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墨書 Inktalez
The gates of Yinzhou City remained tightly shut, and a curfew was in effect within the city. Several gates had been designated as restricted areas, following the orders of the General's Mansion, which no one dared to disobey. Outside the North Gate, the battlefield had been cleared by the guards of Yinzhou City overnight, making it seem as if nothing had ever happened. The citizens inside the city were largely unaware of the events that transpired last night, only beginning to speculate when they saw the announcements from the General's Mansion and the Lord's Mansion on the street. It seemed something significant had occurred, yet now it appeared that Yinzhou City was safe; however, the continued restriction on leaving the city puzzled many.
An announcement was issued in the name of the Lord's Mansion, stating that villages and towns surrounding Yinzhou City affected by the recent invasion of the Shu Cang army would be exempt from taxes for ten years. Additionally, supplies distributed annually by the Official Government would be doubled, and shops within the city would be exempt from taxes for a year. While these taxes and supplies might not seem like much for individual villages or shops, collectively they represented a substantial expenditure.
Meanwhile, the General's Mansion also released an announcement:
1. For every soldier who died in battle, all expenses for their families would be covered by the General's Mansion until their parents passed away. Children would be raised and educated by the General's Mansion; if there were no relatives at home, a one-time subsidy equivalent to ten years' worth of supplies would be given to their village.
2. Injured soldiers who could no longer serve would be reassigned to other duties, receiving their military pay annually until their death. Those who transitioned to commerce would be exempt from taxes for life; their children would also be raised and educated by the General's Mansion.
3. Military salaries for officers would be increased by one rank, with further rewards to be discussed after reclaiming lost territories.
Inside the General's Mansion, Yin Qian sat in the main seat with a furrowed brow, showing no signs of joy despite having won a battle. There were no celebratory feasts in the military camp.
"Although we won this battle," Yin Qian spoke solemnly, "we suffered over ten thousand casualties. If we include those lost at both relay stations, our victory feels more like defeat. Generals Chen and Liu also perished in battle, and currently, both relay stations remain in enemy hands. What are your thoughts?"
"General, our army still has fighting strength due to updated weaponry. Moreover, we have sealed off the city gates; news of yesterday's battle should not have leaked yet. We can take this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Chi Huo City and then Bai Shan. With these two victories, we can reclaim our lost territories."
"However," another officer interjected, "the morale among our troops is high, but our victory was largely due to Hei Hu's arrogance and mistakes in command. If we engage again, casualties may increase significantly without reinforcements available. I believe we should hold our position in Zhou Cheng and wait for a better opportunity."
"Our soldiers suffered greatly from enemy cavalry during this battle," another general pointed out. "If we had our own cavalry unit, our combat effectiveness would increase significantly."
Aside from Cheng Shi, who remained silent as per Yin Qian’s directives, other generals voiced their opinions—some advocating for continued engagement while others suggested holding their ground or improving military equipment. Yin Qian listened quietly to their discussions.
"All your points are valid," he finally said. "If reinforcements were coming, they would have arrived by now; you all know this well. This is a matter concerning Yinzhou; Shu Cang has not declared war on the imperial capital. Thus, the response I received from the capital was that we are acting without official orders and must handle this ourselves."
Yin Qian casually conveyed the feedback from the imperial capital to everyone present. Requesting aid was merely a formality—a sign of respect towards the Jin Family—so it was expected that no reinforcements would come. The imperial capital had little military presence due to being protected by nine major regions; even if there were troops stationed there, they were royal private forces that could not be dispatched for battle assistance.
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