Troops at the City Gates

Killing prisoners to forge enmity? Lu Zheng stared blankly at Meng Shanming, his heart shaken once more. Slaughtering six hundred thousand Song Kingdom prisoners—how could that not forge enmity?

Not merely enmity, but a blood feud. It would become an unforgettable humiliation engraved into the bones of all Song Kingdom people. If Song Kingdom ever had the chance, how could it fail to avenge this hatred?

So this had been deliberate. Beyond the grand strategy he had mentioned to Gong Lince earlier, it was also meant to cut off the retreat of the soldiers attacking Song Kingdom, forcing them to fight valiantly to the death!

So killing prisoners could also become a way to bolster morale!

He understood now. There had been so many reasons behind it all. No wonder Marshal Meng had insisted on doing this even at the cost of bearing infamy and pressure from the three major sects...

The army left the Qunluo Mountains, escorting masses of prisoners out of the mountains. All the army's baggage and supplies were forced onto the prisoners' backs, freeing the Yan Kingdom troops of the burden.

Though the waterlogged ground had dried considerably, the road beneath their marching feet remained muddy, making the journey somewhat arduous.

Meng Shanming was unwilling to waste provisions on the prisoners bearing the burdens. He gave them only a little broth and water. Weak from lack of strength and burdened with heavy loads, their plight was easy to imagine.

Nearly every one of these prisoners was wounded and missing an ear. Bloodstains ran down every face.

The ground was muddy, and the army advanced slowly.

"Daoist Master, letters from Gongsun Bu and that red-faced Monkey arrived almost at the same time."

In the mountains, Guan Fangyi took out two letters.

Niu Youdao read Gongsun Bu's