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Chapter 822: Extra: National War (VI)
The person who made great contributions was a young man with delicate features and medium stature. He was Xiaotian, an archer from the Nanyang Guard Battalion.

Xiaotian led dozens of archers to hide in the trees, looking down at the movements of the Rouran barbarians. God will not let down those who work hard, and they have really made great achievements!
At that time, Fu Mingdun changed into the clothes of an ordinary Rouran barbarian and mingled with dozens of personal guards, not attracting any attention at all.

Xiaotian adhered to the principle of not missing any of them, and he shot down five or six Rouran barbarians in an instant. The remaining people did not flee for their lives, but instead quickly surrounded a seemingly ordinary Rouran barbarian and protected him with their lives.

At that time, Xiaotian knew that he must have caught a big fish. While calling on his subordinates to continue shooting arrows, he quietly drew out his long knife and jumped down from the tall tree when most of the Rouran barbarians were killed or injured. After paying the price of several lives, they finally captured the Rouran barbarian who was being protected.

He is nearly sixty years old, with a hooked nose and a mole between his eyebrows.

Isn’t this the legendary Rouran Khan Fu Mingdun?

Xiaotian was very cunning. He first tied up the Rouran barbarian, making sure he couldn't move a finger, and then stuffed a piece of rag into his mouth, making it impossible for him to bite his tongue to commit suicide. Then he asked in Rouran language, "Are you Fu Mingdun?"

Fu Mingdun was about to die, but he was still strong enough to just close his eyes.

Xiaotian then had the remaining few survivors brought over and questioned them one by one. Very good, they were all stubborn and refused to speak.

Oda started killing people without even blinking.

The hands of these Rouran barbarians were stained with the blood of Daliang people, so it would not be a pity to kill them all. There was a clause in General Zuo's military order: no prisoners, kill all who can be killed.

When they killed the fourth one, the last survivor finally collapsed, crying and begging for mercy, shouting that he was the Rouran Khan Fu Mingdun.

After confirming Fu Mingdun's identity, Oda Chang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took his men to see General Zuo.

When he saw the Rouran Khan who was tied up like a pig or a dog, General Zuo, who never showed his emotions on the battlefield, raised his head and laughed for a long time.

He had been guarding the border for twenty years, and had been attacked by the Rouran cavalry for twenty years. The last great defeat nailed him to the pillar of shame. The more glorious he was, the more he could not forget this shame.

This time he led the imperial army to the border, his goal was to destroy the Rouran cavalry. Now that he was able to capture the Rouran Khan alive, it was an extraordinary achievement.

"Good!" General Zuo patted Xiao Tian's shoulder vigorously, his eyes full of admiration: "You have made a great contribution. This general will definitely recommend you for merit."

Oda did not get carried away. He smiled and bowed to thank General Zuo.

General Zuo looked at Xiaotian, then suddenly turned to ask Liu Hengchang: "What's his name?"

Liu Hengchang was so experienced that he immediately knew that General Zuo had chosen Xiaotian. Among the rough soldiers in Hanzhong, Xiaotian had delicate features and could be considered the most handsome man in the army. Moreover, Xiaotian was skilled in martial arts, a master archer, and had made great contributions, so his future was limitless.

Maybe General Zuo is thinking of recruiting a son-in-law! There are still several girls of marriageable age in the Zuo family's inner house!
Liu Hengchang smiled calmly and said, "His name is Xiaotian. He is the confidant of Commander Meng of the Second Battalion and a master archer. When the emperor was still the Princess of Nanyang, he admired Xiaotian very much. When we return to the capital after the battle this time, the emperor will probably grant Xiaotian a marriage."

The emperor had two personal maids. Yin Zhu married Meng Sanbao and gave birth to a daughter the following year. There was also Tu Bai, who never married. The emperor had long been interested in Xiao Tian and had privately informed Meng Dashan about this.

Meng Dashan also talked to Xiaotian about this matter. Xiaotian was of course very willing.

After hearing this, General Zuo gave up the idea of ​​recruiting a son-in-law and rewarded Xiaotian greatly. The capture of the Rouran Khan alive was a complete victory in this national war.

However, the battle was not over yet. There were still many fleeing Rouran barbarians, and they had to be found and killed to prevent future troubles. Moreover, the continuous fierce fighting had caused many casualties among the Rouran barbarians, and the Daliang army had also suffered heavy casualties.

The wounded camp in the military camp was full of wounded soldiers. The accompanying military doctors were busy all the time. Fortunately, the imperial court was well prepared, bringing dozens of carriages of medicines, and several carriages of ready-made wound medicines. The lightly wounded soldiers could bandage and apply medicine themselves even if they did not have the turn of the military doctors.

In addition, the soldiers who died in battle need to be gradually counted and registered, and preparations for their pensions need to be made.

All in all, it will take at least a few months before I can return.

Of course, the good news must be sent to the court immediately, the sooner the better.

……

In this national war, Daliang won a great victory!

Jiang Shaohua, who had been suffering for several months, let out a long sigh of relief after seeing the battle report, with a smile in his eyes: "Prime Minister Chen! Convey my order and summon the six ministers to the palace to discuss post-war rewards and pensions."

After winning a great victory, all the ministers were in a very good mood.

Especially Minister Feng, who was exhausted from raising food and military expenses, was delighted. Such a great victory, even the Rouran Khan was captured alive, even if it emptied the Daliang treasury and consumed the Daliang's expenses for the next three years, it was worth it.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said to Minister Feng: "Thank you for your hard work over the past few months, Minister Feng."

Minister Feng was not polite and smiled and sighed, "I am indeed very tired. With an army of 200,000, the amount of food and fodder consumed every day is a terrifying figure. Fortunately, Daliang has had good weather in the past two years, and we have been able to collect food from various states and counties. If it were six or seven years ago, even if I were squeezed dry, I would not be able to squeeze out so much military rations."

A good cook cannot cook without rice. This principle also applies to the present.

This is the sixth year since Jiang Shaohua ascended the throne. High-yield grains have basically been promoted to all prefectures and counties in Daliang. Especially in the north, a large number of corn and sweet potatoes are grown every year, so the people can fill their stomachs and pay the land tax. In order to raise food and grass this time, Minister Feng used all his tricks and calculated again and again to transport grain from the Taiping granaries in various prefectures and counties as military rations.

During this period, some corrupt officials were killed and several large families were raided. These were all logical things and need not be mentioned in detail. In short, Minister Feng has not had a good night's sleep in the past few months.

Now, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Jiang Shaohua also felt sorry for his minister: "Minister Feng, go back and have a good rest for a few days. General Zuo said in his memorial that he would stay at the border for a while before returning to Beijing. There are still three or four months, and the rewards for the soldiers and the pensions for the soldiers who died in the battle can be raised slowly."

Minister Feng agreed.

After leaving the palace, he slept soundly for a night, and the next day he went to the Ministry of Revenue with full energy.

A group of officials from the Ministry of Revenue wailed in their hearts, then cheered up and went about their work.