NCCnovel Chapter 454 Cleaning up the battlefield
Chapter 454 Cleaning up the battlefield
In the dim morning light, Zhu Zhanhui faced the bright sunlight and steadily climbed up the hanging tower of the north gate along the broken and mottled steps.
He looked down and saw the tragic scene outside the city after yesterday's battle.
The scattered corpses were lying all over the ground, and the strange smell was wafting into the air in the wind.
On the city wall, the bodies of the Shizhou soldiers were properly carried away yesterday. Even the bodies of the Xiongnu soldiers were collected and collectively burned at the foot of the city wall.
However, most of the corpses outside the city were left by the Huns.
It’s not that the people of Shizhou are unwilling to collect the bodies, but the situation outside the city is too dangerous.
At this moment, two people holding white flags came slowly from the distance. Judging from their posture, it was obvious that the enemy had something to say.
"General, someone is coming from the Xiongnu, presumably to clean up the battlefield today. Do you think you can let them pass?"
The sergeant's words rang in Zhu Zhanhui's ears.
He was silent for a moment. According to common sense in siege warfare, the enemy should be allowed to collect the bodies. After all, this could prevent the spread of cholera.
But facing the Huns who were stronger than himself, Zhu Zhanhui was really unwilling to agree easily.
"Let them wait, I'll think about it!"
Although he was reluctant to let the enemy collect the bodies, his deep-rooted sense of benevolence and righteousness always pricked his heart like a needle.
The people holding white flags on the opposite side kept shouting, hoping that the people in the city could hear their demands.
"Order the cannons on the city walls to move back a little so the enemy won't see our deployment."
Zhu Zhanhui gave orders to the soldiers beside him, actually he wanted to get rid of this person so that he would not be bothered by him.
When Chen Yonggui saw Zhu Zhanhui's worried and helpless look, he knew that he must have something on his mind, so he tactfully took a few steps back.
"Um, you!" Chen Yonggui's subtle movements ultimately failed to escape Zhu Zhanhui's sight. He pointed his finger at Chen Yonggui and shouted, "I'm talking about you. Come here."
"General, what do you want to call me for?"
Chen Yonggui hurried forward, bowed respectfully to Zhu Zhanhui and asked.
"What title do you hold now?"
Zhu Zhanhui asked.
"General, this is the current centurion!"
Chen Yonggui answered truthfully.
"Your captain is injured, and this battalion needs someone to lead it. Today, you will temporarily take over the captain's position and take charge of the original hundred-households. Go down and check to see if there are any omissions, and make sure to fill the hundred-household position!"
Zhu Zhanhui was originally the commander of Qin Zichuan's troops. This morning he learned that the captain of this unit was injured and could no longer participate in the battle, so he decided to let Chen Yonggui take over temporarily.
Moreover, he was upset at the moment, but Chen Yonggui kept backing away, so he wanted to find something for Chen Yonggui to do so that he could send him away.
"Thank you, General. I will go down and investigate carefully."
After saying this, Chen Yonggui planned to leave.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Zhanhui opened his mouth and asked, "Well, Captain Chen, in your opinion, should we let them clean up the corpses under the city or not?"
Chen Yonggui, who was about to leave, felt that this matter was quite tricky after being asked by Zhu Zhanhui suddenly.
However, after a moment's thought, he replied respectfully:
"General, if we don't allow them to collect the bodies, they will become obstacles for the enemy when we attack the city again."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Zhanhui nodded in agreement, because he thought the same thing.
Unexpectedly, Chen Yonggui changed the subject and said, "But there are two disadvantages to doing this."
"Oh?" Zhu Zhanhui was listening with satisfaction, but was suddenly shocked by Chen Yonggui's words. His eyes widened suddenly and he asked anxiously, "Tell me, what are the two drawbacks?"
"Cough cough!" Chen Yonggui was startled by Zhu Zhanhui's sudden change in expression and couldn't help coughing.
"First, the stench of the corpses is unbearable. If this continues, we will be the ones who suffer in the end. Second, if this incident arouses resentment among the Xiongnu, they will definitely fight to the death if we fight again today."
Chen Yonggui spoke sincerely and his analysis was to the point.
Zhu Zhanhui had similar considerations before, but he had been weighing the pros and cons and found it difficult to make a decision.
"Of these two outcomes, which approach do you prefer?"
Seeing Zhu Zhanhui getting to the bottom of this, Chen Yonggui steeled his resolve and said loudly, "I believe that when two armies engage in battle, benevolence and justice should be prioritized, and the dead are the most important. Letting them collect the bodies will also be beneficial to Shizhou City."
However, there are many fine weapons under the city, and I believe that these are our spoils of war and should belong to us."
After hearing what Chen Yonggui said, Zhu Zhanhui's brows gradually relaxed, and he thought to himself: This kid does have some knowledge!
"Someone come here!" Zhu Zhanhui shouted loudly, and a personal guard immediately ran over like the wind.
"Pass the order and ask the two people carrying the banners to come over."
Seeing that Zhu Zhanhui had given the order, Chen Yonggui was about to leave, but was stopped by him again.
"You go lead the rebels in the city out of the city and retrieve all those weapons."
Cleaning up the battlefield has always been something that many people are happy to do.
This volunteer army was temporarily recruited and was somewhat similar to auxiliary troops, but not exactly the same.
The volunteers were mainly responsible for assisting the army in transporting supplies, carrying and rescuing the wounded, etc., and they did not receive any wages.
Although auxiliary soldiers have the word "soldier" in their name, they were actually a kind of corvee labor in the Zhou Dynasty and had to join the battle when necessary.
Zhu Zhanhui let the rebels leave the city, firstly to confiscate their weapons, and secondly to allow them to touch the corpses and try their luck.
After all, the unexpected surprises gained from touching corpses usually belong to the individual, which is why many people are willing to act as volunteers.
Soon, the Huns carrying white banners came closer.
After some negotiations between the two sides and an agreement on the terms of exchange, Zhu Zhanhui allowed the other party to cease fire today and take away the bodies of the Huns on the battlefield.
After the Huns carrying the banners left, Chen Yonggui ordered all the rebels to return to the city.
It didn't take long to go back and forth.
The weapons collected were mostly steel knives, arrows and the like, and of course, some spears were also picked up.
With these weapons, both the auxiliary troops and the rebel army were equipped, and the size of the auxiliary troops also expanded accordingly.
In this case, today's battle naturally cannot be fought.
The defenders at the north gate took this opportunity to reinforce the city defenses and repair the defective city walls.
In this case, if it were not for the destruction caused by powerful external forces, relying solely on human power to attack would certainly cause considerable difficulties for the attackers.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, there was a special type of soldier called Xiangyong. Similar to the Baoan, these Xiangyong were private armed forces maintained by the princes and nobles.
Once the war breaks out, those families without military power will have to contribute some of their brave men to serve the country.
The weapons and equipment of the Xiangyong were carefully prepared by these big families, and when the state government called for them, they did not even have to pay for the military pay.
Although princes and nobles enjoy privileges, they also have to bear corresponding responsibilities behind these privileges.
As for auxiliary troops, they are just soldiers temporarily recruited during wartime and do not have many rights and interests in normal times. Although they are not the core combat force on the battlefield, they are often easily reduced to cannon fodder.