My brothers are all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men; I'll roam freely in the Thr

The vast Gobi Desert stretches to the horizon, and withered reeds shiver in the cold wind.

In the distance, the snow-capped peaks of the Qilian Mountains gleamed with golden light under the setting sun, a sight that was both heartbreakingly beautiful and chillingly cold.

Han Sui's horse finally couldn't run anymore.

The warhorse that had followed him for more than ten years was foaming at the mouth and its hooves were trembling. Finally, it stopped by a dry riverbed.

No matter how much Han Sui whipped it, it refused to move an inch.

"Useless! Useless!" Han Sui jumped off his horse and kicked it hard.

The warhorse let out a mournful neigh, knelt down, and could never rise again.

Cheng Gongying, clutching her wounded shoulder, caught up from behind, dismounted, and staggered to Han Sui's side, panting heavily, "My lord... the pursuers... the pursuers are right behind us..."

Han Sui turned around and looked back.

In the distance, billowing dust rose as countless cavalrymen surged forward like a tide.

Those tattered flags and those狰狞 faces drew ever closer.

Yuan Tan.

That madman still caught up with us.

Han Sui's face turned ashen, and he slumped down on a rock by the river.

"It's over...it's all over..."

Cheng Gongying knelt before him, his voice hoarse, "My lord! You must leave! This humble general will lead men to hold them off!"

Han Sui looked at him, then suddenly gave a bitter smile: "Leave? Where to go?"

He raised his head, gazing at the vast and desolate land of Qiangzhong, and murmured, "I have been managing this land in Qiangzhong for thirty years... I thought this would be my last resort..."

"But now..."

He didn't finish speaking.

Because Yuan Tan has already arrived.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered, shaking the very earth.

Yuan Tan took the lead and charged to within a few dozen paces of Han Sui before reining in his horse.

The arrow was still lodged in his chest, and blood had stained half of his body.

His face was ashen, but his eyes burned with a mad flame.

Han Sui looked at him and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Is this person even human?

Anyone else would have died long ago if they had been hit by that arrow.

But he was still alive, and chased after them for over a hundred miles, eventually reaching this place.

"Yuan Tan!"

Han Sui stood up and hissed, "Are you out of your mind?!"

Yuan Tan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

That smile was uglier than a cry.

"life?"

He murmured, his voice terribly hoarse: "My life is long gone."

He dismounted and walked step by step toward Han Sui.

Every step left a bloody mark.

Han Sui retreated one step, then another, until he finally reached the riverbank, where he had nowhere left to retreat.

"Yuan Tan!"

He said sternly, "Listen to me! Back then, I had dealings with your father..."

"Shut up!"

Yuan Tan interrupted him with a loud shout.

He lunged forward, grabbed Han Sui by the collar, and slammed him to the ground.

Han Sui struggled, but he was no match for Yuan Tan.

The man who appeared to be on the verge of death possessed astonishing strength, pinning him down so he couldn't move.

Yuan Tan drew his sword from his waist and pressed the blade against Han Sui's neck.

"Han Sui..."

He spoke each word clearly, his eyes filled with deep-seated hatred: "You killed my wife and daughters!"

Han Sui trembled violently and hissed, "Yuan Tan! You've gone mad! You can kill me, but you won't live either!"

"I... am already dead."

A flash of sword light.

"what!"

Han Sui let out a miserable scream, and blood gushed out.

Yuan Tan beheaded him with a single sword stroke, held the head high in his hand.

The severed head had its eyes wide open, and its face still held the frozen fear and resentment of its impending death.

Han Sui.

Han Sui, who dominated the Western Liang region for thirty years.

He died just like that.

He died in the border region of Qiang, by a dried-up river, at the hands of a young man he had never taken seriously.

Yuan Tan held the severed head and stared at it.

"Han Sui, oh Han Sui..."

He muttered, a sinister smile creeping across his lips, "You never imagined you'd die by my hand, did you?"

"Hahahahaha!"

He laughed loudly, his laughter echoing across the vast Gobi Desert, both mournful and mad.

The laughter abruptly stopped.

"puff!"

He coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The head slipped from his hand and rolled to the ground.

Yuan Tan swayed and collapsed softly to the ground.

"General!"

Wang Zhao and his confidants were terrified and swarmed forward.

Wang Zhao knelt beside Yuan Tan and picked him up. He saw that blood was still gushing from the arrow wound in Yuan Tan's chest, staining the entire sandy ground red.

