The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 4: A noble always lacks a friend

Lu Buwei stopped smiling and said solemnly, "I am here to save the general's life."

Zhao Wu heard this, frowned, and snorted coldly:
"Hmph! Why do you say that, sir? My family has been rich and powerful for generations. Now I am trusted by the king and in power. Why should I worry about my life?"

"Sir, if there is no reason for your shocking statement, don't blame me for being so ruthless."

Lu Buwei bowed and said, "Don't worry, General. Just listen to what I have to say."

"The general's danger is not within the country, but outside. The general is from a famous family in Zhao State. If he holds great power, there will be no worries within the country of Zhao State."

"But the general is now the commander of the city defense. Isn't it dangerous to see the fierce Qin army outside the city?"

"In the Battle of Changping, Zhao lost 450,000 soldiers. Bai Qi wanted to seize the opportunity to pursue the victory and destroy Zhao. If it weren't for the internal discord in the Qin court, Zhao would no longer exist today."

"Now the Qin State has raised a large army again, vowing to destroy the Zhao State."

"Handan has been under siege for several months. The Qin offensive is getting more and more fierce. Handan is in danger. Once the city is broken, how will the general deal with it? What will happen to the nobles of Zhao in Qin?"

Zhao Wu laughed loudly after hearing what Lu Buwei said, and sneered:
"Sir, this is really alarmist."

"The city of Handan is high and strong, impregnable and indestructible."

"The Qin army's former commander was the fifth-rank official Wang Ling, also a famous general of the Qin State, but so what? Even if we lose tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, we can't move a single bit."

"In the Battle of Changping, Bai Qi, the butcher, was so cruel that he buried the captives alive, killing more than 400,000 of our Zhao people. Every one of us Zhao people hated eating their flesh and sleeping on their skins."

"Now that Qin has started a war again, our Zhao also has the desire for revenge! Oh! Our Zhao is united, and we have the help of Wei, Chu and other princes. Qin still wants to destroy our Zhao, but it is wishful thinking."

After saying this, Zhao Wu's face changed, and he looked cold and indifferent:

"I regard you as my friend and treat you with courtesy. Are you here to persuade me to surrender? If so, please don't say anything, or I will kill you!"

Lü Buwei was not in a hurry, waved his hand and smiled:

"General, you misunderstood. You consider me a friend, and I consider you a friend, too. Who in the world would advise their friend to be disloyal?"

"I came here to save my friend's life, not to put him in an unjust situation."

"General, what you just said does make some sense, but you can't deny that Qin is powerful after all."

"Qin can be defeated once, twice, or even three or four times, but what about Zhao? Handan was besieged, and it cannot be defeated even once."

Zhao Wu said sternly: "No matter what, I will be loyal to my duty and be loyal to the State of Zhao."

Lu Buwei nodded and said, "General, you are a loyal person. I know that you understand the truth. I don't need to say more."

"But Zhao is the king's Zhao after all, not the general's Zhao. General, you should be loyal to the king, but if it is really impossible to do it, you should keep yourself useful for future generations."

Zhao Wu nodded: "Sir, what you said makes sense. Thank you for your concern."

Lü Buwei bowed and continued, "I have heard that a family that has been prosperous for generations often has many good friends. A family that accumulates good deeds will also have good fortune."

"I have a friend from Qin State who is now in Handan. He knows that I know the general and he also wants to make friends with the general."

"My friend is a man who knows how to be grateful and will go through fire and water for his friends."

"He heard that the general has been worried about the military pay in recent days, so he asked me to give the general 600 gold coins as a small contribution as a friend. It has now been sent to the general's study. Please do not refuse it."

Zhao Wu pretended to be displeased: "Sir, I am your friend. Your friend is my friend. What is there to give to friends? Please tell me that I have made friends with you."

After a pause, he changed the subject: "It is true that the issue of military pay is difficult now, so I will respectfully obey your order. I will consider these 600 gold as a temporary loan. When the Qin army withdraws, I will return it double in the future. Please thank me on my behalf, sir."

"As the saying goes: It is impolite not to reciprocate; I am not a rude or ungrateful person. Friends should help each other."

"I wonder if our friend needs me in any way? If I can't help him, it would be unbelievable to me as a friend, and I would be unable to sleep or eat well."

Lu Buwei smiled slightly and said, "General, you are indeed a kind and righteous person. Our friend does have a small matter that he would like to ask for your help. It is just a piece of cake for you."

"Sir, please speak."

"My friend is from Qin. After all, Qin and Zhao are at war now. He is worried that the war between Qin and Zhao will be disadvantageous to him."

"I want to leave Handan temporarily, but Handan is heavily guarded now and no one is allowed to enter or leave. I would like to ask the general to make it convenient for me."

"This is just a piece of cake for the general, but it is a life-saving favor for our friend. Our friend is also from a prominent family in Qin. We will remember this favor and never forget it."

Zhao Wu stood up, walked towards Lu Buwei, held his hands, and said enthusiastically, "Brother Lu, what are you talking about? This is easy. How can I not help my friend in need?"

"Brother Lu, when do our friends want to leave the city?"

Lu Buwei said sternly: "Time waits for no one, the sooner the better!"

Zhao Wu nodded in agreement: "A wealthy man should not stand under a dangerous wall. Some things are better the sooner the better."

"Brother Lu, today is worse than tomorrow. I will be waiting for you in the mansion today. You should go back and prepare now and come back before dawn."

"I will prepare four sets of soldiers' armor. You will be my personal guards tomorrow. After dark tomorrow, I will take the opportunity to escort you out of the city."

