The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 74 Le Yi Le Jian
Lin Xiangru said so many words in one breath that he had difficulty breathing and was gasping for air.

When the eldest son, who had brought Lao Ai back, saw his father's appearance, he scolded his younger brothers and sisters severely and helped his father lie down.

Lin Xiangru refused.

He knows a lot about his children and understands them best.

He knew that if he didn't make things clear today, one of his children would do something stupid in the future and put him on the carriage, causing his death and delaying important matters.

He rested for a long time, leaning against the pillow.

The dull white hair fell into the grooves on his face like dead grass.

He tilted his neck and opened his mouth wide:
“The previous king exchanged fifty-seven cities for Tian Dan.

“First, because Tian Dan conquered Yan, the previous king wanted to attack Yan.

“Second, it strengthened Zhao and weakened Qi, causing Qi to lose its only capable and skilled general and be unable to conquer.

"Why would he, Qin Yiren, replace me? Does the Qin State need a prime minister?

"Since the Qin Xiaogong issued the edict to recruit talented people, Shang Yang, Zhang Yi, Fan Ju, Cai Ze, Wei Zhe...many people went to Qin, like a swarm of carp crossing the river.

“Hundred cities, huh.

"I, Lin Xiangru, am a dying man, how can I have such a big face? It's just a nice talk, Qin Yiren has always been so cunning.

“Not to mention that the King of Zhao will not let me go, even if the King of Zhao lets me go to Qin, the journey is so long that I will only be a rotting and smelly corpse when I arrive in Qin.

"You remember.

"If I am not in Zhao, I will be of no use to Qin Yiren. As a descendant of a useless person, Qin Yiren will never protect you, considering the Qin family's ancestral character of valuing profit over loyalty.

"Don't disobey me, don't do stupid things, then you will have hope, understand?"

Lin Yi, Lin Fan, Lin Jing, Ji Congxin, Lin Dai... all of Lin Xiangru's children nodded in agreement and said they would act according to their father's instructions and would not dare to disobey in the slightest.

"Lin Yi." Lin Xiangru called his eldest son by his surname.

"Father, Yi is here." Lin Yi responded.

He came close to his father, with his ear almost touching his father's mouth, to make it easier for his father to speak.

"Go ask outside and find out which house's door was open tonight." Lin Xiangru explained, "Qin Yiren is very cautious and would not have just come to me. I want to know who else he came to, to make sure what he really wants to do, and whether he told me the truth."

"Wang Zhu" is the title given to Le Yi by King Zhao.

I hope that all of you, Le Yi, will let the housekeeper of the mansion send Zhao Di away, then pull his legs out from under his buttocks and beat them gently.

Sitting upright for a long time was a very torturous thing for an old man like him.

Amid the slight and dull hammering sound, Le Yi glanced at the north wall facing the door.

There stood a floor-to-ceiling wooden tri-fold screen that was nine feet two inches high and twelve feet wide.

"Come out, everyone has left." Le Yi called out.

Lejian walked out from behind the screen, wearing clothes made of black bear skin and a roe deer felt hat on his head to protect him from the wind and snow.

He sat on the couch, took off his black bear skin coat, took off his felt hat, and massaged Le Yi's legs.

"Be gentle." Le Yi felt a little pain and frowned.

Le Jian lightened up his strength a little, feeling that his father was really old. He had not felt this strength at all in the early years.

"Father, is what Zhao Di said true or false?"

Le Yi narrowed his eyes and looked towards the west, as if he could see the Crown Prince of Qin in the Qin Palace.

"I am both the Prime Minister of Zhao and the Prime Minister of Yan. Whether it is true or not, my Le family will not lose."

"That's right. Only my father can be the minister of both countries." Le Jian praised, and then said: "But I think what Zhao Di said is true. Prince Dan of my Yan State said that Ying Zheng was ruined by the prince of Zhao State. It was tragic."

He took his father's other leg and continued to beat it hard.

"The Crown Prince of Qin has already killed the Zhao hostage, Prince Gao, to vent his anger on his son. So there is nothing wrong with joining forces with Yan to attack Zhao for the sake of his son."

Le Yi said nothing and enjoyed his son's massage.

