Seeing Xue San still alive, Ye Shikai was so delighted he almost cried. These days, apart from the battles at the front, his biggest concern was Xue San’s situation.

"How did you find him?" Ye Shikai hurriedly asked.

"Reporting to General, we searched for two days, and finally found Commander Xue in a wooded area. His thigh was injured, his rations were gone, and he was weak, so we quickly brought him back," a squad member reported.

"Good, enough, don’t say anything more. Quickly, rush him back to the county and get the best doctors to treat him." Ye Shikai said excitedly, "Xue San, once I’ve handled things here, I’ll return to the county to visit you."

"Alright, General, you go ahead and handle your matters. I’ll be waiting for you. Ouch, ouch, it hurts. Be careful, all of you." Xue San cried out in pain, making everyone laugh. Ye Shikai took a closer look and saw the wound was infected. With only a simple bandage for so many days, if untreated, it could become a serious problem.

"Quickly, send him back to the county."

"Yes."

After sending Xue San away, Ye Shikai returned to the camp where the troops were just starting to eat. Having won the battle, Ye Shikai ordered an improvement in the meals to reward the soldiers properly. The end of the war was an immense relief for all survivors, and many soldiers came out of their tents, enjoying hot steamed buns and rice porridge, chatting freely.

Ye Shikai, with his guards, passed by the camp holding the war prisoners. Inside, the captives wore only single-layer clothes, looking very weak. It was mealtime, yet no soldiers were giving them food.

"Have they eaten?" Ye Shikai called over the guards to ask.

"Reporting to General, they haven’t eaten."

"Hasn’t the shipment of army provisions arrived? Why haven’t they been given food?" Ye Shikai continued to inquire.

"General, these bastards killed so many of our brothers, even the cooks don’t want to prepare food for them," the guard whispered to Ye Shikai. Since ancient times, prisoners of war were often the target of soldiers’ resentment, and it was fortunate they weren’t randomly beaten. Being fed and clothed adequately was hardly considered.

"Absurd, we are a regular army, everything must be by the rules. What kind of skill is abusing captives? What I, Ye Shikai, despise most is this kind of person."

"Ah... General, shall I inform the cooks to prepare meals for them?"

"Go quickly, announce to the entire army: If you have the ability, risk your life on the battlefield. Only cowards bully prisoners. Whoever does such a disgraceful thing again, will be thrown out." Ye Shikai said coldly.

"Yes."

Ye Shikai was not blindly merciful. He would not hesitate against the enemy, but now the war had ended, abusing prisoners had no meaning. Moreover, among these over a thousand prisoners were ordinary civilians who joined the rebels perhaps just to have food. Besides, for official purposes, dealing with these prisoners was the responsibility of the Commander Mansion, not the soldiers.

Another point, perhaps a sigh of remorse for Yan Yu, Ye Shikai still held some leniency for his subordinates. These prisoners participated in the revolt, and many would likely face death. At least, it shouldn’t be as starving ghosts.

The tent.

"Have the casualties been counted?"

"The count has just been completed. This campaign against Beast Mountain resulted in 2,056 soldiers killed in action, over a thousand wounded. Except for the cavalry with no significant loss, all other camps suffered substantial losses. It’s no wonder our brothers are so resentful towards the enemy. Since we’ve commanded, we’ve never been hit so hard." Shangguan Jian sighed. Counting casualties wasn’t difficult, but the bamboo slips were just figures; in reality, these were living brothers. With over 2,000 brothers deceased, Shangguan Jian was devastated, and it took a long time for him to recover his spirit.

Outside, the rain poured heavily, just like the mood of the two now.

"Give the fallen brothers a proper burial." The rain outside was heavy, making roads muddy and transportation difficult. With so many brothers lost, sending all their bodies back for burial was impossible; they could only be laid to rest here.

"I have already ordered the soldiers to handle it."

...............

After letting the troops rest for a day, Ye Shikai set out with the camp, the cavalry in the lead, and Man Cang with the Iron Armor Army guarding the prisoners in the back. If all went smoothly, they could reach Baima County in a day.

"General, there are still hundreds of remaining bandits in Beast Mountain; shall we leave without chasing them?" Wan Qi Yuan inquired. Yesterday he led the cavalry to cut off the enemy’s retreat, capturing many leftover enemies. But the mountainous terrain was unsuitable for cavalry movement, allowing many leftover enemies to escape. Wan Qi Yuan was helpless.

"Rest assured, without Yan Yu, they won’t pose a threat; at most, they’re just petty bandits, and Baima County can handle it." Ye Shikai wasn’t worried about others. The difficulty in dealing with the rebels at Beast Mountain was due to their core, Yan Yu. They were not petty bandits but a real army. Now that Yan Yu was captured and their spirit gone, any large army would be scattered.

"Understood."

"In this battle, you led the troops to discover the enemy camp’s rear, which is a merit. But privately moving troops is a fault. Merits and faults cancel each other; it’s hard to request rewards for the cavalry at the Commander Mansion. But don’t worry, I’ll reward you privately."

"Thank you, Sir, for your kindness. This is my duty."

Though Wan Qi Yuan was a member of the Wolf Clan, he was exceptionally clever. Most importantly, he was resolute and terse, acting decisively. He appeared silent, but when taking action, it was a sudden shock, a killing blow. This matched the cavalry’s characteristic of swift and fierce attacks.

Fortunately, Wan Qi Yuan was his subordinate. If placed in the Wolf Clan, he would undoubtedly be a "nightmare" for the Qin Army in the future.

If this person cannot be used by me, he must be eliminated by me.

From Wan Qi Yuan’s act of privately moving troops, he proved to be someone daring to achieve great things, causing Ye Shikai to be somewhat wary.

The troops hadn’t returned to the county yet, but the news of victory had already reached Baima County. Hearing of Beast Mountain’s victory, the previously fleeing villagers returned, even blocking the city gates. Furthermore, the dispatch riders should have sent the victory news to Pu Yang.

"General, the Baima County Magistrate has extended an invitation to reward our army servicemen." A soldier came out from the city, delivering the magistrate’s handwritten letter to Ye Shikai.

"Sir, we resolved the crisis for Baima County this time, and it’s a significant favor to the magistrate. Should we attend?"

"Forget it, the soldiers are exhausted; attending such vain ceremonies is meaningless. Let’s wait and rest thoroughly once we return to Pu Yang County."