sovbooks Chapter 32 Calling a Deer a Horse
Chapter 32 Calling a Deer a Horse
Zang Ba never dreamed that Yuan Tan would send troops out of nowhere and capture Langya City in just one day, a city that Lu Bu had spent months trying to conquer.
And they even wiped out the entire group of Taishan bandit leaders!
Seriously, do they even have any sense of martial ethics?!
Zang Ba gazed at the brightly armored Qingzhou army before him, then at his panicked subordinates beside him.
His expression shifted several times, and finally he sighed deeply, pushed aside the table, knelt on one knee, and said:
"I am willing to surrender! We made a previous agreement that whoever could repel Lü Bu would surrender the entire city. Since Lü Bu's defeat, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the royal army. Your arrival today fulfills my wish."
Yuan Tan sneered inwardly.
Zang Ba is quite the smooth talker. If I hadn't put a knife to your throat, would you have surrendered?
He surrendered so readily now, I'm afraid he'll rebel as soon as I leave!
However, as the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Since Zang Ba is quite sensible, one certainly cannot make things too difficult for him.
He stepped forward and personally helped Zang Ba up:
"General Xuan Gao is a man of great righteousness, and Tan is deeply grateful."
That night, Yuan Tan left all the generals of the Taishan bandits in the prefect's mansion, registered their names, disarmed them, and ordered them to be strictly guarded.
In addition, elite troops were dispatched with Zang Ba's order to take over the defense of the entire Langya city.
The generals imprisoned in the prefect's mansion were so anxious that their hair turned white overnight. They clung to Zang Ba, clamoring for him to make a decision.
Left with no other option, Zang Ba could only offer words of comfort:
"Gentlemen, our bandits from Mount Tai are numerous and powerful. Yuan Tan certainly wouldn't dare to kill us. In a few days, he might just release us."
"Once we escape Langya, we can once again roam the mountains and forests, and rise again. It won't be too late."
……
The next day at noon,
Yuan Tan slept soundly for a while before, together with Guo Jia and Xin Pi, he held a grand banquet at the prefect's mansion.
However, the position of head of the household has now been taken by Yuan Tan.
Zang Ba and the generals of the Taishan Army sat below, their eyes dark with anxiety.
After several rounds of drinks, Yuan Tan suddenly raised his cup and stood up, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Zang Ba:
"General Xuan Gao and all the others have abandoned the darkness and embraced the light, helping me to stabilize Langya. I will forever remember this merit! However..."
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming serious:
"But in this chaotic world, soldiers are exhausted and generals are weary. How can we contend for supremacy? Rewards and punishments are unclear. How can we rally the troops? I observe that the army still suffers from old malpractices, like a festering sore that can only be cured with strong medicine!"
"I have heard that there are still many people in your army who are robbing the people and causing havoc in the area. So today, I will get rid of this cancer for you."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he gave an order, commanding his soldiers to bring over several civilians from Langya City to identify the person who was exploiting them in the hall.
The Taishan bandit leaders present were all covered in cold sweat.
We thieves, what hands are truly clean?
Is Yuan Tan planning some kind of trap, a Feast at Hongmen, to slaughter all of us?
Didn't Chief Zang say that Yuan Tan wouldn't dare kill them?
Just when everyone was at a loss, several people from Langya entered the prefect's mansion with trepidation.
Upon hearing that Yuan Tan wanted them to identify the villains and rid the people of this scourge, they were so frightened that they immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying they dared not.
"No...no..."
These bandits from Mount Tai have been entrenched in Langya for many years; who would dare to mess with them?
Today, you, Yuan Tan, come here to put on a show, kill a few people as a warning to others, and then leave without a trace.
Wouldn't the heads of these few people I identified be about to be taken away?
Those bandit leaders from Mount Tai also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they had been powerful enough in the past, otherwise they would have been killed by Yuan Tan today.
Hehe, they were trying to take our heads by any means necessary, but now they can't stop themselves, can they?
But their joy was short-lived, for Yuan Tan suddenly shouted:
"Did you hear that? The villagers all said those villains are surnamed Mei. Men, arrest all the people here with the surname Mei!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than soldiers stepped forward, grabbing people from the roster registered the previous day.
On the spot, twelve generals were dragged out of the hall and beheaded.
Everyone was stunned when they saw it.
They clearly said no, not that their surname is Mei!
The people kneeling on the ground were trembling, and quickly shouted again:
"No...no..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Tan immediately interrupted, shouting:
"Did you hear that? Our fellow villager has identified him again. This guy surnamed Bu is also a villain. Men, arrest him!"
Immediately, another group of armored soldiers stepped forward, holding a roster, and pointed out five more generals. They dragged them outside the hall, and with a swift stroke of their swords, their heads fell to the ground.
Everyone was so frightened that their faces turned pale.
Okay, okay, is this how you play it?
The generals of these Taishan bandits understood that Yuan Tan was making an example of them.
At this point, no matter what words those common people uttered, someone would have to lose their head.
Zang Ba, Chang Xi, and the others secretly felt lucky, thinking that with their surname, it was impossible for it to happen to them.
The people kneeling on the ground didn't even dare to speak.
He looked at Yuan Tan tremblingly, his eyes full of pleading.
Seeing this, the bandits of Mount Tai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Now you can't find a reason to kill someone, can you?
To everyone's surprise, Yuan Tan didn't play by the rules at all. He followed the gaze of the people, then turned around on the spot, staring at a general behind him and revealing a row of menacing teeth.
"Hehe, Uncle Chang, right? It's your turn!"
Chang Xi was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground. He immediately recognized Yuan Tan as the young officer he had extorted from the day before.
You should have just said you were going to kill me.
I should just commit suicide!
You made such a huge plate of dumplings just to kill me!
He was then dragged out of the hall and chopped up right outside.
The remaining Taishan bandit leaders inside the hall were all terrified out of their wits.
Those who speak out will also face death.
Looking at someone with your eyes will also lead to death.
Just say whatever you want!
Are we all going to die here today?
However, even if you kill us all, those tens of thousands of Taishan bandits will get out of control, plunging Qingzhou into complete turmoil!
Fortunately, just when everyone thought they would have no chance of leaving this place, things were looking up.
Yuan Tan finally helped the kneeling people to their feet, dusted them off, and said:
"Thank you for pointing them out, folks. You've rid the Taishan Army of several scourges. Men, give these folks a few ingots of silver and send them back!"
The villagers were on the verge of tears, but when the silver was handed to them, they felt it was burning hot.
But they dared not utter a word of thanks, fearing that if they said a few more words, someone else would lose their head.
After seeing off a few civilians, Yuan Tan returned to his seat and said with a smile:
"Those executed today are all black sheep, scourges of the army! Since you remain here, you are my subordinates, Yuan Xiansi! Your past transgressions will be forgiven!"
He abruptly changed the subject, his voice rising abruptly.
"But from this day forward, you must strictly abide by our military discipline! Merit will be rewarded, and wrongdoing will be punished without exception!"
"However, you can rest assured. I, Yuan Xiansi, never appoint people based on personal connections when leading troops. As long as you have outstanding military achievements, you will not have to worry about not having the opportunity for promotion."
"From this day forth, under my command, the Qin military meritocracy will be reinstated! For every head taken, a reward of a thousand coins will be given, and the rank of a first-class noble will be bestowed! Regardless of background, only merit will be selected! I, Yuan Xiansi, hereby swear that I will never break my word!"