Chapter 666: The Rear

"General, inside the city, 9,600 Qi soldiers were killed in action, over 5,700 were wounded, and 15,000 surrendered."

Entering the Fortress, Chang Wei and Lv Chang, under the protection of soldiers, went straight to the General's Mansion within the city.

One hour later, the sky had turned completely dark, and the general in charge of clearing the battlefield came to report.

Pausing for a moment, the general continued, "Our army had 568 wounded and 16 killed in action."

Upon hearing this, Lv Chang and Chang Wei were both stunned for a moment, finding it hard to believe.

"Sixteen killed in action?" Chang Wei asked again.

The general nodded, "It is indeed only sixteen."

Chang Wei and Lv Chang exchanged a glance, both revealing expressions of relief.

Lv Chang said, "This is all thanks to the Yellow Gunpowder and the Hand Grenades."

Chang Wei nodded.

Occupying the city walls, the soldiers held the high ground, and relying on a range of 350 meters, they basically hit whatever they aimed at.

When pitted against the Rifled Musket, the Flintlock of the Qi soldiers was just trash and completely useless.

And the Qi soldiers who hid in concealed corners, attempting to launch sneak attacks, were also severely dealt with by the Hand Grenades.

Furthermore, the generals reported that it seemed to be the effect of the leaflets; more than half of the Qi soldiers surrendered very readily.

Therefore, this result surprised him, but it was also within reason.

After all, the gap in firearms between the two sides was too great.

This battle was basically equivalent to a massacre; the Qi side did not even have time to use their Artillery.

The general added, "We have seized the Granary in the city and discovered a large amount of grain and fodder."

Hearing this, Chang Wei suddenly remembered the instructions Yan Wang gave him before he set out.

So he said to Lv Chang, "Send men to guard the Granary, and find a guide to understand the situation in the nearby countryside; tomorrow morning, we will go to uproot the Rich Clan Fortresses in the countryside and mop up the Rich Clans."

"Yes, General," Lv Chang said.

The next morning, Chang Wei got up very early.

On one hand, he ordered people to head to Pingyuan City to move the Propaganda Department's theater troupe to the Fortress, and on the other, he ordered an attack on the other two Fortresses.

After a night of digging, Qin Shan and Guan Tong had long since excavated a circle of lateral trenches in front of the remaining two Fortresses.

Since the three Fortresses were three or four li apart, the two Fortresses naturally did not know the situation of the first one.

Therefore, when dense rainfalls of Hand Grenades landed on the city walls, the Qi soldiers in the two Fortresses were just as bewildered as Han Bi.

And their fate was destined to be the same as Han Bi's.

After a morning of fierce fighting, Qin Shan and Guan Tong captured the two Fortresses respectively.

From then on, all three Fortresses built by Qi at the Nan'an ferry were uprooted.

At the same time, following Chang Wei's orders, Lv Chang, under the guidance of a guide, searched for the Fortresses in the nearby countryside.

Within two days, all the Rich Clan Fortresses within a radius of fifteen li were occupied by Lv Chang.

However,

what remained in these Rich Clan Fortresses were not the direct descendants of the Rich Clans.

After interrogation, it was discovered that after the Fortresses fell, these Rich Clans had fled one after another to Dongping City.

"General, Dongping City only has 50,000 men guarding it; we might as well take advantage of the momentum to capture it."

At Qinghua Village, ten li south of the Fortress, Lv Chang said to Chang Wei.

Shaking his head, Chang Wei said, "Do not be so eager for quick success; compared to taking Dongping City, establishing a stable rear at this moment is more important."

"Establishing a rear?" Lv Chang showed a strange expression.

Chang Wei nodded; this was the matter Yan Wang had entrusted to him.

Qizhou is different from Yanzhou; in Yanzhou, the commoners and the Prince's Personal Army are one family.

In Yanzhou, wherever the Prince's Personal Army goes, the commoners support them enthusiastically.

But the commoners of Qi might not necessarily be like this.

Although during this period, they have carried out a lot of propaganda among the nearby Qi commoners.

But the commoners are very smart and will not choose to believe completely just because of a single leaflet.

Only by letting them see with their own eyes and experience it for themselves will they cast aside all concerns and, like the commoners of Yanzhou, welcome the arrival of the Prince's Personal Army.

They might even actively provide all kinds of intelligence, act as guides to help in battle, and take the initiative to provide help when the Prince's Personal Army is short on grain and fodder.

Achieving this is equivalent to establishing a stable rear.

They can continue to advance without any worries behind them.

Because their backs are safe.

Conversely, if they cannot achieve this,

the commoners will watch coldly, or even harbor hostility and fear, treating them as invaders.

At that time, they would become the eyes and ears of the Han Family, providing all kinds of intelligence to the Han Family.

They would collude with Qi soldiers to attack their supply lines when they penetrate deep into Qizhou.

If that were the case, they would have to attack southward while simultaneously diverting troops to maintain the rear.

And this would inevitably disperse their energy and consume more resources.

Thinking of this, he explained it to Lv Chang once.

Upon hearing this, Lv Chang was immediately filled with admiration, and he said, "His Highness is always so cautious and far-sighted."

Loosening his shoulders, he came to a well, lifted the water the soldiers had just drawn, walked to a thatched cottage, and poured the water into the water vat in front of the door.

In front of the cottage door stood an old man in rags.

Seeing this, he was somewhat at a loss, "This military gentleman, there is no need for this, there is really no need for this."

Lv Chang laughed heartily, "Old man, our Yanzhou soldiers and the common people are one family; we came to Qizhou to let you live a good life and to ensure the Rich Clans no longer oppress you."

Following this, he went back to carry a sack of rice, entered the house, and poured it into the old man's rice vat.

The old man was even more overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, as it had always been the government soldiers who robbed them of their belongings.

Never had there been government soldiers who stuffed things into their hands.

Trembling as he leaned on his cane, tears welled up in the old man's eyes.