Author: Traveling from the South

The Demon-Subduing Army's crude and simple arrow formation is truly unstoppable.

In just half an hour, they fought from start to finish, forcing the large formation of county soldiers to retreat three steps.

When the frontier troops came to their senses and reorganized their formation, the Po army reversed course and fought from the end to the end.

The border troops that the imperial court relied on as the backbone of its military strength were killed by less than half of the demon-suppressing army at a leisurely pace. It was an exaggeration.

At a cursory glance, there are very few black armor demon-slayers who left corpses behind.

Likewise, when it comes to casualties, the frontier troops may not have suffered many casualties, but their previous desire to win has been completely wiped out.

With two thousand demons, you can come when you want, leave when you want, no need to fight.

A brave general among the 5,000 frontier troops would seem to be unusual in the Demon-Subduing Army. Bravery is the most indispensable thing for every Demon-Subduing Army soldier.

The two warring parties returned to their initial positions and reorganized their ranks. The demon-subduing army remained silent, exerting heavy and silent pressure.

However, the frontier troops no longer had the energy and spirit they had before. Their military spirit was shattered from the front, and their morale plummeted.

In front of the demon-subduing army, they could no longer lift their swords.

Looking carefully at the front row soldiers, their eyes are full of fear. This is the gap caused by pure force.

The two thousand cavalrymen hiding on one side, waiting for an opportunity, were at a loss. They didn't even realize what was happening.

The people we just fought were fellow frontier soldiers who had known each other day and night, fought bloody battles on the Great Wall, and killed countless enemies?

How can a mere two thousand infantry and soldiers be so strong?

Timing, timing, the cavalry had no time to fight.

The results were so devastating that the same number of cavalrymen did not dare to attack the infantry for a while.

The senior officials of Longbei City saw the disparity in strength and immediately ordered their troops to retreat.

Lou Jinpeng, who commanded the front line, did not think about entanglement. He ordered the wounded to be collected and evacuated safely. In his eyes, these frontier troops would soon become the Anbei Army, so there was no need to cause more innocent killings.

After a head-on battle, Longbei City's large and small forces recognized the gap in strength and no longer thought about holding on.

That night, many mansions in the city were brightly lit, and there was an endless stream of messengers coming and going, all making plans for the next step.

There were endless debates over the affairs of the county government, and there had to be an explanation for the surrender in order to gain more benefits.

Early the next morning, the Longbeicheng messenger asked to see Zhou Bai and handed over the terms of surrender.

However, Zhou Bai only took a few glances and then served tea to see the guests off. It was true that he had not yet fully understood the situation.

The conditions proposed are: each family is allowed to retain its own soldiers, and the governor cannot forcibly dismantle them afterwards.

What a family soldier, the purpose is to retain the border troops and become actual warlords under the governor's government.

In addition, the Ning family asked for the title of governor of the border town, the Wang family asked for a title, and promised to give priority to the children of each family to serve as officials, etc.

Of course, Zhou Bai would not agree to any of the various conditions here. Of course, in the eyes of Longbei City's senior officials, the conditions were not just for negotiation.

So messengers came one after another, but they were not received even once, and the Anbei Army was openly assembling various siege equipment outside the city.

Cloud ladders, battering rams, lookout cars, counterweight trebuchets, earth platforms that get higher and higher, etc.

Obviously, the Anbei Army was preparing for a strong attack.

Longbeicheng suddenly exploded. If they really wanted to defend it, they would definitely not be able to defend it.

After some discussion, the conditions were significantly reduced, and the Lord recommended that the Lord surrender and send Zhu Weng, the prefect of the county, as a messenger.

This time Zhou Bai met with Zhu Weng, but he still did not give in, and did not even read the new surrender terms, but re-emphasized the time.

Zhu Weng was over fifty, his official robes were clean, and his seemingly cloudy eyes contained profound wisdom.

A character who can maintain the balance of all parties and prevent civil war in the county even after the county governor has abandoned his official position cannot be a mediocre person.

Therefore, Zhou Bai was also willing to show some respect and listen to him say a few more words.

"Captain, can you grant me some more time? There are a few people in the city who have been hiding in this corner for too long and are very stubborn about not letting go of their power. I'm afraid I won't be able to convince them in three days." Zhu Weng lowered his stance and said

Like a true minister of the Anbei Governor's Mansion.

Zhou Bai shook his head slightly: "Don't make a mistake, yesterday and today are two days, and we will attack the city on time the day after tomorrow."

"If you surrender before attacking the city, I will still grant you second-class treatment. If you surrender after you actually take action, you may not be granted third-class treatment."

Zhu Weng saw Zhou Bai's action of serving tea, and the words he wanted to plead came to his lips, but he was forced to swallow them back.

Before leaving, he also suggested: "The lower officials will do their best to lobby, and the governor may divide his troops to seize the Great Wall and put more pressure on the city."

After Zhu Weng left, the accompanying staff officer asked curiously: "Is it possible that he is deliberately testing to know that you have divided your troops to capture the Great Wall?"

Zhou Bai shook his head and laughed: "Hahaha, he is just a person who knows the current affairs. But to put it simply, there are a few people in Longbei City who know the current affairs."

After leaving Baishazhou and capturing Hougang City, the Anbei Army sent messengers to convey the surrender decree to the counties in Biancheng County.

