Chapter 67

Chapter 701: How Can One Fight Without Eating! (1)

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The soldiers of Lü Bu's army seemed to be filled with renewed strength just by hearing Lü Bu's voice.

Moreover, with the gates of Dongguan now open, their morale soared to the heavens.

Lü Bu rode like the wind along the path cleared by the soldiers of Haidong. The cavalry followed closely behind him.

The soldiers of Jiangyiduan, who had been chasing the Shangkai army with their spears, now faced Lü Bu.

"Break through in one go! Uraaaaaa!"

Lü Bu was the first to charge into the enemy ranks, wildly knocking down the enemy soldiers.

Every time his halberd, Fangtian Ji, sliced through the air, several enemies would fall to the ground, spewing blood.

Lü Bu skewered an enemy soldier with his halberd, lifted him high like a trophy, and let out a roar.

"Uaaaaaaa!"

When the dragon-like sound erupted from his mouth, the soldiers of Jiangyiduan were terrified. Lü Bu's roar gave his allies the confidence of victory, but it also sapped the will to fight from the enemy.

Moreover, the area was now filled with Lü Bu's cavalry. With no commanders in sight, the soldiers of Jiangyiduan fell into great confusion.

"Let's... let's run!"

With these words, a great disturbance arose among the soldiers of Jiangyiduan. The desire to flee spread like wildfire.

One by one, the soldiers of Jiangyiduan began to scatter and run.

They just ran eastward. Although Huang Baosong and Siyuan were in the east, their location was far from here.

However, now that there were no commanders, these two were the only ones they could trust.

"Yingzhao!"

Seeing the fleeing enemy, Lü Bu called out to Yingzhao. Soon, Yingzhao appeared by Lü Bu's side.

"General, did you need me?"

"I will give you several hundred archers to pursue and slaughter the enemy soldiers!"

Lü Bu entrusted the task of pursuing and slaughtering the fleeing enemy to Yingzhao. The faces of the surrounding commanders, including Wei Yue, darkened.

Of course, stabbing and cutting the backs of fleeing enemies was not a particularly enjoyable task. No one would consider it a great achievement.

Still, they felt regret that they were not given the opportunity, as they were eager for battle.

Shangkai, Jiagui, and Zhuxun had made significant contributions in opening the gates of Dongguan. It was only natural that they would want to compete for glory and not fall behind.

* * *

Although the soldiers of Jiangyiduan began to flee in droves, Lü Bu only gave Yingzhao a few hundred archers. Still, since the battle was already won, Yingzhao led his troops forward with high spirits.

Then, Xuhuang approached Lü Bu, expressing his disappointment.

"General! Why don't you give me, Xugongming, a chance? This Kaishandafu has not tasted blood for a long time."

Xuhuang was not alone. Wei Yue also chimed in.

"Commander, if you had sent me, I could have slaughtered them within half an hour. Why did you give the troops to Yingzhao?"

Lü Bu then calmed them down.

"If I send you, the seeds of the Jiangyiduan will be completely eradicated. How can I send you?"

"Commander, what do you mean? We should at least chase and cut down the fleeing enemies, right?"

"What a ignorant fool!"

"Ignorant? Commander, I, Wei Yue, can also come up with great strategies like you. Why must I hear such words?"

Wei Yue hated being called ignorant or dull, just like the old Lü Bu. However, since the one who said it was Lü Bu, he could not properly express his anger and his mouth just hung open.

"Wei Yue, do you understand why I only gave Yingzhao a few hundred archers?"

"How can I know if you don't tell me? I, Wei Yue, am ignorant and don't understand."

"If I only send a few hundred archers with Yingzhao, he will know how to drive the enemy appropriately."

"Since the fleeing enemies number in the thousands, it's natural to drive them appropriately with just a few hundred. Even a cornered mouse will bite a cat, right?"

Wei Yue slapped his knee after speaking, then looked at Lü Bu with admiration.

"Commander, truly a brilliant strategy. How did you think of such a thing?"

Wei Yue praised Lü Bu as if he were a great strategist. Lü Bu, feeling very pleased, tried to show off.

"Ahem! After eating the army's food for so long, how could I not know such a simple thing?"

"I, Wei Yue, should also be able to come up with great strategies like you..."

"Watch and learn from me, and one day you will be able to do the same."

Wei Yue, hearing Lü Bu's words, spurred his horse to ride alongside him. He then leaned his head on Lü Bu's shoulder.

"What are you doing, you disgusting thing?"

"I just want to stick close to you."

"That's not what I meant. Hui! Hui!"

Lü Bu, startled, waved his hands repeatedly. It seemed that his horse, Chitu, also disliked being close to Wei Yue's horse and tried to keep its distance.

With such a bond between master and horse, nothing was impossible.

Guo Jia then rode his horse between Lü Bu and Wei Yue.

"General, we have captured all the commanders and officers of Dongguan."

"Those guys, I had high hopes for them since Huang Baosong boasted so much about his strong army. Where did you capture them?"

"They were found passed out after emptying a cart full of wine barrels."

As soon as Guo Jia finished speaking, a group of people staggered out.

The intense stench that preceded them made the surrounding soldiers of Lü Bu's army cover their noses and step back. Seeing this, Guo Jia thought of another strategy using Hilao.

'The soldiers of our army are brave beyond compare, yet they are stepping back from just a stench. Perhaps we can use this to move the enemy soldiers...'

