Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Simply because he saw an opportunity.

In the central command tent, after receiving numerous military reports, Wang Jian immediately issued military orders.

"Pass down the order: immediately gather all the scattered troops and assemble them on the banks of the Huai River, with their backs to the river, forming a defensive formation with their backs to the water!"

"A desperate battle with our backs to the river?" Upon hearing this, the lieutenant was immediately alarmed. "General, a desperate battle with our backs to the river is a death trap. We have the Huai River at our backs; if we are defeated, we will have no way to retreat! Moreover, our supplies are insufficient, and our soldiers are exhausted. If we force a battle, I'm afraid..."

My mind is made up!

Wang Jian's tone was firm and unwavering. "We are now trapped deep in Chu territory, with nowhere to retreat or defend. Our only option is to fight to the death! Although the Chu army is numerous, Xiang Yan is dead, and morale is low. As long as we gather our forces and launch a full-scale attack, we can definitely crush their main force! Moreover, the Chu army must have provisions in their camp. If we defeat them, we can seize their provisions and alleviate our immediate crisis!"

Seeing Wang Jian's resolute attitude, the general said no more, bowed, accepted the order, and immediately went to relay it.

Soon, the Qin soldiers who were scattered in various places gathered together and set up a well-organized military formation on the banks of the Huai River.

Hundreds of thousands of Qin soldiers stood with their backs to the Huai River, their expressions resolute. Though their faces showed signs of exhaustion, their eyes were sharp, and they exuded an aura of fearlessness in the face of death.

They all knew that this battle was a fight to the death; there was no third option.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Wang Jian ordered his troops to march out. Hundreds of thousands of Qin soldiers launched a fierce attack on the Chu army camp like tigers descending a mountain.

On the Chu army's side, the leaders of the various tribes still distrusted each other and were unwilling to take the initiative to send troops to support them. The soldiers were filled with anxiety and had no fighting spirit whatsoever.

Faced with the Qin army's fierce attack, the Chu army was instantly routed, with soldiers fleeing in droves, some even laying down their weapons and surrendering.

Wang Jian led the charge, wielding a long sword, and commanded the Qin army in a fierce and invincible charge.

The Qin soldiers were greatly encouraged and charged fiercely towards the main force of the Chu army, showing no fear of death.

Although the Chu army had a numerical advantage, it was unable to mount an effective resistance due to low morale and chaotic command, and could only passively take the beating.

After a full day of fierce fighting, as the sun set, the main force of the Chu army was completely defeated, with corpses strewn across the fields and rivers of blood flowing.

The Qin soldiers pressed their advantage and captured the Chu army's camp in one fell swoop, seizing a large amount of grain, weapons, and horses.

Looking at the mountains of grain and fodder piled up in the camp, a hint of relief finally appeared on Wang Jian's tense face.

These provisions were enough to alleviate the Qin army's immediate crisis and gave them the confidence to continue their advance.

"General, the main force of the Chu army has been defeated, and countless grains have been seized. What should we do next?" a general asked, his tone full of excitement.

Wang Jian's gaze turned toward Shouchun, the capital of Chu, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Send out the order to rest for three days. After three days, the entire army will set off and march straight toward Shouchun! Xiang Yan is dead, and the main force of the Chu army has collapsed. The Chu state is now at its last gasp. We must conquer Shouchun in one fell swoop and completely destroy the Chu state!"

Breaking out of the predicament was never what Wang Jian wanted; what he sought was the destruction of the Chu state.

Only in this way can we be worthy of this war.

"Follow the order!"

The order was given throughout the Qin army camp, and the soldiers cheered and their morale reached its peak.

Three days later, the Qin army, having rested and reorganized, marched in a mighty force towards Shouchun under the leadership of Wang Jian. Along the way, the remaining forces of the Chu army fled at the mere sight of them, not daring to stop them.

When Lord Changping learned that Wang Jian had defeated the main force of the Chu army, seized grain and supplies, and was marching towards Shouchun, his expression immediately turned extremely grim.

If Xiang Yan's death and being entangled in rumors were merely predicaments, then Wang Jian's desperate battle, defeating the main force of the Chu army and advancing towards Shouchun, was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Lord Changping immediately realized that the situation was hopeless.

The State of Chu was beyond saving.

He didn't sleep a wink that night, his mind filled with memories of his childhood.

At that time, his father, King Kaolie of Chu, was a hostage in Qin, and his mother was a princess of Qin, the granddaughter of King Zhaoxiang of Qin. As a result, he actually had half of the blood of the Ying clan and the Zhao family flowing in his veins.

However, the person who influenced Changping the most was always his father.

His father often told him that he was a descendant of Zhu Rong, and Lord Changping was often proud of this.

Later, with the help of Lord Chunshen (Huang Xie), his father escaped from Qin and returned to Chu, where he became king.

His mother, also because of that incident, became depressed and subsequently passed away.

However, thanks to Lady Huayang, his life in Qin was not too bad. At that time, the Qin and Chu states had been linked by marriage for generations and had a very good relationship. In particular, King Zhuangxiang of Qin fled from Zhao with the help of Lü Buwei. In order to please Lady Huayang, he even changed his name to "Zichu".

