The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 533: As a minister, I must consider my master
Li Jian said, "Oh, there is one more thing I want to tell the Queen Mother. Before I set out from Xianyang, my king gave Madam Huiyi the Black Bird Six Phoenix Crown."

Li Jian sighed, "My king has always been very fond of Madam Huiyi, and has always wanted to eliminate the hatred between the two countries. Now, all this depends on the Queen Mother's decision."

After that, Li Jian took out a letter and said, "Queen Dowager, this is the letter that Madam Huiyi asked me to bring before I left."

The eunuch hurriedly fetched it and presented it respectfully to Queen Zhao Daochang.

Li Jian bowed meticulously again and retreated leisurely.

After Li Jian left, the hall fell silent for a while.

Zhao Diaochang later opened the letter.

'My dear wife, I pay my respects to you:

I left my homeland and entered Qin to form an alliance. Now I am the wife of the King of Qin, and although I live in the palace of Qin, my heart is always thinking of Zhao.

I recall my country of Zhao, with its magnificent mountains and rivers and its splendid people. The city of Handan is as prosperous as brocade; the people of Handan are simple and brave. I was born and raised here. The land of Zhao is where I am rooted; the people of Zhao are what I love.

But now the situation has changed. Qin is strong and Zhao is weak. Wars have been going on for years. The people have suffered. Farmland has been barren and cities have been ruined. Whenever I think of this, my heart aches. My husband, the King of Qin, has always had the heart to stabilize the people and the ambition to pacify the world. The Qin army is unstoppable. My husband's ambition is unbreakable.

I know that war hurts both sides, while peace benefits both sides. For the sake of the people of Zhao and the future of Zhao, I implore the king's wife and the new king to judge the situation and ally with Qin to seek peace. My husband, the king of Qin, is kind and generous. He will take Han as an example and will not treat the people and nobles of Zhao unfairly. The people can avoid the suffering of war, the nobles can keep their homes and families safe, and the royal family will not lose their position as dukes and will prosper for generations.

I am the wife of the King of Qin, and I am favored by him. I have two sons and was given a crown. The peace of the two countries, the prosperity of the family, and the worship of the ancestors are all in a thought. Although I am in Qin, my heart is always with Zhao. I hope Zhao will prosper and the people will live and work in peace. I hope that the king's wife and the new king will think carefully and make a decision early.

Please think twice, madam Wang, and don't make mistakes. Ying Xin bows again.'

After Zhao Daochang finished reading the letter, he passed it around to everyone, but everyone remained silent.

Everyone looked at Queen Zhao Diaochang. Sweat was already oozing out of her palms and forehead. The depressing atmosphere almost suffocated her and she couldn't say anything.

The hall remained silent for a short while before someone came to report that the Qin army was attacking the city!

Everyone was shocked; this was too sudden.

During this period, although Wang Jian and Meng Wu besieged the city, they did not attack it. They kept Handan city tightly surrounded.

But today, just after negotiating with the Qin envoys, the Qin army immediately attacked the city. It was obvious that this was a coercion.

Chunping Jun stood up immediately and said: "Queen Mother, Your Majesty, I will go to the city gate first to watch. The Qin people are really arrogant today. I also want to let the Qin people know that the Great Zhao is not easy to bully. Today I will kill their prestige."

Empress Zhao Daochang nodded repeatedly and said with concern: "Everything is up to Chunping Jun. You must be careful."

Chunping Jun nodded and strode away.

Chunping Jun left. Empress Zhao Daochang frowned and looked sad. Guo Kai spoke slowly, "Queen Mother, I wonder what you think of what the Qin envoy said today?"

Empress Zhao Daochang asked in return, "What is in Mr. Guo's mind?"

Guo Kai said bitterly: "I tried to test the Qin envoy, saying that I was willing to cede land and seek peace, but the Qin envoy refused without hesitation. This shows how determined Qin is to destroy Zhao. I am afraid that the King of Qin will not stop until he destroys Zhao this time."

"The King of Qin had already sent troops at the beginning of this year. Although he stopped temporarily because of the reinforcements from Wei and Chu, he still taught Wei and Chu a lesson. Now that autumn has come, he has raised troops to attack again, which shows his determination. You know, since the King of Qin ascended the throne, he has never been so warlike and so proactive in attacking."

Zhao Daochang was even more worried after hearing what Guo Kai said. Before he could say anything, Guo Kai stood up and bowed to him.

Guo Kai was already in tears, crying out in grief: "I was entrusted with the important task by the late king, but at this moment I have put the Great Zhao, the Queen Mother and the King in such a dangerous place, causing the Great Zhao to be in turmoil. I deserve death!"

Guo Kai's sudden action frightened the already panic-stricken Queen Zhao Daochang, who was now at a loss. She quickly gestured for Guo Kai to stand up and said, "What are you talking about, Mr. Guo? Hurry up and get up and talk. I know it's not Mr. Guo's fault. The Qin State is so powerful, what can we do?"

Guo Kai did not get up at all, and continued to sob: "I am sorry to the late king, to the queen mother, and to the king."

"However, even if I deserve death, I have something to say."

"Looking at the current situation, Qin is already stronger than all other countries. The King of Qin is determined to swallow up the world. Now Qin is strong and Zhao is weak. The King of Qin vows to annex Zhao. Although I am extremely reluctant, I have to admit that Zhao is indeed in danger this time. Even if we fight to the death, we will definitely not be able to survive this dangerous situation."

