The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 532: My King Hopes Zhao to Make the Right Choice
What Lord Jianxin said in the letter was similar to Lord Chunping's. Both urged Handan to hold on firmly. As long as the situation dragged on, the Qin army would inevitably retreat as its food and grass ran out and winter was coming.

But no one present felt that they could really hold on.

The morale of the Qin army was high, as fierce as wolves and tigers, their weapons were powerful and unstoppable, and they had an absolute advantage in military strength.

In this situation, it is really not easy to stop the enemy by relying on the panicked and demoralized soldiers in the city.

The main reason is that people’s hearts are unstable.

Only a few people firmly resisted the Qin army, while most people had already thought about how to surrender.

I can't really risk my life for your State of Zhao, can I?

Can your own family survive?

Active surrender, passive surrender, and resolute resistance are three completely different outcomes.

Seeing that most of the officials in the court were in low spirits and looked hopeless, Queen Zhao Daochang really couldn't feel at ease.

She is not stupid. She knows that if we hold on firmly, there will be a way and there will be a future. But the question is how can we hold on firmly?
It seems that few of the dignitaries in the court are resolute.

Just look at the neighboring South Korea. They cooperated with Qin to surrender, but the nobles were still nobles. Those who resisted firmly were said to have their property confiscated and their families exterminated. Even those who survived were exiled to the Western Regions and Yunnan. My God, what kind of places are those? They are not places for people to go.

Guo Kai stood up and said, "What the Right Prime Minister and Chunping Jun said is very true. There is no need to think too much at this point. Just hold on firmly. As long as you hold on firmly, when winter comes, the Qin army will surely retreat without a fight."

Queen Zhao Daochang nodded repeatedly, and King Zhao Qian beside her also nodded. He only knew that the situation was critical, but he had no idea how critical it was.

In addition, in order to shock people in this critical moment and also to vent her anger, Queen Zhao Daochang ordered the killing of Li Mu's entire family.

At this time, no one pleaded for Li Mu. After all, if it weren't for Li Mu, the situation would not have deteriorated so quickly, catching everyone off guard.

Just one day after the king and his ministers of Zhao decided to stick to this idea, the envoy of Qin arrived.

That’s right, the envoy is Li Jian again. He is a natural envoy and his missions are usually smooth.

Empress Zhao Daochang did not dare to delay and quickly met Li Jian. But she was not stupid, and in order to avoid any embarrassing situation, she did not summon the ministers.

Only Guo Kai, Chunping Jun, Yao Jia and others were invited.

The benefits of sending Jianxin Jun and Le Cheng to quell the rebellion are now about to show.

Now in the entire Zhao court, the most prestigious backbone who is still in Handan is Guo Kai, there is no one else.

Even though Chunping Jun and Queen Zhao Daochang were extremely close, in terms of trust, she still trusted Guo Kai's judgment more. After all, Guo Kai's judgment had never been wrong and was well-known.

Moreover, the relationship between the two sides has been so good for more than ten years. This level of trust cannot be compared with the friendship between Guan and Bao in just over a year.

Furthermore, with Guo Kai's current position and prestige, in this crisis situation, Queen Zhao Daochang must also rely on Guo Kai.

Under the current circumstances, the court officials would rather listen to Guo Kai than to Queen Zhao Daochang.

If it really concerns the life and death of the family, no one would want to listen to a woman. That would be simply courting death.

Li Jian entered the hall and saw only a few people, and the only acquaintance he had was Guo Kai, so he didn't care.

Although in principle when envoys from other countries come to discuss state affairs, in order to show respect, a grand court meeting should be held and important civil and military officials should be summoned to meet and discuss the matter together.

He knew why this happened, but it didn't matter. The only people whose words really counted were these few people, and they were enough.

Li Jian paid his respects to Queen Zhao Daochang and Prince Zhao Qian with great courtesy, and said, "I, your humble servant Li Jian, pay my respects to the Queen Mother. May your majesty be well and healthy. I pay my respects to Prince Zhao. May your majesty be blessed with good health and happiness."

Empress Zhao Daochang said softly, "Stand up. Someone, please give me a seat."

Li Jian replied: "Thank you, Queen Mother, and thank you, Your Majesty."

After Li Jian sat down, Chunping Jun spoke sternly: "I have long heard that the King of Qin is kind and benevolent, and never raises an unjust army. Now it seems that he is just a name in vain."

"This year has been a year of great disasters. The people have suffered from drought, and countless people have died and been injured. But the King of Qin has the audacity to raise troops and attack our Great Zhao for no reason, causing great suffering to the people. What else do you have to say after coming here this time?"

Li Jian laughed loudly: "This person must be Chunping Jun. I have heard that Chunping Jun is smart and capable, but I didn't expect him to say such a thing."

"Everyone knows that your country, Zhao, has united with other countries to attack Qin. Our two countries were originally friendly, but it was you, Zhao, who repeatedly broke the alliance and attacked Qin."

"In the fifth year of his reign, King Zheng of Qin broke the treaty and attacked Qin without any reason. What do you have to say?"

"It's my king, a saint sent by heaven, who is benevolent, generous and compassionate to the people. That's why he has ignored your breach of contract and betrayal of alliance time and time again. But your State of Zhao has not repented and still wants to attack my Great Qin. Your intention to rebel has never been restrained. The fact that the four countries have formed an alliance is known to the world. Why? Are you, your State of Zhao, allowed to attack my Great Qin, but my Great Qin is not allowed to fight back? How can this be possible in the world?" Chunping Jun said nothing more. It was impossible to explain such a trivial matter by arguing. Moreover, if they insisted, it would be clear that Zhao was in the wrong.

