Chapter 258 Returning the Hostages
He waved outside, and Xu Yinxi looked in the direction of his gaze and saw Miao and Xu Meixiao.
The mother and daughter were wearing unique Miao costumes, standing one in front and one behind. Miao looked very energetic, and Xiaomei had grown taller and darker, and it seemed that she was living well with the natives.
Xu Yinxi asked in surprise, "What do the elders mean by this?"
Elder Dong Miao said, "I have sent the city lord's family back to you. This has already demonstrated our sincerity. From now on, we will willingly submit to the city lord—"
Jiang Yongkang asked happily, "Elder, are you going to send back our hostages from Jinzhou Prefecture?"
Elder Dong Miao smiled faintly, then bowed to the Miao family in thanks. "Minister Miao, thank you for your hard work these days! For the development of our native people, you have taught the children in the village, negotiated cooperation with those Han tea merchants, and even led us to plant sweet potatoes in the fields. We remember all your kindness. We have erected a goddess monument in your honor south of the Wujiang River. If you have time in the future, please remember to come back and see it."
Miao was actually very reluctant to leave, her eyes suddenly reddened, "Elder..."
Elder Dong Miao smiled and said, "Go back early. The city lord must be waiting for your family to reunite."
Xu Yinxi took this opportunity to quickly say, "Wait a moment, Elder. I will immediately write to the city lord, asking her to release the hostages sent by the chieftain."
Elder Dongmiao, however, didn't care. "No need. They've already sent a letter saying they're doing well in Jinzhou Prefecture. Let the children follow the City Lord. They'll actually learn more."
After Elder Dong Miao left, Xu Yinxi sighed, "This is a true friendship of life and death. It seems that the city lord's soft power invasion is really effective. Now they are completely on the same page with us."
Jiang Yongkang and others felt the same way.
For half a year, it seemed that Qianzhou was digging out its own bones and blood to feed the natives, but isn't this a kind of domestication?
Cultural identity.
Only then did Jiang Yongkang remember what Xu Zhenying said.
If we follow this method of universal unity and multi-ethnic integration, can we also solve the problem of the Tartars in the north?
Has the city lord ever thought about truly unifying the world and accomplishing a feat that has never been accomplished in history?
As expected, it’s Xu Zhenying!
He had a share in the achievements of founding the country. Would his name always be with her in history books?
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Apart from Ming Xiaoshuang, things were not going very smoothly for Liu Dazhuang either.
He was unlucky because the county town he went to was a famous wealthy place in Xingyuan Prefecture. In addition, the county magistrate surnamed He had been running Dejiang County for several years and was quite famous among the people.
Furthermore, this person had been alert for a long time. When their army arrived, they saw that the gates of Dejiang County were closed and heavily guarded, with hundreds of archers standing on the city walls. The city walls were also reinforced. It was obvious that County Magistrate He had been prepared for the rebels from Jinzhou Prefecture.
"This is a tough nut to crack." Liu Dazhuang gathered the soldiers for a meeting on the lawn, his face serious. "Everyone, be prepared. This may be a protracted battle."
The soldiers were not discouraged. "We're lucky. We happened to be facing the most difficult battle. But the more difficult the battle, the more it tests the results of our usual training!"
Da Zhuang smiled slightly.
He often felt that it was the right decision to follow Xu Zhenying.
Look at the soldiers under his command. Each of them is capable of both civil and military affairs, and they work together in unity. Both their combat and psychological qualities are completely different from those of the soldiers of the Zhou Dynasty.
Even though they had been besieged here for two days and two nights, there was no impatience or laziness on the faces of the soldiers. Instead, they were calmly discussing the plan for attacking the city.
"This county magistrate is quite capable. He knows their defenses are weak, so no matter how much we yell at them, they just cower like a turtle. In fact, as long as they hold their ground, we won't be able to fight this battle."
"That's right. We're marching a long distance, and our rations are limited, so we can't afford a prolonged battle. As long as they duck their heads, we won't be able to do anything to them. But we can't keep wasting time like this either. They must have already prepared for a protracted war, and we'll be in a very passive position."
