The Prodigal Son

Dusk falls on the drill ground.

The first batch of prisoners has been selected.

More than 4,700 people.

The vast majority of them were infantrymen of the Yan army, with only less than four hundred Flying Fang cavalrymen.

After Zhu Songlan and his men tested them, many of the Flying Riders were unwilling to fight for the enemy, Da Ning. Although they were captured, many of them adopted a "do whatever you want with me" attitude.

This outcome was within Qin Yu's expectations.

The Flying Fang Cavalry were, after all, Yan Wujiu's elite troops, and they received the best treatment; even if their rations were reduced, they wouldn't be shortchanged.

Their high level of loyalty is entirely understandable.

If even the Flying Riders weren't very loyal, then the Yan state wouldn't have needed to fight them long ago.

Qin Yu stood on the command platform, quietly surveying the surrendered soldiers who were so hungry they could barely stand.

In front of him was a large megaphone made of rolled-up sheet metal.

"I am Qin Yu, the Marquis of Wuning of Da Ning. Many of you have probably heard of me!"

"I know that many of you hate me!"

"Unfortunately, you've hated the wrong person!"

"It was not I who defeated you, but the greedy nobles and gentry of Yan!"

"They occupy vast amounts of Yan's resources and control its finances, yet they remain insatiably greedy! They have seized the land that rightfully belongs to you, blocking your path to advancement!"

"You risk your lives for the court on the front lines, while your parents, wives, and children have no clothes to wear and no food to eat, yet you still have to endure their oppression and exploitation!"

"And yet they feast and become bloated, and in the end they still curse you for being incompetent and call you lowly people..."

Qin Yu shouted at the crowd through the tin megaphone, but his eyes were on the expressions of the surrendered soldiers in the front row.

Under his constant "analysis," many soldiers' faces began to change color.

Qin Yu did not stop and continued to shout.

Observing the changes in these surrendered soldiers, Du Fan couldn't help but gently nudge Qi Dachui beside him with his elbow, "What did Marquis Qin do before?"

Hearing Qin Yu's words, not to mention the surrendered soldiers, even he himself wanted to pick up a weapon and kill those powerful and influential people.

How come he never noticed before that Qin Yu was so good at stirring people's hearts?

"before?"

Qi Dachui thought for a moment, then grinned and replied, "Thirteenth Young Master used to just eat, drink, and have fun!"

"..."

Du Fan's mouth was slightly open, and he was speechless for a moment.

Got it!

You're so stupid you didn't even ask!

Qin Yu continued to create class contradictions.

Only when the pent-up anger in everyone's hearts was ignited did Qin Yu change the subject.

"Since you are willing to serve my Great Ning, I will not treat you unfairly!"

"Your rations and pay are the same as those of my soldiers in Da Ning. I will not withhold a single grain of rice or a single copper coin!"

"If you fight bravely on the battlefield, you will be rewarded according to the standards for soldiers of the Great Ning!"

"Furthermore, for every enemy you kill on the battlefield, you will be rewarded with two acres of fertile land!"

"If any family members are willing to relocate to the present territory of my Great Ning, I will petition the court to provide you with resettlement allowances and fertile land..."

Hearing Qin Yu's promise of benefits, the soldiers' eyes lit up.

But before they could celebrate for long, Qin Yu suddenly changed the subject.

"This time, I will order the selection of 35,000 men, from which only about 25,000 will ultimately be able to remain and serve under my command!"

"Next, I will have your men train you!"

"Those who don't meet my requirements, get back to the prisoner-of-war camp!"

"As for how to ultimately deal with the prisoners of war in the camp, that's beyond my control!"

A combination of carrot and stick is always the simplest and most effective way to win people's hearts.

Finally, Qin Yu announced a special military order.

If even one person harbors ill intentions, all one hundred guards, except for the one who reports them, will be executed!

The annual salary for these 100 people was given as a reward to the whistleblower!

Anyone who dares to make false accusations will have their entire family executed by slow slicing!

Afterwards, Qin Yu ordered his men to arrange their camp not far from the prisoner-of-war camp.

So that the prisoners in the POW camp could spot them at a glance.

At night, the tempting aroma of meat wafted from the temporary camp, constantly wafting into the nostrils of the POW soldiers, causing many hungry prisoners to uncontrollably swallow their saliva.

Afterwards, Qin Yu summoned Wang Xiaoying, who was in charge of guarding the prisoners.

"You can discuss it with Zhu Songlan."

"Starting tonight, select a small number of surrendered soldiers to join the guards of prisoners."

"But remember, you must choose those who are truly loyal!"

"And we must have someone keep a close eye on them to prevent any trouble..."

Qin Yu didn't elaborate on the specifics.

