Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 1977: All the soldiers in Tongcheng surrendered to the Han Dynasty, and Lanling became a Han minister from then on

War is cruel after all!

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides now poured into the city and engaged in a brutal battle.

All of this is not only a matter for the two armies, but is also closely related to the hundreds of thousands of people in Tongcheng.

In the midst of chaos, it is normal for the common people to suffer from the disaster.

It was very common for some rebellious troops to take advantage of this time to break into civilians' homes, burn, kill, loot, and even rape civilians.

It was normal for some soldiers to simply chop off a few civilians and use their heads as those of enemy soldiers to claim military merit.

Which war can the people escape safely?
Otherwise, why is it said that life is as cheap as paper in troubled times?

If such a war really goes to an end, it would be extremely common for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people in the city to disappear after the war.

Think about the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. From the initial population of more than 50 million, after the Three Kingdoms period, there were only less than 8 million left.

Of course, it is impossible that all these people who disappeared were soldiers. Apart from natural disasters, they were also civilians who were affected by the wars.

After all, the city is in such a mess now. If everyone is killed, there will be no way to find out the truth.

If there were only tens of thousands of soldiers in the city, Gao Changgong would not hesitate. But if hundreds of thousands of civilians were added, the weight would be heavy!

It was precisely because of his consideration for these people that his original idea of ​​fighting to the end was shaken unconsciously. When he thought of the innocent people in the city, the scale in his heart gradually began to lean towards the other side.

Gao Changgong held the teacup tightly in his hand, veins popped out on his arm, sweat accumulated on his forehead, and he was in a state of struggle. This decision was not so easy for him to make. Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and righteous. When it comes to this kind of choice, no one can be so straightforward.

Seeing this, Wang Yu was not in a hurry. He just sat there quietly, waiting for Gao Changgong's decision.

After a long time, Gao Changgong finally came back to his senses after the struggle between his conscience and his desires.

The original determination slowly disappeared, and a hint of dejection appeared on his face. The moment he came to his senses, he let out a long sigh.

"Your Majesty, if our army is willing to give up resistance, Your Majesty can promise not to harm the people in the city and to properly resettle them!"

Gao Changgong opened his mouth several times, but then closed it again. He had made up his mind, but when it came time to speak, he still hesitated. After doing this several times, he finally made a sound.

"If the general surrenders, Tongcheng will become the land of the Han Dynasty, and the people of Tongcheng will also become the people of the Han Dynasty. I will naturally not treat the people of the Han Dynasty with hostility!"

Wang Yu nodded and answered in the affirmative.

"Okay, I am willing to lead the army to give up resistance, but I still have a few conditions. I hope Your Majesty will agree!" Gao Changgong stood up solemnly and saluted solemnly.

Not far away, Yuan Lang, Song Jiang and others who had been watching the situation here had mixed feelings for a moment after seeing this scene.

"General, please speak!"

Wang Yu was not surprised at all about Gao Changgong's conditions.

After all, the other party still holds so much power in his hands. It would be a bit outrageous if he didn't put forward any conditions.

The troops in your hands are the opponent's bargaining chips, and also the confidence that allows the opponent to put forward conditions.

Wang Yu was not afraid of the other party's conditions. The other party's conditions at this time showed that there was a possibility of negotiation. If the other party was determined to resist to the end, he would not discuss any conditions at all.

"First of all, I hope Your Majesty will have mercy on the surrendered soldiers and properly settle them. If anyone wants to return home, please let them go and don't force them into the Han army." Gao Changgong said, putting forward his first condition.

He did not mention the people's affairs again, as this was a prerequisite agreed upon by both parties.

After the people, what he cared about most were the soldiers.

After all, there are still so many soldiers in the city now, most of whom are local soldiers from Henan. If the Han Dynasty really ignores the wishes of these soldiers and forcibly incorporates them into the army, it means that these people will most likely fight with their fellow countrymen or even their blood relatives.

