Qin Official

Before evacuating, the Qin people did not leave any prisoners behind.

It's not a rage killing to "avenge the dead". This kind of thought may come up while fighting, but it will disappear after the fight is over. Their comrades died at the hands of Chu people, but more Chu people also died at their own hands. This account cannot be settled.

Killing prisoners was out of the long-standing habit of the Qin army, out of safety considerations, and also because of everyone's desire for beheadings. No one, including military judge Qiu Xiao, raised any objections. Only Qin Mo and Cheng Shang stood up and objected a few words.

"The Chu people didn't kill the Qin prisoners, so why did the Qin people kill the Chu prisoners? Killing the prisoners is unlucky..."

This man was probably going abroad with the Qin army for the first time, so everyone looked at him with strange eyes.

"Soldiers need first-class merit."

Li You, who was lying on the carriage, replied matter-of-factly.

Cheng Shang's eyes widened: "The first achievement... a lot of people have been beheaded and captured the flag, isn't that enough? What's more, they have put down their weapons, so what if they let go? Doesn't it mean that the Qin army does not kill innocent people indiscriminately?"

Zhai Chong on the side said: "Innocent refers to the unarmed common people. Anyone who has raised a weapon against us is not innocent. Besides, if we let him go, someone will definitely leak our whereabouts. If it is a weekday, forget it. Okay, now we are still in trouble, the Chu people don’t know when they will send troops to pursue us, so we must not be merciful!"

Cheng Shang still couldn't accept it. Since he couldn't persuade him theoretically, he could only persuade him emotionally: "Li Duwei, you were from Shangcai Chu, Heifu Baijiang, you are from Nanjun. Nanjun and Huaibei are both in the west. Although you and Chu belong to two separate countries, you share the same language and have similar customs. These prisoners of Chu are also your fellow countrymen. Why can't you love each other, but hate each other, and kill them quickly?"

Li You's face suddenly became unhappy. Hei Fu knew that Qin Mo was cheating on Lou Zi. Although Li You used his place of origin to win over Nanjun soldiers, he was very taboo about others saying that he was from Chu.

So Heifu smiled: "Mr. Cheng, don't come here to talk about the truth. For us, the king raised his army and repaired my spear and halberd. He was just following orders and had no other choice. Since Qin and Chu have already started a war, then what's the point? Before the end of this war, the soldiers on both sides will be unrelenting enemies, loving the enemy as much as they love their own robes? The Mohists' love for all is not offensive, and we cannot imitate it. Besides, since the Mohists are still guarding With the concept of universal love and non-aggression, why do you want to help Qin attack Chu?"

Cheng Shang's face looked a little defeated, and he murmured: "Because Qin Mo has figured out a truth... Only when the world is united can wars be eliminated, love can be achieved without aggression, and the world can be unified... We just want to make peace This unification process is faster, I didn’t expect...:"

"Unexpectedly, the war was so cruel, the Chu people resisted so fiercely, and the Qin State was defeated?"

Heifu shook his head. Idealists are always naive, but Qin Mo is already the more realistic and sensible among this group of idealists.

Cheng Shang nodded: "As a result, we don't know when the war in the world will end completely, and how many more people will die. If we continue to kill like this, won't Qin and Chu become more and more hostile, and their hatred will become more and more serious? Deep down, this seems to be completely different from our original intention."

Seeing that his persuasion was fruitless, he glanced at the hundreds of Chu soldiers squatting in the distance with shame. He turned back and walked toward the city dejectedly, sighing: "I'll continue to make the stretcher."

Although they captured the chariots and horses abandoned by the Chu people, sometimes they might have to abandon their chariots and walk into the wilderness, and the wounded who could not walk had to be carried by hand. So Heifu drew a sketch, asked Cheng Shang to search for materials in the city, and led his soldiers to help make a batch of stretchers that were common in later generations. At least he no longer had to remove the door panels to carry people.

After Cheng Shang left, Heifu asked Li You again, but Lieutenant Li still did not change his mind.

So with the orders from the military officials, the killing began. Everything was in order. First, the Chu people were forced to take off their armor. Then, the Qin people silently stepped forward and raised the crossbow indifferently, followed by people holding swords to touch up...

Just a moment later, the last screams suddenly stopped, and more than a hundred corpses appeared on the ground. The military judge added these people to the number of beheadings with a stroke of his pen.

Seeing this scene, Hei Fu could only sigh: "Cheng Shang is right, the chain of hatred between Qin and Chu has become even tighter."

Heifu turned his back and looked at the soldiers and chariots coming out of the city. Dou Ran, who was also thrown into the chariot with five-flowered buns, looked at the slaughtered Chu prisoners, his eyes were red, and there were only two Chu prisoners who were still useful. Only the officers and soldiers of the army survived, and they will be taken back to Qin together with Dou Ran as spoils of war.

Tu Si and Man came over to report: "Fake Lord Five Hundred, all the people in the city have come out, and together with the dry food captured from the Chu army, they will all be exhausted for five days!"

"Good." Hei Fu ordered to Zhai Chong, Tu Si and others: "Let everyone change their clothes into Chu people's red armor, hide their flags, and display the Chu people's banner!"

This is also the reason why Li You wants to drive out all the Chu people, because they have to disguise themselves.

