Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Beneath the ruins, a blood-stained arm suddenly reached out, its five fingers convulsively grasping at the void, struggling and yearning for the last glimmer of life.

However, his strength was too weak.

Just as despair was spreading, with a loud crash, the collapsed beams and rubble were lifted up by an immense force.

"Still alive?"

A calm voice pierced through the smoke and dust, reaching the ears of the boy beneath the ruins.

The boy was thin and bony, his face covered in soot and blood.

Hearing this, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he managed a weak response: "...Mmm."

"As long as there is still a breath left, one should do everything in one's power to live."

Xu Qing stared at the boy, his tone unusually serious.

The tide of war was beyond Xu Qing's ability to stop.

He even used this opportunity to seek out those with the "potential to be the protagonist" and to make that "investment."

But when the weak are in dire straits, Xu Qing is never stingy in offering a helping hand.

Along the way, he has lost count of how many vulnerable people he has helped.

He also frequently performed acts of chivalry and justice.

He taught the boy a rudimentary but practical set of martial arts, gave him an ordinary iron sword, and left him some travel money.

Could the boy survive in this hellish world? Xu Qing had no way of knowing.

He has done everything he could to be kind and righteous.

After many twists and turns, he finally arrived at the border between the Qin and Zhao states.

This place originally belonged to Shangdang County of the Zhao State. After the bloody battle of Changping, it was firmly in the hands of the Qin State. This was Xu Qing's first time stepping into a new country after traveling through Wei, Zhao, Yan and Qi for a long time.

There is another one here—

Tunliu!

And now, the one leading the Qin army to attack Zhao is none other than Lord Chang'an, Cheng Jiao.

After Cheng Jiao led his troops to Tunliu, they only needed to travel a short distance further to reach the territory of the Zhao state.

But at this very moment, he led his army to a halt.

This scene seemed incredibly bizarre.

Is Cheng Jiao afraid of war?

No, Xu Qing, who was familiar with history, knew that he was about to launch a coup.

Chapter 33 The Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix, Shooting Down Cheng Jiao

With the death of Lord Wei Wuji, the chessboard of the world quietly began to change.

The life or death of one person can stir up a storm, and Lord Xinling was such a person.

Since Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin state had grown increasingly powerful, and by the time of King Zhaoxiang, it was able to dominate the six states east of the mountains. However, this powerful Qin suffered a major blow a few years ago—the five-state coalition led by Wei Wuji inflicted a crushing defeat on the Qin army outside Hangu Pass, and General Meng Ao fled in disarray. The coalition forces of the feudal lords then besieged the pass, forcing the powerful Qin to barely defend its borders by relying on its natural defenses.

This defeat was a disgrace to Qin. Even though Qin later used a divisive tactic to force the King of Wei to strip Wei Wuji of his military power, as long as Lord Xinling was still alive, Qin felt like it had a thorn in its side. Therefore, when it saw signs of his resurgence, Qin ruthlessly killed him; and after his death, it immediately turned its armies eastward, launching successive attacks on Wei and Zhao.

After several small battles, the Qin state remained undefeated, not only seizing territory and achieving military exploits but also gaining insight into the Zhao state's strengths and weaknesses. Now, riding the wave of victory, according to the state's "rules," this was the perfect opportunity for the royal family and nobles to accumulate military merits. Chang'an Jun Chengjiao, the half-brother of King Ying Zheng of Qin, was highly favored, so Ying Zheng, defying public opinion, promoted him to the army.

Cheng Jiao is ignorant of military strategy and inept at managing troops? No problem. As long as he sits comfortably in his command position and acts as a competent "jade disc" mascot, experienced warriors will pave the way for him.

King Qin's move drew a response from Chancellor Lü Buwei.

This powerful minister, who was acting as regent for the King of Qin, recommended his trusted retainer Fan Yuqi to serve as the commander-in-chief.

Lü Buwei trusted Fan Yuqi's abilities, but his deeper intention was to plant spies to monitor Cheng Jiao—after all, Cheng Jiao was the heir of Prince Zhuangxiang and the most direct potential threat to the position of King Ying Zheng of Qin, whom Lü Buwei had personally supported.

After arriving in Tunliu, Xu Qing couldn't help but think about some things concerning Fan Yuqi and Cheng Jiao.

I can't help but sigh, "Where there is a Crouching Dragon, there will surely be a Young Phoenix. This is truly not an exaggeration!"

"The King of Qin was mistaken, and so was Lü Buwei."

The King of Qin wanted to pave a glorious path for his younger brother, but he was unaware that Cheng Jiao harbored ambitions to seize the throne. Lü Buwei planted his trusted confidants to monitor him, but unexpectedly, Fan Yuqi deeply resented his past act of "giving a concubine to steal the country" and had already secretly sided with Cheng Jiao. The two men had entrusted themselves to the wrong people, and their fates can be described as two precious gems sinking together.

