Liu Xuande would never be a succubus of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

At this moment, before he recovered from his fear, he suddenly felt a fatal chill pressing down from the top of his head.

"What?!" Tan Shihuai looked up suddenly and saw dozens of cold lights in the night sky like the eyes of the god of death, overwhelming and pointing directly at him.

His pupils suddenly shrank, his heart beat wildly, and an unprecedented fear gripped his whole body. He instinctively swung the scimitar in his hand, trying to block the sudden rain of arrows, but the arrows were too fast and their number was so great that his resistance seemed pale and powerless.

"Pfft-"

Arrows fell like a rainstorm, and the first to be hit were Tan Shihuai's personal guards and deputy generals.

"Defense... Ugh!"

One of the guards had just raised his shield when three arrows pierced his chest at the same time. Blood gushed out and he fell to the ground and died before he could even scream.

"what's the situation!?"

The deputy general was caught off guard. An arrow pierced his heart accurately. He widened his eyes and fell off his horse with disbelief on his face. Blood flowed like a river, staining the dust under his feet red.

Tan Shihuai was not spared either.

An arrow shot into his chest with the force of thunder. The tip of the arrow tore through his flesh, pierced through his chest, and brought out a spray of bright red blood.

"Ah--" He groaned, his body swayed, and he fell heavily from the horse's back, hitting the ground and splashing dust.

Intense pain surged like a tide. He covered his chest with his hands, and blood flowed out from between his fingers, staining his wolfskin robe red.

However, Tan Shihuai is not an ordinary person.

The power of heaven hidden in his body began to work rapidly, and the wound began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. His muscles squirmed to squeeze out the arrow, and the bleeding gradually stopped.

But this brief respite did not save him from the desperate situation - the Xianbei cavalry behind him were fleeing at full speed. Because the night obscured their vision and the formation was in chaos, they did not notice that their commander had fallen off his horse.

"Ruined......"

Tan Shihuai looked at the galloping horses and the mixed calls of the Xianbei people, and his heart skipped a beat. Cold sweat unknowingly soaked his entire back.

"Stop, everyone stop, I am the leader..."

The words have not yet fallen.

"Rumble--"

The sound of horse hooves rolled in like thunder as thousands of war horses mercilessly rolled over Tan Shihuai. In the flying dust, his body was trampled into a bloody mess. The crisp sound of broken bones mixed with the muffled sound of damaged internal organs was chilling.

"Damn it, damn it, this is such a shame..."

Tan Shihuai gritted his teeth and tried to get up and resist, but a horse hoof stepped down hard, pressing him into the mud again. Blood spurted from his mouth and his breath became weaker and weaker.

Although his recovery ability was strong, he could not withstand the continuous trampling. His injuries worsened rapidly and his vitality quickly faded.

"Oh, this is interesting."

Just when Tan Shihuai's life was hanging by a thread, a red figure like a whirlwind broke through the air - Lu Bu was coming.

She held a halberd in her hand, her body covered in blood, her red battle robe rustling in the night wind, her eyes flashing with bloodthirsty light, and the horse under her crotch was like a flash of lightning, chasing to the center of the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

The pair of phoenix eyes looked at the horribly trampled Tan Shihuai on the ground, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a ferocious smile.

"Old thing, still want to run?" She snorted coldly, turned over and got off the horse, and stepped heavily on Tan Shihuai's chest.

"what......"

The crisp sound of the latter's sternum breaking could be clearly heard, and blood gushed out of his mouth again.

Lu Bu leaned over, pressing the tip of his halberd against Tan Shihuai's throat, the cold light illuminating his bloodstained face.

Tan Shihuai widened his eyes, his eyes filled with unwillingness and fear.

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something: "You...you..."

But unfortunately, the blood blocked his throat and his words turned into a low whimper before they came out.

"How else can you run?"

Lu Bu sneered, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and he swung his halberd violently—

"Puff!" A cold light flashed, and Tan Shihuai's head fell and rolled to the ground. Blood gushed out, staining the soil red.

Lu Bu bent down to pick up the head and hung it around his waist. He picked up Tan Shihuai's headless body with the tip of his halberd, dragged him by the collar, and strode towards the Han army.

The horses followed closely behind, their pace as fast as the wind, leaving a long trail of blood behind them.

"That's... the chief's head!"

"It's over, why did the big boss go there!?"

"Hateful, hateful, truly hateful, thief, don't even think about taking the chief's head!"

