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墨書 Inktalez
Hearing the implications in Bai Qi's words, Luzi immediately realized that something was wrong. Killing enemies was understandable; after all, this was war. But killing the civilians in the city was utterly unacceptable! He hurriedly ran out of the Main Tent, mounted his horse, and rushed towards the Earthen City, which had begun to burn again. The previous cities had surrendered almost without resistance, so Bai Qi had not revealed his true intentions. This very reason had caused Luzi to let his guard down. For some unknown reason, this city was resisting fiercely. The retaliation they would face would likely be severe!
Massacre!
As he saw Qin Army Soldiers carrying large and small bundles along the way, Luzi's thoughts grew more intense. He charged through the city gates and looked down the streets, where severed heads littered the ground among countless corpses. Occasionally, Soldiers appeared, clearly returning with spoils.
"Who is in charge of this city!?"
The answer came back as Vice General Jiang Tai. Luzi shouted, "Where is he now?"
The Soldier recognized General Lu and, seeing his bloodshot eyes, did not dare to hide the truth. Some pointed discreetly towards a large mansion within the city, indicating that the Vice General was located there.
"Immediately gather all troops and leave the city at once! No mistakes!" After issuing his command, Luzi turned his horse and charged inside.
The Soldiers were confused but complied because it was an Army order to leave immediately. If they delayed the Military Situation, all their gains would be for nothing. Thus, they shouted and notified their units to retreat.
Luzi burst through the gates of the mansion without dismounting. He rushed towards the source of the screams, navigating through a courtyard only to find it piled high with corpses. A dozen Soldiers were preparing to execute the remaining captives, their sharp swords raised high.
"Stop!" Luzi shouted at the top of his lungs as he urged his horse forward.
Who dared to be so bold!?
Jiang Tai was about to curse when he saw the General approaching. He quickly signaled for everyone to halt and knelt down to pay respects to the General.
The guards drew their weapons, separating the remaining thirty or so servants from the Soldiers.
Luzi's eyes were bloodshot as he drew the long sword that Wang Jian had given him that night. He felt his hands trembling, and anger surged to his head. "Heaven has bestowed weapons upon you! They are meant for us to eliminate evil and uphold justice! Yet you use them to slaughter the innocent! How is this any different from bandits and tyrants?!"
Jiang Tai glanced around nervously and whispered, "General! Our brothers have suffered so many casualties. If we don't have heads to exchange for a few acres of land for their families, then their deaths will be in vain!"
To claim a head means to kill an enemy! How did it turn into this for you all!? Isn't this a typical case of treason? Luzi gritted his teeth in anger and shouted, "Arrest them all!"
Disarmed, Jiang Tai shouted in protest, insisting that it had always been this way.
Upon hearing this, Luzi became even angrier. To openly slander a superior is a crime deserving of death! He barked, "Stop! Execute him!"
Unaware of his impending doom, Jiang Tai continued to plead, shouting, "Without General Bai's orders, you have no right to kill me!"
Hearing this, the soldiers preparing to carry out the execution looked at Luzi anxiously. It would be easy to strike down Jiang Tai, but if they pursued this matter further, they would all face consequences.
More than thirty people came forward to plead for Jiang Tai, hoping that the lord would spare their lives without holding them accountable for this incident.
Seeing these kind-hearted individuals bowing repeatedly, Luzi sighed deeply. He gestured for Jiang Tai to be taken back and await his fate, then ordered his personal guards to escort the others out of East City Gate. Once they confirmed their safety, they would return to camp.
"Thank you, my lord!"
The thirty or so people bowed deeply to Luzi before hurriedly escaping the city under the urging of the guards. Fortunately, the soldiers along the way had received news of their evacuation and there were no incidents during their passage. A few personal guards fulfilled their duties by escorting everyone far outside the city, advising them to avoid main roads and be cautious before bidding farewell.
Curious individuals inquired about this kind-hearted lord and when informed it was Lu Daren, they committed it to memory. It was precisely because he rushed into the city that many who had hidden in cellars were not discovered and killed by the soldiers. Years later, the surviving residents of the city pooled resources to build a shrine for Luzi as a token of gratitude for saving lives from peril; it flourished with offerings for a time. Later on, due to changing times and renewed turmoil in China, the shrine fell victim to war. Some say it was destroyed during the Anti-Japanese War; others claim it happened even earlier. But none of that matters now; what is important is that someone once existed who made a difference.
Fuming with rage, Luzi returned to the military camp and pulled Bai Qi out from under his covers while he was snoring. Seeing Bai Qi's bleary-eyed state, he loudly questioned why he had ordered the soldiers to massacre the city.
Hearing about this matter again, Bai Qi was instantly filled with despair. "Did they not kill any children? If you find someone who has killed a child under fifteen, tell me, and I will make sure to skin him alive!"
"What about the women and the elderly? Are they not human?"
"I only let those who resist to the death die. The cities ahead haven't suffered much, have they?" Bai Qi shook his still-dizzy head and found a stool to sit down. He then asked, "Luzi! Our army has suffered over five thousand casualties in this battle. Are you going to let them return empty-handed? Those soldiers who survived are not seeking credit for themselves; they are accumulating merit for their fallen comrades. This has long been our internal rule; don't you know that? You say you're not sleeping during the day and come here to disturb me! If you're not satisfied, how about this! We still have a city we haven't taken yet. Tell me, how many troops do you want?"
As long as you don't go, any number of troops will do! Luzi, as one of the designers of the Military Map, naturally understood the situation inside that city. If nothing unexpected happened, the regular troops stationed there were only about a thousand. Adding in the local residents, at most there would be three thousand people. "Give me Two Thousand troops; that should be enough!"
Bai Qi, now fully awake, immediately stated, "I will give you five thousand! Is half a month enough?"
Having more people wasn't necessarily a bad thing, so Luzi accepted. Calculating the distance between the two cities, it would take only three days for a round trip. One day to take the city and five days would suffice. So he said, "No need for half a month; ten days!"
Bai Qi yawned vigorously and waved his hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter! I will go to Shangdang Border shortly to await good news; we will meet there."
Luzi readily agreed and turned to leave the Main Tent when he suddenly remembered something. He turned back and said, "Jiang Tai has been brought back for indiscriminately killing innocents in the city. Killing civilians for personal gain is a serious crime; what do you think should be done?"
Bai Qi was secretly pleased that he could send this person away but was about to go back to sleep when Luzi returned again. With hands clasped together in supplication, he pleaded, "I say, dear Luzi! Please hurry down to the city! Jiang Tai is not seeking credit for himself; what crime has he committed? How can I punish him? If my brothers find out, they will surely feel disheartened!"
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