Under the banner, Min Yulin, clad in golden armor and wielding a saber, stared at the heavy snow. Not far away, Lin Muyu galloped over and cupped his fists. "Marquis Wei, there's no more road ahead. The supply carts will have to pave a new road before they can move forward, so the journey will definitely be affected. I'm afraid it will affect the battle plan, so I came to report."
"I understand. Thank you for your hard work, General Lin."
Min Yulin smiled. "It's fine. Every soldier at the front has brought three days' worth of rations, and it's less than a day's journey from here to Winterfrost City in the Lingdong Province. I plan to order the three armies to move quickly and surround Winterfrost City first. General Lin, your supply carts can move slowly. It's fine as long as they reach Winterfrost City in three days."
"Very well. This subordinate will take his leave."
"Very well."
… …
Late at night, all three thousand supply carts finally crossed the obstacle and entered the plains. However, the snow had melted and left the ground covered in mud. Many of the carts had already sunk into the ground.
Thud thud thud …
The galloping of the horses continued. Lin Muyu got off the horse beside one of the grain carts. With a glance, she noticed that the axles of the grain carts were all covered in mud. Even ten soldiers could not move it at all.
"My lord … we …" A ten-man squad leader looked at him in fear.
Lin Muyu didn't say anything. He used the handle of the Pear Blossom Spear to remove the mud around the wheels and then placed his hand on the undercarriage. "Alright, push with me."
"Yes, my lord!"
The snow continued to fall, but Lin Muyu's combat aura prevented the snowflakes from falling on his cloak. It was a spectacular sight. A heavenly realm expert's combat aura was naturally not something an ordinary person could compare to. The cart creaked out of the mud pit, and Lin Muyu quickly cut down the trees on the side to fill the pit.
Beside him, the Silver Star instructor Shen Han's eyes were red. "Chief Deacon … the empire has really let you down. You shouldn't have done this here …"
Lin Muyu was slightly taken aback. He then patted his shoulder and smiled. "What shouldn't I? Let's go. Make sure the carts move smoothly and catch up to the main force as soon as possible."
"Yes, my lord!"
…
The result surprised Lin Muyu. The Lingdong Province was almost completely barren. There was not a single person within a hundred miles. Not only did they have to pave roads along the way, they also had to pave bridges. In the end, it took a full five days for the rations to reach Winterfrost City.
The heavy snow had stopped, and the sky was clear.
In the distance, a scout team of the Yangwei Army galloped over. The leader said with a black face, "General Lin, your grain team is late. If they don't come, we can only eat tree bark!"
"I'm sorry, it's been a tough journey."
"Come with me, Marquis Wei wants to see you."
"Yes!"
Less than ten miles ahead was the camp of the Yangwei Legion. Along the way, he saw many wounded soldiers. It seemed that there had been a battle here. Looking from afar, the flag of the Yihe Nation was still fluttering in the sky above Winter Frost City.
Inside the central tent, Min Yulin, Min Zhan, Su Wentian, and Wang Xi all wore cold expressions on their faces.
Lin Muyu entered the tent, took out her waist token, and said, "Three thousand carriages of grain have arrived."
Wang Xi's eyes turned cold. "Grand Deacon, do you know that they have been late for two days? According to military law, they should be beheaded!"
Lin Muyu looked at him indifferently. She didn't speak, but her eyes revealed a sense of pride.
At this time, Du Hai, the vanguard of the front army, cupped his fists and said, "My lord, Lingdong Province is different from other provinces. There are no roads at all. It's understandable that they missed the deadline. Please forgive Lady Lin Muyu."
"Yes, I know. It's fine." Min Yulin waved his hand and said, "General Lin, please sit down."
"Yes."
There were more than twenty generals in the central tent, but Lin Muyu's seat was arranged at the end.
Min Yulin said, "Although Winter Frost City is a small city, it's very sturdy. If the Yihe rebels insist on defending the city, we will only suffer heavy losses if we force our way in. What do you all think we should do?"
Su Wentian cupped his fists and said, "My lord, our scouts have confirmed that there are only ten thousand Yihe soldiers in Winter Frost City. They are surrounded by us and are in a desperate situation. In my opinion, why don't we send envoys into the city to persuade them to surrender? The Yihe Captaincy in the city is Yuchi Lin, a former general of Heaven's Pivot Province. As long as he is willing to surrender, the empire will take him back in and restore him to his position. What do you all think?"
Min Yulin's eyes were cold. "The empire doesn't need traitors. They should have known this would happen to them when they abandoned the empire for the Yihe Nation."
"That's right." Su Wentian's eyes were full of smiles. "This subordinate is only talking about luring them to surrender. As for how they will be dealt with after they surrender, that's up to you, my lord. The city is lacking in rations, and they won't be able to hold out for long."
"Very well!" Min Yulin nodded with a smile. "We'll do as you say. Send someone to persuade them."
"Yes, my lord!"
Lin Muyu felt a chill in her heart. She knew that the lives of the ten thousand Yihe Nation soldiers would be lost.
