The Yuancheng general was shot off his horse by an arrow, and the Yuancheng soldiers were clearly panicked when they saw this.
The Yuancheng general had clearly not been killed by the arrow; he was still struggling to get up and flee. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jing Yan fired several more arrows while issuing the order: "Attack!"
In an instant, the Jing soldiers rushed forward to fight. Although the valley was a dangerous place, the Yuancheng soldiers were leaderless and had no time to deal with it. The Jing soldiers pursued them very quickly.
Before leaving, the Yuancheng general thought he could return in glory with the enemy's head as he had done before, so he did not order the city gates to be closed. In the end, the enemy army entered as if there was no one there.
Because Chen Qi's forces were limited, Yuan Cheng relied on its natural defenses and had fewer than 10,000 troops within the city.
Jing Yan led his troops to attack, and the Yuancheng soldiers left on the city wall looked at the massive Jing army. They didn't have time to close the city gates.
Those who put up a stubborn resistance continued to shoot arrows and throw stones, while those who were afraid of death, their legs giving way, abandoned their armor and fled into the city.
But when Jing Yan shot the severed head of the Yuancheng general onto the city wall, the remaining Yuancheng soldiers on the city wall froze instantly, turned around and cried, abandoning their armor and weapons, their cries filled with sobs.
"We've lost, we've lost."
Hearing the earth-shattering cries from above, Jing Yan brandished his sword and admonished the Jing Kingdom soldiers before finally storming the city.
"Those who surrender will be captured alive, and those who resist will be killed on the spot. No massacre of the city or harm to innocent civilians is allowed; violators will be beheaded."
As soon as Jing Yan gave the order, the soldiers of Jing responded with thunderous shouts: "Yes, sir!"
Immediately afterwards, the Jing Kingdom's army stormed into the city.
Finally, the soldiers killed four thousand Yuancheng soldiers who resisted stubbornly, and captured five thousand who surrendered alive. The people stayed indoors.
Jingyan and Rongying stood inside the Yuancheng government office, flipping through the city's population register, only to discover that the city's population was less than 30,000.
Many elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people died last year due to the turmoil in the country when the war between Chenqi and Qi began.
Rong Ying closed the booklet and sighed, "Your Highness, no matter how war breaks out, the people are innocent. If Jing Kingdom wants to grow stronger, abandoning the people of other countries will not be good for the people's hearts."
"There are still many cities to conquer. The people of Jing Kingdom alone cannot manage so much land. If the people in the cities are willing to submit to Jing Kingdom, they should be given a chance."
Hundreds of years ago, when various states were established, people became citizens of whichever state they belonged to, and in reality, there was little difference between them.
He only cared about whether the ruler he followed could ensure the people's peace and prosperity. That's why Jing Yan couldn't just sit idly by when he learned of the plot between Yu Kingdom and An Kingdom.
Otherwise, the people of Yuancheng will be the future of the Jing Kingdom.
However, since the war, the farmland of the people in Chenqi has been severely damaged, and the fields are unable to yield any grain.
Moreover, the winter season is approaching, which is not suitable for reclamation. If so many people from Qi are taken in along the way, Jing will inevitably face an increased burden.
Jing Yan: "If you want the hearts of the people, you must win their hearts. What they lack right now is food, which Jing Kingdom cannot provide."
"How did the Yu Kingdom and the An Kingdom resettle the people of Chenqi?"
Rong Ying sighed, "Because Yu Guo and An Guo couldn't afford it either, they buried all the old and weak alive, and half of the young people were also buried alive, in order to stabilize the rear."
Jing Yan was not surprised to hear this. Who would not want to compete for population and reclaim wasteland? But for the sake of their own population and soldiers, they had to sacrifice some people from other countries.
He couldn't be everyone's savior, but he didn't want to ruin the lives of the people of Qi.
After thinking it over, Jing Yan said, "First, gather the people of Yuancheng out to prevent them from committing suicide out of fear at home."
Rong Ying: "Yes."
An hour later, the soldiers of Jing gathered all the people in the city at the foot of the highest platform in the East Market.
The people of Yuancheng looked at the dark, imposing, and perfectly aligned Jing Kingdom army.
The people had long since become numb and listless, neither crying nor laughing.
As citizens of Qi, they had long heard that the area where the city fell would be massacred by the states of Yu and An.
The Jing Kingdom also coveted their land and would certainly not let them go. Faced with their known fate, they no longer had the strength to utter any more useless words.
Looking down at the lifeless scene below from the high platform, Jing Yan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke.
“Jing State will not massacre the city, but it cannot afford to feed you for a day. Since you are prisoners, it is neither reasonable nor moral to wrong the soldiers of Jing State for the sake of the people of Qi State. I can only guarantee that you have a bowl of porridge and half a piece of dry food every day.”
"You'll have to figure out the rest yourselves. I don't think the city is at its last gasp yet. If anyone is ungrateful and incites rebellion, I will show no mercy."
"When spring comes next year, you will all need to cultivate fertile fields. If you perform well, the Jing Kingdom will accept you. If you still yearn for your old country, you may follow it now."
He gave Wei You a wink, and Wei You immediately killed a Yuancheng Qi soldier who had vowed never to surrender.
When the people of Yuancheng saw this scene, they were terrified, but they were no longer as lifeless as before, because they were trying to determine whether Jing Yan's statement that he would not massacre the city was true or false.
So, among the group of people who had given up hope, someone tremblingly raised their hand and asked, "Your Highness, Jing Kingdom... Jing Kingdom really won't kill us?"
“I’m old, and my little grandson is too young. His parents are gone. I’ve heard that Yu Guo and An Guo don’t let people who are too old or too young go. Are you lying to us?”
The person asking the question was an elderly man in his eighties, carrying a two- or three-year-old child on his shoulder, with a long gray cloth wrapped around the child's neck.
The old man probably didn't want his grandson to die under a hail of knives and wanted to send the child to the hospital from home, but he was called out before he could.
Ignoring their current situation, Jing Yan said frankly, "Old man, if I wanted to deceive you, I could have just ordered my soldiers to take action. I wouldn't have wasted my breath on you."
"My requirement and condition is that you sincerely submit to the Jing Kingdom and become citizens of the Jing Kingdom, then you will naturally be able to live."
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