Volume 1: The Wind Rises in Tumubao Chapter 37 Human Nature
As the last rays of sunset disappeared, the battle was officially declared over.
Three thousand elite soldiers versus hundreds of herdsmen, the outcome is no surprise.
In addition to those who rose up to resist and were killed, there were also more than a hundred women, children and young children who gathered together, waiting for the butcher knives of these vicious monsters.
The oldest of these children is only in his teens, and the youngest is still in swaddling clothes.
They clung to their mothers, their eyes emitting all kinds of complicated lights, some fearful, some hateful. Some even held small toy bows in their hands, and although they had no killing power, the arrows were aimed directly at the surrounding Ming troops.
The captured Oirat women held their children tightly in their arms, looking at the cold swords of the Ming army in front of them, their eyes full of pessimism and despair.
Zhu Qizhen walked back and forth, looking at those childish bodies and hateful eyes, his scalp tingling.
How to deal with so many people, all women and children?
Fan Zhong seemed to see through his thoughts and advised: "Your Majesty, you must not be merciful to the enemy!"
Li Zhen also stepped forward and said viciously: "The Wala people have been harassing our border towns for years. They have never shown mercy to the people of our Ming Dynasty, regardless of gender or age, and have slaughtered them wantonly! As the saying goes, give them a taste of their own medicine. We will treat them the way they treat us!"
This is the truth, but Zhu Qizhen has modern thinking after all, and is not willing to kill everyone.
Looking at the hateful eyes of the Oirat women and children and the expectant gazes of the Ming soldiers, he paced slowly, his back soaked with cold sweat.
Fan Zhong and Li Zhen didn't want to push him too hard, so they looked at his frowning brows and said nothing.
Time passed minute by minute, and the air was surprisingly quiet. Only the crackling sound of burning firewood could be heard, and the flames reflected on everyone's face.
More than a hundred Oirat women and children looked coldly at the Han man who held their fate in their hands, and remained silent.
Zhu Qizhen paced back and forth, thinking about only one question in his mind.
An eye for an eye, blood for blood, kill them all, and be done with it once and for all.
The three thousand troops behind him were also waiting for him to make a decision. Their eyes were filled with bloodshot, like hungry wolves on the grassland, waiting for the final blow to their prey.
I personally led this army into the grassland. They were fearless and full of courage, but their humanity was also being extinguished bit by bit...
When all the kindness in one's heart disappears completely, there is no difference between humans and beasts.
To kill, or not to kill...
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: what would happen if he left these people here?
There is a shortage of supplies on the grassland. Will other tribes take them in?
These women and children are unable to work. If you take them in, it will only increase the burden. If you do not take them in, that is your own business...
Thinking of this, Zhu Qizhen suddenly stopped and shouted: "All Wala people, listen!"
These women and children thought that the other party was going to attack, and they couldn't help but look terrified and hugged each other tightly.
Zhu Qizhen suddenly realized that they might not understand Chinese.
"Ha Ming, you translate!"
"yes!"
Ha Ming stepped forward and acted as a temporary translator.
Zhu Qizhen calmed down and said loudly: "I am the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. You all look at my face!"
Ha Ming translated these words, and sure enough, more than a hundred women and children all looked at Zhu Qizhen's face.
"I killed your family!"
"I didn't want to kill anyone, but they killed my relatives and my compatriots, including countless women and children like you!"
"So, please remember my face. If you want revenge, just come to me. I'm waiting for you!"
Zhu Qizhen roared like a wolf, and his ferocious appearance even scared the baby crying in his mother's arms and made him stop crying.
Everyone's eyes were focused on him, with fear and more hatred.
Zhu Qizhen looked at everyone and continued, "According to what you Wala people have done, I shouldn't let you go. However, our ancestors said that God has the virtue of loving life. Since our ancestors said so, today, I will give you a chance!"
The Wala people were silent, waiting for Ha Ming to translate for them in Mongolian.
Ha Ming was stunned and looked at Zhu Qizhen in disbelief.
Not only him, Li Zhen and Fan Zhong were also very puzzled as to why they were let go?
Ha Ming couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty..."
Zhu Qizhen waved his hand to stop them and said , "Translate what I said to them word for word!"
Ha Ming had no choice but to translate word for word.
After hearing this, the women and children of the Oirat tribe seemed to be very confused and their faces were filled with disbelief.
Ha Ming had no choice but to repeat it to them to confirm that he could survive. The surprise on their faces began to turn into joy. They hugged each other, danced and cheered, tears streaming down their faces. Although the children did not understand the meaning of their mother's cheers, they seemed to be infected by the emotion, smiled, and stretched out their delicate hands to wipe the tears on their mother's face.
Li Zhen could no longer bear it and stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, being kind to the enemy is being cruel to yourself. I suggest that you kill these people and put an end to it all!"
Zhu Qizhen lowered his eyes, silent as water , turned his back and stood for a long time without uttering a word.
There is no sadness, no joy, and no one knows what he is thinking.
Only his tightly clenched hands gave some clue to his mood.
The revelry of the Oirat women and children suddenly stopped. They suddenly realized that the man who held the power over their life and death was still keeping silent. The veins on his clenched hands were bulging, showing how fierce the ideological struggle in his heart was.
If this man regretted his decision on the spot, more than a hundred women and children would still not escape the fate of being slaughtered.
These people began to become panic-stricken, staring at the motionless figure with expectation or hatred in their eyes, waiting for his final judgment.
Zhu Qizhen let out a long sigh, slowly opened his eyes, looked at Li Zhen, and said leisurely: "Marquis of Xiangcheng, if I give this responsibility to you, can you do it?"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhen drew his sword. When the Wala people saw this, they were frightened and panicked and retreated one after another.
However, the bloody scene did not happen.
Looking at the helpless woman and the hungry baby in front of him, Li Zhen's face turned red and white, and his cheek muscles trembled violently. He gritted his teeth and raised the steel knife, but his hands, which had killed countless people, were trembling slightly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally sighed and the knife in his hand dropped limply .
"Your Majesty, if you want to kill the Wala men, I won't even blink an eye. But these women and children..."
Having said that, he sighed again and shook his head weakly.
Zhu Qizhen's eyes were like lightning, sweeping over the Wala children in front of him one by one, their eyes full of fear and hatred. After a long time, he sighed quietly: "Look at the hateful eyes of these children. When they grow up, is it possible for them to be on good terms with our Ming Dynasty?"
Li Zhen shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that's unlikely!"
"If we kill them today, will the other Oirat people become friends with the Ming Dynasty?"
Li Zhen shook his head again and said nothing.
"The war between the Ming Dynasty and the grassland tribes cannot be resolved by killing a few people. What I want is their surrender, complete surrender!"
Everyone was silent for a long while, and suddenly Zhu Qizhen continued, "Marquis of Xiangcheng, fellow soldiers, I want to ask you a question. Our Chinese nation has been prosperous for thousands of years, and there are countless famous generals and generals like the stars in the sky. They defended their country and spread their prestige far and wide. Their military achievements were brilliant, and countless enemies were frightened and fled. The deeds of these ancestors have been passed down to this day. Did they earn their reputation by killing unarmed civilians?"
