"These 60,000 prisoners of war were brought back by me from the Battle of Bianshui. They are prisoners of war in our army. Neither you nor General Li Xian have the right to deal with them."
While the faces of He Shan and others were stiff, the voice finally said very clearly: "Whoever wants to take them away can ask the saint for an imperial edict. When I see the edict, I will naturally not stop him."
Asking for a decree from a saint?
The expressions of the two Luoyang officials changed.
Not to mention that the floods are blocking the road now. If you want to go to the capital to request an order, the fastest round trip will take more than ten days... By then, the rain may have stopped, and their mistakes will have been made. No matter how many prisoners of war are killed, it will be impossible.
It's already too late!
Besides, how could a saint explicitly issue an edict on this matter?
Although it is said that the prisoners of war are killed, the sacrifice of living people to heaven will inevitably be criticized by those who are interested. It is understandable that they adopt this method in an emergency. But if a saint openly issued an order to the world, wouldn't it be a clear way for others to make an article to criticize the saint?
Chance?
If an emperor wants to win the hearts of the people and avoid slander, many things must not be said by himself, and many things must be done by the hands of his ministers.
Only when they are crazy would they ask the sage for an edict on this matter, and only when the sage is crazy would he agree to issue an edict on this matter!
Thinking of the destroyed Fengxian Palace and the rumors that took advantage of the situation, one of the Luoyang officials couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Only by transferring the source of the flood to these prisoners of war can the rumors that are unfavorable to the saint be completely put to rest!
These people are just prisoners of war, they will die if they die, why can't they be killed?
Did General Ning Yuan kill too few people on the battlefield?
So, was she trying to protect these inconsequential prisoners of war, or was she young and energetic, relying on some military merit, deliberately trying to show off her power in front of them, and deliberately causing them discomfort?
According to them, it's more like the latter.
Historically, these military generals who have become famous for their military achievements are always tainted with an air of unreasonable arrogance when they are suddenly praised highly!
Faced with her unreasonable request for an order at this time, He Shan asked firmly: "...Doesn't General Ning Yuan understand the importance of this matter?"
"How dare you open your mouth and ask my general whether he knows the seriousness of this?"
Shepherd's purse took two steps forward on his horse and came to Chang Sui Ning's side. He raised his eyebrows and scolded: "When my general risked his life to kill the enemy in Bianshui, you didn't know which corner of Luoyang City you were hiding in! Our general is from Bianshui.
The biggest contributor to the Water War, how could it be that you, a nobody like you, get to shout at us!"
Shepherd's Purse has a relatively simple mind, but now she believes in something. Once they put on this armor, military merit is their greatest confidence.
He Shan's face darkened when he heard this. A Luoyang official beside him couldn't bear it and pointed at shepherd's purse: "Where did you come from, this ignorant shrew!"
Shepherd's Purse sneered: "I am ignorant, but these adults know everything, including that long before this rain turned into a flood, my general ordered me to gallop to Luoyang at starry night so that Luoyang City could prepare early. It's you who
I didn't take it seriously and didn't respond in time, so Fengxian Palace was destroyed immediately."
"You don't want to take this responsibility, so you are trying to put the blame on these prisoners of war and let them risk their lives to repair this hole for you. This is not a parent official. It is clear that when the Lord of Hell comes, he will have to give up his seat to you!"
She could not imagine the deeper struggle between Luoyang nobles, but because of this, the effect of angering people was even greater.
"...That's total nonsense!"
Faced with shepherd's purse's harsh words, the two Luoyang officials were almost speechless with anger. Soon, they assumed a posture of "not arguing with the ignorant shrew" and turned to look at Chang Sui Ning.
"General Ning Yuan allowed this woman to spew ignorant and slanderous words. Could it be that what this woman said is what General Ning Yuan thinks?" The official who asked the question spoke carefully, with a solemn face, showing his official authority.
Once again, Chang Sui Ning is reminded of the importance of this.
However, the pressure he unleashed seemed to be unable to get close enough to affect the girl on the horse at all.
Chang Suining looked at him and corrected: "She is not an ignorant woman, she is a meritorious sergeant under my command."
"I think I have made it very clear just now. There are military rules in the army. Such acts of killing and sacrificing prisoners on a large scale, without the imperial decree, I would never release them."
She raised her eyes and glanced at the men and horses brought behind them: "As for other possibilities to take them away, if you are willing, you can give it a try."