…
As expected, the gate of Winter Frost City was opened at night. Yuchi Lin led the guards out of the city in person, holding the seal of Winter Frost City in his hand. His face was pale. He used to be a general of the empire, but after he surrendered to the Yihe Nation, he had now surrendered to the empire again. Naturally, he was a villain in everyone's eyes.
Marquis Wei Min Yulin slowly dismounted and took the seal from Yuchi Lin's hands. He looked at him coldly and said, "General Yuchi, the Yuchi Family has guarded Heaven's Pivot Province for several generations. Why did you submit to the rebels of the Yihe Nation?"
"I …" Yuchi Lin couldn't speak, and his face alternated between green and white.
Min Yulin waved his sleeves and said, "Enter the city with the army and disarm all the Yihe Nation soldiers."
"Yes, my lord!" Everyone quickly spurred their horses into the city.
As the accompanying general, Lin Muyu also followed them into Winterfrost City. Behind them, the rations team quickly entered the city. Although Winterfrost City was a small city, there were already many tents built around it. Although this city had been through the baptism of war, it seemed that the civilians in the city were already used to it. Every one of them had a blank look on their faces.
On the plaza, torches were raised high as a group of Yihe Nation soldiers stacked their weapons together. They then stuffed their palms into their tattered armor to keep warm. Judging from their attire, many of them didn't even have a full set of military uniforms. Some of them were only wearing the Yihe Nation's armor, but the clothes underneath were actually dark blue imperial uniforms. They didn't even have time to change out of their clothes before they switched sides again. It was quite amusing to think about it.
"It seems that the Yihe Nation's army also has soldiers who are unloved by their fathers and mothers," Lin Muyu said indifferently.
Old General Xu Ying couldn't help but laugh. "How many people can a commander-in-chief like Qin Yi care about? Although the Yihe Nation preaches all living things are equal and all people are benevolent, many of the Empire's soldiers who surrender to the Yihe Nation are nothing more than stepmothers. Clearly, the ten thousand men under Yuchi Lin are like this.
As if hearing Xu Ying's words, Yuchi Lin's face turned ashen. "The old general is right … but Marquis, since we've already surrendered to the empire, I must say that we shouldn't stay in Winter Frost City for long."
"Why?" Min Yulin asked indifferently.
Yuchi Lin cupped his fists. "The Manchus, ranked fourth among the Seven Marshals of Yihe Nation, have gathered seventy thousand soldiers in Tongtian Province and are heading for Winter Frost City. These seventy thousand are the elites of Yihe Nation, and Winter Frost City is just an isolated city with very little food. Even though we have the advantage in numbers, we may not be a match for the Manchus."
"Manchus?"
Min Yulin's eyes were full of disdain. "That's the son of Marquis Manning of the Setting Sun. How can a fat piece of trash like him lead an army? Heh, I'm not leaving. I'll wait for the Manchus in Winter Frost City!"
"Marquis …" Yuchi Lin wanted to say something but stopped.
Min Yulin looked expressionlessly at the ten thousand unarmed Yihe Nation captives on the square. Suddenly, a murderous glint flashed across his eyes. "General Xu, have the five thousand men of the Divine Archer Battalion prepare their bows and arrows. Give them fifty arrows each."
Xu Ying nodded. "Yes!"
Min Zhan was taken aback. "Father, didn't we take the city already? What are we going to do … "
Min Yulin didn't answer. "General Feng Che of the Iron Infantry Battalion, listen up. Order the Iron Infantry Battalion to surround the captives and block them with shields."
"Yes, Marquis." Che Tiefeng nodded.
Min Yulin turned around and left. "Kill all the Yihe Nation captives in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Cut off their heads and hang them on the walls around Winter Frost City. This will chill the morale of the Manchurian army."
Yuchi Lin trembled. He hurriedly knelt on the ground and shouted, "Marquis, please don't … They're soldiers of the empire, and they're just following orders. They have parents, wives, and children. You can't slaughter them like this, you can't …"
"As a soldier of the empire, you should know what loyalty is. General Yuchi Lin, don't say anything else. Otherwise, you'll join them. "
Min Yulin didn't say anything else.
Yuchi Lin knelt on the ground, trembling. His face was full of humiliation and indignation.
… …
Qin Yan clenched his fists. The flickering flames reflected in his eyes. He turned to Lin Muyu and asked, "Big Brother … are we just going to watch Min Yulin kill ten thousand captives? Why don't you go persuade them? Once they're killed, will any Yihe Nation soldiers dare to surrender to the empire in the future? "
Lin Muyu pressed her hand on the hilt of her sword. After a moment of silence, she said, "Ah Yan, have you ever thought about what it was like for these Yihe Nation soldiers who claimed to have parents, wives, and children to slaughter defenseless civilians in Lanyan City? Did they ever think about mercy at that time?"
"Big Brother, you …" Qin Yan was dumbfounded.
Lin Muyu patted his shoulder lightly. "You should know how much food ten thousand people need to eat every day, right?"
"I …" Qin Yan was speechless.
Not long after, screams rose and fell. Ten thousand Yihe Nation soldiers were shot to death by arrows. They resisted hopelessly and charged at the Iron Infantry Battalion's shield formation, only to have their bodies pierced by spears. Fresh blood instantly filled the entire western square of Winter Frost City.
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