Late Han Zhao Tang
Chapter 167: Many Captives Surrendered, Difficult to Reward
Chapter 167: Many Captives Surrendered, Difficult to Reward
Guo Tai fled on horseback, but the Han cavalry were always following him.
The whizzing sound of the arrow breaking through the air was like a devil's voice urging his life to pass, which frightened Guo Tai so much that he shrank his head and dared not look back.
The Cloud Riders pursued him relentlessly, from the river valley to the east bank of the Qinshui River, and then waded from the east bank to the west bank, making it impossible for him to stop and reorganize his troops.
Seeing that there were fewer and fewer attendants around him, Guo Tai secretly groaned in his heart. He had already fled for dozens of miles, but he didn't expect that the Cloud Riders were still chasing him. If he hadn't met Yang Feng's chaotic soldiers who stopped him halfway, he would have died long ago.
But perhaps he couldn't go far now, after all, a rider came out of nowhere, with superb archery skills, and had already shot and killed many of his guards.
"Whoosh!"
An arrow flew through the air, and Guo Tai only felt a sharp pain in his thigh. His body went limp and he fell directly to the ground.
Then several Han cavalry came galloping over. Guo Tai knew he could not get rid of them, so he drew his sword, intending to take one of them with him before he died.
Damn Yu Furuo, if he hadn't changed sides in the middle of the battle, the person he would be hunting down now would be Zhang Yu. How hateful!
He had studied Zhang Yu's fighting style before. Whether it was during the Yanbei period or the raid on the Xiongnu, he always went to the battlefield and charged into battle. But Zhang Yu used his troops like a villain today, and actually won by treacherous means, which really lived up to his reputation that shocked his time.
In today's battle, Zhang Yu showed no heroic spirit and was such a villain!
Guo Tai swung his sword in anger, but unexpectedly the Han cavalry dodged gracefully and avoided his blow.
"Whoosh!"
The next moment, Guo Tai felt a sharp pain in his chest. The sharp arrow pierced his throat and blood spurted out along his trachea. Guo Tai struggled and fell heavily to the ground.
The moment Shi Yi shot Guo Tai, he skillfully turned sideways and stood in the stirrup, slowed down his horse, came to Guo Tai's body, drew the dagger at his waist, and cut off Guo Tai's head.
The Han soldier on the same horse regretted that he was too slow, but he quickly shouted, "The one who killed Guo Tai is Wusu Shiyi, the cavalryman in the Clouds!"
Guo Tai's head was soon sent to Zhang Yu, who was now trying to comfort the surrendered Xu Huang.
"I was defeated and surrendered to the bandits. Fortunately, the general has not abandoned me. I am willing to accept my humble body." Xu Huang knelt on one knee and confessed.
Zhang Yu helped Xu Huang up with both hands and said to him in a soothing tone, "A real man will eventually fall into trouble. Han Xin suffered the humiliation of being kicked in the crotch. Zhou Bo made funeral arrangements when he was young, but because of his hard work, he was eventually made a marquis and a general. Gongming used to be a county official, but unfortunately he was robbed and had no choice but to become a bandit because of the situation. Now that he is willing to join me, how can I abandon him!"
Xu Huang was helped to stand up and said, "My Lord, there are tens of thousands of Baibo people in the Qinshui River Valley, all of whom are being held hostage by the bandits. If you want to help, I am willing to accept your orders to recruit them."
"good!"
Zhang Yu smiled with satisfaction and said, "The population of Shangdang is declining. I have been thinking of recruiting refugees to surrender. Now I'd like to trouble Gongming to recruit refugees for me."
"Thank you, Lord!"
Seeing that Zhang Yu gave him the opportunity to show his ability, Xu Huang expressed his gratitude.
When Xu Huang was about to leave, an attendant came on horseback with Guo Tai's head.
"My lord, Wusu Shiyi killed the thief general Guo Tai!"
The servant presented the bloody head.
Seeing Guo Tai's angry head, Xu Huang couldn't help but sigh. Although he was forced by Guo Tai to join the bandit, he was also grateful to Guo Tai for sparing his life and entrusting him with troops. Seeing Guo Tai's head, Xu Huang sighed in his heart.
