Chapter 205 Taking Datong
The battle was over just as dawn was breaking.
Wan Jin and Lu Shan led their men to clean up the battlefield and gather the surrendered Tartars.
Last night's victory against overwhelming odds was largely due to clever tactics.
It works well this time, but it might not work next time.
Last night, a surprise attack occurred, first defeating the Tartars' morale in the name of the Eternal Heaven, while Qi Rong and Qin Zhong lay in ambush outside.
They waited for the people on the hot air balloon to suddenly attack the city gate tower, kill the Tatars who hadn't reacted in time, and then quickly open the city gate.
This victory was largely due to luck, as they happened to encounter suitable weather and the wind was blowing towards the city gate tower.
Otherwise, the victory yesterday wouldn't have been so easy.
Lin Changning and Qi Rong were in high spirits when they entered the Tartar camp.
Although luck played a big part last night, they still won, so after sending the news back to Baoding, the possibility of them regaining command is still very high.
Qin Zhong led his men to clean up the battlefield and entered the room, his expression not good.
Qi Rong looked up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Qin Zhong sighed: "The Tartars massacred the city; the west side of the city is littered with the corpses of civilians..."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the group instantly turned serious, and Lin Changning couldn't help but feel even more resentful towards the imperial court and Prince Sheng.
These are all subjects of the Great Xuan Dynasty, and they are being used as bargaining chips by those above them. No one cares about their lives or deaths.
Just like how I abandoned them without hesitation back then.
Lin Changning's gaze was deep, and an indescribable emotion surged within his dark pupils.
At this moment, Lao Han suddenly asked, "Commander, what about the prisoners we captured this time?"
Old Han's implication was that all the captured Tartars should be killed to appease the spirits of the people of Datong.
Qin Zhong was somewhat undecided. After all, they only had a few thousand men. If they killed all the Tartars, it would provoke their anger, and the people from other cities would attack Datong together. They were afraid they would not come out on top.
Qin Zhong looked at Qi Rong and hesitated: "Your Highness?"
Qi Rong clenched his fist: "Keep it."
Lin Changning glanced at Qi Rong and then lowered his eyelids to offer his suggestion: "Why don't we find a few Tartars to ask about the situation in other cities? If there are still civilians alive in other cities, we can use these prisoners to exchange for the people of our Great Xuan."
Qin Zhong sighed: "What Commander Lin said is true, but we have a total of three thousand prisoners. The Tartars are ferocious. If we release them back, it would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains."
Lin Changning glanced at Qin Zhong and said in a light tone, "They only said they would return the people, but they didn't say they would return the unharmed people. Why don't we just sever the Achilles tendons of these people?"
Qin Zhong: ...
Where did this living Yama come from?
Despite his inner complaints, Qin Zhong secretly agreed with this approach.
Qi Rong nodded: "Then leave this matter to Chang Ning. Go, find out the truth, then go and change the person. While you're at it, check if there are any living people left in Datong City."
Lin Changning clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, then turned and left the tent.
A short while later, Old Han caught up from behind and patted Lin Changning on the back: "Let's go, together, Brother Lin."
Lin Changning nodded, and the two of them led a group of men toward the place where the Tartars were massacring civilians.
As the weather gets hotter, corpses exposed to the sun for extended periods may lead to an epidemic.
Today we must dispose of these people's bodies as soon as possible. Old Han naturally understands how terrible the plague is. When he arrived at the mountain of corpses with Lin Changning, he couldn't help but sigh.
The overwhelming stench and the swarms of flies covering the mountain of corpses were clear signs of the horrific events that had occurred in Datong City some time ago.
Lin Changning covered his mouth and nose, ordered a fire to be lit on the spot, and instructed the soldiers to wear gloves. He also brought wine and kerosene and poured them onto the mountain of corpses.
Before long, a raging fire broke out in the city. The firelight reflected in Lin Changning's pupils, and he lowered his eyes after a long while.
"One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand." These people, who were still alive and well just a few months ago, have turned into skeletons in a short period of time.
Suddenly, several Tartars sprang out from the mountain of corpses, their bodies ablaze. They rolled around on the ground twice to extinguish the flames.
As the Xuan soldiers, who were methodically burning corpses around them, slowly approached, their hands were already touching the curved swords at their waists.
Lin Changning raised her hand and was about to order her men to take care of a few people when a figure like a cannonball suddenly crashed into her from behind.
A small figure, clutching a short dagger, suddenly leaped out from the bamboo baskets piled up beside the mountain of corpses. With the dagger in hand, it charged at several Tartar soldiers like a madman.
Lin Changning instinctively grabbed the child's collar to stop him, but the child turned and bit Lin Changning's wrist.
A pair of black pupils burned with the flames of hatred as he glared at Lin Changning and the people around him.
Lin Changning frowned: "You want to kill them?"
After the child stopped speaking and let go of his mouth, he struggled frantically in Lin Changning's hands, his blood-stained face filled with defiance and ferocity.
Lin Changning sighed: "You're too weak. Going up there is just suicide. You want to kill them? I'll help you."
After saying that, Lin Changning picked up the child with one hand and slowly approached the Tartars who had been pretending to be dead in the pile of corpses with the other hand, holding a long sword.
The Tartars looked at each other, as if facing a formidable enemy. Perhaps it was the overwhelming presence of Lin Changning, but the three of them charged forward together, wielding their scimitars.
Lin Changning looked at the first person who rushed forward, flicked his long sword to knock away the person's curved sword, and then took the person's life with a diagonal slash. The child was tightly clutching Lin Changning's clothes in his arms.
The child looked fierce, but was actually extremely nervous at that moment.
Lin Changning sighed, thrust his longsword into the Tartar's chest with a backhand motion, twirled the blade, dodged the Tartar's curved sword with a backhand motion, and swiftly slashed at the Tartar's heel, severing the man's Achilles tendon in one stroke.
Seeing the Tartar lying on the ground, Lin Changning kicked the Tartar's scimitar far away, put the child down, and then put away his own sword.
"Go ahead, if you want revenge, do it yourself."
The child stood there stunned for three seconds, then pounced on the Tartar lying on the ground like a madman, stabbing the Tartar deeply into his back with his dagger.
The Tartar was, after all, an adult. Although unarmed, he was still much stronger than a child.
After being stabbed twice in the back, she quickly rolled over and shoved the child away violently with her hands.
The child stumbled and fell behind him after being pushed, but he still gripped the dagger tightly in his hand.
They pounced on the child again, this time the Tartar fiercely grabbing the child's hand and trying to snatch the dagger from him.
The child bit the Tartar's hand viciously, and the Tartar screamed, but dared not let go.
In pain, the Tartar suddenly flung the child away, but the child was biting too tightly, and the flung pulled off a piece of flesh from the Tartar's hand.
The child spat out the meat from his mouth and, taking advantage of the Tartar's groaning as he clutched his hand, rammed into him again.
This time, the sound of the dagger piercing the body was exceptionally clear. Blood and bubbles gushed from the Tartar's mouth, accompanied by hissing sounds, and he died shortly afterward.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
