Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 726 Expansion
After hearing this, Wang Meng was moved, but still had some concerns: "Although we have a chivalrous heart, we are bandits after all. Can your master tolerate us?"

The counselor smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Wang. My master has always been broad-minded and only recruits people based on their talents. He has already subdued a group of bandits. Now they are treated well in our army and are as close to the soldiers of the Jingzhou army as a family. As long as Mr. Wang is willing, our army will treat them with courtesy and work together to eliminate harm for the world."

Wang Meng pondered for a long time, and finally made up his mind: "Okay! I am willing to lead the brothers of Black Wind Village to follow your master and fight against Dong Zhuo together!"

The counselor was overjoyed and immediately went back to report to Jia Changsheng. Jia Changsheng was very happy to learn that Wang Meng was willing to surrender, and he personally went to Heifengzhai to welcome Wang Meng and his brothers. Wang Meng was even more impressed when he saw Jia Changsheng coming in person, and immediately led the crowd to bow down: "Greetings, lord!"

Jia Changsheng quickly helped Wang Meng up and said, "Brother Wang, from now on you and I are a family, fighting together for the people of the world!"

After conquering the Black Wind Village, Jia Changsheng discussed with Wang Meng how to deal with the Wild Wolf Village. Wang Meng said, "My lord, the leader of the Wild Wolf Village, Li Ba, has committed many evil deeds, and the people nearby hate him to the core. But the village is strategically located and heavily defended. However, I know a small path that leads to the back of the village. If we can attack from both sides, we will definitely be able to capture it."

Jia Changsheng nodded and said, "Brother Wang, this is a great plan. This time, Brother Wang will lead the way. General Huang Zhong will lead 1,000 Jingzhou troops and the brothers from Black Wind Village to make a feint attack from the front. General Zhao Yun will lead 1,000 cavalry to attack from the rear. Yuan Zhi and I will lead the central army to support. We must take down the Wild Wolf Village in one fell swoop and subdue this bandit force."

Everyone took the order and prepared themselves. The next morning, the army set out and headed straight for the Wild Wolf Village. Huang Zhong and Wang Meng led their troops to the front of the Wild Wolf Village and shouted at them. Li Ba heard that someone was coming and climbed up the wall of the village. Seeing that it was Jia Changsheng's army, he sneered and said, "You guys think you can attack my Wild Wolf Village? It's wishful thinking!" Then he ordered the bandits to shoot arrows.

Huang Zhong and Wang Meng commanded their soldiers to dodge arrows while pretending to attack. When the two sides were in a stalemate, Zhao Yun led the cavalry to quietly go around the back of the Wild Wolf Village and sneaked in smoothly along the path pointed out by Wang Meng. When they were close to the mountain village, Zhao Yun gave an order and the cavalry rushed into the village like a tiger descending from the mountain. The bandits were caught off guard and immediately fell into chaos.

Huang Zhong saw the fire in the camp ahead and knew that Zhao Yun had succeeded. He shouted, "Brothers, kill!" and led his soldiers forward bravely, breaking through the gate of the camp and attacking from the front and back with Zhao Yun's cavalry. Li Ba saw that the situation was hopeless and tried to escape, but Huang Zhong caught up with him and killed him with a single blow.

Seeing that their leader was dead, the bandits in Yelang Village knelt down and surrendered. After Jia Changsheng entered Yelang Village, he comforted the bandits: "I know that most of you were forced by Li Ba to do evil. Now that Li Ba is dead, if you are willing to turn over a new leaf and join our army to fight against Dong Zhuo together, I will forgive you for your past mistakes." The bandits expressed their willingness to follow Jia Changsheng.

At this point, Jia Changsheng successfully subdued three nearby bandit forces, and his army expanded to 7,000 people. The army continued to march towards Chang'an, with high morale along the way. Jia Changsheng knew that this successful subjugation of the bandits not only strengthened his own strength, but also increased the chances of defeating Dong Zhuo. In this chaotic world, every choice and action will affect the future direction. He will lead this growing team to move forward firmly on the journey to defeat Dong Zhuo.

After Jia Changsheng subdued the two gangs of bandits, the army continued to march towards Chang'an. One day, the soldier in charge of reconnaissance hurriedly reported: "My lord, a group of bandits was found ahead, with a number of about 3,000 people, entrenched in a valley, and it seems that they are going to harm our army."

Jia Changsheng frowned slightly, looked at Xu Shu beside him, and said, "It seems that there are quite a few bandits along the way. Yuanzhi, what do you think about this?"

Xu Shu thought for a moment and said, "My lord, our army has conquered two gangs of bandits in succession, and our strength has increased. However, the soldiers are inevitably tired after a long march. If we confront this group of bandits head-on, although we have a chance of winning, it may cause unnecessary casualties and delay the progress of the march. Why don't we try the same trick again and send someone to persuade them to surrender first. If they refuse, we can use another strategy."

Jia Changsheng nodded and said, "What Yuanzhi said is very true. However, there are quite a few bandits here. If we can't persuade them to surrender, we need to use a clever trick to take them down at the lowest cost. Do you have any good ideas?"

