Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Li Ru looked at Hua Xiong and Zhang Ren who were leaving with orders, a smile on his face, and suddenly pulled Zhang Lu's Taoist robe sleeve: "Master, come with me to the tower to see how the warriors from Xiliang perform!"

Zhang Lu instinctively tried to pull his hand away, but Li Ru held it firmly. He watched the glint in his eyes, his Adam's apple twitching, but he didn't dare struggle. His dark Taoist robe was pulled askew, the Big Dipper embroidery fluttering in the wind. He could only let Li Ru drag him towards the city wall.

As the two men ascended the battlements, a cloud of dust rose. Hua Xiong, lance in hand, led the way, his cavalry behind him like a dark cloud pressing down on the city walls. The crunch of horses' hooves crushing bluestone mingled with the clang of armor as they charged towards the inn where the Yizhou delegation was staying. Zhang Lu's knuckles turned white as he clung to the battlements. Suddenly, a Xiliang cavalryman swung a lasso, snaring the fleeing Yizhou captain and dragging him from his horse.

Suddenly, shouts and cries of killing erupted from the distant inn. The cries mingled with the clashing of weapons, startling the sparrows on the city walls into a frenzy of flight. Zhang Lu stared at Li Ru's impassive expression, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck.

The midday sun hung high in the sky, scorching the bluestone slabs of Hanzhong's city gate. Li Ru leaned against the battlements, his fox fur coat beneath his dark brocade robe trembling slightly in the draft. Zhang Lu stood three steps away, the hem of his Taoist robe lifted by the wind, revealing the hem of his dark boots embroidered with the Big Dipper.

"Does Tianshi still have doubts in his heart?" Li Ru looked up at the commotion in the distance.

Zhang Lu took a half step back, his black Taoist hat almost touching the battlements behind him: "It's not that I dare to hide it from the envoy..."

"But if the entire delegation is killed..." Zhang Lu clenched the talisman in his sleeve, his knuckles turning white. His eyes wandered to the large banner with the word "Han" fluttering on the city wall in the distance. "Yizhou has thousands of miles of fertile land, well-trained soldiers and abundant food, while Hanzhong is just a tiny place..."

Li Ru suddenly sneered, startling Zhang Lu so much that he looked up suddenly: "Could it be that my Xiliang Iron Cavalry is afraid of the rabble of his state?" His hawk-like eyes pierced Zhang Lu's eyes.

"The King of Liang has hundreds of thousands of cavalry under his command, so he's naturally fearless." A thin layer of sweat formed on Zhang Lu's forehead. He looked at the man with a sneer on his face, his Adam's apple rolling: "But the people of Hanzhong..."

"Tianshi!" Li Ru suddenly exerted force, grabbing Zhang Lu's wrist, his wide black sleeves sweeping away the dust on the battlements. As he leaned in, Zhang Lu could almost smell the scent of blood on his clothes: "Since you are so close to Xiliang, how could Xiliang just sit there and watch?" Then he suddenly let go, clapping his hands and laughing, startling the birds in the sky and scattering.

Before the laughter died down, Li Ru had already put his arm around Zhang Lu's shoulders and pressed his fingertips hard on his Jianjing acupoint: "Let's go to your Tianshi Mansion and prepare a few pots of Laojun wine."

At noon, beneath the city walls, the Han Dynasty's civil and military officials stared in amazement at the smoke and dust rising from the direction of the inn. Zhang Lu wiped the sweat from his forehead, the hem of his Taoist robe trembling in the wind: "Sir...how about...wait a little longer?"

Li Ru played with the jade pendant at his waist, a smile on his lips: "No problem. They are just a bunch of turtles trapped in a jar, what kind of waves can they make?" He glanced at Zhang Lu's pale face, and suddenly laughed out loud, startling the crows perched on the city wall and making them fly around. "Let's do as the Taoist priest said and wait a little longer."

Half an hour later, the sound of hooves could be heard in the distance. Hua Xiong's crimson horse charged out from the dust, three bloody heads dangling from its saddle. Blood from his armor dripped down his breastplate, splattering the bluestone like red plum blossoms. Zhang Ren followed closely behind, his spear wielding the red banner of the Yizhou delegation. The banner, drenched in blood, fluttered in the wind.

