Chao Zhi and Ding Ji were given some time to restore the prisoner of war camp, and Xiang Kang rested for a while in the newly established Chinese army tent, and then led the young marshal Wenwu and Cao Shen, who was sent by Liu Laosan to help him, to leave the Chinese army camp, and rushed to the scene surrounded by a team of sergeants to understand the situation and appease the captured Qin soldiers.

Xiang Kang and his entourage rushed to the temporary prisoner of war camp next to the camp of the young marshal's army, and the officers and men of the young marshal army under Chao Zhi's department had already lined up to surround the prisoner of war, aiming countless bright crossbow arrows and swords and spears at the Qin prisoners behind the fence, forcing the Qin prisoners who had been disarmed to squat on the ground honestly and dare not make any more moves. However, dozens of dead bodies still appeared at the scene, and the young marshals and soldiers under the command of Ding Ji also dragged some Qin prisoners to the open space outside the camp, and beat them with wooden sticks and spear handles, beating those Qin prisoners to the point that their heads were broken and bleeding, and the screams continued.

"Stop!" Xiang Kang opened his mouth to stop, frowned and asked, "What did these captives do wrong?" Why abuse them like this? ”

"Returning to the young marshal, these dog thieves are the culprits." Ding Ji stepped forward and saluted, and replied truthfully: "Not only did they take the lead in making trouble, but they also spread rumors in the prisoner of war camp, saying that we were going to starve all the prisoners of war of the tyrannical Qin army, and then execute all of them, inciting the prisoners we captured to make trouble, so the last general took them out and cleaned them up." ”

"Are you sure they spread the rumors?" Xiang Kang asked.

"Returning to the young marshal, confirm that they did it." Ding Ji replied: "There are more obedient captives to testify, and they have definitely not been wronged. ”

Glancing at the dozen or so Qin army captives who were already covered in bruises, and seeing that they were either gasping for breath or moaning lowly, but they did not distinguish between shouting grievances, Xiang Kang also understood that Ding Ji had indeed not wronged them. After a little more calculation, Xiang Kang ordered: "Escort them to the gate of the prisoner of war camp, so that the prisoners inside can clearly see them." ”

also said that Xiang Kang wanted to execute these troublesome Qin army captives in public to make an example of chickens and monkeys, Ding Ji did not hesitate, and immediately asked people to drag the dozen or so prisoners to the gate of the prisoner of war camp, so that the Qin army prisoners in the camp could clearly see them, and then he couldn't wait for people to prepare knives and axes. Xiang Kang drank again, and then asked the dozen or so Qin army captives, "Tell me, why are you spreading rumors and inciting the captives to make trouble?" ”

More than a dozen captives peeked at each other, but they didn't dare to answer Xiang Kang's question, and Xiang Kang said again: "What? Do you dare to do it? You don't have to answer, but you should also know very well that being a prisoner also instigated other captives to make trouble and riot, the lightest is also beheaded, and the heavier is either the car is cracked or buried alive, this young marshal is now giving you a chance to live, answer honestly, if I think you have something to be pitiful, maybe I will be extrajudicial and spare you from death. But if you don't even want to seize this opportunity, then the young marshal has the heart to spare you, and there is no reason to spare you. ”

Seeing that Xiang Kang's attitude was quite kind, those Qin army prisoners hesitated again, and still said in an authentic Guanzhong accent: "General, we are also forced, this time to fight with you, we almost have blood on our hands, we are afraid that you will take revenge, so we want to encourage others to flee for their lives." ”

"I didn't give us food all the time, and I thought you were going to starve us and kill the prisoners, so I said things that I shouldn't have said. But generals, the conscience of heaven and earth, the prisoner camp is definitely not the only one who says this kind of thing, and many others also say the same. ”

"I'm really afraid that you will kill the prisoners, and you haven't given out food, so if you're afraid, you will talk nonsense."

