Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 151 Releasing the Captives
At noon the next day, Cen Danchu led the central army to Gulou Pass and immediately summoned Wu Jie, Lu Shouyi and others.

Lu Shouyi made the greatest contribution in this battle, and he was the first to give a report: "Yesterday in the battle of Gulou Pass, the Intelligence Bureau and the Cavalry Battalion worked together, with internal and external support, and it only took half an hour to capture Gulou Pass."

Feng Jiali, the chief of the Intelligence Bureau, was a cautious person who was strict with his subordinates and was also careful in selecting detectives. He especially disliked those who were boastful and boastful.

On the way, Danchu had heard the story of how Lu Shouyi cleverly captured Gulou Pass. Seeing that he spoke honestly and with a respectful attitude, he couldn't help but feel a liking for him and silently wrote down his name.

"Very good. You have made great contributions and brought honor to the Intelligence Agency."

"It's all thanks to the Marshal's cultivation."

Intelligence work requires a lot of money and is also controversial. The Ming people had no good feelings towards the Jinyiwei, the East Factory, and the West Factory. When Zhu Youlang took office as regent, he clearly stated that "there will be no East Factory and no palace maids will be selected", which was supported by people at the time.

The high-ranking officials of the Zhaoyong Army were prejudiced against the Intelligence Bureau's scouts, believing that they were stealing the work of the army's scouts. Danchu, against all odds, vigorously supported the Intelligence Bureau and allocated a large amount of funds. This time, Lu Shouyi's clever capture of Gulou Pass could justify the reputation of the Intelligence Bureau.

Wu Jie said, "General, last night I led two cavalry teams to pursue the defeated troops and arrived at the gate of Kunlun Pass. I wanted to sneak into Kunlun Pass in the chaos, but the garrison closed the gate tightly and fired cannons against the wall. The defense was very strict. However, our army made great gains at Gulou Pass. The enemy troops at Gulou Pass and even on Kunlun Road were either killed or surrendered, and all the food and grass were captured by our army."

"How is the defense of Kunlun Pass?"

"In March, the emperor sent troops to Kunlun Pass to rebuild the city. The city walls are very strong, with dense guns and cannons, and the mountains are undulating. It is worthy of being called a natural barrier in the south. The passage in front of the gate is not wide, which is not conducive to the deployment of troops. It is really difficult to conquer Kunlun Pass from the front."

Wu Jie was a brave warrior who often served as the vanguard of the entire army. Even he showed signs of fear, which showed that Kunlun Pass was indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Danchu hesitated for a moment, then turned to ask Lu Shouyi: "Is there any chieftain nearby?"

Lu Shouyi had been active in Kunlun Pass for a long time and was well aware of this. He said, "Forty miles northwest of here, there is a Matou Tusi, who is a thousand households and has hundreds of Yao people."

"Please take my military order and go to see the chieftain of Matou. Ask him to come and see me tomorrow morning."

"promise."

Danchu specifically instructed: "As an envoy of the Zhaoyong Army, you must not belittle yourself, or you will lose the dignity of the Zhaoyong Army. When you meet the chieftain, you don't have to be overbearing, lest the chieftain be suspicious. Just say that I have no other intentions, I just want to inquire whether there is a small path near Kunlun Pass, and there will be a reward after the success. No matter whether there is a small path near Kunlun Pass, let him come to see me."

"Yes, I will live up to my mission." Lu Shouyi responded. He is also a Yao people, belonging to the Sui Yao, and has been deeply influenced by Han culture.

Danchu was given the seal of the General of the Barbarian Expedition, which gave him the power to control the chieftains. In case of war, he could mobilize the chieftains to send troops and escorts. In order to prevent the news from leaking out, he did not summon the chieftains for the surprise attack on Gulou Pass.

Now, the army has encountered a blockade at Kunlun Pass, and we can mobilize the chieftains to inquire about the mountain trails.

Wu Jie hesitated and asked, "General, Kunlun Pass is a rugged and difficult place to pass. Even if there is a small path to pass, it will be difficult for our army to concentrate superior forces. Speed ​​is of the essence. Our army has arrived outside Kunlun Pass. We should take advantage of the victory to attack, so that the enemy will not have to wait for reinforcements.

"Why not move the artillery up and have the artillery suppress the firepower of the city gate? The cavalry battalion and the personal guard battalion dismount and fight on foot. First scare the enemy guards overnight, then use ladders to attack the top of the city wall. Perhaps we can repeat the victory of Wutunso."

