The eunuch bumped into the table, finding nowhere to retreat. He stared at the groaning eunuch on the ground, then hastily spoke, "You, you want to kill me! Do you know who I am?"
"You didn't have that expression when you killed that commoner just now!" Sun Jian flexed his wrists and pressed forward, "Moreover, I don't want to know who you are. You'll die by my hand sooner or later."
"You dare!" The eunuch's voice trembled, his bluster betraying his fear. "I am Zhang Rang, by Emperor Ling's side. If you kill me, not only His Majesty, but the garrison will not let you go."
"Whether I die or not is uncertain, but you will surely die by my hand. Rest assured, I will make you kneel before him and beg for forgiveness!" Sun Jian knew the situation was settled. Even if the garrison arrived, they might not necessarily act against him.
"Who, who exactly are you?" Zhang Rang's voice quivered as he hurriedly tried to hide beneath the table. Sun Jian watched without intervening.
"I will let you see your flesh fall piece by piece, wishing for life but not death," Sun Jian said coldly. "Of course, all this is to wash away your sins!"
Zhang Rang trembled. He was accustomed to being the absolute authority in Liangzhou City. He had never witnessed such a scene. In his haste, he took out all the silver he was carrying and respectfully placed it on the ground.
"This is fifty taels of silver, enough for their family to eat and wear warm clothes. You, you don't kill me, I..." Zhang Rang's face was ashen, and he slumped to the ground. "I, I was momentarily blinded by greed!"
Sun Jian stared silently at the almost deranged Zhang Rang, who was tearing at his clothes. "It's my fault, all my fault. I took one tael, I took ten taels. It's all my own doing."
Seeing that Sun Jian hadn't acted yet, Zhang Rang scrambled forward. "Spare me, spare me. I know I was wrong. Let me go, and I promise I will never do such things again."
"Let me go, please!" Zhang Rang stared at Sun Jian with wide eyes. Sun Jian slowly shook his head.
"Kill him, kill him!"
With someone taking the lead, the crowd erupted in righteous indignation. The diners all shouted loudly!
"Kill him, brave warrior, kill him! We'll be your witnesses. He bullied us too much."
"That's right, as long as you kill him, I'll speak up for you!"
"Where do you get off speaking up? I'm here too!"
The noise was deafening. Sun Jian pointed at the commoners and said slowly, "This is all your own doing. Don't blame me!"
Then, a package was thrown to the ground. Sun Jian said coldly, "Fifty taels of silver, the price you yourself offered. Don't blame me!"
"You!" Zhang Rang was momentarily stunned, unable to believe that he had ultimately sealed his own doom. He picked up the silver, tucked it into his clothes, patted it to confirm it was still there, then stretched out his neck and said, "Come, kill me, and satisfy these ants' desires!"
Sun Jian shook his head and raised his fist, the size of a sandbag. Just as he was about to strike, a voice echoed from afar, "Whoever dares to lay a hand on him, I will ensure you die without a burial place!"
"Quick, hide!" Sun Jian shouted urgently. The diners were confused. "Quick, hide!"
"Whoosh!" The sound of air being torn apart carried immense force as it landed heavily on the ground. Then came the second and third arrows. Arrows rained down. Sun Jian frantically rolled and used a table to shield himself and Zhang Rang.
"Hahaha, you're afraid after all. As long as you give me silver, I can let you go!" Zhang Rang sneered cruelly.
"Shut up!" Sun Jian snapped.
"How can I listen to you? Brother, I'm here! Kill him! This inn is ours! Strike, strike quickly!"
Listening to Zhang Rang's hoarse cries, Sun Jian scoffed and said coldly, "Fool, you're courting death!"
"What did you say? It's my brother who decides your fate now!" Zhang Rang cursed.
As soon as he spoke, arrows landed around Zhang Rang as if they had eyes. This ignited Sun Jian's fury. He pulled Zhang Rang down and cautiously adjusted the table.
"What are you doing? It's me who decides life and death now!"
Seeing Zhang Rang about to shout again, Sun Jian unhesitatingly slapped him. Zhang Rang, clutching his face, stood frozen. For his own safety, Sun Jian decided to make things clear!
"Who is this person? Are you stupid or dense? If it weren't for me, you would have died right there!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? He is my brother. How could he attack me? You've clearly implicated me!" Zhang Rang quickly retorted!
"Then why, knowing you're here, would he shoot arrows indiscriminately? If you want to die, don't drag me down with you."
Sun Jian's words stunned Zhang Rang. He had never suspected Song Dian of wanting to harm him, yet everything pointed to it.
"You're talking nonsense! I'm going to ask my brother what I did wrong!" Zhang Rang got up and was about to move from behind the table. As soon as his head appeared, an arrow pierced his hairpiece. Zhang Rang's hair fell, leaving him disheveled.
"He, he really wants to kill me!" Zhang Rang couldn't accept this outcome. He slumped to the ground and after much thought, suddenly understood. "I get it, I get it! If he kills me, he'll become a confidant of His Majesty. What a scheme!"
