Just then, Guan Yu, surrounded by several officers, approached and immediately clasped his hands together, exclaiming excitedly!
"Big Brother, I have captured the leader of this Yellow Turban."
After saying this, he waved his hand towards the back and loudly declared!
"Bring him here!"
Liu Jin's heart was filled with joy upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Guan Yu to be so lucky, to actually encounter an enemy general in this chaotic military camp.
He had thought the Yellow Turban general had escaped in the confusion.
Several soldiers in front were seen, tightly bound and escorting a large man, towards this spot, then kicking him to the ground.
Liu Jin's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the man before him, asking in a cold voice!
"Who are you?"
Deng Mao looked at the young man before him, who was naturally the commander of this Han Army, and his heart grew increasingly fearful. He immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy!
"Ge-General, my name is Deng Mao."
"I was blinded by greed and incited the common people to rebel. Now I know my mistake. Can you spare my life? I will definitely follow the General and serve him well."
Liu Jin paused for a moment upon hearing the name Deng Mao; it was a familiar name.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was one of the thirty-six Qu Shuai, Cheng Yuanzhi's Vice Commander Deng Mao, who indeed swept through the entire Zhuo Commandery area and was stabbed under his horse by Zhang Fei upon his first appearance.
He didn't care much about it in his heart and asked in a cold voice!
"Where is the rebel general Cheng Yuanzhi now, and how many troops does he have with him?"
Deng Mao heard this and immediately spoke, as if grasping a life-saving straw!
"General, Cheng Yuanzhi is currently leading an army of over ten thousand to besiege Zhuo Commandery City. As his Vice Commander, I was leading the army to attack Yi County and protect the rear."
Liu Jin nodded, which matched what he had thought in his heart.
However, Cheng Yuanzhi actually had over ten thousand troops, which made things a bit difficult.
Although they were all a rabble, his army was twenty times larger than his own. Even if each person spat once, they could drown him.
He couldn't provoke Cheng Yuanzhi for now. He needed to stabilize in Yi County for a period of time to see if he could recruit more militiamen and organize them into the army.
As soon as the news of his pacification of Deng Mao spread, Prefect of Zhuo Commandery Wen Shu would definitely be overjoyed, perhaps even asking him to send troops to relieve Zhuo Commandery's crisis.
Not only could he gain Wen Shu's favor, but even recruiting soldiers would not be punished. It was simply killing two birds with one stone.
After all, if you ask him to lead troops to rescue you, a few hundred people certainly won't be enough; they wouldn't even be enough to fill Cheng Yuanzhi's teeth.
So, recruiting some soldiers to save you is already a great kindness and benevolence, showing utmost sincerity.
After understanding this, Liu Jin's mouth curved into a smile.
Deng Mao, kneeling on the ground, saw the Han Army General smiling, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
It seemed his life was saved.
But before he could be happy for long, Liu Jin's cold voice rang out!
"Execute this person immediately. Hang his head at the city gate to warn the surrounding common people: whoever dares to join the rebels will be killed without mercy."
Deng Mao's body trembled upon hearing this, his face instantly turning deathly pale. He immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy!
"Ge-General, spare my life! I truly know my mistake!"
Unfortunately, no one paid him any mind. He was seized by two soldiers and dragged aside.
The broadsword swung down, and his pleading voice ceased abruptly at that moment.
Only a terrified head rolled down, blood splattering everywhere, and the headless body slumped to the ground.
Liu Jin felt no pity upon seeing this scene. Inciting so many common people to rebel, leading to widespread corpses, he deserved to die.
Although he needed to climb up by quelling the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and despite there being good people among them, it didn't stop him from detesting these Yellow Turbans who wantonly burned, killed, and plundered. Because of this rebellion, millions of common people died across the land.
He immediately ordered Guan Yu and the other Generals to begin cleaning up the battlefield, counting casualties, extinguishing fires, and burying all the bodies.
The next morning!
The sky was dimly lit, and after the previous night's tidying, the military camp had returned to normal.
However, there was still blood flowing on the ground, and even some burnt tents, indicating the turbulent night.
Inside a clean large tent, Liu Jin sat at the head, with the Generals seated on either side, all with excited expressions.
Because this night battle could be said to be a great victory, annihilating the Yellow Turban outside the city. If the news were reported, their group's reputation would definitely spread throughout the entire Zhuo Commandery.
Liu Jin looked at everyone's energetic appearance, smiled wryly, and immediately asked!
"Have the battle results been tallied?"
Guan Yu immediately stood up, clasped his hands together, and loudly declared!
"Big Brother, the battle results have been tallied."
"Our army suffered over sixty casualties, killed over a thousand, captured over a thousand, and the rest fled in the chaos."
"We seized over a thousand weapons and other items, three thousand shi of grain, and over a hundred thousand in money."
Liu Jin nodded upon hearing these battle results, not particularly surprised.
After all, these Yellow Turbans were originally a rabble, with no combat experience.
Coupled with setting fire to the military camp, causing unrest within the army, mutual trampling and killing were not uncommon.
The number of people truly killed by the Han Army was probably only a few hundred, with most dying by their own hands.
This battle was a great victory, resolving the Yellow Turban threat around Yi County.
As for the scattered stragglers who fled, they probably wouldn't have the courage to raise another rebellion. They would either return home or flee elsewhere.
After a moment of thought, Liu Jin slowly said!
"For the fallen soldiers, tally them up and first distribute their pensions. Remember, no embezzlement; those who violate this will be killed without mercy."
"As for the living meritorious soldiers, this Military Marquis will also issue rewards to reassure everyone."
Everyone seated nearby nodded, especially Han Dang, whose gaze towards Liu Jin was filled with respect.
After the great battle, he immediately thought of the fallen soldiers and wanted to distribute pensions to them.
He, Han Dang, had never seen a General who cared so much for them.
He already had some thoughts. Although Liu Jin was only a Military Marquis, his official position was not very high.
But he was upright, ambitious, and faced everything with composure. Such a performance indicated he was no ordinary person.
If he could follow him, his future prospects would definitely not be low.
After understanding this, Han Dang's eyes were filled with determination. After things settled down, he would definitely express his loyalty and follow him early to become his confidant.
Liu Jin looked at everyone and continued!
"This battle is over. You all can rest well, regain your spirits. Tomorrow, we will hold a grand feast to reward the entire army."
The Generals bowed and took their leave, immediately going to instruct the soldiers to rest well.
After dealing with this matter, Liu Jin also felt a bit tired. After a night of fighting, he had now stayed up until dawn.
He prepared to rest well in this military tent.