"Kill! Leave no one alive!"
Outside Longmen City, a major town in the Southern Yue region, the shouts of the Qin army shook the heavens and the earth.
This was the first target after the fall of Panyu. The wicked man wanted to use this as an example to intimidate the entire Baiyue region.
"Surround them!" he roared from his horse. "Anyone who dares to resist, kill them without mercy!"
The defenders of Longmen City tried to put up a stubborn resistance, but they quickly collapsed under the fierce attack of the Qin army.
Squads of Qin soldiers poured into the city and began a bloody massacre.
"Grand Commandant!" Zhang Erhe arrived at full speed. "A large number of able-bodied young men have been discovered in the city, and they all look like promising talents!"
"Excellent!" A glint of light flashed in the wicked man's eyes. "Gather them all together, select the strongest, and send them back to Xianyang. It'll be a good opportunity for them to experience the taste of hard labor!"
The order was quickly relayed, and the Qin army began searching house to house. All men aged sixteen to thirty were dragged to the city square.
"Line up!" the officers shouted, waving their whips. "All of you, behave yourselves!"
In the square, thousands of Baiyue men were forced to stand in several rows.
They were ragged, their faces filled with terror, some were injured, and others were trembling with fear.
The wicked man personally stepped forward to inspect them. These were all excellent laborers, perfect for use in Qin's engineering projects.
"You! You! And you!" he shouted as he walked, pointing. "Tie them all up! These are all skilled workers; send them back to be road construction workers!"
"Grand Commandant," an officer said, pointing to another group of people, "these people look somewhat literate; they seem to be scholars..."
"Send them to work in the miners!" the wicked man sneered. "Let them taste what it's like to wish they were dead!"
In this way, batches of Baiyue youths were categorized. Some were selected to build roads, some were sent to mines, and many more were assigned to hard labor camps.
The elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled became the targets for the Qin army to establish its authority.
"Kill!" A flash of light, and screams of agony rose and fell.
Blood quickly stained the square, and corpses lay strewn everywhere.
"Pass down the order!" The wicked man, gazing at the bloody scene, ordered, "Hang all the corpses on the city walls and don't move them for three days! Let them see what happens to those who resist!"
The tragedy at Longmen City was just the beginning.
The Qin army split into several routes and began to advance into the entire territory of Baiyue.
Wherever they went, rivers of blood flowed.
In Nanhai County, a fishing village has just been captured.
"Your Honor, spare our lives!" the villagers begged on their knees. "We are just ordinary people, we have no connection with the imperial court!"
"Ha!" a Qin army officer sneered. "Civilians? Even better! We're short-handed! Men, pick out all the able-bodied men!"
Immediately, countless soldiers rushed into the village and began searching house to house. Every man who looked strong was dragged out.
Anyone who tried to resist was immediately cut down.
Blood stained the village road, and cries echoed through the sky.
"By order of the Grand Commandant!" the officer announced loudly, "All able-bodied men must perform forced labor! Anyone who dares to resist will have their entire family executed!"
And so, village after village fell, and batches of Baiyue men were abducted.
In Xiangjun, a Qin army is searching for fleeing nobles.
"Report!" a scout reported, "We've spotted a group of people hiding in the mountains, seemingly trying to escape south with their families!"
"Ha, trying to run?" the wicked man sneered. "Surround the valley, don't let a single one escape! Kill the men, take the able-bodied ones, and the women..."
A cruel glint flashed in his eyes: "Send them to the soldiers as a reward!"
Screams soon echoed through the valley.
Those who tried to escape were surrounded by the Qin army, and then a bloody massacre ensued.
Men were hacked to death, able-bodied men were tied up, and women were dragged away by soldiers.
Blood stained the mountain streams, and cries echoed through the valley.
"Count the number of people!" the wicked husband asked after everything was finished.
"Reporting to the Grand Commandant, this operation resulted in the capture of over three hundred able-bodied men, the killing of over two hundred enemy soldiers, and the seizure of over one hundred women..."
"Very good!" The wicked man nodded in satisfaction. "Send the able-bodied men away in batches. Remember, keep a close watch on them along the way. Anyone who dares to escape, execute them on the spot!"
Groups of young, strong men, bound and lashed, staggered forward as they were whipped.
What awaits them is endless forced labor.
And so, the entire Baiyue region was shrouded in terror.
Wherever the Qin army went, if there was resistance, rivers of blood would immediately flow.
The wicked man's orders were simple: kill all the rebels and seize the able-bodied men!
Gradually, the resistance of the Baiyue people weakened.
Because anyone who dared to resist was either killed or forced into hard labor.
The remaining people, out of fear, dared not harbor any further disloyal thoughts.
"Grand Commandant," Zhang Erhe reported, holding a register, "to date, over 30,000 able-bodied men have been captured and are being transported north in batches."
"Only thirty thousand?" the wicked man sneered. "Looks like you haven't searched thoroughly enough! Go, keep searching! Even if you have to turn every corner upside down, find all these laborers!"
He knew all too well the value of these people.
The Qin Dynasty is currently undertaking various construction projects, and what it lacks most is labor.
These able-bodied men from the Baiyue region were just right to fill this gap.
"Furthermore," he added, "thoroughly search the mountains, forests, and waterways. These places are the easiest places for people to hide; we might even find quite a few who have slipped through the net!"
The order was passed down again, and the Qin army began a thorough search, leaving no stone unturned, even in the most remote mountain gullies.
Anyone found hiding there will be executed on the spot.
Those who were young and strong were taken away to serve in the army.
Panic gripped the entire Baiyue region.
Countless people were displaced, and many more became slaves, sent to the far north.
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