Chapter 279

Jiang Jinshi looked at the battlefield littered with corpses and, understanding that his soldiers had worked hard all day, did not order the battlefield to be cleared.

"Treat the wounded, count the casualties! Light fires and cook food, let the brothers have a hot meal! We'll clear the battlefield tomorrow!"

Luo Feng stepped forward and cupped his hands, "Commander, do we need to take men to circle around to Lin City and Shuang City?"

He was still thinking about the Xiongnu cavalry outside the two cities; since the goal was total annihilation, even those could not be let go.

Jiang Jinshi actually had this thought, but after glancing at his exhausted soldiers, he ultimately shook his head, "The brothers are too tired. They marched all the way here over such a long distance, started fighting as soon as they arrived, and haven't eaten; let them rest!"

In any case, the Xiongnu were now leaderless, and the remaining cavalry would not be able to accomplish much. There would be plenty of opportunities to mop them up later; there was no need to rush for this moment.

Moreover, it was not difficult for Jiang Jinshi to guess the situation on the grasslands afterward. The Chanyu was dead, and the Left and Right Worthy Kings were gone; the Xiongnu would surely return to their previous state of fighting among themselves.

The tribes with remaining combat power would quickly swallow up the small tribes, and the infighting and competition for resources would certainly become more intense; it would be impossible for them to organize any combat power to resist the Ming Army.

After all, their main army had been completely annihilated by the Ming Army; the remaining tribes would be too busy hiding from the Ming Army to dare to take the initiative to attack.

Of course, Jiang Jinshi did not intend to let the Xiongnu go just like that. He did not plan to completely exterminate this race, but he had to strangle their combat power to prevent another Chanyu or Hunxie from appearing on the grasslands.

The best outcome would be for the Xiongnu to completely rely on the Ming Army for their livelihood, becoming a horse-breeding ground for the Ming Army and providing a steady stream of high-quality horses.

And the Ming Army could use this to train the strongest cavalry, no longer fearing any faction.

Achieving all this was actually not difficult. Jiang Jinshi already had a plan in mind; later, he would let Luo Feng mop up the remaining Xiongnu cavalry and confiscate all ironware.

Then, he would strictly control border trade, prohibiting all ironware from being sent out. Any supplies the Xiongnu needed would have to be exchanged for cattle, sheep, or horses. Even if the Xiongnu harbored ulterior motives over time, they would not dare to be enemies with the Ming Army without weapons.

Over time, the edges of their hearts would be slowly worn down, and they would completely degenerate into a pasture for the Ming Army!

Jiang Ze stepped forward with a grin, "Big Brother, I knew you would come!"

Jiang Jinshi did not stint on his praise, "You did well, kid. I'm afraid that even if we hadn't come, you could have held Yin City!"

This was not a joke. Even though the city gates had been broken at the time, that was because the Xiongnu had piled up corpses to get up there. If this battle had been commanded by Adunla, he would never have let the Xiongnu cavalry attack the city in such a way.

Before Jiang Jinshi and the others arrived, the Xiongnu had already suffered heavy losses, while Yin City had maintained almost its complete combat power.

Even when the city gates were broken, Jiang Ze did not panic. The Xiongnu had lost a batch of men first, and then they fought while blocking the city gates, killing many Xiongnu. Even if they had retreated further, they could have relied on street fighting without losing the upper hand.

So, if Jiang Jinshi and the others hadn't come to support, at most they wouldn't have been able to annihilate the Xiongnu completely. Once the Xiongnu suffered too many losses, they would naturally have retreated, and occupying Yin City would have been almost impossible.

It was just a pity that the Chanyu was not Adunla. Perhaps the Chanyu was stronger than Adunla in terms of martial prowess alone, but in the military field, he was truly inferior to the other.

"If Big Brother hadn't come, how could there be such a victory!" Jiang Ze did not take credit; the defensive battle was passive by nature, and if the Xiongnu wanted to leave, he couldn't have kept them.