Fan Yuqi is not mentioned much in official history, but "inciting Cheng Jiao to rebel" is one of his few major deeds.

Compared to Cheng Jiao, the impetuous "Sleeping Dragon," Fan Yuqi, the "Young Phoenix," was somewhat more shrewd. Although he aided the rebellion, he acted discreetly and did not openly raise his banner. It was precisely because of this "caution" that he was able to survive after the rebellion was quelled and even had the opportunity to lead an army to attack Zhao, intending to atone for his crimes.

Unfortunately, his rebellious nature was deeply ingrained and difficult to eradicate.

On his second command, Fan Yuqi betrayed Qin again, fleeing in panic to Yan. Because of his repeated betrayals that led to the downfall of the Qin army and the rise of Li Mu's fame, Ying Zheng hated him to the core and executed his entire family. Such an end was entirely his own fault.

The wheels of history keep turning.

The mutiny in Tunliu started even earlier than Xu Qing had predicted.

Cheng Jiao openly spread rumors within the army, accusing Ying Zheng of being an "illegitimate child" born of Lü Buwei and Zhao Ji, and not of royal blood. He claimed to be the "son of the late king" and declared that he would "raise a righteous army, purge the court of corrupt officials, and reclaim the state." He was full of confidence that once this secret was spread, those in Qin who were dissatisfied with Lü Buwei would rise up in response.

With the help of Chang'an Jun's identity and the support of Fan Yuqi and others, this flawed rhetoric actually stirred up the morale of the army!

The army instantly turned its spearhead away from the Zhao state and marched back into the heart of the Qin state with murderous intent.

However, Cheng Jiao's rebellion was like child's play; it lacked both meticulous planning and internal collusion. How could a mere impulsive act of openly launching an uprising possibly shake the foundations of the regime? Moreover, his every move was already under close surveillance by Lü Buwei's carefully laid net. While Fan Yuqi's defection was unexpected by Lü Buwei, the hidden threads of this net had always been circling around this Lord of Chang'an!

Therefore, as soon as the rebellion began, the Qin army arrived with lightning speed to suppress it.

In Tunliu, the beacon fires were extinguished within a few days.

Fan Yuqi, who was originally a general in charge of troops, was captured on the spot.

Cheng Jiao, the instigator of the rebellion, managed to escape.

But Xu Qing knew that once the net of heaven and earth was opened, where could a mere ant escape to?

……

tired!

I'm so tired!

The adult worms frantically fled through the reeds.

His body was covered in wounds, and his hands and feet were covered in blisters. Even so, he dared not stop and could only continue to flee forward.

Tunliu was located near the State of Zhao.

If I can escape to the State of Zhao, I might be able to follow in the footsteps of Chong'er and survive there.

Of course, deep down, he still felt some regret.

After arriving at Tunliu with his troops, he should have followed the original plan to rest briefly before attacking the Zhao state. However, at this very moment, he listened to Fan Yuqi's words, became obsessed with ambition, and persuaded the army to rebel. He finally managed to seize control of Tunliu.

While he was drinking and celebrating this event in his military tent.

The assassination attempt came at them.

At the critical moment, his favorite concubine, Li Wu, shielded him from a fatal blow, buying him time to escape.

However, those people did not give up their pursuit of him.

He traveled all the way.

A great river blocked his way.

Chengjiao felt despair.

There is no road ahead.

Just then, a little girl was navigating a small boat on the river.

"Kid, come quick!"

"Take me across the river!"

Upon seeing the little girl, Cheng Jiao immediately shouted, seeing hope.

It seems that Cheng Jiao's current appearance is too miserable.

The little girl actually steered the small boat to Cheng Jiao's side and carried him across the river.

What Chengjiao didn't know was...

Not long after the little girl helped him cross the river, he was brutally murdered.

The murderous intent never ceased.

After crossing the river, Chengjiao arrived at a mudflat.

He continued walking forward.

Just at this time.

A sword flew through the air, heading straight for Cheng Jiao.

As a member of the Qin royal family, Cheng Jiao was not a pampered prince. In fact, he had learned some martial arts and was quite skilled at riding horses and drawing bows.

But when faced with a real killer, they still had no chance to fight back.

The sword pierced Chengjiao's heart.

This Lord Chang'an, who had been on the run for so long, finally died just a step away from the State of Zhao.

Blood flowed from his body.

When the assassins who had come to hunt down Cheng Jiao saw this scene, they were slightly taken aback.

He hadn't had a chance to make a move against Cheng Jiao yet, so who struck first?

Just then, he seemed to sense something.

Suddenly, I looked in a certain direction ahead.

Beside the mudflats, reeds grow densely, some as tall as a person.

Xu Qing slowly put away the powerful bow.

Previously, he had imitated Yun Tianhe by using his sword as an arrow and shooting it with a bow.

Of course, there were also gains.