"The scouts reported earlier that they have only a thousand men defending the city. If we include the men in the city, we estimate there are only about four thousand. If we fight head-on, there's still a chance of survival."
"As the Art of War says: If your force is ten, surround it; if it is five, attack it; if it is twice as strong, divide it; if you are the enemy, you can fight; if you are outnumbered, you can flee; if you are inferior, you can avoid it. We are short of manpower. If we force the attack, the probability of casualties is too high. Calculating the cost will show that a forced attack is more expensive."
Liu Dazhuang felt a little guilty when he heard this.
Although he served as the chief instructor for a period of time, he was only responsible for the training part. In terms of academic performance, he was probably only average.
Therefore, when he was in the army, he paid special attention to listening to the opinions of his subordinates.
He had to listen. These guys were so smart that they could recite all the tactics and strategies by heart, and they even had more practical experience than him.
It is also because of this that Liu Dazhuang often feels that he is "unworthy of his position".
He always knew his own worth.
Xu Zhenying used him in the past because she had no one else to use during her exile. As the tallest among the short ones, he could be entrusted with important tasks.
But what about now?
Now the talented people under Xu Zhenying are like leeks, which can never be harvested all, and they have to be harvested one batch after another.
If Xu Zhenying didn't have anyone under his command who he could trust wholeheartedly, he would sometimes really want to quit and go into business or management.
Therefore, Liu Dazhuang made up his mind that in this war, he must dig out more trustworthy and capable talents for training.
This part of the military affairs in the future will not belong to Liu Dazhuang, but to these guys!
So he didn't say anything and just listened quietly to them talking about military affairs.
"How about leading them out of the city?"
"Don't you see? County Magistrate He's strategy is to hold out. As long as they don't leave the city, it will be a victory for them."
"A strong attack won't work, luring it out won't work either, so the only option is..."
Everyone looked over.
The boy, however, grabbed his head and laughed: "Then only Dean Luo's new weapon can take down this city!"
The others glared at him. "You know, kid, that weapon isn't finished yet. The city lord said it can't be used on the battlefield yet."
"Why not? We often hear explosions on the mountain behind us. It's incredibly loud! Just think about it, if a mountain can be blown down, a city is certainly no problem!"
When the legendary mysterious weapon was mentioned, everyone subconsciously looked at the senior staff member Liu Dazhuang.
Liu Dazhuang coughed softly, "I know but I can't tell you because of the confidentiality clause."
The soldiers could only swallow their curiosity.
"I observed them carefully yesterday and found that although they don't have many guards, they do have a lot of archers. I think... why don't we find a way to use up all their arrows first? That way, our casualties can be minimized during the next siege!"
"Ren Chuang, tell me what you think."
The young man smiled slightly and then waved to Liu Dazhuang.
On the city walls of Dejiang County, hundreds of archers took shifts day and night, keeping vigilant and guarding against attacks from bandits outside.
Dejiang County is a wealthy county, and we must not let the rebels from Jinzhou Prefecture occupy it!
At night, everything is quiet, without a sound at all.
The lanterns on the city wall were still lit, casting dim shadows between heaven and earth.
Suddenly, there was a drumbeat, and the soldiers on the lookout shouted, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
In an instant, everyone woke up.
Suddenly, I saw dense black shadows on the official road leading to the city gate, and they were moving towards the city gate at the fastest speed!
County Magistrate He had been working on the city wall for the past few days. He was a light sleeper to begin with, and when he woke up, he quickly pushed aside the soldiers and rushed to the front, shouting, "They're preparing to attack the city! Archers, get ready!"
The archer drew his bow and shot an arrow towards the moving figure below!
All I could hear was a continuous "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sound, the sky seemed like a dense gray net, the air was vibrating, and the arrows were like shooting stars.
County Magistrate He clenched his fists, his face sullen. "Don't even think about taking Dejiang County! Retreat immediately! We have thousands of guards on our walls. If we attack by force, you won't gain anything!"
The rain of arrows continued. The soldiers of Dejiang County had never experienced a siege before. They were panicked and confused, and only focused on drawing bows and shooting arrows. Some of them were even preparing rolling logs and boulders to prevent them from climbing the city gate.
