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

October.

East of Tanhan Mountain lies the Jingnan Army's main camp.

A month passed in the increasingly biting autumn winds of the grassland.

For the 5,000 Jingnan Army soldiers stationed right under the nose of the Xianbei royal court, this month could be described as "comfortable".

The ample fodder, "voluntarily provided" by the company, ensured that the warhorses were plump and strong, while the rare fresh vegetables and fruits effectively relieved the soldiers' gastrointestinal discomfort, and their complexions became much rosier.

The daily drills continued as usual, with a formidable array of spears, crossbow bolts piercing the air, and a palpable sense of killing intent filling the field. This served not only to maintain combat strength but also to exert continuous, invisible pressure on the nearby royal court.

For the Xianbei leader Helian, this past month has been an unprecedented ordeal of torment and humiliation.

He felt as if he were being roasted over a fire, racking his brains to meet the increasingly demanding material needs of the Han army, which ranged from vegetables to salt, tea, and even small amounts of silk.

On the other hand, they must put even more pressure on the surrounding tribes to search for the whereabouts of Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju, who may not even exist.

His messengers, carrying a message that was almost a plea mixed with a threat, traveled between the tribes: "If you don't want the Han army's next stop to be your pastures, hurry up and find Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju and send them to the royal court!"

The pressure was passed down layer by layer, eventually falling on the two traitors who were hiding in panic on the eastern edge of the grassland like stray dogs.

The prolonged fear, exhaustion, lack of food and clothing, and the despair of learning that the Wuhuan had surrendered and that he had become a complete outcast of the grasslands finally broke Zhang Ju's spirit.

On a cold, dewy night, this former "emperor" hanged himself from the beam of his dilapidated tent, ending his absurd and sinful life.

His death became the final straw that broke the psychological defenses of Zhang Chun and his remaining retainers.

Wang Zheng was originally a frustrated civil official in Jizhou. Driven by opportunism, he followed Zhang Chun in his rebellion, dreaming of gaining wealth and glory through his service to the emperor.

Now, however, he is left in a state of panic, like a stray dog, starving and living in constant fear, and he must always be on guard against the Xianbei people betraying him in order to curry favor with the Han army.

On another bitterly cold night, with wolves howling outside his tent, the long-accumulated fear, resentment, utter despair for the future, and the burning hunger in his stomach finally overwhelmed his last shred of reason.

He pulled out his short knife for self-defense, and looked at his former master Zhang Chun, who was sleeping soundly in the corner due to exhaustion and frustration, a mad light flashing in his eyes.

Killing Zhang Chun and taking his head might offer a way out for the Han army and the Xianbei people, or even... a reward?

Once the thought arose, it entwined his heart like a poisonous vine.

The knife fell swiftly and skillfully, but it was deadly enough.

Warm blood splattered all over his face. Zhang Chun awoke in excruciating pain, managing only a short groan before his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at his once obedient retainer, who had now died.

Wang Zheng was breathing heavily, looking at the blood-stained knife in his hand and Zhang Chun's still-shocked corpse. After a moment of exhaustion, he went into a deeper frenzy.

He thought of Zhang Ju, who hanged himself from the beam.

If you don't do it, you will never stop!

He rushed out of the tent, found Zhang Ju's body, and cut off his head as well.

After all this was done, dawn was breaking.

Extreme tension and physical exhaustion, coupled with not having eaten properly for a long time, caused an uncontrollable hunger, stemming from the most primal instincts, to engulf him.

He stared at the two headless corpses on the ground...

When he led the way to the royal court of Tanhan Mountain, carrying two human heads that had been simply processed and wrapped in rags, along with a few jade pendants and seals that he had scavenged from the corpses to prove his identity, he was accompanied by the chieftain of a small tribe nearby who was also struggling to make ends meet and whose tribe consisted of only a few dozen tents.

His stomach was bloated, but his eyes were empty and numb, as if a part of his soul had been swallowed up along with that pot of "broth".

When the royal court of Tanhan Mountain and Lian learned of the news of the "capture of the traitor," it was as if they had heard heavenly music!

He eagerly summoned Wang Zheng, who exuded a strange odor.

After examining the two heads, which were rotten and deformed but still vaguely recognizable and supported by evidence, a huge weight was lifted from my heart, and I almost cried with joy.

"Quickly! Come with me to see the Han general! You... uh, brave warrior, have made a great contribution!" He Lian didn't care about Wang Zheng's filthy appearance and personally led him and his precious "package" to the Jingnan Army camp under the escort of a team of guards.

