Chapter 1690: Chapter 1690: Stalling for Time
"That’s true. The Qin Army granaries near Gui Xiang have already been burned by me until not a single grain is left. There are some villagers nearby, but that bit of food is nowhere near enough to feed tens of thousands. For this great war, large amounts of grain have been requisitioned from all over Chu Territory, and I’m afraid it can’t be sent here in a short time. If we want provisions, I’m afraid we can only fight our way into Sichuan. Chengdu does have quite a lot of grain." Shangguan Jian understood Ye Shikai’s situation; how to deal with these seventy to eighty thousand Qin troops was indeed a headache.
"Our army has won a major victory, and the Qin Army in Sichuan has already been reduced to almost nothing, but Chengdu is thousands of li from here. Even if we march day and night, we still won’t get there in less than a month." Ye Shikai let out a bitter sigh. He had racked his brains and still could not think of how to gather so much food.
"If these seventy to eighty thousand men are not handled properly, it could very well trigger chaos. We’ve managed to win this victory with such difficulty; we absolutely must not grow new troubles from it. So we must come up with a foolproof plan." Ye Shikai murmured.
"What is the Think Tank’s opinion?"
"Mr. Xu advised me to massacre these prisoners in a pit, and he has even picked out the location."
The two of them were silent for a while. Although Shangguan Jian had fought countless battles big and small, he had never seen so many people massacred at once, let alone have such a matter fall on his own head.
"Old Ye, the Think Tank also said this is the last resort. If there were any other way, he wouldn’t suggest pit-killing the prisoners." Shangguan Jian said softly.
"Back then, Qin General Bai Qi massacred four hundred thousand Zhao Army soldiers in a pit, and the Six States were utterly stunned. After that, in the courts and among the people of the Six States, whoever heard Bai Qi’s name was terrified at the mere mention of it. I never thought I’d run into the same situation as he did." Ye Shikai mocked himself. Back then, in the ruins of Chang’an, he had encountered Bai Qi’s ’Energy Body’; two people separated by a thousand years had a chance encounter. And now, Ye Shikai faced the same dilemma Bai Qi had back then—perhaps it was fated by heaven.
"Old Ye, if you really do this, in the future your name will also be known to everyone."
"Forget it, let me think about it alone. This matter is too weighty. Shangguan, after the battle there are still many petty finishing tasks; handle them for me." Ye Shikai waved his hand, his tone sounding somewhat weary.
"Yes."
Ye Shikai did not sleep the whole night, constantly thinking about how to bring this to an end. Thinking back, he would rather these Qin troops had fought to the death, at least giving him a pretext to act. But Xu Zhi had already voluntarily surrendered; the whole world knew it. Under such circumstances, if Ye Shikai now decided on a massacre, he would certainly be reviled by all under heaven.
The next day, in the command tent.
"At present our army has won a great victory, and the road into Sichuan has been completely opened. Once we first seize the passes on the Han Zhong–Sichuan route, then take Chengdu, our army will have won a complete victory."
"Yes. This time our army virtually crushed the defenses of a hundred thousand Qin Army troops without shedding much blood. This battle will surely make our name resound under heaven."
"So all the Generals are here." Ye Shikai walked into the tent; dozens of Generals were already present and, seeing him enter, immediately lined up on both sides.
"General."
"General Ye."
"What are you talking about that’s so lively?" Ye Shikai said coolly. The word "joy" was already written all over the generals’ faces. After winning such a major victory, they were naturally elated. Most importantly, with these hundred thousand Qin Army troops dealt with, the remaining garrison in Ba Shu was fewer than fifty thousand, and they were all old, weak, and sick. Facing nearly two hundred thousand high‑morale Chu Army soldiers, they almost had no power to resist. In other words, Ba Shu was practically already in the bag.
"General, our army has won a great victory, the soldiers are all in high spirits, so the Generals are of course happy." Xu Jia slowly stood up, and the nearby Generals hurriedly turned their bodies to make way. After this battle, those "old hand" Generals who had previously been dissatisfied with Xu Jia couldn’t help but begin to feel awe toward this young Think Tank in front of them.
"In addition, as for how to deal with those Qin Army prisoners, has General made a decision?" Xu Jia continued to ask, at once blocking off Ye Shikai’s words. For Xu Jia to speak like this clearly forced him to make a decision.
"Ahem. How to deal with seventy to eighty thousand prisoners is a matter of great importance. I believe we must not make a rash decision. Right now, the most important thing is to advance into Sichuan, press the Chase while we’re winning, and seize the two commanderies of Ba Shu as quickly as possible, not giving the Qin Army any chance to catch their breath." Ye Shikai shifted the topic. "General Wang Lian, General Zhang Lan, I order you two to each take thirty thousand troops and occupy the northern passes of Ba Shu, cutting off the Han Zhong–Sichuan route. Not a single Qin Soldier is to be allowed into Sichuan."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"Man Cang, you take thirty thousand troops as the Path Opening vanguard and immediately march toward Chengdu."
"Yes."
"Shangguan Jian, you take fifty thousand troops as the Central Army and enter Sichuan together."
"Yes."
"General, please wait a moment." Suddenly, Xu Jia stepped forward and blocked Ye Shikai.
"Think Tank, is there something else?" Ye Shikai asked in return.
"As the commander‑in‑chief of the entire army, the General must personally lead the Central Army. Only in this way can the army’s morale be stabilized." Xu Jia proposed.
"Very well. Shangguan Jian, I will lead the Central Army into Sichuan. You take the remaining troops as the rear guard, responsible for guarding these prisoners." Ye Shikai ordered.
"Yes, this subordinate accepts the order."
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"Shangguan, this time I will lead the Central Army into Sichuan. If nothing unexpected happens, we will pacify Ba Shu within one or two months, then can return in triumph to Linxian. You will take forty thousand rear‑guard troops to guard these seventy to eighty thousand Qin Army soldiers. No problem, right?" Ye Shikai asked.
"Old Ye, set your mind at ease, there will definitely be no problem."
"Also, you must guard these prisoners well. Without my orders, no matter who wants to deal with them, you must stop them." Ye Shikai said in his ear. During the meeting in the command tent, the reason Xu Jia suddenly requested that Ye Shikai command the Central Army into Sichuan was obviously to draw him away, because once Ye Shikai personally managed these prisoners, no one could touch them. Right now, most of the Generals in the army were proposing to execute these prisoners; the only one who supported keeping them was probably Ye Shikai alone. So he could only stall for time.
"Don’t worry."
"That’s good." Ye Shikai nodded. Shangguan Jian was his trusted aide, and only by entrusting this task to him could Ye Shikai feel at ease.
The great army rested for two days around Gui Xiang, then set off to enter Sichuan. Besides reading battle reports, Ye Shikai also kept an eye on the movements along the Great Wall in the north at all times. According to the Hidden Guard’s reports, the war there was progressing fairly smoothly. The Qin Army sent from Xianyang would arrive next month, so Meng Tian would have no worries in the rear. Correspondingly, the Chu Army under Ye Shikai’s command would also be able, within one or two months, to occupy the whole of Ba Shu.
"Pass the order to the entire army: march day and night and speed up the advance."
"Yes."
