si-mexico Chapter 436: Dividing troops into battles
Chapter 436: Dividing troops into battles
In the county town of Heqi County, tens of thousands of people appeared one after another, and then automatically divided into two groups.
The previous defenders went west and stood on the west side of the city gate.
The local troops that were later summoned stood on the east side of the city gate.
All weapons, flags, etc. were left at the base of the city wall, waiting for the Yan army to deal with them.
As for how to deal with these soldiers, Shen Changgong already had an idea.
He ordered the Flying Eagle Army to allocate a thousand men, and then he and the Southern King Ma Ling and others came to the front of the surrendered soldiers.
"Your Majesty, everything has been handled. They are all willing to surrender."
Cui Xin looked at Shen Changgong tremblingly.
Shen Changgong nodded and said,
"Tell the local troops to take off their armor, take some dry food, and go home. Don't delay the defense of the city."
"Ah? Go...home?"
Cui Xin was shocked.
He never thought that Shen Changgong would actually let the surrendered soldiers go home. Isn't this like letting a tiger return to the mountain?
But for Shen Changgong, it would be difficult for these people to form combat effectiveness in a short period of time, and keeping them would be a waste of food. It would be better to dismiss them directly. Anyway, without weapons, they would not be able to cause any big waves, not to mention that they had no reason to rebel.
They are all poor people who are content just to survive and have food to eat.
Now the State of Yan is no longer the same as before when it had only more than 200,000 people. At that time, no matter who they were, they would take them all, whether it was Yuhuatian’s army, Nie Bei’s, or the 300,000 Kun people’s central army, they would take them all, because they continued to expand their military strength, and those experienced veterans were the best source.
Now, they don't need much manpower, so they can handle it with caution.
"I don't want to repeat my order a second time. You arrange for these people to take off their armor and go home without bringing three days' worth of rations."
"Yes Yes Yes."
Cui Xin ran over quickly and shouted loudly,
"Did you hear that? The prince has shown mercy and will not take your sins to heart or punish you. He will allow you to return to the fields with three days' worth of dry food each. Go home and don't delay the wheat harvest.
Captains of thousands and centurions, hurry and make sure this matter is done!"
After hearing this, the local soldiers suddenly realized what was going on. They quickly took off their armor, threw it on the ground, and went to collect dry food happily.
The world is big, but going home is the most important thing. Whether you are rich or poor, go home for the New Year.
The wheat at home is ripe and they all want to go home.
Then, Shen Changgong said to Cui Xin,
"From these more than ten thousand people, I will allocate two thousand men, and I will transfer another thousand Yan troops to form a joint defense force for you. Together, we will protect the city and keep the people safe."
This was the first time that Shen Changgong chose to let the Yan army and local army combine to govern the local area. To put it bluntly, those local troops were traitors and puppet troops. There were many such people everywhere, but they were indeed very useful to the invading side.
Thinking of this, Shen Changgong said to the captain of the Yan army,
"Wei Zhi, come here!"
"The general is here!"
"These three thousand men are now in your care. Heqi County isn't very large, with only two counties, but it's the most important transportation route and our food supply route, so you must guard it well for me without any mistakes."
"I will obey your orders!"
"besides."
Shen Changgong looked at him coldly and said,
"Look after yourself and your men. If I learn that you have been raping, pillaging, and taking human lives, and if this leads to public outrage, I will be the first one to not spare you."
Wei Zhi was so scared that he broke out in cold sweat.
He knew Lanling Wang's style, which was both compassionate and cruel.
Being cruel means killing evil people, bad officials, and enemies decisively and without mercy.
Compassion means treating the people very well and paying great attention to them.
"Wei Zhi, you also come from the local army. You followed Nie Bei as cannon fodder before. It wasn't easy to survive. I hope you can understand the difficulties faced by the local people and treat them well."
"I understand. I will definitely protect the people and Heqi County."
"Go ahead and ask Cui Xin to allocate two thousand men and weapons to you."
"Yes!"
Wei Zhi clasped his hands towards Cui Xin and said,
"General Cui, please."
Soon, two thousand people were drawn out, armed with weapons, and followed the guards into the city.
There are only 10,000 people left here.
These 10,000 people were regular troops. Shen Changgong did not give them weapons. Letting them go would cause serious consequences. Killing them would arouse strong hostility and resistance from other Qi troops, which would be detrimental to subsequent battles.
Shen Changgong asked them to be laborers and guides, and then talk nonsense after the war with Qi was over.
After that, the army rested outside the city for a night and continued its advance.
Heqi County was a relatively small county, about half the size of other counties, with only two counties.
After two days of travel, they arrived at the border of Pushin County. Each of the eleven cities ahead had a population of 40,000 to 50,000.
It is definitely impossible to get through safely without caring about the retreat route, so the only option is to take it down.
What Shen Changgong expected more was that either the enemy army would take its main force away and he would come back to deal with them, or the enemy army would gather and he would fight a decisive battle with them and get rid of them directly.
But the enemy chose the third path, using the lives of four or five hundred thousand people to delay the pace of the Yan army.
At this time, the mood of Qi army commander Tong Xuan was similar to Nie Bei's before.
They all brought a group of cannon fodder to complete a mission that was certain to end in death, just to buy more time for the capital.
They all succeeded.
Nie Bei's trench strategy forced the Yan army to take a detour, successfully delaying the enemy for more than a month.
Tong Xuan's tactic can also have a delaying effect.
If the Yan army gathered its forces and attacked one city at a time, it would definitely take two months.
So Shen Changgong and King Nan decided to divide their troops to attack.
The two men pointed at the two counties and eleven cities in front of the map. After discussing for a long time, they finally completed the distribution.
Shen Changgong looked up at everyone and said,
"Everyone, it has been more than a year since our country started the war. During these years, it has always been me and the Southern King who have been commanding the battles, and we have never given you any chance to train.
So this time, I have discussed with the King of the South and decided to give you a chance to lead the troops into battle alone.
This time, the commanders of the five major legions will also participate in the command, but they can only command the battle of one city.
Other generals have the power to make suggestions.
Therefore, I hope that you can cherish this opportunity.
Now, I announce the distribution of troops and appointments of each army.
The first to fifth corps of the Tianyu Army, led by Yu Huatian, attacked the most difficult county town in Pushin County.
The 6th to 10th Corps of the Tianyu Army, led by Liang Kai, attacked Fan County.
The 11th to 15th Corps of the Tianyu Army, led by Yang Hongying, attacked Neiqing County.
The First to Fifth Corps of the Flying Eagle Army, led by Nie Bei, attacked Qinghu County.
The 6th to 10th Corps of the Flying Eagle Army, led by Nie Yang, attacked Beile County."