People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

"To be honest, Lord Longyang, last night the Ninth Prince Han Fei and Crown Prince Dan met with me privately to discuss forming an alliance. I wonder what Lord Longyang thinks?"

Lord Longyang remained calm, showing no surprise whatsoever.

I couldn't help but admire Lord Xinling. Even from a thousand miles away, he was able to discern Zhao Jia's psychological inclinations simply by learning of Zhao Jia's succession.

In this respect, he cannot compare.

He was not even as good as Han Fei, who had traveled with him all the way.

Thinking back to how he had boarded Han Fei's carriage before entering Zhao, trying to persuade Han Fei to work together to resolve the rift between the three Jin states, and how earnestly he had spoken, Lord Longyang smiled helplessly. It turned out that Han Fei had already made plans, so there was no need for him to say anything more, lest he appear unintelligent.

I should have secretly met with Zhao Jia last night; now that I've waited until today, I'm in a somewhat passive position.

Yan Dan's eyes were deep and his expression remained unchanged.

Han Fei held the wine cup in his hand, playing with it, a smile playing on his lips.

That day, Lord Longyang climbed into his carriage and spoke passionately, hoping to restore the friendship between the three Jin states. He simply smiled and remained silent.

His maternal grandmother, Empress Dowager Leling, was still the Empress Dowager in the State of Wei, so it was impossible for Lord Longyang not to know this.

The biggest problem in restoring peace was not the king's attitude, but the current situation. The strength of the Qin state made the situation conducive to the reconciliation of the three Jin states.

Therefore, there is only one possibility: Lord Longyang wanted to imply to him that he should bring in the State of Zhao and form an alliance between the three states.

Lord Longyang pondered and said, "The Qin state attacked our Wei state and seized our cities. Even though my king ceded cities to sue for peace, it still could not satisfy the Qin state's insatiable greed."

Yan Dan sighed, "Today we cede five cities, tomorrow we cede ten more, and then we can get a night's rest. But when we get up and look around, the Qin army is already here again."

Han Fei felt this most keenly: "The land of the feudal lords is limited, but the desires of the tyrannical Qin are insatiable. The more they offer, the more aggressively they invade."

His motherland is a living example; it was ceded, leaving only the two major cities of Nanyang and Xinzheng.

The reason it was not destroyed by Qin was probably because Qin was tied up by the Zheng Guo Canal and did not yet have the resources to decide the fate of the world in one battle.

Brother Cao's talent is truly remarkable. What was originally a simple strategy has enabled all the countries with a shared desire for unity to quickly reach a consensus.

Remember that ceding a city is tantamount to waiting for death; let this become ingrained in your subconscious. This single point alone is enough to surpass all other more detailed and profound strategic discussions.

This is perhaps what Sun Tzu meant by "the best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting," for open and overt schemes are the hardest to defend against.

Well, his talent is still a little lacking compared to his; Brother Cao needs to practice more.

Zhao Jia smiled and began discussing with Han Fei, Yan Dan, and Lord Longyang.

Ya Fei listened silently, continuously analyzing the situations in various countries.

The Zhao state was undoubtedly the strongest of the four states, Wei and Yan were roughly equal, and the Han state was the weakest. Forming an alliance with it would be like having a chicken rib, but it could not be abandoned. The best alliance was the reconciliation of the three Jin states.

Half an hour later, Zhao Jia and the others were still not satisfied.

However, Ya Fei was not so optimistic at all.

She looked at Lord Longyang and said, "Lord Longyang, are you really confident that you can persuade the King of Wei?"

If King Anli of Wei had not died, she would not have questioned him like this, but the current King Zeng of Wei is said to have a distant relationship with Lord Longyang, and she does not have a good opinion of him.

Lord Longyang said, "Yes."

"May we have a chat?" Ya Fei asked calmly.

Lord Longyang recounted the secret conversation he had with Lord Xinling.

"With me and Lord Xinling here, as long as we can persuade Empress Dowager Leling, King Wei will not disagree."

Although Lord Xinling was retired and confined to his residence, he still enjoyed considerable prestige in the state of Wei and the other seven states. Within Wei, many nobles supported him.

If Lord Xinling had not been uninterested in the throne, how could King Zeng of Wei have ascended to the throne so easily?

He also has many followers both inside and outside the palace, and he is currently in charge of the Wei Kingdom's strongest troop, the Armored Gate.

If he and Lord Xinling were to join forces, there would be a 40% chance that the King of Wei would agree to the alliance.

If Empress Dowager Leling were to speak, then there would be a greater than 70% chance of success.

Consort Ya pressed on, "It is said that Empress Dowager Leling has never been involved in state affairs. How did Lord Longyang manage to persuade her?"

Lord Longyang looked at Han Fei. He had climbed into Han Fei's carriage earlier in order to persuade Empress Dowager Leling.

Han Fei remained outwardly calm, saying, "I have come to persuade Empress Dowager Leling."

She thought to herself, "Little sister, it's all up to you to persuade Grandma."

Ya Fei nodded, then looked at Yan Dan, her tone turning sour.

“Crown Prince Dan, you must be well aware of the discord between Yan and Zhao. You say you can convince your father, but how can you convince me that Yan truly wants to form an alliance with Zhao?”

Zhao Jia nodded slightly. The State of Yan had taken advantage of Zhao's misfortune more than once or twice when Zhao was at war with Qin.

