High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

"Good, good, well done!" Jian Shuo turned to Zhang Rang: "Eunuch Zhang, what do you say?"

Zhang Rang had been observing from the sidelines, and when Ma Yuanyi pointed him out, he simply watched Jian Shuo's frantic performance with indifference.

It wasn't until Jian Shuo specifically asked him that he chuckled and said, "I have no objection. Ma Yuanyi has committed an unforgivable crime, so his words cannot be entirely believed. Of course, they cannot be completely disbelieved either. In my opinion, it would be best to have the chief clerk make a record and report the truth to His Majesty."

"Very well, kid. Slandering an official of the imperial court is no small crime. If you have any solid evidence, hand it over now. If not, I'll have you skinned alive."

Jian Shuo practically had "Hurry up and hand over the evidence" written all over his face, while Zhang Rang, with nothing to hide, remained completely calm.

“Of course I have solid evidence.” Ma Yuanyi glanced at everyone and said slowly, “I can hand it over, as long as you agree to one condition, I will naturally hand it over with both hands.”

Jian Shuo rushed up and grabbed his collar: "What are the conditions?"

"Open the city gates immediately for seven days!"

Jian Shuo slowly released his hand and shook his head, saying, "The city gates were open for seven days, yet even your accomplices were released. I cannot make that decision."

Ma Yuanyi sneered, "If you can't make the decision, then invite someone who can to come and talk."

Since Emperor Ling of Han had not agreed to open the city gates and let the assassin go, none of the people present wanted to take the blame. Cao Cao immediately ordered his men to take Ma Yuanyi away.

Jian Shuo glanced at Feng Xu, who gestured towards He Jin with his lip. Jian Shuo understood and walked up to He Jin, saying, "This matter is of great importance; please make the decision, General!"

"This..." He Jin hesitated. The evidence in Ma Yuanyi's hands was nothing more than that letter with Zhang Rang's fake handwriting. Not to mention whether this letter could bring down Zhang Rang, it was not suitable to start a direct war while he was in power.

Suddenly, he heard Tang Ke whispering behind him. Without thinking, he immediately repeated it.

"This man is spouting nonsense and slandering Eunuch Zhang. What real evidence could he possibly have? In my opinion, he's just trying to buy time. Don't believe him. Right now, we should close the city gates tightly and hurry up and search for the assassin. As for the evidence the assassin has, Eunuch Jian, you're an expert, so I don't need to say more. What do you think, Eunuch Zhang?"

Zhang Rang seemed to appreciate He Jin's words and said with a smile, "Since the Imperial Brother-in-law has given the order, we will simply obey."

With two of the three parties agreeing, Jian Shuo naturally couldn't raise any other opinions.

Feng Xu, who had been keeping his eyes down and mind to himself, finally spoke slowly: "What if we can't get any information from Jian Shuo or obtain any evidence? This case was personally assigned by His Majesty, and we only have half a month left. We can't afford to be careless."

"If we cannot obtain evidence within three days, we will petition His Majesty to open the city gates."

"Then it's settled." Feng Xu stood up with satisfaction upon hearing He Jin's words. After all, it wouldn't hurt to test Jian Shuo's methods first.

To ensure there was no foul play during the interrogation, Jian Shuo's torture was required to be conducted in front of a crowd. Apart from Tang Ke, who volunteered to go with Cao Cao to lead a search party throughout the city, the others followed Jian Shuo to the Imperial Prison of the Court of Justice.

Tang Ke harbored a great deal of selfish motive in guiding the torture of Ma Yuanyi before the lockdown of Luoyang was lifted. Zhang Chu was a person who practiced both martial arts and Taoism, and the chances of catching her were very small, whether the lockdown was lifted or not. It was only a matter of time before she escaped Luoyang.

Ma Yuanyi's eagerness to lift the seal was simply to quickly convey the news of the assassination's failure so that Zhang Jiao could prepare in advance.

He made Zhang Rang's letter public, which actually brought Zhang Rang down. But this wouldn't benefit Tang Ke at all. In fact, it might even boost his own terrible plan's rating, causing his own martial arts skills to drop.

In order to survive in the coming chaos, having weak military strength is a major taboo.

Tang Ke had always felt a lump in his throat about Tang Ke's betrayal. It was truly baffling that a good brother could turn against someone so suddenly, without any transition or buffer period.

Since Jian Shuo is a skilled torturer, it is very necessary to let him purify Ma Yuanyi's mind. Although I dare not watch, I can already guess how ruthless his eighteen martial arts skills are just by imagining it.

After all, the cruel officials of this era had already created idioms like "inviting the enemy into a urn".

Tang Ke followed Cao Cao all the way to the north of the city, where Cao Hong had already ordered hundreds of elite cavalry to be assembled, ready to depart. They were dressed in red robes and black armor, carrying long spears, with sharp short blades hanging at their waists, exuding a murderous aura.

The Imperial Guards were considered the elite cavalry of the Eastern Han Dynasty. They were not only skilled horsemen and martial artists, but their loyalty to the court was also beyond question.

Cao Cao personally donned his armor and took to the front lines, clad in silver armor and wielding a sharp sword. He shouted, "Soldiers! There are rebels who intend to assassinate His Majesty and endanger the state. As the Emperor's personal guards, you must swear to defend imperial power to the death, punish the traitors, and restore order to the world!"

The imperial guards shouted in unison, "We swear to fight to the death! Slay the rebels!" Their voices shook the heavens and the earth, echoing over Luoyang.

Cao Cao lowered his voice and said to Tang Ke, "Ziyou, Zilian and I will split up and conduct a thorough search. Zilian is impulsive, so you will be in charge of everything. We must apprehend the assassin's accomplices as soon as possible. This will not only clear your name but also put an end to Ma Yuanyi's hopes and force him to hand over the letter."

"Brother, don't worry, I'll just listen to him. If we can't catch him, you can't blame me."

Cao Hong understood immediately. Tang Ke was now a major figure in the assassination case, and keeping an eye on him was just as important as catching the assassin until the case was definitively concluded.

"What utter nonsense are you spouting?"

Seeing that Tang Ke did not object, Cao Cao gave an order, and the imperial guards quickly split into two teams. The two men each led a team to every corner of Luoyang City and began a carpet search.

For the first time, Tang Ke truly understood what it meant to disturb the peace. The people in the city were terrified by this sudden change and hurriedly closed their doors and windows, hiding in their homes and afraid to go out.

Some busybodies secretly opened their windows to spy on what was happening outside. Tang Ke rode his warhorse, swaggering through the streets, and searched houses he found suspicious.

Looking into the fearful eyes of those being investigated, and feeling the thrill of controlling others with power, this thrill, though not as extreme as that of an emperor who could control the life and death of all the people of the Han Dynasty, was still as if he were standing from the perspective of a god when he looked at everyone!

The search operation continued into the night, but Zhang Chu and Dong Ruyun seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

Although the imperial guards were exhausted, they dared not relax their vigilance in the slightest. They knew that as long as the assassin was not eliminated, Luoyang would never have peace.

However, the leader temporarily appointed by Lord Mengde seemed to have no method for finding people. If they encountered a family with young and beautiful women, he would insist on personally approaching them and wasting time. If they encountered an old and frail person, he would ask Cao Hong to question them in detail.

On the contrary, those that looked highly suspicious were simply glossed over, as if afraid of wasting even a second.