As the sun sets, a red afterglow illuminates the entire sky.

Under the city of Ji County.

The battle was over, and the strong smell of blood permeated the entire Jicheng, and the smell of killing was wafting from a radius of more than ten miles, which made people shudder.

Inside and outside the east gate of Jicheng, the original scene of corpses strewn all over the field is gone, and only the dark red soil on this side records the previous tragic battle.

In the wilderness outside the city, the original green artemisia grass was completely gone, and it was replaced by a red red field. The moat was blocked by the waist, and at this moment thousands of soldiers were dismantling the logs piled up in the river, and hundreds of soldiers were salvaging the broken arms and the remains of war horses along the river.

Ji County Guard.

In the lobby, Li Li sat on the main seat, and Jin Yiwei led Li Zhi to stand in the left rear, motionless, like a wood carving.

On both sides of the hall, the first one on the left sat the military advisor Jia Xu, and on the right sat Ma Chao and Ma Yunluo, two brothers and sisters.

There were only three people sitting in the hall, but there were more than a dozen women, children, and children standing in the middle of the hall. Among them, Ma Teng stood at the front, and behind him stood Ma Dai, Ma Tie and Ma Xiu, and the rest of the women, children, and children were Ma Teng's family.

"My lord, the battle losses of the two armies have been counted, please take a look." In the hall, Jia Xu took the book sent by his own soldiers, got up and walked to the front of the hall to report respectfully.

"Hmm." After hearing this, Li Li bowed slightly, put down the money and grain account book of Hanyang County in his hand, and then raised his head to look at Ma Teng, who was standing expressionless at the bottom of the hall, and said to Jia Xu in a harmonious voice: "You can say it directly, I guess General Ma also wants to know." ”

"No." Jia Xu nodded in response, and immediately said: "In this battle, our infantry killed more than 4,300 people, cavalry killed more than 1,000 people, and wounded more than 3,800 soldiers. Most of them were infantry troops, with a total loss of nearly 10,000 soldiers. Fortunately, most of the soldiers and horses lost this time were county soldiers, and the main battle camp lost less than 2,000 soldiers, and the morale of the whole army was high, and the strength was generally not damaged. After the war, more than 21,800 horsemen of the Ma family army and 20,000 soldiers of the county government were captured. ”

Li Li bowed his head slightly, and said in a deep voice: "Wenhe." Detailed statistics of the list of fallen soldiers, all of them were registered, and then the book was sent to Chang'an, and Li Xuan, the secretary of the book, was ordered to do a good job in the pension of the fallen soldiers. ”

"This 、、、、、、" Jia Xu showed a look of embarrassment on his face, and then said respectfully: "My lord." More than 4,000 soldiers were killed in this battle, and the post-war pension required a large amount of money and food. I'm afraid that it will be difficult for Li Shangshu to raise so much money and food in a short period of time. Please think twice. ”

Li Li frowned slightly when he heard this. "The pension of the fallen soldiers cannot be delayed, it must be paid to their parents, wives and children in full time, and there is no need to discuss this matter again." As for the issue of money and food, I don't know how the soldiers under General Ma Teng's command lost money in this battle? ”

After Jia Xu heard this, he looked at Li Li in surprise, and then at Ma Teng, who had an indifferent expression. Gong said: "In this battle, the cavalry under General Ma Teng lost more than 3,500 people, a 1,000-person personal army was killed, and the soldiers defending the city lost more than 3,400 people. The soldiers of the county government lost more than 2,300 people, and a total of more than 10,000 foot cavalry. ”

After saying this, Jia Xu kept silent, bowed down and stood under the hall, waiting for Li Li's instructions.

"Oh, there are no wounded soldiers in the city?" Li Li picked up the battle report, looked through it unhurriedly, and asked casually.

Although Li Li did not say which side of the wounded soldier it was, Jia Xu knew how to answer. I only heard him say in a deep voice: "My lord, after the city gate was broken by our army, General Ma Teng led his troops to resist stubbornly, which not only caused huge casualties to our army, but also caused heavy casualties among the officers and soldiers in the city. After the war, Ma Teng's army had more than 6,000 wounded soldiers, most of whom were Ma Jiajun war horses. However, most of these wounded soldiers were seriously injured and could not be treated, so they 、、、、、、"

"Huh?" Li Li groaned in a displeased tone, immediately looked up at Jia Xu, and said in a deep voice: "I will order that all injured Jicheng soldiers must not be killed without authorization, and will be sent to Chang'an for treatment as soon as possible." Those who dare to kill the wounded and sick in vain, no matter who they are or how great their merits are, will be severely punished! ”

"No, my subordinates will receive orders." Jia Xu replied respectfully. Then he walked out of the hall quickly, and hurriedly beckoned his soldiers to go and give orders, otherwise it would be a little later, maybe those wounded soldiers of the Ma family army would be killed or buried alive.

