"You...you're blaming me with lies. When did I threaten your family?"

Upon hearing the doctor's words, Han Sui immediately retorted with a face full of resentment.

He simply couldn't understand why the doctor would rather die than let him get away with framing him, since he had never offended him.

The doctor, however, knelt there with his head bowed, uttering no further words.

Upon seeing this, Han Sui looked at He Lian with a panicked expression: "Young Master, I am innocent! Someone is deliberately framing me!"

"Li Ru, it must be Li Ru. Now that I'm dead, no one can control him anymore. Please, Young Master, investigate thoroughly!"

Han Sui then realized what had happened and connected it all to Li Ru.

He knew he was innocent, and who else but Li Ru would have had the motive to make such an arrangement?

"shut up!!"

He Lian sneered, then kicked Han Sui to the ground, and said fiercely, "You heartless bastard! Just now, the master spoke up for you, but you tried to frame him. What use is a despicable person like you?"

Upon hearing this, Han Sui's expression changed: "Young Master, I..."

"Guards, drag Han Sui out and behead him in public!!"

Before Han Sui could finish speaking, He Lian interrupted him with a loud shout and then ordered his men to drag him away.

"Injustice... Li Ru, you despicable scoundrel... You deserve to die a horrible death!!"

As Han Sui was being carried away, he continued to hysterically curse as he walked out.

Soon, Han Sui's cursing stopped abruptly, and a guard carried Han Sui's head back into the tent.

After glancing at Han Sui's head, He Lian immediately said in a deep voice, "Hang his head at the gate and announce to all warriors that Han Sui was a wolf in sheep's clothing who poisoned the king, causing our army to suffer a great defeat. Warriors, cheer up! I will ensure their safety!"

"yes!"

The guard agreed and then carried Han Sui's head out.

After the guard left, He Lian turned to the physician beside him and said hatefully, "And him too, drag him out and behead him!"

"yes!"

The two men who came up agreed, helped the doctor up, and walked out of the tent.

As he was dragged to the door, the doctor slightly raised his head to look at Li Ru behind He Lian, a smile appearing on his lips, his eyes filled with relief and gratitude.

Upon seeing this, Li Ru's heart skipped a beat, and a trace of melancholy appeared on his face.

As a scream came from outside the tent, Li Ru's expression returned to its previous calm.

Soon, the heads of Han Sui and the doctor were hung on the gate.

When the Xianbei soldiers learned that their king had died and that these two were the culprits behind their crushing defeat, they found some solace.

It turns out, it wasn't that I was incapable, but rather that some malicious person was causing trouble.

As this self-comforting sentiment spread, the morale within the Xianbei camp, which had been low, recovered considerably.

Inside the central command tent.

He Lian sat in the spot that originally belonged to Tan Shihuai. To his left was another chair, where Li Ru sat calmly.

The surviving noble leaders of each tribe stood on both sides, their expressions solemn and silent.

He slowly glanced at the crowd, then said in a deep voice, "Now that the King is dead and our army has suffered a great defeat, what do you all think we should do next?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent exchanged glances, then lowered their heads in unison, remaining silent.

Since Tan Shihuai's defeat in his campaign against the Yuwen tribe, every single noble leader in the Xianbei royal court who had any influence has died there.

The rest were just some incompetent petty leaders; what right did they have to speak?

Li Ru, who was sitting to the side, immediately stood up and bowed to He Lian.

"Young Master, as the saying goes, a country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. We urge you to first ascend the throne, and then properly bury the King, so as to reassure the people!"

"Please, my lord, ascend the throne!!"

As Li Ru spoke, everyone in the tent stood up and bowed to He Lian.

He Lian then stood up and said, "In that case, we shall follow your advice!"

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, pay our respects!"

Seeing that He Lian had agreed, Li Ru and the others in the tent shouted in unison and bowed again.

After exchanging greetings, He Lian returned to his throne and turned to look at Li Ru.

"Please sit down, sir, and let's talk!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Ru nodded slightly, then bowed and sat down.

The people inside the tent looked at Li Ru, who was sitting almost side by side with He Lian, with a hint of awe in their eyes.

He Lian also turned to Li Ru with a questioning look: "Sir, our army has suffered heavy losses in this battle and is no longer able to fight. I am thinking of leading the troops back to the royal court to recuperate."

But I fear the Han army might pursue us. Do you have any good strategies, sir, to eliminate this worry?

Li Ru pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the only solution now is to seek peace with the Han Dynasty!"

"Sum?"

He Lian was slightly taken aback: "But the Han Dynasty currently holds an absolute advantage. Will they let us go?"

He Lian did not object in the slightest to Li Ru's proposal to seek peace.

The leaders inside the tent all breathed a sigh of relief.

Having witnessed the might of Lu Bu, Dian Wei, Huang Zhong, and other formidable warriors, as well as the powerful Han army, He Lian now had no intention of resisting whatsoever. His only concern was whether the Han army would let them go.

Li Ru said solemnly, “Your Majesty, do not worry. Since the Han Dynasty was able to return the remains of the late king and the surrendered prisoners, it shows that they do not intend to eliminate the threat completely.”

“You’re right, sir.”

Upon hearing Li Ru's words, He Lian's expression softened, and then he asked with slight hesitation, "However, what conditions can our tribe offer now to make the Han Dynasty accept our request for peace?"

"As for the conditions, they can be negotiated. As long as the Han Dynasty agrees to sue for peace, Your Majesty can spare the lives of all the soldiers and have a chance to make a comeback."

He Lian asked in a deep voice, "Sir, who do you think should be sent to negotiate?"

Upon hearing He Lian's question, Li Ru immediately stood up, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request permission to personally travel to Juyan City and meet with the Emperor of the Han Dynasty!"

"Absolutely not!" Li Ru had barely finished speaking when He Lian immediately shook his head: "Sir, you are my mentor and right-hand man. If you encounter any danger in the Han camp, what will I do? This plan is absolutely unacceptable!"

Li Ru said solemnly, "Your Majesty, there are no other eloquent debaters in our camp. If I do not go, I fear that others will not be able to handle the task and will not be able to secure any benefits for you and the Xianbei!"

"No, I'll accept whatever conditions the Han state proposes, and I can even forgo any benefits, but the one thing that matters is that you, sir, must not be harmed!"

He Lian wouldn't listen to a word of Li Ru's advice.

He Lian knew that his abilities were far inferior to his father's. Now that he had taken over this mess, he knew he couldn't hold on for long on his own. In any case, Li Ru couldn't leave his side.