Chapter 362 I gave you a chance but you didn't use it! The eldest son's head? It's a trick, we've fallen into the trap!
Liu Bei's gaze slowly shifted to Yuan Tan and Guo Tu, who were kneeling on the ground not far away, trembling with fear.

A murderous intent ignited in his eyes.

To be honest, since he accepted Yuan Tan's surrender, he really had no intention of killing Yuan Tan.

Even Zhang Fei and Pang Tong had reminded him that Yuan Tan was Yuan Shao's son after all, and keeping him around would be a hidden danger.

But he never had the intention to kill Yuan Tan.

Since he had promised to give Yuan Tan a life of wealth and prosperity, he would naturally do what he said and would never go back on his word.

He even thought about leaving a will to his son a hundred years later, guaranteeing that Yuan Tan and his descendants would inherit the title of Marquis of Pingyuan and not break his promise to the world.

Unfortunately, Yuan Tan himself did not live up to his expectations.

Not only did he betray Chu, he also started a rebellion to kill him and his 170,000 soldiers.

How could such an ungrateful person deserve his mercy?
He doesn't deserve it!
Liu Bei did not hesitate at all, waved his hand and shouted:
"Yuan Tan and Guo Tu's crimes are unforgivable. Behead them immediately!"

The imperial edict was passed down.

Chen Dao personally stepped forward with a knife, ready to execute the two men.

Yuan Tan and Guo Tu, who were kneeling on the ground, heard Liu Bei's order to kill clearly.

The moment the death sentence was handed down, the two men collapsed to the ground as if they had fainted.

"Guo Tu, why did you try to persuade me to betray the King of Chu? I could have kept my wealth and glory, so why should I listen to your advice?"

"You killed me, you killed me!"

In desperation, Yuan Tan took out all his anger on Guo Tu, complaining and grumbling with gritted teeth.

Guo Tu's face was also filled with grief and indignation. He no longer cared about the distinction between master and subject and cursed:
"Yuan Tan, you are a cowardly fool. It is obvious that you overestimated your own abilities and wanted to be the King of Wei, so you betrayed the King of Chu!"

"If it weren't for your stupidity, how could the Wei Kingdom lose Xuzhou? How could we have been defeated again and again and fallen to such a state of national destruction?"

"The demise of the Yuan family is all due to you, a fool!"

"I, Guo Tu, am extremely intelligent and wise. If I hadn't followed a mediocre leader like you, I wouldn't have ended up like this, dead and ruined!"

"Yuan Tan, it's you who harmed me, it's you who harmed me——"

Guo Tu's insults were even more direct and harsh, not giving Yuan Tan any face at all, and venting all the ridicule and contempt that he had been pent up in his heart.

Yuan Tan was completely stunned by the scolding.

He thought he was a man of great talent and had the qualities to be a great leader, but he never expected that in Guo Tu's eyes, he was so incompetent!

His image is that of a mediocre and incompetent fool!
Yuan Tan's self-esteem was instantly shattered, and he even forgot about the impending death.

"Guo Tu, are you worthy of being called a man of unparalleled wisdom and strategy?"

"If you weren't as stupid as a pig and hadn't been fooled by Xiao Fang time and time again, how could I have been defeated again and again and ended up in this situation now!"

"You idiot, I'm going to kill you~~"

In a rage, Yuan Tan jumped up angrily and hit Guo Tu with his head.

Guo Tu, who was kneeling on the ground, had no time to dodge and was hit hard in the face by Yuan Tan. He let out a scream and fell to the ground with a bruised nose and face.

"Yuan Tan, I'm going to kill you—"

Guo Tu was also enraged. He struggled to get up and pounced on Yuan Tan.

He did not talk back to Yuan Tan, but bit Yuan Tan's ear.

"what--"

A scream was heard, and half of Yuan Tan's ear was bitten off. In an instant, blood was gushing out, and it was a terrible sight.

This pair, who were once master and subject, now regarded each other as enemies. On the top of the city wall, under the gaze of the Chu army soldiers, they actually beat each other without any regard for decency.

Chen Dao held his sword in his hand and looked at the two men fighting each other with contempt.

After admiring it for a moment, he raised his hand and slashed it with a knife.

"Crack!"

Guo Tu was the first to be beheaded.

Blood sprayed all over Yuan Tan's face, and the bloody head fell on him.

Yuan Tan shuddered with fear and stepped back repeatedly, his stupor instantly replaced by fear and panic.

Only then did he suddenly realize that he was only one step away from death.

"My king, please spare my life. Please spare my life!"

"I was really bewitched by Guo Tu. I really had no choice."

"I am willing to make amends. I am willing to go through fire and water to make up for my mistakes. Please give me a chance, my king!"

Yuan Tan kowtowed and begged frantically towards Liu Bei.

Chen Dao stepped on Yuan Tan, raised his bloody knife high, and said coldly:

"Our King of Chu gave you a chance, but you were useless. Who can you blame?"

"You have brought this upon yourself, so go on your way in peace!"

The bloody knife slashed down vigorously.

There was another "click" sound, and Yuan Tan's head fell off.

Chen Dao held up Yuan Tan's head, and suddenly an inspiration struck him. He shouted:
"Come here, hang this fellow's head under the city gate!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers on both sides quickly hung Yuan Tan's head at the foot of the north gate.

...

North of Beiying.

Generals Yan Liang and Zhang He, who were in command of nearly 50,000 Wei troops, had already approached the north of Wucheng as promised.

The two generals stood on their horses with swords drawn, gazing at Wucheng from afar, with anxiety flashing between their brows.

It was not until flames broke out in the sky above Wucheng and cries of killing were heard that the anxiety on the two men's faces disappeared.

