Liu Mingzhi looked at Cheng Kai's somewhat uneasy expression, took out the map he had just read from the saddle on his horse and placed it in front of Cheng Kai.
"There are nearly a hundred counties around Tianshui County between Yunzhou and Ganzhou, with hundreds of thousands of people living there."
"You have been stationed at the border for many years. Don't you know about Ganzhou and the terrain between Yunzhou?"
Cheng Kai glanced at the map and nodded hesitantly: "It kills most of the enemies. It is not suitable for farming. The food output of the people is pitiful."
"Yes, it's good that you know this. Now that the summer harvest is around the corner, do you think the terrible people with already low grain output will be willing to retreat with this grain?"
"Food is the top priority for the people, it is their lifeblood."
"Even though they were forced to tearfully abandon the food that was about to be harvested under pressure, once the Turkic cavalry penetrated deep into the hinterland, all the twenty-seven prefectures and one hundred and fifty-two states in my fiefdom would be plunged into chaos.
"
"When everyone is in danger, the people in the remaining 20-plus prefectures will hide their food and live in panic. What will happen to the hundreds of thousands of people in the remaining 100-plus counties?"
"They will starve to death if they don't have enough to eat, or they will take desperate measures and start a civil riot over food."
"The power of the common people to stir up civil unrest is no less powerful than that of the Turks going south."
"You may want to say, what does this have to do with killing five thousand Turkic prisoners? I'll tell you what it has to do with it!"
"It's no secret that I came from the same school as Huyan Yunyao, the Great Khan of Turkic Taichang. I won't go into details with you. I know my junior brother Huyan Yunyao, and the teacher speaks highly of her.
"
"Today's Turks are no longer the Turks of the past. In the past, they went south to invade the border in order to burn, kill and plunder to survive the cold winter on the grasslands, which is what Turks often call grass-grazing valleys."
Cheng Kai nodded slightly: "This general will naturally understand, but now that the Turks are going south to invade our territory, aren't they plundering my Dalong people?"
Liu Mingzhi shook his head with firm eyes, his eyes filled with memories, and it took a long time before Liu Mingzhi came back to his senses.
"It's different. The Turks of today are very different from the Turks of the past. In the past, the Turks went south for food and supplies, but the situation became completely different after my junior brother Huyan Yunyao became Khan."
"My junior brother is extremely ambitious. What she values is not just some of my dragon's food and supplies, she values the entire world."
"The world encompasses the three kingdoms."
"She cares about the world and will restrain the people of Huyan Court not to kill innocent people in vain, because that will destroy the hearts of the people and make people and gods angry."
"The Turkic population is far less than the population of my Dalong people. In order to establish an opportunity for the Turks to dominate the world, she will restrain her tribe and try every means to win the favor of my Dalong people."
"Therefore, in order to lay the foundation for unification of the world, as long as there is a normal national war on the battlefield, innocent people will rarely be implicated."
"So, it's easy to kill five thousand people, but the scary thing is that one move can affect the whole body."
"If you kill prisoners today, the Turks will dare to kill my great dragon and the people. Tooth for tooth, blood for blood. Five thousand prisoners may be exchanged for the lives of my great dragon's 50,000 or even 100,000 people."
After listening to Mr. Liu's word-for-word analysis, Cheng Kai couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.
Looking at Young Master Liu with a worried expression, Cheng Kai had an undisguised look of guilt on his face.
"Commander, I finally realized that I was wrong and almost caused a catastrophic disaster. Please, Commander..."
Liu Mingzhi raised his hand to interrupt Cheng Kai and continued to speak.
"What I just mentioned was just one of the shortcomings. Didn't you notice that when we just launched the encirclement, two majestic eagles unique to the grassland had already taken off and flew towards Yunzhou?"
"That is to say, although we succeeded, we were also exposed. The speed of the two falcons was so fast that I almost didn't react before they flew away. In other words, it is true that we intercepted the food and grass.
But the whereabouts of our soldiers and horses in the Talu River have also been revealed."
"In this way, if our killing of prisoners spreads to the ears of the Turks and Jin people, the consequences will be far more serious than what happened to the common people."
"The dragon killed the prisoners. Once word spreads about this, the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom and the Turks will all be in danger."
"Everyone is in danger, and the result is that they are ready to fight to the death."
"Since you can't escape the fate of being trapped and killed even if you are captured, it's better to fight to the death and pick up a few backers to accumulate some military exploits for your wife, children, and children."
"There is a saying in the art of war that a sad soldier will win."
"An enemy that is determined to die can unleash more than double its combat power."
"In the future, when we fight roundabout guerrilla warfare and support Yingzhou, Jeju, and Fuzhou from the side, we will pay many times more casualties in the face of this kind of enemy force."
"Our troops are already limited. If we continue to suffer heavy casualties, the troops of the two countries will really break through our country."
