Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

Late at night.

Most of the soldiers in the camp had already rested, with only the torches of the patrolmen flickering in the darkness.

Inside the central command tent, the lights were bright.

Several Xiongnu prisoners were bound hand and foot and thrown on the ground, their mouths stuffed with hemp seeds. They had been captured alive in the last battle against the Left Wise King, and one of them was said to be a personal guard, with a piece of polished bone ornament hanging around his neck.

The interrogation was conducted by two veteran Qin soldiers, one named Zhao Gan and the other surnamed Sun.

The two men squatted down in front of the prisoners and slowly untied the hemp seed from one of them.

As soon as the Xiongnu man spat out the hemp seed in his mouth, he immediately raised his head and began to curse in broken Qin language: "Qin dogs! If you have the guts, kill me! When our Great Chanyu's iron cavalry marches south, we'll skin you all alive..."

Zhao Gan was not angry when he heard this.

He and his companion exchanged a glance, and their lips twitched simultaneously.

Then, Zhao Gan took an iron skewer from a wooden box next to him and heated it over a butter lamp.

The Huns were still cursing, but when they saw the slightly red-hot iron skewer, their voices suddenly stopped.

"Do you know what this is?" Zhao Gan asked calmly. "It's made from iron buttons that were taken from the leather robes of your Xiongnu people. I'll use it to loosen up your muscles tonight."

As he spoke, the iron skewer approached the man's fingers.

"Aaaaaaah!"

—The screams erupted almost instantly.

The soldier on patrol outside the tent paused for a moment, then continued walking without expression.

Zhao Gan's movements were unhurried, slowly letting the prisoners experience what Qin punishments were like.

The first person, after speaking for about half a cup of tea's time, his voice hoarse, finally managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "I'll talk... I'll talk..."

Sun Zu then moved the iron skewer aside and took a ladle of cold water from the side, splashing it on the man's face.

The second prisoner's face changed when he saw this, but he still gritted his teeth and glared.

It's as if this way you won't be afraid.

Without further ado, Zhao Gan pulled out a leather whip soaked in salt water from the box.

This is no ordinary whip. It is made by twisting horse sinew and then soaking it in salt water. When it is whipped, it not only tears the skin and flesh, but the salt water seeps into the wounds, causing excruciating pain.

With one lash, the second person also lost their grip.

The third and fourth screamed more and more pitifully than the last.

Later on, Zhao Gan no longer needed to say anything in the tent.

The screams of the first few people were the best "persuasion".

Before the fifth person was even tortured, he spat out the anesthetic in his mouth and began to confess in a trembling voice.

"...Touman Chanyu...the royal court...is...on the waters of Qiedihou...eastward..."

"How many riders?"

"No, I don't know... Our tribes are scattered... but the Left Wise King's tribe is... in the Yuwu River area..."

"Where is the grain storage?"

"There is a place..."

The conversation was intermittent, consisting of questions and answers.

In the end, the prisoners could no longer make a sound.

In the night wind, the smell of burnt flesh mixed with the stench of blood wafted through the air, even the warhorses tied up in the camp snorted irritably.

...

It was early morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Han Xin had just washed his face with cold water when Zhao Gan hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Brother Xin, confess! Confess everything!"

Han Xin paused in wiping his face, then looked up: "You told me everything?"

"He told me!" Zhao Gan handed over the scroll of documents he had written down last night. "He didn't reveal the exact location of Touman Chanyu, but he did tell me where the Left Wise King's pastures are, how many troops he has, and where his granaries are located!"

Han Xin took the bamboo slip, unfolded it, and scanned it, his gaze lingering on a few key points.

"Although I don't know where Touman is, it's worth the trip if I can get close to the Left Wise King." After saying this, he turned around and walked to the sand table, matching the information on the document to the sand table one by one.

Meng Tian then lifted the curtain and entered, clearly having already heard the news.

He walked behind Han Xin, glanced at the sand table, and raised an eyebrow: "The Left Wise King? Six thousand cavalry, scattered across three pastures?"