Once the enemy's wounded soldiers are seriously wounded, after the defeat, they often cannot be treated, but will be directly killed by the winning side, which will be used as the number of enemies killed, so as to receive military merits.

This is the practice of warfare in the past, which is equivalent to an unwritten rule, and it is the unspoken rule of war in later generations.

Seeing Jia Xu leave, the expression on Li Li's face gradually became cold, stared at Ma Teng, and said in a deep voice: "Under the First World War, you and my army suffered a total of 30,000 casualties, I don't know how General Ma feels about this victory, is he satisfied?" ”

"Humph!" Ma Teng turned his head, avoiding Li Li's gaze, and snorted coldly with an indifferent face.

Li Li didn't seem to care about Ma Teng's rudeness, and said in a deep voice with an unchanged expression: "Do it when you know you can't do it, but don't do it for a wise man." It is really a single-minded move, a reckless move, ignorant and short-sighted, and Li is very disdainful of it. But you, General Ma, stubbornly resisted to the end, until you became a prisoner, still unrepentant and maverick. The officers and soldiers of the two armies fought bloodily because of your Ma Shoucheng's single-mindedness, so that 30,000 soldiers were killed and wounded, you can ignore this, but Li can't ignore it. Now, Gu Nian Meng Qi and Yun Luo pleaded in every possible way, and Ma Dai and Ma Tie were willing to serve under the command of this general, so they could have not killed you. However、、、、、、 confiscated all the property of the Ma family as the bereavement of the fallen soldiers of our army and the treatment expenses of the wounded soldiers of the two armies. From today onwards, Ma Teng and his wife and concubine were demoted to commoners and went to settle in Wuwei County, enjoying the treatment of commoners, but they were not allowed to leave Guzang City for the rest of their lives. If you flee from Guzang City without permission, there will be no forgiveness! ”

After Ma Teng heard this, his whole body trembled slightly, and he looked up at the beams of the lobby, stunned.

And more than a dozen wives and concubines and widowed sisters-in-law standing behind Ma Teng, as well as Ma Dai, Ma Tie and Ma Xiu and others bowed down and bowed, and even Ma Chao and Ma Yunluo brothers and sisters immediately got up and knelt down in the hall, and repeatedly thanked Li Li for not killing.

After a while, the expression on Ma Teng's face gradually calmed down, he stood in the hall and looked directly at Li Li, and asked indifferently: "You don't kill me this time, not just for Meng Qi and Yunluo, isn't this like your Li Wenchang?" ”

"Hehehe!" Li Li did not shy away from looking at Ma Teng. With a hearty smile, he said with his chin bowed: "General Ma has been fighting for half his life, he is experienced and calm, how can the things of the world be hidden from your eyes!" In the past, you tried to get rid of Li, but it was nothing more than to kill Li before the general trend was completed, and cut off the troubles, so as not to cause today's disaster. It's a pity that you overestimated yourself, underestimated and despised Li, mistook Liangzhou as your own territory, and couldn't tolerate others interfering. But. I don't know if General Ma has ever thought that you can't even clean up Han Sui for so many years, how can you expect to achieve a great cause?

To this day, Li might as well speak bluntly to you. In the past, when I first arrived in Liangzhou, I wanted to join forces with you to get rid of Han Sui and his eight tribes. Not only to gain a firm foothold in Liangzhou, but also to seek development. I don't think so. I haven't arrived in Wuwei County yet. was attacked and robbed by Pegasus thieves led by Meng Qi. In the battle of Maple Canyon, more than 7,000 people in our department lost most of them, and the victory was like defeat, which almost made me fail and return in vain. However, that is the war. Let me have high morale and make up my mind to occupy Wuwei in the shortest time and pacify Liangzhou. Where there is a will, there is a way, and I Li Lifu has a great life. Then he fought one after another, and the more he fought, the stronger he became, and finally occupied the western half of Liangzhou in only half a year, becoming the most powerful prince shili in Liangzhou.

In the first half of this year, I spent more than half a year pacifying Chang'an, taking charge of the Xiliang army, and dominating the two states of Xiliang. This time to lead the army to the west, even if you Ma Shoucheng is willing to lead your troops to surrender, I will not accept it. The reason for this, presumably General Ma can figure it out after a little thought. We Xiliang people have always respected the strong, in addition, even if you talk about lotus flowers, it won't help, what can convince everyone in the end is to see whose fists are harder!

If Li wants to pacify Liangzhou, he must choose an opponent who is strong enough and has been famous for a long time, and defeat him in a dignified manner, so as to deter the officials and people of Liangzhou counties, so as to truly pacify the entire Liangzhou and deter the surrounding foreign barbarians from daring to plunder Xiliang. Originally, Han Sui was more suitable than you, but it's a pity that he can't afford to be sick now, and he doesn't dare to come out in Jincheng. Therefore, General Ma is both unfortunate and fortunate, you are the best opponent chosen by Li.

