Chapter 574 Two choices
“Surrendered General Zhang Chun, I pay my respects to the prince.”

“No gift.”

Su Chen waved his hand and looked at Zhang Chun.

According to Kodo, Zhang Chun is Heichi Changyu’s right-hand man and is highly valued by Heichi Changyu.

But unfortunately, Heichi Changyu did not have the ability to stop the heavenly soldiers and generals of the Tang Dynasty.

After the east gate was broken open and Zhang Chun learned that the King of Baekje committed suicide and burned himself to death, he tactfully opened the city gate and surrendered.

Zhang Chun’s wise move is still worthy of praise.

At least this greatly reduced the casualties of the Tang army, while also reducing unnecessary destruction of cities, reconstruction work, etc.

but.

Zhang Chun was, after all, a minor general, and compared with those surrendered soldiers, his identity and position were extremely embarrassing.

It was he who ordered the surrender. Regardless of whether the surrendered soldiers believed that Zhang Chun was doing this for them, they at least had a certain resistance to Zhang Chun.

At the same time, as a surrendered general, Zhang Chun felt inferior to the Tang officials.

“I have heard about your surrender.”

Su Chen pondered and spoke slowly, “Although you surrendered after Heichi Changyu and the King of Baekje died, it can still be considered a meritorious surrender.”

“As the saying goes, everyone serves his master. Before they died, you did your best. After they died, you considered the lives of many soldiers and took the initiative to surrender in exchange for their lives. This is precious.”

Hearing this, Zhang Chun couldn’t help but sigh, “Prince Liao is very kind.”

Su Chen smiled and said, “Perhaps others may not think so, or even think that you are a traitor to Baekje, but no matter what, the result is already determined.”

“I heard from Kodo that you wanted to see me. What’s the matter?”

Zhang Chun’s face straightened, “Your Majesty, I would like to ask you how you plan to deal with them.”

The “they” Zhang Chun was referring to were naturally the 40,000 surrendered soldiers.

Su Chen shook his head, “If you ask sincerely, I will not lie to you.”

“As for them, the king intends to give them two choices.”

“Two choices?”

“good.”

Su Chen smiled and nodded, “Those who are willing to continue to serve in the army will be soldiers of the Tang Dynasty in the future, and will be allocated soldiers according to the Tang Dynasty’s rations. No matter what happened before, the past will be forgiven.”

Zhang Chun’s eyes lit up. This was undoubtedly good news for the many surrendered soldiers.

“So what about the second option?”

“Retire from the army and become a farmer.”

Su Chen said calmly, “If you don’t want to continue to be a soldier, then go home and farm.”

“Now that Baekje is in ruins, I will write to Your Majesty and arrange for the Ministry of Agriculture to come to Baekje, re-measure the land, and divide the land among the people of Baekje.”

“They took off their armor and laid down their weapons. They could have received the designated land and lived a peaceful and stable life farming and supporting their families.”

“As long as they don’t cause trouble, I will not kill them all.”

good good!
Zhang Chun’s face showed his joy.

The two options given by Su Chen were undoubtedly great news for these surrendered soldiers.

Whether they maintain their current military life or return to farming, at least they will no longer worry about their future.

just.

“My Lord, is what you said final?”

“nature.”

Su Chen smiled calmly, “I have the highest command authority here.”

“As long as I agree, your majesty will not refuse.”

“You should have heard that we in Datang have adopted some advanced production tools, which can greatly improve production capacity.”

Zhang Chun nodded heavily, “I heard that the merchants said that the new canal plow invented by the prince can reclaim more wasteland and reduce the time for farming.”

Su Chen smiled faintly, “Yes, they won’t starve to death even if they take off their armor.”

“The reason why I agreed to meet you is that I want to take this opportunity to make thorough arrangements for these people.”

“Otherwise, 40,000 people gathered in various places in the city will not be a big deal in the end.”

“it is good!”

Zhang Chun said with a smile, “I am willing to cooperate with the prince to resettle the 40,000 surrendered soldiers!”

Su Chen tilted his head and said, “Kodo, go make some arrangements, we’ll go to the military camp.”

“it is good!”

Kodo left immediately.

Since we have to arrange the stay or departure of the 40,000 surrendered soldiers, it is natural that the sooner the better.

Moreover, how to arrange 40,000 surrendered soldiers into the military camp is also a big matter. If there is any mistake, it will be bad.

