The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 711 Returning with great victory
Gao Ranfu sat in the prison van, his face ashen and his eyes unfocused.

The King of Goguryeo, with his family, was ultimately unable to outrun Cheng Ji.

Cheng Ji was so eager to make military achievements that he went crazy. In order to capture Gao Ranfu alive, he killed countless horses and galloped a long distance before finally catching up with Gao Ranfu who had entered the Sushen territory.

Gao Ranfu's army had almost no intention of resisting Cheng Ji and fled in all directions.

They had a lot of complaints about this king. If the Goguryeo people had a weaker sense of identity, I'm afraid their own people would have killed this king.

Gao Ranfu was not a qualified ruler, not as good as his father or his successors.

Cheng Ji captured him easily, and as for the other nobles who escaped, Cheng Ji ignored them.

When the time comes, I can ask Sushen to help capture these people and send them to me.

I think Sushen would not dare to protect them.

Although this expedition did not go as far as the last time Guanqiu Jian ran, it was enough to scare these small tribes outside the Great Wall.

Cheng Ji led the captives to Guanqiu Jian's camp.

There are still many Goguryeo people here, all of whom are former generals and royal family members of Goguryeo.

When they saw the people in the prison van clearly, their faces changed drastically.

Several generals turned their heads away unwillingly, unwilling to look at him.

If it weren't for Gao Ranfu's several reckless actions, they wouldn't have fallen to this point. They had the opportunity to repel the Tuoba tribe before.

Gao Chiran looked at his brother, with obvious pity in his eyes.

Wen Yang stood not far away, looking at these people.

He heard soft sobbing coming from all around him, but when he looked over, they dared not cry anymore.

Guanqiu Jian also came out with his soldiers at this moment. He looked at Gao Ranfu in the prison car in the distance, and didn't know what he remembered.

Cheng Ji jumped to his side with a smile and said, "Grand Marshal! I have captured the King of Goguryeo!"

"Capture the king alive!!"

Cheng Ji was very excited.

This was his first time to achieve something great.

Guanqiu Jian smiled at this, but the generals around him disagreed.

Goguryeo has fallen to this point, even worse than last time. No matter who goes after it, there is a high probability that they can be caught.

The reason I let you chase is because you were sent by His Majesty, so I want to give you some military merit so that you can feel proud.

Guanqiu Jian praised him, saying, "General Cheng is truly a formidable general. He may surpass your brother in the future."

Cheng Ji heard this and grinned foolishly.

Guanqiu Jian slowly walked forward and looked at Gao Ranfu in the prison car. "You are far inferior to your father, the son of Gao You."

After Gao Ranfu looked at Guanqiu Jian, his whole body began to tremble. He wanted to beg for mercy, but with so many acquaintances around him, he couldn't bring himself to do so. He could only endure the extreme fear and remain silent.

After Guanqiu Jian conquered their royal city, he massacred all the nobles.

That scene still casts a shadow in Gao Ranfu's heart.

This is also the reason why he ran so fast. If he fell into Guanqiu Jian's hands, he would definitely be killed.

"I was ordered to destroy your kingdom, yet you dared to rebuild your capital and continue to oppose the Wei Kingdom. I was going to behead you in public."

The Goguryeo people around them all looked at Guanqiu Jian.

Guanqiu Jian suddenly said, "Your Majesty is merciful. Please send him to Youzhou first, and let Yang Hu escort him to Luoyang."

Gao Ranfu seemed to have experienced a great ups and downs, and he became even more dazed.

Guanqiu Jian encouraged Cheng Ji again, saying that he would definitely report his military achievements to the emperor.

He then summoned several generals and returned to the tent to discuss important matters.

Sitting inside the tent, Wen Yang asked, "Grand Marshal, I noticed you seemed hesitant when you dealt with Gao Ranfu just now."

Guanqiu Jian was very happy, "Ayang's observation is very detailed, not bad, not bad."

He looked at the generals around him and said, "Goguryeo and Tuoba are very different."

"Ayang, you come and tell these people what is different about them."

Wen Yang was stunned for a moment, then said, "It's indeed different. When I captured Tuoba Chuo, Gao Chiran humiliated him and even advised me to kill him. But the Xianbei people we captured at the same time were indifferent and didn't care about Tuoba Chuo's life or death at all."

"But when Gao Ranfu was captured today, the Goguryeo people expressed reluctance, unwillingness, and anger. They seemed to care deeply about their king."

Guanqiu Jian said calmly: "The Tuoba tribe itself is just an alliance, while Goguryeo is a country. This is the difference."

"The Goguryeo people captured this time cannot be left in Youzhou."

"As long as the Tuoba tribe is disbanded, they will no longer exist. They are scattered throughout Youzhou. Within a few decades, they will become Wei people and there will be almost no difference."

