Chapter 356 - 350: Strong Walls and Clear Fields
Liu Jing led the vice general and his confidants to visit Zhao Hanzhang.
When they were still ten steps away, Liu Jing knelt on one knee with his men, clasped his fists, and saluted, "This subordinate pays respects to Vice General Zhao!"
He had just learned that Zhao Hanzhang was the newly appointed vice general by Inspector He, and that the troops in Ru Nan County now had to follow her orders.
Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly, gestured for them to stand, and smiled, "General Liu has worked hard during this period."
Naturally, Liu Jing would not say he hadn’t worked hard. He looked moved and aggrieved as he shed tears, indicating that it was truly difficult for him, trapped here without reinforcements and lacking sturdy city walls, making it hard to defend Anling, so...
Liu Jing looked eagerly at Zhao Hanzhang, "General Zhao, with Wang Mi’s forces, he won’t let this go easily. This time, he will surely retreat temporarily, only to return, so do you think we should take this chance to retreat to Liang?"
Zhao Hanzhang looked at him, "Is General Liu serious?"
Also probing her, Liu Jing paused, unsure whether he should nod.
Zhao Hanzhang carefully observed the expression on his face, revealing a relieved look, "It’s good that General Liu isn’t serious, otherwise I wouldn’t feel assured leaving Anling for you to defend."
Liu Jing: ...
He straightforwardly stopped pretending and probing and said directly, "General Zhao, this subordinate now has few soldiers and lacks food; it’s hard to hold Anling. Please dispatch additional reinforcements."
Reinforcements are impossible; Chen County can’t spare them, and abandoning is also not possible since Anling’s position is important.
Therefore, Zhao Hanzhang invited Liu Jing to sit on those few pulled-off fences at the town entrance and spoke earnestly about the present hardships in Yu State.
Everywhere lacks troops, and the court hasn’t sent reinforcements. Even if she wants to send them, she can’t, but there can be some military provisions.
Zhao Hanzhang said, "I’ll order Chen County to send you a batch of military provisions, but you must carefully meet them."
She said, "Now, Xiongnu forces are everywhere outside, if the convoys transporting the provisions are discovered by them..."
Liu Jing immediately thumped his chest to assure, "Do not worry, General. Regarding familiarity with Yu State, none surpasses our men. I will definitely have the soldiers properly meet the provision convoy."
Zhao Hanzhang nodded in satisfaction.
Liu Jing remained somewhat unreconciled, cautiously saying again, "General, if not reinforcements, certain horses and military equipment would suffice. Adding one or two hundred warhorses would give us more confidence when facing the Xiongnu."
Zhao Hanzhang sighed, "How could I not know, but our Yu State is unlike the grasslands, where would we get so many warhorses?"
Seeing Liu Jing’s eager gaze and sun-darkened face, Zhao Hanzhang paused, ultimately unable to refuse directly.
Anling now is almost like a solitary city, with no reinforcements front or back, even lacking food supplies; why would one persistently defend here?
If not for glory and wealth, then it is for the people of Yu State below, and glory and wealth...
Earlier in such critical times, he didn’t defect to Wang Mi, clearly not for this.
People are willing to sacrifice their lives for Yu State, she naturally cannot be overly stingy, so after thinking, she gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, I’ll leave one hundred horses for you."
Liu Jing, taking advantage, "And the military equipment and warhorses captured this time..."
On this Zhao Hanzhang did not hesitate much, and directly nodded, "All will be left for you."
Liu Jing immediately smiled joyously.
Zhao Hanzhang also smiled, her gaze falling on the streets in the town, with civilians quietly opening their doors in the sunset’s afterglow, coming out to help move the wounded and clean the corpses left on the streets.
Zhao Hanzhang asked, "How many civilians are left here?"
"Not many left," Liu Jing said, "some escaped, some died; those remaining are ones that couldn’t run and haven’t died temporarily."
Zhao Hanzhang said, "Let’s relocate them to nearby cities."
Liu Jing: "The nearest city is Chen County, other cities have been occupied by Xiongnu. Going to those places is worse than staying in Anling; at least without walls, they can sneak away when necessary."
Zhao Hanzhang: "Then let’s go to Liang."
"It is occupied by Gou Xi; heard he is always strict..."
"That is strict on subordinates, but regarding civilians..." Zhao Hanzhang paused and then said, "It’s okay; at least he won’t lock disaster victims outside the city, let them head to Liang!"
Zhao Hanzhang told Liu Jing, "If someday you cannot hold Anling, when you leave, conduct a scorched earth policy."
Liu Jing’s expression changed slightly, "We received the order for scorched earth..."
Zhao Hanzhang’s face remained unchanged, "It was my order."
Liu Jing lowered his eyes sorrowfully and asked, "Do you know how many died because of this order?"
Zhao Hanzhang shook her head, "Though I do not know how many died, I can roughly know how many I saved."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jing opened his mouth without being able to speak.
She was right; if the scorched earth policy is effective, the Xiongnu forces will have to retreat, and then not only the people of Yu State but all civilians in the Central Plains and its surroundings will be saved.
With Chen County as the central point, villages and towns radiating outward received the scorched earth order three days ago.
At that time, some civilians packed their things and moved to the nearest city, but more people were unwilling to leave their homeland.
It was not because they weren’t afraid to die, but even entering the cities might lead to death; staying outside might hold a glimmer of hope.
They had no money, becoming refugees upon entering the cities; even if able to bring home grains, it would be hard to survive once the weather turns cold.
Besides, they have homes here, why must they leave?
But soldiers coming to inform them clearly wouldn’t care about their sentiments, directly ordering them to leave the villages within today.
When coming to inspect the next day, seeing they hadn’t left, they rushed into the houses, throwing things outside, then set the houses on fire.
Villagers cried bitterly, throwing dragged out grains at their feet, a young soldier shouted, "Stop crying, stop crying, do you know our purpose? To set fires, orders from above stated not a grain, not a vegetable be left for the Xiongnu, hurry and take the grains with you, leave now, or we’ll take these things for you."
With these words, they dared not linger; civilians viewed soldiers and bandits as the same.
Seeing them finally willing to flee with families, soldiers began to scavenge, although they didn’t really want to set fires, merely ensuring no grains remained.
Not long after they left, Liu Cong’s army sent by the Xiongnu arrived to gather grains, finding the silent village, searching all over and finding no grains inside or in the fields, angrily setting the village ablaze.
However, villages not leaving timely encountered them, and the Xiongnu grain troops plundered everywhere, killing young men and old folks, while binding the women and dragging them into the army, some left youths to use as the vanguard while attacking cities.