Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 205

This King of Qin did not despise underhanded methods; rather, he was determined from the bottom of his heart to show the traitor a clear and aboveboard manner.

How did the Qin Dynasty destroy his country mile by mile?

Before the fall of Shouchun, Chenying City will not be attacked by any Qin soldiers!

This was the confidence of that King of Qin. Lord Changping had studied Ying Zheng for twenty years, but he underestimated this point... or rather, he dared not gamble that the Qin army would not come to Chenying.

The initiative in the war lay with Qin, not Chu.

While the King of Qin certainly hated the traitors and was indeed very vengeful, with the unification of the world within reach, his priority would only be the general trend of the world.

Changping Jun, in the end, was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

After requesting an audience, the Zhu family successfully met with Lord Changping himself.

But the first words the two exchanged upon meeting were not about grand war plans, but rather about Lord Changping's wife:

"The lady is pregnant?" Zhu Jia exclaimed in surprise. "I'll go and take her pulse right away."

Chapter 229 Attacking the Treasure Vault

Lady Changping was five months pregnant, which happened to be shortly before Changping went to war.

Now that he has returned to his hometown, the child has arrived at just the right time.

It would be even better if it were a boy, but that doesn't depend on Changping-kun's own wishes.

The lady's health had been examined by several physicians beforehand, and although the journey from Qin was bumpy, she was not seriously injured. Zhu Jia, the head of Shennong Hall, specializes in acupressure on the fingers and has unique expertise in medicine. Lord Changping asked him to take another look, both to be on the safe side and for the sake of their later conversation.

"The lady is in good health and should be able to give birth to the child safely."

Zhu Jia entered the backyard and came out in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Although he brought good news, his mask still made him look extremely serious. Behind him, Changping Jun's eldest daughter, Mi Lian, followed anxiously.

After taking his pulse, the lady asked Mi Lian, who was watching curiously from the side, to go with Uncle Zhu to find his father. This made Mi Lian suddenly have a bad feeling.

“To be born at such a time, this child’s future will be very difficult.” Although Lord Changping was happy about the child’s birth, he couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh for his fate: “In fact, in this era, everyone will have a difficult life, except for that high and mighty King of Qin.”

"The Qin army has just suffered a defeat, why is Lord Changping so pessimistic?" Zhu Jia offered a token reassurance: "Next year's 600,000 troops, plus the 200,000 troops that have already been defeated, are almost equivalent to the entire Qin state's available forces for war."

"General Xiang Yan is a famous general of our time, and he was also granted the title of Lord Wu'an. Even if he had 400,000 against 600,000, the Chu army would still have a considerable advantage, as Chu has the home advantage in the territory of Chu."

"Master Zhu, there's no need to comfort me. I am well aware of the difference in national strength between Qin and Chu."

Zhu Jia's words were too biased towards Chu, completely ignoring the fact that the Qin general in charge was Wang Jian, who was undoubtedly the 'number one general of the time' since Li Mu's disappearance!

Although Xiang Yan was strong, he was still a level below Wang Jian.

Changping Jun turned around and looked down at Zhu Jia and his daughter Mi Lian. The two were about the same height, with the daughter being slightly taller: "What exactly happened to Tian Guangxia Kui?"

"This is a long story." Zhu Jia said sadly, omitting some secrets about the changes in Daze Mountain and only describing the scenes of Tian Guang's disappearance. He then said, "The Farmer's family has been targeted. The infiltration of the Net is hard to guard against, especially since this infiltration may have started ten years ago."

"The consequences of infiltration are hard to say. But the six halls are now suspicious of each other, and they can no longer work together."

"Was it around ten years ago that Lu Wei of Gonggongtang rose to power?" Changping Jun was deeply analyzing the chaos in the peasant faction, and he felt very familiar with the time point of 'ten years ago'.

“Nine years ago, Brother Lu was indeed appointed as the head of the Gonggong Hall, but he couldn’t possibly be a member of the Luo Wang. He was only fourteen years old at the time, and he was generally a kind person,” Zhu Jia subconsciously defended Lu Wei.

The Zhu family is eager to vie for the title of Hero Leader, and Lu is undoubtedly the one among the various halls who is closest to the position. However, the Zhu family cannot bring themselves to regard him as a traitor to the Farmer's Clan or a spy who has infiltrated the Farmer's Clan.

Regardless of the circumstances, we are all fellow farmers, all members of the farming community. No matter who ultimately becomes the new leader, the other hall masters will be his right-hand men. This internal strife should only involve those within the community.

"Is that so?" Changping Jun said calmly, "Since Hall Master Zhu trusts this person, I will not mention this matter again."

"Are farmers truly completely powerless to participate in the subsequent resistance against Qin?"

