From beggar to emperor: I am not Zhu Yuanzhang

Why did a serious plague break out in Sun Ru's camp?

This is very likely related to one of his horrific hobbies, which is using human flesh as military rations.

In fact, in the troubled times of the late Tang Dynasty, it was not uncommon to use human flesh as military rations.

Due to years of wars, people fleeing, water conservancy facilities damaged, and various disasters such as droughts, locusts, and floods, the land has been devastated for thousands of miles, people are starving, large areas of cultivated land have been abandoned, and food harvests have been poor or even extinct year after year. This directly pushed up the price of food. Rice prices soared and food was more valuable than gold and silver.

How to fight without food?

This problem troubles many warlords.

At first, they could still fill their stomachs by grabbing food, but then they ran out of food and couldn't get it back even if it was gone. Some warlords had evil thoughts and launched plans to eat human flesh.

The most famous one is the cannibal demon Qin Zongquan. His troops are famous for cannibalism, and the people they capture in every battle end up becoming their food rations. Sun Ru was a subordinate of Qin Zongquan's younger brother Qin Zongheng, so he naturally inherited this tradition of the Qin family army.

Every time Sun Ru sent out troops, he would order people to prepare human flesh in case of emergency.

Before this expedition to Xuanzhou, Sun Ru even ordered the killing of the old, weak, women and children in Yangzhou city to use as military rations. No wonder this appalling method frightened Yang Xingmi's subordinates and they retreated one after another.

It has already entered May, and the south is gradually getting hotter. Is there any relationship between cannibalism and the plague?

This question is difficult to explain clearly.

The plague has caused a sharp reduction in the combat effectiveness of Sun Ru's army, and they have been locked away for several days.

Yang Xingmi decided to launch a general offensive.

That morning, at dawn, Yang Xingmi personally led An Renyi, Tian Kai and others out of the city to launch a surprise attack, destroying Sun Ru's fifty camps. At this time, the sky suddenly changed, with strong winds and heavy rain. Yang Xingmi's entire army counterattacked, and Sun Ru's sick army immediately collapsed.

At this time, Sun Ru, who was in the hospital bed, was too sick to stand up. He completely lost his ability to resist and watched Tian Kai rush into his camp. Liu Jianfeng, Ma Yin and others resisted desperately, but they still could not stop Yang Jun's offensive.

Tian Kai led a group of murderous soldiers straight to Sun Ru's tent. The last part of Sun Ru's guards were wiped out after strong resistance, and the tent was lost.

Tian Kai's men rushed into the tent and saw Sun Ru on the hospital bed as soon as they entered.

Sun Ru had no expression on his face, looked at Tian Kai with dull eyes, and said lightly: "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Tian Kai sneered: "Sun Ru, you devil didn't expect that you would end up like this, did you? - Tie him up and take him away!"

Tian Kai waved his hand, and several soldiers rushed over behind him. Without saying a word, they pulled Sun Ru up and tied him up, preparing to escort him back to the city to offer him as a prisoner.

"Sun Ru, you bastard of thieves, take your life—"

The shirtless Tao Ya suddenly jumped out, grabbed Sun Ru's collar, raised his fist and was about to hit him.

This unexpected situation caught Tian Kai off guard. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly grabbed Tao Ya and advised: "Old Tao, don't be impulsive. Big brother told me to live..."

The meaning is very clear. Yang Xingmi wants to capture Sun Ru alive. If you beat him to death, then I, Tian Kai, will be in trouble.

Upon hearing this, Tao Ya lowered her raised fist slowly and rolled her eyes, thinking that she could no longer hit the muzzle of the gun at this time. If he angers his eldest brother again this time, it won't be as simple as a groom.

This protracted battle between dragon and tiger finally ended with Yang Xingmi's victory.

The tied-up Sun Ru was escorted to the commander's mansion in Xuanzhou City, where he met Yang Xingmi, whom he wanted to kill in his dreams. The unruly Sun Ru didn't even look at Yang Xingmi, which shows his arrogance.

Yang Xingmi slapped the table: "Sun Ru, do you know your crime?"

Sun Ru snorted and ignored Yang Xingmi.

Yang Xingmi raised his voice and scolded: "This town is ordered by the imperial court to catch all the evil thieves like you in order to uphold the law of the country! Do you have anything else to say?"

Sun Ru still snorted without saying a word.

Sun Ru's arrogant attitude angered Yang Xingmi, and he waved his hand: "Come on, drag him down - kill him!"

Yuan Xi next to him asked: "General, the court has said that Sun Ru will be escorted to the capital for questioning. You are going to do it now, I'm afraid..."

"Are you just afraid that the court will blame you?" Yang Xingmi had already guessed Yuan Xi's worries.

Yang Xingmi said: "It is too risky to escort Sun Ru to Beijing. Ma Yin and Liu Jianfeng, Sun Ru's remnants, have not been caught yet. They will definitely gather the remaining troops to rob the prison on the way. If Sun Ru is kidnapped by them and the court blames him, we will be in trouble. ”

"It's better to just send his head to Chang'an."

Yuan Xi nodded: "What the general said makes sense, maybe this is the best way."

As a remnant of Qin Zongquan who was wanted by the imperial court, Sun Ru finally played himself to death this time, and Yang Xingmi wanted to use his head to ask for credit from the imperial court.

On the execution ground, Sun Ru saw Liu Wei and said to him: "I, old Sun, have fallen into your trap."

After saying this, Yang Xingmi was killed and his head was sent to Chang'an to ask for merit after his death. After this battle, Yang Xingmi's strength greatly increased.

After Sun Ru's death, his close associates Liu Jianfeng and Ma Yin cried bitterly and led the remnants of their troops to Hunan. Ma Yin said to Liu Jianfeng: "The commander-in-chief always hoped to be listed in the ancestral temple and enjoy incense and sacrifices after his death. If we break the earth and become king in the future, we must build an ancestral temple and offer sacrifices to repay the commander-in-chief's kindness."

Many years later, Liu Jianfeng and Ma Yin occupied Hunan and proclaimed themselves king. As expected, they built a temple to worship Sun Ru and gave posthumous gifts to Situ and the prince of Le'an County. These are all things for later.

Defeating Sun Ru established Yang Xingmi's dominance in Huainan. The imperial court had to recognize his status (it was useless not to recognize it) and officially awarded Yang Xingmi the military governor of Huainan.

After Sun Ru's death, most of his troops were taken prisoners, except for a small number who escaped with Liu Jianfeng and Ma Yin. Tian Wei captured Sun Ru alive and made an unparalleled contribution. It can be said that he was the main contributor to the great victory of Xuanzhou. He not only saved Yang Xingmi's life, but also captured Sun Ru alive. In addition, most of Sun Ru's troops were killed. became his prisoner.

What to do with these captives is a thorny issue.

There are nothing more than two choices: kill or release.

Tian Kai is also a ruthless character. From his personal standpoint, he is inclined to eliminate the roots. After all, these people are all Sun Ru's gang members. If they are not from my race, they will have different minds, so we must guard against them.

But Tian Kai understands Yang Xingmi's thoughts very well. This boss is too kind, too kind. If he were to know this, he would never agree to eradicate it. According to his usual urine, he would definitely choose the third option. The only option is - incorporation.

Tian Wei thought about it and decided that he must not let Boss Yang know about this matter. He had to have an operation immediately. Yes, the sooner the better.

Thinking of this, Tian Kai immediately arranged for his subordinates to set up the execution ground and to handle the matter quietly.