What to Do with the Prisoners

Inside the camp, the morale of the Government Army had completely collapsed.

With their commander killed and their camp breached, surrounded by shouts of battle, the soldiers no longer had the will to resist.

It's unclear who was the first to drop their weapon, fall to their knees with a thud, and beg for mercy.

Once the first one appeared, a second one followed. In the blink of an eye, swathes of the Government Army laid down their weapons and knelt on the ground.

The Rebel Army soldiers stepped forward, ordered them to remove their armor and tie their hands behind their backs, and escorted them out of the camp in groups.

The surrendered Government Army knelt down in a dense, dark mass, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The camp's provisions, weapons, armor, and tents were all seized by the Rebel Army.

On a distant hillside, Shen Jingchuan watched as the fighting in the camp gradually subsided, knowing that the battle was coming to an end.

He didn't look any longer, patted Little Black, turned around, took to the air, and went straight back to Azure Cloud Stronghold.

News of the main force's defeat at the south gate quickly spread to the east, west, and north.

Each of these three locations had 30,000 Government Army, who were still besieging the city.

Upon hearing that the city was about to open through the south gate, Lin Shan, Lin Yue, and Zhou Tong immediately opened the city gates as well, and charged out from three sides simultaneously.

Gradually, when the Government Army heard that their commander-in-chief had died in battle and that the main force of over 100,000 men at the South Gate had been wiped out, they lost all will to fight and collapsed at the first sign of trouble.

Some surrendered, some fled, and in less than half a day, the area outside the three gates was all cleaned up.

This great battle has finally come to an end.

Hu Tieniu returned to the government office and ordered his men to tally up the results of the battle. Team after team reported their findings.

They killed approximately 70,000 Government Army; captured as many as 120,000; and the rest scattered and fled.

On the Rebel Army side, more than 5,000 were killed in battle, and around 30,000 were wounded.

Because of their strong armor and the fact that they were defending a city, they suffered more injuries than deaths.

The captured grain and fodder were piled up like mountains, totaling 75,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), enough to feed 300,000 people for a month.

As for swords, spears, armor, bows and crossbows, horses, and tents, countless items were seized.

After this battle, the Rebel Army didn't really care for the swords, spears, and armor they captured from the Government Army.

The armor worn by the Government Army was thick and heavy, making it difficult to move one's legs.

The Rebel Army's stab-proof vests, though seemingly lightweight, offered superior protection, with steel plates lining vital areas, making them impervious to knife cuts and arrows.

The helmet was also procured by Shen Jingchuan. The material was something that didn't exist in this era at all; it was hard, light, and breathable, and felt soft inside, providing cushioning against impacts.

With a wave of his hand, Hu Tieniu distributed all the captured swords, spears, and armor to the garrison troops, which were the second-line units.

What truly pleased him were the grain and the warhorses.

In this battle, a total of 30,000 warhorses were captured.

Hu Tieniu looked at the tall, magnificent horses and grinned from ear to ear. He grabbed Lin Yue beside him and shook him vigorously.

"Lin the Second, we're really rich now!"

Despite his joy, Lin Shan poured cold water on his enthusiasm. "Chief, the most important thing right now is what to do with these 120,000 prisoners."

"Let them go," they said, turning around and picking up their knives again to fight us; "Kill them," they said, "Killing prisoners is bad luck, and we can't bear that infamy."

Hu Tieniu scratched his head, also looking troubled.

He had never captured so many people at once before. If he didn't kill them, these 120,000 mouths would need to be fed every day, and just eating them would bankrupt the family.

Although Young Master Shen provided a large supply of food, it wasn't a good idea to keep feeding these good-for-nothings, but they couldn't just leave them unattended either. For a moment, they were at a loss.

Zhou Tong thought for a moment and then said, "Chief, why don't you go to Azure Cloud Stronghold and ask Young Master Shen? He'll definitely have a solution."

Hu Tieniu slapped his forehead and said, "That's right! How could I forget about you, young master?"

"Alright, I'll leave the cleanup here to you. I'm going to Azure Cloud Stronghold."

Lin Yue smiled and said, "Boss Hu, I'll go with you and keep you safe."

Hu Tieniu and Lin Yue got along best, and were close friends. Hu patted Lin Yue's shoulder and laughed, "You? Protect me?"

Lin Yue glared at him and said, "Of course. Don't believe me? Let's go to the yard and have a go!"

Hu Tieniu laughed and said, "Alright, let's go. There's no use keeping a roughneck like you in the city."

He turned around again and cupped his hands in greeting to Lin Shan and Zhou Tong.

"I'll leave this to you two."

Lin Shan was steady and reliable, Hu Tieniu felt at ease entrusting him with the resettlement of the troops and the guarding of the prisoners.

Zhou Tong was a businessman, skilled in logistics, accounting, and seizures; with his father's help, nothing went wrong.

The two men clasped their hands in a fist salute and said, "Don't worry, Chief, we'll take care of things here."

Hu Tieniu and Lin Yue mounted their horses and, with their personal guards, headed towards Azure Cloud Stronghold.

Upon arriving at the village, they met Shen Jingchuan and exchanged a few pleasantries.

Hu Tieniu recounted the entire story of the battle, and after finishing, he rubbed his hands together, a troubled expression on his face.

"Young Master Shen, everything else is fine, but those 120,000 prisoners... I really have no idea what to do. Could you please tell me what to do?"

Shen Jingchuan listened, nodded, and said, "This is indeed a difficult problem."

In his mind, the image of that army on Earth came to mind.

That army always treated prisoners of war well. He had read books on this before and knew the benefits, so he had an idea in mind.

He looked up and said without hesitation, "Let's take it in two steps."

"First, organize the people and speak to them."

"Let me just say one thing—why do the poor suffer? Why do some people eat meat and fish every day, while others have to sell their children, and in extreme cases, Perfected Person resort to cannibalism?"

"I've told you all this before, just repeat it to them."

"Having thoroughly explained the hardships, let me now explain our local policies: land distribution and grain provision, which enabled people to survive."

"The second step is to tell them that those who are willing to join the Rebel Army will be treated the same as our soldiers, and will not be treated unfairly."

Hu Tieniu thought for a moment and asked, "What if they don't want to join?"

"These soldiers mostly came from the Capital or other prefectures, far from their homes; many of them probably longed to return."

Shen Jingchuan said, "That's easy. Give them travel expenses and dismiss them."

"But leave them all, including their armor and weapons. Treat them well, let them go back to their lives peacefully."

Lin Yue, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but say, "Giving them travel expenses? Not killing them is already generous enough."

"If they go back, the court will reorganize them into soldiers again, and then turn around and attack us again. Wouldn't we have been captured for nothing?"

Shen Jingchuan looked at him calmly and said, "Second brother, what do you think?"

"They were never beaten or mistreated here, and they even had travel expenses, so they were able to go back alive."

"If they go to the battlefield again and face us, do you think they'll still fight to the death?"

Lin Yue was stunned for a moment, exchanged a glance with Hu Tieniu, and then suddenly slapped his forehead.

"They'd either throw down their weapons and run, or surrender."

"Since we've surrendered, we'll have travel expenses and a chance to survive. Who's going to be foolish enough to fight to the death?"

Shen Jingchuan looked at him and chuckled inwardly. This second brother, though he seemed like a brute, was actually not stupid at all; he was just impulsive.

Hu Tieniu also realized what was going on, smacked his lips, and said, "Young Master, that move was truly brilliant."

"Catch them, release them, catch them again, and then collect the travel expenses—it's a great deal!"

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand and said, "But for now, don't distribute silver, distribute grain."