“From now on, we’ll do whatever Brother Xiang says!” With that, Zhou Xiaowu presented the sword to Xiang Ze with both hands.
Xiang Ze said in a low voice, "Thanks, brother." Then he raised the sword high and shouted, "Start counting heads! I need to know all our supplies and numbers within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"
The Red Turban Army soldiers had never seen such a capable style before. They were stunned for a moment, standing there at a loss, looking blankly at Zhou Xiaowu.
Zhou Xiaowu glared at him and cursed, "Why the hell aren't you doing it right now! What Brother Xiang said is exactly what I said. From now on, we're Brother Xiang's soldiers. We're not following Zhang Chengyan anymore. I don't care about their crappy official positions!"
At this point, the soldiers present began to move, but there was no order or method at all. Everyone was counting on their own, and the scene was chaotic for a while.
Xiang Ze watched from the side, shaking his head. He then took a detonator from his back, lit it, and shot it into the distance.
The moment the detonator was unleashed, Zhou Xiaowu and the others were completely dumbfounded. Of course, they could recognize it as the 'Heavenly Might' that had defeated them before!
A loud explosion stunned everyone present.
Xiang Ze shouted, "Listen up, everyone! Anyone who disobeys orders will be dealt with according to military law. Line up!"
Even though these soldiers lacked basic training, they still knew the most basic formation. Although their formation was not very neat and their speed was much slower, they still completed the order in general.
Looking at the surrendered soldiers who had already lined up, Xiang Ze turned to Zhu Zhaozhou and asked, "Vice General Zhu, are you coming?"
Even though Zhu Zhaozhou wanted to make a contribution, he knew that it was impossible to steal credit from Xiang Ze at this time, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "Brother Xiang, you should do it."
Xiang Ze did not refuse, and facing the soldiers, he shouted sternly: "The first person on the east side, step forward and begin counting!"
The soldier at the head of the first column scratched his head sheepishly: "Sir, I don't know how."
Xiang Ze took a deep breath: "Zhou Xiaowu!"
"exist!"
"Go and count them for me!"
"Yes, sir!"
After half an hour's delay, Xiang Ze finally finished the count. The total number of surrendered soldiers was about 4,000, with 300 warhorses and enough food to feed 4,000 people for 10 days.
Xiang Ze glanced at the sun; it was already past midnight. Then he waved his hand and said, "Everyone, sheath your weapons and follow me!"
The surrendered soldiers of the Red Turban Army were initially lazy and disorganized, but after seeing Xiang Ze's stern appearance and being intimidated by the detonators he had used earlier, they all became tense and put away their lazy nature to carry out orders, not daring to be negligent in the slightest and following along.
Two hours later, just as the sky began to lighten, Lü Tu, standing atop the rocky hill, finally spotted a large army on the horizon.
"Brother, Brother Xiang and his men have succeeded! They have persuaded a large number of Red Turban Army remnants to surrender."
Lu Tu revealed a relieved smile: "Tell Nie Yun to let the other side cross the pass."
"Yes, sir!"
Lu Tu turned to Pang Tianlei and the others: "Let's go, let's go see Deputy General Zhu and Xiang Ze."
Pang Tianlei is still in a daze. He never dreamed that just 500 men could not only defeat 8,000 soldiers, but also send two men to persuade the enemy to surrender.
Especially after seeing that the enemy had even brought supplies and provisions, the newly joined captains, including Pang Tianlei, were so anxious that they scratched their heads and regretted not having gone with them. Otherwise, they could have made a contribution as well.
Lu Tu left only the Sun brothers, Sun Kuang and Sun Meng, on the mountaintop with 300 men to guard it. With just a glance, the two brothers understood what Lu Tu meant.
Soon, as Xiang Ze and Zhu Zhaozhou walked ahead, Zhou Xiaowu, who was standing beside them, immediately spotted the young general standing in front of the elite cavalry.
He lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Xiang, is that General Lü Tu?"
"Yes! Don't be afraid, I will speak up for you."
"Thank you very much, Brother Xiang."
The group carefully made their way through the rocky pass. Xiang Ze and Zhu Zhaozhou were the first to dismount and kneel down in front of Lü Tu, saying, "Your humble servants have successfully completed their mission and persuaded 4,000 Red Turban soldiers to surrender!"
Lu Tu waved his hand and said, "Brother Xiang and Vice General Zhu, please rise. You have made great contributions this time, and you will be rewarded when we return!"
"Thank you, General!"
Then, Lü Tu stared intently at Zhou Xiaowu: "What is this?"
"I am Zhou Xiaowu, the vanguard general of the Red Turban Army under King Qi, paying my respects to General Lü!"
Lu Tu was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at Xiang Ze with a strange expression. Seeing Xiang Ze nod slightly, he couldn't help but laugh: "Zhou Xiaowu, get up. Since you are willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, then you can work under Xiang Ze as a squad leader from now on."
Then he waved his hand: "Nie Yun, Tuoba Yue, Liu Hong!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"These 4,000 men are to be assigned to you for training, and you'll receive the same treatment as all the other brothers!"
"Yes, sir!"
Zhou Xiaowu was taken aback. Although he had been mentally prepared, he hadn't expected the difference to be so great. He mustered his courage and asked, "Commander Lü, if I may ask, I was, after all, a vanguard of the Red Turban Army in the Northern Expedition. Now you're giving me the position of squad leader? Is that...?"
These words amused everyone present, and Nie Yun was the first to laugh, saying, "So it seems you're still not convinced?"
Zhou Xiaowu nodded with a touch of arrogance: "That's right, I'm not convinced!"
Seeing that Lü Tu did not stop him, Nie Yun laughed and said, "I won't bully you. I'll find a squad leader to fight you. If you can beat him, I'll give you my position!"
"Very well! A gentleman's word is as good as his bond."
Nie Yun called out, "He Cong, come out!"
He Cong, a squad leader under Tuoba Yue, stepped forward, threw his longsword to a soldier beside him, and strode towards Zhou Xiaowu: "Come on, I'll fight you."
Seeing He Cong's thin build, Zhou Xiaowu's confidence soared, and he said with a self-assured smile, "You're underestimating me, Zhou Xiaowu, by sending a skinny monkey to fight me?"
After saying that, he immediately swung his fist at He Cong's face. Seeing this, He Cong, who was ahead of him, did not dodge and also threw a punch at Zhou Xiaowu.
Zhou Xiaowu's pupils contracted. Where had he ever seen such a ruthless fighting style? Was it a fight to the death right from the start? He instinctively turned his head to try and dodge.
But when two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail. In just one second of retracting his strength, He Cong's advantage can be magnified infinitely. Instead of attacking Zhou Xiaowu's face, He Cong changed his attack and aimed at Zhou Xiaowu's chest.
With just one move, Zhou Xiaowu was sent staggering back several meters by the punch. If Xiang Ze hadn't caught him, he would have fallen to the ground.
At this moment, his face turned a deep liver color, and he felt a metallic taste in his throat. Not wanting to lose face, he could only force himself to swallow it back.
A Red Turban soldier beside him stepped forward with concern and asked, "General, how are you?"
Zhou Xiaowu forced himself to push the soldier aside, then cupped his hands to He Cong and said, "I submit. I am willing to obey General Lü's orders!"
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