Listening to the explanations of the captives, Xiang Kang remained silent, and only after the captives finished saying their reasons did Xiang Kang speak, saying: "No, these excuses of yours seem to be a bit far-fetched, not your heart, right?" ”

The captives shouted grievances and denied it one after another, but Xiang Kang smiled slightly and said: "No need to quibble, your accent has betrayed you, you are all Guanzhong people who were born and raised in Qin, and you are also the most hated Guanzhong Qin people in the six countries outside the Guan, the reason why you instigated the captives to make trouble is not because we have not given you food, let alone afraid that we will kill the prisoners, but because we are afraid that we will not be able to tolerate you Guanzhong Qin people, and we will kill you all, so you instigated other prisoners to make trouble together, and you want to take advantage of the chaos to escape and live, right?" ”

More than a dozen captives were said by Xiang Kang to think about it, and their faces suddenly changed a little, but there were still a few people who whispered to distinguish and redress grievances, quibbling that they didn't have this mind, Xiang Kang shook his head and said: "No need to quibble, in fact, if it were replaced by me, I would also be afraid, the violent Qin had an enmity against the six countries outside the Guan, and during the attack on the six countries in the east, I don't know how many people and soldiers of the six countries were killed, it has only been more than ten years, and there are still many people alive at that time, if I am a Qin person, I became a prisoner of the Six Nations Army again, and I would also be afraid that the Six Nations Army would follow the example of the original Qin State Army and bury all the captured Qin people in Guanzhong and execute them all. That's what you're really afraid of, isn't it? ”

The people of this era are more sincere, after Xiang Kang pointed out what he thought in his heart, more than a dozen prisoners of war no longer had the courage to continue to quibble, and they all bowed their heads and acquiesced, and one of the Qin prisoners with a wound on the leg also said: "General, since you can see it, the criminal will not dare to lie anymore, it is true, we are all Guanzhong Qin people, because we are afraid that you will kill all the Guanzhong Qin people, so we instigated other prisoners to make trouble and want to take advantage of the chaos to escape." But general, we really can't be afraid. ”

Raising his voice slightly, the prisoner pointed to the wounds on his body and said: "General, in fact, the wounds on the criminal's body are not just now, after being caught by you today, none of us Qin people with Guanzhong accents have not been beaten, and I have a fellow villager who has already put down his arms and surrendered on his knees, just because he said that he was from Guanzhong, he was immediately stabbed to death by your soldiers with a sword, and your soldiers also said that it was us who killed the Qin dogs in Guanzhong." General, you say, can we not be afraid? ”

Hearing this, Xiang Kang of course couldn't help but think of what Liu Laosan did in history when he took the lead in entering the pass, in addition to strictly restricting the army soldiers and prohibiting the indiscriminate killing of innocents, he also specially represented the people of Guanzhong in three chapters of the law, so as to stabilize the hearts of the people in Guanzhong, and Xiang Yu In addition to killing 200,000 Qin soldiers, the first thing he did after entering the pass was to kill the prince of Qin who had surrendered on his own initiative, and looted the rare treasures accumulated by the Qin State for hundreds of years, and also burned the palace of the Qin State to the ground. In fact, the people of Guanzhong, who were the least affected by the war, firmly chose to support Liu Laosan.

After a little calculation, Xiang Kang turned to the young marshal generals behind him, and said loudly: "Generals, promulgate my orders, and make sure that every one of our soldiers knows that from now on, no matter what the circumstances, our army will not beat and abuse the captured Guanzhong Qin people, let alone kill them at will, even if they are extremely heinous, they must be convicted by our military judge before they can be executed." After being captured, as long as the Qin people in Guanzhong are willing to join us, they will all be accepted and treated equally, and those who are unwilling to join us and want to return to their hometown in Guanzhong will be given dry food, and like other captives, they will be released unconditionally. ”

The young marshal's generals agreed one after another, but some people also questioned: "Young marshal, what if we release the Qin people in Guanzhong, and they go back and join the tyrannical Qin army?" ”

"Don't think of the Qin people in Guanzhong as the kind of ruthless and unrighteous beasts, they will know gratitude, and they won't just know that grace will take revenge." Xiang Kang said: "And they are also victims, since the Shang Dynasty changed the law, for more than a hundred years, they have also been tortured by the harsh criminal law of the violent Qin, just like us, they have to serve conscription and military service at every turn, and they will be beheaded at every turn, and they will suffer more crimes than our six countries outside the Guan, not less than us." ”

"Qin annihilated the Six Kingdoms and poisoned the world, and the real culprits were those tyrannical Qin royal families, princes and princesses, high-ranking officials and magnates, not those innocent Qin people who were forced to the battlefield by them. Therefore, for the Qin people in Guanzhong, we must not only treat them fairly, but also strive to unite them, so that they can also take up arms to resist the tyrannical Qin, overthrow the tyrant Hu Hai, and return our Chinese people to live and work in peace and contentment, a peaceful paradise, do you understand? ”

