He Minghu squatted in front of Zhang Tiezhu. The calluses on his hands, formed from years of gripping a blade, scraped against Zhang Tiezhu's flesh.
The pain from this move left Zhang Tiezhu trembling all over.
"General... General He..." Zhang Tiezhu squeezed a few broken words from his throat. "This lowly one... this lowly one..."
A hint of smugness flashed through He Minghu's eyes. He stared into Zhang Tiezhu's eyes, demanding to see fear, demanding to see submission.
He understood these lowly soldiers all too well. As long as he applied a little pressure and grabbed hold of their weaknesses, these men would sell out their own fathers.
As long as Zhang Tiezhu publicly accused Xu Zhan, he would win this round. This trick of striking first to shift the blame, taught to him by Ma Jin'an, was truly useful.
He stood up, deliberately raising his voice so that the surrounding soldiers could hear clearly.
"Zhang Tiezhu! Tell everyone loudly!" He Minghu pointed at Xu Zhan, who stood not far away. "Was it him who killed Zhao Si and robbed the cattle and sheep you risked your lives to bring back!"
Zhang Tiezhu kept his head lowered.
The clamor around his ears gradually faded away. The scene from two hours ago on the dirt road back to the city surfaced in his mind.
The sky had just begun to lighten then.
Xu Zhan controlled the reins with one hand, walking beside the convoy. Zhang Tiezhu and a few surviving wounded soldiers supported each other as they followed behind.
But ahead of them, Xu Zhan suddenly reined in his horse and turned to look at them.
"Once we reach Zhenbei City, He Minghu will definitely try to shift the blame onto us," Xu Zhan spoke.
Zhang Tiezhu froze, looking at the Vanguard Battalion Centurion in confusion.
Xu Zhan patted the horse's neck with his remaining left hand.
"He will announce in front of the entire army that I, Xu Zhan, killed Zhao Si and plundered this batch of traded cattle and sheep."
Hearing this, the wounded soldiers turned pale with fright.
Cripple Liu shook his head repeatedly. "Impossible! Why would General He do such a thing? These cattle and sheep are clearly..."
But Cripple Liu choked on his words halfway through.
Because Xu Zhan was looking at them with cold eyes.
"You were nothing but pawns pushed out to do the dirty work," Xu Zhan mercilessly pierced through the illusion. "You are meant to be scapegoats."
Zhang Tiezhu swallowed hard, the stump of his severed right arm aching agonizingly.
"Centurion Xu, your words... this lowly one doesn't understand."
Xu Zhan sneered.
"If an investigation occurs, He Minghu only needs to make the excuse of lax discipline and claim that Zhao Si acted on his own! He will then take all the provisions for himself and use them to appease the soldiers in his camp."
"As for you all..."
Xu Zhan paused, his gaze sweeping over the crippled soldiers.
"You will be charged with treason, accused of conspiring with Zhao Si, stealing the Imperial Envoy's wealth, and colluding with the Helian tribe."
Zhang Tiezhu immediately felt a chill run through his body, his teeth chattering.
He had followed Zhao Si to Wild Fox Beach, thinking they were going to get rich.
At the time, Zhao Si had patted his chest and promised that as long as they traded for the Helian tribe's cattle and sheep, General He would reward them heavily.
But what was the result? The Helian tribe didn't follow the rules at all. They attacked lethally right from the start. Zhao Si was stabbed to death, and the brothers were slaughtered like melons and vegetables being chopped.
If Xu Zhan hadn't charged out with the remnants of the Vanguard Battalion, he, Zhang Tiezhu, would have long become a headless corpse.
But now Xu Zhan was telling him that all of this was He Minghu's scheme.
Zhang Tiezhu didn't want to believe it, but he wasn't stupid.
The eight carts of goods Zhao Si had brought were all the Imperial Envoy's glazed treasures. General He secretly detaining the Imperial Envoy's goods to trade with the Helian tribe was a capital offense punishable by beheading.
