Cao Xing frowned and barked, his face stern, "There must not be the slightest mistake in the vital task His Majesty entrusted to us. Anyone who dares disobey orders will be beheaded!"
"Nuo!"
The soldiers roared their assent.
Not far away, Emperor Xian of Han and Dong Cheng were tied to trees. They could not hear what Cao Xing had said to the soldiers, but they could see their excitement, and waves of unease rose in both men's hearts.
"Why are they so happy? Has Yuan Tan let down his guard, and they're planning to set off again?"
Emperor Xian of Han spoke with a terrified expression.
Over the past few days, he had learned of their current predicament from the soldiers' idle chatter. Because Yuan Tan was deploying troops everywhere, they had been forced to hide deep in the mountains.
He was glad of this, because as long as he did not reach Ye City, he could stay alive.
But seeing the soldiers' excitement now made him begin to suspect that they were going to resume escorting him to Ye City.
Dong Cheng snorted. "Dying sooner or later makes no difference. When you dared impersonate the Son of Heaven, you should have been prepared to die. Only now do you know fear?"
"If you'd listened to me and gone to Jing Province, we wouldn't have ended up like this. Who can you blame for any of it?"
Emperor Xian of Han turned pale and remained silent.
In truth, he had been regretting it during this time.
Had he gone to Jing Province back then, even if Liu Biao harbored disloyal intentions and took his throne, he would not have taken his life, and he would not have become a prisoner.
But it was too late for regrets now.
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