Two generals reined in their horses and halted at the foot of the city, stirring up a cloud of blood as they turned. Zhang Ren shook the blood from his spear and declared, "Military Advisor, the Yizhou delegation numbered eight hundred, and not a single one has escaped!" Before he had finished speaking, Hua Xiong had swung the leather rope containing the heads from his waist over the city wall. Several heads tumbled across the bluestone slabs to Zhang Lu's feet, causing several civil servants to stumble back in fear.

A dead silence fell on the tower. Zhang Lu looked at those wide-open eyes, his stomach churning, but then he saw Li Ru clapping his hands and laughing: "Good! This is the method of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry!" He turned and patted Zhang Lu's stiff shoulder, the jade pendant in his sleeve sweeping across his Taoist robe, "Is Tianshi relieved now?"

Zhang Lu looked at the two figures tied together on the horses' backs, his Adam's apple rolling as he stammered, "Two generals...then Fei Yi and Qiao Zhou..." Before he could finish his words, Hua Xiong yanked the reins violently, and the two cavalrymen dismounted, throwing the two scholars onto the blue brick ground like sacks.

Both men's shirts were stained with blood, the hemp ropes biting deep into their flesh, and the rags stuffed in their mouths were askew. Fei Yi was the first to struggle to his feet, his eyes blurred by the blood oozing from the wound on his forehead. He continued to twist violently, a muffled whimper emanating from his throat.

"What does this mean, Heavenly Master?" Li Ru stroked the jade pendant and suddenly chuckled.

Zhang Lu clenched the talisman in his sleeve tightly, his nails almost digging into his palms: "Sir... didn't you promise to capture them, not kill them..."

"Of course it counts." Li Ru raised his hand to signal, and Yang Bai stepped forward tremblingly to untie the rope. As soon as the rag was pulled out, Qiao Zhou suddenly pounced on Zhang Ren, his hair disheveled and his eyes bloodshot: "Zhang Ren, traitor! The lord treated you well in the past, but today you have led the wolves of Xiliang to slaughter the men of Yizhou! I wish I could eat your flesh and sleep on your skin!"

Fei Yi coughed up blood foam and propped himself up. He glanced at the large banner with the word "Han" hanging high above the city wall and suddenly laughed out loud: "Zhang Lu! Do you think you can sleep soundly by relying on the tigers and wolves of Xiliang? When Liu Zhang's army approaches, I will definitely teach you Hanzhong..." Before he could finish his words, Li Ru had already drawn the sword at his waist and lifted Fei Yi's chin with the tip of the sword.

"You two are so brave, gentlemen." Li Ru's sword tip slid along his neck and stopped at his Adam's apple. "But this ferocious look reminds me of a caged beast—" He suddenly turned his wrist and the sword tip pierced the cracks in the bricks, startling the two men so much that they trembled all over. "Now that you've fallen into my trap, you should know what it means to know when to act."

Qiao Zhou stared at the blood beads clotted on the tip of Li Ru's sword, a broken sob emanating from his throat. The chill of death seeped into his bones, and he shuddered and huddled together. His previous fury turned into cold sweat that trickled down his spine. "What...what do you want?"

Li Ru sheathed his sword, his fingertips stroking the wolf-head pattern buckle, and smiled meaningfully: "Liu Zhang is just a dog guarding the city. Go back and tell him—" He suddenly leaned over, his warm breath spraying on Qiao Zhou's ear, "Prepare the poisoned wine early, don't wait until my Liang Wang's cavalry breaks through Chengdu before you become a prisoner."

Qiao Zhou subconsciously looked at the big knife on Hua Xiong's waist that was still dripping with blood. His Adam's apple rolled violently and he dared not make any sound.

At this moment, Zhang Ren emerged from the crowd, the clinking of armor piercing the dead silence. He knelt on one knee, gazing at Fei Yi's bloodstained shirt, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. "Mr. Fei Yi, Liu Zhang is a foolish and weak man. You saw with your own eyes why Fa Xiaozhi and I abandoned him. My lord is magnanimous and generous. He employs people regardless of their region, only their ability." He reached out to help, but Fei Yi dodged.

"General Zhang's kindness is appreciated." Fei Yi struggled to sit up from his knees. Although his hair was disheveled, his eyes were still bright. "A loyal minister should not serve two masters. Moreover..." He glanced at the pile of corpses under the city, his eyes bloodshot. "Today, your swords are stained with the blood of the men of Yizhou. Kill me if you want. I will not even frown!"

