Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 222 Horses Released to Yinshan
"Team One is responsible for the East District! Team Two is responsible for the West District! Team Three... Team Four..."

"Hurry up! Tie up the live prisoners and take them to the guard area! Cut off the heads of the dead Hu dogs and pile them up on the main road in front of the camp! Put the valuable armor, gold, and furs away separately! Drive the cattle and sheep to the southwest corner fence! Be quick! Keep your hands and feet clean!"

The commander of the Wind Battalion shouted orders, leaning on his spear, his boots treading on the sticky mixture of blood and ice, making him limp.

The soldiers carried out the orders swiftly.

They skillfully severed the heads of the Hu people's corpses with sharp ring-pommel swords, as if they were handling a pile of livestock.

Bloodied heads were carelessly tossed into huge wicker baskets, quickly piling up like mountains.

When they encountered a wounded Hu soldier who was still alive, the soldiers did not hesitate at all. They would finish him off with a knife or a spear, ending his suffering completely, and then cut off his head.

Pity is a luxury here, and even more so, an irresponsibility towards the sacrifices of comrades.

"Hey! We've spotted a big guy over here! He looks like a leader of the Hu people!"

A young soldier excitedly used his spear to pick up a fragment of a gold wolf leather armor inlaid with inferior gemstones.

"What are you yelling about!" The squad leader stepped forward and tapped his helmet with his scabbard.

"Keep all the valuables safe! Cut off the head and throw it in the basket! Hurry up! This godforsaken place is freezing!"

On the other side, the soldiers of the Linzi Battalion were working together to drag together the corpses of elite Hu people, who were wearing relatively fine leather armor.

These bodies will be thoroughly searched, and valuable items, badges, and ornaments will be removed and registered.

Their leather armor, iron breastplates, and even intact maces and scimitars were carefully peeled off and sorted.

Although they were well-equipped, battlefield spoils were an important supplement and also a testament to their military achievements.

"Tsk tsk, the leather is tanned quite well, but it's been cut a bit." An old soldier skillfully used a dagger to cut open the leather armor of a Hu centurion, revealing the relatively intact lining underneath.

“Take it off, and let the brothers in the crafts camp see if they can make any changes.”

On the battlefield, efficiency is life, especially in the bitter cold.

The soldiers moved swiftly and had a clear division of labor, as if they were harvesting a special kind of crop.

The stench of blood was so strong it was almost unbearable, but no one vomited or felt unwell. Long-term rigorous training and battlefield experience had long since made them accustomed to it all.

Only when he occasionally saw a familiar armored figure lying among the corpses of the Hu people would a barely perceptible trace of pity and relief flash across his numb face, which would then be replaced by silence.

Meanwhile, on a sheltered high slope north of the camp, a temporary wounded soldiers' camp, surrounded by dozens of sturdy military tents, was taking shape.

The atmosphere here is completely different from that of the battlefield, filled with the smell of herbs and blood.

Soldiers from the Fire Battalion temporarily served as stretcher bearers and guards.

They carefully carried their wounded comrades off the battlefield and quickly transported them to the wounded soldiers' camp.

Those with serious injuries were given priority, while those with minor injuries were guided to a relatively sheltered spot to wait.

"Quick! Over here! Severely wounded! Abdomen pierced! Intestines exposed!" Two Fire Battalion soldiers carried a severely wounded man, whose breastplate was dented and whose abdomen was torn apart by a spear, and rushed into the largest main tent.

Inside the main tent, steam was rising, and several huge copper basins were burning with charcoal fires, with boiling water jugs placed on top.

A dozen or so military doctors, dressed in clean gray robes with white cloth strips tied around their arms, along with an even larger number of medical support soldiers, were busily working.

The leading military doctor was surnamed Hua, about fifty years old, with a thin face and calm eyes.

He is a skilled physician who came from Taoyuan with Zhang Xian, and now he is in charge of treating wounded soldiers.

At that moment, he was using a sharp knife to quickly clean the bone fragments and filth from a soldier of the Armored Army whose shoulder blade had been crushed by a mace.

Hearing the shout, he didn't even look up: "Case No. 3! Clean the wound! Prepare suture needles and bark sutures! Hemostats! Irrigate with medication!"

Two strong medics immediately stepped forward and carefully laid the seriously wounded man flat on a wooden platform covered with thick hay and clean linen.

One person quickly used large scissors to cut open the injured man's tattered fur coat and inner garment, revealing gruesome wounds.

The other person picked up a copper kettle and carefully poured the disinfectant solution, made from herbs containing antiseptic ingredients, onto the wound.
Then wipe the area around the wound with cotton soaked in alcohol.

"Hold him down!" After treating the wounded, the Chinese physician strode over. He glanced at the wound, his brow furrowed, but his movements were swift and decisive.

He picked up a specially made curved suture needle, threaded it with mulberry bark thread soaked in medicinal juice, took a deep breath, and began a meticulous abdominal exploration and intestinal suturing.