Inside the central command tent of the Jingnan Army, Xiang Yu, Ran Min, Lü Bu, Yang Zaixing, and Li Cunxiao gathered together.

After more than a month of rest and recuperation, everyone looked radiant and full of energy.

Li Cunxiao was fiddling with his sword when he heard the report. He grinned and said, "Hey, that guy actually brought someone here? I wonder if it's for real."

Soon, he entered the tent with the trembling Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng fell to his knees with a thud, holding two bundles—dried and blackened with blood, barely wrapped in tattered rags—high above his head. His voice was dry and hoarse, filled with the excitement and fear of someone who had survived a catastrophe: "I...I am Wang Zheng, formerly a scribe under the traitor Zhang Chun. Now...now I have personally killed the two traitors, Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju! I hereby offer up the heads of these traitors to the Heavenly General to plead guilty! I beg the General for mercy!"

As he spoke, he shakily untied the bundle, and two heads, which had been treated but still looked grotesque and had grayish-brown skin, rolled to the ground.

He hurriedly pulled out several stained jade ornaments and a small seal from his robes: "These...these are the traitor's personal belongings, and can serve as evidence!"

Xiang Yu's gaze swept over the human head on the ground, then he picked up the broken bronze seal with faintly visible characters, examined it, and compared it with the features of the wanted poster he had memorized. He nodded slightly.

Ran Min, Lü Bu, and others also carefully examined it and confirmed that it was correct.

Li Cunxiao moved closer, curiously examining Zhang Chun's rather ordinary, even somewhat scholarly face, and muttered, "So this is what he looks like? Tsk, you wouldn't stand out in a crowd. No wonder I didn't see him among the thousands of soldiers that day."

After seeing that the generals had examined the body and had no objections, He Lian felt greatly relieved. His face plastered with a fawning smile as he rubbed his hands together and said, "Generals, you are all wise! These are indeed the two traitors, Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju! Fortunately, Heaven's might is overwhelming, and it was also due to my strict orders to search all the departments that Wang Zheng was able to repent, kill his former master, and present the traitorous chieftain to us. Now that the ringleaders have been executed, your mission to search is complete. You can… you can take the heads of these two traitors and return to the capital in triumph to report to Marquis Ji and the court!"

He spoke hurriedly, his eyes eager, as if he wished he could immediately help the Han soldiers pack their luggage and send them out of the country.

However, the relief or praise he expected did not materialize.

Xiang Yu slowly put down the seal in his hand. The expression on his face, which had been relatively calm, darkened at a visible speed, like a clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds.

His double pupils revealed a cold, chilling scrutiny, his gaze like a knife scraping against He Lian and Wang Zheng.

The temperature inside the tent seemed to drop to freezing point instantly.

He Lian's entire body of fat trembled, his heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat poured down his back.

No... Brother, how can you change your expression so suddenly?

The heads are real!

The seal is genuine too!

Is this a trap?

Was he deceived by this lowly retainer?

In a fit of shock and rage, He Lian reacted swiftly, kicking Wang Zheng in the shoulder, sending him tumbling backward. He roared, "You bastard! How dare you use two filthy severed heads, found from who-knows-where, to impersonate a wanted criminal, deceiving me and the Heavenly Dynasty's general! How dare you!"

He had to first clear himself of the blame and pin all the blame on Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng was kicked so hard that he saw stars and lay on the ground, completely dazed.

He looked at the two heads he had "personally dealt with" on the ground, then at the enraged He Lian, and then at the Han army general with a grim face. Overwhelmed by immense grievance and fear, he cried out incoherently, "My lord! General! This...this really is Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju! Absolutely true! How could I dare to deceive you! Look at this seal, look at this jade pendant...I also...and..."

He was so anxious to tell more details that he choked up due to extreme panic.

"These are indeed the heads of Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju." Xiang Yu finally spoke, his voice not loud, but with a metallic quality, interrupting He Lian's performance and Wang Zheng's lament.

"..."

He Lian froze, his foot still hanging in mid-air, the anger on his face stiffening and turning into pure bewilderment and unease.

If it's true, who are you trying to impress with that grim reaper face?

Could it be... that two heads aren't enough?

Do they still need to live?

But the person is dead!

Just as He Lian was racking his brains, wondering whether he should kick Wang Zheng a few more times and berate him for not leaving any survivors, Xiang Yu's next words plunged him into an icy abyss.

