Like Li Yuanbao, Zhang Debiao was also afraid of death, but if his death could save the lives of his brothers in the village, then he would accept it.
Xuanyuan Zhan glanced at the men kowtowing. He hadn't expected them to be so considerate of their brothers in the village, willing to die for them.
Besides Liuying Village, he also sent people to investigate other villages. In any case, all the bandits who had done evil deeds before were dragged out and beheaded this time.
There are only a few dozen out of tens of thousands of people, a much cleaner ratio than the officialdom in the north.
There were only a few dozen officials in the northern region, and half of them were taken out and beheaded.
If we're talking about darkness, isn't the officialdom in the north far darker than a bandit's den?
Therefore, it's not these bandit leaders who should be killed...
"Alright, get up, all of you. White Eagle has already pleaded for your lives, asking me to grant you a meeting."
Zhang Debiao, Li Yuanbao, and Qian Ergou were all stunned upon hearing this, and they all looked at Bai Ying.
White Eagle actually pleaded for them.
I must say, this kid was quite loyal at such a crucial moment.
The three knelt on the ground, not daring to get up, since the prince had not yet said how he would deal with them.
Seeing that they were still kneeling, Xuan Yuanzhan did not insist that they get up. He simply said, "Just now, Bai Ying led all the brothers of Liuying Village to surrender to me. I have decided to rebuild an army, with Bai Ying as the general. Are the three of you willing to surrender to me and follow Bai Ying?"
The three of them looked at White Eagle with surprise once again.
Has the White Eagle surrendered to the Prince?
The prince even specially built a new army for him; this kid certainly has some ideas!
Bai Ying also looked at Xuan Yuanzhan with a surprised expression.
The prince plans to build a new army and even wants to appoint him as a general?
Was this decision just made?
Seeing the three men looking blank, Xuan Yuanzhan frowned and said impatiently, "It seems the three of you are unwilling to surrender to me? Ye Feng, take the three of them back to the prison."
As soon as Xuan Yuanzhan said this, Zhang Debiao and the others finally came to their senses.
Qian Ergou, being the most quick-witted, immediately kowtowed to Xuan Yuanzhan and declared, "Your Highness, I am willing to pledge my allegiance to Your Highness and follow General Bai Ying!"
As if to pledge his loyalty, he kowtowed to Bai Ying again: "This humble servant greets the General!"
It has to be said that Qian Ergou's opportunistic nature is sometimes quite endearing.
Although Zhang Debiao and Li Yuanbao couldn't be as obsequious as Qian Ergou, they had no choice but to bow their heads in this situation.
"I am also willing to pledge allegiance to Your Highness and follow General White Eagle!"
According to the prince, if they do not surrender, they will have to go back to prison.
They were really tired of being in that cell, and more importantly, they felt lost and adrift inside. They certainly couldn't let go of this opportunity to get out!
If they had known that surrendering to the prince would get them out, they probably would have surrendered much earlier.
As for becoming White Eagle's underlings in the future, this was indeed something they found hard to accept.
After all, Bai Ying wasn't even considered a bandit in the North before. He was just a bandit from outside the North. If it weren't for his truly high level of martial arts, he wouldn't have even caught their eye. Now, they're asking them to be his underlings...
But when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head! Since White Eagle pleaded for them and saved their lives, they might as well be his underlings.
Furthermore, Bai Ying's martial arts skills are indeed superior to theirs. And Bai Ying is a fairly decent person; he shouldn't deliberately humiliate or make things difficult for them just because they've become his underlings. He should treat them well!
Seeing that they were all willing to surrender, Xuan Yuanzhan was quite satisfied: "Then let's do it this way. The four villages will form the Northern City Army, responsible for guarding the northern border and protecting the people of the north. Bai Ying will be the general of the Northern City Army, and Zhang Debiao, Li Yuanbao, and Qian Ergou will be the deputy generals."
Zhang Debiao, Li Yuanbao, and Qian Ergou were overjoyed to hear that they could be appointed as deputy generals: "Thank you, Your Highness. We will obey your orders."
Seeing how excited they were to be awarded the rank of deputy general, Xuan Yuanzhan smiled and reminded them, "From now on, refer to yourselves as 'this humble general'."
"Your Highness, this humble general will obey your orders." The three men corrected each other excitedly.
Bai Ying was also moved and bowed to Xuan Yuanzhan.
He never expected that the prince would specially establish an army because of his surrender and even make him a general. The prince was like a mentor to him.
Xuanyuan believed that recruiting soldiers and establishing an army was the most satisfactory solution to the bandit problem in the north.
Originally, he didn't really intend to recruit them. Bai Ying was from outside the Northern Lands, and Bai Ying was a decent person. Liu Ying Village hadn't really done anything too evil, so he wanted to release them.
Of course, the Eagle Stronghold would have to be disbanded. He was here to suppress bandits, and no matter what, bandits were not allowed to appear in the North. No bandits from anywhere was acceptable.
And then there's Zhang Debiao and his gang. Even if he doesn't kill them, he can't bring himself to release them. Like I said, besides disaster relief, he also has the mission of suppressing bandits in the north. He has to give an explanation not only to the people of the north, but also to the emperor.
He didn't want to kill anyone, but he couldn't let them go either.
Now that they are willing to surrender, offering them amnesty is one way to go. At least it's a pretext to release them.
Moreover, these people, recruited by him, will surely be of use to him in the future.
This way, in addition to the army in Xiangnan, he can also develop his own army in the north, which is a good thing!
Xuanyuan Zhan raised his chin at Bai Ying and the others: "Alright, the first task I'm giving to your Northern City Army is to dig a canal."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Debiao's eyes lit up instantly: "Is it the waterway connecting the South-to-North Water Diversion Project?"
They had heard the prince mention the South-to-North Water Diversion Project when they were at the execution ground. It was a truly magnificent plan!
Xuanyuan Zhan nodded: "Yes, the waterway connecting the Baichuan River and the Beiliang River is part of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project."
The group instantly became excited: "Connecting the Baichuan River and the Beiliang River would be great! Once the river is connected, we in the north will have water to drink. This is a wonderful thing!"
Xuanyuan Zhan laughed and said, "I have already recruited a lot of workers and soldiers to dig the river channel. You can go and help out in the next few days."
Upon hearing this, Qian Ergou immediately patted his chest and said, "It's such a small matter, why would we need anyone else's help? We, the Beicheng Army, can handle it!"
Xuanyuan Zhan gave him a reproachful look: "Stop bragging. Whether it's diverting water from the south to the north or connecting the Hundred Rivers and the Beiliang River, these are major events, so naturally the more people involved, the better."
Having been reprimanded, Qian Ergou dared not boast anymore and bowed respectfully, saying, "This humble general spoke recklessly, please forgive me, Your Highness."
Seeing that he was starting to look like a general, Xuan Yuanzhan was satisfied. He looked at Ye Feng and ordered, "Take them to release all their men one by one, and then settle them in the military camp. Tomorrow, take them to dig the river channel together."
He had divided these bandits into several large prisons, and now that he was going to pick them up, he would have to go to several different places.
"Yes," Ye Feng replied immediately.
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