Yang Feng arrived in a state of utter panic.
He came unarmed—an act meant to show sincerity—but the moment he saw the blood-smeared face of the man before him, his heart lurched violently.
"My lord, save me!" he cried out.
Yet Zhang Xin did not respond. His expression froze, as if stunned. Around them, Han soldiers stood motionless, their gazes cold and distant, making no move to intervene.
The Yellow Turban leaders who should have accompanied Yang Feng were nowhere to be seen.
In that instant, realization dawned on him.
This was a trap.
He opened his mouth to speak—
But it was too late.
The man lunged forward, a hidden blade flashing into view. Without hesitation, he drove it straight into Yang Feng's chest.
For a brief moment, Yang Feng could not even scream. Only a single thought echoed in his mind:
When the birds are gone, the bow is cast aside… when the cunning rabbit dies, the hound is cooked…
Then he collapsed.
Only after he fell did the Han soldiers react.
"Protect the lord!"
They surged forward, surrounding the assassin—but the man showed no fear.
Instead, he threw his head back and laughed wildly.
"Traitor Yang! When you slaughtered my entire Wei family, did you ever think this day would come?"
His voice trembled with madness and hatred.
"When you butchered my wife and children—did you ever think of this?!"
Before anyone could stop him, he knelt beside Yang Feng's corpse and began stabbing it again and again. Blood soaked through the torn garments as he ripped out chunks of flesh with savage force.
Then—before the horrified eyes of everyone present—he stuffed the flesh into his mouth.
"That feels good…! Good!"
He chewed, laughing, lips slick with blood.
The soldiers recoiled in horror. Several turned away and vomited.
Even Zhang Xin felt his stomach churn. His brows knitted tightly as he shot a glance at Niu Feng.
What kind of madness is this? This has gone too far…
Niu Feng, equally grim, shook his head slightly.
He's not one of ours.
"Enough!"
Zhang Xin's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding.
"I won't watch this any longer."
By now, several pieces of flesh had already been carved from the corpse.
The man seemed to regain a sliver of clarity. He rose, bowed deeply toward Zhang Xin, and said hoarsely:
"This lowly one has offended Your Excellency. I deserve death."
Then he laughed again—
—and slit his own throat.
Even Zhang Xin was momentarily stunned.
"…That was… something else."
After questioning those present, the truth emerged.
The man had been a retainer of the Wei family, a household he had served loyally for years. Just days earlier, Yang Feng—driven by desperation or madness—had massacred all the prominent families in the city, sparing no one.
Men. Women. Children.
None were spared.
This man had escaped by sheer luck—only to return for vengeance.
Zhang Xin exhaled slowly.
"He can be called a loyal and righteous man…"
He ordered the man to be given a proper burial and issued notices to calm the populace.
When Zhang Xin later reviewed the city's land and household registers, a smile crept across his face.
Yang Feng, in his final act of madness, had unwittingly cleared away all opposition.
The powerful families were gone.
Their lands, their influence—all erased.
Now, there would be no resistance in resettling and reorganizing the White Wave Yellow Turbans.
He quickly sent a report of victory to the imperial court and ordered grain shipments to Lengquan Pass.
By his calculations, Gao Shun's supplies were running low. Reinforcements had to arrive immediately.
With that handled, Zhang Xin remained in Pingyang, focusing on stabilizing the region.
Days later, the grain convoy returned—bringing grim news.
The Xiutu and Xiluo tribes had united. They killed the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Qiangqu and installed a new ruler. With over one hundred thousand riders, they swept south and struck Bingzhou.
Caught unprepared, Governor Zhang Yi was killed in battle.
Bingzhou had fallen.
Even Xun You was shaken.
Zhang Xin's earlier prediction… had come true.
And far faster than expected.
Had Yang Feng still lived—had Hedong not already been secured—the consequences would have been catastrophic. A united force of the White Wave Yellow Turbans and the Southern Xiongnu could have marched straight toward the heartland.
Luoyang. Chang'an.
Both would have been in danger.
Zhang Xin wasted no time.
He ordered Ma Ridi and Zhao Yun to take the Archery Battalion and secure Longmen Ferry, blocking any southern advance.
Cao Xing was recalled and redeployed to Lingshikou as a reserve force for Gao Shun.
As long as these key positions held, no enemy force would break through.
When news of victory reached Luoyang, the emperor was overjoyed.
"Incredible! A bloodless pacification of Hedong in just over a month!"
Seated upon the dragon throne, he beamed.
"How shall we reward the Marquis of Xuanwei?"
The court was stunned into silence.
Such speed. Such precision.
Before they could decide, however, news of Bingzhou's fall arrived.
The court erupted into chaos.
An emergency decree was issued:
Zhang Xin was appointed General Who Guards the North, Governor of Bingzhou, and Commander of military affairs across You and Bing provinces.
His mission—
Recover Bingzhou.
Far away, at the Marquis' residence, concern weighed heavily.
Wang Jiao, heavily pregnant, sought out Liu Hua.
"The Xiongnu are strong… I fear my husband may not withstand them…"
She handed over a letter, her voice filled with worry.
"My family has influence in Taiyuan. I cannot travel… but perhaps this can help him."
Liu Hua accepted it gently.
"Do not worry. I will see it delivered."
"Where is your family located?"
"The Wang family of Qi County."
Back in Pingyang, Zhang Xin studied the map with Xun You.
"To reclaim Bingzhou, we must first take Taiyuan," Xun You said, pointing firmly.
"If Taiyuan falls, Yanmen, Shangdang, and Taiyuan will form a unified line. Then we can draw troops from Youzhou and confront the Xiongnu directly."
Zhang Xin nodded.
Taiyuan was the key.
Without it, reinforcements from Youzhou could not link up.
Fortunately, Lengquan Pass—the gateway—was already in his hands.
But there was a problem.
Guo Da still commanded nearly one hundred thousand men.
And Zhang Xin's available forces were limited.
Even with reinforcements, he would barely gather ten thousand.
Just as he was calculating his next move, Dian Wei entered with a visitor.
"My lord, this man claims to be a clerk from Shangdang."
Zhang Xin raised an eyebrow.
"What does he want?"
The clerk stepped forward, bowing.
"Are you the newly appointed lord?"
"I am."
The man's face tightened with urgency.
"My lord—Heishan Chu Yan has invaded Shangdang. I was sent to deliver this message."
The storm was far from over.