Seeing that Xu Huang couldn't bear to look at it, Zhang Yu pointed at the head and asked, "How does Gongming want to treat the head?"
Xu Huang gritted his teeth, cupped his hands and said, "When Huang followed the bandits, Guo Tai was kind to me. Now he is dead, I wonder if you can bury him."
"Can!"
Zhang Yu ordered, "Guo Tai has great prestige among the refugees. Now choose a place to bury his body."
"promise!"
"Thank you, Lord!"
Xu Huang bowed to Zhang Yu and said excitedly.
After Xu Huang left, Guo Tu said, "Xu Huang used to be a bandit, so I'm afraid we can't trust him!"
Zhang Yu said with a smile: "Guo Tai has done him a favor, and now he is still speaking for justice. Now that he has surrendered to me, there is no need to worry that Xu Huang will not serve me wholeheartedly!"
Xu Huang's background as a bandit was a stain in the late Han Dynasty, and it was difficult for people to trust him. In history, even though Xu Huang's identity was whitewashed by saving the Han emperor, it was still difficult for Cao Cao to use him after he surrendered to Cao Cao. The only time he was used was the Battle of Fancheng, but Xu Huang was still under the command of Zhao Yan. However, for Zhang Yu, because he had the memory of later generations, he naturally knew that Xu Huang could be used, and there was no need to worry about his identity as a bandit. On the contrary, he was able to use Xu Huang regardless of his identity and gain Xu Huang's loyalty.
Seeing that Zhang Yu had his own standards, Guo Tu did not dare to say much. Before, Zhang Yu might have been his friend, so he dared to say more. After becoming Zhang Yu's subordinate, Guo Tu did not dare to say much, and just stopped at the point.
After a while, Yu Fuluo came with several trusted riders to meet Zhang Yu.
"Your Majesty, you have changed sides in battle and helped our soldiers defeat the bandits. You have made great contributions to Bingzhou. After this battle, Yu will present a petition to the court to confer the title of Chanyu on Your Majesty." Zhang Yu saw Yu Fuluo, dressed as a Han general, approaching and bowed.
Yu Fuluo returned the greeting slightly and said, "I have no intention of joining forces with the Baibo bandits. Now that the general has led his troops to fight against the bandits, my Xiongnu army has come to help. It is just a small favor. From now on, the general and I will have a marriage alliance, and our two families should work together."
Zhang Yu sneered in his heart. If he remembered correctly, Yu Furuo had repeated this many times in history. He first allied with the Baibo Army, then cooperated with Yuan Shao to fight against Dong Zhuo, later turned against Yuan Shao, and then cooperated with Yuan Shu. It was not until he was defeated by Cao Cao that he briefly surrendered to Cao Cao.
Today, he can stab the Baibo Army in the back for the sake of restoring his country. If he infringes on Yu Fuluo's interests in the future, Yu Fuluo will surely rebel!
Zhang Yu was afraid in his heart, but he was smiling. He took Yu Fuluo's arm and said, "Although the Chanyu and I are family, I still need to explain some things. I have few people in Shangdang, and Baibo has tens of thousands of people. I am afraid that we cannot share them with the Chanyu!"
Hearing this, Yu Fuluo's face turned unhappy and he asked, "Then what do you want to give me, General?"
Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "I will not take any of the baggage left by the Baibo army. You can take it yourself. After this battle, you will return to Pingyang to station troops. From now on, I will give you 20,000 shi of grain and grass every year for your army."
Yu Fuluo shook his head and said, "I have nearly 3,000 cavalrymen, but 20,000 dan of food is not enough. Unless you can give me 50,000 dan every year."
Hearing this, Zhang Yu sighed and spread his hands, saying, "Shanyu, there are only more than 100,000 people in Shangdang. I really can't afford 50,000 shi of grain and fodder. I can give you 20,000 shi at most. If I take Taiyuan and Yanmen, I can give you 70,000 or 80,000 shi of grain, not to mention 50,000 shi."
An adult eats two dan per month and twenty-four dan per year. Twenty thousand dan is enough for eight hundred people to eat in a year, and fifty thousand dan is enough for two thousand five hundred to six hundred people to eat in a year.
