Blood Butcher Offers Head, Crushing Zhao's Foundation; Li Mu Surrenders to Qin, Tearing Border Dust

"Imperial We, mindful of the General's past merits, have not yet brought ourselves to execute you..."

"Should the General delay in compliance or defy this decree, This Lonely One shall order the Yinshan Spy Guard to apprehend and punish you, so as to uphold the laws of the state..."

These lines were so piercing that Li Mu narrowed his eyes, a stifling sense of indignation surging within his heart.

He had been exhausting his wits and struggling bitterly on the front lines.

Yet, those in the rear claimed he was using his military might to coerce the sovereign.

He hardly needed to think to know that this was undoubtedly Guo Kai stirring up trouble from the rear.

The late Lian Po, simply because he could not stomach Guo Kai's conduct at court and had rebuked him, was held in a grudge; not long after, he was stripped of his rank as a Great General through one of Guo Kai's schemes.

Yet, he could not fathom why, with Zhao State already in such a precarious state, Guo Kai would still seek to frame him.

Did he not know that if he were replaced, the Qin State would drive straight in?

A man as loyal to his country as Li Mu could never fathom the bottom line of a man like Guo Kai.

Seeming to perceive his confusion, Zhao Cheng said, "Has the General not heard that the art of war is one of deception? Both on and off the battlefield, it is a place where men contend with all their might."

"The so-called 'attacking cities is the lowest form of warfare, attacking the heart is the highest.' While the Qin State's military strength is formidable on the battlefield, General Li's defenses are too tight to break through. Naturally, they turn their