My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 399 Loving Soldiers Like Sons

Chapter 399 Loving Soldiers Like Sons
The surrender of tens of thousands of people in organized units was quite a spectacular sight.

But Gao Yu had already seen it.

In the battle outside Luoyang that year, there were even more people; tens of thousands of prisoners were captured, and that was after careful selection of those who looked physically fit.

The enemy soldiers obediently went to the designated location to hand over their armor and weapons, and were then led to the other side to sit on the ground.

Some were bewildered, some were at a loss. They clearly had the advantage, yet their army of over 100,000 men had been defeated.
More than anything, I felt uneasy.

Fear stems from the unknown.

They had no idea what fate awaited them.

Without weapons and armor, they were lambs to the slaughter, their lives in the hands of others.

Slaughter them on the spot?

Or should they be dismissed on the spot?

"A bunch of rabble, do they even deserve to fight?"

Wang Xuan scanned the prisoners in front of him. One of the eight thousand soldiers who had fought alongside Wang Sizheng to the death was Guo Qiannie, a fellow villager and friend of Wang Sizheng. Guo Qiannie had unfortunately lost an arm. Even if his injury could be healed, losing an arm meant he would never be able to continue fighting on the battlefield.

Not to mention that many of his troops died in battle.

Fueled by resentment, he viciously kicked out, knocking an enemy soldier to the ground.

The person who was kicked down was terrified and dared not make a sound.

"The general has ordered that prisoners of war must not be mistreated."

Li Wenshu, who was standing nearby, pulled Wang Xuan back, stopped him, and repeatedly dissuaded him.

Wang Xuan then turned around to continue tallying the casualties of his brothers.

There are many similar cases.

These eight thousand soldiers withstood the enemy's fiercest attack. Many of their comrades who fought alongside them were either missing limbs or killed in battle. They needed to vent their pent-up resentment.

"Mulan, please do your best to keep the strong and healthy ones and send the weak ones away."

"Keep the skilled and brave ones under guard, and send the rest to Qingzhou."

Lu Tian and Xu Tian relied on these captured prisoners of war to work. As long as these people were given food and didn't starve, the Tian Ce Prefecture would take all the produce from the land.

of course……

Gao Yu didn't completely deny these prisoners of war a way to survive.

Even for these prisoners of war, a simple 'incentive' mechanism was established.

If you cultivate the land well and produce a lot, you can regain your freedom in three years. If you are just slacking off, you can also regain your freedom after working in the Lu Tian and Xu Tian fields for ten years.

"Here."

Mulan also left in a hurry.

Gao Yu intends to recruit those who are skilled in martial arts and physically strong.

He will leave behind trusted confidants to lead this group of people to assist Heba Yun in quickly taking control of the three provinces of Ying, Yan, and You. Hou Yuan has gathered the troops of the three provinces this time, which can be described as his all-out effort.

After this battle shattered their forces, Hou Yuan was unable to organize the remaining troops to resist.

As for loyalty?

The vast majority of soldiers were actually no different from ordinary people.

Do ordinary people care who the emperor is?
Ordinary people care more about how much tax they pay, whether the weather is good, whether they can have a good harvest, and whether they will go hungry.

The ordinary soldiers were all pretty much the same.

You'll follow whoever feeds you.

After explaining and arranging everything, Gao Yu pondered... who should be left behind to 'watch' Heba Yun?

Gao Yu would never allow Heba Yun to accompany him to support Gao Huan.

The brothers Hebasheng and Hebayue were still serving under Erzhu Rong.

He was still thinking of turning Hebasheng and Hebayue to the side, instead of forcing them to fight each other on the battlefield.

………………

Until sunset.

The Xuanjia Army and Fubing soldiers who had gone out to pursue the enemy gradually returned to their camp, and each of them had gained a great deal.

Those who were less lucky managed to capture a few prisoners.

If you're lucky, you might capture some mid-level officers or generals of various ranks.

Old Dongfang, with a smug look on his face, led his horse into the military camp. Everyone came over to watch, and just by looking at the armor of the prisoner on horseback, they knew that he was no ordinary person.

He spotted Liu Yi from afar and rushed forward, exclaiming, "General! General, I've caught a big fish!"