It was just that Jiang Ze was very puzzled, "Most commanders would have retreated as soon as they encountered a trap during a charge, because it would indicate that the opponent was prepared. This Chanyu was a bit stubborn! He insisted on attacking the city even by stepping on the bodies of his own kin!"

"He needed a victory too badly to establish his position. Furthermore, having spent years in the rear, his ability to command troops was not as good as Adunla's; this is normal!" Jiang Jinshi sighed. This Chanyu did indeed have some martial prowess, lasting much longer under his hands than Adunla.

But in terms of strategy, he was inferior to Adunla, which determined the Xiongnu's defeat today.

On the way here, Jiang Jinshi had been worried that this was a Xiongnu trap, but he hadn't expected the opponent to really act this way, completely eliminating the hidden danger in Beijiang in one go.

"Commander! The casualty count is out; five thousand eight hundred and thirty-one brothers were killed in action."

Jiang Jinshi nodded, "Mm! Record them all, and make sure the pension silver is distributed without a single cent missing."

This number of casualties was completely within Jiang Jinshi's acceptable range. Trading nearly six thousand casualties for sixty thousand of the enemy could absolutely be called a great victory.

And these casualties were almost all incurred during the encirclement and annihilation. One must know that Jiang Ze had already annihilated over ten thousand enemy troops while defending the city, and the proportion of his losses was even smaller.

"General, what should we do next?" Han Xiao also stepped forward. He had been fighting the Xiongnu on the front lines for many years, and he really couldn't think of the subsequent plans for a moment, as such a victory was a first.

"Clear the battlefield tomorrow, then you all assist Luo Feng in cleaning up the Xiongnu's remaining combat power. Try to finish it before the New Year; it's almost the New Year!" Jiang Jinshi patted Han Xiao on the shoulder.

Han Xiao was a bit dazed. For these years, even the New Year had been spent in the military camp, and this year would likely be the same, but the atmosphere would definitely be different from previous years because this year they wouldn't have to guard against a Xiongnu night raid.

"Right! By the way, spread the news! The people of Beijiang have waited too long for this victory!"

Luo Feng wanted to say something, but seeing that there were too many people around, he didn't say it. Only after everyone went to get busy did he say in a low voice, "Big Brother, why don't we hold off on spreading the news?"

"Why?"

"The Imperial Court has always thought that the Xiongnu were keeping us occupied, so they haven't had the heart to pay attention to Beijiang. We might as well block the news and seize the opportunity to develop well in Beijiang!" Luo Feng was full of enthusiasm, with light in his eyes.

Jiang Jinshi smiled, "Good thinking! But it's the same if the news gets out; the Imperial Court still won't have time to pay attention to us, and the news that we defeated the Xiongnu is more conducive to development in Beijiang."

Regarding this point, Wei Xikang and Jiang Jinshi had talked. For the Imperial Court, the threat was still the Western Liang King. After all, he had royal blood and a legitimate status, and only he could threaten the throne.

And the Scholar-Gentry stood behind the current Emperor, so they naturally didn't want to see the Western Liang King succeed; otherwise, all their efforts would go down the drain.

Even if the Western Liang King ascended, he wouldn't be a puppet emperor; he held a large army, and it was impossible for the Scholar-Gentry to control him. So, neither side had time to focus on Beijiang, which was a good opportunity for the Ming Army to develop.

Jiang Jinshi's proclamation of uprising had likely reached the eyes of the Imperial Court long ago, but they had never looked at him properly.

Spreading the news would only be more beneficial to the Ming Army's development in Beijiang. Even if those prefects had ulterior motives, would they dare to stop the Ming Army?

The people would only worship the Ming Army as heroes, as the good men who stood up at a critical moment. Their reputation in Beijiang would reach its peak in an instant.

Therefore, Jiang Jinshi's next plan was to unify Beijiang!