The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 127 After the war
The rain was still falling lightly, though it had lessened considerably, it still soaked everyone on the battlefield.

From the commander-in-chief Jiang Han to the ordinary soldiers, everyone was soaked to the bone, drenched and exhausted.

The temporary camp that Wang Shih-hu had set up had now changed hands and become Jiang Han's camp.

Jiang Han was in Wang Shih-hu's tent, having a physician treat the wound on his arm.

During the fierce battle just now, Jiang Han charged ahead and was injured, but fortunately, it wasn't too serious.

He simply had the army medic clean and stitch up his wounds before immediately throwing himself into post-war resettlement work.

Although the battle is over, as the commander-in-chief, Jiang Han still has many things to worry about.

The most urgent task is to resettle and treat the wounded.

Many wounded brothers, still lying on the mountain path, were temporarily cared for by the brothers of the artillery battalion and some lightly wounded soldiers.

Now that the battle is over and the dust has settled, Jiang Han must immediately carry them back to the camp for treatment.

He first assigned a group of soldiers who were still physically capable to be personally led by Shao Yong to guard the surrendered soldiers and prevent them from causing trouble.
Another group, led by officers at various levels, returned to the mountains and surrounding battlefields to search for and transport their own wounded.

Lacking sufficient stretchers, the soldiers used two spears, tied clothes and tent cloths together in the middle, to make makeshift stretchers, and carefully carried the wounded back to the camp.

Jiang Han specially arranged for the wounded to be concentrated in a relatively dry, higher-lying area of ​​the camp.

Cao Er, the greatest contributor to the battle, was also brought back, but his condition was very bad.

Cao Er lay on the stretcher, his face pale and his lips purple, unconscious.

The army medic, after carefully examining Cao Er's injuries, reported to Jiang Han with a grave expression:

"General, he is seriously injured and his life is in danger."

Even if he is lucky enough to survive, he will most likely lose his right hand.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han's expression tightened:
"what happened?"

The physician sighed, pointed to Cao Er's charred right hand, and explained:

"He was burned by the high temperature of the cannon barrel and the gunpowder. Now the wound is stuck to the bandage and can't be separated."

Jiang Han bent down and carefully examined Cao Er's injuries, his brows furrowing even more.

Cao Er's right hand was badly rotten, and yellow fluid was still oozing out.

His hands were wrapped in a cloth, presumably to prevent them from slipping in the rain.

But the cloth was now stuck tightly to the charred flesh, making it impossible to distinguish where the cloth ended and the flesh began.

This injury left even the army's artisans helpless; all they could do was apply a plaster to the wound and leave the wounded soldier to his own devices.

But Jiang Han couldn't just leave Cao Er to fend for himself. He would do his best to treat every wounded soldier, especially since Cao Er was a major contributor to this battle.

He instructed his personal guards:
"Go quickly and fetch a few basins of clean water from the cook. I'll take care of it."

Although Jiang Han was not a professional doctor, he could at least try his best to treat Cao Er's wounds based on some basic common sense from later generations.

The first step is wound cleaning.

Jiang Han first used boiled and cooled water to carefully and repeatedly rinse around Cao Er's wound to remove as much dirt as possible.

Then, he personally picked up the sterilized scissors and carefully cut away the strips of cloth that were stuck to his skin.

This process was extremely painful. Fortunately, Cao Er was still unconscious, otherwise it would have taken several people to hold him down.

Each cut requires constant rinsing with clean water, which demands immense patience and meticulous operation.

Jiang Han then handed the scissors to the physician, asking him to cut off the necrotic flesh as well.

Finally, a plaster made from borneol, phellodendron bark, and burnet root was applied to the wound to remove the heat toxin.

After doing all this, looking at Cao Er's still weak breathing and pale face, Jiang Han could only sigh helplessly.

He has done all he can; the rest is up to fate.

Medical conditions were limited at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the biggest challenge was the subsequent infections and complications.

If Cao Er is tough enough, he might be able to survive this ordeal.

The scene of Jiang Han squatting on the ground, ignoring the mud and blood, personally treating the wounded soldiers, was clearly seen by the surrendered soldiers not far away.

They stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with confusion.

"Isn't this the bandit leader? He's actually treating a common soldier's wounds himself?"

"Damn, in all my years of military service, I've never seen anything like this, not even as a general or colonel."

The surrendered Qin soldiers looked at each other, their hearts filled with turmoil.

They had never seen an officer like this before, nor had they ever experienced such treatment.

It is well known that the Northwest Border Army's failure to pay its soldiers and the embezzlement of their pay were commonplace.

