Delivering Military Merit!

Hulugou, the highest point of the cliff.

The cold wind howled, kicking up the snow on the ground and stinging people's faces.

Below the cliff was a bottomless, ten-thousand-zhang abyss, shrouded in mist, enough to make one dizzy just by looking.

Yesen was bound and tied, hanging from a wooden beam extending from the edge of the cliff.

Beneath his feet was the void that could swallow everything.

"You... what do you want to do?"

Yesen looked at Zhu Zhanjun, who was standing at the other end of the beam leisurely peeling an apple with a small knife. His voice trembled with fear.

He had spent his life campaigning and killing countless people, never fearing death.

But now, with his life completely in someone else's control, this feeling of teetering on the edge of death brought him unprecedented terror.

"Nothing much."

Zhu Zhanjun took a bite of the crisp apple and mumbled.

"Just showing you the scenery and having a chat."

"Chat... chat about what?"

"About how my two good uncles were in contact with you."

"Who was the messenger, what was the token, what was the secret signal, where did you meet... I want to know every detail."

Zhu Zhanjun's tone was as relaxed as if he were asking about the weather.

"I won't tell you!"

Yesen puffed out his chest and roared, feigning bravery.

"Kill me if you dare! None of my Oirat warriors are cowards!"

"Kill you? What's the fun in that?"

Zhu Zhanjun smiled. He walked to the edge of the beam and lightly tapped the rope binding Yesen with his toe.

The rope creaked, and Yesen's body swayed violently in the air.

"You know, I don't like those bloody, violent things. Too crude."

Zhu Zhanjun said slowly.

"I prefer things that require a bit more skill."

"For example, I had someone test this rope. Under your weight, it can withstand about three thousand, two hundred and twenty-seven swings like this."

"Exceed this number, and it will break due to metal fatigue."

"And this wooden beam can only bear a maximum weight of eight hundred jin."

"I just had my personal guards jump on it. Its load-bearing limit is now less than three hundred jin."

Yesen's face grew paler with every word Zhu Zhanjun spoke.

"You... you devil!"

Yesen looked at him in horror. He realized that this young man before him was not human at all. He was a complete lunatic, a demon who took pleasure in tormenting others!

"Don't rush, this is just the appetizer."

Zhu Zhanjun threw away the apple core and clapped his hands.

"Let's play a game called 'Test of Trust'."

He took out a few pebbles of varying sizes from his bosom and weighed them in his hand.

"I will randomly throw pebbles at you."

"Guess, on which throw will this fragile rope be unable to bear the 'weight of our trust' and break with a 'snap'?"

As he spoke, he picked up the smallest pebble and flicked it lightly at the rope suspending Yesen.

"Snap!"

The pebble accurately hit the rope, making a crisp sound.

Yesen's body suddenly plunged downwards!

"Ah--!"

The feeling of weightlessness hit him, and Yesen let out a pig-like scream.

He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

"Don't scream, don't scream, the game has just begun."

Zhu Zhanjun picked up a slightly larger pebble.

"You... what do you want!"

Yesen completely broke down, crying out.

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Please just give me a quick death! Give me a quick death!"

He could endure physical torture.

But this mental torment, the boundless fear of unknown death, had utterly destroyed his dignity and will as a formidable leader.

"You could have just said so earlier."

Zhu Zhanjun pouted and put away the stone.

"Wasting so much of my breath."

For the next half hour, Yesen spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube, revealing all the details of his collusion with Prince Han and Prince Zhao.

The level of detail was even a hundred times more precise than the confessions of the Commanders of Ten Thousand before him.

Beside Zhu Zhanjun, a junior officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard furiously scribbled, recording every word of the confession.

"Very good."

Zhu Zhanjun nodded in satisfaction after listening.

"I told you everything! I told you everything!"

Yesen clutched at the last straw, looking at Zhu Zhanjun with pleading eyes.

"Let me go! If you let me go, I'll be your ox or horse!"

"I can help you persuade all the Oirat tribes to surrender! I can help you deal with the Timurid Empire! I... I'm still useful!"

"Useful?"

Zhu Zhanjun acted as if he had heard something amusing.

"Your greatest use will be to serve as the final nail in the coffin for my two uncles with your death."

"You..."

Yesen's eyes instantly filled with despair.

"Oh, right, one more thing."

Zhu Zhanjun suddenly remembered something. He walked to the wooden beam, looked at Yesen, and said word by word.

"I'm a very vengeful person."

"You tried to kill me earlier, didn't you?"

"So, in return, I won't let you die easily."

After speaking, Zhu Zhanjun stopped looking at him and turned to the junior officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard responsible for recording.