Chapter 6, The Policy of Captivity

More than 5,000 captives were silent as a grave, all watching the demon king Dong Zhuo with fear and trepidation, afraid that a single wrong word might displease him and lead to their being dragged away to be boiled. The demon king Dong Zhuo was clearly dissatisfied with the captives' reaction; his displeasure twisted his already terrifying face into an even more ferocious expression, causing many timid captives to wet their pants on the spot

The scruffy-looking civil official hurriedly shouted at Wei Lin's uncle: "Nonsense! When has the Prime Minister, known for his compassion, ever committed such a heinous act? Someone, seize this madman who slanders the Prime Minister and execute him!"

Wei Lin's uncle initially thought he had misheard, but then suddenly realized that the Demon King Dong Zhuo was asking for intelligence about the allied forces. Perhaps if he answered well, the Demon King Dong Zhuo would truly allow his nephew to return home. Wei Lin's uncle quickly bowed and said: "He is willing, my nephew is definitely willing"

You have all heard the truth you speak of; none of you wish to be soldiers, nor do you want to die on the battlefield. However, there is no alternative; you need to eat, and you do not want to starve, so the only path left is to enlist. But have you considered this: when you grow old and have children, will you still rely on being a soldier to make a living? This statement from the Demon King Dong Zhuo not only left the captives speechless, but also captured the full attention of Dong Zhuo's soldiers, who listened intently to the Demon King.

Wei Lin's uncle crawled and rolled to kneel before the demon king Dong Zhuo, his head knocking against the ground like a bird pecking at rice. "Chancellor, he is the only heir in my family. I beg you, have mercy, eat me instead, do not eat him"

No one expected that the Demon King Dong Zhuo would actually show mercy and say, "Let him come and speak."

"Silence, silence," the Demon King Dong Zhuo waved his hand, silencing the cries of the crowd. Although the Demon King Dong Zhuo was far from being as terrifying as the legends suggested, the people were still deeply afraid of him, and the captives quickly fell silent again

"Until that day comes, you will still have to farm and dig for food from the soil, but what will you do if there is no land?" The Demon King Dong Zhuo said this while closely watching the reactions of the crowd.

Self-introduction, I am the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhuo. The Demon King Dong Zhuo pointed at himself with his finger as thick as a rolling pin and said: "I have something to ask you, do you miss home?"

"I do not compel you to serve as my soldiers," said the Demon King Dong Zhuo to the remaining captives. "For those who wish to return home, I will provide each of you with one tael of silver for travel expenses and provisions. For those who wish to return to your original governor's troops to continue fighting against me, I will also allow you to leave, but you must leave your weapons behind"

Wei Lin wet his pants on the spot, with a desire to bite his tongue to commit suicide, but his teeth were trembling uncontrollably, leaving him too weak to do so. As a result, Wei Lin was dragged before the demon king Dong Zhuo by two soldiers of Dong Zhuo's army, leaving a distinct trail of water along the path he took.

The prisoners erupted in an uproar, with many shouting, "I want to be a soldier of the Prime Minister!" "I want to be a soldier of the Prime Minister!" However, this was only a small portion of the prisoners; the majority remained hesitant and observant, all due to the notorious reputation of the Demon King Dong Zhuo.

The Demon King Dong Zhuo smiled and said, "I am aware! I have already issued an order that all soldiers of my army, upon retirement, will receive five acres of fertile land, relieving them of their worries."

This time, no one hesitated any longer and answered in unison: "We want to!" Even the timid Wei Lin joined in the shout, and he shouted quite loudly.

Fortunately, Wei Lin discovered that his uncle was not dead, but had also been captured. In the prisoner of war camp, the uncle and nephew embraced and wept, both understanding that great calamity was imminent. Indeed, it was not long before the elderly and frail uncle was taken to dig his own grave, while the physically strong Wei Lin was temporarily spared. However, Wei Lin knew that perhaps being buried alive alongside his uncle would be better; being alive did not mean being fortunate. In the future, a life as a slave, worse than that of pigs and dogs, awaited Wei Lin. As General Chen said, he might end up as a delicacy on Dong Zhuo's dining table.

"Has your family never owned land? Or did you originally have some, but later lost it?" the Demon King Dong Zhuo pressed for answers

Soon, over 5,000 captives stood in formation. The demon king Dong Zhuo struggled to climb onto the hastily constructed platform, panting for a while before he spoke in his hoarse voice: "Greetings to all... all of you captured warriors."

