jdhmnovel Chapter 240 Zhang Bao Meets His Uncle and Is Forced to Kneel
Chapter 240 Zhang Bao Meets His Uncle and Is Forced to Kneel
In a battle between two armies, only the victor has the right to clean up the battlefield.
Don't underestimate this power, because it can rapidly strengthen the winning side.
Firstly, there will definitely be a lot of wounded soldiers on both sides on the battlefield. The defeated side will not have the time or ability to rescue their own wounded soldiers and can only watch them be captured by the victors.
Moreover, most of the wounded soldiers were only slightly injured, and after simple treatment and rest, they could return to the battlefield. In this way, the victorious side not only did not suffer any losses in terms of troop strength, but actually increased it, and at the very least, they could break even.
These are all veterans who have been on the battlefield, and they are worth far more than new recruits.
As for the seriously wounded, given the medical conditions in the Han Dynasty, they would die within a few days, so there was basically no waste of food, which meant there was no cost.
Secondly, there are military supplies such as warhorse rations, weapons, and armor. Warhorse rations can be used immediately, and wounded horses can be slaughtered to improve the soldiers' meals. These are all cash.
Weapons and armor may be chipped or damaged and unusable, but they can be melted down and remade. It's easier to have ready-made iron than to mine iron ore and then smelt it, right?
In conclusion, cleaning up the battlefield is like picking up money, something all generals are happy to do.
On their return journey, Zhao Yun and Guan Ping encountered Zhang Fei. The three of them returned to camp together. Not long after, they met the Han army that was collecting Wei prisoners and warhorses. Seeing the fine steeds being led back, Zhang Fei smiled so broadly that his face was creased with wrinkles. He beckoned to a captain and asked, "How was the harvest?"
The captain, beaming, replied, "Reporting to the Third General, we've been too busy to count them yet. The Third General is unaware that many warhorses have escaped in the chaos, and the brothers are searching for them everywhere."
Zhang Fei shouted anxiously, "What do you mean they ran away? How could you let them get away? Those are all my horses!"
In an era where cavalry reigned supreme, every warhorse was a general's prized possession. Zhang Fei saw a warhorse as if it were gold to a pauper; he wouldn't discard even a grain of gold. Upon hearing this, he immediately ordered, "Tanzhi, go back and report the situation to the King and the strategist. Zilong, come with me and capture all the escaped warhorses. Not a single hair can be lost."
Those warhorses escaped in the chaos; they had no purpose or direction and couldn't have gone very far. If you search diligently, you'll surely find them.
Zhao Yun was also reluctant to part with his warhorses, so he and Zhang Fei split up and left in two groups, one to the south and one to the north.
Guan Ping despised his third uncle and father-in-law's miserly behavior, rolled his eyes, and turned to leave.
There was no need to worry about being ambushed by the enemy on the way back, so Guan Ping ran very fast and returned to the battlefield in just one hour.
Upon closer inspection, wow, the main battlefield was even more bustling than the horse-catching scene behind them. Everywhere there were Wei soldiers who had surrendered and were under centralized guard, piles of weapons and armor, and military doctors carrying medicine boxes constantly weaving through the crowd. As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of people.
Guan Ping searched through the crowd for a long time before finally spotting Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang. Seeing the two personally comforting the surrendered soldiers, he immediately dismounted and jogged over.
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang also saw him, stopped and waited. When he came over, they hurriedly asked, "How is it? Have you captured Zhang He and Sima Yi?"
Guan Ping shook his head and said, "Those old geezers ran too fast, we couldn't catch them."
Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang both let out a regretful sigh. Although they had long anticipated this outcome, they still couldn't help but feel disappointed after it was confirmed.
Seeing their expressions, Guan Ping felt somewhat guilty for his incompetence in failing to capture Zhang He and please his uncle and strategist. He could only weakly say, "But it wasn't without its gains. My father-in-law and I followed them all the way and wiped out five or six thousand Wei cavalry. My third uncle and father-in-law are currently gathering their warhorses."
"That's great!" Liu Bei excitedly wanted to pat Guan Ping on the shoulder to encourage him, but he couldn't raise his arm. He could only say, "You've been working hard all night. Go eat first, and we'll talk after you eat."
Guan Ping bowed and left, while Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang continued to appease the surrendered soldiers and personally inspect the spoils of war.
Two or three more hours passed, and around 3 PM, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun led their horses back, or rather, drove the herd of horses back. The sight of the endless hordes of warhorses nearly made Liu Bei faint with excitement.