The Xianbei cavalry in the rear saw the head hanging on Lu Bu's waist and were immediately excited. They intended to step forward to seek justice for Tan Shihuai, but they had just approached a distance of less than ten meters when they were ruthlessly taken away by the sudden long spear.

Lü Bu, whose courtesy name was Fengxian.

This woman had no reputation at all before, but her actions in this war undoubtedly made the entire Xianbei tribe feel terrified of her.

It is conceivable that after these Xianbei cavalrymen escape back, Lu Bu's reputation will shock the entire Xianbei tribe.

"He's truly worthy of being called Lu Bu among men..."

Liu Bei spotted the blood-soaked figure from a distance and quickly identified it as Lü Bu. However, he frowned again, "Could it be my imagination... But I certainly don't sense any life from her..."

The Chixiao fragments can enhance a person's physical fitness, including the ability to perceive. Therefore, Liu Bei can easily sense the breathing and heartbeat of people around him, but the last time he met Lu Bu, he failed to sense the other's life breath.

I thought there was something wrong with my perception, but this time I still couldn't feel Lu Bu's breathing or heartbeat.

She was like... a moving 'corpse'.

Liu Bei glanced at Lü Bu meaningfully, deciding that after this war, he would question her thoroughly. He then waved his hand and ordered, "Tan Shihuai has been beheaded. Come, spread the word that our army has defeated a hundred thousand Xianbei cavalry!"

Bingzhou: Chapter 26: The Holy Body of the Natural Secretary

"I reported that the Lord of the Royal Court, Tan Shihuai, led 40,000 Xianbei cavalrymen to attack the city. They were unable to capture the city after a prolonged siege, so they divided their forces and planned to take a detour. They attacked the enemy halfway and annihilated the entire 40,000 cavalrymen."

"I will be interrogating Tan Shihuai tonight and will send his relatives to the capital tomorrow. I hope Your Majesty will not worry."

"…After a brief rest, I will lead my troops north."

Liu Bei handed the written letter to the messenger, who took it and set off immediately without stopping for a moment.

Looking at the messenger's back, Liu Bei's expression did not show much joy, but rather deep worry.

"Now that the Xianbei cavalry have all surrendered, why are you still sighing?"

Gao Shun, who was standing by, expressed his doubts at the right moment.

Her current official position is Changshi, which is roughly equivalent to a personal secretary. She is responsible for assisting the prefect in all aspects of daily affairs, and her workplace is next to Liu Bei.

"Kazuyuki..."

Liu Bei lowered his head and sighed, "Although Tan Shihuai has been imprisoned and the generals' rewards have been arranged, your majesty has sent troops from four directions. My own army hasn't even been deployed yet, and I only have the merit of defending the enemy. As for the other three armies... I don't know what will become of them."

"So, Your Excellency is worried that the battles in the other three directions might be disastrous?"

Gao Shun was somewhat stunned, but soon smiled again. "If that's the case, Your Majesty, don't worry. Even if we can't win a cavalry battle, we can still maintain a considerable level of combat effectiveness."

"What's more, you are all generals from Liangzhou Sanming, and you have all made military achievements before. You will definitely not act rashly."

It seemed like this was the first time Gao Shun had spoken so much, and his expression was a little unnatural.

She is not an extremely introverted person, nor is she a weirdo with no common sense. She just simply thinks there is no need to talk too much.

She has been a soldier since she was young, and over the years, her character has been formed - obey orders without asking questions, talk less and do more, do not drink, do not entertain, and do not accept gifts.

This is Gao Shun, a perfect soldier.

Liu Bei chose him as the Chief Secretary because he had no flaws, was a clean and law-abiding person, had good fighting skills, and was also handsome. He was clearly a natural-born secretary.

Comparing them horizontally with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Lu Bu, etc., these famous generals each have their own characteristics. Keeping them by your side will not only prevent them from bringing out their strengths, but will also only increase others' disgust.

Only Zhang Liao and Gao Shun could be entrusted with this task, and Liu Bei chose the latter.

"Really?" Liu Bei said noncommittally, "Generally speaking, what He Zhi says is what he means."

"Oh? Could it be that this isn't a normal situation?"

"Ugh."

Liu Bei sighed again and shook his head. "Tan Shihuai took a detour this time and encountered no obstruction along the way. He penetrated deep into our territory for several days without encountering any serious resistance. It's as if this is the only place in Dingxiang County..."

Dingxiang County was not an isolated county, and it was connected to other counties and prefectures. Liu Bei had long ago sent letters to inform them that Tan Shihuai might attack, but until today there was no news of support at all.

