"Now that the new emperor of the Great Yin Dynasty has ascended the throne, he is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people. The old emperor was incompetent and lost the country. Your joining Fengchao is also to save the people of this region from the scourge of war."
"I heard that you resisted the Fengtian Army for months in Henan, and only surrendered the city when you ran out of ammunition and food?"
Zhao Muyun spoke calmly.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tao's eyes reddened, his nose twitched, and he trembled all over, almost shedding tears: "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I failed to defend Henan and have let down the late Emperor!"
"Now that my reputation is ruined, what is the point of talking about returning to the Great Yin? I beg the General to grant me a complete corpse and not to make things difficult for my soldiers."
Also captured were more than 5,000 soldiers from Henan under Zhang Tao's command, all of whom were imprisoned at Lantian Pass for forced labor.
After Zhang Tao finished speaking, he closed his eyes.
"Haha, who said I was going to kill you?" Zhao Muyun smiled slightly. "Our army is about to attack Dengzhou. The general guarding Dengzhou is your confidant. As long as you redeem yourself through meritorious service, I will guarantee your return to Dayin."
Zhao Muyun continued, "Moreover, Niu Dejin abandoned you when he was defeated. Is such a superior worth dying for?"
These words struck a nerve with Zhang Tao.
He remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh: "The General is right. In fact... I have long been dissatisfied with Niu Dejin's arrogance and domineering attitude. The defeat at Lantian Pass could have been avoided, all because of his stubbornness."
He looked up at Zhao Muyun and said, “If the General does not despise me, I am willing to atone for my crimes by performing meritorious service. Cai Rong, the garrison commander of Dengzhou, is my former subordinate. I can go and persuade him to surrender, and perhaps we can take Dengzhou without bloodshed.”
"No!" Xiao Cheyun immediately objected. "General, this man has just surrendered; his intentions are difficult to fathom. What if he's feigning surrender to lure our army into an ambush..."
Zhao Muyun raised his hand to stop Xiao Cheyun, stared at Zhang Tao for a long time, and slowly said, "I trust Military Governor Zhang."
Zhang Tao was startled, a look of emotion flashing in his eyes: "General..."
“However,” Zhao Muyun changed the subject, “to be on the safe side, Governor Zhang needs to bring several hundred of our elite troops, disguised as your defeated soldiers, to go with us. If we can successfully trick the city gates open, it will be a great achievement.”
"I, Zhang, will certainly not fail the General's trust!"
......
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