After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Bei had never even seen so many horses before, let alone owned them. He went up to them, affectionately stroked their necks, and said, "What fine horses! You've struck it rich!"
Zhang Fei grinned and said, "Brother, you can be happy for now. I'm going to grab a bite to eat; I'm starving."
As he was about to leave, Liu Bei stopped him and said with a smile, "Don't eat yet. You won't starve if you skip a meal. Your brother-in-law will be back soon. Let's eat together when he gets back."
While cleaning up the battlefield, Liu Bei also sent someone to Wang Ping, who was guarding Dawanchuan, to order him to bring Xiahou Ba back to report. Since the battle was over, there was no need to guard Dawanchuan anymore.
Zhang Fei grimaced as he listened. He really hadn't figured out how to face his brother-in-law and was wondering if he should find an excuse to avoid him when he suddenly heard Wang Ping shout, "General Wang Ping requests an audience with the King! Can anyone tell me where the King is?"
The battlefield was chaotic after the war, and almost everyone was on the move, so it was impossible to search for them in a fixed location.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei looked up at the same time and saw Wang Ping leading dozens of personal guards and Xiahou Ba wandering aimlessly at the edge of the battlefield. They hurriedly shouted, "General Wang Ping, I'm here."
Wang Ping quickly arrived with Xiahou Ba, and bowed, saying, "Your subject Wang Ping greets Your Majesty, Your subject..."
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Bei reached out and helped him up, saying warmly, "General Wang held the Dawankou Pass and blocked Zhang He's retreat to Jieting, which is why we have won this victory. General Wang deserves great credit for my victory in this battle."
Liu Bei spoke with heartfelt sincerity, his words brimming with the joy of discovering a treasure.
Liu Bei did not initially think highly of Wang Ping, because Wang Ping was, after all, a surrendered general of Cao Wei. Although Liu Bei trusted his subordinates, he had some concerns about surrendered generals. Moreover, he did not lack men under his command, so he did not intend to give Wang Ping an important position for the time being.
As for assigning Wang Ping to guard Dawanchuan, that was Zhuge Liang's idea; he just didn't have the nerve to object.
Liu Bei originally thought that Wang Ping would not be able to hold out for long and would retreat, so he did not have high hopes for Wang Ping. He only hoped that Wang Ping could hold out a little longer and buy some time for Zhao Yun to launch a surprise attack on Jieting. As long as he could hold out until Zhao Yun took Jieting and joined forces with Zhang Fei, that would be fine. Even if Zhang He broke through the Dawanchuan defense line and went to Jieting, he would be blocked by Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei. The effect would not be much worse than it is now.
To his surprise, Wang Ping managed to hold out against Zhang He and Xiahou Ba's combined attack until Zhao Yun returned to reinforce them, which was quite unexpected.
Unexpectedly, this surrendered general is a renowned general skilled in defense. As the saying goes, the capable should be given more responsibilities. It seems we should give this kid more challenges in the future.
Wang Ping was flattered by the praise and quickly bowed, saying, "It is all thanks to the King and the strategist's skillful command. This humble general dares not take credit."
Liu Bei exchanged a few more pleasantries with him, then turned to Xiahou Ba and said with a smile, "Nephew Zhongquan, we meet again, uncle and nephew... no, I should call you Brother Zhongquan."
Xiahou Ba looked embarrassed and struggled for a long time before finally bowing and saying, "Your subject Xiahou Ba greets the King of Hanzhong."
Liu Bei grabbed his hand and laughed, "What do you mean by 'outsider'? That's too formal. We're family. You haven't met your nephew yet, have you? Let's meet him today. They say nephews often resemble their uncles. Let's see if Xingguo looks like you."
After saying that, he was about to call Zhang Bao over to pay his respects when he turned around and found that Zhang Bao was not there. He asked in surprise, "Where is Xingguo? Why didn't he come at such an important moment?"
"I'll go find him." Zhang Fei volunteered and turned to leave. Not long after, he grabbed Zhang Bao by the back of the head and lifted him up like a chick, bringing him to Liu Bei. He pointed at Xiahou Ba and said, "This is your uncle. Call him uncle."
Zhang Bao yelled, "What the hell?"
Who the hell is this? I've never even met him before and he's telling me to call him uncle. Why don't you call him uncle?
Zhang Fei's approach to educating his son was always simple and brutal. Seeing Zhang Bao in a daze, he kicked his ankle, forcing him to his knees. Then he grabbed Zhang Bao's hair and slammed him hard onto the ground.