After all, he was not a bloodthirsty murderer, and he felt that Xiang Kang's words were reasonable, and several young marshals and generals who had opposed it before also nodded, and Xiang Kang said: "This truth also needs to let our soldiers all know that overthrowing the tyrannical Qin not only requires the joint efforts of our Li Shu, the people of the six countries outside the Guanzhong, but also the Qin people in Guanzhong and our efforts, otherwise, if the innocent Guanzhong Qin people are forced to the side of the Tyrannical Qin court, our road will only be more difficult to walk, and the tyrannical Qin will only be more difficult to overthrow." ”

When the young marshal's generals sang their promises in unison, Xiang Kang turned to the dozen or so prisoners before him and said, "Did you hear my words?" ”

"I hear you." More than a dozen captives agreed together, and the prisoner who calmly admitted that he was afraid that the young marshal's army would kill all the Qin people in Guanzhong asked cautiously: "Young marshal, in this way, we also hope to join you, or have we received dry food to return to our hometown in Guanzhong?" ”

"Of course there is hope." Xiang Kang smiled slightly and said: "But don't worry, although you are innocent, you spread rumors among the captives before, instigated the captives to riot, and caused our young marshal soldiers to be forced to kill the prisoners. ”

More than a dozen captives were disappointed again, and the prisoner who asked him also lowered his head and said: "What the young marshal said is that we are guilty, please decide what to do with us, we will admit our guilt and never cry out for injustice." ”

"It's good to know that you're guilty." Xiang Kang smiled and said: "For the sake of you who don't know how this young marshal treats the Qin prisoners in Guanzhong, I will reduce your guilt by one degree, first heal the wounds on your body, and each of you will receive thirty military sticks in a few days, and then you can choose whether to join us, or receive dry food and return to your hometown in Guanzhong." And also....... ”

Speaking of this, Xiang Kang pointed to the dead bodies in the prisoner of war camp and said: "These prisoners died because of you, and after a while, the young marshal will have them buried together, and then you will go to their graves to apologize and confess your mistakes to them." ”

As soon as Xiang Kang finished speaking, more than a dozen captives had already knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Xiang Kang like a chicken pecking rice, and the prisoners were so excited that they cried out loud, choked and said: "Young marshal great grace, the criminal Yang Xi has no teeth and does not forget, if there is a chance in the future, the criminal will definitely be a cow and a horse, and repay the young marshal for your great kindness." ”

At the same time, the other prisoners of war in the prisoner of war camp were already cheering, and they were rushing to kowtow to Xiang Kang to thank him, because most of these prisoners of war were Lishan prisoners who joined the Qin army in order to obtain a pardon.

At the same time, after witnessing Xiang Kang's means of appeasing the Qin army's captives, Feng Zhong's personal soldier surnamed Han also said in his heart: "It's a bit of a brain, this matter has spread, and if we fight with the Tyrant Qin army in the future, we don't have to worry about the Guanzhong Qin people in the Tyrant Qin army will resist to the end." If the opportunity arises, it will be much easier to recruit or persuade the tyrannical Qin army to surrender. ”

Only Old Man Fan had a lot of complaints about Xiang Kang's decision, and after the incident, taking advantage of the fact that there were not too many outsiders present, Old Man Fan issued a warning to Xiang Kang and said: "Young Marshal, you are kind to the Qin people in Guanzhong to buy people's hearts, this hand is really good." But this trick can only be used when there are few Qin people in Guanzhong in the captives, if we catch too many Qin people in Guanzhong in the future, we must not be so soft-hearted, otherwise, we will either let the tiger return to the mountain, or it will leave hidden dangers, which will not be good for us. ”

knew that Old Man Fan would say such things because of the limitations of this era, so Xiang Kang didn't argue with him, and at the same time, just like Old Man Fan disliked Xiang Kang's temper and style more and more, Xiang Kang also felt more and more that he and Old Man Fan were difficult to get along with, although he was not like Xiang Yu, he had the idea of driving Old Man Fan away from him, but if Old Man Fan chose to leave Xiang Kang one day, Xiang Kang found that he might not have much regret - after all, it is true that the Tao is not the same.

The day after the end of the battle of Dangxian, Xiang Kang adopted the suggestion of the old man Fan, and sent Feng Zhong to lead the men and horses of his headquarters to enter Li County, cut off the direct contact between the Qin army in Mangxian County and the county of Dangjun to govern Suiyang, and took advantage of the victory to force Suiyang City, and at the same time sent someone to Xiang You, who stayed in Xiangxian, to send an order to let him send troops to attack Mangxian, recover the last piece of lost land that was previously robbed by the Qin army, and completely wipe out the remnants of the Qin army in the area controlled by the young marshal's army.

