Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

He suppressed his regret and suddenly felt a profound sense of weight, a weight that came from the long river of time.

Under the overwhelming force of that long river, even the most brilliant and talented individuals who attempt to reverse the tide will suffer a backlash.

The death of Han Fei was just the beginning.

But this is definitely not the end.

Chapter 188 The War to Destroy Han, Revisiting Xinzheng

If Han Fei were still alive, with his insightful wisdom and eloquence in debating with the Confucian scholars, even if he couldn't stop Qin's wolfish ambition to conquer Han, he could at least have bought some more time for the struggling state of Han through his maneuvering in the Xianyang Palace.

It might be three months, or it might be half a year, but it can be extended for a longer period of time.

Sadly, he is now dead.

When a person dies, all things are lost.

After his plot to "preserve Han" was exposed and he died in Yunyang prison, naturally no one tried to dissuade Ying Zheng or speak up for Han.

In particular, Lord Changping was eager for the Qin state to destroy the Han state.

This high-ranking official of Qin, who was of royal blood from the Chu state, had long planned to use Qin to weaken the three Jin states and preserve Chu.

Han Fei's previous schemes in Xianyang were like a thorn in his side. He suddenly realized that there were always people in the world who wanted to disrupt his plans. Now that Han Fei was dead, he naturally wanted to take advantage of the situation and add fuel to the fire. With the overt and covert support of Lord Changping, Ying Zheng, who already harbored ambitions to unify the world, finally formally included the destruction of Han in the agenda of the court.

Korea, this land nestled in the heart of the Central Plains, has always been the weakest of all the feudal lords in the world.

But it happened to be a vital passage for Qin's eastward expansion, like a nail that had to be removed.

After conquering Han, Qin could use Xinzheng as a springboard to attack Zhao and Wei in the north and Jing and Chu in the south, and even shorten the grain transport route by a hundred li.

From this perspective, the destruction of the State of Han might not have been a good thing for Lord Changping, who wanted to preserve the State of Chu.

But what could Lord Changping do? He couldn't stop Qin's already boiling ambition to destroy the country.

This ambition did not arise suddenly in Ying Zheng's life.

As early as the later years of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, when Fan Sui proposed the strategy of "befriending distant states and attacking nearby ones," the Qin rulers and ministers had already drawn up a blueprint for conquering the six states on bamboo slips. However, later, King Xiaowen and King Zhuangxiang of Qin reigned for short periods, and undercurrents surged in the court, so this grand plan was temporarily shelved.

It wasn't until Ying Zheng took personal control of the government, executed Lao Ai and dismissed Lü Buwei, firmly grasping the reins of power in Qin, that the blueprint that had been suppressed in the ancestral temple and stone chamber was finally re-unfolded.

Today, the Qin state has a full treasury and a million armored soldiers. Even the border guards have a gleam in their eyes when they talk about conquering the six states. After all, this is an unprecedented undertaking. As long as you participate, even if you are just transporting grain, you can earn a title and free your descendants from the fate of peasants.

Although Lord Changping held the position of prime minister, he could not resist the torrent sweeping through the Qin state.

He could only cautiously probe during a break in his discussion with Ying Zheng: "Destroying Han, Wei, and Zhao is a great undertaking, but Chu is a remote region, so perhaps we should postpone it..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Ying Zheng's sharp gaze.

He knew that this matter couldn't be rushed; it could only be dealt with slowly.

Back to topic.

For the Qin state today, the Han state no longer has any significance.

The strategies for "preserving Han" that Han Fei proposed in Xianyang Palace were refuted point by point by Li Si and embellished by Lord Changping. In the Qin court, they were considered "nonsense that deceived the emperor and misled the people." In the eyes of the Qin people, the only value of Han was to become the first footnote to "Qin's conquest of the six states."

Only the destroyed state of Han could provide the greatest assistance to the state of Qin.

In particular, South Korea had experienced frequent regime changes and the deaths of two generals. There were no generals in the court to lead the troops, which made it an unprecedentedly weak period. If South Korea is not destroyed at this time, when will it be destroyed?

