Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 711 Killing
In the turbulent times, Dong Zhuo occupied Chang'an and was cruel and merciless, causing the people to live in misery and the decline of the Han Dynasty. Jia Changsheng knew that if he wanted to achieve his ambition of unifying the world and saving the people from danger, defeating Dong Zhuo was a key step that could not be avoided. He carefully selected 100,000 elite troops and embarked on a journey to Chang'an.

On the day of the expedition, the sun shone on the earth, reflecting the determined faces of the soldiers. Jia Changsheng, wearing a black cloak, a silver helmet on his head, holding a long sword, stood on the stage, looking at the neatly arranged army below. "Soldiers! Today, we shoulder the hopes of the people of the world and march towards Dong Zhuo, who has brought chaos to Chang'an! Dong Zhuo is cruel and unjust, causing the people to be displaced and the Han Dynasty to be in ruins. We must use the sharp sword in our hands to seek justice for the people of the world and give the people peace!" His voice was passionate and powerful, echoing in the empty parade ground.

"Fight the enemy for the whole world! Work for the benefit of the people!" The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking all around and their morale high.

The army set out in a mighty procession, raising a cloud of dust. Jia Changsheng rode a tall red warhorse and walked at the front of the team. Beside him were Zhang Liao, Xu Huang and other fierce generals, who looked serious and were always alert to the movements around them.

During the march, Jia Changsheng learned that Dong Zhuo had taken precautions and set up many checkpoints on the main roads leading to Chang'an. He frowned and thought for a moment before saying to Zhang Liao, "Wenyuan, Dong Zhuo wants to use the terrain to stop us. We can't attack rashly, we need to come up with a plan."

Zhang Liao nodded and said, "My Lord, you are right. I think we can send a small force to test the enemy first, find out their deployment and defensive weaknesses, and then make a decision."

Jia Changsheng adopted Zhang Liao's suggestion and sent out a vanguard of 500 elite cavalrymen. This unit quietly approached the checkpoint and launched a surprise attack. Seeing this, Dong Zhuo's troops at the checkpoint immediately beat the war drums and prepared to fight. For a while, the shouts of killing shook the sky, and the two sides launched a fierce battle.

The general of the vanguard found that the enemy troops at the pass were numerous and well-defended, so a frontal attack would be ineffective. He decisively ordered a retreat, luring the enemy troops out of the pass to pursue. Seeing the vanguard retreat, Dong Zhuo's army thought it was an opportunity, so they opened the pass and sent a cavalry unit of 1,000 people to pursue.

Jia Changsheng had already set up an ambush in the distance. When he saw the enemy army chasing after them, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Dong Zhuo's army has really fallen into the trap. Wenyuan, give the order to attack!"

Zhang Liao waved his spear and shouted, "Kill!" The soldiers who had been lying in ambush rushed out from both sides like tigers descending from the mountains, surrounding the pursuing Dong Zhuo army. Dong Zhuo's army was immediately thrown into chaos, and the soldiers fled in panic. After a fierce battle, the pursuing Dong Zhuo army was completely wiped out.

After the victory in the first battle, Jia Changsheng's army continued to advance. When they came to a valley, a scout came to report: "My lord, the valley ahead is narrow, and the mountains on both sides are steep. Dong Zhuo's army has set up an ambush in the valley."

Jia Changsheng looked up at the valley, thinking about countermeasures. Xu Huang stepped forward and said, "My lord, the terrain of this valley is not favorable to us. If we rush in, we may be ambushed by the enemy. We can first send archers to shoot into the valley to test the enemy's position, and then use catapults to attack."

Jia Changsheng nodded in agreement: "Gong Ming is right. Pass the order down, archers ready, catapults in position."

Following Jia Changsheng's order, the soldiers moved quickly. Archers stood at the entrance of the valley and shot rows of sharp arrows into the valley. The ambush soldiers of Dong Zhuo's army in the valley were hit by the sharp arrows and screamed. They thought that Jia Changsheng's army had entered the valley, so they jumped out from their hiding places and prepared to launch an attack.

At this time, Jia Changsheng ordered: "Catapults, fire!" Dozens of catapults fired at the same time, and huge stones fell into the valley like raindrops. Dong Zhuo's ambush soldiers were killed and injured by the stones, and the valley was in chaos.

Jia Changsheng seized the opportunity and led his army into the valley. The soldiers brandished their weapons and fought fiercely with Dong Zhuo's army. Although Dong Zhuo's army fought hard, they gradually couldn't resist under the fierce attack of Jia Changsheng's army and surrendered one after another.

