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

Two teams of guards stood in front of the red steps on the side of the hall.

Cao Ze, Cheng Jiao, and others waited there for King Ying Zheng of Qin and Queen Dowager Huayang.

Cheng Jiao said in a low voice, "Brother Cao, this journey is a thousand miles long and fraught with danger. Are you only taking Jing Ni with you?"

Cao Ze blinked. "Otherwise what?"

He just had a fight with his sister-in-law. If she couldn't resist making some underhanded moves, and he had taken too many people with him, he'd be in real trouble.

Cheng Jiao chuckled and said, "You have so many experts in your household, it would be much better to bring them all along."

For some reason, he had been feeling uneasy these past two days, as if something bad was going to happen.

Cao Ze coughed lightly, "Although the number of people accompanying us this time is only fifty, they are all the elite of the army. Each soldier is a king among soldiers of a battalion. Their individual strength is no less than that of a third-rate master in the martial arts world. When they form a battle formation and are accompanied by warhorses, they are enough to defeat an ordinary army of a thousand men. As for the mountain bandits and robbers on the road, there is even less to worry about."

These people were elites secretly selected by Ying Zheng from the Lantian camp, forming the prototype of the "Shadow Guard". Ying Zheng intended to let them undergo a trial.

Suddenly, the sound of drums and music rang out.

A procession of more than ten carriages escorted a magnificent and solemn carriage as it slowly approached. Needless to say, this was the carriage belonging to Empress Dowager Huayang. It was specially commissioned by the King of Qin to be modified and made by the Gongshu family. No matter how cold and freezing it was outside, the interior of the carriage would remain as warm as spring all year round, ensuring that the elderly Empress Dowager Huayang would not be harmed by wind and snow.

Cheng Jiao sighed and complained, "Winter is coming soon, and we still have to travel a long distance. It's really suffering."

Cao Ze said, "Let's go, the Empress Dowager has arrived."

At this moment, a young man dressed in black armor walked over, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lord Chang'an, Imperial Censor, the Empress Dowager says we can depart now."

Cheng Jiao snorted, "Fine, you won't even get out of the car."

Cao Ze didn't care; going and returning early suited him perfectly.

"Brother Zhang Han, how have you planned your itinerary?"

Zhang Han said, "War has broken out in Nanyang, so I plan to take the route through southeast Qin, pass through Lantian Wuguan, and travel southeast along the Danshui Valley on the eastern foothills of the Qinling Mountains. This is the traditional route between Qin and Chu, which is closer than Hangu Pass and avoids the Central Plains battlefield."

Cheng Jiao asked, "How long do you estimate it will take to reach the State of Chu?"

Zhang Han said, "By combining land and water transport, it will take about thirty to fifty li per day. If the weather is normal, we can reach the State of Chu in about a month."

Cao Ze nodded, and together with Cheng Jiao and Zhang Han, they descended the steps, mounted their precious horses, and set off.

Ying Zheng did not appear from beginning to end, which clearly indicated that he had a lot of opinions about Empress Dowager Huayang's actions.

……

In early November, Cao Ze and his entourage left Xianyang and arrived in Lantian.

At the same time, Wei Zhuang escorted Lü Buwei into the territory of Qi.

The capital of Qi, Linzi, was the residence of the Prime Minister.

Hou Sheng, who was both the maternal uncle of the King of Qi and the prime minister of Qi, secretly received Lü Buwei.

"Haha, Prime Minister Lü, thanks to the list you provided, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to wipe out all the spies in Qi and achieve such a great feat! Unfortunately, Qin is currently aiding Qi, so Your Majesty has no choice but to send these spies back to Qin."

Hou Sheng sighed deeply, feeling it was a great pity.

Lü Buwei smiled faintly and said, "I'm glad the Prime Minister is satisfied. I wonder what the Prime Minister's opinion is on the matters mentioned in the letter?"

Hou Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "The three Jin states are coming with fierce momentum. Even with the help of five thousand elite Qin soldiers, Qi is still having a very difficult time. However, winter is approaching..."

Wei Zhuang said calmly, "The Kings of Han, Zhao, and Wei have agreed to grant the Prime Minister an additional 30,000 gold pieces on this basis, and to allocate the lands of Jimo and other areas of Qi as his fiefdom."

Hou Sheng was deeply moved, not because the Three Jin states had added 30,000 gold coins, but because they had actually promised him a fiefdom.

Why did the State of Qi, with its relatively small territory, become the most prosperous of the seven states?

It's precisely because it's by the sea!

Jimo and other places can be said to be the lifeblood of the Qi state.

Owning these places is tantamount to having a third of the wealth of the State of Qi in one's own hands.

"This is also... Prime Minister Lü..."

Hou Sheng looked at the composed Lü Buwei, his gaze seeking confirmation.

Lü Buwei calmly said, "Lord Xinling has vouched for us that the Three Jin states are determined to destroy Qin, not necessarily Qi. Prime Minister, you just need to reassure the King of Qi."

Hou Sheng pondered for a moment, pacing back and forth while rubbing his hands.

"Alright! I agree to this!"

Wei Zhuang looked at Hou Sheng's extremely excited appearance and sneered inwardly.

Selling out one's country for personal gain, blinded by greed, one fears only that one may have the means to take the spoils but not the means to enjoy them.

At this point, he was not surprised that Lü Buwei had won after spending a lot of money on bribes every year when he was prime minister of Qin.

Because he actually does the work when he gets paid.

……

Five days later.

