novelAbuy Chapter 319 Defeated Soldiers
Chapter 319 Defeated Soldiers
The scattered soldiers were everywhere, and they were difficult to catch.
The pursuers got carried away, their pre-battle fear and tension vanished, replaced by a surge of adrenaline. They chased relentlessly, so much so that they failed to manage their energy properly, exhausting themselves too quickly, and eventually collapsing to the ground in the pursuit.
So, the level of this fight was truly appalling.
One side is good at fighting, but lacks morale and collapses at the first contact.
The other side had some morale, but no fighting skills, and their victory also had an element of luck.
At this point, if the enemy's fleeing troops could be gathered together and a counterattack launched, given the scattered state of the White Lotus Cult, the outcome would likely be reversed.
Of course, that's not possible at the moment.
The morale of the officers and soldiers was already low, and after suffering a defeat, the commander leading the troops was also killed. Counterattack? Charge my ass, let's go home.
The scattered soldiers gathered in small groups as they fled.
Some people, after walking for a while, got so tired that they sat down by the roadside to catch their breath.
"The Xiang Army hasn't caught up, has it?" Someone craned their neck to look behind them and asked instinctively.
"No." A veteran in his thirties shook his head and said, "The Xiang Army doesn't know how to fight. They pursued very aggressively at the beginning, but they exhausted themselves."
Two other people were also sitting there, and they were speechless upon hearing this.
Whose fault is it that this group of believers who can't fight are being herded around like sheep?
There are specific tactics for pursuit; you can't just charge headlong into the enemy lines because you have to consider the possibility of a feigned retreat or reinforcements. Generally, you should pursue in formation, meaning in a slightly loose linear formation. You can run a little faster than a normal march, but not too fast. You need to manage your energy, and after a few hundred paces, you should stop and reorganize your formation.
They all understood these principles. Even those who served as military households, through constant exposure, understood these routines and had even practiced them a few times, especially when superiors sent people down to inspect the troops.
But their low morale left them with no will to fight.
The problem wasn't with skills or training; even the tactics might have been flawed, but they weren't fatal. Throughout history, many have been ambushed but turned the tide and won. The commander's approach wasn't entirely wrong either; at least he knew to divide the troops into two groups, with one group passing through first and the second group only after confirming it was safe, instead of cramming them all together in a chaotic mess.
But they still lost, defeated by a group of people whose fighting ability was inferior to their own, leaving no room for argument.
"So, what are your plans, gentlemen?" The veteran glanced at the three men and said, "The commander is dead. Going back won't end well. We'll have no way to get our rations or pay, and perhaps even..."
He paused, and seeing that he had successfully attracted their attention, continued, "It'll take a day or two to get back. How will we eat on the way? Who will feed us?"
All three remained silent, and even a few fleeing soldiers passing by stopped and listened quietly.
The veteran was pleased and lowered his voice, saying, "We'll find a village on the way and 'borrow' some dry rations. We'll eat our fill before heading back to the city."
"Back to the city?" someone asked, puzzled. "Not back to the camp?"
"We've been routed, haven't we? Isn't it normal to go back a few days later?" The old soldier smiled mysteriously, showing no sign of his defeat, and continued, "We went to attack Shilin Village and suffered a crushing defeat. I don't expect the other group that went to Benniuba to win either. Now there are no soldiers in Changzhou City, gentlemen, what a great opportunity! How about we go to the city for some fun?"
Everyone stared at him in astonishment.
Gradually, some people realized what was happening, and a hint of excitement appeared on their faces.
Isn't it just robbery? I've done petty theft and snatching before, but mostly in the countryside. I've never had any fun in the city, since that's where officials live, and I wouldn't dare to mess around there.
But as mentioned earlier, there were no soldiers left in Changzhou. Taking advantage of this opportunity, they rushed in, looted extensively, and left as soon as they had finished. They first delivered the valuables to their homes, and then returned to their camp to report back.
Now that they need people, their superiors probably won't blame them too much, and they might just get away with it.
Besides, when they used to plunder in the countryside, the commanders of the thousand and hundred households leading the raids didn't always intervene. They knew the soldiers' hardships and deliberately gave them opportunities to make money, lest they really go hungry.
Thinking of this, the first person to respond was: "Yes, let's go to the city and make some money. We're really starving at home. If we don't grab some, the children will starve to death."
Once it happens, it happens again. Soon, a passing soldier overheard this and chimed in, "I haven't received my pay for seven months, and my family is drowning in debt. If I don't rob some, how will I ever get back on my feet?"
"Let's go! Let's go!" Several more people stopped and shouted.
The veteran was very satisfied.
Looting requires recruiting more people. As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. If it's just one person committing a crime, the officers will behead them without hesitation. But if a group of people commit a crime, they'll have to think twice—how many proper soldiers does the Changzhou Ten Thousand Households Prefecture still have? Are they enough to behead?
Furthermore, looting is definitely better done in the city.
In the countryside, people are either poor and can't make a living, or they are wealthy and powerful, able to hold their own against the odds with their walls. They might even have privately made weapons, so it's not certain that you can take them down, and you might even lose your life.
City dwellers are different; they are generally wealthier than those in the countryside, and it's easier for them to be robbed.
