Chapter 161

Chapter 161

After their discussion, Zhao Jin searched Dou Dechang and found the imperial edict and military token issued by Imperial Uncle Dou. He then led a thousand cavalrymen westward to Niangzi Pass to prepare for the deception of its garrison.

Before leaving, Zhao Jin addressed the four thousand Da Tong cavalrymen he had assigned to Xiao Zhen: "From this moment on, until you see me again, General Xiao is your commander. You must be as loyal to him as you are to me, understood?"

"Understood!"

Zhao Jin looked at each man's face before departing.

The four thousand cavalrymen and Xiao Zhen's five thousand cavalrymen continued to surround the more than thirty thousand surrendered soldiers on the mountain path.

The surrendered soldiers remained kneeling.

Xiao Zhen walked to the center, jumped onto a nearby cliff, and said from his elevated position, "Stand up and gather around me."

The surrendered soldiers obediently moved closer.

Xiao Zhen pointed to the area in front of him and scanned the crowd, saying, "The generals who were loyal to the treacherous uncle have all died. Now I need to select new generals willing to serve Commander Han. Those who believe they have courage and wisdom but have been overlooked due to their background or political circumstances, step forward here."

The surrendered soldiers looked at each other hesitantly.

Xiao Zhen continued, "Commander Han is in dire need of capable men. Those with true talent should seize this opportunity. There are great military honors waiting for you in Shizhou."

For the sake of wealth and Commander Han Zongping's reputation for loyalty and benevolence, the common soldiers would surely be treated better than by villains like Imperial Uncle Dou. After a brief silence and hesitation, some began to step forward.

One, two, ten, twenty, a hundred...

Xiao Zhen silently counted. When the number reached three hundred and eighty, he raised his hand, signaling that no more should come forward.

Xiao Zhen looked at these three hundred and eighty men: "I need six commanders. Who among you will step forward?"

It sounded as if anyone could become a commander, but it was a high-ranking military position, a third-rank officer. Could it really be so easy?

Some were incredulous, while others stepped forward immediately. As before, once one person moved, several more followed.

Xiao Zhen selected the commanders based on the order in which they responded.

When it came to selecting the company commanders, Xiao Zhen pointed to a tree on the opposite cliff and said, "The first thirty-five to pluck a leaf from that tree and bring it to me will become company commanders."

The remaining three hundred plus men rushed over, the fastest reaching the tree first, while the slower ones struggled and fought with those beside them. Anyone who could successfully climb the cliff and pluck a leaf in such a scramble must surely have some skill.

With the commanders and company commanders selected, the rest became battalion commanders.

Xiao Zhen's first order to the six new commanders was to select their own five thousand troops within half an hour.

The commanders, like hungry wolves, dove into the crowd of surrendered soldiers to pick their men.

Xiao Zhen sat on a rock and asked Gao Cunzhi, who was standing guard nearby, to fetch him a water bag.

Gao Cunzhi was an elder from Lingshui Village, and the nearly two hundred young and strong cavalrymen from the village who occupied Imprisoned Dragon Ridge had always served under Xiao Zhen.

Watching his second master gulp down several mouthfuls of water and then looking at the busy surrendered soldiers, Gao Cunzhi said admiringly, "Master, this move is truly brilliant. These surrendered soldiers were once mere foot soldiers, but now they have been given the ranks of commanders, company commanders, and battalion commanders. They will surely follow you loyally, and we won't have to worry about them controlling their own men."

Xiao Zhen replied, "Tell our nine thousand brothers that I am giving these ranks to the surrendered soldiers to ensure the smooth capture of Shizhou. Once we take Shizhou, not only will our brothers receive their rightful war rewards, but whatever gold and jewels the Grand General bestows upon me, I will share equally with my brothers."

Gao Cunzhi felt sorry for his master, "How can that be? Won't you be working for nothing?"

Xiao Zhen smiled, "Failing to capture Shizhou would be working for nothing. Go ahead."

Gao Cunzhi didn't fully understand, but he knew his master wouldn't do anything foolish, so he obediently followed the order.

Half an hour later, the six new commanders led their respective troops and lined up neatly in six rows before Xiao Zhen.

Xiao Zhen maintained a relaxed posture and addressed the soldiers, "Do you envy those new commanders who just stepped forward?"

The soldiers murmured, "Yes."

Xiao Zhen said, "There's no need to envy. Dou Dechang said he brought out all seven thousand elite troops from Shizhou to aid Quan County. That means you, the five thousand remaining troops in Shizhou, are mostly old and weak, and many are just officials who take salaries without doing any real work. We have forty-five thousand elite troops and a Dou Dechang who can help us deceive the city gates. Tell me, isn't capturing Shizhou going to be easy?"

"Yes!"

"Shizhou is a provincial capital. The rewards for capturing a provincial capital are much greater than those for defending a small county like Quan County, right?"

"Yes!"

"Do you want them?"

"Yes!"

With something to look forward to, the soldiers' morale soared.

Xiao Zhen ordered them to strip the armor from the dead imperial soldiers and then have his nine thousand cavalrymen put it on, disguising themselves as Dou Dechang's imperial troops. They didn't even need to clean the bloodstains; the blood made them look more like fleeing defeated soldiers.

The first reward Xiao Zhen gave to the surrendered soldiers was the personal belongings of the fallen soldiers, which went to whoever found them.

Finally, the more than thirty thousand bodies were carried to a nearby deep pit and buried. The horses, armor, weapons, and supplies that couldn't be taken were left behind and guarded by a detachment of soldiers, awaiting transport after Zhao Jin captured Niangzi Pass.

