When war comes, people become like ants, and tens of thousands die.
Even in a small battle involving three or four hundred men, blood would stain the grassland red. The once lush green leaves would be covered in a deep crimson, a sight both shocking and strangely alluring under the setting sun.
Fang Heng, carrying a blood-dripping longsword, swept it across the corpses scattered on the ground, his expression somewhat numb, yet tinged with pity.
Someone was sobbing softly. It was the youngest, Jiang Ba, crying for the horse he had raised. "Don't die, please don't die."
Beside them lay the unseeing corpses of the Tartars, and none of the more than four hundred strong men survived.
In this battle, the Dayu Dynasty sacrificed fifty horses, thirty men, and over a hundred others, while annihilating four hundred enemy soldiers, which can be considered a great victory.
But is this really a victory?
The Tartars also had relatives and children, and there were people who wept softly for them and were heartbroken by their departure.
Young Fang Heng was once confused: why was there a war? Why did so many people die, so many families lose their loved ones, and so many people become displaced?
Later he learned that there was no absolute good or evil on either side.
The Tartars invaded Dayu in order to survive.
The Dayu people resisted the Tartars in order to defend their homeland and protect their people.
Different stances lead to different behaviors.
As a human being, Fang Heng has compassion for all life.
As a native of Dayu, he abhorred the Tartars' killing, burning, and looting.
When they are in different camps and born into different races, it becomes inevitable that they will turn their swords against each other.
"Don't cry. It's better to sacrifice a few dozen horses than to lose people," Jiang Wu gently comforted Jiang Ba. "Cheer up, there are still battles to come."
Yes, there are still battles to come.
Fang Heng, his earlier complex emotions gone, mounted his horse with renewed vigor. "Leave fifty men to clean up the mess, the rest of you follow me and charge in."
In this small tribe, all the truly elite Tatars have died out; now all that remains are the old, weak, sick, and disabled, as well as abundant cattle and sheep supplies.
When two hundred Chongqing men charged in with knives, the old, weak, women and children either panicked, screamed in terror, or raised their knives to fight back, but without exception they all fell stiffly to the ground.
Just like when the Tartars stormed into the villages of northern Xinjiang.
Exactly the same.
"How cruel, how cruel!" Jiang Ba's eyes were filled with tears, and he almost couldn't hold the reins with his four fingers.
Jiang Yi scoffed, "Is that cruel? Nomadic men and women are all skilled in riding and archery. Give them a chance, and you'll be the one who dies."
Jiang Ba fell silent.
He thought of the baby who had fallen silent in his swaddling clothes, the girl in the snow, and the trembling grandparents.
Slaughter is certainly cruel, and kind people will always hesitate.
Those who truly escaped death from the Tartars did so without batting an eye. They were filled with resentment, and they killed the most, acted the fastest, and were the most ruthless.
In war, there is no right or wrong.
Those with soft hearts have long since collapsed on the grass.
Fang Heng did not participate in the massacre; he stood guard at the entrance of the tribe with a knife to prevent them from falling into a new encirclement.
About half an hour later, the entire fifth squad returned with a full load.
There is meat, vegetables, dairy cows, and dozens of goats.
"Adding the dead horses outside, this meat, once dried, will be enough to eat for two months," Jiang Yi said, unable to contain his joy.
They returned to the army with their spoils and began cleaning and tidying up, carefully calculating every penny.
They even retrieved the fifty outer garments they had previously discarded, mended them, and continued to wear them.
"Keep the cows to continue producing milk, dry the horse meat and store it, and let's slaughter the mutton and eat it," Jiang Er came over to request, his face full of longing for the mutton.
Only when they seized the spoils of war could they enjoy a few days of feasting on meat.
Fang Heng was reflecting on the key points and oversights of the battle just now, and did not stop him. However, when Jiang Er turned to leave, he hesitated for a moment and said, "That sheep, leave me a few of the lambs."
"Why is the captain keeping the sheep?" Jiang Er asked, puzzled.
He said casually, "My sister likes it."
Although a suitable place to raise sheep could not be found, and there was no way to send the sheep to Fengjing for the time being, the two sentences that Jiang Sheng mentioned casually in the letter were still on Third Brother's mind.
The person who even distributed the cured meat and the cotton-padded jacket secretly used his public power for personal gain, all to make his sister happy.
"You'll be happy, won't you, Xiao Jiang Sheng?"
Fang Heng murmured, his voice carried away by the wind, drifting to Fengjing and into Jiang Sheng's ears.
She was getting ready when she sneezed several times, almost knocking the hairpin off her head.
Who would have thought that the little girl who always wore the simplest bun would one day be adorned with hairpins?
The price was that her scalp was almost torn off.
"Auntie, why don't you just leave the hairpins out and don't braid any complicated hairstyles? A simple bun would be fine." Jiang Sheng sniffled and begged for mercy. "I haven't even returned to the Jiang family yet, and you're already trying to dress me up like a lantern."
From head to toe, she was dressed in new clothes, adorned with silver hairpins, and even had necklaces and bracelets placed on her head, as if they were afraid she wouldn't be rich enough.
"Jiang Sheng, be good, it's time to dress up." Zhang Xianglian coaxed softly, but her hands were merciless as she styled her black hair into beautiful flowers.
The three older brothers watched from the sidelines, still shaken, but powerless to help.
There was also a touch of sadness.
After the imperial examination cheating scandal came to an end, the Jiang family did not immediately take Jiang Sheng away, but they subtly hinted that "the sick and weak eldest daughter who was away from home would be brought back."
Of course, this is just a cover-up. Anyone with eyes can see that the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family has been living away from home and is currently only an adopted daughter.
Aunt Zhang only just realized that the little beggar she had casually helped back then actually had such an amazing background.
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