If the matter were exposed, how could General He protect them? Silencing them by killing them was the safest method.
The more Zhang Tiezhu thought about it, the more terrified he became. Cold sweat soaked through his inner garments.
"Then... then if we go back, what will be our fate?"
Xu Zhan spat out a single word.
"Death."
The wounded soldiers looked ashen. Cripple Liu's legs gave out, and he collapsed into the mud.
Zhang Tiezhu stood in a daze for a long time. He let out a long sigh, his mouth twisting into a bitter smile that looked worse than crying.
"Lord Xu... you are truly brilliant at strategy!" Zhang Tiezhu lowered his head and looked at his severed right arm. "You even calculated exactly how General He would deal with us."
Xu Zhan waved his hand.
"I absolutely do not possess the ability to deduce such human schemes," Xu Zhan admitted frankly. "This is entirely due to my younger sister's planning."
Zhang Tiezhu suddenly understood.
That Imperial Envoy whom he had never met had actually calculated human nature to such a degree.
He immediately felt a deep reverence for that Lord Xu, and at the same time, thoroughly severed his last shred of hope regarding He Minghu.
Just as everyone felt utterly hopeless and prepared to wait for death.
Xu Zhan slowed his tone and threw out the bait.
"As for your survival..." Xu Zhan looked at Zhang Tiezhu. "There is still a glimmer of hope."
Zhang Tiezhu jerked his head up, a desire to live bursting from his eyes.
"Centurion Xu! Point us to a clear path! As long as I can survive, this lowly one's life will be yours from now on!"
Xu Zhan pointed in the direction of Zhenbei City.
"When He Minghu forces you to accuse me, spill the exact truth about Zhao Si taking the eight carts of glazed treasures to Wild Fox Beach for trade."
"Say it loudly in front of the whole army, in front of Commander Tie."
Zhang Tiezhu hesitated.
"But... General He holds military power. If he turns hostile on the spot..."
"He wouldn't dare," Xu Zhan interrupted him. "As long as you dare to speak, my younger sister can guarantee your life. Choose: take the blame for He Minghu and be beheaded, or take a gamble?"
...
The wind outside the north gate swept up a flurry of yellow dust.
Zhang Tiezhu's chest heaved violently as he pulled himself out of his memories.
His originally unfocused eyes gradually hardened with ruthlessness and resolve.
He raised his head and looked straight into He Minghu's eyes.
Seeing that Zhang Tiezhu was delaying his answer, a trace of brutality flashed in He Minghu's eyes as he lost his patience.
He leaned closer to Zhang Tiezhu, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear.
"Zhang Tiezhu, you are a smart man. With that severed arm of yours, you won't be able to hold a blade anymore."
"If you die, your wife in Willow Alley south of the city, and your son who just turned five, are still counting on you to bring back your military pay to buy rice for the pot."
The blade of his sword slid out of its sheath by half an inch, emitting a sharp, metallic scrape.
"As long as you do what this general says and point the finger at Xu Zhan, I will guarantee you a life free from worry over food and clothing for the rest of your days! As for your son, I will take him into the Vice General's estate to serve."
"But if you dare to speak nonsense..." He Minghu sneered. "Tomorrow, there will be two more floating corpses in the moat, one large and one small. You had better think clearly before you speak!"
Zhang Tiezhu's pupils contracted sharply. On one side were He Minghu's threats and bribes, and on the other was the chance of survival offered by Centurion Xu.
According to the instructions given by Centurion Xu, all he needed to do now was publicly expose He Minghu's true colors of embezzling the glazed treasures, and spill the beans about Zhao Si taking the eight carts of wealth to Wild Fox Beach for trade. Then, He Minghu would be completely finished.
Zhang Tiezhu opened his mouth and took a deep, slow breath.
"General He..."
But before Zhang Tiezhu could utter another sound.
A crisp female voice carried clearly over the dense crowd.
"Lord He, I'm afraid those words are quite inappropriate!"