In a force of 1,500 men like theirs, only the personal guards and retainers of high-ranking officers such as generals and brigadier generals actually received monthly pay.

This core force of about one hundred people was the cornerstone for the officers' control of the army.

Further down, there are probably around two hundred soldiers who can barely receive one-fifth of the monthly stipend, and even then, it's not guaranteed every month.

When converted, it averages out to about one tael of silver, which is better than nothing.

As for the remaining thousand or so people, they received nothing; at most, they were given one meal every two days, just enough to keep them from starving.

The generals in the border towns directly commanded their personal guards and retainers, who in turn controlled the two hundred soldiers in the camp.

Then, through these two hundred battalions, they could control the remaining common soldiers.

Meanwhile, in order to prevent the lowest-ranking soldiers from taking risks and forming a rebellion.

The border generals would tacitly allow them to plunder civilians during the bandit suppression campaign in order to win over the people and maintain the cohesion of the troops.

Only through this method could the border generals pull their troops out of the military towns to suppress the bandits.

And troops trained in this way are even less likely to share weal and woe or be of one mind.

On ordinary days, officers often threatened, beat, and verbally abused ordinary soldiers, and sometimes even beheaded them, in order to intimidate the troops and maintain order.

That's why these surrendered soldiers were so astonished.

After all, it was unheard of and unseen that a commander-in-chief like Jiang Han would personally go to great lengths to treat wounded soldiers!

For a moment, a strange sense of anticipation began to stir in the hearts of many surrendered soldiers.

Perhaps life will be different under a leader like this?

But Jiang Han had no energy to deal with the surrendered soldiers at the moment.

His immediate priority was to settle his own soldiers, and to put the surrendered soldiers aside for the time being.

The temporary camp left behind by Wang Shih-hu was not large enough to accommodate everyone to take shelter from the rain and rest.

Jiang Han had no choice but to send Zhao Sheng to lead the auxiliary soldiers to build a few more simple shacks and tents.

At the same time, the soldiers were instructed to use spears and tarpaulins to build several large rain shelters, where they could light fires to keep warm.

The soldiers took off their soaked outer garments and armor, wrung out the water, and then carefully placed them by the fire to dry.

Many people simply stripped naked, tied only with a piece of cloth around their waists, sat around the campfire, stretched out their hands, and quietly warmed themselves.

The campfire crackled, illuminating the tired yet joyful faces.

Fortunately, the rain is gradually subsiding. Judging from the situation, the rain should stop completely by tomorrow night.

Besides lighting fires for warmth and drying clothes, the cooks in the logistics department also began to get busy.

Jiang Han specifically instructed them to cook ginger soup and distribute it to each soldier to dispel the cold and prevent catching a cold.

In short, the postwar situation was complex and multifaceted, with one issue after another, and it was time-consuming and labor-intensive.

But that's just how it is when you're on a military campaign.

In comparison, Ansai Camp was relatively lucky.

They won the battle, captured the government troops' camp, and found shelter from the rain, warmth from a campfire, ginger soup to ward off the cold, and hot meals that were about to be served.

But the Guan Ning soldiers who were fleeing in all directions were not so fortunate.

Their situation can only be described as miserable.

Hundreds of scattered Guan Ning soldiers fled desperately along the mountain paths, like headless flies.

They had long lost their direction and their organization; only the instinct for survival drove them forward.

The already soaked armor clung to their bodies like heavy shackles, constantly drawing away their body heat.

The mountain path is muddy and difficult to walk on. One slip can lead to a fall into the cold mud and water. If you're unlucky, you might even roll down the hillside, your fate unknown.

As night deepened, the temperature in the Lüliang Mountains dropped sharply. The biting wind, carrying raindrops, made their teeth chatter and their bodies shiver uncontrollably.

Hunger, cold, fear, despair... all sorts of negative emotions overwhelmed them like a tide, and it was unknown how many people would be able to return alive.

Compared to this group, the personal guards responsible for escorting generals such as Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao were in a slightly better situation, but only a little bit better.

They brought a lot of rain gear with them before they left, which was enough to keep them dry.

However, the biggest challenge comes from the muddy road beneath our feet.

The soldiers carrying heavy stretchers found every step on this road extremely difficult, as if they were stuck in a quagmire, unable to move an inch.

On a steep and slippery downhill section, a soldier carrying a stretcher slipped, lost his balance, and fell heavily to the ground.

Cao Wenzhao, who was lying on it, rolled off the stretcher and fell heavily into the cold mud.

This sudden secondary injury caused Cao Wenzhao, who was already seriously injured and unconscious, to let out a painful groan.

