The Prodigal Son

The fire in Wangzhou Prefecture was not brought under control until dusk.

However, it was only under control.

The area in the east of the city is still okay, but the area in the west is beyond saving.

Once this fire is over, the entire western part of the city will be reduced to ruins.

The casualties and battle results of the two units have also been tallied.

"In this battle, the two units together suffered nearly 3,000 dead, and more than 3,400 were forced to withdraw from the battle due to injuries. The two units killed more than 11,000 enemy soldiers and captured more than 8,000 enemy soldiers..."

Qin Yu personally reported the battle losses and results to Qin Fumeng.

The Yan army in Wangzhou Prefecture was completely wiped out.

The results were significant!

The battle losses were also heavy!

The two departments together reduced their staff by more than 6,000.

Among them, Qin Yu's troops suffered a loss of more than 2,500 men.

This was even with the help of Ning Huang and the three experts Gui San and Gui Si to open up the siege passage.

Without their help, it's estimated that we wouldn't have been able to breach the south gate.

The three of them suffered heavy losses in their efforts to open the siege passage, and were also affected by the aftershocks of the violent explosion, all sustaining injuries of varying degrees.

Qi Dachui activated his divine blood and fought wildly with brute force for a while. He only woke up a quarter of an hour ago and can now barely move his fingers.

Xiong Quhu was wounded in many places, but fortunately, he was protected by his armor, so most of the wounds were superficial. However, the arrow that hit his shoulder was quite serious, and he would probably need to rest for at least half a month.

Yang Dun's troops, who were responsible for guarding the wooden bridge, suffered 70% casualties, and Yang Dun himself was also killed in battle.

In fact, their casualties could have been much greater.

But when the final, violent explosion occurred, their attacking forces were too densely packed, and too many people were pressing forward. The enemy suddenly burst out from the breach, catching them off guard once again.

It was precisely for this reason that Qin Yu cut He Cong, who had come up with this idea, into several pieces along the way.

Qin Fumeng glanced at him and asked again, "Are you thinking that if you hadn't sent so many people up when the enemy set fire to the explosives and collapsed the city wall, or if you had seen through the enemy's intentions beforehand, you wouldn't have suffered so many casualties?"

"Um!"

Qin Yu nodded slightly, looking at Qin Fumeng with a complicated expression: "Old man, it seems like there's something wrong with my state of mind."

He had only sensed it before.

But now he can be certain that there is indeed something wrong with his mindset.

"No one can calculate every detail of the battlefield! You'll use your brain, and so will the enemy!"

Qin Fumeng didn't offer him much comfort, instead changing the subject, "How was the spoils?"

It's a good thing that Qin Yu is able to realize that there's something wrong with his mindset!

It's better to realize that there's something wrong with your mindset than to be completely unaware and only realize it belatedly when the problem suddenly erupts.

"Not ideal."

Qin Yu's expression was solemn. "The city's large granaries are all concentrated in the west city, while the east city only has a few medium and small granaries, which together hold about 20,000 shi of grain. We did capture more than 7,000 warhorses..."

Twenty thousand shi of grain sounds like a lot.

But the consumption of food by humans and horses is also enormous.

Moreover, there are still a huge number of civilians in Wangzhou Prefecture who have no food to eat.

With so many mouths to feed, even if you throw in 20,000 shi of grain, it won't even make a ripple.

Qin Fumeng asked calmly, "What do you want to do?"

"Disaster relief!"

Without hesitation, Qin Yu said, "Collect all the grain belonging to the people in the west of the city and distribute it uniformly! Let them take the grain and flee to Dingzhou..."

As for whether they can escape to Dingzhou, that depends on their fate.

The supply lines to Daning are so long, the battles ahead will continue!

Their first priority was certainly to ensure the army's food and supplies.

"Can!"

Qin Fumeng nodded slightly, looking calmly at Qin Yu, who showed no joy at their victory: "Now you know where the cruelest part of war is, as I told you?"

"knew!"

Qin Yu nodded slightly, "For the sake of victory and the greater good, even things we are unwilling to do must be done, causing us constant torment, yet we still have to continue."