The Demon King Dong Zhuo was greatly pleased, "Of course, it can be done." With a wave of his hand, someone quickly brought a relatively fine set of clothes and some food to the bold captive.

As soon as Dong Zhuo arrived, he ordered the prisoners who were digging the pit to be brought before him. Wei Lin's first reaction was that it was over; the demon king Dong Zhuo was going to choose someone to eat! Heaven help me, I heard that the souls of those who are eaten can never be reincarnated. Please, demon king Dong Zhuo, do not set your sights on my uncle. But then, Wei Lin was almost scared to the point of wetting himself; the demon king Dong Zhuo actually brought all the prisoners before him! Oh my, the demon king Dong Zhuo surely doesn't want to eat me, does he? But then, Wei Lin was almost scared to the point of wetting himself; the demon king Dong Zhuo actually brought all the prisoners before him! Oh my, the demon king Dong Zhuo surely doesn't want to eat me, does he?

"Prime Minister, may I serve as your soldier?" the bold captive hurriedly inquired

I don't know," replied a bold prisoner

The Demon King Dong Zhuo nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "Since you all want to go home, why do you want to join the army?" The Demon King Dong Zhuo pointed at Wei Lin, "You, you speak first."

If Wei Lin were not pinching his own thigh hard enough to believe he was dreaming, the pain from the pinch, along with the handful of silver and a few white steamed buns given to him by Dong Zhuo's army, confirmed that he was indeed not dreaming. "Chancellor..." Wei Lin knelt down, repeatedly bowing his head, crying loudly yet unable to utter a word

In the end, Wei Lin mustered the courage to say: "Chancellor, I wish to go home"

The officials following Boss Dong were whispering among themselves, occasionally looking up in surprise at Boss Dong's back. Some believed that Boss Dong was winning people's hearts, some thought he was compassionate, while others considered him hypocritical. Opinions varied. However, one point on which everyone agreed was that Boss Dong had either changed his nature today or was simply out of his mind.

"Uncle, do you think it could be the Demon King Dong Zhuo who is selecting people to eat?" Taking advantage of the chaos while waiting in line, Wei Lin quietly crept up to his uncle and said to him. His uncle's reaction was not much better than Wei Lin's; he stammered in response, "Xiao Lin, Linzi, don't, don't be afraid. If the Demon King picks us, we, we will bite our tongues. I heard that those who are eaten cannot be reincarnated in hell; we absolutely will not let him eat us."

The Demon King Dong Zhuo was not angry, smiling (at this moment, Dong the Great's smile was finally somewhat endearing—at least in the eyes of the captives) as he asked: "I shall begin by asking you, do you wish to return home?"

It was still eerily quiet. Although most of the captives were thinking "I want to" in their hearts, no one dared to voice it. The demon king Dong Zhuo was becoming somewhat impatient, and with his coarse and short fingers, he randomly pointed at a captive, saying, "You, step forward." Unfortunately, the person singled out by the demon king Dong Zhuo was Wei Lin, who was terrified of him to the point of death.

Slow down! The unexpected Demon King Dong Zhuo stopped the soldiers who were about to seize Uncle Wei Lin, and then spoke to Uncle Wei Lin in a gentle manner, saying: "Elder, I only wish to ask your nephew two questions. Once I have asked them, I will let you all return home. However, if he is unwilling to answer, that is perfectly fine; I will not hold it against him"

The age of that captive was at most fifteen, still just a child. The little boy wiped away his tears and replied, "I never wanted to be a soldier; I was originally herding cattle for the Li family in our village. Later, the governor wanted to conscript soldiers to fight... to fight..." The little boy timidly looked at the demon king Dong Zhuo, not daring to continue speaking.

If it is inconvenient to speak, then there is no need to speak, as I know you are here to attack me. The Demon King Dong Zhuo was very amiable, encouraging the child by saying: "Speak about something else"

At this moment, Wei Lin also became a bit bolder and murmured in response: "Neither my uncle nor I want to be soldiers, but there is no land at home, and if we do not join the army, we will starve to death"

Dong Zhuo truly has a terrifying appearance, standing at a height of 6 feet, yet with a waist circumference of at least 7 feet, his body deformed like a meatball. His face, larger than a dustpan, is adorned with messy, twisted whiskers, and his eyes are as large as copper bells. The most frightening aspect is the smile on Dong Zhuo's face, which seems to belong only to a demon king from hell. His gaze upon the captives is akin to that of a venomous snake eyeing a frog, ready to devour at any moment! (Kang Peng: "Ugh... I just wanted to comfort them, to put them at ease, ugh... not to scare them... It's all the damned author's fault for portraying me so ugly!") The most frightening aspect is the smile on Dong Zhuo's face, which seems to belong only to a demon king from hell. His gaze upon the captives is akin to that of a venomous snake eyeing a frog, ready to devour at any moment! (Kang Peng: "Ugh... I just wanted to comfort them, to put them at ease, ugh... not to scare them... It's all the damned author's fault for portraying me so ugly!")

