My Cultivation Starting from Archery

"Hmm."

Meng Quji answered candidly, "We have slaughtered around seven or eight cities. At the beginning, when we were attacking the border areas, we had a bitter victory near Leishan Prefecture. The troops needed rewards and a release for their frustration, so I didn't stop them."

Massacring a city.

In ancient battlefields, it was a common occurrence, especially against foreign enemies; slaughtering a city was a means to boost morale and deter the enemy.

For the vast majority of soldiers, they fight to win rewards, to get promoted and become rich. If after risking their lives they don't reap enough benefits, discontent is inevitable and soon they won't see the meaning in fighting to the death.

"That's right, which is what incited the desperate resistance of over a hundred thousand civilians, because they knew that once the city fell, it wouldn't be just the defenders dying, but their own people as well," said Chen Sansi.

"So, I would trouble Meng Dashuai to relay the order, refrain from massacres from now on. The soldiers' rewards should preferably come from the court. Do you foresee any difficulties with this?"

"No problem, we were only intimidating a few cities that were stubbornly resisting anyway," Meng Quji agreed immediately. "If we truly reclaim the land of the three states, then these people naturally become the citizens of Dasheng. If we kill them all, we would only be left with dead land. I will issue the command at once, no more massacres. General Chen, are you planning to persuade the defenders inside Zhaotong Prefecture to surrender?"

"Exactly."

Chen Sansi didn't deny it: "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting, next is to disrupt their alliances, followed by attacking their army, and the last resort is to besiege their cities. If we can convince the defenders inside to surrender, we could not only reduce Dasheng's losses but also save time and seize a precious opportunity."

"Mr. Chen, do you think we haven't tried?" said Hu Ben Army commander Fan Tianfa, the Martial Saint. "Before the hostilities even began, we repeatedly urged their surrender, even offering the rank of Earl, but that person is stubborn and tough. After the defeat at Wutian Mountain, his army of thirty thousand was reduced to a little over a thousand, yet he managed to break out and has been steadfastly defending Zhaotong Prefecture ever since."

"It could be said that Deng Feng is utterly loyal to Qing Country. Even if he dies on the city walls, he would never surrender, otherwise, he wouldn't have held on until now."

"General Fan is wrong there. Sometimes whether a city surrenders is not for the main general to decide alone," Chen Sansi spoke calmly, presenting his thoughts. "As long as the will to resist among the civilians inside the city is lost, the eight thousand defenders will hardly find the conviction to continue holding on."

These civilians include the families of the local garrison soldiers.

Just like back then at Po Yang.

The brothers risked their lives to escort the civilians across the river not out of selflessness, but because their own families were ahead."

Conversely, if they could ensure the safety of their families, the will to resist would be greatly diminished.

Especially now with the enemy at the gates and no hope in sight.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," objected Deputy General Zhan Taoming. "Just with words, you can make them believe and then open the gates and surrender?"

"Of course not, which is why we need to show them," said Chen Sansi. "For example, by releasing surrendered soldiers."

"Release the surrendered soldiers? That might not be appropriate," Fan Tianfa's brows knitted together. "The civilians of Qing Country may be spared the death penalty, but if we release the captives, wouldn't that be the same as allowing tigers back into the mountains?"

Meng Quji raised his hand to signal for him to stop, not rushing to argue, but instead asked patiently, "How many do you plan to release?"

Chen Sansi uttered two words: "All of them."

"That is a bit absurd," Meng Quji rejected calmly. "These twenty thousand surrendered soldiers could eventually be assimilated into Dasheng's population, something we've earned at great cost. If we let them go so easily, wouldn't the previous battles have been fought in vain?"

"Yes indeed," Fan Tianfa seemed somewhat disappointed as he said, "Vice General Chen, your Four Crossings of Hongze was indeed a stroke of brilliance, but not all battles can be won by taking shortcuts. Sometimes, you must fight tough battles. In my opinion, let's not waste time discussing this further. You should lead your troops to Zhaotong Prefecture posthaste, which could also relieve some pressure on Cui Congyi and the others. Even if we have to pay a price, as long as we can capture Zhaotong Prefecture, it won't be a loss."

The rest of the generals also seemed to agree.

They thought it was some kind of earth-shattering strategy.

Chen Sansi could only give advice; he didn't have the final say in decisions. Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Releasing twenty thousand captives was indeed an outlandish idea.

But he thought it was truly feasible.

"I agree with Vice General Chen's view," a clear voice rang out, Fang Qingyun taking over the conversation: "As far as I know, these twenty thousand are not elite troops, but merely local garrison soldiers with little will to fight. After being captured, their minds are focused solely on survival. Assimilating them as our own would probably take two years, which is of no help to the current battle situation and would just add to the consumption of provisions."

"Moreover, Vice General Chen's intention isn't really to release the tiger back into the mountain," he continued.

"To the north, there is a treacherous path called Ghost Gate Canyon, extremely narrow and allowing only two people to walk side by side. Once inside, there's no turning back, leaving no possibility for a counterattack.

"Beyond the canyon, it's thousands of miles from where any remaining Qing Country forces could regroup. It would take at least half a year to reintegrate these forces, which to us is no different from them being dead. But for the defending Qing Country soldiers in other cities, it represents the only hope of survival. With hope, they will no longer fight like cornered beasts."