Inside the tent, candles were lit, and in the firelight, Qin Ze looked solemnly at the enemy general kneeling on the ground.
The man kneeling on the ground had his armor cracked, and blood was flowing from his body, staining the ground red. He lowered his head, his eyes filled with grief.
It was none other than Shan Yi, one of the eight barbarian warriors of yesteryear, and now the last of them.
Qin Ze raised an eyebrow and lowered his head, saying:
"Shan Yi, last time you went into Yanluo Mountain, I told you to return safely, and I also told you to tell the barbarians not to set foot in Yanluo Mountain. Do you remember?"
With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Shan Yi nodded upon hearing this.
His blood-stained white hair was plastered messily to his forehead, making the fifty-something-year-old general look twenty years older.
Qin Ze continued, "Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, I still venture into the tiger's den."
"After this battle, you..."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Years ago, I fought many battles against your barbarian tribes. How many people died? In the Battle of Red Sun Valley alone, hundreds of thousands died."
"Besides those who died on the battlefield, how many others died indirectly behind the scenes, with families torn apart and people forced to wander?"
"Only in this way could we have this hard-won period of peace. How many years has it been since then?"
As soon as he finished speaking, whether it was due to excessive blood loss or some other reason, Shan Yi's body trembled slightly, and blood dripped from his face.
But the next moment, he suddenly fell headfirst to the ground.
With a "bang".
The kowtow was loud and clear. Xu Chu stood to the side, holding his sword, his eyes full of vigilance.
Qin Ze's expression was indifferent; he simply stared at him coldly.
Dan Yi raised his blood-stained face and said in a trembling voice:
"Your Highness, we have lost today, and I have nothing to say."
“You gave us a chance, telling us not to set foot in Yanluo Mountain, but we were too ambitious and didn’t take it seriously, which led to our complete annihilation.”
At this point, he was already sobbing uncontrollably, blood and saliva streaming from his mouth, and his body was trembling more and more violently.
Xu Chu, standing to the side, sneered: "Hmph, now you know you need to regret it? Too late!"
"I see you're a veteran general. You begged me not to kill you and asked me to bring you before our lord. I thought you could say something, so why would I spare your life?"
Xu Chu shook his head, his eyes filled with disdain.
Dan Yi ignored him, and simply kowtowed several more times, his voice trembling as he said:
"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. If I die here today, I have nothing to say."
"I only ask..." He raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at Qin Ze, then with a "thud," he slammed his head to the ground.
"I only beg Your Highness to show leniency!"
"When you become the ruler of the Great Khan in the future, please, Your Highness, do not wage war against the barbarians again because of today's battle. Most of the tribesmen who remain in the southern border are not in favor of war," Shan Yi said, his head pressed to the ground, weeping.
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhu's face showed a look of surprise, and he looked at Qin Ze.
Qin Ze frowned and remained silent.
Dan Yi raised his head and then pleaded:
"This time when we sent troops to Beiliang, there were still many people in the tribe who opposed us. It was because we old generals were still ambitious and wanted to help the king achieve hegemony so that we could enjoy wealth and glory in the future."
"After this battle, all of us warmongers will die here."
"Your Highness, in the future, as you will rise to great power, please spare the people of the Southern Border and allow them to live there permanently."
He kept kowtowing, blood splattering everywhere, and pleading incessantly:
"Your Highness, please have mercy... I beg you..."
Xu Chu shook his head and remained silent.
Qin Ze pinched the bridge of his nose and said coldly, "If you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place."
“If I didn’t have these troops in these mountains, you people, ha, would probably have killed me here long ago.”
Upon hearing this, Shan Yi trembled, but then he said in a trembling voice:
"The winner lives, the loser dies; this is our fate."
"I know my request is unreasonable, and it is only natural that Your Highness would refuse, since we were the ones who chose to start the war."
"Your Highness can simply ignore the request of a loser."
"But Your Highness is destined to be the ruler of the world. In these mountains, I have seen too many unbelievable things. I think anyone who opposes you will not have a good end."
"That's why I'd like to ask Your Highness to be lenient."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Shan Yi suddenly pulled a dagger from his boot. Xu Zhu, who was already on guard, immediately stepped forward to take it.
But Shan Yi held the dagger to his neck, tears streaming down his face, and said:
"Let the barbarians pay for this mistake with the lives of hundreds of thousands of us!"
"Your Highness! Please be lenient with me in the future!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Shan Yi suddenly stabbed himself in the neck, and blood spurted out.
Those cloudy eyes could no longer see any light, but in his dying moments, he heard a cold remark.
"I am not a bloodthirsty person."
As the words fell, Shan Yi's body collapsed to the ground, having entered a permanent slumber with a sense of relief.
Looking at Shan Yi's corpse, Qin Ze shook his head. Xu Chu led him out of the tent, and as he lifted the tent flap, a general walked in. The newcomer was Li Jing.
Upon seeing Qin Ze, he clasped his hands in greeting and said:
"My lord, as you ordered, I have captured that man surnamed Jin alive!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Ze's expression turned cold. "Bring him in."
The soldiers outside the tent brought in the tightly bound man. Seeing that he was standing ramrod straight, Li Jing frowned and kicked him.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
