After Zhang Jiao's death, the remnants of the Yellow Turban Army seemed to have been stripped of their bones. They could no longer hold on.
Bai Xiaowen's words, "Those who surrender will be spared," made the remaining several hundred Yellow Turban Army soldiers put down their weapons.
After inspecting the soldiers, they found that more than half of the Youzhou army's five thousand men had been killed. Bai Xiaowen's favorite winged cavalry had also lost more than a hundred men.
This was all money.
Bai Xiaowen sighed and ordered the soldiers to clean up the battlefield. Fortunately, the dead winged cavalry could be recovered. If they were retrained, they would be able to quickly replenish their numbers.
Of course, the compensation for the winged cavalry would cost a lot of money. Bai Xiaowen wasn't stingy about it.
Now that the winged cavalry had been baptized by battle, they were veterans of the battlefield and could adapt quickly.
The Yellow Turban Army didn't have much money, food, and metal equipment. This defeated army had been barely able to survive by relying on Guo Cai's "smuggling." It was already good enough that they had enough to eat, so they didn't have much food left. However, it was good enough that they had obtained several hundred young soldiers who had been through hundreds of battles.
"Escort all the supplies we obtained to the Youzhou treasury. I won't take a single one!" Bai Xiaowen said. "Leave the captives to General Bai Sanniang's winged cavalry. Don't let anything happen to them."
"Yes, sir," Cecilia immediately replied.
Bai Xiaowen glanced at the two Youzhou generals. They lowered their heads in silence at Bai Xiaowen's assignment.
In fact, Jiao Tan and Zhang Nan were both nervous.
They had lost more than half of their five thousand men in this battle. If not for the sudden appearance of Yuan Xi and his winged cavalry, they probably wouldn't have survived.
As for the credit, the one who killed Zhang Jiao was Yuan Xi. Even though they were Yuan Shao's subordinates, they didn't dare to steal the credit from him.
Bai Xiaowen didn't need to harbor any ill intentions. As long as he reported the truth, the two generals would definitely be punished. They might even be labeled as incompetent and mediocre.
Based on how cold-blooded General Yuan Shao treated his subordinates, Jiao Tan and Zhang Nan felt that they might die …
"Jiao Tan, Zhang Nan, come here," Bai Xiaowen said.
The two generals looked at each other and silently walked in front of Bai Xiaowen. Jiao Tan was the first to kneel on one knee. Zhang Nan glanced at him and quickly followed suit.
Jiao De said, "This general congratulates Young Master on obtaining such a great merit. Your name will shake the world."
Zhang Nan: "… Me too."
Jiao De replied, "This general has roughly read poetry and books, but I know the two words' loyalty and righteousness'. If Young Master doesn't abandon me, Jiao Tan is willing to follow Young Master in the future and follow only Young Master's lead! "
Zhang Nan: "… Me too!"
Jiao De said, "This general did not expect the enemy to be so ferocious. We have suffered heavy losses in this battle. Young Master, please save us! "
Zhang Nan (eyes brimming with tears): "Me too!"
Bai Xiaowen originally wanted to waste his breath, but he did not expect these two military generals to be so tactful.
He didn't know if it was the effect of his high charm or the reputation bonus from killing Zhang Jiao, but it was starting to show.
In any case, it was a good thing that the two Youzhou military generals were kowtowing.
Since you know what's good for you, then there's no need to beat them up.
Bai Xiaowen coughed and went forward to help them up, "General Jiao, General Zhang, please rise."
"How can there be an invincible general in the world? The two generals were at fault in this battle, but it's not all your fault. You brought too few soldiers! "
Bai Xiaowen sighed, "As the saying goes, even a lion will use all its strength to catch a rabbit. When I found out about the Yellow Turban Thieves, I concluded that they had something to rely on. I wanted to let you bring more troops and succeed in one battle, but unfortunately … "
Bai Xiaowen didn't continue. He seemed to be in a difficult position.
Jiao Tan and Zhang Nan naturally knew that it was an order from the Guandu camp for them to bring five thousand troops. Second Young Master was a Venerable, so he naturally could not point out his father's fault.
Bai Xiaowen continued, "Because I was worried about the two generals and the many Youzhou soldiers, I ordered General Bai Sanniang to lead the newly formed winged cavalry to the rear. If the two generals can eliminate the bandits, that would be the best. I don't need to go against my father's orders and send troops on my own … "
Jiao Tan was moved to tears and knelt down to thank him again, "The two of us can live because of Young Master's consideration."
Zhang Nan quickly knelt down and kowtowed as well.
Bai Xiaowen helped the two up again and encouraged them, "Generals, don't lose your spirit because of this battle. In this chaotic world, a real man should carry a three-foot sword and make great contributions. Wouldn't it be great to have a wife and children? If Yuan Xi can get the help of the two generals, great things can be expected. "
The two swore their loyalty again.
