Li Tong, Zhao Yan, and Man Chong were captured, and the morale of the Cao army hit rock bottom. The Nanyang army's crushing of the Cao army turned into a massacre.
At dusk, the battle ended. The 2,000 Cao troops were wiped out. More than 1,300 people died in battle or were killed by the enemy. The remaining 600 people were sent to mine iron and copper.
In this battle, he had lost nearly 2,000 people. With such an advantage, the casualties were actually higher than Cao Cao's army. Zhang Xiu was speechless.
Wen Pin, who was fighting head-on, and Lei Xu and Zhang Xian, who were ambushing from the two wings, both suffered great losses. In the end, the difference in individual quality was too great.
The Cao soldiers were elite soldiers who had been through hundreds of battles. Whether it was martial arts, combat experience, or even equipment, they were much better than the Nanyang soldiers. If it were not for Zhang Xiu's ambush and the fact that Zhang Xiu had restrained the three enemy generals, the Cao army would have won this battle instead of the Nanyang army.
After this battle, Zhang Xiu realized that there was still a huge gap between him and Cao Cao. If Cao Cao had personally led his troops here, he would have no chance at all.
However, he believed that after a few battles, the Nanyang Army would become a strong force. He decided that in the following days, he would still have to carry out high-intensity real-life training. He would have to fight more real battles. One real battle was better than a hundred training sessions.
After defeating Runan's reinforcements, Zhang Xiu led his army to attack Xiangcheng.
Xiang City,
Zhang Xiu stood on the city wall, holding his sword and looking into the distance.
His knife-cut face was stained with blood, and it was cold.
He was not used to the bloodiness and cruelty of war. Looking at the bloodstained city walls, charred corpses, and countless broken limbs, Zhang Xiu's heart trembled slightly.
"Phew!" After a long time, Zhang Xiu finally let out a breath of turbid air. There would be many such situations in the future. He could only let himself adapt and not escape.
"My lord, the magistrate of Xiangcheng County was killed.”Wen Pin held a machete, his resolute face mottled with blood as he said in a deep voice.
Zhang Xiu nodded.”
" There." Wen Pin retreated.
"Hansheng, pass down the order. The entire army will rest for a night.”Zhang Xiu pondered for a moment and said.
One burst of energy, then another.
This battle must be fought quickly. Otherwise, Cao Cao would welcome Emperor Xian back to Xuchang. At that time, it would be even more difficult for Zhang Xiu to attack Cao Cao.
All the generals had their own duties and were in charge of the post-war matters.
Zhang Xiu went to recruit Li Tong, Man Chong and Zhao Yan.
In the county office in Xiang City, Li Tong, Zhao Yan, and Man Chong were all tied up.
Hu Che 'er led a group of personal guards to the left and right as he shouted loudly,""Kneel down!"
Li Tong, Zhao Yan, and Man Chong held their heads high and did not kneel.
Hu Che 'er wanted to get someone to hit their legs with a wooden stick and make them kneel.
"Ah Che, Man Bonin is a great talent, you don't have to kneel!" Zhang Xiu said in a clear voice.”
Hu Che 'er immediately understood that his lord wanted to recruit Man Chong to surrender. He raised his wooden stick and hit Li Tong and Zhao Yan's legs.
Li Tong and Zhao Yan knelt down in front of Zhang Xiu.
When they struggled to get up, Hu Che 'er hit them with the stick again, making them kneel.
After that, Li Tong and the other man could only kneel there in humiliation.
At this moment, Zhang Xiu was not kneeling as he usually did. Instead, he was sitting on a chair in an ostentatious manner. In the words of this time, he stretched his feet and legs, looking extremely arrogant.
If Zhang Xiu was the only one who did this, it would naturally be rude. However, he made dozens of wooden chairs according to the structure of the most common wooden chairs in the later generations. He also made dozens of marching chairs and stipulated that only generals above the rank of commandant could sit with him. This was not rude. Instead, it became a kind of treatment, which slowly became a fashion and gradually spread among the people.