Guo Kai hurriedly spoke to smooth things over: "Now that things have come to this, there is no need to say more. I wonder what brings you here?"

Li Jian stopped arguing and got straight to the point: "God is merciful and kind. My king was born under God's will. He has always hated war and even more so killing. Now that the two countries are in such a dispute, it is definitely not what my king wants."

"My king has always cared about the people of the world, and he wants peace in the world and the well-being of all living beings."

"Last time, Han submitted to Qin, which enabled the king, ministers and people of Han to enjoy peace. Now, they are rich and peaceful. Foreign ministers are here to unite the two families and enjoy peace forever."

“The world is full of strife and chaos because each country exists independently, and conflicts are inevitable. Only when we become one family will there be no more conflicts.”

"This time, our Great Qin has sent out 400,000 troops, vowing to unite the two families and enjoy eternal peace. Our great king has always been kind and loving. All the people in the world are our great king's people, and all the ministers in the world are our great king's ministers. Our great king is the father of the world. He really cannot bear to see the people suffer under the war. I hereby order this minister to ask the Queen Mother to surrender to the Great Qin for the good of the whole family."

"My great king promised that if the King of Zhao surrendered, he would not lose his title of nobility, and his city of ten thousand households would be protected, and his wealth and honor for generations would be preserved, and his ancestral sacrifices would be preserved."

"If you don't know your destiny and stubbornly resist, the Qin army will come and kill you. Even if you ask for surrender, you won't be allowed to do so."

"Although my king does not like killing or war, he hates those who delay the lives of the people of the world for their own selfishness. If they persist in their wrongdoings, their clan will be exterminated and their sacrifices will be destroyed."

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Chunping Jun slammed the table and stood up: "How dare you! You are threatening our Great Zhao! How dare you be so presumptuous in front of the Queen Mother and the King! Do you really think that our Great Zhao has no power to resist and dare not kill you?"

Li Jian chuckled: "Zhao is also a country of etiquette. When two countries are at war, envoys will not be killed. I am here to convey the intention of my king."

Li Jian looked at Queen Zhao Daochang and said with a smile, "I think the Queen Mother is not an unreasonable person."

Empress Zhao Daochang had already felt mixed emotions and was in a state of confusion. Upon hearing this, she forced a smile and said, "Our Great Zhao is a country of etiquette. How could we kill an envoy without authorization?"

He told Chunping Jun, "Please take a seat, Chunping Jun."

Chunping Jun sat down with a grim face.

Guo Kai also asked with a gloomy face: "We already know the purpose of your visit, but the King of Qin is too overbearing. Our Great Zhao still has hundreds of thousands of troops and thousands of miles of land. Although the current situation is a little critical, it is not that Great Zhao has never encountered it before, and each time it has been safely passed."

"In this year of great disaster, the Qin State has repeatedly raised troops and dispatched a large army. I wonder how long the food and grass can support it? Winter is approaching. I wonder how long the Qin army can hold out?"

"It's too much of a fantasy to expect my Great Zhao to surrender with just these few words. My Great Zhao is not a small country like South Korea."

"The current situation is not easy for Qin. The King of Qin has compassion for the people of the world, and so does my king. No one wants to see the two families fighting, but it is impossible for my Zhao to surrender. Why not turn hostility into friendship? If the King of Qin wants to expand his territory, my Zhao can cede some cities to him as a token of sincerity."

Li Jian suddenly laughed out loud: "Is it true that the Qin army sent out 400,000 soldiers just to capture a few cities?"

"Prime Minister Guo really thinks too highly of our Great Qin."

"To be honest, my king has already made up his mind to unite our two families. Now that things have come to this, there is no need to say more."

Li Jian's face instantly turned cold: "There are only two choices, either war or battle. This is just the final result. I hope the Queen Mother and the King are ready."

"Either we can unite peacefully as one family and still maintain the wealth and honor of the whole clan."

"Before I came here, my king had a private conversation with me. In the past, when you were a hostage in Zhao State, the King of Zhao treated you with great care. Your Majesty will always remember this friendship."

"The two families are close friends. The eldest princess of Zhao is my wife Huiyi, and she has given birth to two sons for my king. The king really doesn't want the two families to fight each other."

"My king hopes that Zhao will make the right choice."

"The Queen Mother should also know that Han is weak. However, after Han requested to annex, our king still treated it with courtesy, bestowed it with noble titles, and treated the subjects of the country well. He has already set a good example for the world. Zhao must not make a mistake and set another example for the world with a completely opposite result."

"Queen Mother, the king is still young, and he has countless wealth to enjoy. Life and death are at stake. Please think twice before you act."

"I will take my leave for now."

Guo Kai hurriedly said: "Please wait, are you going back?"

Li Jian interrupted Guo Kai and said, "Master Guo, there is no need to say more. My king hates bargaining the most. The conditions given do not need to be discussed again."

"There is no other possibility. Queen Mother, King, I will take my leave for now."

The hall was completely silent. Empress Zhao Daochang reluctantly said, "Please leave for now. I will summon you again after discussing with you."

(End of this chapter)