Most of Huangfu Guyuan's subordinates are soldiers from Henan!
Gao Changgong was unwilling to do so, so he let their fellow villagers kill each other.

Furthermore, the surrendered troops were reorganized into the army, and they were basically cannon fodder troops. When such troops really fought, the casualty rate would definitely be high. If this was really the case, it would only bring them from one hell to another.

In this way, Gao Changgong met this condition.

"Yes! However, letting them return home must be done after the war!" Wang Yu frowned when he heard this condition, but still nodded.

During a war, it was normal to use some of the surrendered soldiers to supplement the troops. But since Gao Changgong had proposed it, Wang Yu did not argue too much about it.

If Zhao Song and Xi Cang fought, Xue Rengui and the legion would be free to join the war. This surrendered army was not so necessary for Wang Yu.

However, although he agreed to this condition, he would never rush into it, even if it meant releasing some of the soldiers who returned home to farm.

If they were released now, these soldiers would be summoned again by Huangfu Guyuan as soon as they returned home and would once again appear on the battlefield to resist the Han Dynasty.

So, although this condition was agreed to, it was after the war.

"In addition, for those generals who are unwilling to surrender to the Han Dynasty, Your Majesty is requested to send them away! Do not kill them again!"

Gao Changgong stated his second condition, but he was not confident enough to agree to this condition.

However, even though he was no longer sure, he still spoke.

Among all the generals, there were definitely some who would rather die than surrender. If Gao Changgong ordered his soldiers to give up resistance, it would be like putting these people under the knife of the Han army and letting them be slaughtered.

Therefore, he still has to consider these people!
"Can!"

"As long as the general is willing to sincerely surrender to the Han Dynasty and is willing to fight for the Han Dynasty in the future, these people can be let go!" After a long time, Wang Yu finally spoke.

Gao Huan and Hulu Qiangju were already dead. At this time, there was no news that Bu Fei had been surrounded and killed. However, Wang Yu still knew that the enemy had broken through the siege. In other words, now, the only person in the city that he was willing to pay attention to was Gao Changgong. Apart from Gao Changgong, the rest were at most some top-notch commanders.

If these people can be used to make Gao Changgong sincerely work for the Han Dynasty, then it would be fine to let them go.

Wang Yu at least didn't think he was at a loss by exchanging a group of miscellaneous generals for a good general who would sincerely serve him.

After hearing Wang Yu's conditions, Gao Changgong could only agree with a helpless smile.

Originally, out of consideration for the people in the city, he was willing to give up resistance.

However, his giving up resistance did not mean that he would surrender to the Han Dynasty. According to his original idea, he would commit suicide to show his determination. In this way, he would not only save the people, but also be worthy of Huangfu Guyuan and his uncle Gao Huan.

However, at this time, Wang Yu compromised, and Gao Changgong had no choice but to compromise as well.

After all, Gao Changgong is a man of certain moral standards. If it were someone else, they might not consider the lives of the people or other soldiers.

"Third..."

"General Gao, it's better to know when to stop!" This time, Wang Yu interrupted Gao Changgong before he could finish speaking.

He gave Gao Changgong the power to propose conditions, but that did not mean he could make such conditions unscrupulously.

After all, he had already secured victory in this battle. If it wasn't for minimizing casualties, there wouldn't have been this conversation.

"Forget it! In the future, Your Majesty, please treat the people in the city well!" Gao Changgong also understood that he couldn't get any more pressure, so he stood up again and bowed solemnly.

However, this time, he did not perform the etiquette of an envoy, but the etiquette of a monarch and his subjects, which also represented his attitude.

Although the last condition has not been proposed, at least the two most important points have been mentioned and agreed upon. Although the last point is regrettable, it is not absolutely necessary.

"Okay! The rest will be left to General Gao!" Wang Yu nodded.

Now, the generals in the city have no unified leadership. How to convince other generals depends on Gao Changgong's ability.