"Yes." Han Xin nodded. "The three pastures are arranged in a triangular shape, about twenty li apart from each other, and about two thousand cavalry are stationed at each of the other two."

Meng Tian pondered for a moment: "The fact that they are stationed separately indicates that they are still resting and regrouping; this could be an opportunity."

"Exactly." Han Xin pointed to the grassland in the middle of the sand table and chuckled. "The Left Wise King thinks he has retreated far enough that the Qin army will not venture hundreds of miles north to find him."

"Where is Xiang Yu? Where is he?!"

...not long after.

Xiang Yu walked in, looking impatient: "What are you yelling for? It's so annoying."

Following closely behind were Lü Ze and Zhou Bo.

Han Xin chuckled: "Today you will lead a thousand elite cavalry to attack the Left Wise King's main camp... Also, Brother Lü will lead men to flank the east, and Brother Zhou will lead men to flank the west."

"Um."

"Okay!"

"no problem."

Seeing this, Meng Tian still hesitated: "Isn't this too risky? Our army has ventured deep into the grasslands; what if the Left Wise King launches a desperate counterattack..."

"Isn't that perfect? ​​We'll run right into Brother Lü and Brother Zhou's ambush when we counterattack."

It seems so.

However, this also comes with risks.

Nobody knows if reinforcements will suddenly arrive at any moment...

Meng Tian remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright, we'll do it your way!"

......

Afterwards, Xiang Yu led his elite cavalry northwards along the route provided by the Xiongnu scouts, speeding all the way to the heartland.

As expected, he successfully located the main base of the Xiongnu Left Wise King.

At that time, the Xiongnu camps stretched out in a continuous line, with troops and horses clustered together. The Left Wise King was in charge of the central army, still planning to raid the borderlands again today. He had no idea that the Qin army would come so fiercely.

When he finally saw the young man leading the way from afar, his face turned green.

"???"

How is that possible?!

Is he still half asleep?

Otherwise, how could I have seen this killer at my doorstep?

The immense horror and astonishment instantly overwhelmed the Left Wise King, his mind a complete mess, leaving him no time to consider how the Qin army had so accurately located this place.

But the battle situation changed in an instant, giving him no time to be confused or hesitant.

The next second, Xiang Yu, wielding his halberd, charged forward on horseback, breaking through the enemy lines alone.

The Xiongnu soldiers hastily engaged in battle, but they were no match for the Qin army's thunderous offensive. Their formation collapsed instantly, and countless soldiers were killed or wounded.

The Left Wise King barely managed to regain his composure and personally went into battle, but after several rounds, he was overwhelmed by Xiang Yu and forced to retreat in defeat. He was exhausted and terrified.

He recognized reality and knew he was no match for his opponent. If he continued fighting, he would surely die. He immediately decided to retreat and turned his horse around to save his life.

But the cycle of karma is inescapable.

He struggled to break out of the chaotic battle, thinking he could escape, but instead ran right into Zhou Bo's army, which had been lying in ambush.

Armored and gleaming, with spears standing tall.

The Qin army blocked their path and refused to yield an inch.

Upon seeing this, the Left Wise King hurriedly reined in his horse and turned around, intending to break through from the other side. However, upon turning his head, he found that Lü Ze's troops had blocked his retreat.

They attacked from both sides, encircling each other.

With all escape routes cut off, there was nowhere to run.

"..."

Finally, all those who resisted were strangled on the spot.

Those who fled in panic were all cut down by the pursuing troops.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the main force of the Xiongnu had been lost by more than half, and at the same time, the Left Wise King was captured and became a prisoner.

The Qin army won a great victory and captured the Xiongnu leader alive.

-

Half a month later, the battle report was sent to Xianyang Palace.

His Majesty the First Emperor was overjoyed and immediately issued an edict: exempting the border people from taxes for three years as a reward for the soldiers and to appease the hardworking border people.