Lejian looked at his father's weathered face and sighed softly, but he could not reconcile it with the high-spirited and unbridled face in his memory.

"I heard from Zhao Di that Prince Chengjiao of Qin State recruited my father on behalf of the King of Qin, and my father made arbitrary conditions. I feel uncomfortable about this." At that time, my father held the seals of the five countries and commanded the coalition forces of Zhao, Chu, Han, Wei and Yan to attack Qi.

"The King of Qi, who called himself the Eastern Emperor, was defeated and fled like a rat crossing the street, and was forced to die in Jucheng.

"He captured more than 70 cities of Qi in one go, nearly destroying the state of Qi.

"If King Zhao of Yan had not passed away, the succeeding King Hui of Yan would not have trusted my father, and a famous general named Tian Dan would have emerged in Qi who could stop my father.

"Father will surely conquer Qi in one fell swoop, make unprecedented achievements, and create an immortal career.

"At this time, monarchs from all over the world should be competing to recruit my father, so how can a child get a chance?"

Le Yi was angry.

"Bullshit! Tian Dan is a bird! An egg! Is he worthy of being compared with me? Can he stop me, Le Yi? You don't have the vision of that kid named Cheng Jiao from Qin! You are really blind!"

He suddenly stretched out his hand and pushed his son's hand away, preventing the blind son from continuing to press.

"Yes, yes, Tian Dan is just a bird's egg! How can he be compared with my father? It's okay if I said something wrong." Le Jian apologized with a smile.

After saying a lot of nice things, I finally coaxed my father into submission and continued to massage his legs.

Le Yi pointed at his son's smiling face and said angrily:

"Don't think your father can't afford to lose, Tian Dan just can't!
“After I entered Zhao, I heard that he had recovered the entire territory of Qi with the two cities of Jimo and Ju. After learning about his tactics, I initially thought he was a genius.

"Hey!"

He slapped his thigh hard.

"A few years later, he also came to Zhao State, and King Huiwen of Zhao brought him here in exchange for fifty-seven cities.

“I’m not convinced.

"I wonder why King Huiwen of Zhao ignored famous generals like Zhao She, Marquis of Mafu, and Lian Po, and insisted on using Tian Dan. Why?

"Attacking Yan, I am also good at it! Is there anyone who knows Yan better than me, Le Yi?

"Just go find Tian Dan and have a fight with him.

"When I went there, Zhao She had already arrived. The two were talking, and I was just listening.

"Do you know what I heard?"

Le Jianyi was also very interested in this, and to please his father, he said:

"Father, tell me about it."

Le Yi crossed his legs, and suddenly became energetic. He rested his elbows on his knees, waved his hands and said:

"Zhao She said that in a war that will determine the fate of a country, we must have at least 100,000 or 80,000 soldiers. Is there anything wrong with what he said?"

Without waiting for his son Le Jian to answer, Le Yi could no longer hold back his desire to confide in him. With a mocking smile on his face, he said:

"What did Tian Dan say?
"Tian Dan actually said that 30,000 troops are enough, and that using too many soldiers will delay farming! I have never heard such stupid words in my life!

"I guess Zhao She had never heard of it before. He was confused and didn't know what to say.

"That bastard Tian Dan is still very proud of himself, thinking that he is right. He even looked at me and gave us an example.

“He said that in ancient times, the emperors used no more than 30,000 soldiers and conquered the world.

“Nowadays, when we so-called famous generals use our troops, we must have 100,000 or 200,000 soldiers to decide a major war. This is the gap!
"I turned around and left. There's no point in me arguing with such a jerk!

"How many countries did his mother have before? Thousands and thousands!
"It's good enough for a country to have 100,000 people, but 30,000 people can definitely decide the outcome.

"What now?

"Among the existing great powers, Qin, Zhao, Chu, and Qi, which one has a population of less than two million?

"Thirty thousand? Ugh!

"Don't mention a country, it seems like I'm bullying him, I'll just say a city.

"There are at least 150,000 people in Handan. The Qin army with 400,000 soldiers failed to conquer it. What can he do with 30,000 soldiers? Even Bai Qi was unwilling to bury him!
"You said Tian Dan understands the art of war?
"He's just a lucky idiot! He ran into Qijie, who's even dumber than him!"

(End of this chapter)