Chương 156: Zhang Yan, the Black Mountain Army Surrenders

Cheng Yaojin did a great job on this mission.

He led three hundred Xuanjia Iron Cavalry and five hundred Yellow Turban Warriors, carrying nine-section staffs, Yellow Turban tokens, and a personal letter from Zhang Ning, and swaggered into Black Mountain.

Zhang Yan was initially wary—the imperial court had just quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and now some Marquis of Champion was offering amnesty? What a joke!

But when he saw the nine-section staff and the token, heard Cheng Yaojin relay Zhang Ning's words, and finished reading the letter... he fell silent.

The letter was written by Zhang Ning herself; the handwriting was delicate yet resolute. She said that her father Zhang Jiao's ideals had not been shattered, but had simply continued in a different form.

She said... Youzhou has land, grain, and opportunities, allowing the Yellow Turban brothers to no longer hide in the mountains as bandits, but to live upright lives.

Cheng Yaojin added his own performance: "Brother Zhang Yan, let me tell you the truth, our lord doesn't care about those empty gestures. If you go to Youzhou, you'll have land to cultivate, food to eat, clothes to wear, and you can even serve as a soldier—not as a bandit, but as a regular soldier!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of several of Zhang Yan's commanders widened in astonishment.

"I'd be a dog if I lied!"

Cheng Yaojin patted his chest and said, "Our lord said that as long as they sincerely come to surrender, they will be treated equally! You six or seven hundred thousand people will become citizens of Youzhou, receiving land and living in peace and prosperity!"

While Zhang Yan was still hesitating, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao stepped forward.

"Commander Zhang!"

Zhou Cang's voice choked with emotion, "I, Zhou Cang, was originally under General Tiangong, but now I follow my lord. How does my lord treat us? To be honest, it's even better than when I was with General Tiangong! We have food to eat, clothes to wear, we're not bullied, and we can live with dignity!"

Pei Yuanshao also said, "Commander Zhang, the Holy Maiden has spoken, what are you still hesitating for? Do you want our brothers to hide in the mountains for the rest of their lives, never having enough to eat or wear, and eventually starving and freezing to death?"

Looking at her former comrades and then at the nine-section staff in her hand, Zhang Yan finally gritted her teeth and said, "Fine! I believe in the Holy Maiden and General Cheng! We're leaving Black Mountain! Let's go to Youzhou!"

Six or seven hundred thousand Black Mountain soldiers, with their families in tow, marched out of the mountains in a grand procession.

When the news reached the prefectures of Ji Province, the governors panicked—if so many remnants of the Yellow Turbans were to cause trouble, who could stop them?

But soon, Liu Ce's order arrived: "I hereby authorize all counties to allow the Black Mountain tribes to travel north to Youzhou without obstruction, as I have the authority to command the military affairs of Ji Province."

With the triple command stamped with the seals of General of the Cavalry, Marquis of Champion, and Governor of Youzhou, who would dare disobey?

Wang Fen, the governor of Ji Province, was very shrewd. Upon seeing Liu Ce's order, he immediately commanded: "All commanderies, listen up! Open the gates and let them pass, but do not cause trouble!"

Thus, what should have been a bloody migration turned into an "armed march".

Zhang Yan led his troops through prefectures and counties, heading straight for Youzhou.

When they arrived at the border of Zhuojun, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Xun Yu were already waiting there with officials of all ranks.

Registration, land allocation, accommodation arrangements, and food rations... the entire process proceeded smoothly and efficiently.

Those Yellow Turban followers who were initially apprehensive, upon seeing that they were actually receiving land and grain, knelt down and wept bitterly, crying, "Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes!"

Seeing this scene, Zhang Yan, a man who had endured years of hardship in the Black Mountain, also had tears in his eyes.

He turned to Cheng Yaojin and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "General Cheng, please thank General Liu for me. From this day forward, Zhang Yan's life belongs to Lord Liu!"

