Zhongli, a Han General, Brave and Skilled in Battle

"Is what you said true?" Zhongli asked calmly.

"That's true!" the soldier replied affirmatively.

Where are they?

"They escaped, and they haven't been caught yet!"

"Didn't catch them? Hmph! These damned Donghu dared to raid my State of Wei army camp! You bastards, even if it costs me my life, I will kill you all today! Guards!"

"Your subordinate is here!" A row of soldiers rushed in from outside.

"Pass down the order: all troops are on high alert, guarding against enemy sneak attacks!"

"Yes!"

"You may leave!"

"Yes!"

Zhongli then looked at the soldier. "What did those people look like?"

The soldier shook his head. "I don't know!"

"Okay, I understand. You may leave now!"

"Promise!"

Watching the soldiers depart, Zhongli's face darkened horribly. "It seems we'll be going to have a massacre tonight!" As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in Zhongli's eyes.

At this moment, Zhongli's adjutant walked in and respectfully said, "General, is what you just said true? If it is, shouldn't we try to salvage this situation?"

Zhongli sighed, "Alas... now that things have come to this, this is the only way."

"But if we hand the king over, will he agree?"

"This is his only hope; we cannot give up."

"But we don't know where he is now. If we rashly send someone to look for him, won't it arouse his suspicion and thus be detrimental to Your Majesty?"

Zhongli thought for a moment and then said, "Go and prepare. I need to gather some generals to discuss the specifics!"

"Yes!"

Soon, everyone in the hall left. Only Zhongli remained, looking at the empty hall.

Suddenly, Zhongli had a brilliant idea, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. "Haha! My good son, you have not disappointed me after all. This time, I will help you fulfill one of your wishes, and I hope you can successfully ascend the throne!"

"Father, what are you saying?"

"Don't worry about that, just go and get ready!" Zhongli smiled slightly.

"Yes, sir!"

Zhong Yuanji walked out of the main hall, looking at the empty space. A strange smile crept across his lips, "You bunch of beasts, you think you're safe hiding in the Great Liang State? I, Zhong Yuanji, will absolutely not allow you to live in this world!"

"Zhongli, you old scoundrel, how dare you betray me! I will kill you!" Just then, a loud shout echoed throughout the entire palace.

Upon hearing this, Zhongli trembled, his smile instantly freezing and turning extremely grim. He turned around abruptly and saw Li Yuan appear before him with a group of people. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, what brings you here?" Zhongli was startled and hurriedly bowed.

Li Yuan gave Zhongli a cold look, then turned and left.

He left Zhongli with only one sentence. "You're going to die!"

Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, Zhongli's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly chased after him, saying, "Your Majesty, please wait! I have an important matter to ask of you!"

"I have no interest in your nonsense, get out!"

"Your Majesty, please give me a chance to explain!" Zhongli pleaded.

"Alright, I'll give you one more chance!" Li Yuan stopped and turned to look at Zhongli.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!" Zhongli kowtowed three times, tears streaming down his face.

Zhongli stood up, walked to Li Yuan, took a deep breath, and said, "Your Majesty, I have come here to negotiate with you. You may want us to surrender, but we need a drop of your blood, a drop of royal blood. With this drop of blood, we will have royal status and be able to mobilize a large army to suppress the rebels!"

"Oh? This is a good offer. I agree!" Li Yuan nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhongli was so excited he almost cried. He finally had a chance to avenge himself; the day had finally come.

Li Yuan waved his hand and said, "Go, bring me the heads of those traitors!"

"Yes!"

A moment later, a soldier walked in carrying a human head.

Upon seeing the severed head, Zhongli's pupils contracted sharply. "How is this possible?"

"Do you recognize this head?" Li Yuan asked casually.

"I recognize it! This head is Zhong Yuanji's head."

Li Yuan laughed and said, "It seems you're not so stupid as to be beyond redemption! But I don't care for those things you mentioned. I only need the heads of these traitors!"

"Your Majesty, please allow me to say a few more words. Once I have said these words, you may leave with these heads, how about it?"

"Very well, I'd like to hear your brilliant ideas!" Li Yuan nodded, signaling Zhongli to continue.

"Your Majesty," Zhongli said, "These men are all from State of Wei. Our troops were slaughtered by the rebels before we could capture the State of Wei capital. They were all killed. Now, I am the only general left in State of Wei. With so many troops, it will be extremely difficult for us to invade State of Wei. We have no chance of winning. Moreover, State of Wei is in Zhongli, and their fighting strength is very formidable. Our army simply cannot withstand them. Therefore, I suggest that we take advantage of the chaos to retake the capital. If possible, we can build a defensive line on the State of Wei border to prevent the enemy from attacking the State of Wei capital."

"This method is good, but it also carries great risks. You need to understand that if it fails, you will die! Are you sure you want to take such a huge risk to do this?"

"Your Majesty, I know the risks this time are great, so we need to prepare for the worst to ensure everything goes smoothly!"

"In that case, alright then!" Li Yuan said after a moment's hesitation.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Then get on it right away!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhongli bowed and withdrew.

"Someone, go and inform all the generals to immediately assemble their troops and prepare to attack the capital of State of Wei! Remember, the operation must be carried out secretly and cannot be discovered!" Zhongli said.

"Here you go!"

After Zhongli finished speaking, he turned and left to inform his men and make arrangements to prepare for an attack at any time.

About half an hour later, Zhongli led a dozen soldiers to a secluded valley. Standing atop a boulder, Zhongli looked down at the densely packed soldiers below, his eyes gleaming. He sneered, turned to a soldier, and said, "Immediately go and tell the rebels this news, and order them to attack the capital of State of Wei!"

"Yes, General!" The soldier nodded, turned, and ran off.

Before long, a commotion arose from the direction of the valley. Zhongli looked up and saw hundreds of cavalrymen galloping towards the valley. This force numbered over three thousand, including Zhongli himself, totaling four hundred. These men were Zhongli's elite elite troops, Zhongli right-hand men. Their mission was to assist Zhongli in capturing the capital of State of Wei and to kill Zhong Yun all his followers!