The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 534 Zhao State, Surrender
Queen Zhao Daochang asked the fatal and key question.

Chunping Jun was silent for a long time, and said in a hoarse voice: "With the Qin army's offensive like this, I'm afraid it will take a month, no, maybe we can only hold out for twenty days at most." This was as much as Chunping Jun could say.

Empress Zhao cried even harder and asked, "Will the Qin army retreat in twenty days?"

Chunping Jun remained silent, but his eyes were already red.

Zhao Daochang cried for a while and said, "I understand. Now that things have come to this, I must make a decision."

"I cannot allow the bloodline of the deceased king to be cut off, and I cannot allow the sacrifices to the ancestors of the Zhao family to be cut off, leaving our ancestors without blood and food offerings."

"As you all know, the King of Qin gave the girl Ying Xin the Black Bird Six Phoenix Crown. The meaning is very clear. Even if she surrenders to Qin, with Ying Xin, the Zhao family can survive and its honor will not be reduced."

When Chunping Jun heard this, he understood what Queen Zhao Daochang wanted to do. He wanted to stop her, but he couldn't open his mouth.

How to say?
Let her orphan and widow choose to fight to the death, and then the Zhao royal family was destroyed?
Although the State of Zhao was destroyed, the Zhao family survived, the family continued to be wealthy and prosperous, and the ancestor worship continued.

It is not difficult to choose between these two options.

As long as there is a glimmer of hope, you might as well give it a try.

But at present, there is really no hope at all. The Qin army is too strong and cannot be stopped at all. If we really fight to the death and completely anger the Qin army, the day the city is broken will be the day when the Zhao royal family will be destroyed.

Chunping Jun didn't want to die either.

But my heart hurts so much.

Chunping Jun collapsed to the ground, crying and pounding the ground with his fists, sobbing uncontrollably.

This prince of Zhao, who had always been quite dignified, had no image at all at this moment.

He did not collapse when he was a hostage in Qin State, nor did he collapse when he learned that his younger brother had succeeded to the throne. He did not collapse when he returned to Zhao State and was frustrated and could only indulge in wine and sex. Even today, when he was on the top of the city wall and faced the Qin soldiers who were as fierce as wolves and tigers, he did not retreat a single step under the arrows falling like a rainstorm.

But now he has completely collapsed and can no longer care about his image at all. He is crying and his wailing is heartbreaking to those who hear it.

"Father, father! My ancestors, my ancestors! The Great Zhao is doomed, the Great Zhao is going to be doomed, the foundation of our ancestors is destroyed today."

'Brother, brother, you died too early. Why can't you see today? Why do you want me to see this day?'

Chunping Jun cried uncontrollably, tears all over her face, and she fell to the ground, her body curled up and twitching. He was heartbroken.

He was afraid of death, hated his own cowardice, and had endless sadness and pain in his heart.

King Qian of Zhao was still young and could not understand this heart-wrenching pain, but he was different.

This is his country. The huge business that his ancestors built with untold hardships is gone today.

How can we be worthy of our ancestors?

Chunping Jun cried and wailed so hard that she almost fainted.

Guo Kai and others who had been silent at the side also started to cry out loud. For a while, the palace was filled with crying again.

The next day, Queen Zhao Diaochang sent someone to invite Li Jian into the palace early in the morning without any delay.

As soon as Li Jian saw the eunuch coming to invite him, he knew that the matter was settled.

After all, these are the only two choices that are easy to choose, aren't they?

In his entire life, he had never seen an orphan and a widow fighting to the death.

When I entered the palace, I saw the gloomy atmosphere and felt even more certain.

After meeting Zhao Diaochang, I knew that she must have not slept all night. Not only her, but none of the people who came yesterday slept.

Everyone looked sad, haggard and listless, especially Chunping Jun, whose temples suddenly turned white in just one night.

Li Jian saluted with a smile, still impeccable in etiquette.

"I pay my respects to the Queen Mother, may the Queen Mother be well and healthy. I pay my respects to the King, may the King be blessed with good health and happiness."

Queen Zhao Diaochang forced a smile and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Excellency, please stand up and take a seat." A eunuch at the side hurriedly brought a chair.

She had cried until her voice was hoarse yesterday.

Li Jian smiled and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother. I wonder what you are thinking about after a night like this?"

Empress Zhao Daochang forced a smile and said, "I discussed this with you yesterday. For the sake of the people of our two countries and for the sake of sparing the people of the world the suffering of war, our Great Zhao is willing to peacefully submit to the Great Qin."

Li Jian stood up and bowed: "The Queen Mother is wise, the King is wise, you have made the right decision for the sake of the people of both countries. I bow to you."

"Please ask the Queen Mother and the King to immediately summon all the civil and military officials to announce this matter, and to make it known to the world. Order the defenders to open the city gates and lay down their weapons and armor. Then send an edict to Jianxinjun and Wuxiangjun, asking them to stop resisting."

"You must know that every moment of delay will result in many more casualties." "Also, please ask the Queen Mother to order all the officials of Zhao to prepare seals, military tokens, household registration files, financial details, geographical documents, and keys to the treasury to actively cooperate with the Qin State. As long as you cooperate, the Qin State will never treat you unfairly."

Zhao Diaochang nodded slightly.