Suddenly, someone shouted joyfully, "They've retreated! They've retreated!"
County Magistrate He leaned his head out to look, and sure enough, he saw the rebels from Jinzhou Prefecture fleeing in panic!
Everyone on the city wall was overjoyed, "Sir, our method worked!"
Another soldier laughed loudly: "Look at them running away like rats! They looked so aggressive just a few days ago, but now we've beaten them to a pulp!"
"That's right, the rebels in Jinzhou Prefecture all look tall and strong, but they're just showboats!"
"You're planning to attack the city while we're asleep. That's quite a plan!"
County Magistrate He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I'm sure they won't hold the city so easily. Tell the men on night watch to be on high alert! Prevent them from attacking the city again!"
Someone laughed triumphantly, "Sir, we've beaten them so badly they've been running away. I'm afraid they won't come back tonight!"
"If he comes again, we'll just send them a few more arrows!"
"That's right, send them back to their home base in Jinzhou Prefecture!"
There was a sudden burst of laughter and joy on the city wall. The soldiers were all immersed in the joy of their first victory and had no desire to sleep.
Liu Dazhuang and his several hundred companions quickly retreated back to the camp, carrying the scarecrows on their backs. Immediately, their brothers surrounded them, asking in a flurry, "So, did they believe it?"
Ren Chuang, the one who came up with the idea, smiled smugly and pointed at the scarecrow that was pierced by arrows like a hedgehog. "Look at this scarecrow. How many arrows are on it?"
"One, two, three, four, five!" Everyone laughed. "Oh my god, there are five arrows!"
"This scarecrow has so many of them! We've made over a hundred today! If we keep doing that, and we feint a few more times tonight, we'll probably use up all the arrows in Dejiang County!"
"Others borrowed arrows from straw boats, but we borrowed arrows from scarecrows! Didn't the people on the city wall notice anything?"
Ren Chuang laughed and said, "It was pitch dark, and they were afraid of us. As soon as we approached with the scarecrow in our hands, the county magistrate panicked and immediately ordered his arrows to be shot. How could he tell if we were human or ghost?"
"Good boy, you're amazing!" Liu Dazhuang patted Ren Chuang on the shoulder and praised him sincerely, "It's a good thing you could come up with this idea! It seems that you learned a lot of war strategies in the camp!"
Ren Chuang rubbed his head and smiled shyly: "Not bad, we often conduct actual combat exercises with Chang Zi and the others, and this move was also thought up during the battle! I didn't expect it to be used in actual combat."
"Who cares? As long as we can wear down their weapons, that's all! Brothers, cheer up! We're going to steal their weapons tonight. This is only the first round. Let's borrow them for three or four rounds under the cover of darkness and try to wear down all their bows and arrows!"
Ren Chuang reminded him again, "General Zhao is right. To avoid arousing suspicion, we need to scream appropriately when we borrow arrows! At daybreak, they will find no blood or arrowheads under the city gate, and they will know they have fallen into a trap. Therefore, we only have tonight!"
Everyone looked solemn when they heard this.
There is not much time left for them——
The soldiers defending Dejiang County never expected that the rebels in Jinzhou Prefecture would be so brave!
We just repelled a wave half an hour ago, and soon they came back again!
Tonight, no one in Dejiang County can sleep.
From time to time, the sounds of drums and arrows could be heard, as well as screams.
The sound of battle on the city wall could be heard from far away, making people shudder.
"Sir, they're attacking again!" a soldier shouted. "These rebels are crazy! They're like ants, coming back again after we've fought them all! What on earth do they want to do?!"
County Magistrate He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "Quick, quick, put down the stones! We must not let them get close to the city gate!"
The huge rocks rolled and roared down, making a shocking sound.
The soldiers on the city wall breathed a sigh of relief only after hearing the screams coming from below.
"Sir, we are running out of arrows!"
County Magistrate He waved his hand and said, "Everyone, hold on! There are only a thousand rebels. We've killed at least half of them tonight! When daybreak comes, we'll charge out of the city and wipe out the remaining rebels! After we defeat the rebels, I'll immediately submit a letter to the court to request credit for you all!"