The escorting officer was so angry that he cursed loudly, but he was helpless and could only hurriedly lift Cao Wenzhao back onto the stretcher.

After this incident, they dared not rush any longer and could only proceed cautiously and slowly, for fear of accidentally killing their commander.

As night deepened, the campfire crackled in the camp, and the wounded soldiers, having eaten and drunk their fill, fell into a deep sleep.

Jiang Han, wearing a dried-out shirt, sat by the campfire on a small stool, munching on a flatbread and drinking ginger soup, feeling incredibly content.

Not far away, a group of surrendered soldiers watched, swallowing hard.

Jiang Han had deliberately ignored these surrendered soldiers, and had not even immediately distributed food to them or arranged shelter from the rain, just to let them cool off first so that he could eventually accept their surrender.

At this moment, Shao Yong, who was in charge of guarding them, strode over and plopped down next to Jiang Han:
"General, what should we do with these surrendered soldiers?"

"Should we stay or...?"

Jiang Han swallowed the last bite of the pancake, took a sip of ginger soup, and then slowly spoke:

"We must stay, we absolutely must stay."

"They all seem to be good recruits, perfect for filling vacancies in various departments." Shao Yong nodded, then asked with a hint of nervousness:

"By the way, General, how's Old Wai doing?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han's face turned grave, and he shook his head.

"Still unconscious."

"The physician has examined him and said that falling off the cliff may have injured his internal organs."

"I was also badly injured, with several bloody holes from being stabbed by spears. Although they have been bandaged, my condition is still not very optimistic."

"The rest is up to fate."

Shao Yong sighed.

"We fought a tough battle this time, and suffered considerable casualties."

"Hei Zi and Zhao Sheng have counted them. There are no less than one or two hundred people who died directly in battle, more than a dozen who fell to their deaths, and countless others who were injured."

After listening, Jiang Han nodded silently and sighed:

"Yes, the Guan Ning Army truly deserves its reputation as a powerful army. This battle was indeed very difficult for us."

"If we hadn't had the advantage of timing and location, it would have been very difficult to predict who would have won if we had actually set up our formation."

Jiang Han gestured with his lip towards the surrendered soldiers opposite him.
"Fortunately, our brothers are no pushovers either. They routed the Guan Ning soldiers, forcing them to abandon their armor and weapons and betray their comrades."

"Has it been investigated? They're all from the same military town?"

Shao Yong shook his head:
"No, these people are border soldiers from Gansu Town. They were recently transferred from Shaanxi and are under the command of Cao Wenzhao to help suppress bandits."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Han's eyes lit up. As long as it wasn't those Guan Ning faction's men, things would be much easier.

He immediately led Shao Yong and a group of personal guards to the area where the surrendered soldiers were being held.

Jiang Han looked at the disheveled government troops but did not speak immediately.

Instead, they first had a pot of steaming ginger soup and several baskets of freshly baked wheat cakes placed in front of them.

The enticing aroma was simply irresistible to these cold and hungry surrendered soldiers.

Everyone's attention was drawn to him, their Adam's apples bobbing involuntarily as they stared longingly at Jiang Han, hoping he would show mercy.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Jiang Han cleared his throat and spoke loudly:

"brothers!"

“I know that we are all struggling to make a living on the border, we are all border soldiers.”

His voice wasn't particularly loud, but in the quiet night, it carried clearly to the ears of every surrendered soldier.

"To be honest, we also come from a border town; we're from Yansui Town!"

Upon hearing this, the surrendered soldiers suddenly realized what was happening, and they all looked up at Jiang Han in surprise.

Are these people not bandits, but border troops?

No wonder, these people are indeed much stronger than the bandits, but they are too good at fighting!
Even Guan Ning's troops were driven away.

Jiang Han seemed to see through their thoughts and continued:
Do you know why you can't beat us?

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, then his voice suddenly rose:

"the reason is simple!"

"Because they follow me, they get three meals a day and a monthly salary!"

Jiang Han's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, and the surrendered soldiers immediately erupted into chaos!

"Three meals a day? Monthly salary?"

"real or fake?"

"In this day and age, who doesn't owe wages?"

Most people showed disdain on their faces, thinking that Jiang Han was just bragging and making empty promises.

Seeing the skeptical and even disdainful expressions on the faces of the surrendered soldiers, Jiang Han was not angry, nor did he offer any further explanation.

He simply waved his hand calmly, summoning several guards who were on duty not far away.

"You lot, take out this month's pay and show these brothers in Gansu Town what they're made of!"

Without saying a word, the guards simply pulled out a cloth bag from their pockets and took out several silver ingots.

