Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 1197

Chapter 1197: Chapter 1191: Balancing Reward and Punishment

"Once... our Zhou army has encountered a siege situation before. My father, King of Zhen, Bai Qishan, was once trapped in Fengcheng by thirty thousand troops, yet he managed to hold on in spite of the lack of manpower and supplies!" Bai Qingyan straightened up and looked at the Zhou commanders surrounding her. "Moreover, we have not only five thousand soldiers, but also more than thirty thousand civilians in Jiangzi City!"

Du Sanbao approached Bai Qingyan: "Although these Xiliang civilians have abandoned their Xiliang identity and joined Zhou, they aren’t true native Zhou people. Can they really fight side by side with us?"

"These Xiliang civilians know how harsh life would be if they continued being Xiliang people, which is why they chose to become Zhou citizens. The houses and food they have today did not come easily. Having faced life and death and survived famine, they would be more grateful for the days as Zhou citizens with a home and food!"

Bai Qingyan looked at the commanders: "Think about it from another perspective. If you were Xiliang civilians, Xiliang’s army would plunder your food as military supplies, while Zhou would give you their food... to save your lives! Now, Xiliang surrounds the city, with the Emperor of Zhou within. Would you fight alongside the Emperor of Zhou to defend Jiangzi City and waive off the debts owed to the Government Office for land and house allocations, or would you rather see the Emperor of Zhou die here, let Xiliang breach the city... and then wait for the Zhou army to come and massacre the city for the Emperor of Zhou’s revenge?"

Bai Qingyan’s meaning was clear: treat the newly converted Zhou citizens from Xiliang with both kindness and authority, making them understand... if they do not follow Zhou to resist the Xiliang army, they won’t have a chance of survival either.

"But these civilians are untrained..." Wang Jin’s expression was worried.

"Untrained does not matter, they can help transport items to the city wall and assist in bandaging the wounded, which can all alleviate the burden on our Zhou army!" Bai Qingyan watched Liu Pinggao hastening toward the barracks and said, "First, screen the Xiliang spies who have entered the city and infiltrated among the refugees, then persuade the civilians to work together!"

"Understood!" Du Sanbao responded promptly.

Liu Pinggao stepped into the barracks, saluted Bai Qingyan, and Bai Qingyan stated, "General Liu, please arrange..."

"Yes!" Liu Pinggao accepted the command and began issuing orders, "Commanders, upon returning, relay that all Zhou soldiers are to wrap fine cloth around their left arm to prevent Xiliang enemies from entering the city disguised as refugees."

Liu Pinggao turned to Du Sanbao: "Two thousand soldiers will defend the southeast walls, coordinated by Du Sanbao, with today’s city defense password... Fearless!"

"Understood! I accept the order!" Du Sanbao clasped his hands.

"Two thousand soldiers have already been positioned for defense on the northwest walls, coordinated by Wang Jin, with the city defense password... Fearless!"

"Wang Jin accepts the order!" Wang Jin clasped his hands and accepted.

"Five hundred soldiers responsible for patrolling within the city will be managed by Huang Ancheng, with the patrol password... No Fear."

"Huang Ancheng accepts the order!"

"Five hundred soldiers have been divided into groups, currently searching for spies house-to-house. Directed by Li Jiang, the patrol team password is No Thieves!" Liu Pinggao proclaimed loudly, "Please pass on to all soldiers, remember your commander, remember each team’s password. As this is a special period... should you encounter Zhou soldiers in Zhou military attire with unclear intentions, make sure to see if their arms are wrapped in fine cloth, ask where they are stationed and which commander is responsible, and ensure the password matches!"

"Yes!"

The commanders responded in unison and dispersed to take action immediately.

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