"Duke Ju's plan worked. The eldest son really mutinied as promised and disrupted the Chu army!"

"Brother Zhang, what are you waiting for? Let's get started."

Yan Liang pointed his long sword in the direction of the north city and shouted excitedly.

Although the anxiety was no longer on Zhang He's face, there was still a hint of inexplicable worry between his brows, and he stayed where his horse was without moving.

"Brother Zhang, it's already this late, why are you still hesitating?"

Yan Liang became impatient and shouted at him.

Zhang He frowned slightly, but said in a deep voice: "I just feel that Lord Ju and this strategy have been too successful. I always feel that something is wrong."

"Under Liu Bei's command, there is the strategist Xiao Fang."

"With this man's wisdom, is it true that he didn't notice it at all?"

He was wary of Xiao Fang.

Yan Liang was stunned at first, then he said disapprovingly:
"No matter how great a strategist Xiao Fang is, he is still a human, not a god. How could he be able to see through everything?"

"You have also read the eldest son's letter, and you have also seen the fire in Wucheng. Could these be false?"

Zhang He was speechless.

He knew that what Yan Liang said made sense, and he knew that Ju Shou's entire plan seemed flawless and had already succeeded.

But for some reason, he just felt uncomfortable and always felt that something was wrong.

"Well, you are such a fussy person, just worry about nothing here."

"Don't take the credit for today's achievement from me!"

Yan Liang snorted disdainfully, then jumped on his horse to the front of the formation, raised his sword and shouted:

"Soldiers of the Great Wei, the enemy army is in chaos, follow me and charge into Wucheng!"

"Defeat the Chu bandits and kill Liu Bei——"

The most powerful general of the Wei State let out a long roar, rode his horse and charged forward with his sword in hand.

"Defeat the Chu bandits!"

"Behead Liu Bei!"

The soldiers of the Wei army shouted in unison and rushed out like a tide, attacking the northern camp of the Chu army.

The arrow has left the string.

Zhang He withdrew his mind from his suspicion, gritted his teeth, rode his horse and dragged his sword to kill.

Now that the army has been dispatched, he is in a difficult situation and has no choice but to go ahead despite his concerns.

Then the fifty thousand Wei troops rushed forward like wild beasts out of a cage, overwhelming everyone and killing them.

The walls of Chu camp.

The Chu soldiers on duty saw the Wei army suddenly attack and scattered in panic like frightened birds.

Yan Liang rushed forward first, slashing down with the long sword in his hand wrapped in the power of thunder.

"Crack!"

The camp gate was as thin as paper and was easily chopped open by him.

The Wei soldiers behind him poured into the Chu camp like a flood.

They marched straight ahead, and no Chu soldiers showed up to stop them along the way.

The Wei army broke through the northern camp of the Chu army with almost no effort, broke out from the southern camp wall, and headed straight for the north gate of Wucheng.

"The big-eared thief is really defenseless and vulnerable!"

"God bless Wei, God bless our king!"

"Hahaha--"

Yan Liang laughed wildly, as if a great victory had already been achieved.

Not far behind him, Zhang He frowned and looked around at the situation, with a bad premonition in his heart growing stronger and stronger.

Suddenly, a horrifying thought burst out from the bottom of his heart.

"No, it's a scam!"

Zhang He cried out in surprise and his face suddenly changed color.

Without giving it any time to think, he whipped his horse and caught up with Yan Liang in front of the city gate.

"Brother Yan, we may have fallen into a trap. Quickly withdraw our troops back to Yecheng!"

Zhang He stopped Yan Liang with his sword drawn and shouted hoarsely.

Yan Liang, however, looked at him with disdain, pushed his sword away, and said angrily:

"What kind of trap did I fall into? I was about to enter Wucheng, and you asked me to withdraw my troops. Are you crazy?"

Zhang He pointed his sword in all directions and said sternly:
"Even if Liu Bei was careless, there shouldn't be no enemy soldiers in the North Camp to stop us, so that we could break through his camp so easily?"

"It's obvious that Liu Bei had anticipated this and deliberately let us kill him at the north city gate. There must be something fishy going on here!"

"Withdraw our troops immediately, or disaster will befall us!"

Yan Liang was startled for a moment, as if he had suddenly become more awake, and began to realize that something was wrong.

But now the army has reached the north gate of Wucheng, and is only one step away from breaking into the city. If they retreat like this, all their efforts will be in vain.

He is not reconciled!
Just as Yan Liang was hesitating, thousands of torches suddenly lit up above the north gate.

The area within a hundred steps inside and outside the city walls was illuminated as bright as day.

Yan Liang and Zhang He subconsciously turned their heads and looked towards the north gate where flames were blazing.

The two of them looked unhappy and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, the north gate, which was supposed to be unguarded, was densely packed with Chu soldiers, numbering nearly tens of thousands.

Those countless cold and ferocious eyes were looking down at them, the prey that had come to them with murderous intent and excitement.

Yan Liang was confused.

Didn't Yuan Tan set fires everywhere in the city to attract Liu Bei's attention and lure him to move his troops into the city?

Why are there so many soldiers stationed at the North Gate?

Looking at the situation, it seems that they have been on high alert and waiting for them for a long time?

Could it be that, as Zhang He said, Liu Bei really expected that they would launch a night attack and had already prepared for it?

In an instant, countless shocking thoughts, like thunderclaps, struck Yan Liang's mind.

"The eldest son's head, it's the eldest son's head——"

Zhang He, who was also shocked, suddenly pointed his knife at the city gate and shouted in a trembling voice.

Yan Liang's heart was shocked. He looked carefully and saw a head hanging under the city gate.

It was Yuan Tan's head!
(End of this chapter)