Chương 372: Surrender and Reorganization of Surrendered Troops

Zhao Yun and Lü Bu joined forces and, in just a few rounds, cut down the Xiliang generals Niu Fu, Hu Zhen, and Duan Wei!

Not a single one was left!

With their commander and generals all dead, the remaining Xiliang cavalry instantly lost their fighting spirit.

They threw down their weapons, dismounted, knelt down, and surrendered, shouting:

"We surrender! We surrender!"

The shouts of battle across the wilderness gradually subsided.

All that remained was a scene of utter devastation and the surrendered soldiers of Xiliang kneeling in submission.

Liu Ce reined in his horse, looked at the head of Dong Zhuo rolling on the ground, and remained silent for a while.

Then he raised the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd and shouted:

"Dong Zhuo is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Long live! Long live! Long live!"

The cheers of the Youzhou cavalry resounded through the sky.

...

That afternoon.

With a creak, the city gate of Hulao Pass opened completely.

There was no fighting, no shouting, only a deathly silence.

The one leading them was Li Ru.

He took off his usual spirited scholar's robe and changed into a plain cloth outfit. He didn't bother to groom his hair, which was messy and stuck to his forehead.

He held the military tally and seal of Hulao Pass high in both hands, his waist bent so low it almost touched the ground.

Behind him followed Dong Zhuo's remaining civil and military officials, as well as tens of thousands of Xiliang soldiers guarding the city, all kneeling on the ground in a vast, orderly mass.

Their heads were buried like chickens pecking at rice, and they didn't even dare to breathe.

The Xiliang army, which had previously swaggered around Luoyang with Dong Zhuo, had lost all its ferocity.

Commander-in-chief Dong Zhuo was killed with a single halberd strike, his trusted generals were either killed or surrendered, and even his strongholds of Luoyang and Chang'an were captured.

There is no way out except to surrender.

Liu Ce, riding his black horse and clad in golden armor, slowly made his way to the city gate.

Behind them followed a group of fierce generals and civil officials, including Li Jing, Guo Jia, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. The Youzhou cavalry stood in neat formation, their military bearing impeccable, exuding a murderous aura.

Li Ru crawled forward two steps on his knees, raising the seal high above his head. His voice carried a hint of weariness, yet remained impeccably courteous:

"The disgraced subject Li Ru, leading all the soldiers and officials of Hulao Pass, surrenders the pass to His Highness Prince Yan!"

"Your Highness's divine might has won my utmost respect! I beseech Your Highness to accept those who have surrendered and to refrain from harming them in the slightest!"

The guards stepped forward, took the seal, and handed it to Liu Ce.

Liu Ce glanced at the seal and casually handed it to Li Jing behind him.

He looked down at Li Ru kneeling on the ground and said calmly:

"Rise. Dong Zhuo is dead, the chief culprit has been eliminated. As for the rest, as long as they sincerely surrender, I will forgive their past transgressions."

Li Ru bowed to express his gratitude, then stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then cupped his hands again to say:

"Your Highness, this humble subject has one more request."

Liu Ce raised an eyebrow and said, "Speak."

Li Ru whispered:

"Before my lord Dong Zhuo went into battle, he left a will. He had a one-year-old granddaughter named Dong Bai, who was only thirteen years old and had no one to rely on. This child has never been involved in any trouble. I only beg Your Highness to show mercy, spare her life, and make proper arrangements for her."

He raised his head, looked at Liu Ce, and said:

"If my lord Dong Zhuo knew this in the afterlife, he could rest in peace."

Liu Ce looked at Li Ru and remained silent for a while.

Then he nodded and said calmly:

"Don't worry. Family members shouldn't be implicated. She's just a young girl; I won't make things difficult for her."

"Gu will send someone to Youzhou to settle her properly. He will ensure she has enough to eat and wear for the rest of her life and that no one will disturb her."

Li Ru was stunned for a moment because he didn't expect Liu Ce to agree so readily.