"You're looking for death yourself. I won't stop you," Sun Jian spread his hands. "It's best if you die by his hand!"
Zhang Rang's expression changed. He said to Sun Jian urgently, "I don't know who you are or why you're here. If you help me kill him, I can help you meet His Majesty, including issuing an imperial decree!"
The content of the decree would be written by Zhang Rang and sealed with the Imperial Seal. This possibility was indeed tempting. Sun Jian was indeed swayed by the offer but had to consider the onlookers and Song Dian.
After a few exchanges, Zhang Rang sneered and pretended indifference, "What's so difficult about that? Please, shopkeeper, help me put on a show. This was all Song Dian's doing. I, Zhang Rang, am merely a pitiable executor. Killing Song Dian afterward will surely win popular support!"
"Alright, I promise you!" Sun Jian, a veteran of Jiangdong, agreed after much hesitation. "If he doesn't come, I won't have a chance to act!"
"Don't worry, he will come shortly. He cannot and dare not kill me in front of everyone. If he acts, His Majesty will not spare him!" Zhang Rang said confidently, narrowing his eyes.
Sun Jian understood the dynamics of checks and balances between powerful officials and quietly waited for Song Dian to arrive.
With the sound of hooves and voices, the diners slowly got up. Song Dian frantically ordered, "Quick, search for me! Where is my brother? What happened to him? If you don't find him, I'll have you all buried with him!"
"What a display of brotherly affection!" Zhang Rang shook his head, stood up, and hurriedly called out, "Brother, I'm here! Thanks to you for coming to save me, otherwise I would have truly died here."
"Brother, what are you saying? I, Song Dian, would risk my life to protect you." Song Dian said hurriedly, then suddenly saw Sun Jian. "Did he try to harm you? I'll kill him!"
Sun Jian clenched his fists tightly. If Zhang Rang dared to break his promise, he didn't mind pleasing Song Dian either!
"Alas, brother, if he wanted to kill me, how could I have acted? It was someone else entirely. I'll show you!" Zhang Rang persuaded Song Dian to go with him, while secretly signaling to Sun Jian.
After turning the corner, Zhang Rang suddenly erupted, softly exclaiming, "Strike!"
Sun Jian, disregarding everything, punched Song Dian in the back. Song Dian coughed up a mouthful of blood and lay on the ground, gasping for breath, murmuring, "Why, why is this happening!"
"Brother, if you hadn't tried to kill me, how could I have struck you down!" Zhang Rang patted Song Dian's shoulder lightly, closed his eyes with his hand, and stood up with tears in his eyes. "Shopkeeper, you go out first. I'll handle the corpse and then I'll fulfill my promise!"
"Good!" Sun Jian agreed heavily and left the corner tower without hesitation. Before he could even approach the garrison, Zhang Rang shouted, "He killed Eunuch Song! Quickly strike him down! His Majesty will reward you handsomely!"
Sun Jian looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhang Rang, his face covered in blood, leaning against the wall, barely alive, struggling to utter these words.
In an instant, Sun Jian understood Zhang Rang's plan: to use his hands to kill Song Dian, and at the same time, shift all the blame onto him. Killing two birds with one stone!
Truly a clever scheme!
Helpless, Sun Jian could only hide behind a nearby table, dodging the arrows. Of course, he could also clearly see people holding spears slowly surrounding him, likely to attack at any moment.
"Is it possible that Heaven wishes my Dongwu to perish, and I, Sun Jian, can do nothing to change fate!" Sun Jian inexplicably felt a pang of sorrow and roared, "Come, let's fight to our hearts' content!"
"Bring him back alive! I want to ask him why he attacked Eunuch Song!" Zhang Rang hurriedly ordered, even shedding a couple of tears, making people lament the deep brotherhood between them!
Zhang Rang's fingers moved incessantly over an abacus, muttering to himself.
"You've shamed me in front of everyone. I'll let you experience that feeling too. Don't worry, the crowd won't be able to stop you. It's good to be my guard by my side!"
The Liangzhou army was a legion left by Ye Feng, supplemented by the elite of the elite drawn from Emperor Ling's forces. With their coordination, there were only two to three hundred casualties, and Sun Jian was brought before Zhang Rang.
"Brother, since you killed Eunuch Song, why don't you come and serve His Majesty?" Zhang Rang whispered into Sun Jian's ear. "Don't worry, I have plenty of ways to make you submit and obediently serve His Majesty."
"Take him away! Burn this inn!" Zhang Rang waved his hand, and amidst the billowing black smoke, he began to leave with Sun Jian.
"Wait!" Zhang Rang suddenly heard a powerful voice from behind him and stopped abruptly.
Who else could it be but Lu Bu, who had come to find Sun Jian? Seeing the scene, he frowned slightly and then spoke.
"Who did I think it was, it's General Lu Bu. May I ask what you command? I am all ears!" Zhang Rang said arrogantly.