The reason why Zhang Xiu had changed customs was that he did not like kneeling. On the other hand, this kneeling position was very bad for blood circulation, especially for a general who often rode on a horse. It was already tiring enough to have his legs clamped between the horse's abdomen. If he continued to kneel, his legs would not be able to relax. As time passed, he would become sick.
Speaking of which, the kneeling ceremony was too unfair to generals. Generals fought and killed every day, and their legs were almost broken from running. In the end, they had to kneel with those civil officials, and their legs could not rest.
In history, the kneeling ceremony slowly disappeared and the chair slowly became popular. It was precisely during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period when the generals ruled.
Under such circumstances, making Li Tong kneel down was definitely a great humiliation to him.
Man Chong looked at Zhang Xiu. He wasn't stupid and immediately understood Zhang Xiu's intentions. Zhang Xiu was trying to sow discord again, wanting Li Tong and Zhao Yan to be dissatisfied with him. Thus, he quickly knelt down to Zhang Xiu.
Zhang Xiu suddenly stood up and walked to Man Chong. He reached out and helped him up."Bonin is a talented person, and I, Zhang Xiu, respect talented people the most in my life. Men, give Bonin a seat!”
Man Chong insisted on kneeling. Zhang Xiu held him up with one hand, but he could not kneel down. He could not help but sigh. Zhang Xiu's strength was too strong.
Zhang Xiu saw that Man Chong had temporarily seen through his plan to sow discord, so it was inconvenient for him to keep holding him, so he ordered people to help Li Tong and Zhao Yan up.
After that, Zhang Xiu personally untied the ropes on Man Chong's body and helped him sit on a chair.
It was Man Chong's first time sitting on a chair, and he was very uncomfortable.
Zhang Xiu smiled and said," Just now, you were on the horse with your legs clamped on the horse's abdomen. You must be very tired. Then sit on the chair and relax. Take a rest!"”
Seeing that his thumb and forefinger had cracked and the wound was still bleeding, Zhang Xiu quickly sent someone to bring the medicine for the wounds. He personally disinfected them, applied the medicine, and bandaged them. He was meticulous.
On the other hand, Li Tong and his brother had been standing at the side like dumplings, their palms bleeding from Zhang Xiu's Golden Spear. No one had cared about them, forming a stark contrast with the treatment of full favor.
Man Chong said no, but his body was very honest. He knew that even if he saw through the sowing of discord, Li and Zhao would not believe him.
He had joined Cao Cao because of his reputation, but he had never really come into contact with Cao Cao. Li and Zhao were old subordinates of Cao Cao. He was moved by Zhang Xiu's request to not kneel and treat him with courtesy. His loyalty to Cao Cao had slowly fallen.
"General Zhang, I owe you a debt of gratitude. If you want me to betray you, I'm afraid…"
Man Chong thought that Zhang Xiu wanted to use this kind of gentle means to subdue him, so he tactfully expressed his feelings.
Zhang Xiu did not intend to take in all the pampering on the spot. He was not so naive as to think that as long as he was a bastard, these historical celebrities would bow their heads to him.
After all, he was facing a living person, not a virtual character in the game. Moreover, even if it was a general in the game, he would still have to be locked up for some time and wait for his loyalty to drop before he could persuade him to surrender.
"Bonin doesn't need to make a decision on whether to surrender or not," said Zhang Xiu. Come on, send General Man to rest. Treat him well and don't neglect him.”
Zhang Xiu decided to put Man Chong under house arrest and treat him with courtesy. Then, he would exchange Li Tong and Zhao Yan for his family. At that time, he would surrender to him, and it would be easier for him to step down.
Man Chong didn't say anything more and could only walk down the hall with a gloomy expression.
"Ah Che, invite the two generals down! Treat him well."
.......
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