webnovelfull Chapter 621 Only incompetence breeds rage
Chapter 621 Only incompetence breeds rage
"So, this is how they treat the people of my great Han Dynasty?"
Although he lived during the late Ming Dynasty, Liu Bang still considered the people of the Central Plains as subjects of his Han Dynasty.
"These are the people who are still alive now. Many of them have already died in the places where the Manchus kept them."
"To prevent the spread of the plague in the army, I have ordered that place to be burned down."
"Roughly estimated, the number of civilians who were robbed and imprisoned in that camp is no less than five thousand."
Xiao He said in a deep voice.
This only includes those currently alive and those whose bodies can be counted.
As for those that were killed or abandoned along the way, the number was countless!
They had no way of knowing what had happened before or what would happen in the future, but in this one instance alone, thousands, or even tens of thousands, of people died at the hands of the Manchus.
There are very few civilians in the entire border region. If this reckless behavior continues, it will probably be completely looted before long.
After plundering the border, where will they extend their reach next?
"It's hateful that they escaped so quickly, otherwise I would have wiped them all out to quell my anger!"
Xiang Yu slammed his halberd into the ground with a vicious thud.
With a heavy thud, Liu Bang felt the ground beneath his feet tremble twice.
"Seeing this situation, anyone would feel angry, but what you should be thinking about now is not how fast they escaped, but how to create an opportunity that prevents them from escaping."
Han Xin remained expressionless.
He felt equally angry at this scene and at the things the Manchus had done.
But the angrier he was, the less he wanted to show it.
He knew perfectly well that anger and insults were signs of incompetence.
Only incompetence breeds rage.
It serves no purpose other than making yourself miserable.
What we should really do is not hate that the Manchus fled so quickly, but reflect on the situation.
What kind of trap should we set next time, so that they have nowhere to escape?
"An inescapable opportunity?"
"It's probably very difficult. The area outside the pass is all plains, and the Manchus know the terrain here very well."
"Even if we understand the terrain of this area thoroughly, if they are determined to escape, they cannot leave behind too many enemies."
Xiang Yu thought for a moment and said.
He admitted that one of the reasons for letting too many enemies escape was his unfamiliarity with the surrounding terrain.
But this is by no means the only reason, nor is it the most important reason.
Most importantly, the battlefield was on a plain, and the Manchu cavalry were highly skilled horsemen.
It is impossible to annihilate them all, no matter what.
This is the most important reason why countless dynasties have been unable to completely eliminate the threat from beyond the Great Wall for so many years!
"So many dynasties and so many eras of heroes failed to completely eliminate their scourge outside the Great Wall, so naturally I have no need to try any more."
"But since we can't deal with them outside the pass, why not simply move the battlefield to the interior, which they are unfamiliar with?"
"And once we enter the pass, guarding the border and the surrounding passes will be like catching a turtle in a jar."
"It's certainly not easy to wipe out their skilled horsemen on the plains, but if we were to trap them like turtles in a jar, wouldn't that be just as easy?"
Han Xin sneered.
Setting the battlefield outside the pass means it's impossible to encircle and contain them.
Even with a thorough understanding of the terrain, without enough troops, it's impossible to completely seal the breach.
Even if we assume there were a million-strong army capable of completely encircling them, there would still be a weak link, and they could still break through.
Just like when 600,000 troops besieged Xiang Yu at Gaixia.
At that time, Xiang Yu still managed to break through with his light cavalry.
While the Manchu cavalry were not as brave as Xiang Yu, the terrain outside the pass was also not as suitable for encirclement as Gaixia.
From beginning to end, Han Xin never intended to set the battlefield for besieging the Manchus outside this pass.
After all, even the Xiongnu had a royal court, but what did the Manchus have?
Given the Eight Banners' habit of settling down wherever they go, are you really going to follow them to the ends of the earth?
Regardless of whether it's worth it, if you really think that way, you'll be dragged into their area of expertise and manipulated at will.
"You mean, like Wu Sangui, let them enter the pass?"
"Wouldn't that be doing the same absurd thing as that traitor?"
"Do you know that if they do this, countless people will die tragically at their hands!"
Before Liu Bang could even speak, Xiao He couldn't help but rebuke him angrily.
"Look at these people! If the Manchus had entered the pass, countless more would have suffered such hardships!"
"These were all once subjects of my great Han Dynasty, how can you be so heartless?"
In Xiao He's view, these people were no different from the people of the Han Dynasty.
The prosperity of the people will be miserable, and the destruction of the people will be miserable.
The rise and fall of dynasties are beyond the control of ordinary people. Since the Han Dynasty, the change of dynasties has been nothing more than a struggle between heroes and villains, leaving the people with only suffering.
He originally thought that the people in the early Han Dynasty did not have such a good life because everything was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt.
But now, looking at these ragged, emaciated people, who were even worse off than slaves after being robbed, it's clear that...
The so-called "newly established dynasty, everything in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt" is simply not true; the people are always suffering.
Even so, he still wanted to let the Manchus enter the pass.
Wouldn't that be adding insult to injury?
"So what?"
"Therefore, Xiao He, you are not suited to command troops."
"You can only see what's in front of you. If the Manchus enter the pass, innocent people near the border will die tragically in the short term, but you can't see what will happen in the future."
"If the threat of the Manchus cannot be completely eliminated, the people on the border will continue to be shrouded in their shadow, and the number of deaths and injuries will only increase."
"Besides, if you're still worried, you can simply implement a scorched-earth policy. This will minimize the losses and ensure that the problem is resolved. Wouldn't that be better?"
Han Xin could not understand Xiao He's feelings.
He didn't want to understand; he was the commander-in-chief, and he couldn't just think about being kind.
His only responsibility is to conquer cities and seize territories; his only responsibility is to win.
As for how to treat the people and how to appease them, that was Liu Bang's job.
If he really took care of all these things by himself, then it would be Liu Bang who would be worried!
However, before Xiao He could even breathe a sigh of relief after hearing his words, he heard Xiang Yu burst out laughing.
"Scorched earth policy? You bastard, do you even believe that yourself?"
"If you truly control the border and then disperse the people within the pass, are those Manchus fools? Would they willingly walk into a trap?"
"These words can only fool someone like Xiao He. Why bother with the pretense? Just be frank and say it outright: use the common people as a price to secure lasting peace."
Xiao He: "?"
"Is that right?"
"Han Xin, do you even know how many people are actually in this so-called 'generation of commoners'?!"
"Have you forgotten who you relied on to help the King of Han pacify the feudal states back then?"