"No, no." Danchu shook his head and smiled, "We should seek truth from facts and not apply it mechanically. Although Wutunso is small, it is larger than Kunlun Pass. The area outside the city is open, which is convenient for us to rush back and forth. There is only a small area in front of Kunlun Pass, and it is difficult to move around. How can we disturb the garrison at night?" In case of such a situation, the garrison will be on guard, close the gates tightly, and defend the city. There is only a small area in front of Kunlun Pass. Even if the Zhaoyong Army has more soldiers and horses, they can only devote a small part of them to attack the city. If we can't take Kunlun Pass, how can we talk about taking Nanning?

Seeing Wu Jie was a little depressed, Danchu comforted him, "Don't be afraid, I know what to do. The main force of the rebel army is in Hengzhou to confront Chen Bangfu, and Wei Guosong is leading the first battalion of infantry to attack the border. Even if Nanning has received the emergency news from Kunlun Pass, it cannot send reinforcements.

"As for the mountain trails, there must be some. I heard that the Kunlun Road was not built until after the Song Dynasty. Before that, most people took the ancient road to the Mojian Pass. When the Ma Tou Tusi comes tomorrow, we will know the answer by asking him. If there are any trails, we can send troops to take them and attack the defenders from behind.

"The defenders of Kunlun Pass are local bandits, and they only rely on the city. Once our army appears in the south of the pass, the defenders will definitely panic. If our main force advances in the north of the pass, we will definitely be able to break the city in one blow."

The commander was calm and composed, and he had a complete understanding of the battle situation, which convinced Wu Jie. He echoed:
"What the commander said is very true. If the enemy is a well-trained army that has fought many battles, they may be determined to die. In this case, if our army takes a small path to attack from behind, the defenders may be able to stand still and make our efforts in vain.

"Looking at the situation at the Gulou Pass today, we know that the enemy is just a mob. When we chased the defeated soldiers yesterday, almost none of them put up a fight and were killed."

Danchu's expression changed, and he asked, "How many enemies did you kill yesterday? How many did you capture?"

Wu Jie couldn't help but feel proud, and said: "We beheaded 92 people in total, captured 183 enemies, captured 29 war horses, and only six of our soldiers died in the battle."

"Haha," Danchu smiled and said, "You didn't kill the prisoners, which means you lived up to my teachings."

Wu Jie was bloodthirsty and was criticized by Danchu many times. He had the same qualifications as Kuang Shi and Cao Yu, one of whom was the commander of an infantry battalion and the other was the commander of an auxiliary battalion, but Wu Jie was still the battalion commander, which was closely related to the killing of prisoners.

This time he learned his lesson and did not kill anyone without reason. He said, "The commander-in-chief has given me advice, and I dare not disobey him."

"Very good. A warrior's job is to kill people, but he should not be bloodthirsty. He should always be flexible and use thunderbolts to show his compassion. Only then can he be a good warrior."

Dan Chu then said, "We can do something with the captives this time. Select a few smart people from among them, let them take my letter, and return to Kunlun Pass this afternoon to persuade them to surrender.

"Treat the other prisoners well, give everyone food, and bandage the wounds of the injured. Those who are willing to stay, who are strong and have simple eyes, can stay and join the Zhaoyong Army. The rest of the prisoners will be released, and they will be given breakfast tomorrow morning and sent back to Kunlun Pass."

"This? How can this be possible!" Wu Jie was puzzled. He finally caught them, how could he release them so easily? Not killing them was good enough, why did he feed them? And he also wanted to give them medical treatment? During the war years, food and medicine were in short supply, how could he share them with the prisoners?

Danchu patiently explained: "At the beginning of the dynasty, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang fought for the world. The two sides fought in Poyang Lake in Jiangxi. Chen Youliang had a large ship with many soldiers, while Emperor Taizu had a small ship with few soldiers. Emperor Taizu was not as strong as Youliang, so he was at a disadvantage in the first battle.

"Chen Youliang was very cruel. He killed the Wu army soldiers at will when he caught them, trying to scare them. Taizu did the opposite. He not only released the Han prisoners, but also treated their wounds and fed them.

"As a result, the Han army captives returned to the camp and sang praises to Taizu's benevolence. Chen Youliang was furious and ordered the returning captives to be beheaded. The morale of the Han army plummeted, and the soldiers mutinied one after another..."

This? Is this really feasible? Wu Jie was full of doubts. In such a chaotic world, fighting depends on who is more brave, and killing depends on who is more ruthless. Being so kind to the enemy, isn't it just a woman's kindness?
Danchu had already changed the subject and said, "After lunch, we will go to Kunlun Pass to survey the enemy situation. The troops have been marching for days and the soldiers are exhausted. Let the soldiers rest and wait at Gulou Pass for the next two days."

(End of this chapter)