“You come with me.”

Su Chen called Zhang Chun and left together.

“Where is your Highness going to take me?”

“storehouse.”

After Su Chen said this casually, he turned to Jin Yong and said, “Go call Jing Heng and the others, bring your men over, we’ll meet at the warehouse.”

“it is good!”

Jin Yong nodded and left quickly.

Zhang Chun looked confused and followed Su Chen to the warehouse.

There were a large amount of supplies piled up in the warehouse, mostly food and fodder.

These stored food and fodder were intended to ensure that Fengshan City could hold out for a long time when besieged by the Tang army.

However, they did not expect that the Tang army would enter the city so quickly that the food and grass they had stored would be wasted on the Tang army.

“Your Majesty.”

At this time, Li Jingheng and two others came over.

Seeing Su Chen opening the warehouse, Li Jingheng and the others were a little confused about what Su Chen was going to do.

“You’ve come just in time. Arrange your men to deliver some food to the military camp.”

Li Jingheng and the other man looked at each other and immediately arranged for their men to transport food and fodder over.

but.

What makes them curious is what Su Chen’s purpose is in doing this.

“My Lord, are you going to distribute food and fodder?”

“Do not.”

Su Chen smiled and shook his head, “It’s just to provide protection for those surrendered soldiers.”

“what?”

Li Jingheng and the other man were stunned.

After thinking for a moment, they both looked at Zhang Chun.

As the highest commander of the surrendered soldiers, Su Chen now brought him here to transport food and fodder. It was obvious that he knew about it.

“Your Highness, do you intend to arrange for the surrendered soldiers?”

“good.”

Su Chen nodded. “Let someone watch them. They will be anxious and uneasy, and they will need to consume a lot of food every day. It is better to give them a choice.”

Zhang Chun immediately understood what Su Chen meant.

As long as these people make their choice, those who want to leave, Su Chen will give them enough food and let them return to their hometown to farm.

In this way, although a large amount of food was consumed in a short period of time, in the long run, it was just an advance payment of their rations.

Otherwise, according to the current situation, if we continue to guard them, the daily consumption of food and grass will be an astronomical figure.

“Let’s go to the military camp and see how Kodo is preparing.”

One by one, the surrendered soldiers were driven into the military camp.

The sudden move made these surrendered soldiers feel uneasy. The Tang army suddenly gathered them together. Was it going to attack them?

If this is the case, how can we resist the swords of the Tang army without weapons and armor?
More and more people gathered, and the discussions became louder and louder.

“Be quiet!”

“Don’t be suspicious. The prince has never thought of killing you!”

Kodo stood in front and loudly reminded the many surrendered soldiers, “Stand here obediently and wait for the prince’s arrangement.”

“Perhaps you will be able to return to your respective homes soon and be filial to your parents.”

Although what Kodo said sounded nice, not many people believed it.

They always have the worst-case scenario in mind.

“The prince is here.”

“Your Majesty.”

As Su Chen brought his men over, the voices of discussion gradually weakened, and all eyes turned to Su Chen and the others.

Su Chen took a look at the gathered crowd. There were a lot of people, at least more than 10,000 people.

Kodo: “Your Majesty, 13,000 people have gathered now, and the remaining 20,000 people will arrive one after another.”

Su Chen nodded, walked to the front of the surrendered soldiers, took the loud speaker prepared by Li Jingheng, and said loudly, “Listen to me, your Majesty.”

“God is merciful and kind, and I am not a bloodthirsty person.”

“Since you have already surrendered, I will naturally not take your lives.”

“After careful consideration, I will give you two choices.”

“One is to continue to serve in the army, but in the future you will be a soldier of the Tang Dynasty, eating the Tang Dynasty’s military pay and following the Tang Dynasty’s rules!”

“Second, you can take off your armor and return to the fields. This king will not stop you. I will give each of you 100 kilograms of food and 100 copper coins so that you can return to your hometown to farm and be filial to your parents.”

“If you want to leave, you can leave now!”

Su Chen’s words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.

No one expected Su Chen to be so easy to talk to and give them two choices.

No matter which option they choose, it is very favorable for them.

Su Chen waved to Li Jingheng. Li Jingheng smiled and arranged the personnel and pushed the escorted food aside.

