After some discussion, Dong Zhuo and Guo Si decided to first meet with the defeated general.
"Someone, bring that Qiang leader up here."
Soon, the dejected Qiang leader was brought in, pushed and shoved by two Han soldiers.
After sizing up the Qiang leader, Dong Zhuo asked, "What is your name?"
"You scoundrel, abandon Hetai!"
Do you recognize me?
Shehetai looked up at Dong Zhuo and nodded: "Of course I recognize you. You are a brave warrior, and I admire you greatly."
"Heh, you're quite the flatterer!"
Dong Zhuo couldn't help but laugh out loud, then his expression changed, revealing a cruel smile. He then looked at Shehetai and asked, "What do you think should be done with you defeated generals?"
"According to the customs of us Qiang people, the victor will cut off the head of the loser, and all the property of the loser's tribe, including his wife, children and elderly parents, will be at the victor's disposal."
Shehetai's eyes were gloomy, and his tone was indifferent. From the moment he was captured, he understood his fate, and now he suddenly felt a kind of calm in the face of death.
"Huh? There really are people who aren't afraid of death?"
Seeing Shehetai in this state, Dong Zhuo and Guo Si exchanged a glance, and surprisingly, they felt a little admiration for him.
"What if I let you go back?"
"Let us go back...? Are you... are you serious?"
Seemingly doubting that he had misheard, Shehetai looked at Dong Zhuo with disbelief.
Dong Zhuo looked at Shehetai with a gentle expression, "Not bad!"
Upon seeing this, Shehetai immediately knelt down with a thud, looking at Dong Zhuo with excitement, "If the general is willing to let me go back, I am willing to swear to the gods that my tribe will be loyal to the general forever, pay tribute every year, and never dare to offend the might of the Han Dynasty again."
After saying this, Shehetai bowed his head downwards. Knowing that death was inevitable was one thing, but seeing the hope of living, who could calmly face death again?
"You are not pledging allegiance to me, but to the Emperor of my Great Han. Do you understand?"
Dong Zhuo glared at Shehetai with a serious expression.
"Understood...Understood. I pledge allegiance to the Emperor, I pledge allegiance to the Emperor."
Shehetai nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.
"In that case, you may return now. By the way, tell that Dianmu that 50,000 iron cavalry of the Great Han have arrived in Gaoping. Let her wash her neck and wait to die!"
Subsequently, Dong Zhuo ordered the release of all the captured Qiang people and dispatched his most elite scouts to kill off Qiang scouts along the way.
On the other hand, it wasn't until she left Gaoping City and breathed in the sandy air outside that Shehetai came to her senses and realized she had survived.
Although we lost over five hundred men, horses, and weapons, it was enough that we could get back.
"Hmph~ Dianmu, you despicable man, I will never let you live under the same sky!"
He cursed inwardly, and then Shehetai led his men slowly toward Fengyi Mountain.
Two days later, Duan Jiong's army finally arrived at Gaoping. When he learned that Dong Zhuo had defeated three thousand Qiang people in one battle, Duan Jiong also praised Dong Zhuo highly.
After the army entered the city and rested for a day, Duan Jiong summoned the officers and soldiers to prepare for the next step.
Inside the military tent, Duan Jiong sat in the main seat, with the other generals and officers lined up on either side.
Duan Jiong looked at Dong Zhuo, who was sitting at the head of the table on the left, and asked, "Zhongying, shouldn't that Shehetai have returned to Fengyi Mountain by now?"
Dong Zhuo stepped forward and answered loudly, "Reporting to the general, according to the scouts, they were only thirty li away from Fengyi Mountain yesterday, and they should have arrived by now."
"good!"
Duan Jiong stood up, looked around at the generals in the tent, then slammed his right fist heavily on the table and said loudly, "I order the entire army to set off immediately and head straight for Feng Yishan. We must defeat them in one fell swoop in this battle."
"promise!"
Dong Zhuo, Guo Si, and others responded loudly, their eyes blazing with the fire of war.
Immediately, the entire Han army camp began to cook, and they also slaughtered many wounded horses that were no longer able to fight, and had a hearty meal.
Fengyi Mountain
Dianmu sat in his felt tent, a hint of melancholy in his expression. Shehetai had been gone for many days, but no news had come, and none of the scouts he had sent out had returned.
An unknown fear made Dianmu feel uneasy.
Just as Dianmu was feeling uneasy, one of his subordinates suddenly came to report:
"Chief, Shehetai and the others have returned."
Dianmu immediately stood up and looked at his subordinates, "Oh? How many of them came back?"
"There are over two thousand people, but..."
"Well done, Shehetai is indeed very capable."
Before his subordinate could finish speaking, Dianmu hurriedly walked outside. In his mind, Shehetai must have won a great victory, otherwise how could more than 2,000 of the more than 3,000 people who went out have returned if they had lost?
But when Dianmu arrived outside the tent with great joy, the scene before him left him speechless. All the people Shehetai had brought back were disheveled and ragged.
Shehetai's eyes were sunken, his lips were cracked, and his body was swaying as if he were about to collapse at any moment.
"What happened? How did you all end up in such a sorry state?"
Seeing the tragic state of Shehetai, Dianmu was somewhat bewildered. What on earth had happened? Even if they had been defeated, they shouldn't all be reduced to the state of refugees.
Upon hearing Dianmu's question, Shehetai immediately knelt down and cried out, "Great Lord, we have fallen into a trap and been ambushed by the Han army, suffering a terrible defeat!"
"What? The garrison at Gaoping only numbers a few hundred, not even enough to defend the city, how could they possibly have any troops left to ambush you?"
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