Chapter 343. Postwar Measures 1
Even before the battle had ended, Youngwoo had already established principles for clearing the battlefield.
Gathering what the enemy abandoned was just as important as pursuing the defeated troops.
A discarded spear, a torn suit of armor, a riderless horse—each could become strength for the next battle.
If individual soldiers picked them up and hid them away, they became personal spoils.
If the army collected, repaired, and organized them, they became military supplies.
Youngwoo's principle was more than a simple ban on looting.
It was a system for turning the spoils of war into military resources.
He regarded clearing the battlefield as preparation for the next war.
First, army collection took priority over individual plunder.
Weapons, armor, horses, wagons, provisions, tents, silk, and silver vessels found on the battlefield were to be collected in the name of the army first.
If soldiers simply took whatever they could grab, disputes would arise, valuables would be hidden, and useful equipment would be damaged.
Youngwoo organized separate recovery teams within each unit and kept the combat troops focused on pursuit and security.
Second, men and animals came first.
The wounded, prisoners, riderless horses, and any cattle or mules that could still be led away were to be secured before anything else.
Horses and cattle were the feet of an army.
The treatment of the wounded reflected its discipline.
Prisoners provided both information and labor.
Youngwoo ordered living beings to be dealt with before spoils.
Only with such a principle could an army keep from dissolving into a pack of beasts.
Third, everything collected was to be sorted immediately.
Weapons, armor, horses and livestock, wagons, provisions, tents, clothing, valuables, documents, and seals were all separated.
Weapons were divided between those still usable and those that had to be melted down.
Armor was sorted into pieces that could be worn immediately and those requiring repair.
Horses were classified as warhorses, pack animals, or wounded mounts.
Provisions were divided into food for men, fodder for animals, and spoiled supplies.
Documents and seals were sealed separately and sent to the commanders.
Fourth, record keepers and witnesses were assigned.
As soon as a recovery team gathered anything, it was entered into a ledger.
Which unit had collected what, and from where.
How many horses.
How many wagons.
How many suits of armor.
How many spears.
One witness from each unit was assigned to prevent later disputes.
Disputes over spoils could leave grudges that lasted longer than wounds from a blade.
Fifth, useful goods became military supplies, while saleable goods became merchandise.
Youngwoo saw the battlefield as a storehouse.
Broken spear shafts could be carved anew.
Bent spearheads could be straightened.
Lamellar plates could be cleaned and laced together again.
Torn tents could be sewn into new shelters or horse covers.
Silk and cloth could be turned into trade goods.
Silver vessels and ornaments could be melted into bullion or classified as valuable goods in their existing form.
Spoils were not ornaments of victory.
They became the cost of the next march.
Sixth, the spoils were to be divided according to merit, but even the lowest-ranking soldier was to receive a share.
Those who had fought in the foremost ranks received larger portions.
Separate shares were set aside for the wounded and for the families of the dead.
Those who gathered and transported supplies were also given a portion.
If all spoils went only to commanders and vanguard troops, the soldiers in the rear would lose heart.
Youngwoo established a simple principle:
"Those who wielded blades were not the only ones who fought."
Those who pursued the enemy.
Those who carried the wounded.
Those who handled horses and wagons.
Those who spent the night repairing armor.
All were to be treated as men who had fought the war together.
Seventh, certain items were forbidden as personal spoils.
Documents, maps, seals, imperial possessions, commanders' standards, and military supply ledgers could never belong to an individual.
They were worth more than money.
They could be used for politics, intelligence, and negotiation.
Youngwoo ordered that anything of this kind be sealed immediately upon discovery and sent to the central command.
Men who had expected to rest after the battle groaned and forced themselves back to their feet.
They began combing the five hundred li of road stretching from the original battlefield at Hubodagang toward Changchun Circuit, gathering everything the fleeing Liao army had left behind.
Youngwoo first divided them into recovery teams.
One group caught horses and cattle.
Another handled wagons and provisions.
Another collected weapons and armor.
Yet another gathered tents, silk, silver vessels, and ornaments.
Documents, seals, maps, and supply ledgers were sealed as soon as they were found and sent directly to central command.
Usefulness took priority over price.
Everything collected was sorted immediately.
Horses were divided into warhorses, pack animals, and wounded mounts.
Armor was classified into pieces ready to wear, pieces requiring repair, and pieces from which the lamellar plates would be removed and laced together again.
Spears and swords were separated into usable weapons and metal to be melted down.
Provisions were divided between food for men and fodder for horses.
Anything wet or spoiled was discarded separately.
Tents were repaired for use as army shelters.
Fine silk and silver vessels were set aside as trade goods.
Youngwoo ordered ledgers to be made.
Each entry recorded which unit had recovered what and where it had been found.
Witnesses were appointed from every unit.
Dividing spoils was another kind of battle that came after victory.
Fair rules had to exist from the beginning.
Those who had risked their lives at the front received larger shares, but portions for the wounded and the families of the dead were set aside first.
Those who had pursued the enemy, gathered supplies, carried the wounded, and repaired armor through the night all received their shares as well.
Youngwoo said,
"What we gained today is not something to boast about over drinks. It is grain for the next battle, fodder for our horses, and armor for our soldiers. The army collects it first, enters it into the ledgers, repairs it, and only then distributes it.
"Those who earned merit will receive what is due to them. The shares of the wounded and the dead will be secured first. Anyone who hides spoils will be punished as a man who stole from his comrades."
Once those orders went out, the soldiers began to move differently.
The disorder of the battlefield slowly turned into order.
Spears and shields were piled in one place.
Armor was laid out in rows.
Horses and cattle were marked.
Carpenters and smiths gathered beside broken wagons.
People skilled with needles sat beside torn tents.
Before the blood on the battlefield had even dried, the wreckage of war was already being turned back into the means of sustaining an army.