There was total silence on the tower. Li Ru stared at Fei Yi's stubborn gaze, then suddenly burst into laughter, clapping his hands and startling the gray sparrows on the battlements, who fluttered in panic: "Good! Yizhou is indeed a tough guy."

Li Ru glanced at Zhang Lu, who looked tense, and suddenly smiled and said, "Since you have agreed to the Celestial Master's request, you can deal with these two people."

Zhang Lu slowly approached Fei Yi and Qiao Zhou, the hem of his dark Taoist robe brushing against the bloodstains in the cracks between the blue bricks. He lowered his eyes to gaze upon their bewildered state, his Adam's apple moving. "Gentlemen, it's not that Zhang Lu is trying to embarrass you." Before he could finish his words, the distant horn of the Xiliang cavalry's retreating troops rang out, startling him so much that he instinctively clutched his sleeve.

"The Western Liang army is at full strength, and Hanzhong is just a tiny place..." Zhang Lu's voice was weak, and his eyes wandered to the large banner with the word "Han" flying on the top of the city wall. "If I insist on protecting you two, I am afraid that the people in the city will be implicated." He paused, and when he saw Fei Yi turned away, he said in a bitter voice: "Even if you two laugh at me for being greedy and cowardly, as long as I can keep Hanzhong safe..."

Qiao Zhou suddenly started coughing violently, and blood seeping from between his fingers dripped onto the blue bricks, soaking the red plum blossoms. Zhang Lu saw this and hurriedly nodded to Zhang Song behind him: "Prepare a carriage, select some strong soldiers, and take the two gentlemen back to Yizhou."

When Zhang Song took the order and left, Fei Yi suddenly turned around, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Tianshi, do you know how much blood was shed to achieve the word 'peace'?" He raised his hand to wipe the blood off his face, but his back was straight under his blue shirt. "When my lord's army approaches, I'm afraid your kindness in sending us back today will not be able to withstand the flames of war all over the city."

Zhang Lu took a half step back, his black Taoist hat nearly slipping off. Li Ru's laughter rang out at the right moment: "The Heavenly Master is kindhearted. You two won't have to worry about such long-term matters." He raised his hand to signal the guards, "Let's take you two gentlemen to the posthouse to rest. We'll set off early tomorrow morning."

Zhang Lu watched Fei Yi and Qiao Zhou being escorted away, his Adam's apple twitching. The sunlight shone brightly on the lines of Li Ru's dark brocade robe, as if they had come alive, swallowing Hanzhong City bit by bit. He suddenly understood that Li Ru's move was to pin him to the Xiliang chariot—when the blood of the Yizhou envoys splattered on the walls of Hanzhong, there would be no turning back for either side.

"What is the Taoist thinking?" Li Ru suddenly put his arm around his shoulders and asked, "Aren't you going to let us into the city?"

Zhang Lu's body stiffened, and he suppressed the surging blood. His hands were already clenched into fists beneath his dark Taoist robe, his nails digging deep into his palms, but he couldn't help but force a smile: "How dare I! The banquet is already prepared. Sir, please come with me to the Tianshi Mansion to drink and chat happily."

Li Ru threw back his head and laughed so loudly that the gray sparrows on the tower fluttered in panic. He dragged Zhang Lu towards the city gate, his brocade robe brushing against Zhang Lu's Taoist robe. Behind him, the civil and military officials of the Hanzhong army looked at this "intimate" scene, their faces pale. The bloody head that had been hung on the head of the Xiliang Iron Horse was still dripping with blood at the city gate, winding into a dark red stream on the bluestone slabs.

As they passed through the city wall, Zhang Lu could hear his own heartbeat mingling with Li Ru's footsteps, a pounding sound that stung his eardrums. He secretly glanced back. In the sunlight, the large "Han" banner atop the city walls rustled in the wind. He wondered how much longer it would remain flying over Hanzhong.

Li Ru took in the pale faces of the Hanzhong civil and military officials. His fingertips unconsciously stroked the wolf-head jade pendant at his waist, and a faint sneer escaped his throat. His lord had sent him to Hanzhong with the imperial seal. How could it be as simple as welcoming a bride? The bloodied Yizhou envoys on the city walls, and Zhang Lu's dilemma, played into his calculations.

"A traitor to the nation?" He silently chanted the name, a smile growing on his face. If he didn't completely tie Hanzhong to the Xiliang chariot, how could he live up to his lord's expectations? As for Zhang Lu's wavering thoughts...