"Sir, please have mercy and give me something to eat..."
"Sir, this girl will starve to death if she stays with me, please buy her..."
The streets of Chang'an were littered with the corpses of the starving and filled with refugees.
Seeing such a tragic scene, Xu Rong felt a deep sadness.
"Sigh...why don't you head east?"
Looking at the old man who wanted to sell his granddaughter, Xu Rong asked helplessly.
"Isn't that place more prosperous than Chang'an, with more people able to help you?"
The old man had his head down, so his expression was unreadable.
But from his slightly tearful voice, one could guess that he had a reason for not being able to travel.
"My lord, how could we, two lonely souls, have paid customs duties?"
Not to mention, the officials these days won't let us go east at all.
Even if we die, they'll only let us die in Guanzhong!
Xu Rong's heart skipped a beat. Had the situation become this dire?
"If we control the population, the next step will be to forcibly conscript laborers. The day of decisive battle is not far off..."
Xu Rong muttered to himself, his brows furrowed.
"My lord, you seem to hold an official position. Could you possibly save this little girl?"
She is twelve years old this year, but she is so hungry that her body is like that of a seven or eight-year-old child.
Please, it's the old man's fault, she shouldn't have starved to death with him...
Xu Rong was in a heavy mood and simply helped the two of them up.
"I don't know if we need any more people at home. You two can come with me. If we do need more people, then you can stay here!"
It wasn't that Xu Rong didn't want to agree immediately, but rather that he would have taken in the grandfather and grandson as soon as he was here.
Outside, countless pairs of eyes fixed on him will pounce on him!
He has limited abilities; if he encounters someone, he will help them if he can.
We can't save them; all we can do is sigh helplessly.
Meanwhile, Xu Rong did not meet Dong Zhuo, nor was anyone arranged for him to meet Dong Zhuo.
Hulao fell in a short time. If Xu Rong went to see Dong Zhuo, something bad would definitely happen.
Furthermore, Xu Rong was neither a member of the Western Liang faction nor a member of the royalist party.
For a defeated general, it was already quite an achievement to have a sinecure and eke out a living in Chang'an.
Not to mention, if Xu Rong were to expose Li Ru's betrayal, the morale of the entire Xiliang army would likely plummet to rock bottom.
In February, the capital region was filled with refugees. Zhao Hao implemented a work-for-relief program, providing various livelihood opportunities, which led to a slow recovery of agriculture and the economy in the entire Henan Yin and Hongnong counties.
Hu Zhen, courtesy name Wencai, was a general under Dong Zhuo during the late Han Dynasty.
Command: 77, Martial: 79, Intelligence: 62, Politics: 58, Charisma: 31
Personality traits: 1. Plundering 2. Forest warfare 3. Recklessness 4. Unruly 5. Vanity
Hua Xiong, a general under Dong Zhuo during the late Han Dynasty
Command: 84, Martial: 96, Intelligence: 51, Politics: 50, Charisma: 77
Personality traits: 1. Hero 2. Fierce Warrior 3. Charging into Battle 4. Sweeping Away 5. Majestic 6. High Spirits
"We greet Lord Qin!"
Under Li Ru's leadership, the two finally surrendered to Zhao Hao.
Hu Zhen, without Li Ru's intervention, had already announced that he had long admired Zhao Hao and finally had the opportunity to abandon his evil ways and join the righteous cause.
Nowadays, this person's reputation is even worse than Lü Bu's.
Hua Xiong, however, refused to surrender and was captured alive by Zhang Hao, Deng Qiang, Li Wenzhong, and Nan Jiyun.
Seeing that Hua Xiong was somewhat capable, Zhao Hao then asked Li Ru to step forward and persuade him to surrender.
When Zhao Hao led his army into the capital region this time, he gained much more than just the surrendered soldiers of the royalist faction.
There were also quite a few captured Xiliang soldiers.
Therefore, it is necessary to take these two as role models to reduce the fighting spirit of the generals of Xiliang.
Otherwise, if the population of Guanzhong is wiped out, what use will Zhao Hao have for a piece of land that is deserted?
"Yes, Hu Zhen, you go to Liangzhou to assist Zhang Han in persuading the rebels of Xiliang to surrender. If you achieve merit, a high-ranking official position and generous salary await you, understand?"
Hu Zhen was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.
"Yes, I will do my utmost to fulfill the request made by Marquis Qin!"
"Alright, alright, time is short, so you should set off immediately. Otherwise, I won't be responsible if we can't find Zhang Han."
"Uh...yes!"
Then, Zhao Hao looked at Hua Xiong, who looked unconvinced.
"What, you want to fight?"
Hua Xiong snorted and turned his head away.
"Hua Xiong, you're not listening to me anymore?"
"I..."
Only after being reprimanded by Li Ru did Hua Xiong reluctantly bow to Zhao Hao.
"Hua Xiong, a mere warrior, pays his respects to Lord Qin!"
Zhao Hao chuckled, "Forget it, forced love is never sweet."
Hua Xiong's expression brightened. Did Zhao Hao mean he was going to let him go?
"I didn't expect you to submit to me from the bottom of your heart, but a forced relationship may not be sweet, but it is very thirst-quenching!"
Wenru, this guy will be your bodyguard for now. Select people from among those royalists.
Hua Xiong, although I won't let you fight against your former lord, you must work for me. If this situation happens again...
Zzzzz!
Zhao Hao drew his sword swiftly, and neither of them even saw how he made his move.
The corner of a wooden table was neatly chopped off.
"Such a case exists!"
Hua Xiong swallowed hard. He seemed to be beginning to understand why Li Ru had betrayed Dong Zhuo and surrendered to Zhao Hao.
To possess such extraordinary swordsmanship at such a young age, coupled with the formidable soldiers under his command, is simply...
There is definitely more hope under Zhao Hao than under Dong Zhuo!
"General, I will train him well. However, does the General mean that I should continue to be stationed in Henan Prefecture and not go to Jingzhao Prefecture to assist in the decisive battle?"
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