Chapter 216: After the War

Northern Yuan Royal Court.

The battle between the Han Army and the Northern Yuan forces at the mountain's mid‑slope lasted nearly two hours.

Only when the latter half of the night approached dawn did the shouts and cries of battle on the mid‑slope gradually subside.

The long night was endless, and the great fire burned throughout.

The already barren Northern Yuan Royal Court's main camp, stationed in the cold wind, was mercilessly ravaged by the raging fire.

A pale fish‑belly white appeared on the horizon, and the morning light slowly spread from the east, illuminating Wolf Mountain.

The flames that had burned through the night finally dwindled, and lingering smoke drifted in the air.

The scent of char and the smell of blood permeated the entire mid‑slope.

The Northern Yuan main camp now presented a grim scene, with burnt‑out tents scattered everywhere.

Fresh blood soaked the ground, corpses lay everywhere, and countless Northern Yuan Tatars' severed limbs were strewn about.

The faces of the dead still bore expressions of terror and bewilderment, and countless bodies burned or slain lay in piles.

Wolf Mountain, the sacred mountain in the hearts of the Northern Yuan, had been reduced to ruins.

Broken swords and spears, scattered arrows, and streams of fresh blood all testified to the battle's carnage.

Living Northern Yuan prisoners of war and various officials knelt on the ground, and countless Northern Yuan nobles and their families were uncovered by the Han Army from the camps.

One by one, they were ordered by the Han Army to squat aside, trembling.

Thousands of Han soldiers were sweeping the battlefield, counting prisoners, gathering warhorses, and seizing loot.

Some Han troops lifted boxes of gold, silver and jewels from the tents, the amassed wealth of the Northern Yuan nobles over many years.

Some Han soldiers drove herds of cattle and sheep away, while others tied prisoners together in long strings with rope.

Jia Jing was seated inside the golden tent, listening to Niu Jizong and others report their spoils.

"Lord! In this battle our army achieved a complete victory, suffering only over a thousand casualties, annihilating more than fifteen thousand of the Northern Yuan Royal Court, and capturing over eight thousand prisoners."

"We also seized over thirty thousand Northern Yuan troops, craftsmen, merchants, and servants, except for the senior officials of the Northern Yuan Great Khan that you captured, Lord."

"Additionally, our forces captured the Great Khan Ha Tun, a side concubine, a grand consort, a princess, a Taiji, a great lama, and a high priest."

"Because it was a surprise attack, the Northern Yuan Royal Court never anticipated our arrival, and our junior generals had already stationed troops at each camp gate."

"Thus, not a single important figure in the Northern Yuan Royal Court's camp escaped capture."

"By rough calculation, this battle yielded over three hundred thousand taels of gold, nearly twelve million taels of silver, and hundreds of boxes of jewels and jade."

"Countless amber, beeswax, turquoise, coral and the like, seventy to eighty thousand warhorses, over thirty thousand pack horses, ten thousand camels, and more than four hundred thousand cattle and sheep."

"And innumerable armors, bows, arrows, swords and spears."

Niu Jizong's face beamed with joy; with six thousand Han soldiers accomplishing such a feat and seizing so much, he could brag about this battle for a lifetime.

Beside him, Zhu Que, Feng Tang, Zhou Yingyuan, Ma Guocheng and others also wore uplifted expressions, their blood‑stained faces breaking into smiles.

Although they had anticipated before arriving that with Jia Jing's involvement, catching the enemy off guard, the odds of victory were enormous.

But they knew that anticipation and execution were two different matters.

The Northern Yuan Royal Court had existed for centuries, a foe the Da Han Empire had failed to eradicate for over a hundred years since its founding.

Now it was annihilated in a single battle—what an honor!

Having achieved two rare great victories with Jia Jing, their gazes toward him now brimmed with fervent reverence and respect.

They all knew deep down that the key to such an easy triumph lay in Jia Jing.

It was precisely Jia Jing's superhuman martial prowess and foresight that made the difference,

allowing them to achieve the great feat of destroying the Northern Yuan Royal Court with minimal casualties and earn unparalleled military merit!

Such a victory—let alone that none of them had ever experienced in their lives—.

Even throughout the entire history of the Da Han Empire, such a great triumph and brilliant result are rare!

Under Jia Jing's leadership, they finally understood what it means to kill the enemy like cutting grass, and what it means to reap unearned military merit!

Jia Jing sat upon Ba Tu Meng Ke's tiger‑skin throne, idly handling the Northern Yuan Great Khan's golden seal.

Upon hearing Niu Jizong's report of the spoils, his expression remained calm, his gaze deep, and he slowly spoke:

"Everyone has worked hard in this battle! Such spoils are the merit of all Han soldiers."

"Niu Jizong, first arrange medical treatment for our wounded; the lightly injured should be bandaged on the spot and given medicine and strong liquor."

"The severely wounded should be gathered into several large tents near the golden tent, where everyone will strive to rescue them; I, the Lord, will visit them personally later."

"The dead must be collected, recorded, and later compensated double; no one may be omitted."

Jia Jing had developed a habit in warfare: he always first attended to the casualties among his troops and made proper arrangements.

Because he knew that within the twelve hours after battle, the army's morale was most delicate.

The soldiers, just regaining composure after life‑or‑death combat, felt excitement, fatigue, pain, greed and many other emotions intertwined.

At this moment, any action by the commander would be magnified a hundredfold.

Therefore, the commander's concern for the wounded was extremely important and necessary.

On one hand, this stemmed from his concern for the soldiers; a commander who does not care for his troops is undoubtedly incompetent.

On the other hand, it served to consolidate the army's spirit.

As commander, his post‑battle personal inspection of the wounded camp— even a single walk, a glance, or a simple "Heal well"— was more effective than a thousand words.

Because the Han soldiers would know that Jia Jing had not forgotten any brave comrade.

Sure enough,

When Jia Jing spoke, Zhou Yingyuan, You Shiyong and other commanders and their bodyguards inside the golden tent all showed moved expressions.

Marquis Jingwu not only led them to victory but also cared for his troops so deeply; under such a commander, how could they not vow to die in gratitude!

Niu Jizong and the others' faces grew solemn, and they all clasped their hands and said:

"Understood, sir!"

Jia Jing nodded and continued in a low voice:

"All the seized gold and silver shall be logged, and two‑tenths of the silver shall be taken out."

"Later I, the Marquis, will personally award the meritorious soldiers! Then slaughter part of the cattle, sheep and livestock to reward the troops."

This is Jia Jing's second habitual timely distribution of rewards after a battle, to reward the whole army.

First, this is to steady the troops' morale; fighting on the battlefield is already a matter of risking one's life.

The aim is to grant merit and reward; winning without timely payment would affect morale.

Second, it prevents private hoarding; if distribution is not timely, the soldiers will hide their share.

Rather than let them hide it stealthily, it is better to distribute it promptly and openly.

Third, it boosts morale; although Wolf Mountain has already fallen, compared with Jia Jing's strategic goal of sweeping the prairie, this battle is only a beginning.

There are countless hard battles ahead; letting the soldiers taste a sweet reward will make them fight even more bravely in the next battle.