I believe Zhu Songlan should understand what to do.

Wang Xiaoying accepted the order and immediately went to find Zhu Songlan.

After discussing it, the two selected one hundred surrendered soldiers to join the guard team.

At night, the hundred surrendered soldiers joined Wang Xiaoying's men in guarding the surrendered soldiers.

Winter is already approaching.

The temperature dropped significantly at night.

But many of the prisoners were still only wearing a single layer of clothing.

There weren't enough tents for them to sleep in the prisoner-of-war camp.

These prisoners of war were held in a shed area with 500 people separated by wooden fences.

Each shed area has a shed that is drafty on all four sides but at least has a roof.

But in that tiny shack, you could only squeeze in a hundred or so people at most.

Most of the prisoners slept in the open air, with dry grass under their bodies.

Any spot that can be sheltered from the wind will attract a lot of people to fight for it.

These prisoners of war were starving and freezing, and couldn't sleep at all.

The entire prisoner-of-war camp was brightly lit, guarded by armored soldiers and a circle of archers. Soldiers patrolled all night to prevent the prisoners from causing trouble.

"Little Five!"

A surrendered soldier from the Yan army was just assigned to guard a prisoner shed when he was recognized by the prisoners in the shed.

Xiao Wuzi had already changed into Ningjun's armor, and underneath he was wearing the thick clothes that had just been issued. Perhaps because he had eaten meat that night, he looked exceptionally energetic, a stark contrast to his former companions in the shantytown.

"Ergou, what are you doing here?"

Xiao Wuzi looked at Li Ergou in the shed area with surprise.

Li Ergou's sallow face twitched violently, and he retorted irritably, "How did I end up here?"

Xiao Wu was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant. "That's not what I meant. I meant you weren't selected?"

Li Ergou looked completely bewildered. "Choose what? Nobody's coming here to choose!"

"That means it hasn't reached your side yet."

Xiao Wuzi replied, "Today they're selecting people in the shantytown on the east side. They probably won't arrive here for another day or two..."

As he spoke, Xiao Wuzi mentioned to him that Zhu Songlan and his men were selecting people to supplement the Ning Army.

After hearing Xiao Wuzi's words, Li Ergou immediately cast a disdainful look at him: "So you're just going to obediently work for the Ning people like that?"

"What do you mean by risking your life for the Ning people? I'm risking my life for myself!"

Xiao Wuzi argued, then snorted, "Besides, it's better to serve the Ning people than to serve those powerful and wealthy people who don't treat us like human beings..."

As he spoke, Xiao Wuzi recounted Qin Yu's words to Li Ergou, including the treatment and promises Qin Yu had made to them, and emphasized that they had eaten meat that night.

Although Li Ergou was somewhat envious, he was extremely disdainful, saying, "The Ning people are going to feed you meat? Be careful, it might be your last meal before you're beheaded!"

"What?! Last meal before execution?!"

Xiao Wuzi objected, "That's how the Ning Army eats!"

"The general said that this was meat they took from the warhorses that died in battle after their victory."

"Anyway, if there's meat now, everyone can eat meat. If there's no meat, then we can eat however we want."

"Winter is just around the corner, so consider this a time for everyone to put on some winter fat..."

When it comes to eating meat, Xiao Wuzi becomes very talkative, vividly describing to Li Ergou how delicious the meat is.

Although Li Ergou knew that Xiao Wuzi was definitely exaggerating, he still kept secretly swallowing his saliva.

"Would the Ning people really offer you so many benefits?"

Li Ergou asked tentatively.

If there are really so many benefits, then working for the Ning people isn't such a bad idea.

In chaotic times, it doesn't matter who you serve.

There's meat to eat, and extra rewards for killing enemies, so why wouldn't you do it?

They work for those powerful and wealthy people, but they don't see the powerful and wealthy people giving them much benefit!

"Who is Marquis Qin? He can't possibly go back on his word in front of so many people!"

Xiao Wuzi believed Qin Yu's words without a doubt, "Anyway, I have to try my best to stay!"

"what?"

Li Ergou was confused. "What do you mean, stay behind?"

Xiao Wuzi replied, "Lord Qin said he would select about 35,000 men, but in the end only about 25,000 will remain. He doesn't want the weak; those who are eliminated should obediently go back to the prisoner-of-war camp! Winter is almost here, and I don't want to freeze here..."

Hearing Xiao Wuzi's words, Li Ergou immediately became worried.

Only 25,000 people were left?

Then I'd better try my best to stay!

Winter is coming soon, and if we stay here any longer, we'll either starve or freeze to death.

The same thing happened in other shantytowns.

Many sleepless prisoners will be even more sleepless tonight...