Chapter 458: Dividing the Spoils

Latest website: "General, three Northern Di soldiers escaped."

After a battle without suspense, over four hundred corpses were left on the ground.

At this moment, a general reported to Bai Shang.

"If they ran, let them run; let them go back to report the news." Bai Shang kicked the corpse of a Northern Di soldier and looked toward the commoners in the mine, "Unlock all their iron chains."

The general acknowledged the order, and the soldiers poured into the mine to rescue the commoners.

Tears welled up in Yang Zhen's eyes; the Anxiantiekuang had once been an official mine of the Great Song government.

After the Northern Di people arrived, this place became a place of blood and tears for the Great Song commoners.

Just like on Chrysanthemum Island, the commoners in the mine were all thin as rails and as disheveled as beggars.

Their expressions were numb, as if they were walking corpses.

Only the turning of their eyeballs made them still appear to have a bit of human vitality.

Seeing this scene, the intense guilt in Yang Zhen made him almost unable to breathe.

If not for their incompetence, how could these commoners have lived under the tyrannical rule of the Northern Di for more than ten years?

Before long, the iron chains on the commoners were all removed.

But at this moment, a strange scene occurred that surprised Bai Shang.

The commoners were not as enthusiastic as the commoners on Chrysanthemum Island.

Instead, they stood blankly in place, neither fleeing nor speaking, like scarecrows.

Seeing this, Bai Shang suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

This was a group of people who had completely lost hope.

When their companions died, they felt no grief; when they were alive, they felt no joy.

"Commoners, we have come to save you; the Great Song army has come to save you. Now you can go home." Yang Zhen suddenly rushed into the mine, shaking the commoners one by one.

"Yes, we will take you home; from now on, you will never be enslaved by the Northern Di people again."

Bai Shang also shouted.

"Come home with us!" the generals and soldiers beside him roared loudly.

The massive sound finally caused the commoners to stir.

A sound of "Sob, sob, sob..." crying rose up, and soon the crying merged into one.

They slowly approached the Wangfu Army soldiers, carefully identifying their appearances.

That's right, just like them, they were indeed Great Song people.

They were indeed soldiers of the Great Song.

Seeing this, Bai Shang and Yang Zhen revealed smiles.

These commoners had been numb for too long, and they probably didn't react at first.

Or perhaps they dared not believe this fact.

And the two words "go home," amidst the deafening roars of the soldiers, finally touched their hearts.

"Take the commoners to the ships," Bai Shang said.

Although their mission this time was to harass.

But with so many commoners before him, it was impossible for him not to save them.

Otherwise, he would live in guilt for the rest of his life.

As for whether Yan Wang would punish him after he returned, he did not care.

He was willing to accept any punishment.

Yang Zhen cast a look of gratitude toward Bai Shang.

The ships could only hold another five or six thousand people; if the commoners boarded, the soldiers would have to stay behind.

"Hahaha..." Bai Shang understood Yang Zhen's meaning, and he said, "Since it is a harassment, let's make a bigger scene; staying in An County for another day is nothing."

Having said that, he ordered a general to escort the commoners to the coastline.

Yang Zhen nodded, "Since that is the case, let's just go to the An County seat and cause a stir, making an even bigger scene."

Bai Shang chuckled, which counted as agreement.

It was not that he was reckless, but he could see that the Northern Di were truly lax in their defense of the hinterland.

This county seat might only have a few hundred Northern Di soldiers.

Just like in the Great Song, the people living in the county seats of the Ningjin Dusi were also the wealthy and noble.

If they could capture some, the Northern Di people would be even more thrown into chaos.

Thinking of this, he immediately led his troops toward An County.

At this time, the news of the Great Song army appearing near An County had already been passed to Xian City by herdsmen.

But the Northern Di in the county seat did not believe it at all, and they scoffed at the warnings of the herdsmen.

The two royal tents were still at Yanguan; how could the Great Song army possibly come here?

But just one hour later, their mockery turned into terror.

When the Northern Di soldiers guarding the gate discovered the Great Song army, it was already too late.

Although they closed the city gates at the first opportunity.

The Great Song army had no intention of leaving, but instead began cutting down trees nearby to build Scaling Ladders.

In the afternoon, the Great Song army began to attack the city carrying twenty Scaling Ladders.

"Cover the soldiers climbing the city!" Bai Shang shouted.

He dispatched five hundred soldiers to guard the commoners, and he led the remaining four thousand five hundred soldiers to launch an attack on all four city gates simultaneously.

Thus, the six hundred Northern Di soldiers had to disperse, with only a little over one hundred soldiers at each gate.

These soldiers were fundamentally incapable of resisting the Wangfu Army attacking the city.

In less than half an hour, the city walls on all four sides were breached.

Bai Shang led the Wangfu Army to charge into the county seat, and then proceeded to ransack the county seat.

"Captain, there are approximately six thousand Northern Di living in An County." Before long, a general came to report, "Many Da Song commoners were also discovered working in the fields outside the city."

"Ning Prefecture and Jinjun belong to two separate royal tents, and the kings of these two royal tents bestowed the county seat upon the leaders of small tribes," Yang Zhen said, "It can be said that the county seat is their tribe."

The county seat is the center where the small Northern Di tribes reside.

And the land surrounding the county seat is the pasture for this small tribe.

They are able to both enslave Da Song commoners to till the fields and graze horses nearby.

"The Northern Di are living truly comfortable lives." Bai Shang gritted his teeth in hatred.

The prosperity of these Northern Di tribes is built entirely upon the foundation of enslaving Da Song commoners.

Therefore, Da Song is now increasingly declining, while the Northern Di are becoming increasingly powerful.

Because for the Northern Di, the more they plunder, the wealthier they become.

They can obtain immense benefits by launching wars, whether it be territory, population, or wealth.

Whereas Da Song inevitably becomes poorer the more it fights, as war requires the expenditure of vast amounts of manpower and material resources.

"Leave a few survivors to deliver the message, kill the rest, and take away all of their property." Bai Shang's face was as cold as frost.

The suffering the Northern Di made them taste, this time it was their turn to taste it themselves.

One day later, the Warship that had delivered the commoners to Chrysanthemum Island returned.

This time, they were prepared to take Bai Shang and the soldiers back.

However, when Zhou Yi caught sight of the countless cattle, sheep, and horses on the coast, he was nearly dumbfounded.

For the next three days, they traveled back and forth between An County and Chrysanthemum Island, never once finding a moment of leisure.

"Bai Shang, how do you propose we settle this account? We have been worn out by you lot." After transporting the last two thousand sheep, Zhou Yi looked dissatisfied.

"Enough nonsense, I'll give you three hundred sheep; you can slaughter them for meat or keep them for sheep's milk." Bai Shang rolled his eyes.

Zhou Yi immediately turned his anger into a smile, "That's more like it."

At the same time.

News that the Da Song army had attacked the An County seat and ransacked it completely spread rapidly throughout the Ningjin Dusi.

A Cavalry unit of one hundred men appeared at a Northern Di encampment outside Yanguan and relayed this news to the Great Administrator in charge of this military campaign.

For a time, the Northern Di encampment was filled with panic.