Chapter 1018: First Volume_Chapter 1018: Taking Wang Du

First Volume_Chapter 1018: Taking Wang Du

Knowing full well that the enemy army was fully prepared, and that there was a huge gap between the two sides in terms of morale, logistics, and equipment, yet daring to meet force with force head-on relying solely on so-called "numerical" advantage — this was no longer simply the act of a military amateur, it was pure suicide.

On the battlefield, numbers are indeed an important factor that can play a decisive role, but nothing is absolute. If there are gaps in the quality of troops and morale, then no matter how great the quantity, the effect it can produce is extremely limited.

If simply relying on numerical advantage could smooth over all other gaps, then there would be no need to distinguish between "veterans" and "new recruits" on the battlefield.

The generals present all understood clearly in their hearts that the Northern Di King was by no means a mediocre talent.

On the contrary, back in the day the Northern Di King had personally led a great army to fight at Bianchui, and whether in terms of actual combat experience or command ability, he was exceptionally outstanding.

The reason the Northern Di King made this foolish move was purely because of so-called "political reasons."

Military affairs are an extension of politics — this saying is not false, but if one only concerns oneself with politics while ignoring the actual situation on the battlefield, then the final result will be exactly what it is now: the destruction of the nation and the extermination of the people!

Everyone understood that the key to this war lay in Changshui County.

No matter how great the price, Changshui County must be taken, and Qin Feng must be captured, dead or alive.

Missing the best opportunity in the early stages for nothing — for the Northern Di, the defeat was already decided, and there was nothing more to say.

Facing the persuasion of the generals, the Commander-in-Chief naturally took the cue and stopped dwelling on it, immediately dispatching his confidants to make contact with Li Zhang.

The next morning, the Commander-in-Chief received Li Zhang's reply.

The contents of the letter were written extremely bluntly and extremely simply — just a few lines, praising the Commander-in-Chief as one who knows the times, and assuring that as long as the Commander-in-Chief sincerely surrendered, neither the Commander-in-Chief nor the soldiers below would suffer any harm.

With Li Zhang's letter in hand, the Commander-in-Chief felt reassured.

"Pass down my military order: gather all weapons and place them in the most conspicuous spot; all officers and men are to remove their armor."

Because Li Zhang was closer to Wang Du, by the time the Commander-in-Chief's side had finished preparing to accept surrender, Chen Lang, who had taken the roundabout way of sending someone directly to Changshui County to contact Qin Feng's attendants, had instead been like a stone sinking into the sea, receiving no reply at all.

In his urgency, Chen Lang could only find the Commander-in-Chief and, bracing himself, said: "General, this subordinate's private contact with Qin Feng was absolutely not out of betrayal toward the General, but simply because circumstances forced it."

"I implore the General to be magnanimous and not bear a grudge against this subordinate over such a small matter."

Looking at Chen Lang's meek and submissive appearance, the Commander-in-Chief was naturally furious, but he could not pursue the matter too deeply. After all, he and Chen Lang were no different in essence — since neither of them was clean, if they turned on each other internally, it would only let Qin Feng's side look down on them.

The Commander-in-Chief waved his hand and said lightly: "Since you are a subordinate of this General, naturally you are included in the count as well."

"However, to be on the safe side and avoid any mishaps, I must temporarily strip you of your military authority; all troops will surrender together."

Hearing these words, Chen Lang felt a wave of helplessness in his heart, but in an instant he let it go.

Once Qin Feng's great army entered the city, and the Wild Emperor Party became the legitimate sovereign of the Northern Di, the entire Imperial Court would surely face a reshuffle — who would laugh last was still uncertain.

Therefore, as long as he remained a general, what harm was there in handing over military authority?

Chen Lang was quite straightforward about it, cupping his fist in salute and saying: "Many thanks to the General for his magnanimity; this subordinate will return at once to convey the military order."

With this, the entire Wang Du Garrison had thoroughly surrendered, but Li Zhang did not rush to advance. He first sent people into Wang Du to notify the Northern Di Officials he could make contact with, and then, through the mouths of those Northern Di Officials, spread the news to the citizens of Wang Du.

That day, countless officials of all ranks poured out onto the streets.

"Everyone come out, don't worry — Qin Feng's great army will absolutely not lay a hand on the innocent!"

"Qin Feng's objective has already been achieved, so naturally there will be no殃及池魚 (collateral harm to bystanders)."

Learning that Qin Feng's great army had no intention of massacring the city or carrying out a purge, the citizens of Wang Du felt as if a great weight had been lifted. They successively left their homes, gathered on the streets, and looked toward the City Gate in unison, with discussions rising one after another.

"Did I hear wrong? What was just said… Qin Feng won't purge us?"

"You didn't hear wrong! That Qin Feng, though violent, is not bloodthirsty — he is only extremely ruthless toward his enemies, and has always been lenient and benevolent toward the common people."

"Lenient and benevolent? You say Qin Feng is lenient and benevolent? If that were truly so, how could he have attacked our Northern Di, causing the people of Heaven to suffer and have no means of livelihood?"

"Hmph, if you don't believe it, go ahead and ask — I'm just afraid you don't have the connections. I've long heard that Qin Feng's army fought its way from Zhuozhou all the way to Ezhou, and then to Jingji, only engaging the army. The strongholds and fortresses encountered along the way were either eliminated or bypassed, while settlements and villages were always given a wide berth."

"Really? Under Heaven, whenever there's a war, the ones who suffer most are always the common people."

"Tch, have you not thought about it? How long has this war been going on, from start to finish? Less than three months. At such a fast pace, Qin Feng's army's attention was naturally all on the military — even if they had the mind to plunder, they probably didn't have the time."

"Put that way, it's not without basis — after all, this war came quickly and ended quickly."

The citizens of Wang Du gradually came to understand that although war inevitably brings suffering to the people, if it is a swift campaign decided quickly, the harm to the common people is actually the least.

Their feelings toward Qin Feng had always been extremely complicated — originally hating him to the bone, but upon learning of his many deeds, they no longer hated him quite so much.

Especially upon learning that Qin Feng launched the Winter War in order to support the late Emperor's Princess and set right the rites and laws of the Northern Di Royal Clan — a campaign with a just cause — everyone's impression of Qin Feng softened considerably. It could not be called burying the hatchet, but from a certain angle, they were able to accept it.

The most crucial point: ever since Qin Feng occupied Changshui County, there had never been any report of the citizens of Changshui County suffering any humiliation or torment — this further strengthened the common people's confidence.

Apart from a few men of ambition, ninety percent of the citizens present simply did not care who ruled.

As the saying goes, a new Son of Heaven brings a new court of ministers — if even officials are like this, how much more so the common people?

As the atmosphere in the city gradually eased, Li Zhang then led the great army to approach Wang Du.

The first task was naturally to take in those surrendering generals and the Garrison Army, but because the process was extremely tedious, Li Zhang, in order to save time, directly left behind a batch of generals and soldiers, then led the main force straight into the city, officially beginning the seizure of the Northern Di Royal Capital.