Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 326 Collection

Although the battle was won, the casualties were considerable.

Of Liu Yu's 4,000 men, fewer than 1,200 survived. The Western Army suffered over 5,600 casualties, more than 12,000 were captured, and many more escaped.

Huangfu Fu, one of the Four Tigers of the Western Prefecture, was killed in action. Xiang Jing, Liu Zhongwu, and Liu Yanzhi, all valiant generals of the Northern Prefecture, were killed in action. Shen Tianzi, Shen Linzi, Kuai En, and Ding Wu were all seriously wounded.

More than 70,000 shi of grain and fodder, more than 3,000 pigs and sheep, and various military equipment and vehicles were piled up like mountains.

Although most of the elite soldiers in suits fled, very few were actually able to return to Jiankang or Jingzhou.

Reorganizing them would take at least one or two months.

Therefore, the elite troops of Xifu were completely wiped out in this battle.

Huan Xuan only had 30,000 to 40,000 naval troops left...

An unexpected downpour occurred.

This made things even more difficult for the wounded soldiers.

A few shouts and screams followed as the heads of prisoners were hung on bamboo poles to intimidate the prisoners in Xifu.

Liu Zun led his cavalry to capture more than 4,000 prisoners.

However, many of them were also injured; after being soaked by the heavy rain, their bodies began to feel hot and red.

Many people unconsciously called out to their parents while they were in the mud.

"We have too many wounded, and we can barely take care of our own brothers, let alone these prisoners. Rather than letting them cry and cause chaos in the army, I think it would be better to..."

Liu Zhong made a throat-slitting gesture.

Saving a wounded soldier takes far more effort than beheading an enemy soldier.

As soldiers, of course we should do whatever is convenient and quick.

Liu Daogui looked at the heads hanging on the bamboo pole, then at the prisoners in the mud. They were all staring at him with wide eyes. Among them were many young men, around fourteen or fifteen years old, with innocent faces, who had followed their fathers and brothers to the battlefield to serve Huan Xuan.

Then, bewildered and confused, they became prisoners of war.

"Do everything you can to treat every wounded soldier. Save as many as you can. If you don't have enough medicine, have Cao Ji bring some from Chengcheng and Pengcheng!" Liu Daogui made the decision without much hesitation.

Liu Zhong said, "But if we treat these prisoners, it will definitely take time and miss the opportunity to advance south quickly and attack Jiankang."

The three elite forces of Xifu suffered a crushing defeat, plunging Jiangzuo into fear.

Advancing at this time would be twice as effective with half the effort.

Liu Daogui looked up at the gloomy sky. The rain was drizzling down, splashing water as it hit the ground. "You only know one side of the story. The Western and Northern Prefectures have been locked in a standoff for over eighty years. Destroying Huan Xuan is easy, but destroying the Western Prefecture is difficult. The key to this battle is winning over the hearts and minds of the people."

Even without Liu Yu and Liu Daogui's uprising, Huan Chu, who inherited the Sima family's deep-seated problems and ills, wouldn't have lasted long. He would have either perished at the hands of the aristocratic clans or been destroyed by the Celestial Masters sect.

But Xifu will not perish as a result.

Like the Northern Prefecture, they were essentially migrants from the north who had moved south.

"The Commander-in-Chief is wise! I understand!" Liu Zhong was completely convinced.

After the heavy rain subsided, the laborers and prisoners began to repair the camp, cook medicinal soup and meat broth, and clean up the corpses on the battlefield.

The camp became busy again.

A glimmer of hope appeared in the eyes of the prisoners.

He was a warrior by nature, with good physical condition. Even if he didn't have enough medicine, drinking a couple of bowls of meat soup and taking a few naps would restore his energy and spirit.

Liu Daogui, accompanied by a doctor, personally examined their injuries, bandaged their wounds, and inquired about their well-being, asking about the current situation of their parents, wives, and children, as well as the price of grain in their hometown.

Although it was intended to win people's hearts, in this world, very few people can actually do that.

The aristocratic families were high and mighty; no matter how many cattle and horses died, they were just numbers in their eyes.

They don't care at all about the living conditions of the lower-ranking soldiers.

For several days in a row, Liu Daogui stayed in the prisoner-of-war camp, taking care of the wounded soldiers and comforting them.

Most of the soldiers in the Western Army were refugees from the north. They were usually straightforward and generous, and they gradually became familiar with each other.

Southeast of Mengcheng, on the banks of the Ying River, Liu Daogui also erected a large monument to bury the fallen soldiers of both sides.

Through these measures, the doubts of the Western Army gradually disappeared, and they began to talk freely with Liu Daogui.

"Reporting to... the Commander, my family... both my brothers are in the Western Army... we were hoping that after this great victory, we could receive our reward money, return home, marry, and have children..."

A man speaking in the Guanzhong dialect stammered.

Liu Daogui smiled and asked, "Where's your brother?"

The man said sadly, "They died on the battlefield, and their bodies... can't even be found."

Liu Daogui patted him on the shoulder, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how to start.

However, he took it in stride, saying, "Since I'm on the battlefield, my life and death are in my own hands, and I can't blame anyone else."

The Northern Army killed the Western Army, and many Northern Army soldiers also died at the hands of the Western Army.

Another person, speaking with a Central Plains accent, asked, "When will the Commander-in-Chief lead us back to Jiankang?"

Upon hearing this, all the prisoners craned their necks, their eyes filled with anticipation. Liu Daogui was taken aback. Having won this battle, the situation was clear, and these people were even more anxious than he was. "Aren't you the Western Army?"

"To hell with the Western Army! We're not even worth as much as cattle or horses. They won't even bury us when we die. We saw clearly when the Governor distributed land in Yingchuan. Besides the Governor, who else in the world truly cares for us soldiers?"

