Han officials

Chapter 66: Compassion does not command troops
That night, the Han army camp.

Bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time in the general's tent.

Even if it was only a small victory during the day, it was enough to dispel the gloom among the generals.

In particular, Wei Zhe's action of leading his own cavalry to kill the enemy greatly boosted the morale of the Han army.

The 20,000 Goguryeo troops that had originally worried everyone did not seem so scary at this moment.

However, after the generals dispersed, Yuan Jun asked with some doubt: "Lord, from what I saw today, Gao Nanwu seemed to be coming for you? I wonder..."

Yuan Jun actually wanted to ask Wei Zhe whether he had any personal grudge against the King of Goguryeo when he was in Xuanqiao County.

However, Wei Zhe smiled bitterly when he heard this.

"I feel the same way, but I've never met Gao Nanwu before, let alone offended him!"

If Wei Zhe really had some deep hatred with the King of Goguryeo, the Wei family of Houcheng would not be alive today.

"...That's strange!" Yuan Jun racked his brains but couldn't understand why Gao Nanwu was deliberately targeting Wei Zhe. "Could it be to increase the power of the Gao clan and the Ma clan?"

But before Wei Zhe could speak, Yuan Jun couldn't help but shook his head.

They were just a few petty tyrants who were disloyal to their own country, and the King of Goguryeo didn't take them so seriously.

However, although the two did not understand why Gao Nanwu targeted Wei Zhe, one thing was certain.

"This person is eager to fight!"

Wei Zhe made his judgment in a firm tone.

In fact, he discovered during the daytime battle that beneath the Goguryeo people's arrogance there was a hint of restlessness.

Yuan Jun's eyes suddenly lit up when he heard this and asked, "Are they afraid of reinforcements?"

Wei Zhe thought about it and couldn't help but nodded.

"That's right!"

After all, once Liaodong County and the vassal state of Haidong came to help, the Goguryeo people would face a three-sided attack.

In this situation, it would be wise for Gao Nanwu to want to end the battle quickly.

No wonder the Goguryeo people attacked without hesitation after learning that Wei Zhe was gathering troops in Zengdi County.

But having said that, we are back to the original question.

Why did the Goguryeo people hate Wei Zhe so much?

Thinking of this, even Wei Zhe himself couldn't help but complain in his heart.

"You sent out 20,000 troops just to kill me? Is that really necessary?"

……

At the same time, the Goguryeo camp was in a state of depression.

In the general's tent, Yu Lu and Yi Douli, who were the main attackers during the day, were scolded by Gao Nanwu.

If Yu Lu had not been the brother-in-law of the King of Goguryeo, he would have never been able to escape a beating.

However, despite the scolding, Gao Nanwu quickly regained his composure after reprimanding the two of them.

After a brief thought, he gave a task to Gao Yanyou and Gao Faqi.

"Early tomorrow morning, each of you will lead two thousand men south." Gao Nanwu glanced at his two sons and said calmly, "Gather as many Han people as possible, whether it's civilians or supplies and valuables."

As soon as these words were spoken, Gao Yanyou and Gao Faqi couldn't help but feel excited.

The two also knew that this was a test from their father, so they immediately bowed and accepted the order.

When the two of them hurriedly left and prepared, Gao Nanwu finally showed a smile.

In fact, this move was both a test for his two sons and a move to defeat the enemy.

Because in his opinion, all the combat-capable troops in Lelang County are here now, and the remaining eight counties of Lelang are like sheepfolds without a shepherd, and pose no threat to the Goguryeo people at all.

This way, it would be a good opportunity to examine the abilities of the two sons.

As for the captured Han people, they could be used as materials to fill the trenches and could also be used to attack the city.

On the one hand, it can reduce the casualties of the Goguryeo army, and on the other hand, it can disrupt the morale of the Han army.

If Wei Zhe made an impulsive decision in his rage, that would be perfect! Thinking of this, Gao Nanwu, who thought he had a good plan, couldn't help but chuckle.

……

The next afternoon, outside the Han army camp.

Gao Nanwu's face looked gloomy, completely devoid of the carefree and proud look he had last night.

He didn't expect that Wei Zhe would be so cruel.

Facing the people under his rule, this guy ordered his men to shoot arrows without hesitation.

So in just a short moment, the nearly 1,000 Han people they had captured with great difficulty were wiped out.

"Catch him again! I want to see how many more people he can kill!"

After a moment's silence, Gao Nanwu gave the order with a gloomy expression.

Gao Yanyou and Gao Faqi naturally did not dare to say anything more after hearing this, and immediately took the order and left.

However, Lelang is a vast area with a sparse population, and these are the only Han people that can be found in the surrounding area.

The remaining forts were not much easier to attack than the county town, and Gao Yanyou and Gao Faqi did not want to ask for trouble.

After all, neither of them wanted to lose points in this test due to excessive losses.

With this in mind, the two men could only lead their troops to expand the search range and look for settlements that were easy to attack.

At the same time, Wei Zhe was not in a good mood on the watchtower of the Han camp.

He just waved his hand helplessly and said, "Let the troops go down!"

There is no way, the county soldiers are local after all.

Wei Zhe was worried that they couldn't do it, and didn't want to make things difficult for them, so he asked the troops to do it for them.

As for the tactic of driving Han people to attack the city, Wei Zhe also felt disgusted.

But no matter how disgusting it was, he had to harden his heart. The battlefield was not a war movie, there was no such thing as having the best of both worlds!
During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Wei Zhe witnessed too many cases of driving out civilians and breaking into cities.

The most annoying thing is that those who made such mistakes were rare good officials.

So after the baptism of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Wei Zhe had already become hard-hearted.

He wants to save others, but he has to ensure his own survival first!
The trolley problem is not a problem at all for him.

If he revealed his flaws because of the people outside the camp and missed the opportunity to fight, not only would he die, but countless people in the Han army would die, and the entire Lelang County would become a sheepfold for the Goguryeo people.

In a sense, war is a bloody math problem.

A kind person cannot command an army, that’s all!

……

Not to mention how Wei Zhe was gritting his teeth.

Gao Nanwu outside the Han army camp was also unwilling to give up at this moment.

Although all the captured Han people had been consumed, Gao Nanwu still ordered his army to storm the Han army camp.

For a moment, Goguryeo warriors from various ethnic groups roared and rushed towards the Han army camp.

Even though Goguryeo soldiers continued to die under the rain of arrows from the Han army, there was still an endless stream of charging soldiers.

The Goguryeo army also used ladders, battering rams and other equipment in a very capable manner.

There were even rows of Goguryeo soldiers carrying firewood and piling it up under the Han army camp, preparing for a fire attack.

However, as soon as the flames started, piles of sand and soil poured down from the top of the wall.

As soon as the ladders were put up, kerosene was poured on them, which not only made the Goguryeo soldiers scream in pain, but also turned the soldiers on the ladders into skewers.

Not to mention the battering ram, kerosene, gold juice, and falling rocks were used in turn.

The burly and strong Goguryeo warriors fell to the ground with screams of ghosts and wolves before they even got close.

To be honest, Wei Zhe had probably seen more siege tactics than the Goguryeo people had ever heard of.

Seeing such a tragic scene, even the Goguryeo generals couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

(End of this chapter)