"Uh~!"
Upon hearing the deputy general's question, the Dayuan official paused for a moment, then nodded: "Indeed, in this long-distance raid, we overlooked the importance of horsepower!"
"Sigh, though we are eager to fight the enemy, our mounts are inadequate. Sir, perhaps we should not go up and cause trouble for the soldiers?"
The deputy general sighed and looked at the Dayuan official as if asking a question.
The official nodded: "That's right. Moreover, this enemy force is not under the Second Prince's command. We should hurry back and report to His Highness the First Prince!"
Lieutenant: "Let's go then!"
"good!"
As they spoke, the two immediately turned their horses around and galloped away.
The two had only run a few steps when they heard screams and wails coming from behind them.
Turning his head, he saw that the Xianbei cavalry had already charged into the Dayuan army's ranks, their sharp longswords constantly reaping the lives of Dayuan soldiers.
However, the curved swords in the hands of the Dayuan soldiers could not even cut through the armor of the Xianbei soldiers.
In just a short while, the front ranks of the Dayuan army were shattered by Gao Liu's elite troops.
"Damn it, where is your commander?"
As Dong Zhuo charged ahead, he not only slashed at the enemy soldiers but also kept searching for the commander of the Dayuan army.
Upon hearing Dong Zhuo's question, the Dayuan soldiers around him were stunned for a moment and couldn't help but look around.
"Yes, where did the general go?"
"He was just yelling at us to charge, where did he go?"
The Dayuan soldiers around them were also completely bewildered, searching for their commander.
"Oh no! The general and the lord have already escaped!"
Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from behind.
Everyone turned to look and saw that the official and his deputy had already ridden their horses hundreds of paces away.
"Haha~, look, your commander has already abandoned you and run away. If you continue to resist, what will you gain besides buying your commander more time to escape?"
Upon seeing this, Dong Zhuo laughed loudly and shouted a question.
"this……"
Upon hearing Dong Zhuo's words, all the Dayuan soldiers looked at each other with hesitant expressions.
Upon seeing this, Dong Zhuo immediately shouted, "Put down your weapons and surrender, or you will be killed!"
"Lay down your weapons and surrender, or you will be spared!"
The Xianbei soldiers who followed also shouted in unison, along with Dong Zhuo.
"I surrender!"
In the Dayuan army, a low-ranking officer shouted, then threw down his weapon, jumped off his horse, and knelt on the ground.
The fact that the commander and the officers in charge had all fled shows that they believed they couldn't defeat the Xianbei army, so why should they risk their lives for those two guys?
Upon seeing this, the surrounding Dayuan soldiers also threw down their weapons.
With the surrender of the Dayuan soldiers in the central battlefield, the fighting on the left and right flanks gradually subsided.
Seeing that the officials and deputy generals of Dayuan had already disappeared, Dong Zhuo didn't have time to tally the battle losses. He directly ordered the messenger beside him:
"Immediately tell these Dayuan soldiers that their commander, in order to save his own life, will surely slander them to their eldest prince. Even if our army does not kill them, they will not escape death when they return."
Those who want to live, let them take up arms, mount their warhorses, and follow our army to the capital of Dayuan. After the city is breached, land, money, and beautiful women will be yours for the taking!
Those who don't want to go, leave your weapons and horses behind and flee for your lives!
"Here you go!"
The messenger agreed and then rode away.
Soon, Dong Zhuo's order reached the ears of all the prisoners from Dayuan.
These prisoners from Dayuan were quite sensible; they immediately picked up their weapons and jumped onto their horses.
As for whether their eldest prince would kill them, they were not sure; but they knew that if they did not follow Dong Zhuo, they would surely die.
After all, Dong Zhuo, this fat man, may have a kind face, but his murderous nature was anything but benevolent.
None of us are children, and no one would believe that Dong Zhuo would actually let them leave.
You never know, the moment you turn around, a knife will be thrust at you from behind.
Seeing that all the surrendered Dayuan soldiers had chosen to surrender, Dong Zhuo nodded in satisfaction.
After leaving several hundred men to clean up the battlefield, Dong Zhuo ordered that the Dayuan prisoners go first, followed by the Xianbei soldiers, and continue marching towards the capital of Dayuan.
Just as Dong Zhuo's forces were advancing, Zhang Xiu, Hua Xiong, and others on the other routes also received a message from Cao Cao and began to speed up their journey towards the capital of Dayuan.
Although Cao Cao, Zhang Xiu, and others had sped up their journey, they still had to stop whenever they encountered a town. After slaughtering the local nobles, they also had to win over the hearts of the people, which delayed them considerably.
In contrast, Dong Zhuo's side, because of the presence of prisoners from Dayuan, allowed him to send those prisoners to charge into any town they encountered, under the guise of the eldest prince.
After they had slaughtered all the nobles in the town, he led the Xianbei cavalry in the name of the Han imperial army and drove them away.
Compared to simply distributing supplies, this act of saving lives is far more likely to win people's hearts.
Dong Zhuo's actions were violent and simple, yet highly effective.
Therefore, although Dong Zhuo's army route was the longest and involved the most towns, his marching speed was the fastest.
Two days later, when Dong Zhuo was only thirty miles away from the capital of Dayuan, Cao Cao, who was the fastest, had only arrived fifty miles west of the capital of Dayuan.
On a hillside, looking at the Dayuan prisoners and his men who were too exhausted to stand, Dong Zhuo took a deep breath and then waved to the messenger beside him.
"General, what are your orders?" the messenger asked respectfully as he stepped forward.
Dong Zhuo said in a deep voice, "Go and tell the brothers that the enemy's capital is right in front of us. Tell the brothers to hold on a little longer. After we break through the city, we will be the ones who will achieve the greatest merit in destroying Dayuan. I will reward them handsomely!"
"yes!"
The messenger agreed and then quickly left.
Watching the messenger's departing figure, Dong Zhuo glanced in the direction where Cao Cao and the others were and couldn't help but sigh.
"Mengde, Mengde, please don't blame me, old Dong. You are still young and have plenty of opportunities, but I can't. I must get the credit for destroying a country!"
After saying this, Dong Zhuo tightened the armor bestowed upon him by the emperor, and then strode towards his warhorse.
Upon receiving Dong Zhuo's order, the Xianbei cavalry and Dayuan prisoners did not delay. They immediately gritted their teeth, got up, and followed Dong Zhuo toward the capital of Dayuan.
Meanwhile, the official and his deputy who had abandoned the army and fled alone also rushed back to the capital in a disheveled state and met with the eldest prince, Kerlai.
"What happened? Why are only the two of you back? Where are my 30,000 troops?"
Seeing the two people looking panicked, Kerley asked in a low voice with a gloomy face.
The official said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, that enemy force is not the Second Prince's men; it is the elite Gaoliu troops of the Xianbei..."
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