This sentence made everyone excited. These were all military achievements!
They repelled the rebels' attack with hundreds of people and protected the entire population of Dejiang County. They should at least be awarded an official uniform or a few dozen taels of silver, right?
There was a fierce battle among the people, some were pulling stones, some were sending bows and arrows, and some were beating drums and thundering, without stopping.
As daybreak approached, the rebels seemed unable to hold on any longer and retreated frantically.
Someone on the city wall shouted, "Sir, they've finally retreated!"
"Good!" County Magistrate He clapped his hands and smiled, looking at the city gate below in the light of dawn.
The rebels were beaten to a pulp and retreated in droves. Seeing this, the soldiers on the city wall began to celebrate in advance.
"My lord, I hope they won't dare to come again this time!"
"I'm afraid quite a few died last night. When it's daybreak, we'll go down and drag all their bodies in. Otherwise, without evidence in this military merit book, who would dare to believe that we repelled so many enemies?"
At this moment, County Magistrate He's eyes tightened as he stared at the people below.
Someone had already stuck their head out and noticed something was wrong. "Hey, why is there no body on the ground?"
"Forget the body, why isn't there even a drop of blood? We should have shot someone last night!"
"Where are our arrows?!"
County Magistrate He's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!"
Liu Dazhuang and Ren Chuang were sitting on the top of the mountain happily cleaning the arrows they had borrowed last night. A scarecrow could be reused, and they got thousands of arrows in one night. Although the quality of these arrows was not as good as those from Jinzhou Prefecture, ants are still meat after all.
"General Liu, we've borrowed a total of 1,678 arrows this time. I estimate this is all the arrows in Dejiang County. And since they used up their rolling logs and boulders last night, I'm afraid there aren't any more weapons left in Dejiang County."
Ren Chuang laughed heartily. "Now Dejiang County is like a hawk without claws. If we attack now, our losses can be minimized."
"No need to storm. The city lord instructed us to minimize casualties before we left. We still have a few days' worth of food, so let's give them some time!"
The soldiers came over, looking curious: "How else do you want to play?"
Just as he finished speaking, he heard someone dragging a hundred or two hundred villagers from the vicinity. "General Liu, the person you asked for is here!"
Everyone didn't know why.
It was Liu Dazhuang who stood up first and bowed to the leader of the one or two hundred villagers. "Thank you very much, everyone. You are Chief Gao, the head of Jiming Village, right?"
The leader was an old man in his sixties with silver hair and a cane. He walked unsteadily with his son's support, but he was still willing to trek dozens of kilometers to come. "General Liu, we are all ordinary people in Jinzhou Prefecture. Since you want to attack Dejiang County, we naturally have to support you. Just tell us what help you need from us."
County Magistrate He on the city wall was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
When he saw that there were only their boulders and rolling logs in front of the city gate, and no bloodstains or corpses of the rebels, he knew he had fallen into a trap!
Damn it!
Despicable traitor!
All the weapons in Dejiang County were used up in just one night! Now all their soldiers had left were their armor and swords.
The control of iron products in the Zhou Dynasty was extremely strict. Dejiang County, as a medium-sized county, was allocated only 20 to 30 long swords, and most of them were very old and had blunt blades. It would be difficult to use them to chop meat, let alone charge into battle and kill the enemy!
But he saw it clearly two days ago. Each of the rebels had a knife in his hand, and his weapons were sharp. Moreover, each of them was tall and strong. They did not look like ordinary rebels at all!
Although County Magistrate He was deep in the heart of Xingyuan Prefecture, he had heard a little about the rebels in Jinzhou Prefecture.
The most famous ones are pencils and Lanxian pigs.
They use pencils sparingly, but Lanxian pigs are very famous.
He had also heard that the rebels in Jinzhou Prefecture were very good at business and had managed Jinzhou Prefecture in perfect order in just one year.
But so what.
After all, they are just a group of bandits!
The imperial court is currently unable to deal with them, but once the war in the north is over, these rebels will never have peace again.
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