"Yes." Zhu Jia's mask shifted several times, but he still uttered the answer that Lord Changping did not want to hear in a deep voice.

"The peasants can only protect themselves now; they cannot rise up in rebellion against Qin."

"Very well." Lord Changping looked away from the Zhu family and towards his daughter Mi Lian, gently beckoning her: "Lian'er, come here."

Mi Lian obediently walked briskly to her father's side. She had understood the conversation between her father and the short, masked uncle in the way she could comprehend it.

Her understanding may not be correct, but it is consistent with her perception.

“I understand the difficulties faced by farmers. Qin is powerful now, while Chu is weak.” Lord Changping stroked his daughter’s head with one hand and his beard with the other, his face expressionless. “Going with the flow is not a bad thing.”

"Lord Changping, you've overstated things. The situation of the peasant family is truly..." Zhu Jia was startled and hurriedly wanted to say something, but Lord Changping waved his hand to stop him: "Master Zhu, there's no need to say more. The peasant family lives in the world of martial arts, and it is indeed not appropriate for them to get involved in the struggles of the state."

"People in the martial arts world naturally have their own rules. I have also been in contact with the new leader of the Mohist school, and we have talked. Right now, letting Mohist disciples and peasant disciples directly participate in this war of a million people will have very limited effect."

"The foundation of farming lies in cultivation, and Shennong Hall will continue to provide a certain share of grain and fodder to the State of Chu." Upon hearing this, Zhu Jia solemnly made a new guarantee.

"Shennong Hall has only about 20,000 disciples. It is already difficult for them to grow enough food to supply the disciples in the hall each year. In the last war, Shennong Hall made a great contribution. If we continue to supply food to Chu, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the disciples in Daze Mountain."

However, Lord Changping shook his head and refused the Zhu family's offer. He had been the Right Chancellor of Qin, and although he had never personally worked in the fields, he knew exactly how many bushels of grain a strong man could grow in a year.

He could handle every matter in the Qin state in an orderly manner. As for the Shennong Hall's warehouse reserves, he could have a general idea of ​​them just by deducing from a few data points.

Even if Shennong Hall is overcrowded, the resources squeezed out will be of little use in the next major battle involving millions of people, unless the Zhu family pulls all 20,000 disciples into the Chu army, which is obviously impossible.

Since that's the case, instead of squeezing Shennongtang dry, it would be better to keep Shennongtang as another pawn.

He had already given his all for the sake of the Chu Kingdom, yet the outcome remained uncertain. Even Yan Dan had entrusted his wife and daughter to the Mechanized City before faking his death last time, so how could it be that Hua Ying, whom Xiong Qi had sent years ago to build the Drunken Dream Tower, was of no use?

He hid his wife and daughter in the Daze Mountains, where they were protected by the daughter of a powerful Chu nobleman and the Zhu family, so their safety was not a problem.

Furthermore, if the State of Chu were to lose in the upcoming war, the Shennong Hall could survive and serve as a force within the martial arts world, continuing the Azure Dragon Plan and preserving a spark of hope within the martial arts community alongside the Mohists.

After all, the upcoming battle was coming up too soon, the number of Mohist disciples was too small, and the Farmer's School was unwilling to put all their eggs in one basket with the State of Chu.

Originally, it was hoped that the victory in the south would cause unrest in the northern Shanxi region, but the result was disappointing. There was no force like the quicksand that guided the chaos in Xinzheng, and nothing happened.

The people of any country are the same; as long as they can survive, they will not rebel.

“I hope that Master Zhu can grant me my other two requests.” Changping Jun’s expression turned cold, and he paused for a moment.

The Zhu family cupped their hands in a respectful gesture:

"Please give your instructions, Lord Changping."

"First of all, if the State of Chu is defeated, I beg Master Zhu to protect my daughter, Mi Lian."

Upon hearing this, Mi Lian suddenly looked up at her father, about to say something, but was glared at by her father and timidly lowered her head again.

"Shennong Hall will certainly not disappoint Lord Changping's wishes!"

"The second point concerns Project Azure Dragon..."

As he spoke, Lord Changping gave his daughter a look, and under the watchful eyes of the Zhu family, Mi Lian jogged into Lord Changping's study.

A short while later, she emerged, carrying a quaint metal box with difficulty.

"What is this?" Zhu Jia examined the strange patterns on the box and sensed a sense of weight.

"Azure Dragon Bronze Box!" Lord Changping read out the answer directly.

------

When the number of assassins from the Luowang network near Shouchun reached one hundred, the mission was sent from Xianyang. As Yan Ri had predicted, the primary task was to attack the Chu Kingdom's treasury.

As for the Azure Dragon Bronze Box, Zhao Gao's order was for Yan Ri to decide on the matter at his discretion.

