News of the fall of the capital quickly spread throughout Goryeo.
Countless people began fleeing to the mountains, hoping to escape the Qin army's search and annihilation. They carried only simple belongings, abandoning their ancestral homes, all for the sake of saving their lives.
"Run! The Qin army is coming!"
On the country lanes, refugees fled in terror. The elderly, women, and children struggled to survive in this exodus. They had heard of the carnage in the capital and knew that if they were captured, they would face certain death.
However, all of this was exactly what the wicked man had anticipated.
"Order all units," he said coldly from the command platform, "Surround all the mountainous areas. Do not let a single Korean escape!"
The order was swiftly relayed. The Qin army began to move in shifts, blocking all roads leading to the mountains. At the same time, scouts penetrated deep into villages, searching for any Goryeo people who might be hiding there.
"kill!"
A Qin army suddenly appeared in a small village. Before the villagers could escape, they were surrounded.
"No! We surrender..."
The villagers knelt and begged for mercy, but were hacked to death by the Qin soldiers. Those who tried to escape were caught and executed on the spot. In no time, the entire village was a bloodbath.
"burn!"
The Qin army set all the houses ablaze. The raging fire engulfed the village, turning everything, including the corpses, to ashes.
Scenes like this played out repeatedly across the country. Wherever the Qin army's iron hooves trod, nothing grew. All the Goryeo people faced a choice—flee to the mountains, or die!
Three days later, in the central plains.
The wicked general summoned his troops for a meeting: "The north and the capital have been pacified, but a large number of Goryeo people are still hiding in the mountains. I, the Grand Commandant, do not want any further complications; we must achieve a swift victory!"
"What brilliant plan does the Grand Commandant have?" the generals asked.
The wicked man sneered, "These people hid in the mountains, thinking they could escape this calamity. Little did they know..."
He drew several circles on the map: "Block these main mountain passes, cut off their food and water supplies. When they can't hold out any longer, they'll naturally come to us!"
The generals suddenly realized. This was indeed a good method, much more efficient than searching the mountains one by one.
"Order all departments to take immediate action!"
The Qin army began to blockade all mountain passes. Every road leading into the mountains was heavily guarded, and no one was allowed to pass. At the same time, scouts began patrolling the foot of the mountains to prevent anyone from sneaking down.
"Reporting, General!" a soldier rushed in, "A group of Koreans has been spotted in the east attempting to descend the mountain..."
"Kill!" the general ordered. "Leave no one alive!"
The Qin army immediately launched a pursuit. Those Goryeo people who tried to descend the mountain were shot to death by a hail of arrows, and their bodies were piled up at the mountain pass as a warning to others.
In this way, the entire mountainous region of Goryeo became a giant cage. People inside couldn't get out, and food from the outside couldn't get in.
Ten days later, the situation began to change.
"Reporting to the Grand Commandant!" a scout reported. "The Goryeo people in the mountains are starting to give up. Some have already died of starvation..."
The wicked man sneered, "Very well! Keep guarding. This Grand Commandant wants to see how long these rats hiding in the mountains can hold out!"
Five days later, the situation in the mountains worsened.
Without food and clean water, many people began to fall ill and die. Even more horrifying, some people, driven by hunger, began to kill each other, eating the flesh of their own kind to survive.
"Grand Commandant!" a Qin general reported, "The Goguryeo people in the mountains have begun their charge down. They say, 'Rather than starve to death, we'd rather fight to the death...'"
"Well done!" A cold glint flashed in the wicked man's eyes. "Order all departments to prepare to close the net!"
With a command given, the Qin army, which had been lying in ambush for a long time, began to move.
The Goryeo people who had come down the mountain due to hunger had just reached the foot of the mountain when they were surrounded by the Qin army lying in ambush. A dense rain of arrows fell, leaving them dead and scattered all over the place.
"kill!"
The Qin army pounced like tigers, slaughtering the weakened Goguryeo people. Amidst the flashing blades, countless men fell in pools of blood. Those who tried to resist were hacked to death, and even those who wished to surrender met their end.
"Keep chasing!" the general shouted sternly. "Don't let a single one escape!"
The Qin army pursued the Goguryeo people into the mountains. Their aim was not only to kill everyone who came down the mountain, but also to find those hiding there!
The wicked man stood at the foot of the mountain, watching all this. He knew that the end of the Goryeo people had come. Before long, not a single Goryeo person would be seen on this land anymore!
One month later, in the central plains.
"Reporting to the Grand Commandant, another group of mountain people has been captured," an officer reported. "This time there are over three thousand people, and they are already being held outside..."
The wicked man sneered, "Kill them. I, the Grand Commandant, have said I would spare not a single Goryeo person!"
With a flash of blade, more than three thousand people perished. Their bodies were piled up and left to bake in the sun, emitting a stench.
Such scenes were playing out repeatedly across the country. The Qin army's search and extermination efforts became increasingly thorough, with almost every corner being searched.
No place where people could possibly hide was overlooked. Cellars were dug up, and bodies were dragged out. Caves were searched, and those inside were burned alive. Even rivers were filled with nets to prevent anyone from swimming away.
Two months later, the wicked man summoned all the generals for a meeting.
"Let's take a count: how many Goryeo people did we kill this time?"
"Reporting to the Grand Commandant," Zhang Erhe said, flipping through the records. "According to incomplete statistics, over 1.8 million Goryeo people have been executed in the past two months. Of these, over 600,000 were found in the capital and nearby towns, over 1 million were recovered from the mountainous areas, and the remaining approximately 200,000 were scattered in various locations."
The wicked man nodded in satisfaction: "Very good! However, this Grand Commandant is still worried that some may have escaped. Order all departments to continue the search and extermination! Make sure that not a single Goryeo person remains on this land!"
Another month passed, and the search and crackdown was finally nearing its end.
The entire territory of Goryeo has become a wasteland. Once prosperous towns have been razed to the ground, and fertile farmland has been turned into scorched earth. Everywhere there are ruins, and the air is filled with the stench of rotting corpses.
"Grand Commandant," Meng Tian reported, "the last group of Goryeo people has been wiped out. There are no more Goryeo people left on this land!"
The wicked man stood on the high platform, gazing into the distance. This land, which once belonged to Goryeo, now completely belonged to "Qin".
"Pass down the order," he said coldly, "Erect mounds of skulls in all major towns. Make them with the heads of Koreans, so that future generations will forever remember the consequences of betraying the Qin Dynasty!"
The order was quickly relayed.
Jingguan (a mound of skulls) began to be erected in various places, with countless Goryeo heads piled up, reflecting a pale light in the sunlight.
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