As soon as she finished speaking, He Wuhu and the others behind her immediately drew their swords and were waiting, exuding a fierce look of banditry that had not yet been eliminated.
The soldiers who surrounded her were all on guard, and the atmosphere was tense and on the verge of breaking out.
When the two officials saw this, they subconsciously took a step back, their faces turning green and white.
"Do you want to try?" The girl on the horse actually smiled at them and encouraged: "As the saying goes, nothing is difficult in the world, only those who are willing can do it."
This smile made the two officials feel a chill on their backs, like a glow on their backs.
Are you afraid of people who are thoughtful? Are you afraid that people who are thoughtful...will become lifeless people!
They are not fools who will step forward even when they see a knife at their throats.
One of the officials stopped the dissatisfied He Shan and said coldly: "...Since General Ning Yuan does not want to do this today, I will say goodbye first!"
With that said, he rolled up his sleeves and left the place.
"Just leaving like this...how to explain to the general!" He Shan said in a deep voice after leaving Chang Suining's sight.
"General He, can't you see that this little girl has a very arrogant style? If she really takes action..."
"..." He Shan, who was covering his arm, looked at the arrow stuck in his arm... What do you mean, if he made a move, wouldn't he have already done it to him?
Not only did he dare to take action against him, he also dared to brazenly ask his general to go to the sage to request an order.
Sure enough, I have made some achievements, but I don’t know how much I weigh...
The other party's move is equivalent to indirectly offending the saint... Such an arrogant idiot, let's see how long she can be proud of it!
"General He doesn't need to be acquainted with her. It's important to treat the injury first." Another relatively calm official sneered: "It should be noted that the person who is really in charge of the army is not her turn yet."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! This sentence reminded He Shan.
The errand was important, and he didn't have to compete with this little girl for the time being. The little girl didn't know the importance, but Xiao Min should always know!
He immediately ordered his men to find out where Xiao Min was at this time.
In addition, he sent a group of fast riders back to Luoyang to report the matter to Li Xian.
Chang Suining jumped off Gui Qi's back, splashing mud and water under his feet.
Lieutenant Bai stepped forward, lowered his voice, and explained to her how the prisoners of war grabbed knives and resisted.
The body of the prisoner of war whose chest was pierced by He Shan's arrow had already been carried down.
Chang Suining walked up to the group of controlled prisoners of war and asked, "Who was the person who took the lead in seizing the sword and provoking the riot just now?"
"It's me!" The burly man with his hands tied behind his back admitted without hesitation.
Chang Suining looked at him: "What's your name?"
"Huang San!" The man's sun-spotted face was tense. He looked at the girl in front of him, and for some unknown reason, he tried to explain to her: "They shot Shunzi first, we just
I just don’t want to die!”
There was no sympathy on the girl's face, and she said calmly: "But as a prisoner of war, if you provoke a riot, you are violating military regulations."
The man gritted his teeth and had no more delusions in his mind.
He closed his eyes: "I am the one who took the lead in this matter. If you want to kill me, just kill me!"
The clear and emotionless voice sounded: "I will punish you with twenty batons to serve as a warning to others."
"yes!"
The man was stunned. He was dragged aside and pressed on the execution bench. It wasn't until a military stick fell on him and the pain came that he came back to his senses and groaned.
Chang Suining was not far away watching him being punished.
No matter whether you are a prisoner of war or a soldier, as long as you are in the army, you must strictly abide by military regulations.
Just like a fight between soldiers, the reason for the fight is not important. If the "innocent" party does not need to be punished, everyone will take a chance and test the bottom line of military regulations.
Military regulations do not tolerate temptation or provocation.
Even if she knew that the resistance of these prisoners of war was forced by He Shan and others, she still needed to punish them to maintain the authority of military regulations.
After twenty rounds of beatings, Huang San lay down on the bench and was in so much pain that he could no longer move.
Twenty military sticks is definitely not a light punishment. If someone is slightly weaker, it is enough to kill him.
At this moment, his head was covered with sweat, his teeth were trembling, and he raised his bloodshot eyes to look at Chang Suining.
Chang Suining glanced at him and at the prisoners of war: "What I am doing today means that you have performed well during these days, but today's situation is special, so I will only give you a slight punishment and let it go. But if you do it again after today,
If a riot breaks out, all participants will be beheaded in public display and will not be tolerated."
The prisoners of war responded with panic.
