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Chapter 880 An unexpected gain
"Hehehe... Kindness is not a compliment to me. You are not sincere. It doesn't matter. Killing the mount is only the worst case scenario. It is unlikely to happen. Because there are many small tribes in the south. They raise a lot of yaks and grow some barley.

If I were really merciful, I would not let you and your troops rob their livestock and food. The supply problem could be solved by simply letting the soldiers eat a few bites less every day.

Without these things, the small tribe may not survive for more than ten days on the impoverished plateau. Do you know why I didn't do this and had to watch thousands of people die because of this?"

Huang Taiji has always been within Hong Tao's attention range, and his priority is relatively high. Through the reports provided by Gehu and Jinyiwei, it can be seen that this person is good at learning, willing to accept new things, and has changed through learning.

The reason why Hong Tao wanted to use a surrendered general was not only to test the theory of integration, but also to tap into the available talents. In his opinion, talents are not divided by race, ethnicity and country, and as long as the benefits are great enough, they can even be divided into enemies and friends.

What was used to bribe Huang Taiji and his people was not real money, luxury cars, beautiful women, or power, but the pie of hope. Since they have already opened their mouths to bite, they can put some meat filling in the pie.

"...They are not as valuable as the Ming soldiers, and are no different from rabbits on the grassland." This question was not difficult, but Huang Taiji still thought about it before giving an answer.

"You are barbaric. People are people, not animals. But there are prerequisites for kindness and cruelty. If they were the people of the Ming Dynasty, I would not do this.

Because they work hard every day, and ultimately they have to pay their harvest to the court in the form of taxes, and use this income to support officials and the army, so I must protect them. This is called responsibility and obligation, and it must be fulfilled, just like the conditions I promised you, and I will fulfill them.

But they are not my subjects, and it is a time of war, so I cannot treat them with mercy. At this time, the first thing to consider is the safety of the soldiers, because the soldiers have to use their lives to protect the court and the people, and also to protect me, which is also a responsibility and obligation.

The ancestors of the Han people said that a kind army cannot be commanded. War is the last resort for people to resolve conflicts, and it is also the most shameless and unreasonable way. Victory or failure depends partly on soldiers, weapons and tactics, and partly on which general is more immoral, shameless and barbaric.

In the future, before thinking about problems, you must first understand your position and clarify your responsibilities and obligations. You are now the commander of the Eight Banners Army. First, you must obey and execute orders, then be responsible for your soldiers, and finally, your personal gains and losses. The order cannot be reversed.

Now I ask you again, if we were to kill the horses of the Eight Banners Army, making it highly unlikely that they would be able to get out of the Gobi Desert, how would you answer?"

In the end, Huang Taiji still gave the wrong answer, and his mistake was in his attitude towards people. Hong Tao did not want to train generals with very cruel personalities, let them become murderous demons, and then drive the Ming army with more advanced weapons to kill their own kind everywhere.

The ability to think rationally is the best quality for a soldier. There should be a bottom line for what should and should not be done. One cannot throw away all humanity just to please someone or to obey the will of a superior.

In that case, there is no need to select new talents. Most of the old bureaucrats in the Ming Dynasty are such people. They are extremely weak and flattering to their superiors, and extremely tough and cruel to their subordinates. They are all hypocrites with no personality at all, and are more hateful and terrible than real villains.

Huang Taiji was really lost in thought this time. He could not fully understand what the emperor wanted to say for a while. There was only a faint shadow, which was not very clear. But he understood the general meaning. He should do his best to protect the safety of the Eight Banners Army and should argue for it.

"...I will find a way to keep the horses and ensure there is enough food!"

Looking at the rippling blue West Sea, feeling the sea breeze blowing in their faces, a camel and a horse, one tall and one short, followed the team that stretched for more than ten miles and walked side by side. Suddenly, Huang Taiji raised his face and gave a firm answer. "Boasting and lies can't save the Eight Banners soldiers!" Looking down at the smiling and sunny face, Hong Tao felt a little twitching in his stomach. These words were said in vain, and instead of teaching well, they taught bad things.

"I really have a way to supply the army with a few days' worth of food. Even if it's not enough for ten days, they won't starve to death!" Huang Taiji couldn't tell what the emperor was thinking. As he spoke, he stretched out his arm and pointed to the right side of the road.

"Bold! Insolent!" Unexpectedly, this action caused a scolding from behind. Wang Chengen and the Flathead Brother raised their pistols in unison, and the six black muzzles of the guns were all aimed at Huang Taiji.

A little further away, several brave warriors from the Imperial Stables also drew their pistols. Some of them stared at the development of the situation, while some turned their heads to look behind them, as if looking for whether Huang Taiji had any accomplices.

"Put down your gun... Do you think there are fish in this lake?" Hong Tao was not scared. Before Huang Taiji was allowed to approach, he had been carefully searched by the honey badger. Not to mention a weapon, not even a thick needle could be found.

But he did not turn around to look in the direction of Huang Taiji's finger until Wang Chengen and the flat-headed brother drove their camels over and separated Huang Taiji, then he turned his head to the right and frowned.

He understood what Huang Taiji wanted to say, but he didn't quite believe it. Qinghai Lake is a saltwater lake, and no one in later generations has paid attention to whether there are fish in it. Even if there are fish, the ice on the shore has not completely melted at this time, and the army has no boats or fishing tools. Fishing alone is definitely a drop in the bucket.

"Not only fish, but also lots of fish. My people are very good at fishing on the ice, and they can make fishing nets very quickly with hemp ropes. After killing the fish, smear them with salt and hang them behind the horse's buttocks to dry. We can tear off some for each meal. The Eight Banners Army is willing to reduce 30% of its food and replace it with dried fish!"

But Huang Taiji didn't think so. He became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing with his hands, and even speaking Manchu from time to time. If it weren't for the flat-headed brother blocking him, he would probably have dragged the emperor to the lake to take a look.

"You never stop learning... I was negligent. You two should remember this moment. There is no one who is omnipotent in this world. Everyone can make mistakes. Flathead, take General Huang to find the baggage guards at the back and ask them to bring out the hemp rope.

Huang Taiji, prepare in your own way, the more the better. But not now, wait until we reach the end of the West Sea before starting, so that the horses of the Eight Banners Army may not have to be killed. "

Now Hong Tao understood completely that Huang Taiji wanted to go winter fishing on the frozen Qinghai Lake. That's right, fishing on the ice was popular in Northeast China in later generations, and that place was where the Jurchen tribes lived for generations. Some of the tribes were famous for fishing, and even made clothes with fish skin.

Although it is not clear what methods the Jurchens used for winter fishing in the 17th century, judging from Huang Taiji's expression, he must have been quite confident and was not just talking nonsense.

There were plenty of hemp ropes. The distance from Xining Fort to the westernmost end of Qinghai Lake was nearly 500 li, which was almost one-fifth of the total distance. If there were enough fish as food supplements, it would be equivalent to having more effective supplies along the way, and it would be possible to not kill the horses of the Eight Banners soldiers.

In fact, if it really came to that, Hong Tao would not kill all the horses of the Eight Banners soldiers, at most he would requisition spare horses. The horsemanship of the Eight Banners soldiers was not weaker than that of the Mongolian cavalry, and the reason why they were brought to the expedition was to be put to use.

He deliberately made the situation sound serious, just to test Huang Taiji's attitude. Unexpectedly, he accidentally got extra grain harvest, which can be regarded as a kind of good luck.

(End of this chapter)