Li Jian continued, "Please ask the Queen Mother to have eight white flags raised on both sides of the South Gate. This is the agreement between the foreign ministers and General Wang. If the flags are not seen by noon, we will continue to attack the city."

Queen Zhao Diaochang's pretty face turned pale and she hurriedly arranged for someone to do it.

Li Jian said, "Queen Dowager, today we have called together all the ministers to discuss and decide that the city gates can be opened tomorrow. If the city gates cannot be opened before noon tomorrow, General Wang will continue to attack the city. Time is urgent, Queen Dowager, please hurry up."

Chunping Jun closed his eyes and felt a dull pain in his chest. The Qin State was too well prepared and did not give him any chance at all.

Empress Zhao Daochang forced a smile and said, "I know. I have already informed all the ministers. Please be patient and wait in the palace for the time being. I and the king will go first to explain."

Li Jian bowed and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother. You and the King are very righteous and benevolent and I'm sure all the subjects will understand your actions of loving the people."

Queen Zhao Daochang and King Zhao Qian convened the last grand court meeting and summoned all the civil and military officials who could attend.

Chunping Jun first explained the battle situation of yesterday and also talked about the situation that Zhao State was facing now. In fact, it goes without saying that everyone who is qualified to participate in the court meeting is unaware of the current situation.

But this is what Chunping Jun said to express his own attitude, and also to express the attitude of the public office.

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Some of the ministers were already sobbing quietly, and everyone had already anticipated what was going to happen.

With the country on the verge of destruction, how could there not be loyal ministers and righteous men who were heartbroken?

With red eyes, Guo Kai repeated Qin's conditions, using Han as an example to reassure his ministers.

It is said that for the sake of ancestral worship of the Zhao family, the bloodline of the previous kings, the inheritance of the royal family, for the sake of the people of the two countries, and for the sake of the subjects and soldiers, the queen mother and the king made a difficult decision.

Empress Zhao Daochang finally said in a low voice: "Now is a year of great disaster, and the two countries are at war. The people are living in water and fire, and their lives are suffering. How can I bear to ignore the survival of the people for the honor of my family? So I look at the general situation and examine public opinion. I will lead the king and all the country to submit to the Qin Dynasty. In the near future, I will comfort the people who are tired of chaos and hope for order, and in the distant future, I will cooperate with the ancient sages to make the world a public good."

"Please think of the people and do not resist in vain. It will only cause more casualties. The King of Qin has always been kind and generous. As long as you cooperate, you will still be rich and safe."

After Queen Zhao Daochang said this, many people felt relieved. They were really afraid that the Queen Mother and the King would fight to the death, and if they really did, they would not follow them.

However, if the royal family does not cooperate, it is hard to say what will happen then. It is best to do it now.

After I felt relieved, sadness began to well up in my heart.

No matter what, the State of Zhao was about to perish, and how could these nobles of the State of Zhao who had served for generations not be heartbroken?

Soon, the hall was filled with cries.

But even though everyone is sad, they still have to invest quickly.

Leaving a good impression on the new boss is related to the future prosperity of the family.

When it's time to express yourself, you must not be reserved.

After Chunping Jun, Guo Kai, and Queen Zhao Daochang all spoke, no one really opposed it. After all, the boss had already voted, so what was the point of opposing it?

Even if I oppose, I will die. It is not like I can have a chance of survival if I resist. Even if I oppose, the boss will obviously not listen. In this case, there is no point in saying more.

Chunping Jun looked at all the officials in the court. Except for those who were crying, no one objected. Not only that, some people were obviously relieved, and some even almost laughed.

Chunping Jun felt sad and gave up all thoughts.

At three quarters past noon the next day, the city gates were opened wide, and the soldiers walked out of the gates, put their weapons aside, took off their armor, and formally gave up resistance.

After all, it was nominally submission, not surrender, so naturally the civil and military officials did not have to go out of the city to follow the surrender process, but waited in the palace, which was more decent.

Wang Jian and Meng Wu were very cautious and verified again and again whether there was any fraud. They ordered all the soldiers guarding the city to leave the city in batches, disrupted their organization and dispersed their guards.

Then the Qin soldiers entered the city in batches from the four gates at the same time, occupied all the city defenses, received all the supplies, granaries, and arsenals, confirmed all the defensive facilities, and carried out emergency repairs and reinforcements.

Finally, the army moved in and completely occupied the city of Handan.

After making sure that the situation was under control, he dismissed all the surrendered soldiers, gave them travel expenses and food, and sent them back home.

A large number of patrol soldiers were dispatched to maintain order and ensure public security. All Qin troops strictly observed military discipline and prohibited all acts of destruction.

They joined forces with the State of Zhao to issue a joint notice to calm the people's hearts, open warehouses to release grain, stabilize people's livelihood and win people's hearts.

And with the name of Ying Xin, Ying Xin's reputation in Handan is not ordinary. Originally, Ying Xin was a role model of the Zhao royal family in Handan. Even after marrying to Qin, Ying Zheng has always been working hard to manage Ying Xin's reputation for today. Now it is used, and it really works.

Moreover, saying "submission" sounds better than capitulating, and it will be more acceptable to the subjects and reduce their psychological rejection.

As for Queen Zhao Daochang, King Zhao Qian and the many civil and military officials in the palace, except for a few officials who were responsible for helping to maintain order and handle the handover themselves, the others were not the responsibility of Wang Jian and Meng Wu.

(End of this chapter)