The imperial edict to destroy Han had just been issued when the Qin army stationed on the border had already assembled.

Black banners blotted out the sky like dark clouds, and the clanging of armor plates from the Xuanjia soldiers echoed across the wilderness. Even the Yellow River seemed to slow its flow due to the murderous aura.

When the Qin army crossed the border, the border guards of Han offered almost no resistance. Some city commanders surrendered directly, and some soldiers threw down their weapons and ran towards Xinzheng. In just five days, more than ten cities in western Han fell one after another, and refugees flocked to the capital like a tide. Even the moat outside Xinzheng was filled with the clothes of refugees.

When the news reached the palace, Han Yu was enjoying a song and dance performance, and was so startled that he dropped the bronze wine cup he was holding.

Afterwards, he had no choice but to dismiss many of the dancers, and his expression changed drastically.

"How could this be?" Han Yu's voice trembled as he gripped the table in front of him, his knuckles turning white from the effort. "Qin...didn't Qin just make peace with us? When Han Fei was still in Xianyang, they clearly..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a eunuch's mournful voice: "Your Majesty, the Qin army has reached Yangdi! The garrison commander of Yangdi has surrendered, and the garrison... the garrison has all scattered!"

"They surrendered? They've all scattered?" Han Yu turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He is only in his early thirties and has been on the throne for less than two years. He has not yet had enough of being a king. He still wants to expand the palace, expand the territory, and have the historians write in the history books that "Han Yu was on the throne and the state of Han was restored." But now, the label of "the king who lost his country" is being forced onto his head.

"South Korea must not perish like this."

"There must be some way to save the country!"

Han Yu's eyes widened in fury, and he couldn't help but think about it again.

As a result, in the imperial court, there were many different opinions on how to save the country.

Some say it involved ceding territory, some say it involved surrendering cities, and others say it involved a marriage alliance.

The only thing they didn't do was to proactively confront the Qin state.

These ministers in South Korea, though skilled in political maneuvering, are not fools.

Should the State of Han clash with the State of Qin? Did they even have the strength? Absolutely not!

In the past, Han Yu would not have even considered these suggestions.

But things are different now. With the Qin army pressing in, he doesn't want to become a ruler of a fallen kingdom, so he's grasping at straws in his desperation.

He was willing to accept anything as long as it prevented the destruction of Korea, even if only a small piece of land remained to preserve the nation.

Therefore, Han Yu immediately sent someone to draft a letter of credence and send it to the Qin state.

However, Qin's attitude towards the letter from South Korea was: we are aware of your attitude, but we do not accept it.

The Qin army continued its advance, and every day when Han Yu woke up, he heard only bad news.

"Useless! You are all useless! I promoted you to generals, but you couldn't even stop the Qin army's advance in the slightest!"

At the height of his anger, Han Yu suddenly stopped. He thought of Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei. Although those two were greedy and cruel, at least they had real skills.

When Ji Wuye was alive, the Chu army attacked Han three times, but he stopped them outside Fangcheng each time; when Bai Yifei was alive, Han was able to seize a lot of grain and treasures from Baiyue.

If they were still alive, how dare the Qin state act so presumptuously?

"Han Fei! You jinx!" Han Yu abruptly swept the bamboo slips off the table, his eyes filled with resentment and venom. "If you hadn't killed Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei, how could Han have fallen to such a state? If you hadn't angered the King of Qin, how could the Qin army have arrived so quickly? Even in death, you won't let me go!"

After cursing the living and recalling the good qualities of the dead, Han Yu began to complain about the bad qualities of the dead.

When Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei died one after the other, he suspected that Han Fei was behind it.

The former could be attributed to Ji Yihu's patricide, while the latter, the prime suspect is Han Fei.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find any evidence. Furthermore, after learning that the King of Qin valued Han Fei's talent, he thought that keeping Han Fei around might be of some use. After that, he didn't think about seeking justice for Bai Yifei.

When Qin was about to launch its first attack on Han, he decisively sent Han Fei to Qin as an envoy.

