The Great Qin: Starting with marrying Jingni, I began my quest for immortality.

To go to the Qin state at this time, to the execution ground to play music with Kuang Xiu, would be tantamount to courting death.

But Gao Jianli didn't care.

There are always some things more important than life itself.

Just like Yu Boya, who created the masterpiece "High Mountains and Flowing Water", the music of the zither is easy to play, but it is hard to find a true friend. If one can play a duet with a kindred spirit, what is there to fear in death?

Upon hearing Gao Jianli's words, Jing Ke's expression was also complicated. "You rascal..."

He had originally intended to say something, but in the end he didn't say it. He changed his tone and said to Gao Jianli, "Never mind, no matter what, Kuang Xiu and I have known each other for a while. Since I've decided to help him, I'll help him to the end."

"Let me accompany you to the Qin Kingdom."

"However, I must tell you beforehand that if things go wrong, I might abandon you and run away first."

Gao Jianli listened quietly to Jing Ke's story, looked at Jing Ke, and said softly, "Thank you!"

Jing Ke waved his hand, "It's nothing."

In just a few words, the two of them agreed on going to the Qin State to play a duet with Kuang Xiu.

After they finished their discussion, they didn't forget that Jiang Chuan was still there. Jing Ke immediately said to Jiang Chuan somewhat apologetically, "I apologize for neglecting you for so long, sir."

Jiang Chuan smiled and said, "It's nothing."

"But I'm sorry to trouble you two." (5.)

Chapter 259 Fan Yuqi deserves to be executed!

Although Jing Ke and Gao Jianli had just met, they quickly became friends because of Kuang Xiu. The main reason for this was that Jing Ke traveled a long distance to help Kuang Xiu deliver the score of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" to Gao Jianli.

After learning the whole story, Gao Jianli was deeply moved.

However, they did not ignore Jiang Chuan because of this. After all, it was Jiang Chuan who helped them out of the predicament and revealed that the assassins came from the Luo Wang. Upon hearing Jiang Chuan's words, Gao Jianli immediately asked Jiang Chuan.

"what's up?"

“There are two things.” Jiang Chuan said slowly and deliberately. He first looked at Gao Jianli, “The first thing is that the scroll in your hand should be the score of the music ‘High Mountains and Flowing Water’.”

Upon hearing Jiang Chuan's words, Gao Jianli's expression changed slightly.

Jing Ke also looked at Jiang Chuan with a slightly wary expression.

In his previous conversation with Gao Jianli, although he mentioned the musical score, he did not mention the words "high mountains and flowing water." Unexpectedly, Jiang Chuan guessed it.

Jiang Chuan explained, “You don’t need to be nervous. This is not something hard to guess. Kuang Xiu is the only successor of the High Mountains and Flowing Water music in the world. Although not many people know about it, there are still some. Before he died, he asked Jing Ke to pass on the musical score to you. In my guess, it can only be the High Mountains and Flowing Water music.”

After explaining why he had guessed the meaning of "High Mountains and Flowing Water," Jiang Chuan asked, "May I have a copy of the sheet music you have?"

“I have a wife who loves music and admires Kuang Xiu the most. I want to give her a surprise.”

"Moreover, since you have decided to go to Qin to see Kuang Xiu one last time, no one knows whether something will happen to you and you will die in Qin. If you die like this, wouldn't Kuang Xiu's last wish be in vain? And the famous piece of music, 'High Mountains and Flowing Water,' will be lost because of this."

When Gao Jianli first heard Jiang Chuan's request, he instinctively wanted to refuse, because the score of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" was specially given to him by Jing Ke through Kuang Xiu. Why should he make a copy for Jiang Chuan?

But after hearing Jiang Chuan's words, he realized that Jiang Chuan was right.

My journey to Qin is to fulfill my wish to play music with Kuang Xiu. My future is uncertain, and my fate is unknown. I may very well die in Qin.

I may die, but the art of "High Mountains and Flowing Water" must not be lost.

After pondering for a while, Gao Jianli said to Jiang Chuan, "You helped me, so I can agree to this."

Jiang Chuan had a nonchalant attitude towards the score of "High Mountains and Flowing Water." If he could copy it, that would be great, since it was a famous piece of music. Among his many women, Nongyu was proficient in music. Perhaps the means by which he initially won Nongyu's heart were not very honorable, but as time went by, Nongyu's thoughts gradually changed, and she did indeed become his woman.

Seeing the famous piece before him, Jiang Chuan naturally had to get a copy for Nongyu as a gift.

After exchanging a few words with Gao Jianli, Jiang Chuan's gaze fell on Jing Ke. "In your opinion, what kind of person is Fan Yuqi?"

Jing Ke was stunned when he heard Jiang Chuan's question.

Gao Jianli was also somewhat surprised, not expecting Jiang Chuan to directly mention Fan Yuqi, the traitorous general of Qin.

Jing Ke pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know much about Fan Yuqi. However, I learned some things about Fan Yuqi from Mr. Kuang Xiu. According to Mr. Kuang Xiu, Fan Yuqi led an army of 100,000 to attack Zhao. But seeing the suffering of the people of Zhao, he couldn't bear to start another war, so he took the initiative to stop the war, and was defeated by Zhao general Li Mu."

"For this reason, after Fan Yuqi returned to his country, he was about to face the punishment of the King of Qin. Mr. Kuang Xiu could not bear to see Fan Yuqi punished, so he helped him escape from Qin."

"Fan Yuqi must be a gentleman."

"In order to avoid starting a war, which would lead to the destruction of his family and the loss of his life, he would bear many sins."

Jing Ke was a member of the Mohist school, which advocated non-aggression. Because he was not very familiar with Fan Yuqi, his understanding of Fan Yuqi came from Kuang Xiu. Therefore, he believed that Fan Yuqi, who abandoned the war and bore many crimes, was a gentleman and a good person.