On the same day, Cao Shen, who was sent by Liu Laosan to help Xiang Kang, also offered to leave, although Xiang Kang persuaded Cao Shen's tired army to rest for a few more days in Dangxian before leaving, but Cao Shen, who was already too far away from the rear, politely declined, Xiang Kang was not reluctant, but just gave Cao Shen a lot of weapons and military supplies as a thank you, and contacted Cao Wuxian, the general of Liu Laosan, who came with the army, and then personally sent away Liu Laosan's reinforcements who did a great favor to him this time, and let Cao Shen return to Fengyi directly through Xiayi, which was still controlled by the young marshal's army.

In the case that Zhang Han's main force temporarily had no time to look south, after successfully annihilating the Qin army's partial division Zhang Ping's department, the battle situation in Dangjun County suddenly became very favorable to the young marshal's army, and all kinds of good news came one after another, first Xiang You's department from Xiangxian County to the west had just forced into Mangxian, and the remnants of the Qin army Yao Ang, who fled from Fuli East to Mangxian, immediately abandoned the city and fled, and then Feng Zhong's department successfully took Li County, and easily killed the remnants of Yao Ang who had escaped here with great difficulty, forcing Yao Ang to flee on a single horse like Zhang Ping. At the same time, the defenders of Yuxian County, who were caught in the net by Zhang Chu's army, also sent an envoy to contact Xiang Kang, took the initiative to request to be merged into the young marshal's army, and directly took the army and territory into Xiang Kang's account.

There was also something that surprised Xiang Kang, after the surrendered Lishan prisoners were recruited, just when Xiang Kang was thinking about whether to take this opportunity to advance westward, Yingbu, who was famous in the history of the late Qin Dynasty, and Lu Chen, a famous loyal minister of Zhang Chu's small court, even sent troops north into Dangjun in Chen County, and while collecting the remnants of Zhang Chu's army to strengthen his strength, he took the initiative to send an envoy to contact Xiang Kang, expressing his hope to join forces with the young marshal's army to attack Suiyang and work together to deal with the main force of Zhang Han's army.

But it is also a pity that in the joint letter between Yingbu and Lü Chen, Yingbu and Lü Chen did not reveal any intention of joining the young marshal's army, but only proposed to promote Xiang Kang's uncle Xiang Liang as the leader of the anti-Qin alliance, conclude an alliance with the old Xiang family's army, and cooperate with the Xiang family's army as allies.

In this regard, Xiang Kang was of course a little dissatisfied, and complained: "Forming an alliance to resist Qin? Yingbu and Lu Chen didn't want to think about it, if they could deal with the tyrannical Qin just by concluding an alliance, then during the Warring States period, the six countries outside the Guanwai had already destroyed the tyrannical Qin I don't know how many times, without a unified leadership, what was the use of concluding more alliances? Isn't it a hook and a plate of loose sand? ”

"The young marshal wants to command all the anti-Qin righteous divisions in Chu and let them fight together under your command?" The old man Fan next to him sneered and said, "Don't blame the old man for speaking ugly, you are not worthy, even your uncle Xiang Liang Xiang Zhuguo is not worthy of being the co-lord of Chu." Because although your Xiang family is from a famous family and has been an old Chu dignitary for generations, after all, you are not the royal family of the old Chu, and it is not right to become the co-lord of Chu, even if you proclaim yourself the king of Chu, the people of the old Chu will not be really convinced by your Xiang family. ”

Xiang Kang was silent, knowing what Old Man Fan wanted to say, but he didn't bother to talk to him like this, and it turned out to be a coincidence, at this time, Xiang Yang suddenly rushed in with a military emergency with chicken feathers, and shouted happily as soon as they met: "Brother, good news!" Great news! Second uncle, he finally led the army across the river, and we are about to join the second uncle's army! ”

"Second uncle is here?!"

Xiang Kang is also a joy - although he successfully killed Zhang Ping's partial division, Zhang Han's main force is still a huge threat to the young marshal's army, and Xiang Kang of course hopes that his heroic second uncle can come over to help as soon as possible. But after the joy, Xiang Kang just took a moment in his heart, and said in his heart: "It's a good thing, but blessings and misfortunes depend on it, after meeting with the second uncle, I have to obey the second uncle's orders, and a lot of troubles will definitely come." ”