"But if we disperse the Goguryeo people throughout Youzhou, there's no guarantee someone will secretly contact them and take them away. Even if they don't escape, it will be difficult for them to become Wei people."

After hearing Guanqiu Jian's words, several generals looked at each other.

Cheng Ji's eyes suddenly flashed with ferocity, "General, why not let them dig a hole right here?" "General Cheng!"

Guanqiu Jian interrupted Cheng Ji's dangerous speech.

"Our Great Wei is by no means a tyrannical Qin. Your Majesty is a benevolent ruler throughout history. Please stop your nonsense."

Cheng Ji smiled awkwardly and didn't dare to continue.

Guanqiu Jian looked at Zhang Te and said to him, "Didn't Jingzhou and Yangzhou send a lot of people here before?"

"As the saying goes, there's a give and take. Send someone to contact Chen Tai and see if he can accommodate these Goguryeo people."

"only!!"

Everyone immediately understood what Guanqiu Jian meant. He was planning to send these people to Jingyang and other places.

Guanqiu Jian explained many follow-up matters before letting them leave and prepare to return to Youzhou.

After walking out of the tent, Cheng Ji followed Wen Yang, and the two walked towards their own military camp together.

"If you ask me, Da Sima might as well use my method!"

"If we send these people to the South, where there are miasma and scorching heat, can they withstand it? Wouldn't a large number of them die?"

"It's a waste of time and food. We might as well just dispose of it here. If it smells, we can say it's our own doing and has nothing to do with Your Majesty!"

Cheng Ji added, "Besides, Your Majesty doesn't really care about these empty titles. The Grand Marshal hasn't been with Your Majesty for long, and Your Majesty has always valued worldly affairs more than yourself."

"not that simple."

Wen Yang said, "Your Majesty is now promoting a policy of enlightenment. Furthermore, Goguryeo has surrendered. If we massacre Goguryeo at this time, won't the rest of the tribes swear to never surrender?"

Cheng Ji's eyes lit up, "Isn't that better?"

"Chengji, we fight not to kill people, but to accomplish great things for the court."

"What is the great cause that the court wants? Is it to kill the Goguryeo people?"

"It is to obtain manpower and material resources, and at the same time eliminate the hidden dangers outside Youzhou."

"Even if half of these people die when they're sent to Jingyang or elsewhere, what about the other half? Over a hundred thousand people is no small number. Do you know how much grain they can produce in a year? How many canals and roads can they build?"

When Cheng Ji heard Wen Yang's question, he was unable to answer.

Over the years, Wen Yang's progress has become more and more obvious. As he grows older, he is slowly moving away from the identity of a brainless general and developing into a qualified general.

He already has his own opinions on many issues.

Cheng Ji felt this most clearly.

If it were in the past, this guy would definitely be the first to jump out and support me.

But now, he can actually say such sensible words.

It seems that I need to learn more!

At this moment, Guanqiu Jian was discussing some more obscure issues with Zhang Te in the tent.

The soldiers stood guard at the door and did not allow anyone to approach.

"These people will be eliminated during the escort."

Guanqiu Jian held a list of many captives in his hand.

He circled the names of several of them.

"These are all talented and loyal people in Goguryeo. They shouldn't be killed. But they are still alive, which is a hidden danger for Wei. I am afraid that if they are patient now, they will lead the Goguryeo people to rebellion in the future."

"As for these people, they are all shameless villains who can be granted titles and appeased."

As Guanqiu Jian spoke, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"I never imagined that one day I would be doing something like this, harming noble men and promoting villains."

Zhang Te said solemnly, "He is a virtuous man, but we are an enemy."

"When we defeated Shu and destroyed Wu, wasn't it the same? Gentlemen like Jiang Wei and Lou Xuan were executed, while people like Qiao Zhou and Wan Yu were given important positions."

"If we keep them today because of their talents or loyalty, they could harm the Wei Kingdom in the future. Therefore, we cannot forgive them."

Guanqiu Jian nodded. This was not the first time that Guanqiu Jian had experienced such a thing. When he was in the State of Wu, those loyal people who were devoted to Wu were the first to be executed.

Guanqiu Jian could only say: "After they die, do not humiliate their remains and bury them here."

"only!!"

Guanqiu Jian did many things here that were unworthy of his status as a famous scholar. In addition to "killing talented people", he also destroyed many cities, farmland, checkpoints, etc. of Goguryeo. But as Guanqiu Jian said, on weekdays, he was a famous scholar who was well-versed in classics, but in the war, he was a general of Wei.

He wanted to ensure that, at least in the next thirty years, there would be no more forces from outside Youzhou that could threaten the counties.

Only under such circumstances of external peace and internal stability can Youzhou usher in development, and only then can this poorest place in the Wei Dynasty have the possibility of seeing the dawn.

More than ten days later, Guanqiu Jian led the army back.

(End of this chapter)