A lowly soldier becomes king, I slaughter my way through the late Tang Dynasty!

The more than 4,000 soldiers of Weizhou were already in ambush and in complete chaos.

Soldiers do not know their generals, and generals do not know their soldiers.

Everyone was filled with fear, unable to move forward or backward.

at this time.

Another loud roar came from the crowd from Zhao Kuangyin.

Guo Feng is dead!

With the supreme commander dead, where was the will to fight in Weizhou Army?

Before Yuan Jia came forward.

Some of the more clever ones dropped their knives and knelt down to surrender.

Wait for Yuan Jia to speak out.

The noise on the battlefield gradually subsided.

The soldiers of Weizhou huddled together, their faces filled with panic, unsure of what to do.

Seeing this, Yuan Jia simply dismounted.

Dressed in simple clothes and unarmed, he took the initiative to step forward.

"My lads, look at me! I am Governor Yuan Jia!"

Several generals of the Weizhou army recognized the civil official.

Someone shouted through gritted teeth.

"Prefect Yuan! Is what you just said true?"

Yuan Jia said hurriedly.

"Of course it's true. General Li occupied Wei County, but he did not harm the people in the slightest, nor did he settle scores with your families!"

Right now, your parents, wife, and children are waiting for you to come home and reunite with them!

Why not lay down your swords and save your life?

Upon hearing this...

Everyone in the Weizhou army was very interested.

Guo Feng is dead, and the registrar also died in the chaos of battle.

The remaining soldiers were just soldiers trying to make a living.

Why risk your life?

Clang!

One of the generals was the first to drop his sword and kneel on one knee.

"I am willing to surrender."

His soldiers followed their commander's lead and knelt down to surrender.

In an instant.

Swords and knives were scattered all over the ground.

The entire Weizhou army knelt on the ground, willing to surrender.

Seeing this, Yuan Jia breathed a sigh of relief.

It's a relief that so many people survived.

At this time.

Li Rui stepped forward and gave the instructions.

"Tie him up and keep him outside the city for now."

He then spoke to Yuan Jiadao.

"Prefect Yuan, send someone to prepare some flatbread and hot soup to appease the prisoners."

Yuan Jia was ordered to comply.

The task of taking in prisoners was handled by Chen Xiaoniu, Wei Ping, and others.

Not long after, Zeng Feng arrived with his men.

Seeing that the battle was over, he also led his men to join the prisoner escort team.

Zhao Kuangyin, holding Guo Feng's head, said excitedly.

"General, I too have achieved the merit of slaying a general!"

Being the first to scale the walls, beheading enemy generals, and capturing flags are the three great merits in the army!

Each one is more difficult than the last.

Zhao Kuangyin participated in military operations for the first time and achieved the merit of being the first to scale the walls at Feihu Pass.

The killing of Guo Feng hastened the surrender of the Weizhou army.

Indeed, it was a meritorious deed.

But Li Rui didn't give him a friendly look.

Zhao Kuangyin froze, instantly realizing what mistake he had made.

He quickly knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

"General, this humble general knows his mistake!"

"Where did we go wrong?"

"This humble general...should not have abandoned his soldiers and pursued them alone."

Seeing that he understood his mistakes, Li Rui didn't want to be too harsh on him.

Get up.

Zhao Kuangyin scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"General, I don't need this merit of slaying the general; the merits and demerits cancel each other out."

Li Rui kicked him in the butt and cursed.

"Merit is merit, and fault is fault. Merit should be rewarded and fault should be punished!"

"Your merit will be rewarded upon your return to Dingzhou. Now, your punishment is to repair the prisoners' outhouses!"

Zhao Kuangyin was immediately stunned!

"What?! Building outhouses for prisoners?"

Li Rui glared at him.

"What? You don't want to? Then treat it according to military law, fifty strokes of the cane!"

Zhao Kuangyin opened his mouth, then quickly waved his hand, and said sullenly.

"Don't hit me, don't hit me, I'll obey."

……

Post-war casualty statistics.

The Restoration Army suffered 61 dead or seriously wounded soldiers and 100 lightly wounded soldiers.

The Weizhou army suffered more than 600 casualties.

The casualty ratio was almost one to ten, which is a very impressive figure.