Liu Yi looked in the direction of the voice, "Is that you, kid? How big is the fish?"

"General!"

Old Master Dongfang first looked around and noticed that many of his comrades were casting curious and envious glances at him. Then he announced loudly, "This man is none other than Hou Yuan, the General of the Cavalry, who is in charge of the military affairs of the three prefectures of Yan, You, and Ying, under the command of the traitor Erzhu Rong!"

Wow!
The onlookers, the guards, were in an uproar!
The entire military camp erupted in chaos!

Bound by ropes and lying horizontally on the horse's back, Hou Yuan dared not raise his head at all.

The more glorious he was before, the more pathetic he is now.

"really?"

"Absolutely true! There are no jokes in the army, how could I dare to deceive the general?"

Liu Yi stepped forward. He remembered Gao Yu's instructions and did not deliberately humiliate the other party in words or actions. He simply asked, "Are you Hou Yuan? If you dare to impersonate him, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

Hou Yuan then looked up, his expression complex, and nodded with difficulty, saying, "It is indeed me."

"it is good!"

Liu Yi was overjoyed and snapped out of his daze, patting Old Dongfang on the shoulder. "You've done a great service, kid! Wait here, I'll go report to the general right away!"

Liu turned and left in a hurry.

The guards who had been observing also stepped forward. "Ande, what incredible luck you had!"

"Capture an enemy general alive? Shouldn't that earn him a noble title?"

"Damn it, I also pursued the fleeing soldiers, why am I never so lucky?"

"…………"

They learned that Hou Yuan had been arrested.

Gao Yu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Although it would be difficult for Hou Yuan to organize troops to resist, he would still be a hidden danger if he was not captured.

It's good that we caught them right now.

He strode over, where the area had been completely surrounded.

As soon as Gao Yu arrived, the soldiers of the garrison made way for him.

“Mo Heduo…”

Hou Yuan looked at Gao Yu and said, "I have lost this battle."

"If you want to kill or behead me, please do as you please."

Gao Yu did not mock him. After confirming his identity, he ordered someone to take Hou Yuan away. He would send Hou Yuan and other prominent figures to Qinghe County.

Let the imperial court deal with these traitors.

"As expected of someone from a prestigious family."

Gao Yu also personally praised Elder Dongfang, saying, "Your merits this time are worthy of a noble title, and I will certainly state your contributions in the official document submitted to His Majesty..."

"Thank you for your guidance, General. Without you, I would not have had the opportunity to make this contribution."

"The credit was earned by you and your comrades; what credit do I have?"

Gao Yu chuckled and shook his head, offered a few words of encouragement, and then hurriedly left.

He has more important things to do.

He arrived at the rear of the military camp.

There are also many soldiers here, but they are different from the soldiers who made great contributions at the front.

The soldiers here showed no joy at their great victory; instead, they were all filled with sorrow and grief.

From time to time, wails and screams could be heard from the tents in front of them.

Those wounded soldiers who did not die in battle were brought here to be treated by military doctors.

"General!"

When Wang Xuan and the others saw Gao Yu arrive, they all surrounded him.

"How did you..."

"I have come here, of course, to visit the heroes who made great contributions to this battle."

Gao Yu responded in a low voice.

He entered the tent.

The scene was like a living hell.

Some had lost their arms, some had lost their legs, and some still had arrows stuck in their bodies.

Those who have lost limbs or arms suffer the most.

Given the medical conditions of that era, even if one did not die directly on the battlefield, they could very well die from wound infection and inflammation.

Upon seeing Gao Yu arrive, everyone turned to look at him.

"General..."

"Lie down."

With a sorrowful tone and red eyes, Gao Yu said, "In this battle, you are the greatest heroes. You must all persevere and survive! When we achieve victory, I will drink a celebratory cup with you all!"

"Waaaaah... General!!"

Immediately, some people burst into tears.

Outside the tent.

Wang Xuan and the others could also hear what Gao Yu was saying.

He muttered to himself.

"How fortunate we are to follow such a general who loves his soldiers like his own children."

"The general has not forgotten us!!"

"As long as I have a breath left, I will follow the general!"

"…………"

After the victory.

Instead of rushing to hold a celebration banquet, they dealt with the chaotic situation first.

They came to visit the wounded from the battle as soon as possible.