Yuan Tan's face was as white as paper.

"General! General, hold on!" Wang Zhao cried out hoarsely, tears streaming down his face.

"This humble general will take you back to Jincheng immediately! There must be a physician in Xiang Yu's army! He can certainly save you!"

Yuan Tan shook his head slightly, his lips moved, but no sound came out.

Wang Zhao brought his ear close to his mouth, and heard him use his last bit of strength to say, haltingly, "Re...remember what I said..."

"After my death... Wang Zhao... shall be the commander-in-chief..."

"We must never...fight Xiang Yu..."

"Bring my corpse... and Han Sui's head... as a pledge of loyalty..."

"Let's go and join Xiang Yu..."

"Back to...the imperial court..."

He paused, gazing at the sky and the vast expanse of clouds, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Awen...Ayue...I...have come to keep you company..."

As he finished speaking, his eyes slowly closed.

That last breath finally dissipated.

"General!"

Wang Zhao held his body and wept bitterly, looking up at the sky.

Behind him, 50,000 soldiers knelt down in unison, their cries shaking the heavens.

On the vast Gobi Desert, the cries echoed in the cold wind, lingering for a long time.

golden city.

A few days later, Wang Zhao led an army of 50,000 back to the city that had just experienced the ravages of war.

On the city wall, the large banner bearing the character "Xiang" fluttered in the wind.

The bloodstains on the city wall were not yet dry, and a faint smell of blood still lingered in the air.

Xiang Yu stood atop the city tower, looking down at the exhausted army below.

Fifty thousand men, each one pale and emaciated, their armor incomplete, yet in their eyes there was no hatred, only a deep weariness and bewilderment.

Wang Zhao spurred his horse forward and reined it in beneath the city walls.

He raised his head and looked at Xiang Yu on the city wall.

"General Xiang Yu!"

He spoke, his voice hoarse yet clear: "This humble general, Wang Zhao, has come to surrender with 50,000 soldiers, following the dying command of my lord, Yuan Tan!"

Xiang Yu remained silent.

He simply watched the general quietly.

Wang Zhao continued, "My lord said before his death that we should offer Han Sui's head and the corpse of our late lord as a pledge of loyalty. I beg you, General, to accept us!"

He waved his hand, and several soldiers carried two coffins forward.

One, containing the body of Yuan Tan.

One, containing the head of Han Sui.

Xiang Yu's gaze fell on the coffin containing Yuan Tan's body.

Yuan Tan was the eldest son of Yuan Shao.

Once upon a time, he was a spirited young master from Hebei, one of Yuan Shao's most valued sons. But now, he lies in a cold coffin, never to wake up again.

Xiang Yu remained silent for a long time before slowly asking, "Then are you willing to surrender?"

Five words, neither too loud nor too soft, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Wang Zhao raised his head and looked at him.

Eyes facing each other.

Wang Zhao suddenly laughed.

That smile contained relief, sorrow, and a deep sense of resolve.

"This humble general was born a subject of the Yuan family, and will die a ghost of the Yuan family."

He said, word by word, "Wang Zhao, will not surrender."

Both on and below the city walls, all was silent.

Xiang Yu's brow twitched slightly.

He looked down at the general, at his resolute eyes, and at the 50,000 weary soldiers behind him.

"So you want war?"

Xiang Yu slowly said, "Look at the army behind you. Do they still have the strength to fight?"

Wang Zhao shook his head.

"No."

He took a deep breath and shouted:

"This humble general will neither surrender nor fight; this humble general only asks the general for one thing."

He paused, then said, word by word, "This humble general is willing to give his own life to save these fifty thousand soldiers!"

These words moved the 50,000 people behind him.

"General Wang!"

"No!"

"We are willing to live and die with the general!"

Wang Zhao turned around and said sternly, "Shut up, all of you! This is my military order!"

The soldiers were stunned, and one by one they knelt down on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Wang Zhao turned around and looked at Xiang Yu again.

"General Xiang Yu, I know you are a hero. I ask for nothing more than that you spare these 50,000 soldiers. They are all brave men from Xiliang and Hebei. Let them live, let them go home, let them..."

He paused, his voice choked with emotion: "Let them see this world for my Lord."

Xiang Yu looked at him, a complex light flashing in his double pupils.

The wind from Xiliang blows across the city walls, causing the flags to flutter and make a rustling sound.

Below the city walls, the sobs of the fifty thousand soldiers could be faintly heard in the wind.

