Chapter 1760 - 560: Prisoners of War and the Aftermath, Hou Bing’s Stirring Intent
Chapter 1760: Chapter 560: Prisoners of War and the Aftermath, Hou Bing’s Stirring Intent
In the thirteenth year of Great Xia, on the fourth day of the first lunar month
The sound of swords and knives in Evergreen Valley lasted until dawn.
As daylight gradually emerged, the cold again assaulted the earth, and the slaughter within and around the valley entrance completely ceased, with almost no signs of movement except for some minor skirmishes on the periphery.
On the northern side of the valley entrance, the ravine had long been filled with water, with numerous soldiers’ corpses resting on the water surface. These bodies were pierced by iron arrows; although the wounds were frozen by the cold, the sheer number brought together the blood, dyeing the ravine red.
Speaking of the water surface and flow is actually inappropriate, since the cold’s assault had already frozen the water surface of the ravine, creating the effect of bodies resting upon it.
Ka.......
A longsword suddenly stabbed into the ice surface on the southern bank; as the ice had just been frozen by the day’s cold, it was only a few centimeters thick, unable to withstand the sword’s disruption.
"Build bridges, break the ice, collect the remains, let the prisoner camp advance first, and assemble the entire army quickly at Green Jade Valley, everyone move quickly, quick, quick!"
A command rang out from above, and the Xia Army soldiers below immediately sprang into action at the sound, some hauling stones to build bridges, some breaking ice along the bank, and others pulling bodies from beneath the ice surface and placing them aside, busy throughout.
However, the most striking sight was the central area of the valley entrance’s military formation, where tens of thousands of disarmed and unarmored prisoners of war from Cai Qiu were divided into dozens of small formations, each watched over by the Xia Army.
Most bore scars on their bodies, faces full of confusion, and under the guidance of the Xia Army soldiers, they moved slowly with expressions of numbness, appearing utterly despondent.
"Sir, the prisoners have been tallied, 55,827 in total, with only three at the Xianyang Level, the rest are all at Cold Resistance Level cultivation, with 262 possessing power above 50 bristles, and 1,561 ranging between 30 and 50 bristles."
On one side of the prisoner camp, Hou Bing listened to Lu Yin’s report, his expression slightly shifting.
With the battle concluded, the first step was naturally to tally the spoils, although Hou Bing was not responsible for this; he had just been dispatched by the commander Yuwen Dao to manage the prisoner camp, to oversee the more than fifty thousand Cai Qiu prisoners was his foremost duty now.
"55,827 people, though without weapons and armor, are still at Cold Resistance Level cultivation. If they were to revolt, even barehanded, it would be formidable indeed..."
Hou Bing, contemplating the divided prisoners, ordered after a moment, "Continue the segmentation, split the prisoner camp into five hundred units, assign two squads to each unit, and transport them in batches to the Green Jade Valley main camp. Identify all individuals with power above 30 bristles, pierce their clavicles, and appoint three elite scout camps to watch them; once the bridge is complete, prioritize their transport."
Even with more than fifty thousand prisoners split into five hundred units, each would have over a hundred; under the Xia military system, a squad consists of 20 soldiers, 20 fully armed troops overseeing a hundred unarmed prisoners, which may be taxing but barely achievable;
As for those with power over 30 bristles, they must have their clavicles pierced, because even without weapons, their physical strength is remarkably formidable; once their clavicles are pierced, they pose little threat.
"Sir, the battle report from the main tent has just arrived; last night our army killed a total of 32,867 enemies, including the prisoners here totaling less than ninety thousand. Lord Yuwen Yong is currently leading troops to clear surrounding stragglers, estimated at about ten thousand, so calculating thus, at least fifty thousand of Cai Qiu have fled, why not petition the commander, and lead the brothers to pursue the victory?"
Hou Bing’s brow lifted slightly upon hearing this, clearly swayed by Lu Yin’s suggestion.
The Hou Family’s standing in Great Xia was somewhat awkward.
As Great Xia developed rapidly, growing stronger, its internal factions and cliques multiplied, and eleven years ago, when Great Xia brought Longyou under its control, there were six major factions in Xia City — Hongmu Ridge, Mirror Valley, Wuyuan, Long Mountain, Beehive, and Longbei.
The Hou Family represented the Longbei system, with Hou Jing at its helm, was the lowest in standing among these six factions.
There were many reasons; firstly, during the unification of Longyou by Great Xia, Zhaoyang Camp created considerable troubles, and with the Hou Family as Zhaoyang’s roots, the veteran Xia people naturally held reservations against them; secondly, when the Xia Army conquered Long Mountain, Zhaoyang leader Hou Hu left with several Hou Family members, leaving those remaining in Great Xia such as Hou Jing’s group in an awkward position. Although Xia Hong never said anything, Minister Xia Chuan clearly maintained some reservations towards them;
A significant reason was the Hou Family had yet to enter the inner core led by the Xia Family.
Hongmu Ridge faction aside, they followed Xia Hong from the beginning, and members of the faction are widely spread across the Great Xia military and government departments. Calling them Great Xia’s support base is certainly not an exaggeration; it is almost foreseen that no matter how much Great Xia changes in the future, it will be hard for any faction to rival them;
Mirror Valley faction has Yuwen Dao, a top-notch powerhouse, holding down the fort, commanding the most important Military Department among the Eight Divisions of Great Xia, with talents emerging continuously within the faction, and strong influence within the military. Hong Guang, Hong Tian, Zhu Yuan, Meng Yi, Yuwen Yong...now all generals commanding armies independently, and the younger generation is starting to show promise, Meng Ao, Hong Yu, Zhu Kang, among others, were named by the Minister last year and sent to Chen Cang to infiltrate, poised for another splendid achievement;
Wuyuan faction leader Xiao Kangcheng is Minister Xia Chuan’s father-in-law, his two daughters Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu, were personally matched in marriage by Lord Xia Hong, truly the lord’s family-in-law, with no shortage of talents under the Wuyuan faction, such as rising figures in recent years like Xiao Hen, Xiao Yan, Xiang Liang, and others;