"Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you. A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated!"
Xu Rong closed his eyes, turned his head away, and avoided looking directly at Zhao Hao.
"Heh, Xu Rong, who gave you the courage to call yourself a scholar?"
Zhao Hao snorted and cut the ropes binding Xu Rong with a single sword stroke.
He pointed his sword in the direction of Luoyang and said coldly.
"Get out of here, go back to your Prime Minister Dong!"
Look at the people in the capital region, look at how badly he has ruined them.
Looking at the smoke signals everywhere, you might say that risking your life for him was worthwhile.
Next time, I will definitely kill you!
Xu Rong stared coldly at the rope lying on the ground and the scratches on his armor.
Even perched high on his horse, Zhao Hao still managed to wield the sword with such exquisite skill.
Could it be that he truly earned those illustrious military exploits over there by personally cutting down enemies...?
"Aren't you going to get lost?"
Zhao Hao's icy words and chilling killing intent pulled Xu Rong back to reality from his daze.
Xu Rong swallowed hard, realizing today how narrow-minded he had been.
He originally thought that Zhao Hao was just a mediocre talent who got lucky and met a group of capable people who helped him become famous and established a great reputation.
It turns out... he had underestimated all the heroes in the world...
"I thank Lord Qin for showing mercy today. I will go and see for myself how the world is really in trouble."
If we meet again on the battlefield, and I am defeated by the Marquis of Qin once more, then at least I will have died knowing why... Farewell!
Xu Rong neither surrendered nor sought death.
If people have a way to live, who would want to die for no reason?
He began to realize that what he had been so persistent about might have been wrong.
But stubborn people can only have everything they once believed in and wanted to protect shattered.
Only he can reshape his worldview!
"Heh, over there are your warhorses that were captured by our army."
Take one for yourself and leave quickly.
Before long, my army will reach Hangu Pass, and then you won't even have a chance to see your Prime Minister Dong!
Xu Rong was stunned for a moment, then quickly bowed in thanks, mounted his horse, and fled.
"Young master, why let him go? Although this guy isn't a completely wicked person, keeping someone like him around to oppose us is just asking for trouble."
Zhao Hao raised an eyebrow. This Dian Wei didn't seem to be as dim-witted as he had imagined.
"Old Dian, you're right, but you still need to practice more."
"ah?"
"Dong Zhuo's loyal followers are the troops who have fought alongside him to quell the Qiang and Hu tribes over the years. Xu Rong, although he claims to be loyal to Dong Zhuo, does Dong Zhuo... truly reciprocate his loyalty?"
Dian Wei's brain started itching; he realized something was wrong and he was about to need to develop his own brain.
"Young master, are you saying... Dong Zhuo doesn't trust Xu Rong, and if he lets him go back, they'll cause trouble on their own?"
Zhao Hao laughed heartily, patted Dian Wei's shoulder lightly, and waved.
"Old Dian, you should find a good horse to ride first."
"Once you've accomplished something great, I'll teach you these things properly!"
...
In November, the first snowfall appeared.
Zhao Hao mobilized his entire army, with Bai Qi as commander-in-chief and Wang Meng as deputy commander. The 80,000-strong army marched out of Hedong and headed straight for Hongnong.
Zhang Han and Sima Cuo each led an army to invade and attack Beidi County in Liangzhou and Zuo Fengyi in Sili.
With only 30,000 soldiers led by Yang Duanhe, the governor of Henan, plus more than 60,000 Bingzhou wolf cavalry and royalist soldiers, and his own 5,000 elite troops, Zhao Hao captured Luoyang in a little over a month, occupying all of Henan Yin. At the same time, he disbanded the troops of Lü Bu, Wu Fu and others, reorganized them into an army, and incorporated them into Yang Duanhe's army, pressing on Hangu Pass.
Under Li Ru's plan, although the entire Henan Prefecture and Hongnong County were engulfed in flames, the actual number of people burned by the fire and those who died due to forced relocation was far less than in the original history.
Unable to withstand the attack from both sides, Dong Zhuo considered abandoning Hangu Pass, leaving Hu Zhen and Hua Xiong to cover his retreat.
He personally led a large army and built a magnificent pass in the capital, named Tongguan!
Tongguan was originally built by Cao Cao in 196 to guard against the rebel army in Xiliang.
Now, by a twist of fate, construction has begun under Dong Zhuo's command.
Among the royalists, a large portion did not go all in and choose to stand with Wu Fu and his group.
Therefore, they became the biggest obstacle for Dong Zhuo in organizing laborers and slaves to build the city gate.
Now that the crown prince has been lost, Dong Zhuo is eager to seize power.
In addition, Zhao Hao, under the banner of eliminating treacherous officials, could invade at any time.
Regardless of whether they were labeled as Dong Zhuo's associates, in order to survive, they had no choice but to help Dong Zhuo speed up the construction of Tongguan Pass.
In December, Tongguan Pass was completed amidst wind and snow. Looking at this formidable pass, Bai Qi could only temporarily retreat to Hongnong and await Zhao Hao's next instructions.
Although the snowy terrain was not conducive to warfare, in just one month, the rebels of Xiliang actually controlled only Anding County, Youfufeng County, and half of Jingzhao Prefecture.
Although they lost cities and territories one after another, they gradually weakened the strength of the rebels in Xiliang, making them no longer easy to deal with.
Therefore, Zhao Hao did not order his army to continue advancing. Instead, he sent a message to the grasslands to mobilize troops and prepare for another battle next year.
It was spring again in 1922.
Xie Xuan, courtesy name Youdu, was a famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Command: 98 Martial: 71 Intelligence: 86 Politics: 83 Charisma: 84
Personality traits: 1. Recruitment 2. Morale 3. Dedication 4. Strategic Planning 5. Fortitude 6. Fierce Combat
7. **Guardian Defense (When fighting within your own territory, all abilities of your troops increase by 10%)**
Xie An, courtesy name Anshi, was a famous minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Command: 48, Martial: 43, Intelligence: 94, Politics: 102, Charisma: 95
Personality traits: 1. Insight 2. Reputation 3. Education 4. Advisor
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