The palace loomed like a beast of iron and shadow.
When Wang Yun returned and delivered Zhang Xin's oath, Dong Zhuo listened in silence… then laughed.
A low, rumbling sound—half amusement, half scorn.
"So… Zhang Ziqing wishes to become another Emperor Guangwu of Han."
His eyes narrowed.
The tale was well known.
Long ago, when Emperor Guangwu of Han besieged Luoyang, the defending general, Zhu Wei, had resisted to the bitter end. Bound by guilt, fearing retribution, he refused surrender—until an oath was sworn upon the Wei River.
A promise kept.
A life spared.
A legacy of trust carved into history.
Dong Zhuo exhaled slowly.
"Zhang Xin… you are clever."
Unlike the empty boasts of lesser men, Zhang Xin's words were measured. No promises of wealth, no guarantees of honor—only life.
And that… made it believable.
For a fleeting moment, Dong Zhuo wavered.
Had fate been different—had the world not already begun to fracture—he might have surrendered the Emperor, taken his own life, and preserved his clan.
But now?
News had already reached him.
Yuan Shao's armies were moving.
Qing Province was under siege.
Zhang Xin would not stay long.
To kneel now… would be to die like a fool.
"Tell him… I will consider."
Dong Zhuo waved his hand dismissively.
But behind the mask of hesitation, steel was already being forged.
Xiliang troops flooded into the imperial palace.
Layer upon layer of armored guards sealed every gate, every corridor, every shadow.
The Emperor was no longer a hostage.
He was a fortress.
Days passed.
Wang Yun ran himself ragged between two camps, his robes stained with dust, his voice worn thin from persuasion.
But nothing changed.
Each answer from Dong Zhuo remained the same—
Considering.
Inside the command tent, Zhang Xin's patience finally wore thin.
"Still considering?" he asked coldly.
"Yes…" Wang Yun sighed.
"And the court? Any chance to rescue the Emperor?"
"…None."
The words fell like stones.
"He never leaves the Emperor's side. Even in sleep, armored guards watch over him. There is no opening."
Silence swallowed the tent.
Zhang Xin lowered his head, thoughts racing.
This was no negotiation.
It was delay.
Dong Zhuo was waiting—for him to leave.
A faint smile touched Zhang Xin's lips.
"Then we end it."
His eyes lifted—sharp, decisive.
"If there is no path forward… we carve one."
Before the order could be given—
"Report!"
A soldier burst into the tent.
"General Sun Jian requests an audience!"
Zhang Xin's expression darkened.
For Sun Jian to come personally…
Something had gone terribly wrong.
"Let him in."
Moments later, Sun Jian strode inside, armor still dusted from travel, fury burning in his eyes.
"My lord!"
"What news?"
Sun Jian clenched his fists.
"Yuan Shao, Han Fu, Liu Dai—they've joined forces. They've appointed Zhou Yu as Governor of Yu Province and launched an invasion!"
The tent froze.
"He's already clashed with Youtai," Sun Jian continued bitterly. "Defeated him. He's fallen back to Yangcheng."
Cao Cao staggered forward, disbelief etched across his face.
"Zhou Yu…? And Zhou Xin…?"
The betrayal struck deep.
Those men had once stood as allies.
Now they came as executioners.
"Are there no loyal men left in this world?" Cao Cao muttered hoarsely.
Zhang Xin only smiled faintly.
"A throne is a powerful temptation."
Sun Jian's voice grew heavier.
"The Gepei Yellow Turbans have joined them. A pincer attack… Youtai was caught unprepared."
Worse still—
"The soldiers know."
That was the true disaster.
"Their families are in Yu Province. Their hearts are no longer here… we must withdraw."
The words echoed like a death sentence.
Before anyone could respond—
"Report!"
Another soldier rushed in.
"Cui Yan has arrived!"
Zhang Xin's heart dropped.
"Bring him in—now."
The man who entered looked nothing like a court official.
Dust-covered. Breath ragged. Eyes bloodshot.
He had ridden without rest.
"Governor…"
Cui Yan barely managed a bow before thrusting forward a sealed letter.
"The situation… is lost."
His voice trembled.
"Yuan Shao, Han Fu, Liu Dai, Yuan Yi, Tao Qian—five warlords have raised two hundred thousand troops and invaded Qing Province."
"The great clans have risen in rebellion."
"Jinan has fallen."
Each sentence struck harder than the last.
Then—
The final blow.
"Of the sixty-four cities…"
Cui Yan's voice cracked.
"Only Pingyuan remains."
Silence.
Total. Suffocating.
The empire was burning—
And the fire had already reached their home.
Zhang Xin stood motionless.
Then slowly… he laughed.
A quiet sound.
Cold as winter.
"So this… is their grand design."
Encirclement.
Isolation.
Destruction.
He had come to save the Emperor—
And in doing so, had nearly lost everything behind him.
Outside, the wind howled across the plains.
Inside, war had already been decided.
Not at the gates of Chang'an—
But far away…
Where only one city still stood.