After a long silence, Xiang Yu slowly spoke: "Very well, I will grant your wish."

Wang Zhao smiled.

He knelt down, facing southeast, the direction of Hebei, the direction where Yuan Shao was buried, and solemnly kowtowed.

"My lord, I am coming to join you."

Then, he stood up and looked at Xiang Yu.

"This humble general has one more thing to say."

Xiang Yu nodded: "Speak."

Wang Zhao said, "Our late lord was buried in Hebei. I beg you, General, to... return our lord to Hebei for burial, so that he may be reunited with our late father."

Xiang Yu remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "This general agrees to your request."

Wang Zhao bowed deeply.

Then, he drew the sword from his waist and held it across his neck.

"General!"

Fifty thousand people behind them gasped in unison!

A flash of light.

Fresh blood gushed out.

Wang Zhao's body slowly collapsed.

He did not use the corpses of Yuan Tan and Han Sui to save the lives of those 50,000 people.

He traded his life for it.

Both on and below the city walls, there was utter silence.

Only the wind howled as it swept past.

Xiang Yu stared at the corpse lying in a pool of blood, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long while, he raised his hand.

"Pass down the order."

"Bury Wang Zhao in the east of the city, facing Hebei."

"Collect Yuan Tan's body carefully and send it to Hebei for burial with Yuan Shao after the affairs of Liangzhou are settled."

"As for those 50,000 soldiers..."

He paused, then his voice turned serious: "Those who wish to stay will be incorporated into the army; those who wish to return home will be given travel expenses. No one shall make things difficult for them or mistreat them."

"promise!"

The generals responded in unison.

Xiang Yu turned around and walked down the city wall.

Behind them, the setting sun cast a blood-red glow over the entire city.

The 50,000 soldiers knelt on the ground and kowtowed deeply to Wang Zhao's corpse.

The sound of weeping echoed in the wind.

Shuntian, the Grand Tutor's Mansion.

Half a month later, the battle report from Liangzhou was delivered to Ji Xuanyuan's desk.

He sat in his study and read the battle report carefully from beginning to end.

Yuan Tan pursued Han Sui to the Qiang region, where he killed him but died from his wounds.

Wang Zhao refused to surrender or fight, sacrificing his life to bring 50,000 soldiers to surrender.

Xiang Yu incorporated the surrendered soldiers, stabilized Jincheng, and the overall situation in Liangzhou was settled.

Ji Xuanyuan put down the battle report and remained silent for a long time.

He sighed softly: "Pass down the order."

Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Pang Tong, and the others all stood up.

"Liangzhou has just been pacified, and a reliable person needs to be sent to guard it. Liangzhou is inhabited by both Han and non-Han peoples, and the relationships are complex. If we are not careful, it will cause trouble. Therefore, this person must be able to deter the Qiang and Hu peoples and stabilize the border."

His gaze fell upon the crowd, and he slowly said, "My heart belongs to Yang Zaixing."

Pang Tong was slightly taken aback: "Ninth General?"

Ji Xuanyuan nodded: "Although Zongxing is young, he has gained a lot of experience over the years. In the battle of White Wolf Mountain, he killed Tadun and defeated the Wuhuan, which made him a force to be reckoned with in the northern frontier. It is just right to send him to Liangzhou."

He looked at Xun Yu: "Wenruo, draft an edict to appoint Yang Zaixing as Governor of Liangzhou and promote him to General Who Guards the West. He shall take up his post immediately."

Xun Yu bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"

Ji Xuanyuan stood up and walked to the map.

His gaze slowly swept across Liangzhou, then over Bingzhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, and Sizhou, finally settling on Xuzhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Qingzhou.

Today, the entire north, except for Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Qingzhou, has basically been incorporated into his territory.

Qingzhou was the weakest, with Tian Kai and Kong Rong each holding their own territory, making it easily attainable.

We have Cao Cao in Yan Province and Sun Jian in Yu Province, both of whom are allies, so we can't make a move against them for the time being.

Liu Yan of Yizhou is currently only clinging to life thanks to him, so there's not much to worry about.

So, the next enemy...

Ji Xuanyuan's gaze fell in the direction of Yangzhou.

There, Yuan Shu is.

And Jingzhou.

Liu Biao.

With control of eight prefectures in Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and a well-trained army and ample supplies, it had its sights set on the Central Plains.

Ji Xuanyuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the crowd.

"Yuan Shu and Liu Biao."

He said slowly, his voice low and firm: "Next, it's time to deal with them."