"In that case, let's go together." The old soldier chuckled. "It's not very safe here yet. Let's go a bit further away and find a place to rest and have some food and water. But we can't linger too long. If someone gathers the defeated soldiers and sets up roadblocks at the city gates, things will get complicated."
"Absolutely! Absolutely!" Everyone nodded in agreement.
So, on their way back, their group grew larger and larger, from just a few people to a dozen, then dozens, and finally over a hundred, with the leader becoming a centurion.
This fellow couldn't resist the temptation to plunder Changzhou City, because he had long heard that there were countless rare treasures in the city and that the women were beautiful. He thought he might as well become a bandit and rob a little, and then go back to camp and become a Yuan Dynasty soldier again.
And it's not just one or two people who hold this view.
A victorious army is dangerous because it wields the power of life and death, and its morale is high, making its word irresponsible. But for ordinary people, a defeated army may be even more dangerous, because they are likely to resort to burning, killing, and looting to restore morale and make up for losses, often causing even greater harm. On the afternoon of the 28th, when the first group of fifty or sixty fleeing soldiers appeared near Changzhou, those with a sense of the situation already realized something was wrong. That afternoon, two more groups of fleeing soldiers arrived, one with more than twenty men and the other with more than thirty.
After whispering amongst themselves outside the city, they stopped trying to hide and rushed straight in through the collapsed section of the city wall.
In Ma Yuan Lane, Liang Tai had already ordered the hooligans summoned from Jiangyin to be dismissed, as they were no longer needed.
The group left Changzhou the day before yesterday, heading to Zaogang, and will return to Jiangyin by boat. On the way, they will also send a message to Shao Shuyi: send more boats to Changzhou.
On the evening of the 28th, a huge commotion suddenly erupted from nearby Qingguo Lane, interspersed with curses, cries, and screams. Liang Tai was somewhat surprised and immediately climbed to the top floor to look into the distance.
Two plumes of smoke rose from Qingguo Lane, soaring high into the twilight. Soon, flames began to appear, crackling and popping incessantly. Scattered people began to flee the streets, and as time passed, more and more people fled in panic, and the commotion grew louder and louder.
As the last rays of sunlight disappeared in the west, commotion broke out in the adjacent Ma Yuan Lane. In the early Yuan Dynasty, the Yuan army established a horse farm near Qingguo Lane to raise horses for their cavalry, hence the name "Yuanma Lane" (meaning "Yuan Horse Lane"). Because the Yuan army had massacred people in Changzhou, the people hated them, so it was called "Ma Yuan Lane" (meaning "Horse Yuan Lane"). The name was chosen to avoid putting the character "Yuan" at the beginning. Later, some people added a frame around the character "Yuan" to imply that the Yuan soldiers were being imprisoned, so it was also called "Ma Yuan Lane" (meaning "Horse Garden Lane").
Today, Ma Yuan Lane is no longer filled with horses; instead, it is lined with rows of houses and shops. It is not usually bustling, but it is not deserted either. Today, after the defeated army returned to the city, Ma Yuan Lane seemed to have been stimulated by something and suddenly became lively.
Liang Tai, with his sharp eyes, spotted a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old carrying a knife. He was shaking off his family's attempts to stop him while covering his face with a cloth, seemingly wanting to go out and do something.
Undoubtedly, this is the "marketplace bully" who has appeared in history books many times.
They usually have legitimate businesses, but when order collapses, the evil in human nature spreads out and cannot be suppressed. They subconsciously want to go out and do something.
But having lived in the city for many years, they were worried about being recognized, so they committed their crimes masked, following behind the fleeing soldiers to fish in troubled waters. The boy eventually disappeared into the depths of the streets and alleys, and no one knows what he did next.
After he left, three or four more teenagers came out together. They were all masked. One was holding a wooden spear, another was holding a steel knife, and the other two were carrying torches. Clearly, these were not for lighting, but for setting fires and creating chaos.
But Changzhou City had more than just Mayuan Lane. Not long after nightfall, more and more defeated soldiers, as if they had planned it, poured in and shouted loudly.
Flames shot into the sky from Ma Yuan Lane, Qing Guo Lane, Jiao Pu Lane, Tianjing Lane, and so on, and the clamor and cries grew louder and louder.
At the express delivery station in the south of the city, the messenger had just run out when he was immediately pulled off his horse by the fleeing soldiers, his fate unknown—now the news could not be delivered in time.
Moments later, even Sanbao Street, where Prince Boluo Buhua of Zhennan lived—named after the Duke of Chu, Sanbao Nu, once resided—saw many deserters and hooligans appear.
There's no way around it; this is the wealthiest and most bustling street in Changzhou. If we don't rob you, who will we rob?
The darkness provided the looters with the best cover and amplified the evil in human nature, making the situation increasingly chaotic and gradually spiraling out of control.
Liang Tai observed from the attic for a long time, his mind completely unmoved, as if everything happening before him had nothing to do with him; he was calm to the point of being cold-blooded. Footsteps sounded on the stairs, clearly indicating that the others had heard the commotion and come upstairs to ask him for advice.
Liang Tai turned around, looked at Bian Yuanheng, Li Fu and the others who were gradually gathering, and calmly said, "Gather the men, check the equipment, and await my orders."