With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

Jian'an was the administrative center of Jianning Prefecture.

Taking Jian'an and then the other prefectures and counties of Jianning Prefecture is only a matter of time.

After entering the capital of Jianning Prefecture, Li Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, I have a place to stay.

However, the city didn't seem as nice as I had imagined; it was somewhat dilapidated and even a bit quiet.

The disciplined New Army, upon entering the city, did not harass the city's residents excessively, and instead had each squad use brass megaphones to broadcast messages.

"No leaving the house. A first offense will result in a warning, a second offense will result in execution! If you encounter any difficulties, please call for help."

Liu Erwen was a carpenter in the city. Because of his excellent skills, he was left in the city when the Ming and Qing armies were fighting.

During the siege, supplies within the city became increasingly scarce, and the death toll rose.

Countless ordinary people starved to death. Because I was useful, I was able to receive some food regularly, but even that little bit of food has now run out.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." A little girl, her face ashen and her hair dry and yellow from hunger, tugged at her father's clothes from behind.

At this time, her father would usually cook her a bowl of porridge, but today there is no porridge.

Liu Erwen sighed. He could endure the hunger himself, but he couldn't bear to see his daughter continue to starve and risk her life.

At that moment, the voice from outside the house rang out again.

"No leaving the house. A first offense will result in a warning, a second offense will result in execution! If you encounter any difficulties, please call for help."

Liu Erwen gritted his teeth and made up his mind to open his own front door.

"General, this old man has a request."

The gate creaked open, and a man in his twenties, who looked much older than his age, called out to the patrol team.

The patrol team immediately noticed Liu Erwen, and all of them turned their gazes toward him.

Several sharp gazes fell upon Liu Erwen, making him feel a chill run down his spine.

In less than a year, he went from being from a reasonably well-off carpenter's family to becoming a slave of the Jurchens, forced to shave his head and change his clothes, and to make tools for the Jurchens.

His wife was even taken to the military camp, and her whereabouts are currently unknown.

Upon hearing of the arrival of the royal army, he and several friends in the city were overjoyed and opened the city gates to welcome the royal army.

But then the Qing army arrived and surrounded them inside Jianning Prefecture, where food supplies quickly became scarce.

However, no one ever considered surrendering, because surrendering meant becoming a slave again.

But today another strange army has arrived. Liu Erwen doesn't know which faction this army belongs to, but he is certain that it is definitely not the Qing army that brutally massacred the city.

"Hello, what are your needs?"

Xiong Wen approached Liu Erwen with a smile on his face.

"I...I want a bowl of thin porridge. General, I have some silver at home. Do you think that's enough?"

Seeing the other party's kind smile, Liu Erwen knew he had won half the bet. He shakily took out the last two qian of silver from his pocket and handed it to Xiong Wen, wondering if the money could buy a bowl of thin porridge.

In peacetime, two taels of silver would be enough to live a life of luxury, with some money left over.

Xiong Wen smiled and pushed Liu Erwen's hand away.

"We don't charge you, here are two pancakes, take them."

Xiong Wen took two corn cakes from the soldiers behind him and handed them to Liu Erwen.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Liu Erwen took the two pancakes and his eyes immediately filled with tears. He could hardly believe it when he held them in his hands.

"Don't go out. If you have any difficulties, just call out from home, and someone will help you."

After saying that, Xiong Wen led his team away.

Liu Erwen, his eyes filled with tears, nodded repeatedly before closing the door.

"Qianqian, come and have some pancakes."

Liu Erwen greeted his daughter, who took the cake and ate it in big bites. They hadn't had dried food in a long time. Liu Erwen also took a bite, his eyes filled with tears.

The corn cakes smell delicious.

~

~

There was no sunset this evening; the sky was overcast, and soon it started to drizzle again.

Raindrops pattered on Li Tian's face, but the worry in his heart wouldn't dissipate.

"Commander, it's raining. Zheng Youren and the others have driven the Qing army away. Should we order them to come back?" Zhang Yonghao, who was standing nearby, found an oil-paper umbrella from somewhere and opened it to shield Li Tian from the rain.

"Yes, order them to come back to avoid the rain, and then, as Dr. Yang requested, boil water for them to soak their feet in hot water to prevent them from getting trench foot."

Dr. Yang's real name is Yang Jian. Before joining the army, he was the director of the orthopedic operating room and also an attending orthopedic physician during his military academy training.

But Yang Jian's expertise extends beyond surgery; he is involved in various aspects of medicine. Because of his practical experience, Li Tian promoted him directly to the position of director of the field hospital after learning about it.

Zheng Youren's troops braved the rain to build fortifications outside the city and stayed in the trenches for more than a day.

They were constantly exposed to cold and damp environments, making them susceptible to trench foot, colds, typhoid fever, and other illnesses.

If not handled properly, non-combat casualties could be very serious.

Zhang Yonghao: "Commander, please rest assured, I have already arranged for people to do it."

Li Tian nodded slightly. After arranging the defenses, he went to the Jianning Prefecture government office, which became the new army's command post and Li Tian's residence.

There's still a lot to do after the battle is over.

At night, the candles inside the government office illuminated it as if it were daytime.

After capturing Jianning Prefecture, the troops outside the city gradually entered the city to take shelter from the rain.

Finally, the new army had a safe city where they could rest.

"Sorry, I was a bit busy and arrived a little late."

Zheng Youren hurriedly entered the command post, took off his straw hat and raincoat, and patted the water droplets off his body.

"No, you've come at the perfect time; the meeting has only just begun."

Li Tian sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping around the long table. The nine army commanders had all arrived, and a simple map was drawn in the middle of the table.

This map was captured from the Ming army.

"Now that everyone is here, let's begin the meeting. First, let's report on the casualties in the military."

Zheng Youren: "Our army suffered more than 1,000 casualties, with 263 deaths directly. More than 2,000 people caught colds and coughs due to prolonged exposure to rain."

"I will report the deaths of my new army and prisoners of war separately," Li Tian added.

He didn't care how many prisoners died; he only cared about how many of his own elite soldiers were killed or wounded.

Zheng Youren continued, "One hundred and one of my new army soldiers died, and one hundred and sixty-two prisoners of war died."

Lei Yunlong: "Our unit suffered more than 600 casualties, seven of the new army died, 320 prisoners of war died, and more than 50 people fell ill."

The Seventh Army was sent out of the city to support the Third Army. Without building any fortifications, it directly engaged the Qing army in open battle, and therefore suffered the most casualties.

Lei Yunlong pushed the prisoners of war to the front to serve as cannon fodder, thus minimizing the casualties of the new army.

Chu Gang: "Our unit suffered nearly two thousand casualties, with one hundred and twenty deaths in the New Army, over six hundred deaths in the prisoner-of-war camp, and over one hundred sick."

The 30,000 men directly involved in this battle were from the Third Army, the Seventh Army, and the Eighth Army.

The city was breached, and the Qing army was prevented from picking off any remaining enemies. The total number of casualties was over 2,600, with 228 deaths in the New Army and over 1,000 deaths in the prisoner-of-war camp.

Although other units did not participate in the battle, they also reported the number of people who fell ill.

They survived for three or four days in the damp and cold conditions in the wild, and many of them contracted typhoid fever or colds.

The total number of sick people is as high as over 8,000.

"The casualties are too high, and the number of sick people has exceeded my expectations." As Li Tian listened to the report, he gradually realized the seriousness of the problem.

They are still struggling on the brink of death.