"What a gentleman!" Jiang Chuan couldn't help but sneer when he heard Jing Ke's words.

Jing Ke raised his eyebrows slightly.

Gao Jianli couldn't help but ask Jiang Chuan, "Mr. Jiang seems to have some prejudice against Fan Yuqi?"

Jiang Chuan said, "It's not that I have a prejudice against Fan Yuqi, but I heard some absurd remarks and couldn't help but laugh..."

"Oh?" Gao Jianli was quite surprised. "I would like to hear your insights, sir."

Kuang Xiu was imprisoned because of Fan Yuqi, so Gao Jianli wouldn't mind at all if he could learn more about Fan Yuqi.

"Have you ever heard the saying 'A kind heart cannot command an army'?" Jiang Chuan asked Gao Jianli and Jing Ke.

Gao Jianli began to ponder.

Jing Ke nodded.

Although he was a member of the Mohist school, his earliest teacher, Gongsun Yu, was the military strategist and commander of the State of Wei, who taught him military strategy.

The saying "A kind heart cannot command an army" comes from Sun Tzu. The original text reads, "If one is kind but cannot command, loving but cannot give orders, and disorderly but cannot govern, he is like a spoiled child and cannot be used." This means that a person in charge of an army should not be kind-hearted.

Seeing that Jing Ke understood, Jiang Chuan was too lazy to explain to Gao Jianli and continued, "As a general, one should absolutely not have a compassionate heart, because their purpose is to command troops and fight battles. A compassionate heart could very well cause them to miss opportunities and thus lose the battle."

"Fan Yuqi was a general of the Qin state, and the King of Qin relied on him to attack Zhao. But what was the result? As a Qin man, he felt pity for the people of Zhao, which led to the Qin army's defeat at the hands of Zhao general Li Mu."

"Kuang Xiu was a half-person from Zhao. He was forced to enter Qin and harbored resentment towards Qin. The fact that Zhao's territory was preserved and the Qin army suffered a great defeat was naturally a good thing for him. Therefore, in his eyes, Fan Yuqi, who was the one who caused the defeat, was naturally a good person and a gentleman."

"But have you ever considered that because of Fan Yuqi, the entire Qin army of 100,000 was wiped out? These soldiers also had parents, wives, and children?"

"What is Fan Yuqi in the eyes of these people?"

"Or rather, what exactly are the lives of these 100,000 people in Fan Yuqi's eyes? Are they merely tools to fulfill his own compassion and mercy?"

Gao Jianli and Jing Ke's expressions changed drastically.

Previously, because they were on Kuang Xiu's side, they hadn't thought about it in detail. Now, thanks to Jiang Chuan's reminder, they suddenly realized these things.

Chapter 260 He is truly an extraordinary person!

As a citizen of the Yan state, Gao Jianli suffered persecution from the powerful and influential people of Yan. The only reason he stayed in Yan was because of his identity as a citizen of Yan.

The affairs of the world were too far removed from his concerns; what he cared about most was the study of music.

But Jing Ke was different. He was a disciple of the Mohist school. The world was engulfed in war, which was unacceptable to the Mohists because they adhered to the principles of universal love and non-aggression.

In addition, Jing Ke had an extremely good relationship with Prince Dan of Yan.

Although Yan Dan was the crown prince of Yan, he admired the Mohist school of thought. Later, he was introduced into the Mohist school by the Mohist leader, Six-Fingered Black Knight. As fellow members of the Mohist school, it is not surprising that Jing Ke became friends with him.

Influenced by Yan Dan, Jing Ke believed that most wars in the world today were started by the Qin state, and therefore considered the Qin state to be a scourge to the world. However, the Mohist leader, Six-Fingered Black Knight, had a different view, believing that the existence of the Qin state was inevitable.

Given that the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods lasted for so many years, it was impossible for everything to remain peaceful and uneventful indefinitely. It was quite normal for a particularly powerful state to emerge from this situation.

If a country cultivates benevolence and virtue, and advocates universal love and non-aggression, that would be the best outcome.

27

Unfortunately, the Qin state did not accomplish this.

Six-Fingered Black Knight hated the Qin state for constantly instigating wars, but he also acknowledged the existence of the Qin state.

Since the Six-Fingered Black Knight is still alive, Jing Ke has been greatly influenced by him. Although he dislikes the Qin state, he doesn't hate it to the core. At least, the Qin state has some redeeming qualities.

This is the experience he gained from his travels in the Qin state.

Now, after hearing Jiang Chuan's words, Jing Ke began to re-evaluate Fan Yuqi.

He did not conclude that all 100,000 dead were Qin soldiers and therefore deserved to die.

The Mohist school advocated universal love, and the Qin state was also part of this universal love. So why were the lives of these 100,000 people not as precious as the lives of the Zhao state?

“Fan Yuqi…”

Jing Ke murmured the name softly, and for the first time in his life, he felt that he had misjudged the person.

He had previously thought Fan Yuqi was a gentleman.

Looking back now, calling Fan Yuqi a hypocrite would be too kind of him.

As Jiang Chuan said, "A kind heart cannot command an army." Since you, Fan Yuqi, are so benevolent and do not want to start a war, then you should not have led the army to attack Zhao in the first place. You could have refused to lead the army.

As a general, he led troops to attack Zhao, but in the midst of the fierce battle, he abandoned the attack, resulting in the annihilation of the entire Qin army of 100,000.

Are you really not a spy sent by the State of Zhao to the State of Qin?

As for why Kuang Xiu helped such a person escape, Jiang Chuan explained the reason very clearly.

Kuang Xiu was a man from the state of Zhao.

For Kuang Xiu, Fan Yuqi was a hero.