Two hours passed in a flurry of activity.

Xiao Zhen ordered the kitchen to set up stoves and bake pancakes.

Just as they started eating, a messenger sent by Zhao Jin arrived, exclaiming excitedly, "General Xiao, we have just captured Niangzi Pass!"

Xiao Zhen merely smiled, while Gao Cunzhi was shocked, "So quickly?"

The messenger explained, "Yes, Master had us hide a thousand men in a valley. He only took two soldiers to pretend to be fleeing imperial troops and report to Niangzi Pass. The commander, seeing the imperial edict and Dou Dechang's military token, believed him without doubt. He left a squad of archers to guard the pass and led three thousand men straight into our ambush. Hahaha!"

Dou Dechang, bound and gagged, could only remain silent.

Xiao Zhen: "Tell your master to hold the pass with peace of mind. I have everything prepared. We will leave after we finish eating."

---

The distance from Niangzi Pass to Shizhou is one hundred and fifty miles.

Xiao Zhen and his men set out at noon on the 28th. By noon on the 30th, they were only ten miles away from Shizhou.

Under the scorching sun, the army took a break and ate in a grove of trees.

Xiao Zhen ordered his men to bring Dou Dechang over, untied his ropes, and personally handed him a water bag.

Dou Dechang looked noticeably thinner than two days ago, his head hanging low, and he drank without any spirit.

Xiao Zhen said, "Rest assured, although Imperial Uncle Dou is a traitor, he is quite capable. General Han will surely execute him after taking control of the court. But you are different. I know you are not capable, and General Han knows it too. An incapable person poses no threat even if they live. So, as long as you help me open the gates of Shizhou, you will be the greatest hero of this battle. General Han will certainly grant you a life of honor and wealth."

Dou Dechang sighed and stared at the ground: "Helping you take Shizhou is fine, but I feel so guilty towards my brother."

He was betraying his own brother!

Tears rolled down Dou Dechang's dust-covered face.

Xiao Zhen: "I have brothers too, and I understand your reluctance. If you really don't want to, I will cut off your head and send it to the capital. When Imperial Uncle Dou sees it, he will surely appreciate your deep affection."

Dou Dechang: "..."

He didn't want to meet his brother with just his head!

Anyway, his brother still had Tai Yuan, Kaifeng, and Chang'an, and the twenty thousand troops guarding the capital. Losing Shizhou would be like losing a toe but saving a brother. His brother would surely understand his dilemma!

Life was the most important thing. Once his brother defeated Han Zongping, the brothers could reunite!

Half an hour later, at the city of Shizhou.

Because the area around Tai Yuan in the west was in turmoil, Shizhou only opened its east gate for civilians and travelers, while the other three gates remained tightly shut.

When the soldiers on the city walls saw a distant army approaching, they immediately sounded the alarm.

The east gate was quickly closed, and Commander Cheng Lun rushed to the south wall in full armor.

"It looks like General Dou!"

Cheng Lun also saw it; several tattered banners all read "Dou."

At the front of the army were dozens of cavalrymen, followed by a large number of their own troops, and several supply wagons at the back.

As the army drew closer, Cheng Lun recognized Dou Dechang, who had lost his helmet and was covered in dried blood.

Looking at the soldiers behind Dou Dechang, many were injured or limping, all looking like defeated dogs.

Cheng Lun shouted down, "General Dou, what happened?"

Dou Dechang lifted his head, his face dirty and grim, glaring at Cheng Lun: "What do you think happened? I was ambushed! Open the city gates now!"

Cheng Lun naturally saw that Dou Dechang had suffered a defeat, but he didn't expect a defeated general to be so arrogant: "Who ambushed you? Where did it happen?"

Dou Dechang: "Are you trying to mock me? I'll tell you, Quan County and Niangzi Pass must have fallen. That's why Lu Gong could ambush me just a few miles outside Niangzi Pass, catching me off guard! It's all the fault of the commander of Quan County. If he had sent reinforcements earlier, would I have suffered such a defeat?"

Cheng Lun: "Impossible. Once Lu Gong reached Quan County, they would have sent a report before the battle... I see, Han Zongping deliberately attacked Xinzhou to lure us into sending reinforcements, then sent a cavalry unit to set up an ambush!"

Dou Dechang was truly angry, his teeth grinding: "What good does your hindsight do? Open the city gates now, I need to write a report to my brother!"

The more outrageous Dou Dechang became, the more Cheng Lun focused on him. The demoralized soldiers behind him looked particularly hateful, and Cheng Lun didn't notice anything else, so he ordered the city gates to be opened.

Shizhou was a prefectural city, and inside the main gate was a barbican. Since it was Dou Dechang returning, the gates of the barbican were also opened, and the archers who were ready were withdrawn.

Cheng Lun came down to greet Dou Dechang.

But at that moment, a chill ran through Cheng Lun's heart. As he watched the defeated soldiers passing by, he caught the eye of one of them, who quickly looked away.

Cheng Lun calmly withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward Dou Dechang on horseback, his right hand secretly gripping the sword at his waist.

Dou Dechang was nervous, staring intently at Cheng Lun. Noticing Cheng Lun's movement, he spurred his horse and fled!

Suddenly, a cry of "Charge!" rang out from the ranks of the defeated soldiers!

Cheng Lun also drew his saber, slashing down two soldiers who rushed at him, causing the surrounding soldiers to retreat hastily, leaving only one.

Cheng Lun: "Who are you?"

The man saluted with his spear: "Xiao Zhen, under the command of General Han. I hope Commander Cheng will show me some mercy."