Southern Ming Rebel Army

As the fierce battle ended, the rain gradually weakened. The soldiers of the Meng army quickly took action to clean up the Qing army camp. They were busy collecting prisoners of war, caring for their injured companions, and properly placing the wounded.

However, the excitement in Meng Jun and the other generals' hearts did not last long before they were overwhelmed by the busy military affairs. Various trivial and important matters came one after another, leaving them with almost no time to breathe.

"The soldiers in the army are all soaked by the rain, and we must find a way to dry them as soon as possible. Light the braziers and have everyone take off their wet clothes and armor. We are all men here, so don't be too picky. Also, boil water immediately! At the same time, send people to look for ginger. If the Qing army has some, that would be even better. If not, then go to the nearby villages to search for some and bring it back. We need to make some ginger tea for the soldiers to drink, which can keep them warm and prevent diseases."

Meng Jun issued orders in a hurry, knowing that the health of the soldiers was of vital importance at this time. Although the fighting had stopped temporarily, almost all the soldiers were fighting in the rain. If these details were not taken care of, the army's combat effectiveness would not be restored.

"Order Huang Cheng to send out scouts. Let them work harder. The safety of the army depends on them. Even if the enemy army is defeated, it should be fine, but the matter of the military formation must not be taken lightly."

The Qing army camp after the war was filled with a strong smell of death. The camp was in a mess, with broken and drooping flags, collapsed tents, and debris scattered all over the ground. The soldiers carefully searched every corner, collecting weapons and supplies left behind by the enemy.

The soldiers erected tents and lit braziers inside them to drive away the cold. The blazing flames warmed the soldiers' bodies.

The bodies of the Qing soldiers, some lying in a pool of blood, some with distorted faces, showed how brutal the battle was. The soldiers carried the bodies of the Qing soldiers out of the camp and randomly threw them together for subsequent processing, while the fallen comrades were neatly carried together, with wooden boards underneath and cloth covering them. The soldiers did not want their dead comrades to be exposed to the rain, and even if the conditions were limited, they would do their best to prevent the brothers who had fought side by side from being tortured by the wind and rain.

Other soldiers were clearing the debris and obstacles on the battlefield. They used swords and axes to cut through broken fences to use as fire starters. At the same time, they were collecting the Qing army's flags and symbols as a testimony to victory.

As military orders were issued one after another, the messengers, although tired, still hurriedly conveyed the orders to each camp.

"Hahaha, yours is so small."

"Bullshit, get lost!"

The soldiers are all rough men, even scholars and scholars cannot be vulgar in this big dye vat of the military camp. Zheng Wenbo grinned and said: "You have no place to use your skills. It's just a matter of one or two inches, it's not worth mentioning."

"Only a scholar can speak. You bachelors know nothing. I have a baby at home. Hahahaha." Liu Si laughed.

Several people in the camp were naked and making a mess. The war had just ended, and the crazy killing on the battlefield was still echoing in everyone's mind. Only laughter and scolding could comfort the soldiers' hearts a little and alleviate the sadness of losing their compatriots. No one wanted to say anything, they just wanted to use playful ways to cover up their painful nerves.

Zhang Chengsheng, wearing a helmet on his head, braved the rain, leading a warhorse, and accompanied by five people, went out of the camp to investigate. Every few miles, they could see Qing soldiers lying dead on the roadside. In just over ten miles, they saw no less than a hundred Qing soldiers' bodies. Zhang Chengsheng observed that among them were Green Camp soldiers who had just shaved their heads, Mongolian soldiers, and Eight Banners soldiers. However, the farther they went, the fewer bodies there were. Zhang Chengsheng looked around and saw a small hill. It was not too high, but he could observe the enemy situation in all directions. He then left two people at the foot of the hill and the other three went to the top of the hill, ready to use flags as signals at any time.

"Governor, Fang Guoan and his subordinates have been captured," Yu An walked to Meng Jun and whispered in his ear.

"Behead them all," Meng Jun said without turning his head. The loss of the army could be forgiven, but the surrender without a fight that led to the entire Zhejiang province's collapse, how could the public anger be appeased if no killing was done.

Yu An nodded and followed the order.

"Yawn... Yawn." Meng Jun had just finished dealing with some urgent matters, put down the pen in his hand, and leaned back in the chair to rest. His nose itched and he sneezed several times in succession. Meng Jun frowned and muttered to himself: "No way, I have been training in the army every day, and I don't get close to women. I just got caught in such a small amount of rain. Am I going to catch a cold? If even I catch a cold, then the soldiers will be in greater danger."

Thinking of this, Meng Jun urgently ordered the military doctors from the rear camp to rush to the Qing army camp to prevent any accidents.

At this moment, Han Xiong opened the tent and walked into the tent and said to Meng Jun: "Commander-in-chief, a large number of casualties have been reported."

Meng Jun nodded seriously and said, "Speak."

Han Xiong unfolded the scroll and said, "23,000 Green Camp soldiers surrendered, and more than 120 Mongolian soldiers surrendered. No less than 8,000 Green Camp soldiers died in the battle, and the Eight Banners collected more than 4,000 bodies. Governor, this is the first great victory since the Liao Dynasty began. The biggest gain, in addition to the armor and supplies, is the war horses. Governor, do you know how many horses were captured? There are more than 10,000 horses."

Meng Jun was overjoyed and said hurriedly: "They must be properly arranged, and the horses must be of good quality. Cavalry, cavalry..." Meng Jun stood up excitedly and paced back and forth.

Four thousand men were killed in the Eight Banners Camp, and more than a thousand were killed in the battle on the river. It can be said that Bolo's troops were severely damaged and could not even pose a threat to Meng Jun.

Meng Jun felt somewhat excited when he thought of this, but then he thought that the Qing army had suffered such heavy losses, and how many of his subordinates would be buried here.

"More than half of the heavy armored troops were killed, nearly a thousand people, and more than 300 people were killed in the Royal Guards. Changlin Town attacked the west, with 2,300 killed and 1,900 injured. Kewu Town rushed straight to the south, with 3,900 killed and no less than 3,000 injured. Wuning and Wuxing Towns also suffered 2,000 casualties." Speaking of the latter, Han Xiong couldn't help shedding tears and said, "Governor, Kewu Town was almost crippled."

"Take good care of the wounded soldiers. I promised them that I would support the wives and children of the fallen soldiers. Instruct Yang En and Lin Shiqi to select a site to build a school, prepare a list of names, and distribute pensions according to the list. If the treasury can support it, distribute more." Meng Jun sighed and said slowly.

After Han Xiong left, Meng Jun sat quietly in the chair, his mind in a mess. "A general's success is built on the bones of thousands of soldiers," "Bones by the Qiantang River," "The man in a spring girl's dream," these words drilled into Meng Jun's mind like a magic spell. Sitting here, Meng Jun suddenly felt a little unreal. Are those real and lifelike people really just a number?

Meng Jun suddenly felt dizzy and felt like the world was spinning. He held on to the handrails tightly, trying to steady himself, but the spinning feeling became stronger and stronger. There was a buzzing sound in his ears.

The next day, Meng Jun inevitably lay down. He caught a cold and even had a low fever. Meng Jun felt weak all over, his mouth was dry, his head was heavy and his feet were dizzy. The only figures of the two doctors appeared in his eyes.