Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 69 The Loudspeaker

The next morning, in the central command tent, a junior officer summarized the results of the previous day's battle and presented them to Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan took the paper, his eyes scanning the densely packed numbers. The more he looked, the happier he became, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. He handed the paper back, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Read this to everyone."

The clerk cleared his throat and said loudly.

"In this battle, the Yellow Turban rebels numbered over 5,000, more than twice the size of our army. Our army suffered 217 dead and 503 wounded, a total loss of 720 men. We have over 1,100 men remaining capable of fighting."

Upon hearing this, the people inside the tent reacted in various ways, but few showed any sadness.

The loss of over seven hundred men sounds alarming, but upon closer examination, most of the casualties were actually regular soldiers who had been conscripted. These regular soldiers were originally farmers who were temporarily brought in to fill the ranks; if they died or were wounded, they could simply be replaced by auxiliary troops. The local strongmen's troops, on the other hand, suffered very few losses, and the armored elite troops were almost entirely unharmed.

"Oh, how were our troops' gains?"

"A captain asked."

The clerk looked at the paper and continued reading.

"Our army beheaded more than 930 bandits and captured more than 1,800. The rest scattered."

Nearly a thousand were beheaded, and nearly two thousand were captured. Including the more than five thousand Yellow Turban soldiers who had scattered, the army was completely decimated.

A low murmur of praise rang out from inside the tent.

"The casualty ratio is roughly one to five."

One of the military officers clicked his tongue.

"The Yellow Turban rebels are nothing special."

"This is all thanks to Commander Chen's skillful command!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Everyone nodded in praise, their faces beaming with smug smiles.

Chen Yuan's lips curled up slightly.

This battle made him famous and impressive. Who would dare say that Chen Yuan was ignorant of military strategy after this?

Thinking of this, he tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"Let's discuss what to do with the prisoners."

There was a moment of silence inside the tent.

A captain spoke first.

"According to custom, the leader of the bandits was beheaded and his head displayed to the public as a warning to others."

Another military officer echoed this.

"Young and strong men can serve as auxiliary soldiers and perform corvée labor. As for the old and weak..."

He paused and glanced at Chen Yuan.

"The elderly and weak should be dispersed on the spot and released back into their hometowns."

Chen Yuan seemed quite satisfied with the answer and nodded slightly.

"Then it's settled. The leading leaders and chiefs shall be executed. The able-bodied men shall be incorporated into the auxiliary troops, and the old and weak shall be released. Go and carry it out immediately."

"Your subordinate obeys."

……

The execution took place in the afternoon.

A dozen or so prisoners, identified as the ringleaders, were led to the riverbank and lined up, kneeling on the ground. Their faces showed fear, numbness, and resentment.

But before they could suffer for long, a flash of light appeared, and heads rolled off.

Blood gushed out and splattered onto the pebbles on the riverbank.

"good!"

"Good riddance! These treacherous scoundrels deserve to die!"

The soldiers watching cheered, not one of them showing any sympathy. In their eyes, these Yellow Turban rebels were enemies, and killing them would be a meritorious act; there was nothing to pity about them.

After the beheading and public display, the next step was to release the prisoners.

Chen Yuan specially ordered several flags to be prepared, embroidered with the character "Chen," and placed by the roadside. As the released people walked under the flags, a minor official loudly proclaimed the benevolence and virtue of the Chen family.

"Commander Chen was ordered by the Emperor to suppress the rebels, and only the ringleaders will be executed; the rest will be spared. After you return home, you should be grateful for the Emperor's kindness, behave yourselves and never follow the bandits again..."

The emaciated people kneeling on the ground listened, wiping away their tears and kowtowing, saying, "Thank you, Commander Chen, for your great kindness and virtue."

Li Sheng stood aside, watching this scene with a blank expression.

Liu Wu, who was standing next to him, sighed.

"Commander Chen is indeed worthy of being from a prominent family; he is so kind and benevolent. At least these people won't have to die now."

The other brothers nodded in agreement.

Li Feng glanced at him sideways, then looked away.

At this moment, Li Sheng spoke calmly.

"Ah Wu, and all the brothers, where do you think those people who were released by Commandant Chen will go?"

Upon hearing the eldest brother Li Sheng's statement, everyone stopped their sighs and fell into thought.

Looking at everyone's appearance, Li Sheng sighed inwardly, realizing that his men were still easily deceived by these "well-read" gentry.

Li Sheng offered no explanation.

He knew in his heart that if these people were released, their chances of survival were extremely slim.

They only started their rebellion to survive because they had nowhere else to turn. Even if they returned to their hometowns, they would have lost their land, not to mention their houses. They would have no seeds or farming tools. The government wouldn't care about them, but the local magnates would, though they would only try to take them in as tenant farmers or even slaves.

They were even lower than tenant farmers.

Chen Yuan spared their lives, which seemed benevolent and righteous, but it was just a different way of sending them to the estates of powerful figures.

Those who were released were moved to tears of gratitude, remembering Chen's "benevolence and virtue".

Li Sheng's lips twitched slightly.

Ordinary people are like that; they are easily deceived by the gentle kindness and benevolence of the gentry. If they are given a leftover meal, they are considered benefactors; if they are spared death, they are considered virtuous.

They didn't know that the people who drove them to their doom and the people who are now giving them a meal are the same group of people.

……

After dealing with the prisoners, Chen Yuan ordered a day of rest before setting up camp and heading north the next day.

During his day of rest, Li Sheng did not rest.

He, along with Liu Wu, Li Feng, and others, re-arranged for the wounded and killed brothers. The list of the dead had already been submitted, and the compensation would not be issued until after their return.

But Liu Lu was not idle. He loved making friends, and during his rest period, he traveled all over the villages and towns of Xiapi County.

And he was a loudmouth, always telling everyone he met about the battle on the north bank.

"Did you know? Li Sheng, the head of Siyang Township, led over a hundred men and held off five or six hundred elite bandits on the north bank! Those bandits weren't the refugees on the south bank; they were real, hardened criminals!"

"One hundred against five or six hundred?"

"Of course! Chief Li killed over a dozen by himself; even his halberd was dulled!"

Most of the common people in the army were conscripted soldiers, just like Li Sheng, from humble backgrounds. They admired strength, and even more so, they admired those who, like themselves, had risen from humble beginnings to become strongmen.

"Chief Li is truly brave..."

"That's right. I heard he was originally a farmer, but he was promoted to village head after killing some Yellow Turban rebels."

"Tsk tsk, when will we have that ability?"

Discussions spread throughout the camp.

Li Sheng's name gradually became known among the lower-ranking soldiers.

Of course, some people at the higher levels also praised Li Sheng.

However, the way of praising is different.

"Commander Chen truly has a keen eye for talent, promoting such a valiant general."

"Yes, if we let those Yellow Turban elites cross the river, we'll probably suffer even more casualties on the south bank."

"What are you saying? No matter how good Li Sheng is at fighting, it's because the Commandant gave him strong support. If it weren't for the Commandant's appreciation, how could a peasant like him, without soldiers or armor, have any chance?"

"Yeah yeah."

"Therefore, the Captain is the true talent scout."