King Du Long didn't care about gathering the remnants of the defeated army, and only fled in a hurry with hundreds of people, considering that Song Jiang's army was behind, Wang Kefan gave up the plan to pursue.

It's not that I don't want to chase, it's that I don't dare to chase, I can't chase.

The Gongyi battalion was a short-legged infantry, and it was not suitable for pursuing the enemy in motion. The terrain in the valley is difficult to navigate, and the armored pikemen will quickly run out of strength, and if they are ambushed by the bandits, they will suffer a big loss.

A good fighter will never use a short blow to a long one, and Wang Kefan is careful to hide it.

Although King Du Long was let go, the remnants of the bandits all over the mountains were enough for the Ming army to be busy, and the water bandits who lost their command were unable to form an army, and fled under the pursuit of the young and strong, panicking and becoming prisoners.

Except for a few bandits who were still fighting, the organized resistance was all defeated by the Gongyi battalion, and wherever the spear array went, it was like entering a no-man's land, and the bandits either fled, or threw down their weapons and knelt to surrender, and those who moved a little slower would be immediately and mercilessly assassinated.

The battle ended quickly, and the guards and young men began to clean up the battlefield, but Wang Kefan ordered the Gongyi battalion to rest in place. The soldiers' weapons are kept at hand, they are not allowed to disarm, they are not allowed to lie down, they are not allowed to move around at will, and the distance between them remains the same, so that they can get up to meet the enemy at the first order.

Accidents can happen on the battlefield at any time, and you must develop the habit of being vigilant at all times.

The soldiers sat down on the spot with a gasp and a little dumbfounded, still unable to believe that they had really won, and after a while someone began to drink water and chat, talking and laughing in a low voice, and gradually relaxed. They were all new recruits, they had been too nervous and exhilarating in the battle just now, and their energy and physical strength had been exhausted, and what they needed most now was rest, not scrambling for the captured supplies.

Moreover, this battle is as complete as a devastation, even if Meng Bao is bold, he does not dare to be greedy for the capture of the Gongyi Battalion, at most he will do a little trick in it, and there will be no fish when the water is clear, there is no need to worry about him, and he has to give some sweetness on the surface.

Wang Kefan is more concerned about the casualties of the soldiers, and these days he can call out almost every soldier's name, and he has established feelings for this unit.

Instructing Wang Sheng and other sentinels to remain vigilant, Wang Kefan walked back with a few personal soldiers, where was the battlefield of the Gongyi battalion and the front team of the water bandits, and a group of young men were busy rescuing the wounded and collecting the bodies of the fallen soldiers.

Everywhere were the weapons, instruments and flags thrown by the bandits, covered with footprints and dirt, and the horses that had lost their owners stood alone in the fields avoiding the crowd, and the corpses of the bandits were lying in pools of blood.

Wang Kefan swept his eyes and saw an unexpected scene, Shi Ah Da squatted next to the corpse of a water bandit, and his left hand probed into the crotch of the water bandit, carefully groping for something......

Shi Ah Da had a strong body and big nerves, so he bandaged the wound on his shoulder briefly, picked up a single knife to defend himself, and rushed into the pile of dead people with great interest, searching for gold and silver on the corpse.

As a soldier, the picture is to be promoted and make a fortune, Shi Arda is a straight cropper, he has no feelings about promotion, he only likes heavy copper coins and white silver. The wounded soldier has no task on his body, and it is not a violation of military discipline to make some extra money, he is like a dutiful hound, carefully screening each corpse, and never letting go of any part that may hide money.

Patience paid off handsomely, and in a short time, Shi Bada had found several strings of copper coins, two pieces of broken silver, and even a small gold ring.

This is a good thing, marrying a daughter-in-law is just right to use, Shi Adaa was surprised and delighted, pinched the ring and bit it hard, then grinned, "hehehe" let out a silly smile.

This ring is full of real gold, and it is worth a knife on the shoulder!

Well? No, the dog hid the ring in the crotch of his pants, causing Lao Tzu to bite his hanging hair!

Shi Ah Da suddenly came to his senses, spat twice, and kicked at the corpse.

"Oh......" the corpse let out a groan of pain.

Shi Ah was startled, and hurriedly leaned down to take a closer look, it turned out that the water bandit was not dead, but there was a huge wound on his waist with blurred flesh and blood, and it seemed that he might die at any time.

"You kid is a short-lived ghost, die early and be reincarnated early, don't be a thief in the next life!" Shi Adaa muttered and lifted the single knife and stabbed it down.