"That's roughly the idea!"

Qin Fumeng slowly stood up. "Emperor Xiaowu once said: 'Standing calmly before the ravine of corpses, obeying orders upon hearing the cries of soldiers! My will is to bring peace to the people, and my affection for my comrades is deep; even so, I have no choice but to drive them to their deaths!'"

The battlefield has never been a place where humanity matters.

A true commander must strip away a part of his humanity on the battlefield!

Even amidst a landscape littered with corpses, one must maintain utmost composure and ruthlessness.

The commander-in-chief has only one goal!

It's good to have fun!

On the battlefield, there are no things you are willing to do, only things you should or should not do!

When necessary, even one's own siblings and closest relatives must be driven to their deaths.

Take Zong Bi, for example!

He was willing to sacrifice anyone's life to protect Wangzhou Prefecture.

Even if the city falls, he will still order people to set it on fire.

Zong Bi certainly considered what would happen to the people after the fire started, but he also considered what benefits the fire could bring him and what trouble it could cause the Ning army.

They could say that Zongbi was cruel and vicious.

But there is no denying that Zong Bi was a true commander!

"I see!"

Qin Yu nodded emphatically and reminded Qin Fumeng, "The matter of grain is ultimately a troublesome issue! If we want to conquer Yan, we can't kill all the people. We also need to find a way to win over the hearts of the people! Otherwise, even if we conquer Yan, there will be endless troubles in the future."

"That is indeed a problem."

Qin Fumeng didn't deny it, "You can think of a way, but don't forget your main task!"

"Aren't you going to try something?" Qin Yu's face darkened.

"I only care about fighting!"

Qin Fu shook his head. "If I have to think about everything, what's the point of having those civil officials?"

"I……"

Qin Yu was speechless.

That old fellow lives a truly insightful and carefree life!

I wish I could be like that!

Qin Fu patted Qin Yu on the shoulder, "The state of mind is actually not complicated, but it is exhausting! Sometimes it only takes a moment to improve one's state of mind, but sometimes one can be stuck on one point for a lifetime and stagnate."

This is a problem that everyone who pursues the pinnacle of martial arts must face.

Qin Yu's previous progress was too smooth, and his strength improved too quickly, so it was inevitable that he would have problems with his mindset.

There were no problems before because he could come up with appropriate solutions when he encountered difficulties.

However, some difficulties simply do not have a proper solution.

For example, war.

Not every battle can be won with a clever strategy!

"I know."

Qin Yu grinned, "Don't worry, this is no problem for me!"

After exchanging a few words with Qin Fumeng, Qin Yu left.

He originally wanted to go and see Qi Dachui and the other wounded, but then he changed his mind.

Now, this mental state issue has become apparent.

He needs to be alone to calm down and adjust his mindset.

As Qin Yu walked into the room, his mind wandering.

They hadn't gone far when they bumped into Monk Dong, who was walking and eating a chicken leg he'd somehow gotten his hands on.

Monk Dong ate with his mouth full of oil, completely disregarding his image.

That chicken leg looked incredibly delicious.

Seeing Qin Yu staring at him, he quickly devoured the chicken leg in his hand, then held out his greasy hand to Qin Yu, "It's gone!"

"You talk like nobody cares about stealing your chicken leg."

Qin Yu rolled his eyes at him, then said half-jokingly, "Master, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you. Would you like to have a drink sometime?"

"drink wine?"

Monk Dong's eyes lit up instantly.

"Have some tea!"

Qin Yu was speechless. "Drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited during wartime, didn't you know that?"

"I know!"

Monk Dong smiled casually and said matter-of-factly, "We can find a secluded spot and hide away to drink it secretly, then no one will know, right?"

Qin Yu instinctively wanted to refuse.

But the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he suddenly swallowed them back.

At a time like this, how about having some bird tea!

"Too!"

Qin Yu changed his mind, "Let's get down to business first! I'll get the wine, and you get the meat?"

"That's more like it!"

Monk Dong laughed heartily, slapped Qin Yu on the shoulder, and casually wiped his greasy hands on Qin Yu's clothes...