After several days of marching and fighting, Jia Changsheng's army finally arrived at the gates of Chang'an. Dong Zhuo learned that Jia Changsheng's army was coming and personally led his army out of the city to fight. He rode a black horse, wore black armor, held a long halberd, and stood majestically in front of the battle.

"Jia Changsheng, you dare to lead your army to attack Chang'an. Today is the day you die!" Dong Zhuo roared loudly.

Jia Changsheng was not afraid at all. He rode forward and shouted, "Dong Zhuo, you have brought disaster to the world and committed serious crimes. Today is your end!"

The armies of both sides quickly deployed their troops, and a great battle was about to break out. Jia Changsheng was the first to give the order: "Attack!" The soldiers rushed towards Dong Zhuo's army like a tide. Dong Zhuo's army was not to be outdone, and they waved their weapons to meet Jia Changsheng's army.

On the battlefield, swords flashed and blood flew everywhere. Jia Changsheng's army fought bravely. They held in their hearts hatred for Dong Zhuo and responsibility for the people of the world, and never backed down. Although Dong Zhuo's army was large in number, it gradually fell into trouble under the fierce attack of Jia Changsheng's army.

As the battle entered a fierce stage, Jia Changsheng saw Dong Zhuo commanding in the battle formation, and his heart moved. He said to Zhang Liao and Xu Huang: "Wenyuan, Gongming, let's rush over together and capture Dong Zhuo!" Zhang Liao and Xu Huang nodded and accepted the order. The three of them took the lead and led an elite force to rush towards Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo was shocked when he saw Jia Changsheng and others rushing towards him. He quickly commanded the soldiers around him to resist, but Jia Changsheng and others were unstoppable and soon broke through Dong Zhuo's defense line and came to Dong Zhuo.

"Dong Zhuo, prepare to die!" Jia Changsheng shouted, wielding his sword and stabbing at Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo quickly used his halberd to block, but Jia Changsheng's attack was as fierce as a storm, and he gradually couldn't resist it.

At this time, Zhang Liao and Xu Huang also rushed up, and the three of them joined forces to besiege Dong Zhuo. Although Dong Zhuo was brave, he gradually lost his strength under the siege of the three. Finally, Jia Changsheng seized the opportunity and stabbed Dong Zhuo in the chest with a sword. Dong Zhuo screamed and fell to the ground.

After Dong Zhuo's death, Dong Zhuo's army was in chaos. Soldiers laid down their weapons, surrendered, and fled. Jia Changsheng's army successfully occupied Chang'an.

In Chang'an, the people heard that Dong Zhuo was dead, and they came out of their homes and cheered. They welcomed Jia Changsheng's army and thanked him for getting rid of this scourge for them. Jia Changsheng looked at the smiling faces of the people in the city, and his heart was filled with emotion. He knew that this was only the first step in his unification of the world, and there was still a long way to go in the future, but he firmly believed that as long as he and his soldiers worked together, they would be able to realize the dream of unifying the world and letting the people live and work in peace.

When Jia Changsheng led an army of 100,000 into Chang'an, he felt mixed emotions as he looked at the devastated city. This once glorious capital was already riddled with holes under Dong Zhuo's brutal rule. Although Dong Zhuo is dead now, his old forces are still entrenched. If he cannot properly handle them, Chang'an will still fall into turmoil, and his grand plan will be hindered. Therefore, an action to win over the hearts and minds of Dong Zhuo's people and military power slowly began under Jia Changsheng's careful planning.

Jia Changsheng knew that in order to win over Dong Zhuo's former subordinates, he had to appease the people first. He issued a series of decrees, ordering the opening of granaries to release grain to provide relief to the people who were displaced in the war. Soldiers distributed bags of food to the hungry people, and the streets and alleys of Chang'an gradually came to life. Jia Changsheng also personally toured the city, comforted the injured people, and understood their sufferings. His people-friendly behavior made the people feel the long-lost warmth and developed a little goodwill towards the new ruler.

While handling government affairs, Jia Changsheng did not forget to appease Dong Zhuo's former subordinates. He summoned officials and generals in the city and delivered an impassioned speech in the meeting hall of Chang'an: "Everyone, Dong Zhuo's perverse actions have caused chaos in the world and the people have suffered. Now he has been executed and deserves his crime. But I, Jia Changsheng, came to Chang'an today not to be an enemy of you, but to end this chaotic world and return peace and prosperity to the people. You all joined the army for a living, and I understand your helplessness. As long as you are willing to lay down your weapons and submit to me, I will forgive the past and give you a chance to start over." Jia Changsheng's words were loud and resounding in the meeting hall. After hearing this, many generals of Dong Zhuo's former subordinates could not help but feel a little disturbed.