But Li Rui was not satisfied.

It's an ambush, with armored soldiers attacking unarmored soldiers.

According to Li Rui's plan, not a single member of the Guangfu Army should die!

not to mention.

All 61 casualties were from respectable families in Boling County.

The reason for the casualties was a lack of experience.

Most new recruits were too nervous, their tactics were not executed properly, and their fighting movements were shaky.

Fortunately.

After this battle.

The Restoration Army finally began to resemble an elite force.

At least next time I'm on stage, I won't be so nervous that my hands and feet go numb.

Outside Yu County.

More than three thousand soldiers from Weizhou were imprisoned in a simple camp.

Yuan Jia was leading his men to distribute grain and reassure the soldiers.

Only after his repeated assurances did these soldiers believe that their wives, children, and elderly parents had not been killed.

Zhao Kuangyin, meanwhile, took a shovel and began digging a dry latrine.

While they were digging, soldiers from Weizhou ran over, wanting to use the restroom.

This angered Zhao Kuangyin, who then cursed him.

"Get lost! Can't you see your grandpa's still digging? Go find somewhere to poop!"

Finally, a dry toilet was dug.

Zhao Kuangyin was very depressed and gradually harbored resentment.

He abandoned his soldiers and pursued the enemy alone, for which he was punished.

Zhao Kuangyin acknowledged that he was being punished, but he did not approve of the manner of the punishment.

Digging dry toilets is out of the question.

Dirty and tiring.

The crucial point is that this dry latrine was actually dug for prisoners of war!

This is an insult to him!

Zhao Kuangyin became increasingly indignant as he thought about it!

But not daring to disobey Li Rui's orders, he could only sit there sulking.

At this moment, Yuan Jia came over carrying a bucket of hot soup.

"General Zhao, why do you sigh so deeply?"

Zhao Kuangyin glared at him but didn't say anything.

Yuan Jia laughed.

He couldn't help but shake his head.

"General Zhao, you don't understand General Li's good intentions."

Zhao Kuangyin was taken aback.

Painstaking effort?

He made himself dig latrines for the prisoners.

Where did all this painstaking effort come from?

Yuan Jia prepared a bowl of hot soup and handed it to Zhao Kuangyin.

"General Zhao, you might consider what General Li plans to do with these soldiers from Weizhou?"

Zhao Kuangyin did not hesitate.

"Of course, we'll bring them all back to Dingzhou; they're all laborers."

Those who want to farm, farm; those who want to be incorporated, be incorporated—anything is better than letting them go!

Yuan Jia nodded.

"Yes, General Li wants to expand his strength, and the more people the better, so he will definitely take all these people to Dingzhou."

At that time, they will not be enemies, but General Li's army and people.

"General Zhao, as a valiant general under General Li, how can you have conflicts with the soldiers and civilians under General Li's command?"

Zhao Kuangyin was stunned.

The key information was captured instantly.

"Is it because I killed Guo Feng?"

Yuan Jia nodded.

"Yes, Guo Feng has a high reputation in the Weizhou army. If you kill him, the soldiers of the Weizhou army will naturally be hostile to you."

General Li assigned you to repair their dry latrines precisely to ease the tension between you.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin immediately realized the truth!

He quickly stood up and bowed to Yuan Jia.

"I see, thanks to Governor Xie Yuan's guidance."

Yuan Jia smiled bitterly.

"I am also a prisoner. What advice are you offering? It's just doing you a favor."

After receiving the guidance, Zhao Kuangyin immediately turned his life around!

He shouted this in front of a group of prisoners.

"Fellow countrymen of Weizhou, I am Zhao Kuangyin, and I have come personally to dig dry latrines for you by order of the general!"

Having said that, he began digging with great effort.

This left everyone feeling disgusted and bewildered.

……

A night passed.

Zeng Feng handed Li Rui a list of names.

"The roster of the surrendered soldiers of Weizhou Army has been compiled, along with their families and relatives, all of whom have been recorded."

Li Rui nodded.

"Then take your men and invite their families over. Note that it's 'invite,' not 'kidnap.' Be careful not to overstep the bounds."

Zeng Feng cupped his hands in greeting.

"Here you go!"

He hesitated before leaving.

"General, what should be done with Guo Feng's family?"