High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

As soon as he stepped out of the prison gate, Li Jin came up to him and reported the situation in the court.

As Tang Ke had predicted, Feng Xu and his gang's accusations that Tang Ke and He Lingsi had an affair enraged the emperor, and also angered He Jin and others.

Zhang Rang was initially observing, but when Zhang Feng appeared, he not only denied their accusations but also revealed that he had been kidnapped by Xu Feng. Fortunately, Tang Ke led the imperial guards to rescue him, and Zhang Rang joined the chorus of condemning Feng Xu and his gang.

Since even the parties involved said so, Emperor Ling of Han was naturally furious. He immediately issued an edict to take him and Ma Yuanyi to the execution ground and execute them by dismemberment. He also specifically ordered the imperial guards to be responsible for escorting them to the execution ground.

As Li Jin was speaking, someone came to the imperial prison to take people away. The matter was sudden, and Tang Ke did not even have time to make any preparations. Fortunately, Li Jin had already gathered the imperial guards to line up and wait for orders.

Tang Ke leaped onto his horse and waited quietly for Ma Yuanyi to be brought out of the prison.

The last rays of the setting sun pierced through the clouds and spilled onto the streets of Luoyang. Countless onlookers had already gathered on both sides of the street—some curious, some just watching the spectacle, and some furious—all awaiting the impending execution.

Feng Xu, Xu Feng, and Ma Yuanyi were all tightly bound by iron chains, and the shackles made a dull sound on the stone pavement.

Tang Ke rode at the front, leading the escort team slowly forward. This was also Emperor Ling of Han's intention; they had to proceed slowly so that as many people as possible would know the consequences of assassinating the emperor.

The imperial guards, spears in hand, were on high alert, fearing the three might suddenly rebel or that accomplices might appear to rescue them. However, even the newly captured Feng Xu and Xu Feng had long since lost the ability to resist and were left to their mercy.

The people along the way were talking amongst themselves; some cursed under their breath, while others gloated. Some of the bolder children even ran to the side of the procession and threw stones at the three men.

Feng Xu and Xu Feng had never been treated like this before, and they couldn't help but curse back. Only Ma Yuanyi silently endured it all, his eyes revealing deep despair and helplessness.

The air was thick with the smell of earth and blood, and the distant tolling of bells added to the somber atmosphere. The clatter of the imperial guards' hooves and the clamor of the onlookers mingled together, creating a suffocating symphony.

The procession slowly swam for a full hour before finally reaching the execution ground, where five specially made oxcarts for dismemberment had already been prepared. Each oxcart had five wheels pointing in opposite directions, and a rope was tied to each wheel.

With a command given, the execution officially began. Ma Yuanyi, the first to be executed, was tied to the vehicle. Perhaps his wish had been fulfilled, for his face showed no fear, only calm.

Tang Zhou sighed deeply. This punishment was truly inhumane. He turned his gaze elsewhere, unwilling to witness this horrific scene any longer.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The cheers of the onlookers rang in his ears, like sharp knives piercing the depths of his soul.

With a sharp whistle, the executioners simultaneously pulled the ropes.

Ma Yuanyi, who had been calm and silent all along, suddenly spoke, his voice weak but full of power: "Fellow villagers, although I, Ma Yuanyi, am dead, my heart to destroy the Han will never die! The people of the world are suffering, and the court is corrupt and incompetent. We cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom!"

"The blue sky has died, the yellow sky shall rise, the year is Jiazi, and the world will be blessed!"

These words immediately caused a stir among the crowd. Some whispered among themselves, some looked on with sympathy, and most remained silent.

Even Tang Ke's heart was stirred. Unlike himself, Ma Yuanyi was a man who truly disregarded life and death to rebel against the court. Perhaps it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him sacrificing himself for righteousness.

Upon seeing this, the executioner roared, "You audacious madman, you dare to spread falsehoods and mislead the public even as you face death! Guards, carry out the execution!"

At his command, the executioners moved swiftly. Each of them drove one of the five carriages, holding a long whip. At his command, the five horses pushed off simultaneously, and the carriages surged forward, pulling Ma Yuanyi, who was bound to the instruments of torture, in different directions.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The whips lashed repeatedly at the rumps of the five execution horses, and the ropes were pulled tighter and tighter.

With the horses' roars and neighs, Ma Yuanyi was pulled tighter and tighter. His muscles bulged abnormally under extreme tension, veins popped out, and his face began to contort in pain. Gasps of shock rippled through the crowd, and some covered their eyes, unable to bear witnessing this cruel scene.

As his body was pulled straighter and straighter by the ropes, his bones cracked and snapped, and his body began to become a bloody mess, a truly gruesome sight.

This horrifying scene was so shocking that even Tang Ke, who once hated him to the core, couldn't bear to look at it and turned his head to one side.

Feng Xu and Xu Feng, both martial arts masters, were terrified and desperately twisted their bodies, trying to break free of their restraints, but all their efforts were in vain.

Some onlookers couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned away, while others watched the execution intently, as if enjoying this cruel feast.

The air was thick with the suffocating stench of blood.

"Lord Tang, please save us! We were blind and didn't recognize your greatness. We shouldn't have opposed you. Please have mercy on us. A great man doesn't hold a grudge against a lowly person. Please put in a good word for us before His Majesty."

Feng Xu could no longer bear the provocation and began to beg Tang Ke for mercy.

Tang Ke gave him a cold look: "I'm sorry, Eunuch Feng, it is His Majesty who wants to kill you. I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."

Despair began to fill Feng Xu's eyes, and a strong smell of urine filled the air. This powerful eunuch had been so frightened that he had lost control of his bladder.

Tang Ke finally felt a pang of pity for him. Compared to Zhang Rang and other heinous eunuchs, Feng Xu had no obvious crimes and could be considered a breath of fresh air.

Although Ma Yuanyi's face was contorted with pain during his torture, his eyes still shone with an indomitable light; Feng Xu and Xu Feng had long lost their composure, their bodies twisted and deformed in the violent tearing, emitting mournful howls.

The execution lasted a long time, the screams, the sound of horses' hooves, and the crack of whips intertwined, creating a chilling scene. Only after all three were torn apart by chariots did the execution ground regain a moment of silence. The corpses lay scattered on the ground, blood staining the earth red, and the air was filled with the stench of death.

Tang Ke felt nauseous and ran to a corner to vomit frantically.

"It is impossible to change this era by relying solely on individual strength." In a secluded corner far away from the execution ground, a woman wearing a straw hat murmured to herself, her eyes filled with grief and helplessness. After witnessing the horrific execution, she quickly left the scene.