This discretionary decision essentially represents the abandonment of the net.

The location of the Chu Kingdom's treasure vault is not within the city of Shouchun, but according to Luo Wang's careful investigation, it should be located in Juyang, two hundred li west of Shouchun.

Juyang was the previous capital of the State of Chu, and also the first capital that King Kaolie of Chu moved to.

In 253 BC, the tenth year of King Kaolie's reign, he moved the capital from Chendu to Juyang. Later, to avoid the Qin army, he moved it again in 241 BC to present-day Shouchun.

The relocation of a country's capital has always been a matter of great importance. King Kauryeuk moved the capital twice, but some functions inevitably remained in the old capital.

The special treasure vault is the function left behind by Juyang.

As the former capital, Juyang was the site of a special garrison of 1,500 troops by the State of Chu.

Under normal circumstances, such a number of soldiers would be more than enough to garrison the area, and the civilian population would have no power to resist them.

If foreign troops were to reach this place, their primary target would certainly be the capital city of Shouchun, which is 200 miles away. Since the enemy has already reached the capital, it is no longer of great significance whether the old capital is still defended or not.

This year, due to the threat of an attack by the Qin army, 1,200 soldiers were transferred from the Juyang garrison, leaving only 300 regular soldiers.

After Chu's victory, Qin openly declared that it would launch an attack on Chu with an army of 600,000 the following year. As a result, the 1,200 men remained on the front lines and did not return.

This gave the net an opportunity to take advantage.

With a hundred assassins launching an attack on three hundred Chu soldiers in their camp, and one of them being led by a top-tier assassin like Yan Ri, the task shouldn't be too difficult.

Even though there aren't many mid-to-high-level assassins in these networks, most of them are just cannon fodder at the elite level.

However, the treasure trove they were targeting was not being guarded right under the noses of the three hundred Chu soldiers.

If this operation had been carried out quickly, the Chu army might not have even noticed before it was all over.

"on!"

The night, with its few stars and a bright moon, was not suitable for committing evil deeds. But at Yan Ri's command, the assassins of Luo Wang charged out like vicious dogs, heading towards the few guards protecting the city's treasure vault.

These old palace guards were few in number, but in terms of skill and discipline, they were even better than the three hundred Chu soldiers outside the city. However, faced with the professional siege of the Luo Wang assassins, they made only a little noise before their blood was spilled all over the ground.

With the obstacles removed, the cracking of the treasure vault could proceed at a leisurely pace. Two incense sticks' worth of time later, the members of Luo Wang successfully broke into the treasure vault. Faced with the dazzling splendor of the jewels, some untrained, low-ranking assassins couldn't help but reveal ulterior motives in their eyes.

Yan Ri had a clear understanding of these ideas, but he did not give any warnings. He simply ordered the assassins to act according to the mission requirements. Those who disobeyed orders would naturally be used as a warning to others after the mission.

However, at the crucial moment, an unexpected event occurred.

They had only been inside the treasure vault for a short time when the sound of armored figures clapping and shaking outside startled the face behind the sun-covering mask.

The other assassins from the Luo Wang organization performed even worse. Meanwhile, Tian Guang, who was also masked, was guarding the entrance to the treasury. He came in with bad news: three hundred Chu soldiers had entered the city for some unknown reason and were now heading towards the palace!

At this point, the distance between them was too great for most of the assassins to escape with their belongings.

"Prepare to meet the enemy!" Yan Ri gave Tian Guang a deep look and shouted sternly.

...

Compared to the initial smooth progress, killing the three hundred Chu soldiers who were on guard and had a clear objective was much more difficult. Thirty-two of the Luo Wang assassins were either killed or seriously injured on the spot.

There were also many others with varying injuries, but none that prevented them from walking, thanks in large part to the presence of top-tier experts Yan Ri and Tian Guang. These assassins were mostly cannon fodder temporarily recruited by Luo Wang from death row inmates and morally questionable江湖人士 (jianghu figures) in Chu, far inferior to properly trained Earth-level assassins!

With a clang, Yan Ri sheathed his sword. Looking at the few remaining assassins, and then at the vast army of torchbearers approaching from the east gate of the old capital, Yan Ri estimated that the number of the newly arrived Chu army was no less than a thousand. He clenched his fist: "The intelligence was wrong. There are more than three hundred Chu soldiers here!"

"The primary requirement of the mission is the famous sword in the treasure vault." Tian Guang came to Yan Ri's side and, together with him, watched the fire dragon rapidly approaching. He suggested, "It would be unwise to continue fighting. The new Chu army has only just arrived at the East Gate. We still have time to take some of the supplies and retreat."

"Do as you say," Yan Ri regained her composure and said softly, "Go back and hold the intelligence team accountable."