Zhao Wu groaned for a moment, then took out a token and said, "It's getting late now, and there's already a curfew. Brother Lu, please take my token and you can go anywhere, but please keep a low profile."

Lü Buwei stood up and bowed deeply: "Thank you, General! Your kindness and righteousness will be engraved in our hearts and will never be forgotten. We will repay you generously in the future! I will go back and prepare now." Zhao Wu returned the greeting: "Brother Lu, please don't thank me. It is natural for friends to help each other. Brother Lu, please go and come back quickly. Be careful. Delay will lead to failure."

Lu Buwei bowed again, turned around and left in a hurry.

Zhao Wu looked at Lu Buwei's back as he left in the dark night and smiled inexplicably. A noble will always lack a friend.

Lü Buwei hurried back to Yiren's residence, unable to conceal his excitement. When he saw Yiren, he bowed deeply:
"I have lived up to your trust, and I have accomplished my great mission! The State of Zhao is in imminent danger, and Zhao Wu must leave a way for himself. I am willing to help you get out of the city!"

Yiren had been waiting anxiously in the courtyard. When he saw Lu Buwei coming back and heard these words, he was extremely excited.

He stepped forward and bowed deeply to Lü Buwei, holding his hands tightly: "I am able to return home thanks to your planning. I really don't know how to thank you for saving my life."

"Sir, this is my responsibility. You are blessed with great fortune and are protected by God. Please don't say such things again."

"There is no time to lose. We have already made an appointment with Zhao Wu. Let's go to Zhao Wu's house and pretend to be his personal guards. When it gets dark tomorrow, we will wait for an opportunity to leave the city!"

The stranger nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll call my wife and we'll go now."

Lu Buwei quickly stopped him and said, "Sir, no, how can a general's personal guards be women and children?"

Yi Ren's face changed, and he asked in doubt: "Are we going to leave Madam and Zheng'er in Handan? They will surely die."

Lu Buwei repeatedly advised: "Sir, I have already made preparations and will definitely ensure that the lady and the young master are safe."

"I have worked hard for many years in Handan City and have many friends. Besides, sir, your friendship is what everyone in Handan City wants to gain now."

"I will leave two of my trusted followers behind to protect the lady and the young master. They will escort the lady and the young master to my good friend in a little while."

"My good friend is also a wealthy family in Zhao State. With his help in hiding, there will be absolutely no worries in the short term. As long as the young master returns to Qin State, the King of Zhao will never dare to harm the lady and the young master again."

Yi Ren was still a little hesitant: "Brother Lu, are you really sure that there will be no worries?"

Lu Buwei nodded heavily: "I will make sure that Madam and Young Master will be worry-free!"

The stranger gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, let's go now."

Lü Buwei asked, "Sir, do you still want to say goodbye to the lady and the young master?"

The stranger shook his head and sighed, "No, I'm afraid that if I see them, I won't want to leave anymore."

Yi Ren turned around and bowed to Lü Buwei's two trusted guards: "I'm leaving my little family in the care of you two. I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future!"

The two men bowed in haste upon seeing this, saying repeatedly: "We dare not accept the young master's gift. This is our duty. We would rather die than not protect the lady and the young master."

The stranger nodded: "Please!"

"Sir, there are too many people and it makes things confusing. In this case, the two of us, plus Jin Zhen, will make three enough. Let's go without further delay." Lu Buwei urged.

"Let's go!" The stranger waved his hand and took the Luowang master Jin Zhen with him. The three of them left in a hurry without looking back.

The two guards went to the backyard and asked the maid to wake up Zhao Ji.

These two people were Lu Buwei's confidants; one was Chang Lu and the other was Qing Qin.

Both of them are experts who have followed Lu Buwei for many years and are loyal to him.

The two of them often followed Lu Buwei, and Zhao Ji was also familiar with them.

Zhao Ji felt uneasy when she was woken up. She also knew that the situation was very tense during this period.

It was almost dawn and I was suddenly woken up. Something big must have happened, and it was probably not a good thing.

Zhao Ji hurriedly put on her clothes, opened the door and walked into the yard, only to see these two people in the yard, but not her husband and Lu Buwei. She hurriedly asked them what had happened.

The two men bowed to Zhao Ji and said, "Madam, this is an emergency, so please be brief."

"Madam, please take off your clothes and change into plain clothes with the young master. Take the necessary clothes and belongings with you. We will leave here now. I will explain the details to you later."

Zhao Ji became even more worried, but she knew that this was not the time to talk nonsense, as these two people were Lu Buwei's confidants and were trustworthy.

He just nodded without saying much, and hurried into the room, wanting to wake up Ying Zheng.

But he found that Ying Zheng was awake, his eyes were bright, he didn't cry or make a fuss, and he didn't say a word.

Zhao Ji had no time to be surprised. She quickly changed herself and Ying Zheng into plain civilian clothes and dressed up hastily to try to cover up her pretty face.

Finally, she hugged Ying Zheng tightly in her arms and whispered to comfort him: "Don't be afraid, Zheng'er, it's okay, mother will definitely protect you."

Then he called the two into the room and asked them to bring the necessary clothes and valuables, which had been prepared long ago.

Order the maid who served him at night to continue to rest, and everything should be normal for the next few days without making any noise.

While it was still dark, the few of them quietly moved to another prepared courtyard not far away.

When it was bright and the place was bustling with people, they did not ride horses or drive cars, but quietly blended into the crowd and headed towards the real destination that Lu Buwei had already arranged.

(End of this chapter)