He was very pleased with himself about this, believing that he had made a brilliant move.

Sending Han Fei, whom he disliked, to the Qin state would both please the King of Qin and ease tensions between the two countries, and also serve as a form of revenge against Han Fei, since he didn't want to see him.

Han Fei did a pretty good job at the beginning; for a long time, the Qin state did not do anything to the Han state.

Unexpectedly, a series of terrible news followed.

Han Fei died in the State of Qin, and the State of Qin then sent troops to attack the State of Han.

According to rumors, it seems that Han Fei did something in Qin that displeased the King of Qin, which led to his execution. Qin's military campaign against Han was also related to these events.

Rumors are, of course, not to be believed, but that doesn't stop Han Yu from hating Han Fei to the extreme and cursing Han Fei as a dead man.

……

The Qin state's attack on Han was like a vast dark cloud covering the sky above Han, but it was merely adding another layer to the already existing darkness in Han.

In South Korea, there exists another night.

Although the night had faded considerably due to the deaths of Ji Wuye, Bai Yifei, and others.

However, even a centipede with a hundred legs will not fall when severed. In addition, due to Wei Zhuang's integration into Nightfall and Lady Mingzhu's use by Xu Qing, Nightfall became an ally of Han Fei's side. Naturally, there was no need for it to dissipate. On the contrary, under Lady Mingzhu's leadership and with the help of Wei Zhuang who had infiltrated Nightfall, although the scale of Nightfall shrank considerably, it did not continue to collapse. Instead, it became more and more solid.

If things go as Wei Zhuang initially thought, everything seems to be developing in a positive direction.

The treacherous officials who had been entrenched in South Korea for many years have all been eliminated.

Although Han Yu is not a good person, he would probably be happy to support anything that involves strengthening South Korea.

Without Ji Wuye, Bai Yifei, and others, Han Fei might be able to be given important responsibilities and thus fulfill his long-cherished wish.

However, while the idea was appealing, reality was harsh.

Even though Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei were both dead, Han Yu did not eliminate his fear of Han Fei; on the contrary, he suppressed Han Fei even more.

Although Wei Zhuang was able to provide some assistance to Han Fei through Nightfall, he could not change Han Fei's situation in the court. Ultimately, Nightfall's identity was something that could not be brought into the light.

The reason why the Nightfall was so terrifying during the time of Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei was mainly because of their power.

Ji Wuye and Bai Yifei were already incredibly powerful; they were like towering trees themselves. The presence of the Nightfall was like adding wings to a tiger.

But when the big tree falls, the many poisonous insects that depended on it for survival naturally also find themselves in a difficult situation.

The most significant change is that they can no longer appear in public unless Han Fei becomes a towering tree, at which point the night can once again rely on him.

Because of Han Yu, Han Fei naturally could not become a towering tree. In fact, Wei Zhuang could only watch helplessly as Han Fei was appointed as an envoy and went to the Qin state. Later, he was shocked to hear the tragic news that Han Fei had died in the Qin state.

Upon learning of this news, Wei Zhuang rushed to the Qin state immediately, intending to retrieve Han Fei's body. However, unfortunately, he was unable to even do such a thing.

They couldn't even help Han Fei collect his remains and bring them back to the state of Han.

"Perhaps, this ending isn't so bad after all!"

Under the cover of night, Wei Zhuang wore a mask to conceal his true appearance.

Since Han Fei went to Qin, and Zi Nu had left Han even earlier, Wei Zhuang actually had very few friends left in the vast state of Han.

Zhang Liang is still too young. Wei Zhuang doesn't really want him to get involved in some dark matters, so he rarely takes the initiative to seek him out.

Thinking about Qin's attack on Han, Wei Zhuang muttered to himself.

If it were him back then, he might have tried to turn the tide and save South Korea.

But now, after experiencing so much, he has long seen through the true nature of this country.

South Korea is rotten to the core; this country is simply not worth saving.

The reason Wei Zhuang had persisted was solely for Han Fei's sake, but after Han Fei's death, Wei Zhuang's heart was also completely dead.