"Actually, this is not a big deal. After all, counties cannot lead their troops to attack without a reason. They can just say that they didn't receive any letters of support, but..."

Before Liu Bei finished speaking, Gao Shun's face turned a little ugly.

This beautiful lady had previously been inexperienced, but after hearing his words, she quickly came to a conclusion and continued, "But why is there still no news in Shanggu County?"

Yes.

From a geographical point of view, Shanggu County is not far to the north of Dingxiang County, and it directly borders the Xianbei activity area.

Therefore, if Tan Shihuai really broke Dingxiang County, he only needed to go north along the way to successfully capture Shanggu County and tear off a piece of the Han Dynasty.

Even if the Xianbei were not keen on occupying land, they would rob the two counties of all their supplies and population, making it difficult for them to recover and gradually become deserted grasslands.

Shanggu County must support Dingxiang County no matter what, otherwise it will face the pain of being attacked from both sides.

However, they also did not respond.

"I didn't want to think about it any further, but the current situation is still not optimistic," Liu Bei continued. "Has Tan Shihuai woken up? Or have any of his generals spoken?"

The order for intelligence interrogation had already been given long ago, but these Xianbei people were extremely stubborn and refused to reveal a single word.

"I'll go and ask."

Gao Shun immediately got up and went out.

A short while later, she pushed the door open again and whispered, "...Tan Shihuai has woken up, and he wants to see you."

"That's just what I want. I'll go meet this so-called hero."

-

Liu Bei and Gao Shun walked side by side out of the conference room and headed towards the prison in the city.

The prison in Dingxiang County is located in the northwest corner of the city. It is a low building made of hard bluestone. The outer wall is mottled and covered with traces of erosion by time. Moss is crawling all over the cracks in the stones, exuding a cold and murderous atmosphere.

The prison was surrounded by towering wooden fences with sharpened tops, painted black and emitting a faint cold glow. At the entrance, two guards holding spears stood solemnly, their armor covered in dust and their eyes grim.

"My Lord, this is Chief Secretary Gao."

After seeing the seals and ribbons worn by Liu Bei and Gao Shun, they all bowed their heads, greeted them, and made way for them.

The air was filled with a damp, musty smell mixed with the stench of blood and sweat, which was chilling.

Above the prison, a tattered flag fluttered in the wind, with the words "Dingxiang Prison" written on it. The ink had long faded, but it added a bit of eerieness.

The scene of escorting Xianbei captives along the way was shocking.

"what--"

Dozens of Xianbei cavalrymen had their hands chained and their feet dragged with heavy shackles as they staggered forward at the beckoning of Han soldiers.

Their once sturdy bodies were now ragged and covered with scars. Their wolfskin robes were torn to pieces and stained with mud and dried blood. Some had bruises and knife marks on their faces, blood oozing from the corners of their mouths, and their eyes were dull, having long lost their former ferocity. Some hung their heads, their steps unsteady, as if they would fall down at any time, but were stabbed hard in the back by the spears of the soldiers behind them, and let out a low groan.

This is just the appearance after the war ended, from which we can see how deep the hatred towards the Hu people is on the border.

The clanging of chains intertwined with the soldiers' shouts, occasionally mixed with the curses and wails of the prisoners, echoing outside this gloomy prison like a mournful elegy.

Liu Bei stopped and looked forward.

Deep in the prison, in a single cell, Tan Shihuai sat alone.

He was placed on a cold stone slab, surrounded by thick stone walls. The walls were rough, covered with scratches and dark red bloodstains, and there was an oppressive silence. The cell had only one narrow iron window. The moonlight shone through the iron bars, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.

There were no chains on Tan Shihuai's body. Although his wolfskin battle robe was torn, it was still draped over his shoulders. His hair and beard were disheveled and covered in dust, but his posture was still upright, without any sign of the embarrassment of a prisoner.

His hands were folded on his knees, his knuckles were thick and covered with calluses from battle, and he exuded a calm and unhurried demeanor.

The most eye-catching thing is Tan Shihuai's eyes.

In the moonlight, those golden eyes were piercing, like a lone wolf on the grassland, sharp and deep. Even though he became a prisoner, there was no trace of dejection or fear in his eyes. Instead, there was an inexplicable confidence and calmness, as if victory was still in his hands.

The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, as if he was smiling, revealing a sense of sophistication and cunning, which made people wonder whether this grassland overlord had really surrendered.

The stone chamber was silent. When Tan Shihuai heard the footsteps, he was the first to say, "You're finally here..."