After all these days of turmoil, Han Mo could finally have a good night's sleep.
Although the siege battle was indeed unprecedentedly fierce for the military and civilians of Mingzhou City, fortunately, the provisions they had prepared were still quite abundant at this time.
Whether it was grain or medicine, they could at least sustain the usage of Mingzhou residents for several months.
As for the disposal of the remaining captives, the imperial court naturally had established precedents, and in this regard, even Han Mo could not excessively shield them.
Although dealing with these matters did have a certain merit, Han Mo did not wish to stain his hands with blood, so he simply dumped everything onto Li Yueyang.
"Big Brother, this is chicken soup I had someone simmer for you. You should drink some before you sleep!"
Back at the post station, as soon as Han Mo stepped inside, Liang Hongyu rushed over.
"On this joyous occasion, I caused your groom to be injured. You don't resent me, do you?"
Seeing Liang Hongyu, Han Mo couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly.
"His injuries are superficial and nothing serious; they've already been treated. He eats from this bowl, and if it weren't for you, he probably wouldn't have had such an opportunity in his life. I know what's more important!"
Upon hearing Han Mo's words, Liang Hongyu quickly knelt on the ground.
"Why are you performing such a grand bow? I was just joking with you! Why are you being so serious?"
Seeing her earnest demeanor, Han Mo quickly stepped forward to help Liang Hongyu up.
"Big Brother, you must accept this bow. Hongyu dare not forget your kindness in this life. If it weren't for you, I fear our couple would never have had a chance to rise..."
No one knew better than Han Shizhong himself how great the merit he had just established was.
Leading a few thousand new recruits, he actually held off the fierce assault of tens of thousands of rebels, during which he also had the credit for breaking through a hundred cavalry against ten thousand and for slaying generals and capturing flags. Moreover, with Han Mo present, no one dared to embezzle his merits.
Although the imperial decree for rewarding merits had not yet been issued, based on his achievements this time, if he were lucky, he might even be directly promoted to the horizontal ranks.
As a military officer, once one entered the horizontal ranks, they truly entered the fast lane for promotion.
"Alright, since I've become your elder brother, it's natural that I should plan for you. Don't say these words again; it makes us sound distant if others hear. I'll keep the chicken soup, and you should go about your business."
Taking the chicken soup she had placed aside, Han Mo then smiled and turned to leave. After days of turmoil, he now just wanted to sleep well.
However, things in the world are always a mix of joy and sorrow. Han Mo was in the mood to sleep, but Xin Xingzong could not sleep at all now.
"What are you saying? The rebel army outside Mingzhou City has been annihilated?"
Upon hearing this news, Xin Xingzong was completely stunned.
How could this be possible?
The situation in all the cities in the southeast was largely the same. The local garrisons and imperial guards had long since become thoroughly rotten. Within the entire Mingzhou City, the only ones truly capable of fighting were the 3,000 men led by Wang Bing.
As for the rest, they were merely hastily assembled to fill the numbers.
Even if the rebel army's morale was low due to their prolonged inability to break through, it was still an almost impossible task for these 3,000 men to sweep through 30,000 rebels.
Furthermore, only one night had passed. How could the battle have progressed so quickly?
That was 30,000 rebels!
Even if they were 30,000 pigs, they couldn't all be killed in one night!
"The 5,000 rebel soldiers opposite us have fled overnight! The civilians outside Mingzhou City are still clearing the battlefield, and our scouts have seen it clearly!"
Xin Xingzong did not believe it, and his subordinates also did not want to believe it, but the facts were before them, and they had no choice but to believe.
"Then what are you waiting for? Quickly send someone to pursue them!"
Hearing him say this, Xin Xingzong immediately became angry.
Was this not nonsense?
The people had run, and they weren't pursuing them quickly. What were they standing here for?
He had originally expected to reap the benefits of the situation, but he never expected Han Mo and his men to act so swiftly, resolving the rebel army completely overnight.
Under such circumstances, if they let those 5,000 rebels escape, then perhaps they would truly have made this trip in vain!
"Pursue? But they've already been running all night. If we go now to pursue..."
Hearing Xin Xingzong's words, his several subordinate generals were all dumbfounded.
When the rebels fled last night, they hadn't noticed at all. It wasn't until dawn that they realized the rebel army opposite them had already withdrawn completely.
An entire night had passed. Where would they chase them to now?
"So what if they've run all night? It rained all night, how far could they have run? You don't want to return empty-handed, do you?"
Xin Xingzong said this, truly exasperated.
If the person in charge of Mingzhou City hadn't been Han Mo, perhaps he could still have relied on his status and the backing of Tong Guan to snatch some merit.
Even if it was just picking up scraps, it would be better than returning empty-handed.
However, the person in charge happened to be Han Mo. If he could snatch any merit from Han Mo, it would be a ghost.
"Yes, sir!"
Although his subordinate generals were also full of complaints at this moment, none of them dared to argue with him any further.
When the general gives an order, the soldiers run their legs off.
It wasn't until nightfall that Xin Xingzong, leading his soldiers, finally arrived outside Xikou Town.
"General, it's not good. Let the brothers rest ahead. We've been marching all day, and the brothers are already exhausted!"
"Urge the brothers on, we'll rest in Xikou Town!"
Looking at the staggered line behind him, Xin Xingzong frowned and finally agreed.
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing him say this, the subordinate generals behind him quickly relayed the order.
However, as they entered Xikou Town, they discovered that the entire Xikou Town had suddenly become an empty city.
"General, why do I feel like something is not quite right?"
Looking at the deserted Xikou Town, a subordinate general behind Xin Xingzong suddenly said in a low voice.
"Do you smell a strange odor?"
After surveying the surroundings, Xin Xingzong suddenly asked.
"Not good! It's sulfur! Retreat, retreat quickly!"