Chapter 574: The Next Step
Seven thousand people were killed in the battle alone, and another five thousand were seriously injured. Moreover, at this point, if someone was seriously injured, their chances of survival were at most half.
Why is there a saying that kindness is not a virtue in military command? Because as a commander, one must be ruthless not only to the enemy but even more so to one's own people. Those simple numbers represent lives lost. Even the mere thought of them would cause an ordinary person to collapse.
Why were there no seriously injured soldiers in the enemy army? This question is cruel but also very realistic. Severely injured soldiers are a burden to the army and have no right to survive. Even lightly injured prisoners can only leave it to fate. The possibility of receiving medical treatment is very small.
After a long silence, Jia Cong finally said slowly, "The enemy soldiers' bodies should be burned and buried on the spot."
"The bodies of our Daqian men will be collected and buried at the original garrison camp, and a monument will be erected to commemorate their achievements! All names will be recorded and compensated according to the regulations. No one may embezzle the brothers' military achievements. After the war, all compensation must be personally delivered to their families. No corruption is allowed!"
Upon hearing this, all the generals stood up silently, saluted and accepted the order.
It took a long while for everyone to recover from their sadness and depression.
"How much have each unit captured?" Jia Cong asked again.
Lu Feng stood up and said, "General, the enemy camp has abundant food and fodder, enough for our army to eat for more than a month. "
Jia Cong nodded. This time they came to rescue and had to travel quickly, so they did not have enough baggage and food. The captured food solved a problem.
"Marshal, when will we attack the other camp?" Xie Jing asked.
"Why not surround it instead of attacking?" Jiang Zining said, "Although the terrain of this mountain is not dangerous, the enemy camp occupies a high position. A surprise attack is difficult to carry out, and if you try to attack it, you will definitely suffer heavy losses."
Guo Wei said, "We have plenty of food and fodder now. According to the estimates of the other two camps, their food and fodder can still last for a long time."
"How about setting fire to the mountain again?" Lei Zhao said, touching his head. The previous fire he set directly caused another camp to blow up. Otherwise, it would not be easy to take it down.
"You idiot! Even though the two mountains aren't far apart, how can their situations be the same?" Lu Feng asked. "The previous barren mountain wasn't connected to the surrounding area. As long as we put out the fire, it wouldn't affect anything else. But the other barren mountain isn't far from Gongjing Town. If that fire reaches Gongjing Town and kills or injures civilians, are you going to shoulder the blame for that?"
The generals discussed for a while, but they didn't have a good solution.
"Then we can only surround them first. Now that we have the initiative, they may not be able to hold out for long." Xie Jing said helplessly.
On a cold weapon battlefield, terrain plays an extremely important role. An upward attack is easy to say, but it may cost countless lives to achieve.
Jia Cong smiled and said, "We need to head towards Shima Town immediately. We can't stay here for too long. However, it's okay to let this army go for now. I have already found a way and an opponent for them."
Xie Jing was full of confusion until Jiang Zining beside him explained it to him, then he realized that Meng Hua's troops were also surrounded in Shima Town.
"What the Marshal is talking about is the general's ambush?" Tian Hai said suddenly.
"Yes, I was wondering why General Hou didn't come. Where is he now?" Guo Wei asked in confusion .
Teng Wu chuckled, "The Marshal ordered General Hou to lead his troops to set up an ambush near Daluo Creek, the border between Xuzhou and Shaoxi Prefecture! If this army retreats in that direction, they will surely be ambushed by our forces."
Xie Jing and Guo Wei finally understood.
Jia Cong waved his hand to stop the generals from speaking, and then said, "The army will rest here for three days!"
"Tian Hai, you will lead a thousand soldiers and horses to go ahead tomorrow to send the injured brothers to Rongde for recuperation."
"Commanders of each division, select five thousand elite soldiers from among the captives to reinforce your divisions. Select another three thousand to be incorporated into the auxiliary army to escort food and fodder. Wang Zhiye, you will lead one thousand soldiers and escort the remaining captives to the Chengdu Prefecture camp."
"Guo Wei, Lei Zhao, each of you will lead 2,000 soldiers and horses to stay here. Harass the enemy camp day and night. You don't need to attack, but you can't let them relax for a moment. After the harassment lasts for a while, you can retreat. Twenty miles east of here, there is a valley that is suitable for you to hide your troops!"
"When you retreat, the enemy will be exhausted and short of food and fodder, so they won't stay long. To the north is Zizhou, to the east is Fushun Prison, to the west is Longzhou, and only to the south is Xuzhou."
"Now that Xuzhou has been occupied by them, they will undoubtedly join forces. When that happens, the two of you will pursue them closely. Even without engaging in battle, you must not allow them to retreat easily. This will continue until they encounter an ambush led by Hou Xiaokang's troops. Once the battle is over, you do not need to return; instead, you can directly join forces with Hou Xiaokang's forces to attack Xuzhou."
"Marshal, won't they go southwest to Jiading?" Jiang Zining asked.
Jia Cong smiled and said, "The troops in the Jiading area are mainly from the Qiongbu Prefecture, while the troops in Xuzhou are mainly from the Wumeng Tribe. The troops here are all from the seven tribes of Wumeng. If you were the general, where would you choose to lead the troops?"
Jiang Zining suddenly understood. Although the tribes of Qiongbu Prefecture and the Wumeng tribes had joined forces, their relationship wasn't particularly good. After all, they had often fought against each other before. Under normal circumstances, they would have been fine with some of their troops being deployed. But now, having just suffered a crushing defeat, they would naturally choose to deploy their own troops instead of heading to Jiading Prefecture.
After all, the commander-in-chief in the Jiading Prefecture direction was from the Xuhen or Wudeng tribe.
"Jiang Zining, Xie Jing, the two of you will lead 8,000 soldiers through Yingling and into Jiading Prefecture, then attack Qianwei to the south!"
Qianwei is located southeast of Jiading Prefecture, bordering Xuzhou. Furthermore, it also serves as the border between Xuzhou, the Wumeng tribes, and Qiongbu Prefecture. The Wumeng tribes have lost tens of thousands of elite soldiers and are now severely weakened. After rescuing Shima Town, I will undoubtedly march into Jiading Prefecture.
By then, the troops of Jiading Prefecture would be afraid to move rashly, and the troops of Xuzhou would be entangled with Hou Xiaokang's troops. If Jiang Zining and his men could capture Qianwei, they would be a nail in the coffin, firmly nailing it here. By then, the troops of the various tribes in southern Xinjiang would be in a dilemma!
"The army will rest here for three days, and then each unit will move camp!"
After this great battle, both the generals and their soldiers will naturally feel afraid of fighting, so timely rest is necessary.
"We've captured so much food and fodder, so the brothers in the kitchen camp don't have to skimp on it. Except for drinking, everyone should have enough to eat and drink! Although each unit has suffered heavy losses, it's still a great victory, so we should celebrate."
Upon hearing this, all the generals accepted the order!
