Chapter 283 Gang Fight
Wu Lanzhi immediately opened a sack, took out a handful of white rice, and spread out her palm to show everyone.
"Look, the food is here. You can get it if you come to work."
"Ah! There really is food!"
“It’s still white rice!”
"There are so many, probably several thousand kilograms!"
"Look, there are still a lot of copper coins over there!"
Gao Dani was smart. When Wu Lanzhi opened the bag, she quickly took out several baskets of copper coins that were covered with something nearby.
"Look, the money and food are all here. Don't you believe it?"
"I believe it, I believe it, I'll come too!"
"And me!"
Now, all those who had just been watching believed it without a doubt and rushed to sign up, fearing that they would not get a turn when there were not enough people.
It’s no wonder they are anxious, the conditions are just too tempting.
"You all go over there and sign up."
A group of people immediately rushed to the registration area where the prefect was in charge. Several yamen runners and the prefect were immediately surrounded by the black crowd.
"That's good. We don't have to worry about not having enough people to carry the bodies."
Wu Lanzhi breathed a sigh of relief. It was already late at night when the army attacked the city. The soldiers only had time to clean up the battlefield and gather the corpses at the northwest corner of the city gate, piling them into a small hill. They would wait until daytime to move the corpses outside the city and burn them.
Of the 20,000 defenders in Qinzhou City, only less than 2,000 escaped, and the remaining more than 10,000 people became more than 10,000 corpses. They had to be moved out of the city, burned, and buried. This was a huge project.
Bai Li was reluctant to let the exhausted soldiers work hard, so he decided to pay money and food to hire the common people to work, and let them get some compensation through their labor.
Before Bai Li went on the expedition, Emperor Zhou Yu of the Great Zhou gave Bai Li full authority to manage the captured cities. Of course, he would fully support the subsequent city construction, defense and other work with money and food.
With money and food, what can't be done?
So Bai Li deserves to have a good time, attacking the city, taking over, and building, all easy tasks.
She planned to use Qinzhou City as the first base to conquer Simon. With this point as the center, she would gradually expand outward and then slowly subdue Simon.
Everything in Qinzhou City was under Bai Li's control. After she redeployed and strengthened the defense, she waited for Simon's army to counterattack.
Three days later, Simon court.
The news that Qinzhou of Simon Kingdom was captured by Bai Li was like a bombshell, instantly causing an uproar in the court of Simon Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, please send troops immediately to retake Qinzhou."
"Your Majesty, rashly sending troops is not a good idea. You must think twice before acting."
When King Asam of Simon heard the dispute among his courtiers, he was overwhelmed and looked at the Regent Abuda helplessly.
Abuda slowly stepped out of the line, clasped his fists, and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest abandoning Qinzhou and sending more troops to defend other cities."
“No!”
Prince Jin stood out with a sinister look on his face, staring darkly at the Regent Abuda.
"Uncle, Qinzhou is a border fortress between Simon and the Great Zhou. Qinzhou is of vital importance to Simon.
I suggest that we take advantage of the moment when the Great Zhou army enters the city and starts a conflict with the common people to quickly dispatch troops to recapture it."
The two men each had his own gang. As soon as they expressed their opinions, the two factions immediately started a verbal battle, each holding their own views, making the solemn and dignified court as noisy as a vegetable market.
Asam covered his head with his hands. He wanted to pee, but he still had to maintain his dignity as the king of a country. It was really difficult.
He sat upright on the dragon throne, his face as pale as paper, his hands trembling unconsciously, completely at a loss, his eyes full of fear and helplessness.
The entire court was in chaos, ministers were whispering and talking to each other, and panic was spreading in the air.
Regent Abuda's face was as gloomy as water, and he watched coldly as Prince Jin's men jumped up and down.
After he had seen enough, he slowly stepped forward, folded his arms across his chest, glanced at the panicked officials, and said loudly, "Everyone, be quiet! Qinzhou has been lost, and the enemy's morale is high. If our army rashly attempts to retake Qinzhou at this time, it would be like an egg hitting a rock.
In my opinion, it would be better to abandon Qinzhou and concentrate our forces to defend other important cities, strengthen our defenses, and wait for the right time to make plans."
As soon as Abuda finished speaking, King Jin couldn't help but sneered.
The King of Jin was dressed in military uniform, looking heroic, with a fierce determination to refuse to admit defeat in his eyes.
He glared at Abuda, not even calling him uncle, and loudly retorted, "Your Majesty, this is wrong! Qinzhou is an important city in western my country, and its strategic position is extremely important. How can we give it up so easily?
Although our army has suffered a temporary setback, if we retreat at this point, won’t the Great Zhou look down on us? Then where will the military prestige of our Simon Kingdom be?
This king believes that we must immediately gather our forces and recapture Qinzhou in order to revive the morale of our Simon Nation!"
Abuda sneered, looked at Prince Jin, and said disdainfully: "Your Highness Prince Jin, fighting a war is not about impulse.
You only see the importance of Qinzhou, but not the current situation. Bai Li's 30,000-strong army has just captured Qinzhou, and they must be on high alert. What are our chances of success after a long-distance attack?
Not only will we fail to recapture Qinzhou, but we will also lose even more troops, putting our country in an even more dangerous situation."
Prince Jin was so angry that his face turned red. He stepped forward, pointed at Abuda's nose and said, "Prince Regent, you are trying to boost others' morale and destroy your own prestige!
My country of Simon has so many brave warriors, how could we be afraid of Bai Li's mere 30,000 troops?
As long as we plan carefully and work together, we will be able to take back Qinzhou.
If we choose to retreat at this moment, it will only make the enemy more arrogant, and our border will never be at peace again!"
Seeing their masters arguing, the ministers in the court temporarily stopped arguing.
Crab against crab, general against general, they will go up when it is their turn.
When Prince Jin finished speaking, the Regent did not respond. He silently stepped back and let his men take over.
As soon as his men spoke, King Jin's men, unwilling to be outdone, immediately charged forward.
The two factions each held their own views, and a new round of debate began.
The two sides could not reach an agreement, so they turned to His Majesty and asked him to make the decision.
At this time, Asam, the puppet king who had been silent and wanted to be a coward but failed, finally spoke.
His voice still trembled as he said, "Uncles, please stop arguing... I really don't know what to do..."
The ministers looked at their Majesty with an expression of expectation but also disappointment, and could hardly maintain even the appearance of respect.
It is said that their king is a real coward. A three-year-old boy is more responsible than him.
Abuda and King Jin stopped arguing and looked at Asam.
Abuda bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the situation is critical now. I ask Your Majesty to prioritize the overall interests and adopt my suggestion to abandon Qinzhou and strengthen the defenses of other cities."
The King of Jin also knelt down hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible! If we abandon Qinzhou, the people of our Simon Kingdom will be in chaos, and it will be extremely difficult to recover the lost territory in the future.
Please, Your Majesty, give me an army. I will definitely be able to recapture Qinzhou and relieve Your Majesty's worries!"
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