"Marshal Anguo Hou has ordered the disarmament! Those who surrender will be treated kindly and spared death! Those who abandon darkness and embrace light will be rewarded!"
A group of Great Gan soldiers from afar shouted in unison, as if afraid the people in the military camp could not hear them.
The people in the military camp exchanged glances, their hearts filled with apprehension.
"General Yue Yun, can you go and ask first?" A soldier nearby couldn't help but plead.
Yue Yun readily agreed, leading a hundred generals and officers out of the military camp, disarming their armor on the spot, and requesting an audience with Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao led the generals to the front lines to meet them. He was surprised to find Yue Yun tall and imposing, with a distinguished bearing.
"Marquis Anguo, we... we request to surrender. We hope Marquis Anguo can show leniency and spare our tens of thousands of soldiers..."
Yue Yun and others knelt ten zhang away from Liang Xiao, kowtowing incessantly.
"Tens of thousands??" Liang Xiao exclaimed in surprise and walked towards Yue Yun.
"My Lord, be careful!" Liu Fan quickly stepped forward to dissuade him, fearing someone might hide hidden weapons to assassinate Liang Xiao at close range.
Liang Xiao merely waved his hand, signaling Liu Fan to stop. He then approached Yue Yun, helped him up, and gestured for the surrendered generals to rise as well.
"Not only will you be spared death, but you will also receive great rewards! Please elaborate on the situation here!"
Liang Xiao had noticed that Yue Yun's attire suggested he was merely a general of the vanguard, yet the higher-ranking officers around him all deferred to him, indicating his unusual significance.
Yue Yun vividly recounted the incident of the camp rout leading to the army's mutiny, deliberately omitting his own role.
"It was General Yue Yun who advised us to rebel against Helian Heng and defect to Marquis Anguo, to return to Great Gan!" The surrounding officers, unable to bear it any longer, chimed in.
Yue Yun shook his head. "Helian Heng is cruel to the people, and the soldiers are disaffected. The soldiers of Great Gan are righteous forces; this is not my doing!"
Liang Xiao simply ordered that new clothes be provided for these surrendered generals and then laughed heartily. "Killing Helian Heng is insignificant. It is a blessing for Xichuan and Great Gan to gain Yue Yun!"
The soldiers deeply agreed, their gazes towards Yue Yun filled with even greater respect.
To take the enemy army without shedding blood, and to persuade tens of thousands to surrender, also reduced casualties for their own soldiers.
Especially in a place like Sichuan, with its rugged terrain, warfare was more difficult and casualties were inevitably greater.
If these hundreds of thousands of soldiers were allowed to retreat to Jiange, the difficulty of conquering Jiange would increase manifold!
Helian Heng's army numbered one hundred and ten thousand, while the Huichun Sect and the Sun Moon Army combined totaled sixty thousand.
Now, the soldiers who voluntarily surrendered might exceed sixty thousand, adding to the previous thirty thousand who had surrendered, making a total of ninety thousand troops recovered.
Even if these surrendered soldiers could not be deployed in battle, they could later return to their homes or serve as local guards.
"As a defeated general, I am unworthy!" Yue Yun said humbly.
Liang Xiao was in high spirits and couldn't help but pat Yue Yun on the shoulder, requesting, "Please trouble yourselves to inform the soldiers that the Great Gan army accepts their surrender. However, to avoid further complications, all soldiers will temporarily disarm and be escorted back to Nanzheng for supervision. Rest assured, no one will be mistreated, and their daily rations will be the same as those of the Nanzheng and Hanzhong garrison troops."
"Furthermore, General Nan will lead ten thousand cavalry to pursue the remnants of the enemy!"
Among the surrendered soldiers were over ten thousand from the Huichun Sect and the Sun Moon Army, as well as some of Helian Heng's soldiers who had rebelled on impulse and might now regret it.
Surrender was a good thing, but Liang Xiao did not dare to casually re-arm them and integrate them into his elite troops.
"Marquis Anguo's considerations are thorough; we shall cooperate with all our might!" Yue Yun solemnly agreed.
Nan Jiyun led his troops in pursuit. After Yue Yun returned to inform the generals, the soldiers around Liang Xiao couldn't help but praise, "To subdue the enemy without fighting, the Marshal is truly a master of warfare!"
