A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Zhao Daxuan's fingertips trembled slightly. Instead of looking in the direction of the displayed corpses, he turned to look at the sky and asked Li Erlong in a low voice.

With hundreds of corpses lying coldly before him, how could Zhao Daxuan not know how many had died in battle if he had any sense?

It's just that I don't want to count them. Hundreds of vibrant lives have been reduced to cold, hard numbers. Although I had expected it, it's still hard to accept.

Li Erlong's cheeks were taut, his throat was slightly constricted, and he answered in a hoarse voice.

"Three hundred dead!"

"More than 140 people were seriously wounded, including more than ten who will be permanently disabled and unable to return to the battlefield for the rest of their lives!"

"Numerous others sustained minor injuries!"

Zhao Daxuan sighed softly, slowly closed his eyes, and then spoke in a deep voice.

What happens to the city guards who died in battle?

"Every year, city guards die in battle, but they are all hastily buried. Although there is a pension, it is only ten taels of silver!"

Li Erlong curled his lip, dissatisfied, and said, "The family members only received five taels of silver. Those damned parasites!"

Zhao Daxuan suddenly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

"I'd like to see who dares to withhold our pensions!"

"We'll add another forty taels to the compensation for those killed in action!"

"The death penalty in battle will be fifty taels of silver per person, plus three shi of grain!"

"Those households without able-bodied members will receive one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain per person per month!"

"The compensation for those seriously injured and disabled is thirty taels per person, plus a lifelong stipend of two shi of grain per month!"

"We must never allow our soldiers to bleed and weep!"

Zhao Daxuan stated his decision firmly, and Qin Youde and Li Erlong, who were standing to the side, were stunned for a moment, and then gasped.

Li Erlong frowned and said with some concern, "Sir, isn't this too much? We've already given a resettlement allowance, so according to custom, the pension shouldn't be this much."

Qin Youde added from the side, "According to this standard of compensation, the expenditure alone will be more than 10,000 taels of silver, and these expenditures are all inputs with no output."

"Sir, we still have 50,000 taels of silver in resettlement fees to pay, plus this 10,000 taels of pension, that's a total of more than 60,000 taels of silver."

Li Erlong continued to persuade him with some concern, but Zhao Daxuan still firmly shook his head.

"I'll handle the money problem. If I can't raise it, I'll just rob! The Tartars have stolen so much from us; it's time to take some back!"

"Moreover, I will not only provide them with compensation, but also build a cemetery for their families to be buried with honors!"

This time, the two people behind him showed slight changes in their expressions, especially Li Erlong, who was slightly shaken and showed a complicated expression.

Of all the officers he had ever encountered, Zhao Daxuan was the one who truly treated the lower-ranking soldiers as human beings.

"Sir, let me, your old classmate, handle this task! It's such a big project that you'll definitely be too busy to deal with it anytime soon."

Qin Youde volunteered, patting his thin, bony chest.

"You won't need to spend any more money, just some provisions will suffice. There are so many refugees outside the city, we have plenty of manpower! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Zhao Daxuan breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this.

He was about to incur a debt of 60,000 to 70,000 taels of silver, and there was also a fixed monthly expenditure on relief provisions.

It would be a lie to say that there isn't much pressure.

But those were things that had to be done.

As Zhao Daxuan and his companions were discussing, they suddenly noticed something amiss behind them. Turning around, they saw that tens of thousands of refugees from the camp had gathered behind them.

Most of them were refugees who had been driven to serve as human shields by the Tartars a few hours earlier.

The refugees were disheveled and looked terrified, as if they were still in shock, but they still spontaneously came to Zhao Daxuan's side.

Seeing Zhao Daxuan turn around, the refugees all knelt down in front of him, shouting in unison.

"Thank you so much for saving my life!"

Although the refugees were weak, their shouts were still deafening.

Zhao Daxuan pursed his lips, looking at the large group of refugees kneeling behind him, and felt a surge of emotion.

For a moment, I didn't know how to respond.

After a moment of silence, he responded loudly.

"With me here, I will ensure your safety!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the refugees bowed again!

"Thank you, sir!"

Zhao Daxuan smiled and shook his head, his nose slightly sore.

I feel like I've become a character in a movie right now; it's a little funny, but also so real.

"Get up, everyone. You can settle down around the camp first, and then see how the city will accommodate you."

Zhao Daxuan stepped forward, helped up several refugees in front of him, and spoke gently.

Seeing this, the other refugees stood up and looked at Zhao Daxuan with gratitude.

Qin Youde then came up and announced, "I have some more good news to share!"

"Lord Zhao is preparing to build a cemetery for the soldiers who died in battle today. Anyone who is willing to help will be provided with a day's worth of rations."

As soon as he finished speaking, the refugees, who were unsure where they would find their next meal, beamed with joy and thanked Zhao Daxuan repeatedly.

"Thank you for your mercy, sir!"

Zhao Daxuan waved to the refugees around him, modestly saying that it was no need, and struggled to squeeze out of the crowd.

If the surrounding soldiers hadn't intervened, these refugees would probably have continued to thank Zhao Daxuan.

"Wow, these people are so enthusiastic!"

Zhao Daxuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Hehehe, my lord, this is nothing at all, and besides, this is all rightfully yours!"

"If it weren't for your tremendous efforts and excellent command, how could these Tartars have retreated so easily? I'm afraid Zhenbei City would be awash in blood today!"

Zhao Daxuan laughed and scolded, "Stop flattering me, all of this is thanks to the brothers."

"Alright, enough of this nonsense. After we're done cleaning up the battlefield, remember to have someone reinforce the surrounding defenses to prevent the Tartars from coming back."

"Also, I just saw you capture some Tartar prisoners. Did you get anything out of them?"

Li Erlong shook his head slightly. "I didn't get any important information out of them; it was mostly information we already had."

He paused suddenly as he thought of a piece of news the Tartars had mentioned. Although it wasn't directly related to the battle, he decided to report it to Zhao Daxuan anyway.

"By the way, sir. There is some interesting news. This time, the Tartars not only plundered supplies around Zhenbei City, but also captured a lot of Han people."

"According to the information obtained this time, it is estimated that 20,000 Han Chinese were driven northward, and they will be taken to the territory of the northern Tartars as slaves."

Zhao Daxuan's face darkened. He was anxious but helpless, and could only sigh softly.

"Alright, I understand. Let's see how to arrange things in the city later."

"Now gather up all the Tartar heads and come with me into the city to register your war merits. These will be your bargaining chips for promotion and salary increases!"

Li Erlong grinned immediately. Although it was the first time he had heard the term "promotion and raise," he instantly understood its meaning.

He smiled and said, "Sir, we have gathered all the Tartar heads together, and they are ready to be brought into the city to register our war merits at any time!"

Zhao Daxuan was taken aback upon hearing this, then chuckled and shook his head.

"I almost forgot, you old soldier, collecting war merits has almost become an instinct for you."

Li Erlong scratched the back of his head and just chuckled.

"Alright, then bring the Tartar's head with you and come into the city with me to register your war merits!"