Many people thought that the king was very cowardly, but now they also saw clearly that when his kingdom was threatened, no one would be cowardly. In order to protect his kingdom, anyone could do anything, including large-scale massacres.
For the entire Nanzhao Kingdom, no matter who comes to power as a result of this turmoil, the losses to the entire country are obvious, and it will definitely be a considerable number. Whether it is property or human life, it will take a long time for the country to recover.
But for Qian Ping and the Tang Dynasty behind him who are watching coldly from the sidelines, the scale of your unrest had better be a little bigger. When both sides are killing each other and blood is flowing like a river, then it is time for us to clean up the mess. If your entire country is at peace and the lives of the people are developing slowly, then how can we take over here?
If we use war to take over this place, your people will definitely hate us, and both sides will be in a state of hostility for a long time. Even our soldiers will lose their lives for no reason. Then our losses will be too great, and the cost of taking over this place will be too high.
But if you engage in internal strife, many things will be different. When the people are disgusted with this state, this state of war, we, the people of the Tang Dynasty, will come here like saviors to end this state of war and restore your original peaceful life. Then the people will be grateful to the entire Tang Dynasty.
Qian Ping didn't think that far at first, but when he saw the confrontation on the city wall, he immediately thought of Li Xiang's idea. Fortunately, we are all people from the Tang Dynasty, and fortunately, we are all on Li Xiang's side. If we stand on the opposite side of Li Xiang, or if we are people from the countries around the Tang Dynasty, then we really don't know how to live this day.
It took nearly four hours for the army of King Zhennan to finally encircle the entire city. Moreover, on the surrounding official roads, the army of King Zhennan was still advancing continuously towards the royal city. Now the entire city was surrounded.
His Majesty the King has been staying on the city wall, and his generals are urging the soldiers to guard the city well. A large number of young and middle-aged people are also being pressed under the city wall. None of these people are willing to go to the battlefield, but under the pressure of the steel knives of the soldiers in the city, they can only bid farewell to their parents, wives and children, and gather under the city wall honestly.
After a night of turmoil, the entire city was in a state of war. Even the most ignorant children could feel the tension in the air, because their father and brother were taken away early in the morning, and they were taken away arbitrarily, and the whole house was in a mess.
The court has promulgated the latest law. All families can only keep three days of food, and the remaining food must be handed over to the nearby government. If someone does not hand it over, then wait for the army to search. The result of the army search is that no food will be left for you. The most important thing now is to ensure military food. As for what the people in your family eat, that is your own business.
The streets were filled with cries, but the soldiers didn't even look at them. They had lived in peace for too long, and suddenly the era of peace turned into an era of war. Many people found it hard to accept. However, the Nanzhao court didn't have the time to think about these people. What they had to consider now was how to deal with the army outside the city.
"Let these people be quiet."
Listening to the chaotic noises below the city wall, the King of Nanzhao also felt upset. After he said this, the eunuch next to him made a gesture below, and immediately the soldiers below began to move.
Those who gathered there were all young and strong men. They didn't want to fight at all, and they didn't know what the situation was outside the city, so there was chaos down there. When they saw the eunuch beside the king giving orders, these soldiers immediately drew the whips from their waists and beat these young and strong men hard, making sure to make them calm down.
It’s true that this method is really useful. Although there were screams after being beaten, these young men also realized that if you shut up, you will at most be whipped, but if you continue to scream, you will most likely be beaten to death.
But their good days were over. Many people were pulled up by the soldiers next to them and asked to go up the stairs next to them to the city wall. Everyone knew that it was relatively safe under the city wall, but if you went to the top of the city wall, then your life would be in the hands of God.
"Everyone, stand still. Form a small group. If the general gives the order, throw the stone down. I don't need to tell you some things. It's impossible to go down. Do you see those soldiers next to you? Their swords are very sharp. If the fighting starts, if you run down, I will kill everyone who runs down."
The soldiers said viciously, and they felt very comfortable in their hearts. Some of the young and middle-aged men sent up were from rich families. They usually looked down on them, the soldiers, but now they have the opportunity to scold you.
There are still enough soldiers on the city wall, but in order to preserve strength, His Majesty the King must withdraw 3,000 able-bodied men. There will definitely be casualties later. These 3,000 able-bodied men are the first batch. They are just young and strong civilians in the city. It doesn’t matter how many people die. Those real soldiers must be retained. Even if they are on the growth path, the palace can still withstand another wave, so these soldiers are the most important resources.
Looking at the stones and rolling logs beside them, these young men were about to cry out loud. Who would do such a thing under normal circumstances? But looking at the swords and whips of the soldiers next to them, they also knew that if they didn't work later, these soldiers would not waste time talking to them and might come up and kill them with a knife.
When they were down there, they would talk to you with whips, thinking that was the most miserable life. But now the soldiers on the wall will only talk to you with knives. If you don't do one thing well, you might lose your life. Don't think this is a joke, a few people have already been chopped off...