After seeing the cartloads of food and boxes of copper coins, the surrendered soldiers finally couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Your Majesty, do you really want to give us 100 kilograms of food and 100 copper coins and let us leave here?”

“I keep my word to the letter.”

Su Chen smiled calmly, “If you want to leave, just go and take the food and copper coins. I promise that no one will stop you.”

After getting Su Chen’s definite answer, someone stepped forward quickly.

Li Chongyi, who was in charge of distributing food and copper coins, waved his hand and threw a bag of food weighing 100 kilograms to the other party, along with a purse containing 100 copper coins.

Are you really going to let me go?

They carried food and copper coins, and looked back every few steps, fearing that Su Chen would suddenly say something and shoot them, and they would die here.

however.

Even after they walked out of the military camp, no sound was heard.

Looking back again, they saw their companions coming out of the team one after another, taking food and copper coins and chasing after them.

“Are you really letting us go?”

“Your Majesty is kind and righteous!”

“Your Majesty is kind and righteous!”

Some soldiers bowed deeply to Su Chen excitedly, while others kowtowed to the ground.

Not only did they save their lives, but they also received 100 kilograms of food and copper coins, which was enough to guarantee their future life.

More and more people chose to leave, but there were still many people who remained motionless.

Compared with one hundred kilograms of food and one hundred copper coins, the surrendered soldiers who had served in the army for many years had long been accustomed to such a life.

The only thing left in their bodies is the ability to kill. It would be a bit difficult for them to take off their armor and return to the countryside.

and.

Since being a soldier makes one famous, then what difference does it make whether one is a soldier of Baekje or of the Tang Dynasty?

As long as there is military pay, it will be fine.

Soon, there were less than 2,000 soldiers left out of the more than 13,000 surrendered soldiers.

at the same time.

While these people were leaving with food and money, there were still many surrendered soldiers coming forward under the guard of the Tang army.

When they passed each other, the surrendered soldiers, who had no idea what had happened, had confused looks on their faces.

Why did they leave carrying their things?
Doesn’t Su Chen want to kill them?

“Okay, Jingheng, you recruit those people.”

“Yes.”

Li Jingheng grinned.

Those who were unwilling to leave naturally became soldiers of the Tang Dynasty.

With the arrival of other surrendered soldiers, Su Chen asked Zhang Chun to explain his arrangements in detail.

For a moment, the surrendered soldiers who had witnessed their companions leaving with their belongings couldn’t help but cheer.

Many people left. Among the nearly 40,000 surrendered soldiers, less than 6,000 remained. More than 30,000 surrendered soldiers all chose to lay down their arms and return home.

In addition to those who were recruited by Li Jingheng and others, another two thousand people were re-incorporated under Zhang Chun’s command.

“Your Majesty?”

Hearing Su Chen asking him to take over two thousand people, Zhang Chun was obviously a little bit unbelievable, “Are you really going to hand over these two thousand people to me?”

“of course.”

Su Chen smiled and patted Zhang Chun on the shoulder. “You are a local, you know what they are interested in, and you should also know what I want.”

“Take your people with you, cooperate with Kodo, and maintain order in the city.”

“I don’t want them to cause trouble in the city right after I let them out, making the entire Fengshan City a mess. Do you understand?”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Zhang Chun immediately knelt down and saluted.

This not only shows that Su Chen values ​​him, but also gives the soldiers a reassurance.

Not only did Su Chen make Zhang Chun willingly work for the Tang Dynasty, he also gave them weapons and did not worry about them rebelling.

What reasons do they have to suspect Su Chen?

As for rebellion, that is an even more hopeless thing that will only drag down the entire family.

after all.

There are so many Tang troops still in the city, how much noise can they make?
“Get up.”

Su Chen smiled and waved his hand, “Just do your job well.”

“Yes!”

Zhang Chun nodded heavily.

Su Chen stretched and said with a smile: “Fortunately, we have enough manpower, otherwise this matter will take a few more days.”

“Now it’s all right. The matter of the surrendered soldiers has been dealt with. Everyone can rest assured.”

Everyone smiled knowingly.

How can they sleep peacefully if they cannot properly deal with these surrendered soldiers?
Aren’t you really afraid that they will suddenly rebel?
“Your Majesty, Liu Baidao requests to see you.”

“Ouch.”

Su Chen was immediately amused, “This guy is quite fast.”

“Go to the palace and order some food to be prepared.”

(End of this chapter)