The water bandit was covered in blood, lying unconscious on the ground, and was about to die under the knife, when someone suddenly stretched out a hand behind him and grabbed Shi Ada's wrist.

"You ......" Shi A turned around angrily to scold, but found that the person who came was Wang Kefan, swallowed the dirty words back, pointed to the injured water bandit and explained: "This, this guy can't do it, I want to give him a good time, and suffer less." ”

"It's not hurt, maybe it can be saved." Wang Kefan squatted down to check it, tore off two strips of cloth from the bandit's clothes, bandaged his wound briefly, and called a few young men to carry him back to the city for medical treatment.

"Order the whole army not to attack the prisoners who have surrendered, and not to attack the wounded soldiers who have lost the ability to resist, except in ......, unless they resist." Wang Kefan wiped the blood on his hands, and saw Shi Ada's confusion on the side, so he comforted Wen Yan: "You did the right thing, but killing prisoners is ominous, and this kind of behavior will be banned in the future." ”

"Yes!" Shi Ah Da suddenly realized, and hurriedly saluted and received his orders.

Wang Kefan nodded, thoughtful in his expression.

The so-called killing of prisoners is ominous, but it is just an excuse.

In ancient wars, there were records of a large number of prisoners slaughtering cities, large-scale slaughters often caused plague epidemics, and the soldiers of the victorious side also died unexplained.

In modern warfare, the killing of prisoners is recognized as a barbaric act, and Wang Kefan, as a former professional soldier, very much rejects the act of killing and abusing prisoners. But at the same time, he also knows very well that cold weapon warfare is different from modern warfare, and the rules of modern warfare cannot be copied.

Cold weapon warfare is even more brutal, hand-to-hand combat must be ruthless, the enemy who lays down his arms also has combat effectiveness, and if he is not careful, he will be counterattacked by the other party, and there is no room for mercy.

Faced with a dilemma, Wang Kefan gave a third answer -- prohibiting the killing of prisoners and wounded soldiers on the grounds that "killing prisoners is ominous".

Either/or, not the best choice, the golden mean, is Confucian wisdom.

It doesn't matter if there is a right or wrong in many things, the key is to grasp the proportion.

……

The Gongyi battalion defeated the water bandits, and the panic and fear in Chongyang City were also swept away, and every house burned incense, firecrackers continued, and there was a joy everywhere. People poured into the streets, the markets were bustling, businesses were open, and teahouses and restaurants were especially busy.

If the guests don't know Wang Kefan's name, they will immediately be despised by everyone, and they will ask for advice again and again before enthusiastic people can give advice.

"General Wang is a native of my Chongyang, he has always guarded Wuchang Mansion, and he is the first general under the command of Ningnan Hou Zuoshuai, this person is eight feet tall, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, and he has the ......courage of a seventy-two pound zhangba snake spear in his hand, and he has the courage of ten thousand people."

Everyone let out a burst of exclamation, and some people asked worriedly: "Master Guan's big knife is only seventy-two catties, and General Wang also used such a heavy snake spear to make it move?" ”

"Joke, General Wang's strength is infinite, although the snake spear is heavy, it is like a firewood stick in his hand!" The man didn't bother to explain more, and then said: "General Wang is not only brave, but also a full loyal and filial son, in order to save his mother's life, he rushed back to Chongyang, single-handedly killed seven in and seven out of the army, and the blood flowed like a river......

The mouth of the speaker splashed, the listeners were dumbfounded, and there were more and more customers in the store, and they had to ask non-stop questions, making the restaurant owner smile.

When the people celebrated the victory, the Gongyi battalion quietly returned to the barracks, and the soldiers washed and dined, seized the time to rest, and were ready for the next battle.

Although he defeated King Du Long, Song Jiang's main force was still behind, and it was not time to drink the celebration wine.

The interrogation of the captives revealed that Song Jiang still had nearly 10,000 horses under his command, because Chongyang implemented the policy of clearing the wilderness with strong walls, and the supplementary supplies of the water bandits were insufficient, which seriously affected the speed of the march. However, they were only thirty miles away from Chongyang, and even if they climbed slowly, they could climb within two days.

Faced with an enemy who was far superior in numbers, the civil and military officials of Chongyang had two completely different opinions.

"The water bandits are newly defeated, panicked and frightened, I am respectful and righteous to threaten the power of victory, and I should destroy this dynasty in one go!" Zhou Guodong went to the battlefield for the first time today, and he killed two water bandits with his own hands, and his whole temperament was a little more powerful.

