Astral Apostle - Chapter 536: Strategy to Deal With The Criminal (2)

536 Strategy to Deal With The Criminal (2)

He was only here to test the waters and did not intend to attack forcefully.

Ma Zhen narrowed his eyes.

He watched Zhou Jing leave and did not send anyone to chase after him. He only instructed the guards to be on guard to prevent the other party from attacking.

Then, Ma Zhen and Ling Fengzi returned to the main tent and called the higher-ups under them for a military meeting.

Ling Fengzi was as usual listening from the side. This had long been agreed upon, and Ma Zhen had no objections.

When everyone was present, Ma Zhen spoke out,

“Currently, the bandits are powerful and difficult to eliminate. Generals, do you have any suggestions?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuwen Yan, who had also been appointed to lead the troops, stood up and cupped his fists,

“The strength of the bandits lies in three aspects. Firstly, Chen Feng’s strength is unstoppable, maintaining the morale of the army and raising their morale. Secondly, the Huyang Water Net is dense, and the bandits have the geographical advantage. Thirdly, the bandits have bewitched the hearts of the people all year round and are deeply supported by the Huyang villagers… I think that if we want to break through the bandits, we have to start from one of these points.”

Ma Zhen nodded in agreement.

Before setting off, he had analyzed the advantages of the bandits. These three points were the most outstanding. If not for these three advantages, even if the Dragon King Stronghold had hundreds of thousands of troops, they would only be a motley crew in his eyes.

Yuwen Yan paused for a moment before smiling and speaking,

“Chen Feng’s strength is difficult to match and can’t be broken through for the time being, but he’s alone. We’ll split the battle line and attack from several directions. At most, he’ll obtain an advantage in the direction he chooses, so we don’t have to worry about him for the time being. As for the second point, the bandits have been entrenched in Huyang for a long time and are familiar with the terrain. It’s not easy to break through, so let’s not talk about it first. We have to start from the third point.

There’s a saying in the art of war that attacking the hearts and emotions of the men is the best tactic. It’s even more so when it comes to dealing with bandits. I’m willing to offer the Marshal five ways to break through the bandits.”

Ma Zhen raised his eyebrows, “Please speak frankly.”

Yuwen Yan nodded and retracted his smile. He began to seriously explain,

“Firstly, every 10 consecutive households will be grouped as a cluster. Many of the local villagers in Huyang are guilty of treason and helping the thieves. They need to supervise each other in the consecutive residences. If a household is found to be a traitor, the other nine households will also be held responsible. This will temporarily reduce the willingness of the people to help the thieves and intimidate the unruly people who want to help the thieves.”

“The second is to capture the commoners who had their family members who had turned to become a bandit or had been captured and converted. These were all sinners and could be said to be traitors. According to the law, they should all be beheaded, but we will not kill them. We’ll give them a chance to redeem themselves and make a contribution.

During the battle, we put them in front to lead the charge, forcing the enemy to panic and their morale to waver, causing the bandits to be restrained. If the bandits ignored everything and killed, it would cause internal instability and bury hidden dangers. They will also lose the hearts of the people in Huyang.”

Ma Zhen narrowed his eyes and said, “In my opinion, the plan you offered just now is still lacking.”

“Oh? Please elaborate.”

Ma Zhen slowly said, “The villain surnamed Chen claimed that he wanted to rebel for the people, so we should also get some soldiers to pretend to be bandits and plunder the village. They can torture the villagers and tarnish Chen Feng’s reputation. This can make him lose the hearts of the people faster and lose the foundation to cause trouble.”

Huang Ping said in a deep voice, “Leave this matter to my team.”

Ma Zhen nodded in agreement.

Among the three of them, Huang Ping’s army was the strictest. They would not leak anything.

At this moment, Ma Zhen paused for a moment before his eyes suddenly turned cold.

“However, the battlefield is always changing rapidly. The moment our army has no chance of winning and we can’t do anything, we’ll send people to the upper reaches to dig the river and cause floods. The water will flood the lake and kill the thieves.”

Yuwen Yan and Huang Ping were slightly shocked.

“This plan might be too ruthless. Huyang has many floods to begin with, and if we trigger a series of floods, countless people will die. I’m afraid Huyang will be empty in the future…”

Yuwen Yan frowned.

Ma Zhen said expressionlessly, “If our army is defeated, the Imperial Court will suffer a huge loss and it will be difficult to restrain the bandits. In that case, why can’t we use Huyang to exchange for peace? Moreover, there have always been frequent cases of people converting to banditry in Huyang. The deaths of those who follow are not worth pitying.”

“Well… Marshal is right, but this is a desperate plan. We can’t use it unless it’s critical. Moreover, we can’t reveal it, or else there will be more trouble.”

Huang Ping spoke slowly without any clear objections.

He had the same intention. If he lost, he would definitely suffer when he returned to the Imperial Court. It would naturally be best to use the lives of a group of commoners to protect his victory and future.

So what if the people are struggling to survive? I’m about to lose, so why should I care about you?

Yuwen Yan said worriedly, “If the Perfected One finds out about this plan, it won’t be good. He doesn’t want to kill too much and says that this action will disrupt the harmony of the heavens. Will we ruin his cultivation by doing this?”

“Then let’s not let him know. When the deed is done, it’s useless even if he’s unwilling.”

Ma Zhen waved his hand, not caring.

Although he respected Ling Fengzi and knew that he had to rely on him in this battle, he would not change his decision as the commander just because of this.