Water Margin people

Chapter 1701: Provoking and Attacking the Heart
The slaves who were listening to the battle above with their ears pricked up knew that their hope was dashed when they heard the sound of falling into the water. They were the ones who dug those tunnels with their own hands and naturally knew the dangers of them. If they fell into them unexpectedly during the cavalry charge, there would be no hope of getting out at all.

As the Qi army's shouts of killing rang out, it also foreshadowed the complete defeat of the Arab cavalry.

The slaves had no other thoughts and lay down on their simple beds one by one to sleep. There was still a lot of work to do tomorrow.

The next morning, the slaves smelled the aroma of meat as soon as they woke up. The slaves who were selected to be responsible for logistics and cooking had already set up a row of large pots, which were filled with fragrant horse meat soup.

The horse meat smell is strong, but fortunately there are enough spices here to overpower the taste.

"These are the supplies the enemy sent yesterday. This general is not stingy and will share them all with you!"

Han Shizhong looked at the slaves and smiled.

On the other side of the slaves were the newly captured captives.

The slaves hesitated when looking at the horse meat soup in the pot. They really wanted to drink this rich and mellow broth, but these war horses belonged to the Arab cavalry on the opposite side, and those people seemed to be here to "rescue" them.

The captives glared fiercely at the slaves opposite them. They fought bloody battles last night, but none of the slaves responded. If these slaves had charged forward at that time, they would not have been defeated by two thousand people.

"Don't just stand there, you guys also played a role in this battle. If you hadn't dug the canals and brought in water, how could we have captured these guys alive and how could we have had meat today!"

Han Shizhong looked at the slaves and said with a smile.

These words instantly froze the atmosphere. The slaves were stunned and the captives had murderous eyes.

The slaves had no way of defending themselves. They were slaves. They did whatever the people of Qi asked them to do just to save their lives. How could they know that those were meant to deal with the Arab cavalry?

The Arab cavalry have confirmed that these slaves are the culprits. These people have completely betrayed them and the Arab religion. They are true traitors.

"It's getting late. If we keep the broth in for a while, it will get cold! Whether we eat it or not, we can't delay this project!"

Han Shizhong looked at the slaves and said, this requires the slaves to make a choice, whether to accept their fate or to fight to the end.

Although the slaves were very afraid, whether it was Qi or the Arab Empire, ordinary people like them could not afford to get drunk.

Finally the slaves made their choice. They lined up obediently with their bowls to receive the broth.

The slaves knew very well that they had offended the Arabs. Even if Qi left and the Arabs came, given the current situation, their fate would not be good. The Arabs were never kind.

Since we are going to die anyway, why not just enjoy the present moment, drink broth, eat dry biscuits, and be full and satisfied. Isn't that better than anything else?
"That's right. You can't die of starvation. As long as you are loyal to Qi, who dares to kill you?"

"You never had a full meal before, so when have you ever been hungry?"

Han Shizhong looked at the slaves with a smile. Today's theme was to win their hearts and let these slaves know who was good to them.

"You betrayed the Holy Church, and you will go to hell!"

"There will be more troops coming, and you will all die!"

……

The captured Arab soldiers roared in anger.

These roars also angered the slaves. They had nothing to do with the incident. It was not their fault that they were arrested. They had given everything for the holy war, but the people above were incompetent and lost the war. In the end, the responsibility was pushed onto them and they were sent to hell.

Some bad-tempered slaves pointed at the captives and started cursing. They had accumulated too much resentment during this period of time, and now they could finally find someone to vent it out on.

Han Shizhong smiled as he watched those people quarreling with each other. His goal was achieved by provoking internal disputes among the Arabs. These slaves would soon have no way out and would have no choice but to follow Qi State.

After a while of cursing, the soldiers urged the slaves to work quickly, and the slaves obediently went to the dug holes.

"What are you staring at? Don't you want your eyeballs anymore?"

Han Shizhong looked coldly at the angry captives. The captives did not dare to look at Han Shizhong, and they lowered their heads and kept silent.

"You will also be digging with us today, and your task is even more important. If you fail to complete it, you will be beheaded!"

Seeing that the captives dared not resist, Han Shizhong laughed again.

"Don't even think about it! We would never help you even if we die!"

A general roared.

"Okay, you really have guts! I've decided to spare your life! Someone, help him!"

Han Shizhong waved his hand coldly.

The soldiers immediately stepped forward, raised their swords, and chopped off the Arab's two arms.

The screams instantly echoed around, and the soldiers didn't wait for the man to call out twice before pressing two red-hot irons to the wound.

There was the sound of boiling fat, miserable wailing, and a hint of the aroma of barbecue.

Whether they were captives or slaves, at this moment they were all so frightened that their faces turned pale and they wished they could bury their heads in the sand.

The general died of pain on the spot, and the soldiers threw him to the ground.

"You are so useless. I only took his arms, thinking of sparing his life so that he could go back and report the news. Now I can only choose one. Who of you has anything to say? Don't worry, come one by one!"

Han Shizhong asked, looking at the captives who lowered their heads.

After seeing the bloody and cruel scene just now, who would dare to speak at this time? They were all murderers and had seen more cruel punishments than the one just now.

But they were frightened by the decisiveness of the people of Qi. They were really decisive in doing things. They executed the law in one go without giving anyone a chance to beg for mercy.

"Don't be silent, I'm still waiting for someone to report the news. If you don't say anything, I will order it. Standing..."

Han Shizhong stretched out his finger and was about to point at someone at random.

When the captives heard Han Shizhong's words, they no longer dared to stand and fell to their knees one by one.

"If there is no one standing, then kneel down..."

Seeing that everyone had knelt down, Han Shizhong spoke again.

The prisoners all lay down again, fearing that they would be chosen.

"Then choose the one who is unwilling to work!"

Han Shizhong said with a smile.

The prisoners swarmed to the construction site again and started working hard.

"That's right, if you resist to the end you will die!"

Han Shizhong smiled and said that the Arabs were not that difficult to tame. It was much easier than taming animals. Everything would be much simpler if they could communicate.

The work on the construction site was not difficult. The slaves only had to dig and transport the earth in the designated areas.

"There are only a few thousand more strong men and two thousand horses, which is still a little short. I don't know if Saladin will come to me after the next battle."

Han Shizhong thought to himself that he wished all of Saladin's men were brought in to dig the canal.