"That's right, that's right! Even the Suo people are dividing up the land. Last year, my old father went up the mountain to cut a few pounds of firewood and was beaten half to death by the Bian family's servants!"

“During the famine years ago, my family borrowed money from the Yin family at exorbitant interest rates, and we couldn’t pay it back… so we used my seven-year-old sister as collateral…”

The more they talked, the angrier they became. Their words contained little hatred for the Hu people, but rather hatred for the aristocratic families.

Several people even started crying.

The pressure to survive outweighs ethnic hatred.

How can someone who can't even get enough to eat live worse than an ox or a horse be loyal to the court?

Tuoba Gui's implementation of the policy of allocating land based on population in the north was a groundbreaking move, which allowed the Wei state to truly gain a foothold in the north.

The Jin dynasty had been chanting the slogan of a northern expedition for so many years, but each time it suffered a major defeat, which had already exhausted the enthusiasm of the people and soldiers.

As for Huan Chu, he lacked both the courage for internal reform and the determination for a northern expedition. The Huan family was of high birth, so Huan Xuan naturally wouldn't harm the interests of his own family.

To some extent, it also made the Jin dynasty a scapegoat. After usurping the throne, the state of affairs deteriorated daily, and the aristocratic families became increasingly unscrupulous, which actually made more people think that the Jin dynasty was not so bad after all...

"Are you willing to follow me south?"

"The Governor and the Left General are both upright heroes. If we follow the Governor, we can get land and property. If we follow the Huan family, we will get nothing!"

These people are quite frank, without a single veiled misunderstanding, acting entirely out of self-interest, which makes them even more trustworthy.

People will betray everything they have, but they will never betray their own interests.

Liu Daogui said, "Since you've said that, I'll let you go back after you've recovered from your injuries."

"Does the Governor intend to abandon us? We are not treacherous villains who do not know loyalty and righteousness; it is simply that life has become unbearable. If the court had treated us like human beings, things wouldn't have come to this..."

These people got anxious.

Liu Daogui had experienced such days before and understood them deeply. He waved his hand repeatedly and said, "You have misunderstood. The Northern and Western Prefectures are of the same origin and are all Chinese men. They should not kill each other. After you go back, you can persuade the elders of Jingzhou and the brothers of the Western Prefecture to stop aiding and abetting evil."

"The Governor is benevolent and righteous!" The crowd bowed their heads in worship.

Not everyone is willing to go back.

More than 1,300 prisoners of war were willing to stay and join the Northern Army.

These men were all veterans who had fought for many years. They had no family members and knew nothing but fighting.

Liu Daogui accepted them all and set up a separate elite battalion, the Trapped Camp, with Liu Huaijing as its lieutenant general.

The other prisoners were not only released, but they were also given ten days' worth of rations.

It takes about six or seven days to get from Xiangcheng to Hefei.

The prisoners were all elites with good survival skills.

Liu Daogui even held a farewell banquet, slaughtering pigs and sheep to entertain them. These livestock were originally captured from the Chu army camp, which could be considered as a generous gesture to win over the hearts of the people.

As they were leaving, the prisoners knelt on one knee in a row. Although they didn't say a word, their eyes said it all.

Of course, not everyone will be grateful; some will leave without looking back.

But as long as even one out of ten people remembers the kindness shown to them over the past few days, Liu Daogui's efforts will not have been in vain.

"Tuoba Gui massacred 50,000 surrendered soldiers at Canhebei, and the Yan state never recovered." Liu Yu was still lying on his sickbed, but he knew everything that had happened in the army these days.

"Although Tuoba Gui destroyed Later Yan, the people of Hebei are still not loyal. Southern Yan and Northern Yan have revived. Killing people is easy and will only arouse the resistance of the Western Prefecture, which will actually help Huan Xuan."

After this battle, Huan Xuan went from being on the offensive to being on the defensive, and his imperial power was in grave danger.

He had seized power illegitimately, and now that the war had been lost and the people were in a state of panic, Liu Daogui's release of prisoners was like stabbing him in the heart again.

“You’re right, there’s no need to rush. But how do we deal with Huan Xuan’s navy?” Liu Yu asked the most crucial question.

If you can't cross the river, everything is in vain.

"First take Hefei, then Liyang, wipe out the Chu army north of the Yangtze River, then gather manpower and resources from the Jianghuai region, make a show of force in Guangling and Liyang, and have the Western Army defend Guangling. If they defend Liyang, we will cross the river from Liyang. If they defend Liyang, we will cross the river from Guangling. In this way, we will divide our forces to defend one place and then concentrate our forces to break through one of them!"

Although Liu Daogui's navy was not as large as the Xifu navy, it was still capable of fighting.

Crucially, the foundation of the Northern Prefecture is located south of the Yangtze River, which allows it to echo the northern part of the river.

The difficulty of crossing the river has been reduced by half.

Liu Yu smiled slightly, "This plan is good, but it takes too long and involves too much trouble. In my opinion, it would be better to send a proclamation to Jiangzuo, calling on righteous men from all over the country to come to the aid of the king. You can lead the army south, drink from the river north, and show off your military might. Huan Xuan is all bark and no bite, and will surely abandon Jiankang and return to Jingzhou!"

He served in Jiankang for two years and knew Huan Xuan very well.

The Western Army's base was in Jingzhou. After the Battle of Mengcheng, the elite Western Army suffered heavy losses and could no longer hold its ground in Jiankang.

Jiankang belongs to Jiangzuo and has close ties with the Northern Army.

Huan Xuan was not a man of great courage and would certainly not share the fate of Jiankang.

(End of this chapter)