Guo Jia was so engrossed in his strategy that he did not notice Lü Bu frowning at the overwhelming stench.

The smell of alcohol alone was already nauseating, and the addition of the stench of Hilao made it unbearable.

"That's it! Hilao! Indeed, Mr. Guo's wisdom is remarkable, remarkable! Mr. Guo, your contribution is great."

"Excuse me?"

"Your mind was so deep in thought that you didn't even hear my voice. Your strategy is remarkable. How did you think of mixing Hilao with the wine?"

"Many heroes do not dislike alcohol. I took a bet on the high probability. However, I did not expect them to fall so quickly."

Guo Jia had expected the results of his strategy to only be known by midnight.

But the wine-loving Sedian had surpassed Guo Jia's expectations and passed out drunk before the sun had even set.

Now, Sedian and his officers were in a state of unconsciousness. Even as they knelt, they used each other's shoulders as pillows and slept.

Their huddled sleeping forms resembled a group of kittens snuggling together for warmth.

* * *

"Mr. Guo, what should we do with them?"

Lü Bu asked Guo Jia about the disposition of the prisoners. Guo Jia stroked his chin, lost in thought.

He had not thought about this situation in advance.

If he had no confidence, he would not have moved, and he would not have proposed a strategy without being certain of victory.

Therefore, he had pondered this situation. However, he had not yet reached a conclusion. Guo Jia wanted to leave the decision to Lü Bu.

"Jiangyiduan is an army composed entirely of the Qiang people, specifically the Nuzhong tribe."

"So what?"

"Considering the history of warfare between the Han and the Qiang, the Han do not keep Qiang prisoners alive. The same applies to the Qiang with Han prisoners."

"Just because it has been done in the past doesn't mean we must execute them."

Lü Bu did not like making decisions based solely on tradition without a specific reason.

"There is no grave without a reason, and no woman without a story. There is a reason for doing it this way."

"Is it because they are mortal enemies?"

"It's a matter of momentum. More precisely, it's about drawing a clear line. For example, it's about the momentum of battle."

Lü Bu tilted his head, not understanding Guo Jia's point.

"We did not fight the Qiang army of Jiangyiduan but the Guanshu army's Jiangyiduan. What do you mean by momentum? If we follow that logic, shouldn't we execute all the Guanshu prisoners?"

"It's not that simple. Have you heard of 'Chulubeng'?"

"Are you talking about a pile of skulls? I've heard that during the Shang Dynasty, towers of skulls were built everywhere. Even now, the heads of the Beidi are cut off and piled up to warn them from crossing the border."

"Exactly. Do you know whose skulls they are?"

Lü Bu shook his head.

"How would I know? The Xiongnu? The Yiju? I don't know... Mr. Guo, do you know?"

"They are the skulls of Qiang prisoners. Qiang commanders were executed on the spot, and other prisoners were either made into slaves or sacrificed."

"Didn't the Han people do the same?"

"The state does not order it, but those who have fought the Qiang will never keep Qiang prisoners alive."

The greatest enemy of the Han Dynasty is not the Wuhuan, the Xiongnu, or the Xianbei. In the Yellow River region, it is the Qiang, and in the Yangtze River region, it is the Yue.

Considering that many states in Central China have been destroyed by the Qiang and Yue, it is not an exaggeration.

The Han Dynasty has long been in opposition to the Qiang.

Many famous generals of the Han Dynasty established their names in battles against the Qiang.

Dankjing, Zhang Huan, and Huang Baogui were among them.

Unlike Zhang Huan and Huang Baogui, Dankjing viewed the Qiang as barbarians and suppressed them harshly.

On the other hand, Zhang Huan was a moderate. He only punished those who started the conflict and did not attack the other tribes.

Huang Baogui captured the Nuzhong tribe of the Qiang to enhance the prestige of the Huang family.

The current Jiangyiduan is a legacy of Huang Baosong from Huang Baogui.

"Mr. Guo, I am one who rose under the banner of 'All People Are Equal.' How can the Qiang be an exception?"

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"I have no intention of treating them differently. I will demand a ransom. If they pay, I will release them; otherwise, they will serve for three years for the good of the realm."

Though he spoke grandly about the principle of 'All People Are Equal,' it was also a way to use the prisoners to his advantage.

"Huang Baosong may not pay the ransom. After all, he is now like a rat in a trap."

"That's true. If Huang Baosong falls, everything will be mine. There's no point in negotiating over the ransom. But it would be a waste to execute the prisoners."

"Even if we capture many prisoners, we must not forget that we lack the food to feed them."

"That's why I sent Yingzhao with only a few hundred archers."

* * *

Yingzhao received a few hundred archers from Lü Bu. He was given the task of pursuing and slaughtering the fleeing soldiers of Jiangyiduan.

However, the number of fleeing soldiers was in the thousands. In contrast, Yingzhao's forces were only a few hundred archers.

If the fleeing soldiers regrouped and counterattacked, they could easily be driven back.

'Why did General Lü only give me a few hundred archers?'

Yingzhao was curious about why Lü Bu only gave him a few hundred archers. Understanding Lü Bu's intentions was crucial to achieving the desired result.

'If I had given this task to the Eight Generals, they would have broken through and annihilated the enemy in one go. But I won't do that. I need to drive the fleeing soldiers as far as possible without causing harm to our troops. That must be what General Lü expects from me!'