Zhao Hu and the others remained silent, but the only woman in the army couldn't stand it any longer.
Zhou Nuo said, "Strategist, there are five thousand men here!"
"So what?"
Cheng Xu looked coldly at the Southern Zhou scouts, his gaze as if he were looking at a group of corpses, and then said, "I only regret that they sent too few people."
Zhao Yan said, "Killing prisoners is an ominous sign."
Cheng Xu could ignore Zhou Nuo's opinion, but since the deputy commander-in-chief had spoken, Cheng Xu had to be cautious.
As a strategist, every word and action during a military campaign is related to the tactics and strategy of the entire army.
For Cheng Xu, killing these people was part of the tactics, but he also had to take into account the internal interpersonal relationships.
So Cheng Xu passed the buck to Zhao Cheng and asked, "General, what do you think?"
Seeing that Zhao Cheng was pondering without speaking, Cheng Xu glanced south and said, "We don't have much time left, so please make a decision as soon as possible, General."
Zhao Cheng stopped thinking about it and suddenly burst out laughing.
Everyone was puzzled and looked at Zhao Cheng with surprise.
Zhao Cheng glanced at the Southern Zhou scouts and said, "Killing them is indeed a good way to deter the Southern Zhou army, but I believe they have greater value."
"Use value?" Cheng Xu asked.
"Someone come here!" Zhao Cheng shouted.
"Remove their armor, strip them of their clothes, and carve eight large characters on their backs!"
"Which eight characters... Let this general think..."
Zhao Cheng paced back and forth, and no one understood what he was going to do. Only Cheng Xu's expression gradually turned to surprise.
Zhao Cheng suddenly stopped, raised his index finger and said, "Right now..."
"Those who oppose Zhou Xingjing, Qingzhi shall die!"
"Carve deeper, carve until they bleed, carve until they scream!"
Although they didn't understand what Zhao Cheng meant, Pu Ke and Tu Wei immediately led their men to take action.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, except for Cheng Xu, who clapped his hands.
"General, you are truly a genius!"
Zhou Nuo was somewhat confused and asked, "Strategist, what do you mean by that? What exactly is he trying to do?"
With a smile, Cheng Xu explained while waving his feather fan, "The General has carved these eight words on their backs, which are a disgrace to Southern Zhou and Yang Qingzhi. He will surely release them all back for Yang Qingzhi to deal with."
"For Yang Qingzhi, how to deal with these people is a difficult problem."
"Killing them would make us seem petty. Not killing them would affect the morale of the army."
"The General's methods have both intimidated the Southern Zhou army and disgusted Yang Qingzhi. Brilliant, truly brilliant!"
Zhao Cheng asked, "How tall?"
Cheng Xu raised his feather fan to the sky and said, "As high as a few stories high!"
"You flatter me, strategist."
Zhao Hu curled his lip and said, "When it comes to wicked schemes, I've never seen anyone who can rival my master."
Zhao Cheng urged, "Hurry up! Release them all after you finish carving, and we'll march on Nantong at full speed!"
...
It is about 100 li north of Nantong City.
The vanguard of the Southern Zhou army had already stopped here, while the rearguard was still slowly gathering northward.
Yang Qingzhi, Hui Pao, He Biao, Zuo Zhu and other generals stood at the front, looking at the more than 5,000 people kneeling before them.
These people were all wearing only a white shirt, and they all looked dejected and very frustrated.
Yang Qingzhi and the others walked up behind them and saw that the white clothes on their backs were covered in blood.
Yang Qingzhi reached out and lifted one of the people's clothes, and eight blood-stained characters suddenly came into his view.
Those who oppose Zhou Xingjing will be executed!
These eight large characters struck them like a giant hammer, hammering heavily into their hearts.
"Fuck you..." He Biao cursed instinctively.
He Biao kicked the scout in front of him to the ground and roared, "What are you idiots doing? You've become their prisoners before even engaging in battle! You deserve to die!"
"Men, execute them all!"
"General He, wait a moment!" Zuo Zhu advised, "Precisely because the war hasn't started yet, we must preserve our strength. These five thousand-plus people are all our own brothers."
He Biao said, "The words on their backs are a great disgrace to Southern Zhou and the Junior Commander-in-Chief. How can we boost morale if we don't kill them?!"
Zuo Zhu said, "Just scrape off the words on their backs. Although they are carved deep, it will hurt a lot when you scrape them off. This will be a punishment for them."
He Biao said unhappily, "Zuo Zhu, you're just too soft-hearted!"
"Generals, please stop arguing."
The gray-robed strategist suddenly spoke up: "These eight words are mainly aimed at the young commander. Why don't we listen to the young commander's opinion?"
He Biao advised, "Young Commander, these people cannot be allowed to live!"
Yang Qingzhi did not answer He Biao, but suddenly burst out laughing.
He Biao and Zuo Zhu looked at each other, not understanding why Yang Qingzhi could still laugh after such humiliation.
"This is Zhao Cheng."
"This is the real Zhao Cheng!"
"This is more like Zhao Cheng's style!!"
Yang Qingzhi looked at the gray-robed man and said, "Strategist, did you see that? Zhao Cheng first tricked our scouts into taking the bait, destroying my deployment between Jiangxia Pass and Nantong City, and then sent these scouts to me in this way. He both showed me his power and disgusted me. If I were him, I would also like to see the expression on Yang Qingzhi's face right now."
The man in the grey robe said in a hoarse voice, "I know he's not easy to deal with."
"But he underestimates me, Yang Qingzhi."
Yang Qingzhi raised his arm and shouted, "Listen to me, you all!"
“You have fallen for Zhao Cheng’s trick and become his tools. I, the governor, do not blame you.”
"But you fell into the trap because you were greedy for credit and acted rashly. You must be punished for your mistakes."
"From this day forward, I hereby decree that you shall not wear clothes. You shall walk around in front of me naked every day, so that I may see these eight characters at all times. Only after we have won this battle may you wear clothes!"
He Biao was stunned, while Zuo Zhu looked at Yang Qingzhi with admiration.
His face and body were hidden under the cloak, so his expression could not be seen.
"What do you mean by this, young commander?" He Biao asked.
Yang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Zhao Cheng wants to provoke me with these eight words and embarrass me. How could I fall for his trick? He is wrong. These eight words will not only not provoke me, but will also be an encouragement to me."
"When we defeat them, and I hold my sword to Zhao Cheng's neck, I will return these eight words to him!"
"Those who oppose Zhou Xingjing, will Qingzhi face death?"
"joke!"
"Dongjing has already suffered two consecutive defeats. What good is it if you, Zhao Cheng, come? With the strategist here, it's not me who will die, it's you!"
He Biao understood, and immediately looked at Yang Qingzhi with admiration, praising loudly, "Young Commander, your magnanimity and vision are beyond my reach!"
Yang Qingzhi placed his hand on He Biao's shoulder and said solemnly, "General He, these eight words are not only directed at me, but also at you and all the soldiers of Southern Zhou. Not only should I keep these eight words in my heart at all times, but you should also keep them in your heart."
"You all need to keep this in mind!"
Yang Qingzhi suddenly pointed at the soldiers and said solemnly, "Each of you must remember the humiliation of today, unleash your greatest killing intent, and annihilate the enemy without leaving a single survivor!!!"
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