Cheng Yaojin laughed heartily, "Of course, of course! Come on, our lord is waiting for us in Zhuo County!"

...

Zhang Yan came to Zhuo County to pay a visit to Liu Ce.

This was a strong, muscular man in his early twenties with dark skin and sharp eyes; he looked like someone who had spent years in the mountains.

Name: Zhang Yan Gender: Male Age: 25 [Force]: 91 (first-rate) [Command]: 89 (Second-rate) [Politics]: 81 (Second-rate) Intelligence: 82 (Second-rate) [Appearance]: 65cm Special skills: 【Flying Swallow】: Enhances the mobility and evasion of troops, providing additional movement and attack advantages in complex terrain.

【Black Mountain Military Spirit】: It can effectively integrate and manage large-scale troops, especially when leading irregular troops, it can maintain high morale and effectively reduce soldier attrition.

Upon seeing Liu Ce, he knelt on one knee and said, "Zhang Yan pays respects to the Marquis of Champion!"

Liu Ce quickly helped him up: "General Zhang, please rise. Let bygones be bygones. From now on, you are a general of Youzhou, and these people are subjects of Youzhou."

Zhang Yan's eyes reddened again: "Your Excellency's great kindness is beyond repayment; I am willing to serve you to the death!"

Liu Ce immediately appointed Zhang Yan as a colonel, ordering him to select the strongest men from his old troops to form the "Black Mountain Camp," with a strength of three thousand. The rest were dispersed to various counties, given land, and encouraged to cultivate wasteland.

The fourth major event: the border is temporarily stable.

Gongsun Zan's 1, 000 White Horse Cavalry were already elite troops on the border, and now with Zhang Liao's 5, 000 infantrymen assisting in the defense, they were even more formidable.

Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong led two thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, occasionally taking a stroll along the border. The sight of those fully armed heavy cavalry made the Wuhuan and Xianbei scouts weak in the knees – how could they possibly fight like that?

But what truly terrified the Hu people were the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun.

These eighteen killing gods were dispatched to the grasslands by Liu Ce with only one order: "Do whatever you want, make the barbarians suffer as much as possible."

Well, the grassland is going to be lively now.

Today, a herd of horses from a certain Wuhuan tribe is scattered; tomorrow, a Xianbei nobleman's tent catches fire in the middle of the night; and the day after tomorrow, a tribal chief's head is inexplicably hanging from a flagpole.

The key question is, who did it? We don't know.

All that could be seen was a dark shadow, and the sound of hooves; by the time they realized what was happening, the person was gone.

A legend began to circulate on the grasslands: Eighteen demons came to Youzhou, riding black horses and wearing black armor, appearing and disappearing without a trace, specializing in killing tribal leaders and nobles.

The Wuhuan leader Qiuliju was furious and organized three encirclements, but he couldn't even catch a glimpse of them and instead lost more than three hundred elite cavalrymen.

The Xianbei tribes were filled with fear and anxiety, and they had to sleep with one eye open at night.

"How can we fight this battle?"

Qiu Liju roared from inside the tent, "Our morale is already gone before the battle even begins!"

As a result, the border region was unusually peaceful this winter.

The Hu people dared not move south, and the people of Youzhou were able to spend the winter in peace, cultivate the land, and prepare for spring planting.

When Liu Ce heard these rumors, he was eating and almost spat out his food.

"Emerging from underground?"

He chuckled and said to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the others at the table, "If the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun heard this, they'd probably be furious—they're living, breathing people!"

Zhang Fei, munching on a chicken leg, mumbled, "Brother, how about we ask those eighteen brothers to teach us? Their elusive skills are really useful in battle!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Third brother is right. However, such an elite force is probably not something that ordinary people can train."

Zhao Yun nodded and said, "I heard Yan Yi say that they grew up on the grasslands since they were young, are familiar with the terrain and climate, and are all top-notch fighters who have undergone special training to achieve such skills."

Liu Ce thought to himself: That's right, anything produced by the system is bound to be of high quality.