As their superior and the biggest contributor to this battle, Bai Xiaowen wanted to help them cover up their mistakes. It was actually very simple.
As long as he wrote a report to Guandu and gave them some of the credit for defeating Zhang Jiao, it would be enough.
At this point, Bai Xiaowen could be considered to have completely grasped the military power of Youzhou.
As for the financial power, there was still the restriction of Chief Historian Zhao Rong. However, Bai Xiaowen had already tried to get in touch with Liu He through Yan Rou. If he could get Liu He's loyalty, then it would be easy to make Zhao Rong a mere figurehead.
The civil officials and generals of these plane natives were all leaders. The more he recruited, the better.
Although he could not use them to help fight the boss — the natives' participation in the battle would reduce the reward — being able to mobilize so many native leaders for his own use meant that the Awakened's ability to cause trouble in this plane would be stronger. Of course, he would be able to obtain more benefits.
In particular, it was related to the status of the leader of a faction. Generally, the leader of a small faction would not be allowed to stay for almost an unlimited amount of time. Only those who had as many strategists and as many valiant generals under their command, who could make the entire dimension tremble with a stomp of their feet, could be considered the leader of a "faction force"!
Bai Xiaowen's overall plan was basically completed, and he was very satisfied.
After cleaning up the battlefield, Bai Xiaowen ordered people to put Zhang Jiao's body in a coffin and led the troops to the nearest city, Xiangping City, to rest for a while.
After seeing the recruitment notice, a considerable number of people from the big and small families in the four counties of Liaodong rushed over to seek refuge because of the Yuan family's reputation.
Bai Xiaowen received this group of people.
When the news that Bai Xiaowen killed Zhang Jiao was made public, this group of family representatives was greatly shocked and praised Bai Xiaowen's achievements.
It was believed that after this news spread, the other family members in the four counties of Liaodong who were observing the situation would also quickly rush over to seek refuge with Bai Xiaowen. This was the influence brought about by a high reputation.
However, Bai Xiaowen also received an unexpected piece of news … Guo Cai, who was in prison, had heard the news of Zhang Jiao's death from somewhere and actually committed suicide.
"Although he was a bandit, he was also a loyal person. Give him a proper burial, "Bai Xiaowen said.
He sighed and thought of the poem Zhang Jiao recited before his death.
The Han Dynasty collapsed, and the world became one. Why did the heavens treat me so badly?
Zhang Jiao started the Yellow Turban Rebellion and fought against the Great Han Dynasty with Taoist magic. His intentions were good. He wanted to save the people from suffering and create a world of harmony.
If he did not have such a noble goal, he would not have been able to recruit such a loyal follower like Guo Cai.
Unfortunately, Zhang Jiao was a genius in cultivation, but not in military. His leadership skills were lacking. The Yellow Turban Army lacked strict military discipline. They did not fight well, and their reputation was ruined. Gradually, they lost the hearts of the people and lost the chance to fight for the world. Otherwise, Zhang Jiao would not have needed to rely on Taoist magic to go against the heavens.
Of course, the most important reason was that he was born in the wrong time!
The era of the Three Kingdoms was a time of great competition. There were many good officials and fierce generals.
Think about it. In which era, when the Central Plains was falling apart, could it still subdue the Wuhuan in the north, the barbarians in the south, the Qiang in the west, the Gaoli in the east, and other alien tribes in all places?
Only the Three Kingdoms!
From the moment the Eastern Han Dynasty allowed the feudal lords to recruit private soldiers, Zhang Jiao's enemy was no longer just the Eastern Han Dynasty but the entire world. The feudal lords were all good officials and fierce generals!
If Zhang Jiao was born in another era, he might have been able to achieve great things.
Bai Xiaowen did not mourn for Guo Cai. That would be too hypocritical. After giving the order to give Guo Cai a proper burial, he did not mention the matter anymore.
Bai Xiaowen took another wave of money … no, to be exact, he received a batch of gold and silver from the Liaodong Family. Then, he gave the order to return.
He returned to Beiping City in Youzhou with a great victory.
General Yan Rou, who was guarding the city, Liu He, and Chief Historian Zhao Rong led the other officials of Youzhou out of the city to welcome him.
Liu He had listened to Yan Rou's words and submitted to Bai Xiaowen.
Bai Xiaowen felt that it was both unexpected and reasonable. The key thing that made him feel particularly comfortable was that Chief Historian Zhao Rong followed Liu He closely and showed his loyalty. In this way, there was no need to spend any effort to make him a mere figurehead.
Youzhou was in his hands! It was time to open a bunch of treasure chests to celebrate.
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