Zhang Jiao died, exhausted on horseback after a breakout victory.

At first, the two brothers Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang led the army south, diverted the attention of the Han army, and ordered their cronies to take the small road to transport Zhang Jiao's coffin back to Julu for burial. Then the army rushed to the north bank of the Yellow River, and then swirled back to the north.

They're going home.

……

Xu Zhong told Huang Fu Song everything, Ma Yue privately asked Huang Fu Song how to deal with the prisoners, and Huang Fu Song's meaning was very clear.

Kill!

Ma Yue didn't argue with Huangfu Song, but just walked out of the big tent quietly.

He didn't want to kill Xu Zhong, he had seen Xu Zhong kneeling at his feet and wagging his tail and begging for mercy, this person was just a peasant, even if he was a rebel for a year, he was still a peasant.

It was late autumn, and the cold wind blew through Ma Yue and shivered.

"Yanming, do you think that Xu Zhong's more than 100 Yellow Turban soldiers should be killed or released?"

Yan Xing carried a big gun and led the horses to follow Ma Yue through the camp, and said nonchalantly: "Kill it, the yellow scarf is about to be restrained, lord, we have to earn more merits." ”

"Yanming! That's more than 100 lives! Ma Yue stopped and glanced at Yan Xing, this frosty young man was two years younger than himself, but he didn't even blink his eyes and bluntly said that he wanted to kill more than 100 people, Ma Yue couldn't understand.

"Yes, my lord, you are merciful, but the brothers who went into battle with us are all meritorious, how can you let them go?"

"Meritorious?" Ma Yue understood that Yan Xing was talking about those foot riders recruited from the Sanhe region, and Ma Yue said: "Handan killed more than 3,000 people in the first battle, and after the city was broken, he divided them with two percent of his property, which is all His Majesty's war profits, isn't this enough?" And you have to kill these more than 100 unarmed captives? It's that Lao Tzu doesn't give anything, at least the military salary is not greedy at all, if it goes to Boss Bao, I'm afraid they won't even be able to pay the military salary. ”

"Lord, I'm not referring to them, they are outsiders, just this once, but Brother Ah Ruo and I have been with the lord for a lifetime, and besides, the lord is also a cool person, how can I do it without merit?"

"What are we going to do with merit? There is an old man in the imperial court, and you all have military positions now, and His Majesty will give you at least 600 stone in the triumphant return to the court, and meritorious service is indifferent to us. ”

Yan Xing lowered his head when he heard this, and said after a while, "Lord, don't you want to move out of Liangzhou?" ”

With that, the two of them had already walked to their own military camp, Ma Yue nodded to the soldier guarding the door, led Yan Xing into his military tent, and asked after sitting down: "Yanming, do you want to move out of Liangzhou?" ”

Yan Xing smiled dumbly, and said: "Since Martial Master Guang ordered that Liangzhou nationality should not be moved, the ancestors will stay in Liangzhou for generations, lord, I don't want Xiao Ning'er to rely on swords and guns to get ahead like us Liangren in the future......"

The more Yan Xing spoke, the quieter his voice became, he always felt that it was a little disrespectful to talk to the lord like this, but he already knew that Ma Yue didn't want to move out of Liangzhou, so what else could he do?

"Liang people are not allowed to move inward, what is the use of making meritorious deeds?"

"Didn't Mrs. Zhang make a meritorious service and ask His Majesty to move to Fufeng? Lord, we can also follow the example of Mrs. Zhang, if you move to the Central Plains, we will also be registered in the Central Plains in the future! ”

Ma Yue looked at Yan Xing and didn't speak, he clearly knew that this matter had to be dealt with, those prisoners, there must be an explanation, there were more than 3,000 people in the whole battalion, down to Huotou, up to Guan Yu, everyone had an urgent desire to make meritorious service in their hearts.

But because of this, are you going to kill more than a hundred captives?

"Yan Ming, don't be impatient, think about it again, and go and call Master Cheng."

Yan walked, and Ma Yue fell into deep thought.

Liang people are warlike and brutal, and treat human life like a mustard, maybe this is not their nature, or this is not their nature, but the acquired environment, hundreds of years of living in one place and cultivating it.

In order to defend against foreign enemies, in order to win wars, in order to win survival...... But the brutal Ryoto is not the Ryoto he knows.

Yan Xing, whom he knew, was loyal to the Lord.

Dong Zhuo, whom he knows, is bold and generous.

The horses he knows are playful and lively.

Thinking about it, Cheng Li opened the curtain and entered the account to salute Ma Yue.

"What's the matter with the captain?"

Ma Yue got up and bypassed a few cases to welcome Cheng Li to the opposite side, stretched out his hand and said, "Master, please take a seat." ”

After Cheng Li took his seat, Ma Yue picked up the candle flame in the tent, and then asked, "Master, what do you think of the more than 100 captives?" ”

"Didn't Saburo hand over the prisoner to General Huangfu for disposal?" Cheng Li frowned and stroked his beard and asked.

Ma Yue shook his head and said, "Don't hide it, I originally wanted to release the more than 100 captives, but what Yan Xing said today made me hesitate, and he persuaded me to kill those people and exchange my head for meritorious service." ”

"The soldiers shed blood and fought for you, for meritorious service." Cheng Li smiled, he didn't expect Ma Yue to be a little merciful. Then he said: "Those people can't live, there is no place for them in the world, and everywhere they go will die, even if the captain lets them go, they will turn into bandits and loot everywhere at most, and more people will die in the end." If the captain came to ask the old man's advice, the old man was foolish and killed him. ”

It is impossible to march with these people, and if there are more than 100 people's rations, they have to come out of the Changshui camp, but the rations of each battalion are now given according to the capitation, and the rations are strictly restricted after the baggage is burned.

Cheng Li, who was released from life, also said that with these experiences, it is impossible for them to return to their hometowns to farm, and most of them will gather as bandits, and it will be Ma Yue's sin to kill others at that time.

It is a possibility to hand it over to Huangfu Song, but the merit cannot be shared in the hands of his own people, and it will also make his subordinates complain.

Ma Yue thought for a moment, relentlessly, nodded to Cheng Li and said, "Master, thank you." It's getting late, so let's rest early. ”

After that, Ma Yue walked out of the tent and called Yan Xing.

"Kill."

Spit out this word, Yan Xing walked away with joy on his face, which meant that they might have added a head to their bodies, but Ma Yue looked at his excited back and felt that he couldn't lift his strength.

Xu Zhong's honest peasant face resurfaced in his mind, begging him to spare their lives.

Ma Yue can't do it, and it's hard to do it.

He didn't know if he was right or wrong to do this, but he knew that all of this was because of his toughness and fierceness, not because of his kindness.

But in a moment, Yan Xing returned to the military tent again, arched his hand and said, "Lord, it's all done." Registered. ”

Ma Yue nodded, waved his hand, and after Yan Xing saluted and withdrew, Ma Yue got up and walked two steps in the tent, wearing armor and spreading weakly on the couch.

Meritorious, meritorious service is everything, there are followers with meritorious service, there is an official position if there is meritorious service, there is glory and wealth if there is meritorious service, there is an opportunity to govern Liangzhou, and there is an opportunity to change Liangzhou if there is meritorious service.

Meritorious service can change the nature of Liangzhou people!

Without merit, everything is empty talk.

Standing after breaking is the only possibility to improve Liangzhou.

In this world, why not?