If the other party does not have this ability, then the conditions promised to him before will naturally be invalid.

The basis for the conditions to be met is that Gao Changgong can lead the troops in the city to give up resistance. If the prerequisites cannot be met, the follow-up will naturally not be met.

After Gao Changgong returned, he told the generals about his conversation with Wang Yu, which also caused an uproar.

Zhao Shiming and Ding Anshi have both followed Huangfu Guyuan for many years and are relatively loyal.

Therefore, these two people are staunch resistance elements.

Before Gao Changgong even finished speaking, the two of them were already on the verge of a showdown, calling Gao Changgong a traitor.

The counselor Feng Ji is considered a capitulationist.

Previously, considering his reputation, he had not easily expressed his wishes. At the same time, it was also because Gao Changgong's decisive method of killing Yuan Cheng had frightened him. He was afraid that if he revealed that intention, Gao Changgong would kill him without hesitation.

However, Gao Changgong now gave him a natural reputation as a righteous man!

By using the slogan of considering the hundreds of thousands of people in the city, he could openly express his support for Gao Changgong.

At the same time, Feng Ji also had a lot of disdain for Gao Changgong. Half a day ago, he was still determined to fight to the death, and even wanted to kill Yuan Cheng. But in just half a day, his attitude completely changed.

The relationship between Yuan Lang and Gao Changgong is still good, although there are some rifts between him and Gao Changgong because of Yuan Cheng's incident.

However, on this matter, he still stood behind Gao Changgong.

Yuan Lang was born into a noble family. However, his family was relatively poor, so he had to go through a hard time in his early years. This also allowed him to empathize with the people. At the same time, this was also the reason why he was not so close to other members of his family.

Although Song Jiang also supported Gao Changgong's decision, he was unwilling to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

After all, Gao Changgong had just said that those who were unwilling to surrender to the Han Dynasty could leave.

Song Jiang is a typical Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty. He advocates loyalty and righteousness, and loyalty comes before righteousness. In front of loyalty, even righteousness has to take a back seat.

His loyalty was to the royal bloodline. It was hard to imagine that Song Jiang, who started out as a bandit, behaved just like the eight generals of the imperial guards.

Back then, whether it was the eight generals of the imperial guards or people like Song Jiang, they all obeyed Huangfu Mingzhao's last will and surrendered to Huangfu Guyuan to rebuild Da Cang.

However, in the hearts of these people, they still recognized the lineage of Huangfu Mingzhao, not Huangfu Guyuan. In the hearts of these people, only the lineage of Huangfu Mingzhao was the true orthodoxy of the Cang family.

This is why Xia Ze and the other eight generals of the imperial army were so easily persuaded to betray Huangfu Guyuan. When Yan Ba ​​learned about the existence of the Xicang court, he did not hesitate to enter Hedong and directly forgot about Huangfu Guyuan.

Song Jiang had already been leaning towards Xi Cang, but they didn't have the same opportunity as Xia Ze and the others. Now, they could take this opportunity to officially leave Zhong Cang and go to Xi Cang to join the royal orthodoxy.

But at least, in terms of giving up resistance, Song Jiang showed his support for Gao Changgong.

No matter how determined Zhao Shiming and Ding Anshi are, they are powerless.

Even at Song Jiang's signal, he was knocked unconscious by Li Ying's sneak attack.

In this way, under the leadership of Gao Changgong, the soldiers in Tongcheng officially laid down their weapons and surrendered.

From then on, Lanling King Gao Changgong officially transformed from a Cang minister to a Han minister.

It was also because of Gao Changgong's leadership that the soldiers of Tongcheng voluntarily gave up resistance. Therefore, in this battle, there were 140,000 soldiers in Tongcheng, but the actual casualties were only 20,000. The remaining 120,000 all entered the surrender camp of the Han Dynasty.

The Battle of Tongcheng represented the complete loss of one third of Zhongcang's military forces.

It also means that the war to conquer the south has taken a crucial step.