Chapter 217 Volume 2 Epilogue (1/2)
November 5th.
Huang Zhong got better after Tong gave him the necessary treatment. Today, he packed his belongings, getting ready to leave this city.
Liu Biao had kept his promise. All remaining Imperial soldiers retreated to the south via Pu Yang instead of going back to Henei. It seemed Liu Biao wanted to return to his Commandery instead of returning to the Capital.
As part of the hostage promise, Tong should release him once he confirmed that Liu Biao had withdrawn.
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During a few days as a hostage, Tong allowed Huang Zhong to roam free in his camp, which surprised him.
As a senior general in Liu Biao's personal army, he used this rare chance to scout Tong Army to learn how this army defeated the overwhelming forces of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun with fewer troops.
The discovery astonished him.
The stocks of crude oil, provisions, and weaponry. Everything was prepared and kept inside the walls.
Crude oil barrels and granaries should not be kept together as spies or random civilians could plot against the garrison army. Had someone ignite the black oil, Tong's provision, and supplies would be burnt to oblivion.
Secondly, this oil was a dangerous substance as it could burn for a very long time and it was difficult to extinguish. Once it caught fire, it guaranteed a massive fire outbreak. If the Imperial Army used a fire attack, Tong Army would have been finished.
'There are many weak points for keeping these many things together. No wonder Zhang Tong decided to kill all civilians to keep his troops safe from the unknown factors. It's too risky.'
Huang Zhong sighed. No matter who were to win in the end, it would always be the innocent civilians who would suffer from the war.
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The archer general returned to the camp to visit Tong one more time. He wanted to say goodbye and ask him a few more questions.
”My troops have withdrawn. Can I go now?”
Tong's face revealed a bitter smile as he predicted that Huang Zhong would not join his faction at this moment. His lord was still alive and kicking, and Huang Zhong family was still in Xiangyang after all.
”Sure. I'll have my men fetch you a horse and supplies for a month.”
”Thank you. Let's spar again in the future,” Huang Zhong bowed with respect. Though he refused Tong invitation to join his force, he was still impressed by Tong's strength and leadership in the army.
”Rather, let's not be enemies next time,” Tong jested.
Huang Zhong probed Tong, ”Lord Zhang, if you were in a similar situation like this war in the future, will you kill the civilians again?”
Tong raised his eyebrows and stared at the archer general as he realized that he was tested.
”No,” Tong answered without a hesitation which puzzled Huang Zhong.
'Is this young man a hypocrite or does he regret his action?' Huang Zhong thought.
Tong continued, ”By that time I experience this scenario again, I'll probably be stronger than this, and I'll definitely go after the commanders or the lords before the war even starts. You don't have to worry about it.”
Huang Zhong blinked for a few seconds before he laughed, ”Come to think of it, there was a weird night in our camp. There was a rumor about a ghost that killed one of our commanders, but I think it was the work of a man. Was it you?”
Tong shrugged, ”Maybe?”
Huang Zhong laughed again. He liked what Tong planned to do in the future and his fighting style as he also had a similar belief. Instead of using his soldiers to decide the battle, he would rather kill the commanders to end the conflicts as soon as possible to save the lives of his men and his enemies.
The general massaged his sides as the laugh hurt it, ”Well, I hope I don't have to fight you again. I don't want to die in my sleep.”
”When that time comes, you'd better join me. It would save me a lot of troubles.”
”Hahaha! I'll keep that in mind. But if you want me to serve you that much, by that time, you'd better be a righteous ruler.”
”I'll try.”
With a smile, Tong and Huang Zhong cupped their fist and bid farewell.
They understood it by their heart. Both Tong and Huang Zhong might part ways today, but in the future, they would cross paths again.
As Huang Zhong was leaving, Tong also released all of his prisoners to go along with the archer general. Having many people to spread rumors and news about this battle was a better choice than increasing his army by a few thousand with unloyal soldiers.
…
…
Tong and his surviving men marched back to Ye City and proceeding to Julu City in peace as it was already winter. Snow began covering the entire northern regions, and all warlords hibernated in their cities. No one with the right mind wanted to dispatch an army in this weather.
Out of the active 45,000 soldiers, twenty-five thousand of them stationed in Ye while the rest moved to Julu along with crippled soldiers.
Julu City was a perfect place for retirement as it was the most flourish city among Tong's affiliate cities. Therefore, the retired soldiers could enjoy their pensions and live peacefully with their families.
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Jia Xu tagged along with the young lord after Tong had returned to Ye City with the veterans. He did not want to get stuck in the city forever without his usual meals. He did not join Tong to enjoy the income, but for the daily mouth-watering food.
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Ju Shou and Zhang He were more diligence as they voluntarily stayed at Shangdang to maintain the order and stabilize the city.
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Julu Army, led by the housewives, Zhang Ji, and Zhang Xiu, returned to Julu earlier than Tong. They did not stop mid-way at Jinyang because Friday said that she detected Lu Bu's hostility and his glare toward her from a distance. Had she stayed in Jinyang for a few more days, she would have been forced to duel with Lu Bu.
Their 10,000 prisoners integrated into the city's army as usual.
The harvest that the two girls obtained was enough to make Li Feihong and Tong envious. Friday had over 1,500,000 lifespans from her life essence draining while Hua Shi had a bit over 120,000.
Friday donated a million of her lifespans into the pool and demanded Tong to compensate her at home until the New Year.
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