Those who surrender before the king's army arrives can enjoy first-class treatment; those who delay and neglect to surrender when approaching the city can enjoy second-class treatment; those who siege the city and resist, causing a large number of casualties, and surrender as a last resort can only enjoy third-class treatment.

.

As for the kind of people who are thrown at the neck with a knife after the city is broken, they are naturally killed when they deserve it, and there is no need to talk about treatment.

The third-class treatment in the surrender decree was written very broadly, leaving ample room for interpretation.

Currently, first-class treatment can ensure prosperity and wealth. Not only will you not lose your original social status, you may also receive rewards and promotions.

No casualties were caused to the King's division, just a slight delay and indolence. Surrendering at this time is second-class treatment.

After surrendering, the official position and power you can obtain will all depend on your previous performance, and you will usually follow the normal process.

For example, some demoted officials in Ruinan County, but those who are willing to continue their loyalty must pass the study assessment.

The third-class treatment basically means saving one's life, being relegated to civilian status, forced labor reform, and possible imprisonment.

The description of the third-class treatment in the Surrender Decree is relatively broad. Zhou Bai still has considerable autonomy and does not have to worry about being said to be dishonest.

On August 28, the third day after the Anbei army arrived at the city, news came one after another into Longbei City.

Because Zhou Bai did not order the siege at all, he naturally did not intercept the messengers everywhere.

The remaining three counties that lost news have confirmed their surrender and are currently under the control of the Anbei Governor's Office, with officials and militia basically in place.

Before all parties could come to a conclusion, bad news came from the Great Wall, which was only a hundred miles away from Longbei City. Important nodes on the Great Wall had too few troops and were now lost.

There are actually more than 10,000 troops on the border Great Wall, but more troops and elite border troops have been transferred to the county and the city. The remaining troops cannot stop the joint efforts of He Zhiwu and Chu Kai.

How can the senior officials of Longbei City withstand the huge pressure brought by Zhou Bai? They cannot hesitate to divide the third-class treatment.

That night, internal fighting broke out in the city, and the last few die-hard forces were jointly purged.

In the early morning of August 29th, the gates of Longbei City were opened, and the unconditional dedication of the city was announced.

Zhu Weng, the county magistrate, took the lead, with Ning Cheng, Wang Yi and other powerful figures behind them, and they went out of the city in an orderly manner to ask for surrender.

Important items such as official seals, tiger talismans, yellow books, account books, and treasury keys were presented one by one, and Zhou Bai formally accepted the surrender of Longbeicheng's forces.

Then the army moved in, took over the city gates, military camps, and confiscated the defenders' armor and equipment.

At this point, just before September and autumn, Zhou Bai completed the unification of Biancheng County.

On September 3rd, the Longbeicheng County Government held a county court, and the Governor of Anbei formally summoned officials and powerful representatives from the border towns.

All officials of the eighth rank or above and powerful men with local family status are eligible, or in other words must, enter the court.

At the county court, Zhu Weng, the county magistrate, first reported on the family fortune of the border city county. After several years of natural disasters and famine, he wanted to see if the treasury was empty.

"The whole county has a total of 490,000 acres of upper fields. In the middle fields... there are three open-pit iron mines and two copper mines... There are 35,000 county soldiers in each county and more than 9,800 frontier troops...

There are 279,000 taels of silver, 17,000 taels of gold, various jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, and precious items at a discount of 150,000 taels... The existing summer grain can supply more than 500,000 people in the county for March..."

After listening to the overall report, not only the local officials were shocked, but even the governor's officials could not understand it.

This family's wealth is not much worse than that of Ruinan County. Who said Biancheng County is poor!

As the governor of the Anbei Governor's Office, Zhou Bai had a strong idea about this. The family wealth in Biancheng County was far inferior to that of Bei'an and Ruinan, but it was indeed not weak.

In terms of food alone, unlike the expected need for blood transfusions in Bei'an, maintaining basic operations until the autumn harvest is no problem.

The root of all this "wealth" lies in the fact that on the day Zhou Bai entered the city, the treasury report was empty.

Since the tribes in Longbei didn't give him face, he would be merciless.

The Ning and Wang families handed over 90% of their wealth, and the remaining seven county tycoons handed over 80%. However, if there were any resisters, they were inspected by the Xuanyi Guards and their homes were confiscated!

For a time, the city was agitated several times, with fighting and suppression...

Hence the abundant treasury displayed by the county court today.

After the overall situation was reported, Secretary Lang Zhao Xi, who came with the army, followed Zhou Bai's order and announced the next political structure of Biancheng County.

In other words, the handling of the original officials and powerful forces in counties and counties can be said to be a life-or-death moment.

The old god Zhu Weng, the county magistrate, was present, and Ning Zhuo looked calm, while Ning Cheng, Wang Yi and others were uneasy and looked sad.

"The Ning family, the Wang family, the Zhao family, the Li family and other eight families were ordered to move to Baishazhou and build a city and garrison... Qi Hua was granted the title of governor of the Border City County, Zhu Weng was appointed the county magistrate, Ning Zhuo was appointed the county magistrate of Bei'an County, and Wang Yi

Working for the Governor's Office of Ceremony..."
Chapter completed!