A year ago, when the five states attacked Qin, Qin fled first and took advantage of the chaos to seize five cities of Zhao. If General Pang Nuan had not decisively returned to Zhao and dealt a heavy blow to Yan, they would have lost at least ten cities.

Yan Dan was speechless. Even if he said he would guarantee that he would not betray the State of Zhao, who would believe him?

Not to mention that he knew his father well, and with his uncle Yanchun Jun also involved, he was powerless and could hardly stop it.

"Hmm? Why is Your Highness Yan Dan silent?"

Ya Fei pressed further for answers.

"This……"

Yan Dan sighed inwardly. No matter what, the three Jin states all came from the same source, and none of them were like their Yan state, which took advantage of the chaos every day. How difficult it would be to gain the trust of the Zhao state.

If it were his uncle, Lord Yanchun, who didn't care about the fate of the Yan state, he would have simply refused to form an alliance. However, he was unwilling to let the Qin state's wolfish ambitions succeed, thus finding himself in a dilemma.

Zhao Jia wanted to smooth things over. He understood Yan Dan; if Yan Dan truly wanted an alliance, he would not betray Zhao.

But... if only Brother Yan were the King of Yan.

Consort Ya suddenly smiled and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to be troubled. I have a plan that can solve your problem."

Yan Dan said, "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

Consort Ya said, word by word, "If you become the Prince of Yan, the alliance can be formed."

Yan Dan was stunned, while Han Fei and Lord Longyang were both speechless.

Zhao Jia perked up; if Yan Dan were to experience a "Xuanwu Gate Incident" like him, he wouldn't be lonely anymore.

Seeing Yan Dan's stunned expression, Consort Ya sneered, "Does His Highness the Crown Prince dare not?"

The current King Xi of Yan has been on the throne for fourteen years, but he is only thirty-five years old. It is not impossible for him to live another twenty years. He cannot make the State of Zhao wait for King Dan of Yan for so long.

Yan Dan swallowed hard, her eyes revealing a look of longing.

But he still managed to restrain himself, "Your Highness... I can't do it alone."

Zhao Jia nodded to Consort Ya, indicating that Consort Ya had full authority to make the decision.

Consort Ya said calmly, "If you can't do it, Zhao can help you. We will secretly support you with manpower, and you will have to do the rest yourself. You only have one year. If you become the King of Yan before next year, the alliance can be formed."

Yan Dan was overjoyed and almost burst out laughing. Nothing is more satisfying than a pillow coming right out of your sleep.

"Okay, I agree!"

He had just become a disciple of the Six-Fingered Black Knight, the leader of the Mohist school.

Now, he has the support of the Mohists for his expertise, the support of the Zhao state for his manpower, and he is still the crown prince.

With Zhao Jia's "precious talent" as a precedent, all he needs to do is get rid of his uncle, Lord Yanchun, and force his father to abdicate.

There's no need to worry about their reputation being completely ruined or Zhao Guohui kicking them while they're down.

All consequences will be borne by Prince Zhao, no, by King Zhao first.

He had never dared to dream of such conditions before.

Han Fei looked strange; he understood this world less and less.

Is becoming a king the most dangerous thing in the future?

Is it really as Brother Cao said in Journey to the West, "Emperors take turns, next year it's my turn"?

As a scholar of Legalism, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Ya Fei said with satisfaction, "That's good."

Then, she turned her gaze to Han Fei.

Han Fei's heart skipped a beat. This woman had no taboos and dared to say anything. Heaven knows what she wanted him to do.

"Ninth Young Master..."

Ya Fei paused for a moment. Cao Ze had mentioned Han Fei to her many times, saying that Han Fei was a genius.

Lord Longyang and Yan Dan both looked at Han Fei, their eyes filled with pity.

Han Fei forced himself to speak and said, "Please speak, Your Highness, Consort Ya."

Consort Ya said, "We, the people of Jin, are all one family. Does Ninth Prince have the confidence to persuade the King of Han?"

Han Fei breathed a slight sigh of relief, fearing that Consort Ya would ask, "Would you like to be the King of Han?"

He said confidently, "I'm sure."

Although his father was a bit slow-witted, he still wanted to free the state of Han from the constraints of Qin.

In short, his body knelt before the Qin state, but his heart did not want to kneel.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have cooperated with the four states to attack Qin a year ago.

Consort Ya suddenly smiled: "Does Ninth Prince wish to become the Crown Prince and the King of Han?"

Zhao Jia said, "The State of Zhao can provide assistance."

The more people involved in the "Xuanwu Gate Incident," the more at ease he can be as the King of Zhao, even if it means bearing all the infamy.

Yan Dan then said, "The State of Yan can also help Brother Han."

He believed that the stronger the state of Han was, the better, as it blocked Qin's eastward expansion, and it would be ideal to become a bridgehead for other states to counterattack Qin.

Lord Longyang had a very good impression of Han Fei. "I cannot guarantee that Wei will help the Ninth Prince, but Lord Xinling and I can provide some support for him."

Empress Dowager Leling was indeed Han Fei's maternal grandmother, but she was also King Han An's aunt. She would never help Han Fei commit such a treasonous act.

Han Fei, sweating profusely, said awkwardly, "This, this is unnecessary. Whether I become king or not is not important. The important thing is for the three Jin states to cultivate good relations together."

South Korea is currently facing both internal and external troubles. If he were to stage another coup, South Korea could announce its dissolution ahead of schedule.