Chapter 705 Return of the Deserter
The arrow startled the people outside the city and they fell to the ground.
At the same time, the gate of Blackrock City slowly opened, and the Centaur troops led by Drogo quickly rushed out.
Seeing the Centaur troops charging towards them, the group of people outside the city were instantly frightened pale. Without even the time to think, they immediately knelt on the ground and made gestures of surrender.
Seeing this, Drogo did not lead the charge directly, but after closing to a certain distance, he quickly deployed his formation and surrounded these people.
"Where are you from? What is your purpose in coming to Black Rock City?"
Hearing the question, a middle-aged man in the group summoned up the courage to shout in a hoarse voice...
"Sir, please spare us. We are residents of this city. We were captured and sent to serve as soldiers. When the two armies were fighting, we got scared and fled."
Earlier, when he saw the other party's clothes, Drogo already had some guesses in his mind.
Now that I hear this, I have a basic understanding of the situation.
In the previous battle, there were probably about two thousand deserters alone. The large group of deserters before us was estimated to be at least three or four hundred.
I guess after they escaped, they realized that there was no food in the wild and they simply couldn't survive. Finally, with nowhere else to go, they gritted their teeth and returned.
Deserting a battle is a capital crime, and being a deserter is basically a dead end.
However, after seeing the Centaur troops coming out of the city, the deserters seemed to realize something and couldn't help but feel a little hope in their hearts.
After all, Yan Sheng did not have the Centaur troops, but there was such a force in the Great Zhou's army.
This matter itself is not a secret.
Now that the Centaur troops have come out of the city, does that mean that Blackrock City has been occupied by the Great Zhou’s troops?
Drogo didn't know what these deserters were thinking. After figuring out the situation, he gestured directly towards the top of the wall.
Soon, the garrison on this side sent out a team of infantry to search the deserters, put ropes on them, and take them into the city.
These deserters came here to seek a way to survive, so naturally they did not dare to resist at this time.
During this process, Drogo had nothing to do, so he asked casually.
"There were at least one or two thousand people who escaped at that time. Are you the only one who managed to escape alive? Where are the other deserters?"
"In reply to your question, the situation was chaotic at the time and everyone fled in all directions. Those who are here basically fled in one direction, and some met up along the way. We really don't know where the others went."
Drogo did not hesitate about this and cooperated with the garrison troops to escort these deserters back to the city.
During this process, the news of a group of deserters appearing outside the city was reported to Zhou Xu as quickly as possible.
Zhou Xu was not surprised by this situation.
It is still winter now, and these deserters are basically doomed to die if they stay in the wild without supplies. If they want to survive, they can only surrender to the surrounding cities.
However, according to his original guess, from the perspective of these deserters, compared to the unclear situation in Black Stone City, Xishan City occupied by the rebels led by Liu De should be a better place to go.
This is indeed the case. At the same time that deserters appeared outside Black Stone City, a large group of deserters also appeared outside West Mountain City.
The rebel army led by Liu De also learned that Yan Sheng had led troops to Xishan City and was attacked by an unfamiliar cavalry unit on the way.
Of course, these deserters had no idea who won or lost the battle, or whether Yan Sheng was alive or dead.
This gave Liu De quite a headache.
"Master, what do you think we should do now?"
After following the arrangements of the national teacher, successfully taking Anling City, and even subduing Long Potian, Liu De's trust in Kong Daqian reached an unprecedented level.
Whenever he encountered something he was unsure about, he would come and ask Kong Daqian for his opinion.
Compared to Liu De who didn't figure out anything, after hearing the news, Kong Daqian was basically certain that the troops that attacked Yan Sheng's army midway should be their Great Zhou troops.
But other than that, he had no idea what the situation was.
[In this situation, if Liu De were to act rashly, he would be in trouble if he ruined the king's plan.]
Thinking of this, Kong Daqian also had an idea in his mind.
"My king, the current situation is unclear, so it is better for us to wait and see how it develops."
"Okay! Let's follow the advice of the Imperial Master!"
On this side, Liu De, who had been fooled by Kong Daqian, did whatever Kong Daqian said.
On the other hand, when the people in Black Stone City learned that some deserters had escaped and were captured by the Great Zhou army, many of them knelt outside the City Lord's Mansion, hoping that Zhou Xu would show mercy and release their families.
Zhou Xu frowned slightly when he learned the news.
This action of the people outside is somewhat like moral kidnapping.
At this moment, winning the hearts of the people is an important thing for him. Under this premise, if he refuses, it will definitely affect his reputation.
However, we cannot see all the bad in this matter. If he agrees, he will also be able to win a lot of support from the people.
Of course, the potential risks of this move cannot be completely ignored.
In response to this situation, Zhou Xu pondered for a moment.
"Pass on my order to set up a registration office outside the military camp. Ask the people who want to find their families to report their names and physical characteristics, and register their home addresses. We will check for deserters."
"My king, are you really going to let him go just like that?"
Silk was a little surprised. Even he could see the hidden dangers in it.
Hearing this, Zhou Xu smiled and shook his head.
"Of course not. If they want to bring their family back, they must have some requirements. You will do this when the time comes..."
As he spoke, Zhou Xu gave Silk a series of instructions.
Silk's eyes lit up after hearing this.
"I'll do it right away!"
The people who wanted to ask Zhou Xu to take their families back home were basically gathered outside the City Lord's Mansion and the military camp, so it was not difficult to notify them.
Zhou Xu set up a registration office outside the military camp. In short, he asked all the citizens of Black Stone City who had this request to gather at the registration office at noon.
The news spread quickly in the city. By noon, there was already a huge crowd of people outside the registration office, which made Silk's eyelids twitch.
[There are at least two to three thousand people here! ]
This was despite the limited open space outside the registration office. The open space was already crowded with people, and the people had even squeezed into the outer streets, forcing the city defense forces to go out and help maintain order on the scene.
Faced with this situation, Silk did not hesitate and quickly climbed up the makeshift wooden platform, ready to make a speech.
(End of this chapter)
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