As the art of war states: First, make yourself invincible, then wait for the enemy's vulnerability.
Liang Xiao first ensured that the Great Gan army was in an unassailable position before seeking opportunities to defeat the enemy.
If Liang Xiao had relentlessly slaughtered the enemy previously, without intending to accept surrenders, the current favorable situation would not have occurred!
Adding the thirty thousand captured, Liang Xiao had accepted surrenders from over ninety thousand, which was sufficient to account for to the entire nation's military and civilians!
Upon hearing that Liang Xiao had accepted surrenders from over sixty thousand, every soldier rejoiced.
While achieving great deeds was important, fratricide was also a tragedy. Moreover, persuading so many Xichuan generals to surrender was as meritorious as directly killing enemies, and it involved lower risk!
Liang Xiao merely smiled, ordered the army to rest in place, and prepared to advance towards Jiange.
He had already foreseen that persuading these ninety thousand soldiers to surrender would be a great encouragement to the common people nationwide, and would also make them understand.
The Great Gan army was a righteous force, not one that only engaged in slaughter!
In the future, if anyone else in the country rebelled like Helian Heng, they could use this as an example to persuade the subordinates of the rebels to surrender.
Ancient carrier pigeons could not achieve mutual communication; they could only return unilaterally, and it was necessary to ensure that the pigeons had a home to return to.
For example, if carrier pigeons strictly adhered to monogamy, only one of them would be taken out, and only this one could return home.
Solitary pigeons generally could not reach their destination.
Therefore, when the army was out or stationed in a different city, one pigeon would be taken from its family at the breeding grounds, and another from its family in the city. Important messages would then be sent via carrier pigeon.
The carrier pigeon communication in Liang Xiao's army could send messages back to the capital. However, if messages from the capital were sent via carrier pigeon, they could at most reach Hanzhong first, and then Hanzhong would dispatch someone to transmit the message to Liang Xiao's army.
After the successful surrender, Liang Xiao submitted a memorial to the imperial court overnight, sending news of the victory back to the capital via carrier pigeon, and also dispatched riders to hasten back to the Hanzhong area with the good news.
A total of thirteen thousand five hundred surrendered soldiers were divided into two groups by Liang Xiao.
Those who surrendered on the battlefield were considered prisoners of war and had to be strictly guarded to prevent any incidents.
Those who voluntarily surrendered were considered surrendered soldiers. After disarming, they actively cooperated with the guards, and should be rewarded after the army's triumphant return. 138 Reading Network
Several hours later, Nan Jiyun returned with a grim expression to report.
"Marshal, a mountain fire is blocking our path. We were unable to extinguish the fire and were forced to return to camp!"
Liang Xiao immediately ordered, "It must be the enemy who set the fire. Rest for a moment, send men to extinguish the fire, and continue the pursuit!"
One day later, the military and civilians of Hanzhong received the good news from the front lines, and everyone rejoiced, beating gongs and drums in celebration.
After making proper arrangements for the surrendered soldiers, Liang Xiao led his army to Jiange.
Yue Yun also accompanied the army. Relying on his familiarity with the roads in the Jiange area, along with some surrendered soldiers acting as guides, he accelerated the march.
On the way, Liang Xiao finally received an urgent report from Hanzhong.
"Those noble clans have all fled?" Everyone was both angry and anxious.
Thousands of people nationwide would likely be incited, and would gradually resign and flee, leaving Great Gan with a mess!
Liang Xiao merely grinned. "If they don't run and refuse to repent sincerely, they will only be waiting for death if they stay. Do not worry, there are many talented individuals in various regions waiting to replace them!"
Only then did everyone feel at ease.
Only Liang Xiao sighed inwardly.
These noble clans clearly intended to take advantage of his absence from the capital and Xiao Qing's preoccupation with "treating leprosy" to deal a fatal blow to Great Gan while they fled.
Replacement was not that simple; it could not be entirely without consequence.
However, this was the most acceptable outcome for Great Gan at present, and eradicating these tumors early was also a good thing.
Liang Xiao's troops were still on their way to Jiange when the capital finally received the carrier pigeon message.
"Marquis Anguo led his troops to pacify Xichuan, defeating Helian Heng, the Huichun Sect, the Sun Moon Army, and other rebels at Dingjun Mountain South, capturing thirty thousand and persuading sixty thousand to surrender!!"