Jia Changsheng knew that it was not enough to just appease Dong Zhuo with words, and he needed to take practical actions to divide and disintegrate the power of Dong Zhuo's former subordinates. He secretly sent people to investigate the internal situation of Dong Zhuo's former subordinates and found that some of them were not of the same mind as Dong Zhuo, but only served him because of the situation. Jia Changsheng decided to start with these generals and instigate rebellion.

He found a general named Xu Rong, who was a fierce general under Dong Zhuo and had made many military achievements. But he was upright and had long been dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo's brutal behavior. Jia Changsheng personally went to Xu Rong's mansion and had a long talk with him. "General Xu, you are a famous general in the world, but it is a pity that your martial arts were used by Dong Zhuo. Now that Dong Zhuo is dead, if you continue to follow his old subordinates and become my enemy, you will not only become the public enemy of the world, but also ruin your future. I, Jia Changsheng, am eager to recruit talents. I hope you can join my camp and work together for the welfare of the people of the world." Jia Changsheng said sincerely.

Xu Rong looked at the young ruler in front of him, hesitant. He knew Jia Changsheng's strength, but he was worried that he would be discriminated against if he surrendered to him. Jia Changsheng seemed to see through his thoughts and continued, "General Xu, you don't have to worry. I, Jia Changsheng, have always treated people with integrity. As long as you are willing to surrender, I will definitely use you and let you display your talents under my command." Xu Rong was moved by Jia Changsheng's sincerity and finally decided to surrender to him.

Xu Rong's surrender caused a great shock among Dong Zhuo's former subordinates. Many generals began to waver when they saw that Xu Rong was highly valued by Jia Changsheng and was well treated. Jia Changsheng took the opportunity to increase his efforts to instigate rebellion and sent more envoys to the various generals' garrisons to persuade them to surrender. Under Jia Changsheng's combination of kindness and power, more and more generals of Dong Zhuo's former subordinates chose to surrender to him.

As more and more of Dong Zhuo's former generals surrendered, Jia Changsheng began to organize a new army to control the military power in Chang'an. He reorganized the surrendered generals and soldiers and made reasonable arrangements according to their abilities and specialties. At the same time, he also selected a group of elite soldiers from his own army of 100,000 and mixed them with Dong Zhuo's former soldiers for better management and training.

During the training process, Jia Changsheng personally formulated a strict training plan, focusing on cultivating the soldiers' discipline and combat capabilities. He also invited some experienced generals to serve as instructors to teach the soldiers advanced tactics and martial arts. After a period of training, the newly formed army had a brand new look and its combat effectiveness was significantly improved.

In order to further control the military power, Jia Changsheng also established a complete military management system. He set up a special military agency to be responsible for the dispatch, supply, rewards and punishments of the army. At the same time, he also strengthened the supervision of the army to prevent the generals from holding their own troops and threatening his rule.
Jia Changsheng knew that to consolidate his rule in Chang'an, he needed the support of talents. In addition to making use of the generals who surrendered, he also widely recruited talents from all over the world to serve him. He set up a talent recruitment hall in Chang'an and issued a talent recruitment order, which attracted many knowledgeable people to come and join him.

Among the many talented people who defected, two counselors caught Jia Changsheng's attention, they were Li Ru and Jia Xu. Li Ru was Dong Zhuo's chief counselor, he was very wise and planned many major events; Jia Xu was a resourceful counselor, although he was not reused when he was under Dong Zhuo, his talents were obvious to all. Jia Changsheng knew the value of these two counselors, he met them in person and expressed his sincerity to them. "Gentlemen, you are both geniuses of the time. I, Jia Changsheng, am eager to recruit talents. I hope you can join my camp and give me advice. I believe that with your help, I will be able to achieve the great cause of unifying the world."

Li Ru and Jia Xu were moved by Jia Changsheng's sincerity. They saw Jia Changsheng's great talent and ambition and decided to join him. Under Jia Changsheng's command, Li Ru and Jia Xu gave full play to their talents, gave him advice and solved many problems. Their joining further strengthened Jia Changsheng's power and provided strong support for him to consolidate his rule in Chang'an.

After a period of hard work, Jia Changsheng successfully won the hearts and minds of the people and military power under Dong Zhuo, and the situation in Chang'an gradually stabilized. With Chang'an as his base, he began to expand his power to surrounding areas and steadily moved towards the goal of unifying the world. In this chaotic world, Jia Changsheng wrote his own legendary chapter with his wisdom and courage.

(End of this chapter)