Chapter 712 Wu Rui is seeking death despite the world’s condemnation!

Chapter 712 Wu Rui is seeking death despite the world’s condemnation!

Gao Yao could no longer sit idly by after seeing Wu Rui's actions. Fights between warlords were commonplace in all dynasties. They attacked each other, fought for cities and land, and sometimes even abducted women or plundered some gold, silver and jewelry. Although these behaviors were immoral, they were common in that turbulent era.

However, no matter how the warlords fought, massacres were extremely rare. This was because massacres would not only arouse public anger, but also make other forces fear and resent it. Wu Rui dared to provoke Gao Yao so recklessly, which was undoubtedly challenging Gao Yao's bottom line.

Throughout history, although Bai Qi, Xiang Yu and other figures have also killed soldiers in burial mounds, there are very few who have actually massacred cities on a large scale. Among them, Huang Chao, Cao Cao, Zhang Xianzhong, and Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty were all notorious for massacring cities.

Of course, under the special circumstances of the Yuan Dynasty, massacres were sometimes seen as a strategic tactic. Through such extreme measures, the resistance forces in the conquered areas could be eliminated to the greatest extent possible, ensuring the stability of the rule. Otherwise, how could such a vast territory be conquered in a short period of time?

But no matter what the reason, the act of massacring a city is difficult to forgive. Once it is carried out, it will be infamous for a lifetime and it is difficult to wash it off. Just like Cao Cao's massacre of Xuzhou City, he has been criticized by people since then, and he was unable to get rid of this bad reputation until his death.

In this era, Wu Rui's behavior is unique. His actions will undoubtedly leave a strong mark in history and become a topic of conversation among people.

Under normal circumstances, after a normal siege, the victors usually won't be too harsh on the people, because these people are important productive forces for the princes or warlords. If the people in the city are slaughtered, then the city will become an empty city and lose its value of existence. Whether it is between countries or between warlords, everyone acts under the drive of interests. Who would massacre a city for no reason? Isn't this just a waste of time?

Wu Rui did the opposite. Not only did he do so, he also thought he could hide it from the world. But how could such a thing not be discovered? Gao Yao was also caught off guard. He originally just wanted to sneak attack a ferry, but he didn't expect Wu Rui to be so cruel and actually massacred all 5,000 people. Moreover, it is very difficult for a city that has been massacred to return to its original state. At least within three to five years, there is almost no possibility of recovery.

First of all, people's hearts are a very important issue. Even if Gaoyao is willing to provide money and food, who would be willing to settle down in a county where hundreds or even thousands of people have died? Although there are not so many stories about ghosts at this time, the concept of ominous places still exists. People often fear such places, worrying that they will encounter misfortune or disaster.

Secondly, the death of 5,000 people is not a trivial matter and it is certainly impossible to properly handle it in a short period of time. If such a large number of corpses are not handled in time, it is very likely to cause a plague. Looking back at the entire history, the number of deaths caused by various plagues even exceeds the number of deaths caused by wars. If this problem is not properly handled, this place will become a restricted area for a long time and no one dares to set foot in it.

In addition, Pu County has a very special geographical location. If it is abandoned, it will bring huge losses. After all, rebuilding a city requires a lot of manpower and material resources, and no one knows the cost better than Gao. Moreover, it is almost impossible to mobilize personnel from other counties to Jiujiang to build the city, because each county has its own affairs to deal with, and the manpower required is also not small.

Without the help of people from other counties, it would take at least five years to rebuild a city with only people from Jiujiang County. This was too much time. Pu County was geographically close to the river bank, which meant that the city of Pu County was wasted.

Gao Yao was so angry, on the one hand, of course, because of the above reasons, but on the other hand, the more critical reason was a matter of face. In the fights between the princes, in addition to the actual fighting, the game and struggle for interests were also the core, and face was an important part of it that could not be ignored.

What happened in Jiujiang County could not be covered up for a long time. After all, the death of 5,000 people was no small matter. Such a major incident would definitely spread in a short time. No matter how much Wu Rui wanted to conceal it, it would be absolutely useless. As for his insignificant means, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and it had no effect at all. Anyone with a discerning eye could naturally see through the clues and know what was going on.

In fact, Gao Yao's original purpose was just to force Wu Rui to retreat. Because at this moment, he was already in a two-front battle situation. Not only did he have to deal with the pressure of logistics supply, but he also had to bear the trouble of insufficient manpower. In this case, it was still a bit stressful for Gao Yao to fight Wu Rui again. And it was completely unnecessary. Therefore, Gao Yao's real intention was to destroy the ferry, forcing Wu Rui to abandon the south bank and withdraw to the north bank. In this way, he could concentrate on solving other problems first, and then deal with Wu Rui's troubles after he had freed up his hands.

However, what was unexpected was that Wu Rui was like a madman, ruthlessly slaughtering the city! This was completely different. Once this matter spread, someone would definitely take the opportunity to make a fuss, causing panic and social unrest. When Gao Yao learned about this, he was furious. He made a prompt decision and immediately led the army to Jiujiang County.

Of course, Gao Yao did this not just out of impulse or passion, but after careful consideration and with his own calculations. He had already begun to mobilize soldiers from other counties to Jiujiang County to support him in order to strengthen his own strength. In addition, although there were some losses after the battle in Jiujiang County, Wu She still had at least 10,000 soldiers in his hands. In addition, the 5,000-man black-armored army led by Li You was not completely powerless.

However, in Jiujiang County, although some food was temporarily replenished through this extreme measure, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket. After all, in a county with only 5,000 people, even if all the food was plundered, it would only be enough to sustain the army of 30,000 to 40,000 for one day.