"What's more -" Chang Suining looked at them and said, "Since I promised not to kill those who surrender, I will never break my promise. After this flood, I will take you back to Jiangnan."
——Back to Jiangnan?!
The prisoners of war looked at her in disbelief, with only a pair of eyes shining with hope on their dirty faces.
Chang Suining: "I know that most of you were forcibly recruited by Xu Zhengye, and your family members were robbed and even killed by Xu Zhengye's soldiers. Being part of Xu's army is not what you wanted -"
"But the state has national laws and the military has military regulations. It is also true that you followed Xu Zhengye and committed the crime of treason. If you are not punished, everyone in the world can follow suit." She said: "When you return to Jiangnan, you will need to use prisoners of war as prisoners of war.
You have to serve and pay off your sins, and you need to rebuild the cities that have been broken down and destroyed by you."
"We... we are willing!" Some prisoners of war choked: "We are willing to serve and atone for our sins!"
They have never followed Xu Zhengye willingly. Among the homeless refugees in Jiangnan, there are also their parents, wives and children.
Xu Zhengye was defeated in Bianshui, and they were even happy that it was finally over.
They were willing to surrender because they wanted to save their lives. As for what they would face after becoming prisoners of war, they did not know, but they never dared to hope that they could return to Jiangnan and go home!
Even if they go home as prisoners of war to atone for their sins, they should indeed atone for their sins... As long as they can go home, it is the best outcome for them!
They all said: "We are all willing!"
Although no one needs to ask them if they are willing...but that's how they feel!
Some prisoners of war shed tears and couldn't help sobbing.
The man who had received twenty military sticks was dragged over. He looked at Chang Sui Ning: "...General Ning Yuan, do you really mean what you said?"
Chang Sui Ning also looked at him: "What's the use of lying to you."
Hope emerged in the man's heart, but he still dared not believe it: "Can General Ning Yuan really make the decision?"
After he asked this question, he saw that the girl really looked thoughtful.
The man's heart was lifted high and he looked at her momentarily.
After a moment, the other party smiled: "I think so."
"My general finally killed that thief Xu!" He Wuhu said, patting his chest and saying, "The saint has already said it. Let my general choose what reward he wants!"
When the man heard this, he gritted his teeth and tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.
Seeing Chang Suining turning around and leaving with Captain Bai and others, he turned his head and watched the figure walk away in the thin rain and mist.
"General, do you really want to take them back to Jiangnan?" Lieutenant Bai asked, or was it just a casual reassurance to prevent them from rioting again?
"The land south of the Yangtze River is in pieces and requires a lot of manpower to rebuild. Since it's time to employ people, why can't we use them?" Chang Sui Ning said: "And where Xu's army passed through, most of the young and strong men were forcibly taken away. These
Most of the people who were conquered were killed or injured, and now only these 60,000 people are left... Among them, there are even many literate people."
Different from the soldiers who initially followed Xu Zhengye, after all, before Xu Zhengye raised his troops, they were just ordinary people.
She is not a kind-hearted person, and she has also done cruel things to kill all the captives, but that was to deal with aliens. Facing those fierce aliens, all she can do is to be more fierce and cruel than them.
But these prisoners of war are her subjects of Da Sheng. If they have no choice but to do something wrong, they should be punished and not killed.
And now, in addition to internal worries, there are also external threats. Killing these 60,000 strong prisoners of war indiscriminately would also undermine Dasheng's ability to resist the enemy, which is not advisable.
These are just one of her considerations.
Chang Sui Ning Wei did not say more about the matter to Captain Bai, but instead said: "Where is the coach doing the disaster relief now? Let someone trustworthy quickly send him a message and ask him to hide better so that no one will find him."
She would never hand over these prisoners of war to Li Xian, but it was most appropriate for her to come forward in this matter. Anyway, she was used to being arrogant and overbearing.
But Xiao Min's position was different, and she didn't want him to get involved.
Anyway, disaster relief is urgent now. When there is a flood, information about the whereabouts is not conveyed in time. It is normal that no one can be found within three to five days.
Lieutenant Bai understood and immediately went to make arrangements.
Yao Ran was silent all the way and followed Chang Suining back to the tent.
Chang Suining changed into dry clothes and draped her semi-wet hair behind her head. When she came out from behind the screen, she saw Yao Ran still standing in the wet clothes, his expression fluctuating.
Chang Suining sat down cross-legged behind a table where military documents were stacked, and then asked her: "What's wrong?"