"I'm afraid something isn't right." Wang Sheng shook his head: "The water bandits have ten times the strength of me, and the weather is not good, in case it rains, the roads are muddy and slippery, and there is no certainty of victory in a rash battle, so we should stick to the city and respond to all changes without change." ”

"Ha, you're too daring! The so-called opportunity must not be lost, and the time will never come......"

Zhou Guodong is arrogant, he never refuses to let people between words, Wang Sheng is a good temper who is slow and half-beaten, but once he recognizes something, he will never let go easily, although the personalities of these two people are different, they both have a reluctance in their bones, and they fight in a few words, and no one can convince each other.

Others also spoke, Xu Bingzhong, Lu Chuanying and Wang Sheng agreed and preferred to hold on to the city, while Tan Xiao, Meng Bao and Zhou Guodong advocated taking advantage of the victory to attack and seek a decisive battle with Song Jiang.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Song Jiang's seventeen water bandits, large and small, must have their own thoughts, and they can still give the same orders on weekdays, but after a sudden defeat, it is inevitable that the army will be unstable, and it is just the opportunity to destroy them, this is a golden opportunity......

Meng Bao has been in the army for many years, and his remarks are just to the point. The most taboo hesitation on the battlefield is that it is easy to win a battle and seize the initiative, so we should make persistent efforts to turn our superiority into a winning momentum and completely solve the threat of this water bandit.

"If the Gongyi battalion goes to war, what if the water bandits divide their troops to attack Chongyang?"

Xu Bingzhong still felt palpitations, he saw the ferocity of the water bandits today, thousands of bandits were terrifying, the young people in the county were by no means opponents, if it weren't for the Gongyi camp today, the county town was only afraid of more than auspicious.

Xu Bingzhong's status is higher, since he opened his mouth, Meng Bao and Zhou Guodong are not easy to refute directly, but Tan Xiao is a big grinning character, haha smiled and took over the conversation.

"Don't worry, Song Jiang is just a group of water bandits, and he will definitely not be able to block the thunderous blow of the Gongyi battalion, if he dares to divide his troops, he will only die faster!"

"Please be aware of it, the fighter plane is fleeting, and you can't hesitate!" Meng Bao also persuaded him.

"This ......" Xu Bingzhong hesitated for a while, and set his eyes on Wang Kefan.

Although Xu Bingzhong is not familiar with military affairs, he is not a mediocre talent, and he also knows the importance of grasping the fighter plane, if Song Jiang gets a chance to breathe, gather the defeated troops to stabilize the morale of the army, and make a comeback to attack again, Chongyang can only deal with it passively, and victory or defeat is in two words.

What to do? He found that at such a critical moment, Wang Kefan was still needed to make a final decision.

Wang Kefan nodded with a smile, stood up and bowed his hand to Xu Bingzhong.

"I'm a guest from afar, and only the great commander is the first to look forward." Wang Kefan's gaze slowly swept over everyone: "The Gongyi battalion urgently needs to rest after the war, and it will not be ...... for the time being."

It was as if the switch had suddenly been turned off, and the heated argument came to an abrupt end. Through this victory, Wang Kefan has established a very high prestige, and after he expressed his position, Zhou Guodong and other main battle factions bowed down and promised without any objections.

The military discussion lasted until the time of the lantern, Xu Bingzhong arranged a banquet to entertain everyone, held a simple celebration banquet, and returned to the barracks after the banquet, Wang Kefan held an internal meeting with Zhou Guodong and several other sentinels.

There are some things that are inconvenient to say in front of Xu Bingzhong and others, but they must communicate clearly within the Gongyi Battalion, and several people chatted until late at night, carefully analyzing the current battle situation.

Indeed, now is a good opportunity to eliminate Song Jiang.

However, the Gongyi Battalion does not have that ability.

The Gongyi battalion lacks mobility and is not suitable for long-distance marching operations, and the "long-distance journey" of thirty miles to challenge tens of thousands of water bandits is not much different from looking for death!

The main force of the water bandits was thirty miles away from Chongyang, which exceeded the effective strike range of the Gongyi battalion, and they couldn't eat a piece of fat meat in their mouths, so they had to stay in the county town and wait for the changes.

Under the existing conditions, the fist can hit as far as it can, and the butt must not leave Chongyang.

Wang Kefan had already planned to improve the mobility of the Gongyi battalion and make up for this shortcoming, and at the end of the meeting, he announced an important decision.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to adjust the battalion system and recruit a group of auxiliaries in the army."