228: Surrender the Xiongnu cavalry

“Reporting, sir, Aruhan decapitated over five thousand enemy soldiers and captured over twelve thousand in this battle!” Aruhan reported to Lin Yue, holding the enemy general's head.

“Reporting to my lord, This humble general led his army to kill over eight thousand enemy soldiers and capture over twenty thousand in this battle!” Liu Sandao also said.

“Good, escort all the civilians from his Encampment to the rear, and then we will rest for an hour before setting off again!” Lin Yue said with a smile.

“Sir, This humble general is not tired, let’s go directly to the next tribe!” Aruhan quickly said.

He was now anxious, wanting to resolve these hidden dangers as soon as possible so that his clansmen could be safer.

“Hmm?” Lin Yue was a little surprised. Previously, he was still resisting internally, so why was he now more anxious than him?

“How many tribes are there in total nearby?” Lin Yue then asked.

“Within a thousand-mile radius, there are six tribes, and now five remain!

The largest tribe has two hundred thousand people, and the smallest also has over sixty thousand.” Aruhan said truthfully.

“Five tribes.” Lin Yue murmured to himself, then came before the Xiongnu people captives and said:

“Is there anyone among you who is willing to surrender? For those who surrender, your families will not have to go to Great Qin and can continue to live here!”

Subsequently, White Horse Righteous Cavalry who understood Xiongnu people language relayed this message to all the captives present, and soon a commotion arose among the captives.

Lin Yue watched quietly, and as expected, out of over forty thousand captives, only a few thousand remained stubborn, while the rest all surrendered.

Lin Yue ordered the non-surrenderers to be beheaded on the spot, and then ordered Liu Sandao to relocate the entire tribe near Lu Duoha’s tribe, and likewise leave their ten thousand Xiongnu people surrendered soldiers to guard the Xiongnu people Encampment.

As for him, he continued forward with the remaining thirty thousand surrendered soldiers.

“Dengshan.” Lin Yue said.

“This humble general is here!” Yang Dengshan responded.

“I'll trouble you to make another trip, notify General She Jian to send troops to guard those two surrendered tribes to prevent them from rebelling. As for the Xiongnu people captives, do as I said, and do not transport them to the rear anymore.” Lin Yue said in a deep voice.

“Understood!” Yang Dengshan responded, then led three thousand cavalry back.

“My lord, are you really letting them go just like that?” Xing Daorong asked with a look of suspicion.

“Of course, a true man keeps his word. If I say I’m letting them go, how could it be false?” Lin Yue chuckled, then, remembering Lu Duoha, asked, “What, do you have an objection?”

“No, my lord, how could This humble general have any objection.” Xing Daorong smiled awkwardly, then explained, “This humble general is just worried that there will be too few captives transported to the rear, and Great Qin will suffer a shortage of laborers.”

“There are plenty of captives in the rear. Do you know how many Xiongnu people captives have been transported to the rear so far?

There are nearly ten million. With so many people, what project can’t be completed?

Besides, we cannot transport any more captives to the rear.

Shang Commandery already has nearly ten million Xiongnu people captives. If the garrison is negligent one day, and their wild nature has not been extinguished, who knows how much trouble they will cause.

I estimate that it won’t be long before an imperial decree comes down prohibiting the transportation of captives to the rear.” Lin Yue said with a smile.

Mass transportation of captives was never a long-term solution. The Central Plains, which they toiled to conquer but could not enter, are now filled with them. Although they are now unarmed laborers, who can guarantee they will always remain docile?

No one can sleep soundly when others are in their bed; everyone understands this principle, so their numbers must be controlled within a manageable range.

Due to their culture and multi-ethnic nature, the Xiongnu people inherently have a weak sense of ethnic identity, and there are countless historical examples of their surrender. Winning them over and dividing them is the right approach.

Throughout history, cases of foreign tribes surrendering to Han dynasties were common. While some were disloyal, many were fiercely loyal.

For example, during the Han Dynasty, Jin Midi, the son of the Xiongnu people King Xiutu, was extremely loyal after surrendering to the Han. In his later years, Emperor Wu of Han even included him among the four regents when entrusting his heir.

Jin Midi did not disappoint Emperor Wu of Han. He dedicated his life to service, remained steadfastly loyal, and his descendants inherited the title of Marquis of Dutu for generations. After his death, he was buried with Emperor Wu in Maoling.

There were also Ashina She'er and Qibi Heli, two famous foreign generals during the Tang Dynasty. After surrendering to Emperor Taizong of Tang, they remained fiercely loyal, fighting for the Great Tang in all directions. Upon learning of Emperor Taizong of Tang’s death, they even voluntarily disfigured themselves and petitioned to be buried with him. Both also received the honor of being buried in Zhaoling after their deaths, guarding Li Shimin.

This also proved the cultural barrenness and weak ethnic identity of foreign tribes, and at the same time, demonstrated the feasibility of winning them over.

“Prohibit the transportation of captives? My lord must be joking.

When This humble general was at the Great General’s Encampment, Luo Xi’s face lit up when he saw the captives.” Xing Daorong said with some disbelief.

“Times have changed. Shang Commandery is not far from Xianyang City. If trouble truly breaks out, no one’s head will be safe.” Lin Yue chuckled. War has always been an extension of Politics and serves Politics.

Currently, Qin Shi Huang’s subordinates are numerous, with famous ministers and generals aplenty. Many must have already realized this, and it is expected that a political decree will be issued soon.

“What, do you think letting them go is a bit of a waste?” Lin Yue prepared to change the subject, as he found that no matter how he explained, A Rong could not believe it. As a pure warrior, he could not understand how winning a battle and capturing prisoners could become a mistake.

“No, This humble general was just worried about a shortage of laborers in Great Qin.” Xing Daorong scratched his head and chuckled.

“Aren’t there still 'aliens'? What are you worrying about?” Lin Yue said with a chiding laugh.

“The 'aliens' look no different from us. Compared to the Xiongnu people, This humble general naturally feels closer to them.” Xing Daorong said with a smile.

“Don’t worry, 'aliens' only need to work for two years to obtain household registration and be no different from Great Qin’s citizens.

Besides, if there are too many Xiongnu people captives, where would they have the opportunity to work?” Lin Yue said with a smile.

“That’s perfect then. Anyway, they will all be citizens of our Great Qin in the future, so the less rest they get, the better.” Xing Daorong said.

“You don’t know, in our hometown, someone once said something.” Lin Yue said in a deep voice.

“What was it?” Xing Daorong asked, perking up his ears.

“Young people who are too comfortable are not conducive to their struggle, and they will lose their motivation.” Lin Yue said with a smile.

Xing Daorong pondered for a long time, then said, “It seems to make some sense.”

“Nonsense!” Lin Yue cursed with a laugh, then galloped his horse across the vast grassland.

In fact, the moment he stepped into the Military Camp, he was tied to the invincible warship of Great Qin. From then on, he and the players became adversaries.

Even if some players have now joined Great Qin and stood in the same camp as Lin Yue, their relationship with Lin Yue has not changed.

The mechanism of this game is somewhat similar to 'raising Gu' (a form of venomous sorcery), where the resources granted by the system seem to be without cost, but upon closer inspection, they are all limited.

Only by standing at the top can one obtain the greatest benefits, which means there is no possibility of peaceful coexistence among top players!