secretly blame the Ming Army that had put down the rebellion back then. Why didn't they keep some of it for future generations to study? That was art, a combination of military and art.
But who would remember the piles of corpses under the Mountain-Driving Whip?
The lives of the common people seemed to be just a number, a number that could be added or subtracted, erased at any time, and even subtracted one or two zeros at the end.
They were private property, private objects that could be transferred, held, and played with.
Before the army set off, Xiao Ruxun had ordered that when the situation permitted, the original appearance of Hailongjiao's palaces should be preserved as much as possible.
This was the only trace of their lives and the trace that should not be forgotten. It could even be used as a warning to future generations when necessary.
Look.
He built tall buildings, he entertained guests, he indulged in romance, he was unbridled and unruly, and then he died.
He ate extravagantly, drank extravagantly, dressed fashionably, wore elegant makeup, and led the trend. Everything seemed to be out of this world, and his every move was only one word.
Noble.
Born noble, superior noble, noble from the continuation of bloodline, noble that could not be imagined by illiterate people.
But, so what?
He would die here, in the midst of all this splendid splendor.
He would die on the same land as the people he had killed.
On the eighth day of the first month of the second year of Longwu, the five armies gathered at Hailongjiao. They swept away the remnants of the Yang family along the way and approached step by step. On the sixth day of the first month, they contacted each other and agreed to arrive together on the eighth day of the first month.
Qi Dayong was the first to arrive, and his position was behind Hailongjiao. Liu Gu was the last to arrive.
Hailongjiao was surrounded by the five armies, and the generals held a meeting in the tent of the Commander-in-Chief Zheng Ying.
"Speaking of which, we started the war on the 24th, and today is exactly the 15th day. His Majesty set the deadline for us, and we have fulfilled it."
Zheng Ying wore a confident smile on his face as he looked at the commanders who had successfully assembled in the tent.
The commanding generals all revealed proud smiles.
In accordance with the Emperor's request, they defeated the Bozhou army within fifteen days and forced them into the Sea Dragon Camp, unable to move. They achieved an extremely brilliant victory.
"I thought it would take at least a month, right? Who would have guessed that Yang Yinglong would actually split up his troops and take the initiative to attack us. This is like having a pillow delivered to you just when you want to sleep.
What was Yang Yinglong thinking? Why did they send troops to attack? If it were me, I would definitely hide like a tortoise. Then, let's take one bite at a time. No matter what, it would take at least a month, right? "
Liu Gu happily laughed at Yang Yinglong.
Ma Qiancheng also echoed.
"Yes, Yang Yinglong was very awe-inspiring in those days. From the 24th year of the Ming Dynasty until now, except for a period of peace because of His Majesty's northern expedition, he attacked Sichuan, Guizhou, and the Chieftains. He sent troops in all directions and killed countless people. Now, he ended up being trapped in Hailong Harbor. Life is really unpredictable."
Qi Dayong drank a few mouthfuls of water and smiled coldly.
"From the 20th year of the Ming Dynasty until the 20th year of the Ming Dynasty, I have never seen the people who His Majesty said to get rid of alive. He ate a bear's heart and a leopard's gall to go against His Majesty. Not only did he build a palace without permission, but he also dared to use eunuchs. It was clear that he was not a subject. In the previous Ming Dynasty, he would not have been tolerated.
This time, he was purely courting death by splitting up his troops. How could he come up with such a stupid move? Now, he has learned his lesson and is trapped in Hailong Harbor like a tortoise, planning to defend to the death. But doesn't he see how many people he has now? "
Zheng Ying waited for the generals to vent their emotions and said, "You are all right, but according to His Majesty's request, in order to minimize the loss as much as possible, we need to take down Hailong Harbor within half a month. Everyone, this is not a simple task.
According to our intelligence, Hailong Harbor was built in the Tang Dynasty by Yang Yinglong's ancestor, Yang Duan. In the Song Dynasty, it was expanded to deal with the Northern Barbarians. In the hands of Yang Yinglong, it was a large-scale construction, at least three times. There are a total of 12 impregnable passes, each of which is a dangerous place.
Among them, the most dangerous is the Flying Dragon Pass in front of the mountain, which is built in an extremely dangerous place. There are 36 steps under the pass, and the road is very narrow, only enough for two people to pass through side by side. It is really like one man holding the pass against ten thousand people. If we underestimate Hailong Harbor, we will suffer. "
Zheng Ying took out the map of Hailong Harbor drawn by the Black Water agents and looked at it carefully.
"Thanks to His Majesty's early preparations, he sent the Black Water agents to Bozhou to spy on the information, so we can advance so smoothly. Now, Hailong Harbor is not a secret to us, and we are not blind, but it is still an extremely dangerous pass.
In the past, the Northern Barbarians swept the world, and the Song Dynasty was destroyed. Only Bozhou remained standing. At that time, the Northern Barbarians were insufferably arrogant. Wherever their cavalry went, they could only surrender or die. Even so, they couldn't do anything to Bozhou. It can be said that this place has never been breached. For us, this is the first time, the first time since the Tang Dynasty! "
As soon as Zheng Ying said this, the generals' expressions became serious.
"His Majesty often said that we should not underestimate any opponent. Even a lion needs to go all out to catch a rabbit. Moreover, we are not facing a rabbit, but a trapped beast. I don't need to say more about the battle of a trapped beast, right? Everyone, you must treat this seriously. If there is a failure, it is a small matter for me to blame you, but it is a big matter for His Majesty to be angry. Remember, fifteen days, only fifteen days! "
Zheng Ying's words made the generals' hearts tremble. An Jiangchen and Song Seong-eun, who had been listening at the back, were even more terrified.
It was hard for them to imagine that in just over a year after the change of dynasty, these Qin Army, which was originally mostly the Ming Army, had undergone such a huge change.
From shirking responsibility, dragging each other down, and having many contradictions with each other, to sincere cooperation now, they only wanted to win the war, and even wanted to end the 724 years of history of the Yang Army within fifteen days.
No one understood this change better than An Jiangchen and Song Seong-eun, who had been dealing with the local officials and generals of the Ming Dynasty for many years.
Since when did these Han troops become so disciplined, purposeful, and enterprising?
On the way here, they did not loot or kill people. In the past, when they breached a city, they had to kill wantonly, loot private property for their own use, and plunder all the treasures and women in the city for their own enjoyment. Where was the army that was no different from bandits?
Liu Gu was a fierce warrior who was not afraid of death, and the things he did after the war were also fierce. For this reason, he was deeply criticized. When he was still in the area of Sichuan, he was impeached by civil officials because of all kinds of loot and women, and lost his position several times.
Of course, the things those civil officials did themselves were not much better.
Along the way, they did not see the Qin army abducting any women. After conquering the city, they really collected and stored the spoils of war, and did not fight over them. They thought that Qi Dayong was just being courteous before the battle, the kind of people who said one thing and did another. Who would have thought that they really did what they said.
Not only that, after the rendezvous, the Qin Army was still in good order. There was not a single woman in the army. The spoils of war were piled up like a mountain, but none of the soldiers took them for themselves. They all said that the spoils of war would be distributed according to the merits after the war, and this was not a lie.
Not killing, looting, and burning not only made the five departments and seven families very grateful, but also made them willing to serve as the vanguard of the army and risk their lives for the Emperor of the Daqin, but also prevented the Bozhou area from falling into serious turmoil because of the war. The Qin Army seemed to pay a lot of attention to maintaining the local peace, as if it was their own territory.
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