Sweat trickled down his temples, but his hand holding the needle remained as steady as a rock.

Nearby, another military doctor was instructing a medical assistant to splint a soldier with a broken leg.

"Place another layer of soft cloth under the wooden strip! Wrap the bandage tightly! But not too tightly to restrict blood flow! Yes, just like that!"

"Disinfectant solution! Quick! Wound cleaning!" came another urgent call from the treatment station.

A young military medic was carefully using tweezers to remove bone fragments and debris from an arrow wound in the thigh of a guerrilla soldier, while a medic next to him kept wiping the wound with cotton balls soaked in strong liquor.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood and alcohol, the suppressed groans of the wounded, the medics' concise instructions, and the clatter of medical instruments.

In one corner of the tent, several medical support soldiers were boiling a soup with a strong herbal aroma in a large pot. It was an anti-inflammatory soup used to prevent wound ulceration and fever.

Inside, a steam cabinet was constantly emitting white steam. Next to it, baskets of clean linen bandages, sutures, and even surgical instruments were being placed into the cabinet's compartments for high-temperature steam sterilization!
This is a simple steam sterilizer that Zhang Xian led his craftsmen to build a long time ago, and it has been used in the medical field for a long time.

"This...this steamed food is really better than the boiled one?"

An old soldier with a long gash on his arm watched as the medic took out a clean, steaming bandage from a steaming metal box and couldn't help but ask.

The medic bandaged him up quickly and proudly, saying, "Of course! Our lord said that festering wounds are mostly caused by evil spirits! Steaming them thoroughly in this steamer is a hundred times better than roasting them over a fire! Look at our seriously wounded brothers in the camp, as long as they are brought back in time, eight out of ten can survive!"

The veteran looked at the wound on his arm, which had been carefully cleaned, sprinkled with pale yellow powder, and then bandaged with steamed bandages. He then looked at his comrades around him, who, although in pain, mostly had bright, clear eyes full of vitality. He nodded heavily, his eyes filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

Outside the wounded soldiers' camp, the area for the lightly wounded was relatively more lively.

Some soldiers who were still able to walk supported each other and waited in line to have their wounds treated.

The cooks in each battalion set up large pots to boil hot ginger soup and minced meat porridge with salt and lard, the steam rising and the aroma filling the air.

"Brother, which battalion are you from? Where are you injured?" A wolf rider with a bruised face asked a heavily armored infantryman with a bandaged arm next to him while sipping hot porridge.

"The shield of the third squad of the Mountain Battalion was hit hard, and his arm was so shaken that he couldn't lift it, but fortunately his bones were fine."

The heavy infantryman grinned, revealing teeth whitened by the cold: "And you? That cut on your face is quite deep."

"Hey! I got scratched by that bastard in his dying moments, just a superficial wound! But I cleaved the guy who hurt me in two with one stroke! That's revenge!"

The wolf knight casually wiped his face, then grimaced, "Ouch... But this damn weather, the wind blowing on my wound really hurts!"

"Bear with it, the medic will apply some wound powder later, and it'll heal faster!" the heavy infantryman comforted him.

As the two were talking, a low, rumbling sound of horses' hooves approached.

Accompanied by generals such as Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun, Zhang Xian rode his horse to inspect the wounded soldiers' camp.

He did not enter the busy main tent to disturb the treatment, but simply walked slowly on the perimeter.

Upon seeing the distinctive infantry armor and the familiar figure, the soldiers struggled to their feet and saluted.

"Sit down! Take good care of yourself!" Zhang Xian said with a reassuring smile.

As he passed by, he offered words of comfort and encouragement to the pale or pained faces he encountered. After entering the wounded soldiers' camp, he paused briefly in front of the stretchers of several seriously wounded soldiers.

After asking the military doctor a few questions and learning that the timely treatment meant his life was not in immediate danger, he nodded slightly.

When he saw the well-organized triage and treatment process, a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

A well-developed medical system is one of the reasons why he dared to venture deep into the grasslands with a small force, and it is also the greatest guarantee that his soldiers dared to fight tough battles and were not afraid of sacrifice!
For two or three days in a row, the pursuing guerrilla army and wolf riders returned to camp one after another, bringing back more prisoners and a few scattered heads.

The battlefield cleanup is also nearing its end.

The lights were bright in the central army tent.

Beside the huge sand table, the commanders of each battalion stood solemnly. Huang Zhong held a bamboo slip with ink still wet in his hands and reported the initial battle results and losses in a deep voice.

"Reporting to our lord! In this battle, our army has beheaded 4,200 enemy soldiers! We have captured over 17,634 able-bodied barbarians, along with over 11,000 slaves, elderly, and weak people who accompanied the army! Several thousand escaped, and we seized over 7,400 intact warhorses, tens of thousands of pack animals, cattle, and sheep! The gold, silver, furs, medicinal herbs, and other valuable supplies are still being inventoried, but their initial value is estimated to be enormous!"