The gates of the Qi Great Wall slowly opened at night.

Li Mu and Lord Xinling led their troops in a long and deep advance.

Five thousand Qin soldiers were all killed overnight, with not a single one surviving.

Zhang Tang, the commander-in-chief, was beheaded and his head displayed to the public.

Three days later.

Before the military report reached Xianyang.

The King of Qi led his officials out of the city to welcome the army of the three Jin states, and the State of Qi surrendered.

Lord Xinling personally accepted the surrender and announced it to the world.

Linzi, the capital of the State of Qi, still belonged to the Tian Qi state and served as the fiefdom of the King of Qi and the Tian family, thus preserving the dignity of the Qi royal family.

As for the remaining lands of Qi, the three kings of the three states of Jin reached a consensus to divide Qi equally among themselves in order to ensure the long-term stability of the alliance.

As the weakest nation, South Korea suddenly gained a large amount of land and population, allowing it to take off immediately. It promptly dispatched a large number of personnel and supplies to the Nanyang battlefield.

After accumulating strength for many days, Zhao Ya, the commander of Nanyang, seized this opportunity to order the entire army to leave the city and charge into the Pingyang heavy armored army under Meng Tian's command.

Despite Meng Tian's preparedness, the victorious return of the three Jin states, coupled with the disruption of the original balance by reinforcements, meant that after holding out for three days, the Wei Wu soldiers led by Dian Qing broke through the enemy's formation and forced them to retreat ten miles.

Even Meng Tian himself was seriously injured by Consort Ya.

Meng Tian, ​​through sheer willpower, commanded the battle while lying on a stretcher, thus preventing Ya Fei from finding an opportunity to surround and annihilate him.

Even so, the heavy armored troops of Pingyang suffered losses of up to 30%.

In other words, the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army was the elite of the Qin army; otherwise, with such heavy losses, ordinary troops would have already been routed and lost their armor and weapons.

Far away in Xianyang, Ying Zheng, who sat high on his throne, had a face ashen.

One thing after another caught him off guard.

What he couldn't figure out was that if Qi held out for another month, no matter how fiercely the three Jin states attacked, they would have to retreat in disarray after winter.

But it was precisely under such a strategy that the State of Qi surrendered, and the King of Qi led the way in surrendering so readily, as if he had already spread his legs and was waiting to be driven in and conquered by others.

Of course, what pained him most was that all five thousand Qin elite soldiers who were sent to support Qi were massacred, as well as the Pingyang heavy armored army that lost several thousand men on the Nanyang battlefield.

These were all elite Qin soldiers. Losing a few hundred men in battle was a major incident, let alone losing tens of thousands!

This was arguably the greatest loss Qin suffered since the Battle of Changping. Even when the five states united to attack Zuicheng, Qin did not suffer such heavy losses.

It wasn't exactly a serious injury, but it was definitely a huge humiliation!

But now a problem is facing King Ying Zheng of Qin.

To fight, or to endure!

Ying Zheng thought of the five thousand soldiers who were betrayed and buried alive by the State of Qi, of General Zhang Tang who was beheaded by the Three Jin states and whose head was displayed on the Great Wall of Qi, of Meng Tian who was seriously wounded on the battlefield of Nanyang, and of the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army who were struggling to hold on to the battle...

Scenes flashed before Ying Zheng's eyes, and his breathing gradually became rapid.

He wanted to roar, he wanted to shout, he wanted revenge!

However, the years of patience he had cultivated under Lü Buwei's shadow allowed him to calmly see that if he pursued revenge recklessly, he would fall into the trap set by the Three Jin states, prematurely dragging Qin into the vortex of war, and potentially losing the opportunity to unify the seven states and sweep across the world forever.

This was absolutely unacceptable to him, who was determined to sweep across the land!

Tolerate!

Endure what ordinary people cannot endure!

"Zheng Guo Canal..."

Ying Zheng said in a low, hoarse voice, "Absolutely no mistakes can be tolerated! Gai Nie, go to Zheng Guo Canal immediately and make sure that all areas are under surveillance!"

Gai Nie asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, your safety..."

As a close attendant of the King of Qin, his most important mission was to protect the King's safety.

Ying Zheng raised his hand and said, "I will not step out of Zhangtai Palace until things are settled. Moreover, Zhao Gao is skilled and loyal to the royal family, so you don't need to worry about my safety."

Gai Nie pondered for a moment and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will go now."

He knew, of course, that Zhao Gao was quite powerful; he even knew that Zhao Gao had broken through to the Grandmaster level.

But somehow, he instinctively felt that Zhao Gao had a sinister air about him and didn't seem like the kind of person who would be loyal to others.

But at the crucial moment, he could only suppress his suspicions.

……

Long-distance travel is lonely, tedious, and also the most isolated in terms of information.

The north wind howled, and the ground cracked with cold.

In the month or so that Cao Ze carried Jing Ni in the carriage, so much happened that it shocked the entire world, yet Cao Ze and the others had not heard of it.

Of course, this is also why they try to avoid being noticed by others and reduce risks.

It wasn't until they entered the State of Chu and were almost at Yingdu that they heard about this momentous event that had shaken the seven states—no, it's now shaking the six states.

With the conquest of Qi by the three Jin states, the state of Qi became history.

Although the capital city nominally belonged to the Qi royal family because the three Jin states gave them face, everyone knew that the Qi state existed in name only.

Cao Ze looked at the intelligence handed to him by the Chu State's intelligence network inside the carriage, somewhat speechless.