Xu Shu smiled and said, "My Lord, I heard that there is a special smoke here that spreads quickly after being lit, making people unconscious. We can use this smoke to raid the bandit camp at night. But it will take some effort to obtain the smoke."

Jia Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "In that case, you should quickly send people to the nearby villages to inquire about the materials and methods of making smoke. At the same time, send people to closely monitor the movements of the bandits and do not alert them."

Xu Shu took the order and went, and soon found the key materials and methods for making smoke. At the same time, the soldiers responsible for monitoring the bandits reported that the bandits seemed to have noticed military activity nearby, but had not yet confirmed that it was Jia Changsheng's troops, and were strengthening their vigilance.

After learning about this, Jia Changsheng decided to act as soon as possible. He summoned Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Wang Meng and other generals and said, "Everyone, this time we are going to use the smoke trap to capture this group of bandits in one fell swoop. Wang Meng, you are familiar with the habits of bandits. You can select some brothers who are familiar with the terrain, sneak up on the bandit camp at night, and plant smoke traps around them. When the time is right, light the smoke traps."

Wang Meng clasped his fists and replied, "My lord, rest assured. Leave this matter to me. I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

Jia Changsheng looked at Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun again and said, "Han Sheng, Zilong, each of you will lead a thousand elite soldiers and ambush on both sides of the bandit camp. When the smoke takes effect and the bandits are unconscious, quickly rush into the camp and capture them all. Remember, you must act quickly and don't panic. Try to avoid casualties."

Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun said in unison: "We will obey the Lord's orders!"

As night fell, everything was silent. Wang Meng led dozens of soldiers who were familiar with the terrain and approached the bandit camp quietly like ghosts. They carefully planted smoke around the camp and then quietly retreated.

Jia Changsheng and Xu Shu were observing the bandit camp from a high ground in the distance. After everything was ready, Jia Changsheng gave an order and Wang Meng and others lit the smoke. Thick smoke rose up quickly and spread quickly towards the bandit camp with the breeze.

The bandits in the camp were sleeping soundly when they suddenly smelled a pungent odor. Before they could react, they felt dizzy and fell to the ground unconscious.

Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun saw that the smoke was effective, and immediately led the ambush troops to charge out from both sides, rushing into the bandit camp like a tiger descending from a mountain. The bandits in the camp were unconscious and had no power to resist, and were soon controlled by the Jingzhou army.

Jia Changsheng rode into the bandit camp and felt relieved when he saw the unconscious bandits on the ground. When the bandits gradually woke up, they found themselves surrounded and panicked.

Jia Changsheng stood on a high place and said loudly: "Everyone, I am Jia Changsheng, the governor of Jingzhou, and I am leading a righteous army to fight against Dong Zhuo. I have no intention of making things difficult for you, but you have been entrenched here, doing evil and disturbing the people. Today I have captured you with a trick, not to take your lives. Now Dong Zhuo is causing chaos in the world and the people are suffering. If you are willing to turn over a new leaf and join my army to fight against Dong Zhuo together, I will forgive you and treat you well."

The bandits looked at each other, no one answered for a while. At this time, a bandit who seemed to have some prestige stood up and said, "Are you serious? People like us have always been free. What good can we get from joining your army?" Jia Changsheng smiled and said, "Of course it's true. In this chaotic world, people are displaced. Although you can be happy as a bandit for a while, it is not a long-term solution. Joining our army can not only help you to have a good future, but also do something practical for the people of the world. Our army has strict discipline and clear rewards and punishments. As long as you fight bravely and make military exploits, you will be rewarded handsomely. Moreover, I will properly arrange for your family members."

After hearing what Jia Changsheng said, the bandits began to whisper and discuss. After a while, several more bandits stood up and expressed their willingness to surrender. Subsequently, more and more bandits responded and expressed their willingness to follow Jia Changsheng.

Seeing this, Jia Changsheng was overjoyed: "Great! From today on, you will be a member of my Jingzhou Army. I hope you can abide by military discipline, fight bravely and eliminate harm for the world!"

In this way, Jia Changsheng successfully brought these 3,000 bandits under his command without any effort. After this incident, Jia Changsheng's army further expanded in size and morale became increasingly high. He knew that every force was crucial on the road to defeating Dong Zhuo, and he would lead this growing team to Chang'an and work hard to achieve the ideal of world peace.

Jia Changsheng led his growing team and finally arrived at the vicinity of Chang'an City. At the same time, other princes also arrived from all directions. For a time, flags and banners blocked the sun outside Chang'an City, and the camps of various armies were lined up in an endless stream, surrounding Chang'an City tightly.

However, they found that no troops from the Bingzhou direction were coming. Yuan Shao summoned all the princes to gather in the tent to discuss countermeasures. Yuan Shao looked solemn and said, "Now our army has gathered outside Chang'an, but we lack troops from the Bingzhou direction. Dong Zhuo is a cunning old villain. If we surround him from all sides, he is very likely to fight to break out. At that time, although our army has a chance of winning, it will also suffer heavy casualties. I have a plan. We can surround him from three sides, leaving the Bingzhou direction, pretending to let him go, but actually setting up an ambush, waiting for him to enter the ambush circle, and annihilate him in one fell swoop. What do you think?"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said, "Mr. Yuan, this is a brilliant plan. Dong Zhuo is confident in his military strength. Seeing that our army is surrounding the city on three sides, he will surely think that Bingzhou is the escape route and will definitely break out from there. We only need to set up numerous ambushes along the way and we will surely capture him alive."

