The Halberd Splits, the City Crumbles, and the Enemy Quakes; False Might Shatters Yin Chang's Dreams

"How much baggage did this Blood-Clad Army bring? Did they bring provisions?"

He forced himself to remain calm as he pressed for an answer, though his fingertips trembled slightly.

"That's the strange part," his guard said with a frown. "They're marching extremely fast. They're fully armed, but they brought no baggage, and no provisions either.

Several prison carts are following in the middle of the column. At the very front, the Blood-Clad Army is using long spears to hoist a row of...

A row of 'bloodied men.' They look like criminals who've suffered brutal punishments. There's so much blood on them that it's stained the spear shafts red."

"Criminals? A thousand men? A forced march?"

Yin Chang's brows knitted into a deep furrow as thoughts raced through his mind.

He went to the map and tapped the spot marking Handan, his mind racing. Before long, a guess came to him.

"Could Lord Changping's plan have already succeeded? Is Zhao Cheng taking his men to confess their crimes?"

"Those criminals might be the scapegoats he's been forced to produce!"

"Haha! It must be!"

Yin Chang clapped his hands and laughed. His earlier tension vanished, and even his voice rose several notches. "Lord Changping's plan must have worked!

That scoundrel Zhao Cheng has been backed into a corner. He can only round up some scapegoats and take them to apologize to His Majesty!"

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He paced around the government office twice, the hem of his brocade robe brushing against the grain records on the desk.

"Think about it. If he really meant to make trouble, why bring only a thousand men?

He must have suffered a setback in Handan and be hurrying to Wangyue Post Station to appease His Majesty's wrath!

Those