Chapter 384: Execution of Wang Fang

This was still without Yu Jin using his full strength; otherwise, Wang Fang would not have been able to withstand even a single blow from him.

These thoughts flashed through both their minds in an instant. After turning their horses around, the two clashed again in battle.

Yu Jin held back a bit of his strength, and after ten exchanges, he beheaded Wang Fang with a single strike.

"Good!"

Seeing Yu Jin emerge victorious, Cao Cao could not help but shout aloud.

"Mighty! Mighty!"

The army behind him also joined in, cheering for Yu Jin.

Unlike Cao Cao's side, which was filled with high morale, the soldiers who had followed Wang Fang out were now overcome with terror.

"Surrender and you shall not be killed!"

Seeing Wang Fang's head severed, Yu Jin hoisted it upon his long blade and shouted loudly at the soldiers of Heguan City.

At this moment, Cao Cao led his main force toward the city gates. Seeing this scene, the soldiers of Heguan City were scared out of their wits.

Many of the timid ones could no longer withstand the fear in their hearts; they dropped their weapons, knelt on the ground in terror, and kept shouting:

"Don't kill me, I am willing to surrender!"

Seeing that some had already begun to surrender, the others who were still hesitating looked at Cao Cao's rapidly approaching army and decided not to delay any longer, all choosing to surrender.

By the time Cao Cao arrived, all one thousand of them had already submitted.

Cao Cao waved his hand at the men behind him, and immediately a large number of soldiers stepped forward to surround them and confiscate their weapons.

"I congratulate you on choosing to surrender. Otherwise, daring to oppose the Imperial Court and His Majesty would only lead to death!"

After all the weapons were collected, Cao Cao stepped forward and shouted sternly at them.

"We are willing to surrender to His Majesty, we beg the General for leniency!"

Upon hearing this, the thousand soldiers of Wang Fang shouted respectfully and loudly at Cao Cao.

Seeing that they were sensible, Cao Cao did not continue to intimidate them. He nodded in satisfaction and gave a final warning:

"Go down now. Do not think of causing trouble, otherwise, my sword will show no mercy!"

Hearing this, the group responded in terror: "We dare not, please rest assured, General, we will absolutely not cause any trouble!"

"Take them away and guard them well. If anyone dares to stir up trouble, execute them without mercy!"

Cao Cao waved his hand at the soldiers surrounding them and said coldly.

Immediately, the Han soldiers led the group away.

Seeing that this was handled, Cao Cao shouted loudly at those on the city walls:

"Listen up, everyone in the city! Your commander Wang Fang is dead. If you do not surrender now, when will you?"

"As long as you open the gates and surrender, I promise that I will absolutely not harm you."

"We are all subjects of the Great Han. You were merely following orders. As long as you surrender, all past grievances will be wiped clean."

Cao Cao's voice was very loud, and most of the soldiers in the city heard him. They all began to look flustered.

"What should we do? Now that even General Wang has been beheaded, perhaps we should just surrender!"

At this moment, a timid soldier spoke up cautiously to the others.

Hearing this, many faces showed signs of being moved; this idea was excellent, and it coincided with their own thoughts.

"General Zuo, you are our main commander now. What do you say? Should we surrender?"

At this moment, someone looked at Wang Fang's deputy, Zuo Ling, and asked him.

Zuo Ling was one of the original colonels under Dong Zhuo. After Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, he was left in Longxi Commandery to assist Li Meng and the others.

After Liu Bian dispatched troops to Liangzhou, Li Meng transferred Wang Fang and Zuo Ling to Heguan City.

This was to prevent Han Sui in Jincheng Commandery to the north from defecting to Liu Bian and attacking Longxi Commandery.

Unexpectedly, Han Sui did not defect to Liu Bian, but instead opposed him.

Early on, they had hoped that both sides could cooperate and help each other.

They did not expect that by the time they found out, Han Sui had already been killed by Ma Teng and the others.

At the same time, Liu Bian also dispatched Cao Cao's army to fight them, and Jincheng had been occupied by Ma Teng.

Li Meng had not transferred Wang Fang and Zuo Ling, fearing that Ma Teng would turn his direction and attack Longxi.

Zuo Ling only possessed the strength of a third-rate martial general, but among Dong Zhuo's Xiliang Army, he was considered a figure of some standing.

As Wang Fang's deputy, now that Wang Fang was dead, he naturally became the highest-ranking person in Heguan City. These soldiers wanted to surrender, but they had to have his consent.

At this moment, Zuo Ling saw the gazes of the crowd converging on him. He felt a jolt, stepped forward, and said solemnly to the crowd:

"To be honest, I have long had the intention of submitting to the Imperial Court. It is just that General Wang Fang would not agree; he was the closest to General Li Meng."

"General Li Meng was killed by the Imperial Court, and he swore to avenge him. I could not persuade him otherwise."

"Now that General Wang Fang is dead, and we are all soldiers of the Great Han Empire, there is no need to oppose His Majesty."

Zuo Ling looked at the crowd with sincerity, expressing his thoughts.

He had never been very close to Li Meng or Wang Fang, and there was no need to throw his life away for them.

From the very beginning, he had not been optimistic about Li Meng and the others, feeling that opposing the orthodox Han ruler, Liu Bian, would certainly lead to failure.

He did not expect that in just over ten days, they would be defeated by Cao Cao's twenty thousand troops.

Moreover, the opponent had not suffered many losses. Just standing on the city wall and looking at Cao Cao's twenty thousand troops, who were filled with surging momentum, made one feel a sense of despair.

He did not know how Wang Fang had the courage to challenge them outside the city; he admired Wang Fang for that point.

However, the group of soldiers below, upon hearing that Zuo Ling also agreed to surrender, all cheered.

They shouted excitedly at Zuo Ling: "General is wise..."

To tell the truth, they were truly afraid that Zuo Ling would disagree; if that were the case, they would have had no choice but to tie him up and send him to Cao Cao.

After all, they would not throw away their lives for Zuo Ling.

And this was under such circumstances, resisting the Imperial Court's army; after death, they would be labeled as rebels.

They would have no face to face their ancestors in the underworld.

"Since we all agree to surrender, let us quickly open the gates and welcome the Imperial Court's army into the city!"

Seeing that everyone agreed to surrender, Zuo Ling did not hesitate and urged the crowd.

Since it was decided, they had to act quickly; Cao Cao and the others outside would not give them too much time.

If the opponent lost patience and ordered a forced assault on the city, they would be truly wronged.

"General Zuo is right. Let us quickly open the gates and welcome the Imperial Court's army!"

Saying this, everyone ran quickly from the city walls toward the gates.