Dou Ran was very stubborn and couldn't ask anything. The other two Chu soldier commanders couldn't explain clearly either. They only knew that a general was leading an army to attack Pingyu. There are only 3,000 Qin soldiers in Pingyu. I'm afraid they won't be able to hold it for long. The Chu people may have all been killed outside Xincai City...

The worst plan is that Xincai is also occupied by the Chu people. Heifu and the others must cross the Ru River to the southwest, walk another two to three hundred miles in the area controlled by the Chu army, pass through the entire Huaixi area, and reach the boundary of Nanyang County. It's safe.

Heifu has no idea of ​​establishing a base behind enemy lines. They are definitely like rats crossing the street in Chudi, and everyone is shouting and beating them. As for the hundreds of thousands of people fighting in the direction of Shangcai and Yangcheng, they, the hundreds of remnant soldiers, should not join in the fun, and they should run away quickly.

While everyone was busy peeling off the Chu people's armor, Hei Fu took his direct subordinates who had finished changing their clothes and stood beside the big pit where Qin prisoners were originally detained...

They wanted to say their final goodbyes to the deceased Pao Ze.

…

There were originally a neat hundred people, but now there are only seventy people left, many of whom are still wounded soldiers, or have their ears wrapped, or their arms are hung. The remaining more than twenty people have been sacrificed in the battle and were buried. Underfoot.

The corpses of the Chu people were thrown outside, scattered everywhere, while the corpses of the Qin people were carried into the pit and displayed neatly. They also forced the Chu prisoners to shovel the soil and fill it in again. Now, the previous state has been restored. Solid appearance.

More than a hundred dead people share a grave. There are no tombstones, only dozens of broken swords stuck neatly in the soil. Huaimu's sword is also there, located in the center, and the silk tied to the ring on the hilt is fluttering gently in the wind...

Li Xian sighed and said: "My parents gave me a name when I was born. How come I have no name after death? There is not even a tombstone." "Who said there is no name?" Hei Fu asked.

"I can't name the other hundreds of deceased people, but as long as they were under my command, I will remember them clearly regardless of their names and nationalities!"

Because they are Heifu's soldiers.

Heifu even remembered the expressions on those young faces and what each said when he was writing letters home for them.

"Zheng, you said hello to your sick parents in your letter at home, apologized for not being home for a year, and told the bride to take good care of her parents."

"Xiang, you complained in your letter that life in the military camp was too boring."

"Jiu, you have repeatedly worried about whether the land and house for the title will be implemented."

"Father Chao, you look forward to the first meal you eat after returning home."

"Que, please ask your sisters at home to help you greet the person you love in the same place. You are worried about whether she is married to someone else."

"Zhongliu, you promise to go back during the twelfth lunar month to offer sacrifices, bring rewards, and shine in the countryside."

Standing here, listening to the wind, Heifu seemed to hear those chattering but simple words again, echoing in his ears.

Among them is the sound of locust wood.

Heifu still remembered that Huaimu looked a little awkward at first, as if writing a letter to the family was more difficult than conquering the city first, but he couldn't hold back as soon as he said it, this warrior as strong as iron said tender words.

"Huaimu asked with concern, my wife was doing laundry in the winter. Did she freeze her hands again? He also told her not to go too far to chop wood and to be careful of wild animals. At the same time, he asked his wife to collect the money at home and give it to the two ministers. Send it to my younger brother, if the two of them still don't regain their freedom... In the end, Huaimu said that if his wife tries her best, Huaimu will return and she will never break her promise..."

As Heifu read the content written by the deceased in the family letter one by one, among the people behind him, Dongmen Bao raised his head high. This fearless man, who was proud of bleeding and ashamed of crying, was trying his best. Let the tears stay in your eyes and not flow down.

The other dozens of people also looked solemn, and some even started to sob softly.

After a year and a half of military life, everyone has become brothers who are not brothers, and they are like missing brothers.

Ji Ying came over at this time and said with red eyes: "General Bai, when you didn't come, Huaimu said that his last wish was to be buried in Jingling, on the hill. If he couldn't do it, It’s okay to bury him back in Nan County.”

When birds fly back to their hometown, when foxes die, they must head to the hilltop... This seems to be a poem by Qu Yuan, right? But regardless of people from Qin or Chu, this is the simplest wish for everyone when they die.

Heifu nodded. He knelt down, picked up a handful of soil, and apologized to the locust tree and to the robes lying on the ground: "We are leaving. I don't have time and I can't bring you home with me." , can only be left in this foreign country."

"But I won't break my promise! I said, I will take you home, no one will be missing! No matter life or death!"

Heifu bowed his head towards the tombstone composed of dozens of broken swords and swore: "Although the fighting has stopped, the war is not over yet. Until the fall of Chu, the king will not give up. The king raised his troops and repaired my armor! I will I will regroup and return here to plant the Qin flag in this city and this land! At that time, I will use hundreds of coffins and coffins to move all your corpses back to your hometown!"

"Second and third sons, please wait for now!" "This is Heifu's final military order to you as a hundred generals!"

The earth is speechless, and so are the tombs. Only the broken sword stands firm in the north wind, like a warrior who is still alive despite death, and the slight swaying sound is like the last answer to Heifu...

"promise!"