"cut!"
At Dong Zhuo's command, the soldiers in charge of the executions swung their long swords.
One by one, heads rolled onto the sandy ground, and a stench of blood wafted through the air.
Dong Zhuo glanced indifferently at the heads on the ground, then looked at the piles of valuables.
A soldier standing nearby understood and immediately shouted to the crowd of onlookers, "These nobles all sided with the eldest prince and participated in the plot to seize power. Now, we have been ordered by the second prince, Komora, to kill them all. You need not worry, just continue with your lives as usual!"
Upon hearing this, the onlookers breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, the soldier continued, "Although we were invited by the Second Prince to help him suppress the rebels, killing people was a last resort."
But we are still soldiers of the Han Dynasty, and seeing your plight, we cannot bear it. Therefore, we have specially prepared some money and food to share with you, hoping it will be of some help…!
These words immediately caused an uproar, with everyone looking on incredulously.
"Is this...really? Those things were distributed to us?"
"Yes, it's unbelievable, they actually dared to do that?"
"Didn't you hear what they just said? They're a Han Chinese army, so naturally they wouldn't lack these things!"
"Ah, the Han Dynasty is still the best; they treat us common people like human beings!"
As the onlookers discussed the matter, their impression of the Han Dynasty also rose sharply.
Subsequently, under Dong Zhuo's supervision, the soldiers took 30% of the looted wealth and food and distributed it to the town's residents.
Those who received wealth and food also began to sing praises to the Han Dynasty and Dong Zhuo and others.
After resting for half a day, Dong Zhuo led his troops to the next town amidst the warm farewells of the town's residents.
Upon arriving at the target town, Dong Zhuo followed the same method, first using the name of Camorra to label the town's nobles as traitors, and then beheading and confiscating their property.
As before, Dong Zhuo distributed the confiscated property to the local poor people in the name of the benevolent army of the Han Dynasty.
In short, the second prince ordered the killings, and the spoils were distributed by us Han people out of pity for the common people.
The blame was entirely placed on Kamola, while the benefits and popular support went to the Han.
Just as Dong Zhuo was leading his army onward, several messengers he had sent out, after traveling day and night, finally arrived at the capital of Dayuan.
At this time, the proclamation sent by Cao Cao had not yet reached this place, and the people of the capital were unaware of the Second Prince Kemora's uprising.
Inside the palace of the Dayuan king, Prince Kele sat on the throne that belonged to the king, handling the affairs of various regions.
An official stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the King's illness is getting worse, and now there are bad rumors circulating outside..."
Kerley put down what he was doing and sighed, "Sigh~ I don't care about the rumors, the only thing that worries me is my second brother!"
"Yes, Your Highness, you have stopped their rations for three months, but the Second Prince has not made any statement so far. He has neither submitted a letter nor sent anyone to urge them to pay. How exactly have those ten thousand soldiers managed to hold on?"
The official's expression darkened when the topic turned to the second prince, Komora, and his ten thousand soldiers.
Kerley sighed, "They certainly can't hold out on their own. What I'm worried about is that my second brother will defect to the Han or the Xianbei. If that happens, we'll be in danger!"
Originally, he planned to use the suspension of supplies to force Camorra to compromise, and then take the opportunity to seize his military power.
Unexpectedly, Camorra was incredibly resilient. So much time had passed, yet he showed no sign of yielding, which naturally gave Kerley a bad feeling.
Of course, what he didn't know was that the so-called 10,000 elite troops of Dayuan had long since been wiped out.
Then, Kerr asked in a deep voice, "By the way, how is the situation with the soldiers I asked you to recruit?"
The official replied respectfully, "Your Highness, as you instructed, I have recruited nearly 40,000 able-bodied men and incorporated them all into the army."
"But because time is so tight, the army is desperately short of armor and bows and arrows..."
Kerrley frowned: "What did the Kushans say? Didn't we make an agreement with them two months ago?"
"Your Highness, things are not peaceful on the Kushan side either. The Kushan king is seriously ill, and the princes are fighting amongst themselves for power, so they can't pay attention to things here at all...!"
The official, with a bitter expression, recounted the situation of the Kushan Empire to Kerley.
"Sigh, in the end, I still have to rely on myself!"
Upon hearing this, Kerley couldn't help but sigh.
"Report!!"
Just then, one of Kelley's guards rushed in looking flustered.
"Your Highness, the urgent letter has been opened in Nanxin Town!"
As they were talking, the guard brought the letter of appeal for help that Dong Zhuo had sent to Kele.
"That bastard Camorra not only rebelled, but he also dared to accuse me of patricide and usurping the throne!!"
After reading the letter requesting help, Kerley's expression changed, and he immediately cursed.
An official nearby stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, what's going on?"
"My second brother, because I cut off his food rations, issued a proclamation accusing me of poisoning our father. Now he has started a rebellion under the pretext of avenging our father!"
With a gloomy face, Kerley handed the letter to the official beside him as he spoke.
"Your Highness, this matter is rather strange. If the Second Prince were to raise an army, heading directly west would be the fastest route. Why would he choose to detour southeast?" the official asked, looking puzzled.
Kerley narrowed his eyes: "What's so strange about that? The southeast is the richest region, and it's mostly inhabited by my people. As he travels here, he can not only replenish the supplies needed for the march, but also take the opportunity to eliminate those nobles who support me."
The official's expression changed: "Your Highness, if that's the case, you should immediately send troops to intercept him halfway. We absolutely cannot allow the Second Prince to continue his journey!"
"Yes, you shall handle this matter. Immediately lead the newly recruited 30,000 soldiers to the southeast to intercept them."
"I will go to my father immediately and request that he issue a warrant for the denunciation of the rebels."
The thought that Camorra had published a scathing article accusing him of poisoning his father filled Kerr with rage.
Once this matter gets out, regardless of whether I actually did it or not, my reputation will be ruined, and it will be even more impossible for me to ascend to the throne.
The only way to dispel this rumor is to ask the ailing old king to issue an official document.
"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The King has passed away!!"
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