Chapter 221 Returning the Hostages
The next morning, Lin Changning got up early, changed into the soft armor given to him by his second sister-in-law, and then put on the armor issued by the Prince's Mansion before riding Moyun and waiting at the gate of the military camp.
He led a thousand soldiers today, escorting 3,000 prisoners, and was to rush to Yongzhou City. If they did not stop tonight, they could probably reach a place 300 li outside Yongzhou City by early tomorrow morning.
This is also the place where they agreed to exchange hostages with the Third Prince, and today she is the only one going to Yongzhou City.
Commander He and Qin Zhong have been busy gathering troops from all over the country, while Lao Han is in charge of the city's defenses. Everyone is extremely busy.
Therefore, the task of escorting prisoners to exchange hostages could only be entrusted to her, so Lin Changning got up early this morning to organize the troops.
Behind them followed a long line of prisoners being escorted out of the military camp. The Achilles tendons of these prisoners had been severed, but Lin Changning and his men did not care.
Some people's wounds became inflamed and suppurated, making it difficult for them to walk steadily; they could only move forward little by little.
The group of people, who were bound, moved forward with unsteady steps, at a snail's pace.
When Lin Changning and his men went there, they brought a lot of carts, and a group of Tartars sat on the carts. The main reason was that if people walked too slowly, it would slow down the march. Moreover, many of the civilians they brought back this time were probably injured.
Therefore, Lin Changning brought a lot of carts with him so that when they brought people back, the injured and weak people would be able to be brought back to Datong more easily.
As for the Tartars, those who couldn't walk were put on carts, while the rest were strung together with ropes and herded away one by one.
Even if your Achilles tendon is severed, you won't die.
Lin Changning sat on Mo Yun's lap, with Wan Jin and Lu Shan beside him.
Wan Jin and Lu Shan are still somewhat at odds, but on the surface they're all on good terms. Lin Changning recently heard that the two of them have fought several times already.
Both of them have experienced both wins and losses.
Lin Changning has always encouraged healthy competition.
As evening fell, Lin Changning and his men continued to ride swiftly along the road, with more and more Tartars falling behind them and more and more people crowding onto the carts.
Lin Changning frowned, somewhat dissatisfied with the marching speed. At this pace, it would be difficult to reach Yongzhou City before tomorrow morning.
"Speed up the march, or we won't reach Yongzhou City before tomorrow morning."
Wan Jin and Lu Shan each accepted their orders and personally drove the Tartars forward from the back of the column.
Under the whip, Lin Changning finally led a group of prisoners to a place 300 li in front of Yongzhou City before morning.
The third prince did not come this time; instead, an unfamiliar Tartar general arrived, accompanied by about a thousand cavalrymen and a large throng of civilians.
Lin Changning stopped five kilometers away from the other side, glanced at Wan Jin, and then shouted to the other side: "More than 3,000 prisoners are here."
One of the Tartars opposite stepped forward and answered loudly in Chinese: "More than 3,000 slaves are here as well."
Wan Jin led his men out of the group: "How do we plan to exchange them?"
The people on the other side also stepped forward with their men: "Five hundred for each."
Wan Jin turned to Lin Changning for instructions: "Replace 500 people per thousand households."
Lin Changning nodded silently and waved his hand: "Release 500 people first."
Upon hearing this, the people behind dragged out 500 people and pushed them towards the open space in the middle.
The Tartars also selected 500 civilians and pushed them towards the center.
Under the escort of soldiers, the exchange of people between the two sides was very quick. After pulling the civilians to their side, Lin Changning waved his hand again and sent out 500 people.
After several rounds of back and forth, the replacements were finally completed.
The Tartar general opposite looked at Lin Changning with considerable vigilance. After confirming that all the prisoners had been brought back, he quickly began to reorganize the troops. Once the reorganization was complete, he rode his horse and led his cavalry to retreat swiftly into the city.
Lin Changning glanced at the majority of the elderly, weak, sick, disabled, women, and children that the Tartars had scrambled to include, and sighed helplessly in his heart. The Tartars were indeed cunning.
The people who were exchanged for them this time were more than half of the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, women and children, with young people making up only a very small portion.
Presumably, a considerable number of slaves are still trapped in their city. If the plan can be successfully implemented, the third prince will probably take the remaining slaves back with him when he retreats.
Although the military camp was able to win without bloodshed, the slaves who were taken away are likely in grave danger.
The leader on the other side, who was leading the prisoners back, looked at all the Tatar soldiers whose Achilles tendons had been severed and angrily threw his scimitar to the ground.
He cursed the Han people for being treacherous, saying that they had agreed to exchange slaves for prisoners, but instead they had severed the Achilles tendons of all the good Tatar men.
Although the Achilles tendon was severed, daily life was not greatly affected, but one would not be able to walk, run, or jump quickly in the future. As a nomadic people, even riding a horse might become a luxury.
The third prince in the city rubbed his aching temples: "Alright, Kashgar, at least we've brought the people back. It's better to have so many people than to sacrifice them to the Han people."
The general called Kashgar snorted: "If I had known the Han people would do this, I should have severed all the tendons in the hands and feet of those damned slaves."
The third prince didn't speak, but he agreed in his heart.
A short while later, sounds came from outside the tent.
"Third Prince, Chief Jian, who has returned this time, has brought several people with him to request an audience."
The third prince nodded: "Let them in."
The one with a bloody mark on his face from being slapped by Lao Han was Chief Ji'an. As soon as he returned to the camp, he quickly sent people to find the Third Prince. On the way, they happened to run into the group of people who had overheard the children talking.
After exchanging their testimonies and exchanging information, the group hurriedly requested an audience with the Third Prince.
After being helped into the tent, the leader of Ji'an prostrated himself and gave a deep bow to the third prince.
“Your Highness, Third Prince, Jian has something to report.”
The third prince propped his head up, took a sip of mare's milk wine, and then waved to the people beside him to help Jian up.
"What is it? Speak."
After being helped up and seated, Ji'an bowed to the Third Prince and said, "When we were captured, we happened to overhear some news. One of them, a commander of a thousand, received information that the imperial army was about to besiege the city and take back the three cities."
The third prince's wine glass fell to the ground with a clatter.
"How could that be? Aren't the imperial army currently tied down by Prince Sheng and his forces?"
Chief Ji'an looked at the others: "They did hear that general say it, and they also heard some children talking about it."
The others hurriedly echoed the leader of Ji'an.
The third prince pondered for a moment and then asked, "Could it be false information spread by the Han people? They are the most cunning of all."
Gian hesitated for a moment: "I heard it from the generals in the army, but they heard it from the children who were captured and forced to do hard labor. The generals might be setting a trap, but the children shouldn't be lying. I feel that this matter should be true."
The Third Prince suddenly stood up, pondered for a moment, and then said coldly, "Kashgar, send someone to scout out the current battle situation on Prince Sheng's side!!! Go immediately."
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