He then bowed deeply, his eyes reddening, and said:

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness! This humble subject, acting on behalf of Dong Zhuo, thanks Your Highness for your great favor!"

No sooner had Li Ru's matter been settled than someone in the kneeling crowd behind him began to move.

Zhang Ji, a veteran general under Dong Zhuo, along with his nephew Zhang Xiu and the remaining Xiliang troops, crawled forward a few steps.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Liu Ce and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"This humble general, Zhang Ji, and his troops surrender to His Highness Prince Yan! We swear to serve Your Highness to the death, remaining loyal and devoted without any disloyalty! We beg Your Highness to accept us!"

As soon as he spoke, the remaining Xiliang generals followed suit, expressing their loyalty:

"We are willing to surrender!"

"I am willing to die for Your Highness!"

"Your Highness will take me in!"

They all shouted louder than anyone else.

They knew perfectly well that Liu Ce commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, with numerous fierce generals, and that even Dong Zhuo had been killed with a single halberd.

Working for him is much better than wandering aimlessly in this chaotic world.

Moreover, if Liu Ce could spare even Dong Zhuo's granddaughter, then those who genuinely surrendered would certainly do the same.

Liu Ce looked at the group of people and waved his hand, saying:

"Get up, all of you. Since you are willing to follow me, I will never let you down."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears:

"Let bygones be bygones. From now on, fight well and do your jobs well. You will be rewarded for your achievements and enjoy wealth and honor."

Upon hearing this, the generals were overjoyed and rose to express their gratitude.

They all straightened their backs considerably.

Before, when he followed Dong Zhuo, he lived in constant fear of being purged.

Now that I've latched onto Liu Ce, I finally feel at ease.

Thus, the Dong Zhuo forces, which had wreaked havoc in Luoyang for more than half a year and caused chaos throughout the country since Dong Zhuo entered the capital, were completely wiped out.

Not even a spark remained.

The entire north, from Youzhou to Jizhou, from Bingzhou to Sili, from Luoyang to Chang'an, most of the country was firmly in Liu Ce's hands.

...

In the following days, Liu Ce's camp was bustling with activity.

The core issue was just one thing: reorganizing the surrendered troops.

The surrendered soldiers were a mixed bag.

On one side were the hundreds of thousands of rabble surrendered by the allied warlords, including those from Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Kong Rong, Liu Dai, and many other groups.

On one side were the hundreds of thousands of Xiliang soldiers under Dong Zhuo's command, all of whom were fierce and brave soldiers from the border regions, skilled in battle and untamed.

The two groups had fought a fierce battle to the death in front of Hulao Pass.

Now that they've gotten together, they look like two brats who just had a fight, glaring at each other but not daring to do anything out of line.

The Youzhou soldiers standing nearby were no pushovers, wielding swords and spears with great skill.

Liu Ce, Li Jing, Xu Da, and the others established rules that were completely unambiguous: The first step is to break it down and reorganize it.

First, disperse both groups of surrendered troops completely, and absolutely do not allow the original troops to stick together. Mix Yuan Shao's troops with Dong Zhuo's troops, and Dong Zhuo's troops with the troops of other warlords, thoroughly mixing them together. This will prevent future trouble.

The second step is to clean up the debris.

Those who previously committed crimes and oppressed the people will all be beheaded without exception.

Dong Zhuo's Liangzhou army had the most of these kinds of people, and Li Ru personally led people to identify them one by one.

In addition, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already thoroughly investigated the situation, and once the list was compiled, those who should be killed were killed cleanly and efficiently.

In three days, over a thousand were cut off.

The third step is to select the best candidates.

The rest, those who were strong and capable in battle, were selected and incorporated into the main force of the Youzhou army. After training, these men would become the future elite.

Fourth, the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled were all relocated to Ji and Bing provinces. They were given land to cultivate or to guard border passes. This solved the food problem and strengthened the defenses of the various provinces.