The amount Yu Fuluo asked for may not seem like much, but it was a big burden for Shangdang, especially since Shangdang had little food and grass. Zhang Yu did not plan to fight a protracted war because he was afraid that food and grass would run out.
After all, without taking horses into consideration, four or five thousand soldiers would consume nearly ten thousand shi of grain per month, which would mean two hundred and forty thousand shi of grain per year. Therefore, Zhang Yu needed to develop Shangdang agriculture as soon as possible.
Yu Fuluo knew Zhang Yu's difficulty and asked thoughtfully, "How long will it take for you to restore my country?"
Zhang Yu calculated the time and said, "In two or three years at the earliest, or three or four years at the latest, I will be able to restore the country for the Chanyu!"
"It's a deal?"
"A word is settled!"
Yu Fuluo nodded and said, "You and I are family, and I have no intention of making things difficult for you. You will give me 20,000 shi of grain this year, and I will take all the grain and grass left by the Baibo bandits, and then I will go to Pingyang to camp."
"it is good!"
The reason why Zhang Yu insisted on letting Yu Furuo be stationed in Pingyang was simple: it blocked the road from Guanzhong to Taiyuan.
Pingyang is located on the bank of the Fen River, which is the city of Linfen in later generations. People have to pass through Pingyang to enter or leave Taiyuan. Zhang Yu and Yu Fuluo are now married, and they will be allies in the short term. Letting Yu Fuluo return to Pingyang to station troops can prevent Dong Zhuo from sending people to Taiyuan to restrict his development.
As for why Zhang Yu did not send people to garrison Pingyang personally, one reason was that he did not have enough troops to garrison across hundreds of miles; the other reason was that he was worried that sending troops to Hedong would arouse Dong Zhuo's vigilance.
After agreeing with Yu Fuluo to divide the spoils, Zhang Yu sent all his troops to receive the Baibo people in the Qinshui River Valley. Li Le, who stayed behind in the camp, surrendered with his subordinates and tens of thousands of old and weak people under Xu Huang's persuasion.
In the Battle of Qinshui, with the help of the Xiongnu soldiers who defected, the 10,000-strong Baibo bandit army was almost wiped out. The Han army beheaded more than 2,000 of them. Generals Li Le and Xu Huang surrendered, and more than 5,000 people were captured. Only Yang Feng, Han Xian and Hu Cai each led the remnants of their troops to escape.
The Xiongnu soldiers had originally planned to plunder and capture Han women, but when they saw how brave the Han infantry and cavalry were, killing so many of the Baibo soldiers, and under Yufuluo's instructions, they calmed down and did nothing else except take money and food.
That night, after counting the civilians who followed the army all night, Zhang Yu found out the number of the elderly and the weak. In addition to the more than 5,000 soldiers who surrendered, there were more than 46,000 civilians, totaling about 51,000 people. It can be said that he had won a great victory.
Late at night, Zhang Yu, Zhong Yao and Guo Tu were counting the number of people, and laughter could be heard from the tent from time to time.
Zhang Yu was so happy that he drank two sips of wine and said with a smile: "Shangdang had only a little over 100,000 registered residents, but now we have gained more than 50,000 people, nearly half of the registered residents. This is a great thing!"
Guo Tu smiled and said, "Regardless of the number of refugees who have flocked to Shangdang this year, if we register more than 50,000 people as citizens, we can get about 10,000 households. If we divide the wasteland in Shangdang among the people for cultivation, we will be able to produce food and grass next year."
Zhong Yao stroked his beard and chanted, saying: "My Lord, it would be great if the 50,000-plus people could be registered as equals, but I am worried about what to reward my subordinates with."
Hearing this, Zhang Yu's expression calmed down. He already understood what Zhong Yao meant.
Because there were many wastelands in Shangdang, all soldiers who were not garrison soldiers were actually allocated land. Even soldiers who had made meritorious services were allocated more wasteland.
If the world is peaceful, the soldiers can return to their hometowns to farm. But now it is a chaotic time, many soldiers can only take care of a few fields and houses, and the extra fields and houses are easily abandoned, so they need extra labor to help them farm.
Therefore, Zhong Yao’s implied meaning is already obvious!
(End of this chapter)
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