Sun Quan was young and full of vigor. He said excitedly: "This plan is feasible! My Jiangdong Army is willing to take the responsibility of the frontal attack. We must let Dong Zhuo see how powerful our Jiangdong men are!"

Gongsun Zan laughed loudly and said, "Then my Youzhou cavalry will ambush on the flanks and wait for Dong Zhuo to break out, and then kill him by surprise!"

Liu Bei also nodded and said, "My Yizhou army is willing to obey Lord Yuan's orders and do our part to defeat Dong Zhuo."

After thinking for a while, Jia Changsheng said, "Mr. Yuan's plan is indeed brilliant, but there must be capable people under Dong Zhuo who may see through it. I suggest that we increase the offensive on the three sides of the feint attack and make it look like we are determined to win, so that Dong Zhuo will firmly believe that Bingzhou is the only way out. At the same time, we should set up more decoy troops at the ambush site to prevent Dong Zhuo from changing the direction of the breakout after he notices something."

After hearing this, Yuan Shao nodded and said, "Mr. Jia is right. Let's follow Mr. Jia's advice and increase the intensity of the feint attack to confuse Dong Zhuo."

After everyone had discussed and decided, they returned to the camp to prepare. Jia Changsheng returned to the camp and summoned generals such as Xu Shu, Huang Zhong, and Zhao Yun, saying, "This campaign against Dong Zhuo is related to the general situation of the country. We must cooperate with the coalition forces, and at the same time, we must also make good arrangements for ourselves. Yuanzhi, what do you think?"

Xu Shu said, "My Lord, in my opinion, our army can be responsible for one side of the feint attack. We must make a full-scale attack posture to make Dong Zhuo believe that we will not let him go. At the same time, send a small group of elite troops to secretly go to the ambush site and obey the unified command of the coalition forces to prevent Dong Zhuo from escaping."

Jia Changsheng nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it. Han Sheng, you lead 2,000 men to make a feint attack. You must move forward bravely so that Dong Zhuo will not underestimate you. Zilong, you select 500 elite soldiers and go with me to the ambush site. Be ready to attack at any time."

Huang Zhong clasped his fists and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I will make sure that Dong Zhuo knows how powerful I, Huang Zhong, am!"

Zhao Yun also responded: "Yes, my lord!"

Soon, the various princes began to act according to the agreed plan. Sun Quan led the Jiangdong Army to launch a fierce attack from the front, with shouts of killing, drums beating, and arrows raining down on the top of Chang'an City. Dong Zhuo's defenders fought desperately, but gradually they could not resist the fierce attack of the Jiangdong Army.

Gongsun Zan led the Youzhou cavalry to gallop back and forth on one side, ready to attack the city at any time, so that Dong Zhuo would not dare to take it lightly. Liu Bei's Yizhou army also actively feinted on the other side and engaged in a fierce battle with the defenders.

On Jia Changsheng's side, Huang Zhong took the lead and led 2,000 Jingzhou soldiers to rush towards the Chang'an city wall. He waved his long sword and shouted loudly to boost morale. Under his leadership, the soldiers bravely moved forward, not afraid of the arrows shot from the city.

At the same time, Jia Changsheng and Zhao Yun led 500 elite soldiers and quietly came to the ambush site set by the coalition forces. This is a valley with steep peaks on both sides and a dangerous terrain, which is an excellent ambush site. Jia Changsheng observed the terrain and said to Zhao Yun: "Zilong, this place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If Dong Zhuo enters, he will be unable to escape. But we must also be cautious and not be careless."

Zhao Yun nodded and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I have made all the arrangements. If Dong Zhuo dares to come, he will never return."

In Chang'an, Dong Zhuo was shocked to learn that the allied forces of the princes were besieging us from three sides. He hurriedly summoned Li Ru and other advisers to discuss countermeasures. Li Ru frowned and said, "My lord, the allied forces of the princes are coming with great force and besieging us from three sides. It seems that there is no way to survive, but I am afraid that they deliberately left the direction of Bingzhou to lure us to break through and then set an ambush."

Dong Zhuo said angrily: "Humph! They thought I would be fooled? I won't do what they want!"

Li Ru hurriedly said, "My lord, don't act on impulse. The enemy is strong now. If we defend Chang'an to the death, it will not be a long-term solution. It is better to take advantage of the enemy's strategy and pretend to break out from Bingzhou, but secretly look for a breakthrough from other directions."

Dong Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let's follow your plan. Pass the order and have the soldiers pretend to break out in the direction of Bingzhou to confuse the enemy. At the same time, secretly mobilize the elite troops to look for opportunities to break out in other directions."

(End of this chapter)