Qin Ze said with a smile:
"Who said that? Did I say it to you?"
Although it was a smiling face and a relaxed tone, to Jin Huan's ears at this moment it sounded like the low growl of a deadly demon, causing his heart to instantly plummet into an icy abyss.
He turned his face away in fear, looking at Lü Bu, and then spoke urgently:
"General Lü, you promised me!"
You promised you wouldn't kill me!
He quickly turned his face away and looked at Qin Ze again, his voice trembling noticeably:
"Your Highness, it's General Lü! General Lü ordered me to open the city gates and promised not to kill me!"
"We can't go back on our word!"
Lu Bu nodded and said, "That's right, my lord, I promised him I wouldn't kill him!"
"Therefore, if you wish to punish him, please find someone else!"
After saying this, Lü Bu fell silent and walked behind Qin Ze.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Huan burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
"You're lying to me! You're all lying to me!"
But after saying that, he suddenly realized something, and immediately crawled forward like a pupa, wailing:
"Your Highness, please spare my life! I am a third-rank general, skilled in battle and a useful man."
"You're going to Jinling, aren't you? Let me show you the way!"
"I know Jinling very well, I know it better than anyone! Spare my life, and I'll take the prince there right away!!"
Looking at Jin Huan, whose body was covered in pupae, Qin Ze lowered his head and said:
“You are a third-rank general, that is Jin Fengluan’s third-rank general, not mine.”
"As for Jinling, you are indeed very familiar with it, but I was also born there, and my home is in Jinling."
"Jin Fengluan banished my family from the capital, forcing me to go to that barren Northern Liang, intending for my Qin family to perish there. Now, this is nothing more than..."
At this point, he looked up at the clear sky in the distance, and then calmly said:
"Now, all I want to do is get home before the New Year."
"Do I need you to show me the way home?"
"Don't be silly, Jin Huan."
Hearing this, Jin Huan knew he had no way out, so his intense fear turned into rage, and his voice changed to shouting and cursing:
"Kill me! You won't get away with it either..."
Before he could finish his curse, someone rushed forward and covered his mouth.
After covering Jin Huan's mouth, the newcomer said respectfully:
"Your Highness, please enter the pass. The imperial reinforcements are almost here, and General Li has already led his troops there. It seems that battle will begin at any moment!"
"This person will be dealt with by me!"
Qin Ze glanced at him, then nodded and left.
On the way in, Lü Bu told Qin Ze the details of how Zhongnan Pass was breached. It turned out that the strategy of not taking Zhongnan Pass by force was actually Li Jing's idea.
It was only after Xiong Qian was captured at Bailiyuan that this series of actions was initiated.
After breaking through Zhongnan Pass, Li Jing did not choose to wait there. Instead, he sent out scouts to explore the area while he led his troops on their way.
The imperial reinforcements are on their way. They are not a single force, but rather several forces drawn from nearby locations.
After all, everyone had assumed that Xiong Qian would win with his heavy cavalry on Baili Plain. The imperial court was unprepared, which is why the reinforcements could not be assembled immediately and head to Zhongnan Pass together.
Qin Ze doesn't care much about these reinforcements from the imperial court right now.
With Zhongnan Pass breached, there's no need for rest now; we can head straight for Jinling.
And the distance to Nanjing is no more than ten days.
After listening to Lü Bu's account, Qin Ze nodded slightly and said calmly:
Those who surrender will not be killed.
"I will keep them under surveillance for now, and make further plans after I arrive in Beijing."
As he said this, he turned his head and glanced at it.
Zhao Zhengzheng dragged Jin Huan, whose mouth was gagged, out of the house.
Qin Ze continued, "Wait a moment, confirm Jin Huan's body."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Alright, let's not linger at Zhongnanguan anymore. Follow me and continue south!"
"Yes, my lord!"
The group slowly entered the pass.
Meanwhile, outside the pass, Zhao Zheng had already dragged Jin Huan to a meadow.
After being put down, Jin Huan kept writhing on the ground, spitting out the gag from his mouth. He hurriedly cried out:
"Brother! Good brother!"
"For the sake of our past relationship, please don't kill me, spare my life!"
"I have a treasure vault in Nanjing, which I've hidden very well. If you let me go, it's all yours!"
"You couldn't use it all up even in ten lifetimes!"
Upon hearing this, a strange light appeared in Zhao Zheng's eyes.
He frowned and said, "Really? Are you trying to fool me even though you're about to die?"
Seeing that he was clearly interested, Jin Huan hurriedly said:
"It's true! Absolutely true! If I were lying to you, may I die a horrible death!"
Zhao Zheng glanced back at the troops not far away, then shook his head and said:
"Impossible. You couldn't possibly have that much silver. Your salary shouldn't be that much. You're just talking nonsense."
"Go in peace." He drew the dagger from his waist.
Seeing him pull out a dagger, Jin Huan hurriedly said:
"Yes! Yes! My salary isn't particularly high, but this is... this is what I deducted from my military pay!"
"I've saved quite a bit over the years!"
"Oh?" Zhao Zheng raised an eyebrow and waved the dagger in his hand.
"Hmm... deducted from military pay? Hmm... if you calculate it that way, it's quite a lot."
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