Wei Lin was from Shanyang and served under the command of the Shanyang governor Yuan Yi alongside his uncle. As an ordinary infantryman, Wei Lin often heard General Chen, who was leading the troops, speak of Dong Zhuo as a demon that devoured people without leaving a bone. For breakfast, he would consume the brains of ten living people, for lunch, the hearts and livers of eight living people, and for dinner, he would drink the blood of nine living people. As for what Dong Zhuo desired for a midnight snack, no one knew—because those who had seen it had already been eaten by him. Dong Zhuo's army captured prisoners, intending to skin them alive to make drums, use their bones for firewood, and chop their flesh to make dumplings. Being a prisoner of Dong Zhuo's army was less desirable than death. Therefore, after the unfortunate defeat of the allied forces, Wei Lin ran for his life with all his might, but as an infantryman, how could he outrun the swift and fierce cavalry of Xiliang? Wei Lin only remembered being struck on the shoulder by a Xiliang cavalryman during the chaos, causing him to faint from the pain. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a prisoner of war camp.

The demon king Dong Zhuo waved his hand and said, "Give him one or two silver coins and some provisions, and send him home"

Li Dahu sent me to the governor, asking me to serve as a soldier for his family. Wuw... that child cried again at this point, "I miss home, I miss my dad, I miss my mom... Wuw..." As soon as that child started crying, many other children of similar age joined in, and soon the cries of the captives filled the air.

The captives all thought they had misheard; the Demon King Dong Zhuo not only spared their lives but also provided them with travel expenses and provisions to return home or to their original troops. Could it be that the Demon King Dong Zhuo is deceiving them? If they simply respond with a willingness, would they end up losing their heads?

At this moment, the cries of "Long live the Chancellor!" "Long live the Chancellor!" "Long live the Chancellor!" resounded again in Hulao www.hetushucom.com, shouted with such sincerity and heartfelt emotion

I also do not wish to serve in the military; I was conscripted by the local governor's men to join the army

The Demon King Dong Zhuo shook his head, neither affirming nor denying, and casually pointed to a prisoner, "What about you?"

My family owes a debt to the landlord of the village, and we have been sold to repay it

We are also willing to do so. The captured troops suddenly became like a boiling pot, with everyone clamoring to be the first. Many even wanted to rush forward, fearing that others would take the lead, and it took Dong Zhuo a great effort to suppress them.

"Chancellor, please spare him!" Suddenly, an elderly captive rushed out, attempting to reach the demon king Dong Zhuo, but Dong Zhuo's soldiers quickly restrained him. The elderly captive was Wei Lin's scribe, who, while struggling, cried out: "Chancellor, please spare him. If you must eat, then consume my old bones instead; he is my brother's only descendant!"

... ...

"No whispering!" A soldier from Dong Zhuo's army forcibly separated Wei Lin and his nephew with a knife, "Quickly line up, the Chancellor wants to address you!"

Little did the demon king Dong Zhuo know, with a face full of astonishment, he turned to ask a civil official following him, "Have I ever eaten a person?"

"My deceased grandfather told me that our family originally had two acres of land, but later, for some unknown reason, it was gone," Wei Lin replied softly. His uncle added, "It was taken by the kind-hearted Chen family in our village. My grandfather fell ill and borrowed six hundred wen from the Chen family. When he couldn't repay it, the Chen family took our land as collateral for the debt."

One by one, the captives expressed their innermost thoughts. Most of them had no land and joined the army to avoid starvation, or were conscripted, or sold to the military. In short, none of them were willing participants.

Kang Peng wiped the sweat from his brow and said that talking so much is truly exhausting, all because of Dong Laoda's terrible reputation! If it were the commander of another faction doing this, it wouldn't be so laborious; at least 70% of the captives would be willing to stay, unlike now where it's not even 30%.