"The only way you can let the enemy see hope of survival will be, the greater the possibility of capturing them alive, and conversely, the casualties of our brothers will be smaller."
"You can even use these prisoners to embarrass them on all sides. It can be said to be a good thing that kills two birds with one stone."
"It is easy to kill prisoners, but it is not easy to deal with the aftermath of killing prisoners. Five thousand people are exchanged for my country, Dalong. Do you think it is worth it or not?"
"Raising five thousand prisoners will indeed waste some food, but as long as we don't starve them to death and don't let them eat enough, we won't be afraid of them secretly obstructing us."
"Even if five thousand exhausted prisoners have the intention to stir up trouble, how big of a storm can they stir up."
"Cheng Kai!"
Cheng Kai looked at Young Master Liu with a face full of shame: "The end...the end will be here!"
"You have followed me in various expeditions here and there, and for so many years, I have told you more than once that war is not just about fighting, nor is it just a simple matter of you killing me and me killing you."
"It must include factors such as heart attack, city siege, strategy, etc. When the strength is equal, the key to determining the outcome of a big battle is not the bravery of the soldiers and their courage to fight."
"It's about using the minimum price to get the maximum results."
"This is the fundamental purpose of a war."
"I've told you so much, but you don't feel at ease at all."
"In the end... I will realize my mistake. I will be willing to accept the punishment. Please punish me, Commander-in-Chief!"
Liu Mingzhi chuckled and shook his head: "It's the right time for you to hire people, so I won't punish you. When this war is over, if you and I can be safe and sound, I'll find a few more military books and study the Taoist scriptures.
Purify your evil spirit."
"Yes, but Commander, if you ask me to see if the general can still read the book on war, then I won't need this Taoist book, right?"
Young Master Liu glared at Cheng Kai who looked troubled, then galloped towards the opened city gate.
"You don't have to read military books, but you must read scriptures. You are a soldier, not an executioner who kills people. This is an order!"
"Yes, the general will get the order!"
"Hahaha........"
Liu Da Shaoqian had just arrived in front of the city gate when Zhang Kuang's wild laughter came from inside the city. As soon as the laughter fell, Zhang Kuang galloped out and looked at Liu Da Shao who had stopped and tightened his grip.
Ma Rein looked at Young Master Liu who was smiling lightly with a pleased expression.
"Good boy, you are really clever and clever. You really succeeded. You really live up to your reputation as a handsome man in white. I am convinced."
Liu Mingzhi glanced around, and there was a hint of worry between his brows.
"Brother, is there no news all the way?"
The worry in Zhang Kuang's eyes flashed away, and he lightly hit Mr. Liu on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, you are just sitting back and waiting. Qing'er has to go deep into the official roads of Daizhou, which will naturally delay time. Qing'er has followed you for so many years, and his ability to assess the situation is extraordinary. If you can't defeat him, you can always retreat. Don't worry!"
Liu Mingzhi nodded silently, waving his riding crop and pointing at the prisoners behind him: "You can make some arrangements. I'll go back and draft a battle report first. Someone will notify me as soon as my brother comes back."
"Okay, just leave the rest to me."
It was night, Young Master Liu compiled the battle report he had written out after careful consideration, and slowly stretched his body and walked towards the inner courtyard.
"Master, there is your letter!"
Young Master Liu had just gone out when Liu Song hurried in holding a letter.
"Where did it come from?"
"I don't know. It was shot directly into the courtyard wall. The arrow looked like a Turkic arrow. The envelope had obvious wrinkles, like the creases in the bamboo tube. It was most likely a golden eagle. The letter was delivered after the falcon passed it.
It’s from our house.”
Liu Mingzhi took the letter with a puzzled expression. Reflecting the lights in the corridor, Liu Mingzhi looked at the envelope and muttered the words "Five Juanxiu and Hidden Fortitude" in big letters.
"Xiaosong, please go back first. Master, go back to the study and look at who's letter it is."
"Yes, Xiaosong resigned."
In the study, Mr. Liu frowned slightly as he looked at the contents on the letter, and his arms trembled uncontrollably.
"Senior brother, please be polite, little sister Yunyao."
"Farewell to the past..."
"This time I am marching south, my little sister is doing it for both public and private reasons!"
"As for the victory or defeat in this national war, it all depends on God's will and means."
"No matter whether we win or lose, I hope that my senior brother will not forget my little sister's friendship."
"What do you think, senior brother?"
After reading the letter, Mr. Liu looked around guiltily, lit the letter in his hand at the candle, and threw it into the brazier.
Sitting in a chair, Liu Mingzhi realized that there was a little sweat on his forehead.
Looking at the burned letter with complicated eyes, Liu Mingzhi took a long and meaningful breath.
"After all, we are fellow disciples, and you actually understand me better than Wanyan."
"I didn't expect that the first person to see through my deep intention of advocating the Northern Expedition would be you. Junior brother, junior brother, I have underestimated you!"