Now that Li's westward expedition to Liangzhou has been preliminarily realized, there is no need to kill more, and there is no need to embarrass General Ma. After I recover Jincheng, I believe that in Li's lifetime, no one in the counties and counties of Liangzhou will dare to surrender and rebel, which will be a disaster for Xiliang. Of course, there are other reasons why I didn't kill you. First, Meng Qi and Yunluo have already joined my command, and they have performed well, loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, and I am very touched by this. Second, I have experienced many wars in Xiliang, and your Ma Teng has also contributed to Liangzhou over the years, at least your existence greatly deters the surrounding barbarians from daring to plunder the hinterland of Liangzhou. Third, you still have 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers and horses under your command, in order to prevent these soldiers from endangering themselves, sparing your Ma Teng's life is enough to stabilize the hearts of tens of thousands of soldiers. So why not do it! ”

After listening to Li Li's words, the people of the Ma family in the lobby bowed their heads and remained silent, some were indignant, some were ashamed of themselves, and some were secretly introspective.

But Ma Teng closed his eyes and didn't know what to think. After a long time, he solemnly bowed to Li Li and said with a sigh: "Ma Mou misjudged you before, underestimated your ability and strength, and underestimated your mind and bearing. Looking at Xiliang and even the whole world, you Li Wenchang is the most suitable person to take charge of Xiliang, and there is no second candidate. Ma has been entrenched in Xiliang for many years, and has never been convinced for 50 years, and today Ma is willing to bow to the wind, admire your open-mindedness, and marvel at your foresight. Xiliang is delivered to you, I, Ma Teng, rest assured, even if I die, I have no regrets! ”

Speaking of this, Ma Teng turned around abruptly and said sharply to Ma Chao, Ma Yunluo, Ma Dai and others: "You must keep in mind that you will do your best to be loyal to General Li Li until death." If anyone has a different heart, he is not worthy of being my Ma Teng's son and nephew, let alone being a descendant of the Ma family! ”

"No, the child (nephew) obeys the teachings of his father (uncle)!" Ma Chao and the others knelt down and bowed.

Li Li looked indifferently at Ma Teng's words to the nephews of the Ma family, a gleam flashed in his eyes, and he nodded slightly in admiration. It wasn't until this moment that he truly realized Ma Teng's calm, wise and good intentions.

Ma Teng was defeated and captured, and after being escorted to the lobby, he has been very tough, ignoring Li Li and ignoring life and death. However, after Li Li really spared his life and announced in public that he would not kill him, his attitude immediately turned 360 degrees, not only did his indifferent expression change, he no longer pretended to be reserved, but also behaved extremely excited. He asked Li Li why he didn't kill him, in fact, he wanted to find a step down and try his best to save his pitiful face.

Subsequently, when Li Li told the cause and effect with feeling, Ma Teng seemed to have suddenly changed as a person, not only his emotions and words changed abruptly, but he also praised Li Li in a matter.

This move can be described as a sharp and dramatic change.

And Ma Teng's words seem to be vigorously praising Li Li, but in fact, he wants to seek a bright road for the younger generations of the Ma family. He asked Ma Chao and others to swear allegiance to Li Li, but in fact, it was to win Li Li's trust, so that Li Li could confidently and boldly use Ma Chao, Ma Dai and others. Of course, Ma Teng's words may be his sincere words and heartfelt words, but he did not shy away from saying them in front of Li Li, but they were quite profound, and they could kill two birds with one stone.

Li Li can fully see through Ma Teng's true intentions, but this is also something he is happy to see. And Ma Teng took advantage of the defeat and capture at this moment, and said it in a grand manner, willing to depreciate his identity and vote for Li Li's favor, which is indeed extremely old and spicy, with a long-term vision, and is in Li Li's arms.

Ma Teng's sudden and unusually sharp change, willing to bow to the wind and bow down, these could not blind Li Li's eyes.

However, Ma Teng's series of abnormal actions, in Li Li's view, are indeed Ma Teng's performance of judging the situation and understanding the situation. Although his acting skills are clumsy, which can be seen through at a glance, it is just right to show his attitude and sincerity of completely surrendering to Li Li. is not pretentious, not disguised, not hypocritical, but can best make people believe in his sincerity.

In an instant, Li Li's perception of Ma Teng changed greatly, but he had a good impression of him, and he also felt very cordial to Ma Chao, Ma Yunluo, Ma Dai and others, and intuitively felt that they were all trustworthy people.

At the same time, Ma Teng's willingness to surrender to sincerity, as well as the allegiance of everyone in the Ma family, means that Li Li has won the most difficult piece of hard bone in this expedition to the west. Most of Liangzhou has been pocketed by Li Li, and the general trend of completely recovering Liangzhou has been achieved, Jincheng Han Sui is like a lone army, dying and struggling, and pacifying Xiliang and Liangzhou is just around the corner. ―――――― (To be continued)(To be continued......

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