My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 54 Amazement
Yu Hai was surprised as he did not expect Xiang Chang to say such a thing.

Both the soldiers escorting the gold and the soldiers behind Xiang Chang opened their mouths wide, at a loss as to what to do.

In this era of low productivity, they rebelled simply because the Qin Dynasty's harsh laws and excessive exploitation made it impossible for them to survive, so they had to fight.

Therefore, since the day they walked out, they have already put their heads on the waistband of their pants and lived one day at a time. If they were lucky enough to survive to the end, it was because they were extremely lucky and had good luck. If they died halfway, it was because they were unlucky and could not blame others.

Whoever serves as their general has no obligation to provide them with compensation if they die in battle.

At most, some soldiers would make an agreement with their good comrades in advance about the money they robbed or received as rewards for their military achievements, so that if they died in battle, their comrades would send the money back home.

And now Xiang Chang actually gave thousands of kilograms of gold to those brothers who died in the battle without blinking an eye, which really confused them for a moment.

Yu Hai also couldn't understand Xiang Chang's behavior. In his opinion, these lowly soldiers were selected into the cavalry, rode big horses, wore armor, had enough food, and were rewarded for their meritorious service. This was already a great honor for them, just like being in heaven. Why would they want to be compensated after their death? What a joke!
However, seeing that Xiang Chang didn't seem to be joking, he thought it was just a quirk of this noble young man. Although he felt it was troublesome, he still clasped his fists and agreed.

So the soldiers lifted up the dozen boxes of gold and transported them back. But as they walked, they couldn't help but look back at Xiang Chang.

At a time when it was completely natural for generals and other high-ranking officials to eat and take more, the lowest-ranking soldiers like them lived in extreme poverty. For example, in terms of food, they could only barely get enough to eat every day.

They were cavalry and their treatment was relatively good, while the rest of the infantry and even the logistics and baggage troops could not even get enough beans and millet to eat.

Because it has always been like this, they have become accustomed to it and have no complaints or feelings that there is anything wrong with it.

As the eldest son of the Chu State, Xiang Chang paid attention to the soldiers who had died in the battle for the first time. This gave them a strange feeling, and a thought popped up in their minds: If they followed Xiang Chang to fight and became his subordinates...

Xiang Chang turned to look at Xiang Gou and the other guards, pointed out twelve people, and said in a deep voice: "You have been meritorious in this undercover operation and have fought bravely. Especially you twelve, you have gained the most, so I want to reward you. Each of you will get one of these twelve women as your wife. Soldiers on the battlefield are not allowed to bring women with them, so you can send them back home to take care of your parents first."

Xiang Gou and the other twelve soldiers were overjoyed. These women were beautiful and were enjoyed by the highest-ranking generals and officials in Liu Bang's camp. How could they have had their turn in the past? They knelt down hurriedly to thank Xiang Chang, their faces flushed with excitement, and walked to the ox cart. In the envious eyes of the other soldiers, they clumsily took a woman each.

The reason why Xiang Chang chose to assign beauties only to these guards was certainly because these guards were brave in battle, but also because after those clansmen and generals returned to the Chu army camp, they had no shortage of beauties due to their status and power.

Xiang Ju, who was standing by, felt a hint of bitterness in his heart, knowing that these loyal guards left by his father would undoubtedly be loyal to Xiang Chang from now on.

Thinking that Xiang Chang was so generous and kind to his soldiers, which was completely different from the petty-mindedness of the Overlord, he thought that the Great Chu might be able to regain its former glory under his leadership, and he became inexplicably excited.

Yu Hai was really shocked by Xiang Chang's action. He didn't care that Xiang Chang distributed thousands of kilograms of gold to the dead soldiers, thinking that he didn't love money. But he didn't expect that he also gave the beauties to his soldiers, and he was really impressed.

Why is it that noble, upright, fair and just conduct is naturally respected and has great prestige and appeal? It is because most people know that it is right to do so, but they cannot resist the greed in their hearts, succumb to their greed, and find that they cannot do it at all when the time comes.

Xiang Chang knew that this amount of wealth was too huge and would tempt people. If it fell into the hands of Ying Bu's Jiujiang Army, they would never hand it over. If he forcefully demanded it from them, it would only cause a rift and resentment between the two sides. And he had to rely on Ying Bu and the Jiujiang Army to continue his campaign against Liu Bang, so he had to win them over. So he might as well give it all to them.

This time, Ying Bu was forced to surrender by him with his neck pressed down, and he had been holding back resentment. After getting this huge fortune, he would surely dispel most of his resentment.

After thinking this through, Xiang Chang no longer hesitated.

Since it was decided to give all the wealth to the Jiujiang Army, these twelve beauties simply decided not to take a single cent, thus completely establishing their image as people who were not greedy for money or lustful.

Not only was Yu Hai, the rude and fierce general, surprised and awed by his behavior, but Xiang Ju and other relatives and generals beside him also had strange eyes flashing.

Especially Xiang Ju, he knew that no matter if it was Overlord, his dead father Xiang Chan, or Xiang Sheng, Zhongli Mei and other generals here, they would definitely be furious, even if it meant fighting with King Jiujiang, to take back these treasures.

They also knew that taking back this batch of wealth would affect their relationship with the Jiujiang Army and their future battles against Liu Bang's Han Army, but they just couldn't control themselves. Profits can move people's hearts, and if they can't move people's hearts, it means that the benefits are not enough. This huge amount of wealth is enough to make anyone lose their mind.

Xiang Ju looked at Yu Hai, the trusted and powerful general of the King of Jiujiang. He had only met Xiang Chang for a short time, but he was already convinced and respected Xiang Chang. The idea in his mind became more firm.

At this time, another general came to report to Yu Hai that the captured Han army's rear prisoners had been counted and there were more than 14,000 of them, and asked how to deal with them.

Of the 60,000 Han rear troops, more than 30,000 died on the battlefield, in the fire, or were trampled upon by each other. More than 14,000 were captured or surrendered, and only about 15,000 or 16,000 fled. In addition, this battle also captured countless provisions, tents, armor, flags, and other supplies. It was undoubtedly a great victory.

Yu Hai's face was grim, and he was about to kill the 14,000 surrendered soldiers. This was also a common practice. After all, keeping the prisoners of war would be a hidden danger and consume the food of the army. It would be better to kill them and put an end to it.

Xiang Chang frowned and said, "Send these prisoners of war to Gaixia City with soldiers. I have my own use for them."

Yu Hai had no objection to this, and immediately ordered the soldiers to clean up the battlefield and send them to Gaixia the next day.

Seeing that Ying Bu had not returned from pursuing Liu Bang, Xiang Chang was worried about Gaixia City. He bid farewell to Yu Hai and hurried back with Xiang Ju, Xiang Gou and other relatives and soldiers.

(End of this chapter)