After Zhang Jiao died, what remained of the Yellow Turban Army seemed to lose its backbone. It could no longer hold out.
Bai Xiaowen called, "Surrender and you'll live," and the remaining several hundred Yellow Turban soldiers laid down their weapons.
A count of the troops showed that the five thousand men of the Youzhou Army had suffered more than fifty percent casualties. Even Bai Xiaowen's prized Winged Cavalry had lost over a hundred men.
Every one of them had cost money.
Bai Xiaowen sighed, then ordered the soldiers to clear the battlefield. At least the fallen Winged Cavalry's armor and weapons could be recovered. With fresh recruits trained, he could soon restore their numbers.
Of course, compensation for the Winged Cavalry's fallen soldiers would cost a considerable sum, but Bai Xiaowen had no intention of skimping on it.
The Winged Cavalry had now been tempered by battle. They were veterans to begin with and would adapt quickly.
The Yellow Turban Army camp yielded little in money, grain, or ironware. This defeated force had barely survived on Guo Cai's "smuggling." They were lucky to have enough to eat, let alone any surplus. Still, gaining several hundred able-bodied men for nothing—all battle-hardened veterans—was a fine outcome.
"Escort every bit of supplies seized from the Yellow Turban Army camp to the Youzhou treasury. I won't take a single coin!" Bai Xiaowen said. "Put General White Sanniang's Winged Cavalry in charge of the prisoners. Nothing can go wrong."
"Yes," Cecilia replied at once.
Bai Xiaowen glanced at the two Youzhou generals. Neither raised an objection to his arrangements.
In truth, both Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan were uneasy.
More than half the five thousand men they had led into battle were lost. If Young Master Yuan Xi had not appeared with the Winged