"For the sake of Zhao, I hope the Queen Mother and the King will lead all the subjects to fight to the death and seek a glimmer of hope for survival."

"But as a subject, I am a subject, sob, sob"

Guo Kai was already weeping, Yao Jia was also sobbing quietly beside him. Queen Zhao Daochang was already in tears and crying quietly, only King Zhao Qian was still a little confused.

When Queen Zhao Daochang heard the words "resist until the death", she threw this option out of her mind. She didn't want to die at all, not to mention that she still had her son.

I only have this one son, the only son between me and the previous king. He is only in his teens, how can he die now?
Guo Kai fell to the ground and cried. Yao Jia wiped his tears and fell to the ground, weeping: "Queen Mother, Your Majesty, I was born in a humble family in Wei State, but the previous king did not abandon me and promoted me to be a guest official of Zhao State. I am in a high position and enjoy wealth and honor. I have brought glory to my ancestors. I will never be able to repay your kindness even if I die!"

"I am a minister who eats the salary of the king and relieves his worries. The current situation is critical and the situation of Great Zhao is like an egg hanging in the balance. Everyone knows that the King of Qin has always valued his promises. He always keeps his word and his words are as good as gold."

"As a minister, I must consider my master. Mencius said: There are three kinds of unfilial behavior, and the worst is to have no descendants."

"The King of Qin said that if they resist stubbornly, he will annihilate their clan and destroy their sacrifices. So the King of Qin will certainly do so."

"Your Majesty is young, and you are the direct descendant of the previous king. Your Majesty is the direct descendant of the Zhao family of Great Zhao. How can you cut off the ancestral worship?"

"If Zhao is willing to submit to Qin like Han, then the promise of the king of Qin to grant him a title of nobility and to grant him wealth and honor will certainly come true. Han and the king of Han have already proved this."

"Queen Mother, Zhuangzi said: Knowing that there is nothing you can do about it and accepting it as fate is the highest virtue."

"We can't do anything now. We can't throw ourselves into the fire. How can we cut off the bloodline of our ancestors? How can we stop offering incense and sacrifices to our ancestors?"

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"For example, in Korea, although the country was lost, the ancestral worship continued, and the family enjoyed wealth and honor forever. This is also the blessing of the right decision."

After saying this, Yao Jia burst into tears.

Guo Kai, who was crying, also said, "Queen Mother, the people in the city are in a panic now. Even if we want to fight to the death, I am afraid that someone has already colluded with the Qin State. If there are thieves who are colluding with the enemy, where will the Queen Mother and the King be?"

"The threat of the Qin envoy must be heeded. The King of Qin always keeps his word. The results of actively submitting to the Qin Empire and surrendering after being defeated are bound to be completely opposite. The King of Qin has made no secret of his desire to swallow up the world and sweep across the eight wildernesses. The Kingdom of Han is an example of submitting to the Qin Empire, enjoying prosperity and wealth. If our Great Zhao is an example of stubborn resistance, the consequences will be disastrous."

Yao Jia cried out loudly: "Queen Mother, King, I will die a thousand times, but I beg you to bear the humiliation and leave incense for the late king and the Zhao family."

Guo Kai also cried non-stop.

Queen Zhao Daochang was so frightened by the two men's tricks that she was at a loss for words. She started crying loudly, and the surrounding eunuchs and palace maids also fell to the ground and wept bitterly. King Zhao Qian was frightened by the scene and was infected by the situation. He also started crying loudly and cried with Queen Zhao Daochang.

The crying became louder and louder, and soon the whole palace was crying.

As for Chunping Jun, he is actively resisting and commanding the defense. After all, he is a prince in troubled times, not a complete fool. It is still useful to have him personally commanding on the city wall and boosting morale.

It’s a pity that the hard power is so far behind.

In order to strengthen Li Jian's morale, Wang Jian and Meng Wu attacked for a whole day at all costs. Although it was impossible to capture Handan City in one day, it still caused great losses to the Zhao army and frightened the Zhao army.

The Qin army had strong armor, a large number of people, high morale, and powerful siege equipment. Not to mention the conventional siege equipment, there were more than 30 siege machine beasts with amazing power.

After a whole day of fighting, the casualties on both sides were 1 to 3, and 3 were from the Zhao army.

Even though the Zhao army was defending the city, and the capital city of Handan, they still suffered such a horrific casualty ratio.

There was no way. The gap was too big. The number of people, morale, equipment, etc., the whole gap was too big. What's more, Wang Jian and Meng Wu also tried their best at all costs and besieged the enemy from all sides regardless of losses, just to give Li Jian enough momentum.

On that day, the Zhao army suffered more than 6,000 casualties. The strength and madness of the Qin army completely frightened the Zhao army, and its morale had dropped to the lowest point.

It was not until dark that Chunping Jun entered the palace with heavy and tired steps. Even he no longer had any confidence in being able to hold Handan for a long time.

Now we have to admit that Handan City has been broken and the situation is in imminent danger.

When he entered the palace, he found that everyone in the hall looked haggard, listless, and had red eyes. It was obvious that they had just cried bitterly.

After Chunping Jun recounted today's battle situation, Queen Zhao Daochang, who felt that she had already shed all her tears, could not help crying again.

Now this stunningly beautiful woman had a broken beauty, like a lotus washed by a rainstorm. Empress Zhao Daochang sobbed and asked, "Lord Chunping, the Qin army is so fierce, how long can Handan be defended?"

"Can we still hold out until the Qin army retreats?"

(End of this chapter)