There were whole ingots and pieces of silver, all gleaming with an alluring luster in the flickering firelight!
"Have you seen clearly?"

Jiang Han pointed to the silver and continued:

"With me, everyone will receive at least one and a half taels of silver per month, paid on time, without any delays!"

Seeing the gleaming silver coins so casually held in the hands of a few guards, the surrendered soldiers immediately became breathless, their eyes wide with shock.

One tael and five mace!
This is a number they wouldn't even dare to dream of!
Forget about getting the full pay; we'd be lucky to even get five coins!

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted in cheers. All previous doubts vanished instantly in the face of the gleaming silver.

"General! We'll follow you!"

"Through fire and water, no matter what!"

The surrendered soldiers could no longer contain themselves and began to shout excitedly, vying to express their willingness to surrender.

Jiang Han raised his hands and pressed them down:
"very good!"

"Since you're willing to work for me, I welcome you anytime, but..."

His tone suddenly turned stern, and his eyes sharpened.

"Let me make this clear from the start."

"As long as you follow me, from now on you are absolutely forbidden to rob the people, and even more forbidden to kill innocent people indiscriminately!"

"I don't use human heads to calculate military merits here, nor do I need you to take the heads of civilians to claim credit!"

"If I discover anyone committing indiscriminate killing, they will be executed on the spot without exception!"

Upon hearing this, the room fell completely silent.

The surrendered soldiers, who were still immersed in joy, calmed down and began to seriously consider the words of the new commander.

Looting is forbidden? This is completely different from their old military habits!

After a brief silence, someone finally mustered up the courage to cautiously ask:
"Then, General, what if... what if you've plundered the people before?"

Jiang Han glanced at the man and slowly said:

"I can let bygones be bygones regarding past events."

“As long as you haven’t done anything as heinous as massacring villages or abusing civilians, I can forgive you once.”

"However, if someone has done it and I find out, I will never tolerate it!"

Upon hearing this, several of the surrendered soldiers below turned deathly pale, their bodies trembled involuntarily, and their eyes were filled with fear.

Just then, a squad leader among the surrendered soldiers suddenly stood up, pointed at a few trembling men in the crowd, and shouted:

"General! I recognize him!"

"He is Guan Ningjun, who previously massacred a village!"

Jiang Han's eyes lit up upon hearing this. There were still some who had slipped through the net?

"Bring him here!"

"Anything else? Point them out to me, and I'll reward you with one tael of silver!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers below became restless and began to check on each other.

Soon, more than a dozen people, looking flustered or keeping their heads down and avoiding eye contact, were dragged out by the Gansu soldiers around them and pushed to the front.

One of them, seemingly still clinging to a sliver of hope, suddenly knelt down on the ground:
"General! I am not a soldier from Guan Ning, I am from the Fifth Squadron under Commander Wang!"

Before he could finish speaking, a burly man stepped forward from the crowd, pointed at him, and angrily rebuked him:
"Bullshit! I'm from the Fifth Sentry!"

"I've been in this outpost for three years, and I've never seen your face before!"

"You are Guan Ningbing!"

Upon hearing this, the Guan Ning soldier who was still trying to argue turned ashen-faced, speechless, and collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Han snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disgust and killing intent as he looked at the dozen or so Guan Ning soldiers trembling like leaves.

He looked down at the surrendered soldiers and slowly began to speak:

"In that case, who among you will help me kill them?"

These Qin soldiers had long been disgusted by the Guan Ning soldiers' atrocities of massacring villages and killing civilians.

Adding to this the new grudge of being ruthlessly abandoned on the battlefield, leading to a crushing defeat and countless deaths among his comrades.

Jiang Han's instigation caused the conflict to erupt completely.

"Slaughter these beasts!"

"I come!"

"Count me in! I've been wanting to beat these bastards up for ages!"

Without Jiang Han giving any further orders, these emotionally charged Gansu soldiers, like angry bulls, swarmed forward.

Unarmed, they used their fists and feet to brutally beat the dozen or so Guan Ning soldiers, who were already terrified, to death!

The scene was extremely bloody and chaotic, but Jiang Han just watched coldly and did not step forward to stop it.

Looking at the dozen or so corpses of Guan Ning soldiers on the ground, and the panting Gansu soldiers, Jiang Han finally showed a satisfied smile.

"it is good!"

He exclaimed in praise.
"Slaughter these beasts, and from now on, the rest will all be my brothers!"

He walked to the steaming pot of ginger soup and baked flatbread, and addressed the surrendered soldiers who had just vented their anger:

"Listen carefully now!"

"Line up! One at a time!"

"I'll personally serve you flatbread and hot soup!"

(End of this chapter)