A suppressed gasp rippled through the tent: nearly five thousand beheaded! Over twenty to thirty thousand captured! Countless cattle and sheep seized! This was practically the complete uprooting of the Southern Xiongnu royal court!

After reporting the kills and prisoners, the next step was to report the casualties.

Huang Zhong's voice was heavy: "But our army has also suffered losses. The armored cavalry suffered 221 dead, 173 seriously wounded, and over 800 lightly wounded. The guerrilla cavalry suffered 107 dead, 41 seriously wounded, and 320 lightly wounded. The wolf cavalry suffered 99 dead, 19 seriously wounded, and 105 lightly wounded."

He paused, raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, yet also filled with relief: "A total of 427 dead! All 233 seriously wounded have been sent to the wounded soldiers' camp for treatment. The Chinese medical officer said that as long as they can get through tonight's fever, their lives should be safe! The lightly wounded have all been properly treated and will be able to recover their fighting strength in ten days!"

Upon hearing this number, all the generals in the tent couldn't help but gasp in shock!
The eyes of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were practically bulging out of their sockets.

Faced with the desperate resistance of more than 30,000 Hu archers, and with a total force of less than 20,000, they achieved such a brilliant victory.

Yet, fewer than five hundred of their own soldiers were killed! Even the seriously wounded have a very high chance of survival!
This is simply unimaginable!

It's important to understand that in battles of similar scale involving melee weapons, it's common for the victorious side to suffer casualties of 20-30%! Yet their casualty rate was less than 3%!

All eyes were involuntarily drawn to the figure inside the tent, to the wounded soldiers' camp outside, to the soldiers' fine infantry armor, sharp ring-pommel swords, and sturdy giant shields and spears...

Such an astonishing kill ratio relies on these excellent equipment, rigorous daily training, and an efficient battlefield medical system.

The crowd frequently turned their heads to look. This was the first large-scale battle fought by the Bingzhou army. Although they knew that the Bingzhou military system was different from other military systems, this time they were still greatly shocked.

Even Huang Zhong was not immune to this.

Compared to the shock of the generals, Zhang Xian was much calmer. What was the point of all his hard work in farming and technological advancement?

Is he just bored and has nothing better to do?

What he wanted was this kind of absolute overwhelming strength. Now, apart from being somewhat lacking in mobility and maneuverability, he had maximized all other advantages for the war effort.

Moreover, his cheat system had increased the combat power of his army by 20% to 30%. If even so, thousands or tens of thousands of them still died every now and then, he should probably start learning from the wealthy and powerful of this era and enjoy life.

"it is good."

Zhang Xian nodded slightly, his tone calm and composed.

"The list of fallen soldiers was quickly registered and sent to Jinyang. They were given the highest level of compensation, their families were properly settled by the prefectural government, and their children were given priority to enter primary schools."

Furthermore, those seriously wounded were treated at all costs, and captured cattle and sheep were prioritized for slaughter to supply the wounded soldiers' camp with meat for nourishment.

"Yes, sir!" Huang Zhong solemnly accepted the order.

Zhang Xian's gaze fell once again on the scorched area on the sand table marked as Hu Ting, and he pointed heavily with his finger.

"At sunrise tomorrow, burn down all the remaining felt tents and fences here! Pickle the heads of the barbarians with lime and build a mound of skulls on the main road in front of the camp! The base shall be made of huge stones, nine feet high and three zhang wide, with the skulls facing north! I want the winds of the grasslands to carry the aura of this monument to every corner! Let those who come after know that those who invade my territory will have their heads as the foundation stone!"

His voice was cold and resolute.

"After this battle, the northern border of Bingzhou will enjoy more than ten years of peace. But peace is not a gift from heaven; it must be forged with the blood and bones of the barbarians! Order the three armies to rest for ten days and reward them with wine and meat! After ten days, break camp and recapture the old county of Wuyuan! Our army will advance as far as the foot of Yinshan Mountain!"

"After the recapture of Wuyuan, the various armies will be rewarded according to their merits!"

"promise!"

The generals inside the tent responded with a resounding roar, their eyes burning with the desire to achieve great deeds!
To reclaim lost territories and expand territory is the act of a true hero!
As Liu Bei looked at the figure in the main seat, his reverence for him grew even stronger.

Having been in Bingzhou for several months, the clear distinction between rewards and punishments, the emphasis on ability over status, the camaraderie among the brothers, and the local customs and traditions have all helped the three brothers integrate quickly into the community.

Ten days later.

When the biting wind sweeps through here again, the entire grassland seems to be filled with the pungent smell of rust and lime.

Beside the charred ruins, a terrifying mound of thousands of grotesque heads stood silently, weeping in the face of the northern winds and snow.

(End of this chapter)