"but……"

Xiang Yu drew out his words, his gaze first falling on the limp Wang Zheng: "Wang Zheng, you are merely a retainer of Zhang Chun, a traitor. Even if you have repented and wish to atone for your crimes, you should be apprehended as a rebel and handed over to the court's legal authorities or our soldiers for proper execution. Who gave you the authority to arbitrarily dispose of imperial criminals and cut off their heads?"

Wang Zheng's mouth dropped open, his mind completely blank.

Wasn't the order to offer a reward for the head of Zhang Chun, the Juren, issued by Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou?

Notices are posted everywhere!

You yourselves said, "We'll offer up your heads and reward you with a thousand pieces of gold!"

Why are you blaming me for striking first now?

Who am I supposed to ask?!

Xiang Yu gave him no chance to defend himself, turning his gaze to the pale-faced He Lian, his tone growing increasingly cold: "Furthermore, before I departed, I assured my elder brother and General Ji Hou of the Northern Army that on this trip to the grasslands to visit the two former governors, I would 'appeal to their emotions and reason' and try my best to 'invite' them back to Youzhou intact, to be handed over to the court and Liu Youzhou for judgment. My elder brother, being kind and considerate of past relationships, wanted to give them a chance to plead their case to the court in person, but now look what's happened!"

He pointed to the two lonely heads on the ground: "Completely intact? Only these two heads are left! How am I supposed to explain this to my elder brother when I go back? Wouldn't it make me look incompetent, only good at brutal killing, and unworthy of my brother's trust? Leader Helian, this matter... has put me in a very difficult position."

This statement, with its unique logic and sharp angle, twisted the merit of "slaying the traitors" into the fault of "unauthorized killing of a wanted criminal" and "disrupting the integrity of the arrest."

Not only was Wang Zheng stunned and terrified, but He Lian also felt dizzy and had only one thought in his mind.

How could Han people... how could Han people do this?!

Isn't this just being a scoundrel?!

Wang Zheng finally broke down. His last instinct for survival drove him to kowtow and beg for mercy, his forehead pounding against the ground as tears streamed down his face. "General, spare me! General, spare me! I know I was wrong! I shouldn't... I shouldn't have acted... I was just... just scared... Please, General, have mercy! Spare my life!"

Seeing his spineless, groveling appearance, Xiang Yu's contempt deepened, and even Ran Min, Lü Bu, and others glanced at him sideways, showing no respect.

"Fine." Xiang Yu seemed to barely suppress his displeasure, waved his hand, and said helplessly.

"Since things have come to this, at least we can at least deliver the heads... It's better than going home empty-handed."

His words sounded like self-consolation, yet also like giving He Lian a way out.

Just as He Lian was about to breathe a sigh of relief, his heart was gripped tightly by Xiang Yu's next words!

Suddenly, Xiang Yu seemed to remember something. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, turned his gaze back to He Lian, and a look of half-thought and half-amusement appeared on his face.

"However, Chief Helian, I suddenly remembered something else." Xiang Yu's tone was calm, but every word struck Helian's heart like a hammer.

"Look, the Southern Xiongnu in the Hetao region and the Wuhuan in Liaoxi have now submitted to our Great Han, becoming vassals, paying tribute, and sending their sons as hostages. They have truly returned to the rule of the Han, living in peace and prosperity. The court treats them quite leniently. So..."

He leaned forward slightly, his double pupils staring directly at Helian's instantly pale face, and slowly asked, "What is the relationship between you Xianbei and my Great Han now? I remember that since the reign of Khan Tanshihuai, there seems to have been no formal letter of submission sent to Luoyang? You even plundered Han people, and now there are tribes suspected of harboring traitors like Zhang Chun... So it seems that our two sides... are still hostile, aren't we?"

He spoke the last few words very softly, but they exploded in He Lian's ears like thunder!

Aren't you here to find someone?

The person has been found!

I've already given you the kill!

How did we suddenly get onto the topic of submission versus non-submission, and hostility versus non-hostility?

That turn was way too sharp!

He Lian stared with his mouth agape at Xiang Yu's half-smiling yet chilling face, then glanced at the equally unfriendly gazes of the fierce generals behind him, especially Li Cunxiao's eager expression, as if he were ready to charge into battle again at any moment.

I felt a chill rush from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head, my limbs were icy cold, my vision went black, and I almost fainted on the spot.