News of the death of the Left Khan and the surrender of the steppe bandits quickly reached the command post at Black Mountain Mouth.

When Li Xin learned of this news, he was quite surprised.

He hadn't expected that so many of the grassland bandits would surrender.

However, upon further reflection, Li Xin understood.

After all, there were hundreds of thousands of troops surrounding the perimeter. No matter how fierce the grassland bandits were, how could they withstand the siege of such a large army?

Continuing this war would be futile.

Moreover, the grassland bandits retreated hastily and lacked food supplies, so there was nothing wrong with surrendering.

As long as I can live, that's enough!

The battle ended after these grassland bandits surrendered.

After nearly a month of defense, flanking maneuvers, city captures, pursuit, deployment, and encirclement, the Left Khan's band of fifty to sixty thousand grassland bandits was finally annihilated!

As a result, the entire bandit camp on the grasslands suffered a heavy blow.

This will also be of great help in the next steps, such as pacifying the grassland bandits and launching the northern expedition against the grasslands!

After the battlefield was cleared, the commanders of the various armies also arrived at the Heishanzui command post.

"That's great!"

As soon as he entered the main tent, Wei Dahai chuckled and said, "In this battle, we annihilated more than 30,000 grassland bandits, captured 28,000 grassland bandits, and also seized 36,000 warhorses. This is a very good result!"

"A great victory!"

Li Qiu also said with a smile, "Back in Dongning, we didn't achieve such good results!"

"Alright, alright!"

Li Xin smiled and said, "One or two hundred thousand men fighting against fifty or sixty thousand? If these grassland bandits escape, wouldn't we be laughed at? What's there to brag about?"

Wei Dahai and the others also put away their smiles and sat down inside the tent.

After sitting down, Li Qiu asked, "Your Majesty, nearly 30,000 grassland bandits were captured this time. What should be done with these prisoners?"

"Prisoners?"

Li Xin pondered for a moment and said, "The grassland bandits are extremely wicked, but they have surrendered now. They can be spared the death penalty, but they cannot escape punishment! According to past practice, all these prisoners should be handed over to various engineering teams and mines for labor as atonement!"

"good!"

Li Qiu nodded and said with a smile, "This will provide nearly 30,000 free laborers, which will allow our Great Gan Nation to build at an even faster pace!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Xin spoke up: "After this battle, the central route of the steppe bandits has collapsed. Next, we'll have to deal with the steppe bandits in Shuofang and Liaodong! Which side do you think we should attack first?"

At this moment, several staff officers had already brought over a huge map.

The generals looked at the situation on the map, frowning as they fell into deep thought.

"His Majesty,"

Wei Dahai said, "I think we should head directly north to the grasslands and take over the bandit king's camp!"

Now, the grassland bandits have mobilized their main force, leaving the royal camp extremely vulnerable. We should strike at their heart!

"Yes, strike at the heart of the enemy!"

Wang Qinggu, Li Lanhe, and others echoed this sentiment.

However, Li Qiu frowned and did not agree.

After a moment, Li Qiu shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, this humble general feels that it is somewhat inappropriate to march north into the grasslands and strike directly at the heart of the enemy."

Why is it inappropriate?

Wei Dahai looked at Li Qiu and shouted, "Old Li, what are you afraid of?"

"I am not afraid."

Li Qiu glanced at Wei Dahai but offered no explanation.

He looked at Li Xin and said, "Your Majesty, although the main force of the grassland bandits has been deployed, the royal camp must be sparsely defended. If we advance north into the grasslands, we will surely be able to strike at the heart of the enemy."

"but,"

Li Qiu changed the subject and continued, "This humble general feels that it is somewhat of a loss! The grassland bandit king's camp is located on the grassland, with no fixed abode, and is mostly in places with abundant water and grass."

Nowadays, although the main force of the grassland bandits has been deployed, the grassland bandit king's tent is easy to move.

Even if we head north into the grasslands, we might not find the bandit king's camp. Besides, even if we did find it, so what?

The grassland bandit king's tent was just some tents, cattle, sheep, and horses, and there were probably many women, children, and other animals there as well.

However, capturing these prisoners wouldn't be of much use to us.

The main force of the grassland bandits is still outside; if they are left there, they will one day rebuild their royal camp on the grassland.

Therefore, directly attacking the enemy's stronghold is not very effective in the long run.

In my humble opinion, our battle against the grassland bandits should focus on annihilating the enemy's manpower and eliminate as many of the bandits' able-bodied men as possible.

Most of the able-bodied men of the grassland bandits joined the army and went on expeditions.

If these large armies are completely wiped out, it will be difficult for the grassland bandits to recover in several decades.

This is the true way to pacify the grassland bandits!

"oh?"

Upon hearing Li Qiu's words, Li Xin's eyes lit up.

He hadn't expected Li Qiu to have such insight; it was truly impressive!

"Not bad, not bad!"

Li Xin said with a smile, "Li Qiu, your insight is excellent! Your understanding is profound!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty!"

Li Qiu quickly thanked him.

"It's really good!"

Zhao Bingzhang, standing to the side, said with a smile, "Just as Li Qiu said, the grassland bandits are nomadic and come and go without a trace. Even if we strike at their heart and destroy this royal tent, we will only capture some tents, nothing more."

As for the grassland bandits in places like Shuofang and Liaodong, if they regroup, they will become another force capable of threatening the borders of our great nation!

If we don't eliminate these people, our northern expedition to the grasslands will not be considered a victory!

Therefore, the primary objective should still be to eliminate the enemy's manpower!

I suggest we attack the enemy in Shuofang first, then return to reinforce Liaodong!

"Should we attack Shuofang first?"

Wei Dahai paused for a moment, then asked, "Mr. Zhao, why attack Shuofang first? Doesn't Liaodong have a greater advantage?"

"Liaodong does indeed have a greater advantage!"

Zhao Bingzhang explained, "That's why we didn't go to provide support, and Liaodong was able to hold on. But it's different in Shuofang."

Shuofang was a newly annexed area, and the Shenyi Army had not yet established a firm foothold there. Moreover, its militia and other forces were much weaker and less well-established than those in eastern Hebei.

Therefore, attacking Shuofang first can also be considered as supporting the Shenyi Army!

"Furthermore,"

Zhao Bingzhang continued, "If we can annihilate the enemy forces in Shuofang, we can cut off the retreat route of the bandits on the Liaodong grasslands by heading north from Shuofang. This will also be beneficial for our northward pursuit!"

"oh."

Wei Dahai suddenly realized.

Li Xin frowned as he looked at the situation on the map.

After a moment, Li Xin nodded and said, "Attack Shuofang first, that's fine! After resting, the Divine Blessing Army should immediately lead its troops westward to support Shuofang!"

The Tiger Warriors first escorted the prisoners back.

Then they mustered their troops and awaited orders!

The captured warhorses will first be sent to Liaodong and handed over to the elite cavalry and the cavalry units!

"yes!"