Having grown up in this environment, Lord Changping was also happy to help the Qin state, and he was dedicated to the eternal friendship between the Qin and Chu states.

Later, King Zhuangxiang of Qin died and Ying Zheng succeeded to the throne. Under the guidance of Lady Huayang, Ying Zheng married the princess of Chu, who was his half-sister. Later, they had a son named Fusu. Lord Changping believed that his dream could be perfectly realized.

But all of this vanished after Ying Zheng revealed his ambition.

In Ying Zheng's world, there was only the Qin state. He wanted to destroy all other states, including the Chu state.

It was after Ying Zheng revealed his ambition that Lord Changping's thoughts gradually changed.

He was no longer so loyal to Ying Zheng. In order to fulfill his own dream, he secretly manipulated Tian Guang and instigated the Yan state to assassinate Qin. As long as Ying Zheng died and Fusu succeeded to the throne, he could still put everything back on track.

But it failed.

The cost of failure is extremely high.

The Qin state's pace of conquering other states not only did not stop, but accelerated. It crippled the Yan state and destroyed the Wei state. Although there was a rebellion by the remnants of the Han state, it could not affect the overall situation.

The Qin army was now clearly aimed at the Chu state.

At that time, Changping Jun made a decision.

He ultimately chose the State of Chu over the State of Qin.

His goal was not to destroy the Qin state, but simply to preserve the Chu state's territory and society, since the bloodline of the Zhu Rong clan had been passed down for so many years and could not be cut off.

Aside from some things he did at the beginning of the war, bad news kept coming one after another. Wang Jian was more resilient than he had imagined. He withstood the pressure and, after Xiang Yan's death, cut off his own retreat and fought a desperate battle, defeating the main force of the Chu army in one fell swoop.

Currently, the Qin army is heading towards Shouchun, and there is no doubt that Shouchun cannot stop them.

"So why did I stay in Xinzheng at that time, pretending to quell the rebellion?"

Changping Jun also felt a sense of regret.

The rebellion in Xinzheng was related to him.

He originally intended to use the rebellion to warn Ying Zheng that the war to destroy a state should not be rushed, thus buying time for the State of Chu. However, Ying Zheng was more impatient than he had imagined. Even though the war to destroy Wei had just ended, he directly ordered Wang Jian's army, which was stationed on the border, to launch an attack to destroy Chu, giving him no time to react.

If he had been in Xianyang at the time, he might have been able to persuade Ying Zheng to replace the general.

Compared to the impetuous young Li Xin, he is quite good.

If such a person were to serve as the commander-in-chief in the campaign against Chu, he would absolutely fall into his trap.

Unfortunately, no if.

There's no point in regretting it now.

After a sleepless night, Changping-kun became even more determined.

Shouchun may be destroyed, but the bloodline of Zhurong must continue.

At this time, he, the son of King Kaolie of Chu, needed to live even more.

As for those rumors?

Time will tell.

Just as Changping Jun was thinking this, some more days passed.

After Xiang Yan's death and the defeat of the main Chu army by Wang Jian, Shouchun tried its best to mobilize troops to resist the Qin army, but it was ultimately useless.

Wang Jian's army, riding high on its victory, stormed and captured Shouchun, taking King Fuchu of Chu and many nobles prisoner.

Thus, the State of Chu was nominally destroyed.

It is said to be nominal because, upon learning of the fall of Shouchun, Lord Changping brazenly declared himself emperor.

As the son of King Kaolie of Chu, he intended to perpetuate the Chu state.

Chapter 357 Farewell to Gongsun, Reunion with Nan Gong

There are no dynasties that last forever.

With the fall of Shouchun, the State of Chu existed in name only.

Even though Lord Changping immediately raised an army, gathered many remnants of his army, and declared himself emperor, what he did was nothing more than imitating Zhao Jia in the past.

This was not the first time the Qin state had witnessed something like this.

After the fall of the Zhao state, Zhao Jia of Dai established a small court in an attempt to continue the Zhao state's legacy. However, the Qin state did not recognize this and simply referred to Zhao Jia as the King of Dai.

Zhao Jia's small court did not last long. Following the assassination attempt on Qin by the Yan state, Qin retaliated against Yan. Zhao Jia ultimately chose to stand with Yan and join forces with Yan to resist Qin. In the end, Yan was directly crushed by the Qin army, leaving nothing behind. On the contrary, Yan, the instigator of the assassination attempt, although crippled, managed to preserve its state and eke out a living in Liaodong.

However, it was clear that the Yan state's precarious existence would not last much longer.

This was because the State of Chu was destroyed. After the fall of Chu, of the six states east of the mountains, only the States of Yan and Qi remained.

Even though these two countries were remote, as Qin conquered the other countries, Qin's territory inevitably bordered these two countries, making the complete annihilation of them inevitable.

However, the most important thing right now is to completely eliminate the remnants of the Chu state.

The chaos in Xinzheng that day was secretly orchestrated by Lord Changping. His purpose was to inform Ying Zheng that the destruction of the state should not be rushed, thereby indirectly buying time for the State of Chu.

It can only be said that Lord Changping's initial goal was not achieved, but this incident did remind Ying Zheng that the elimination of evil must be thorough. It is not enough to simply conquer the capital of a country and destroy its state. It is also necessary to wipe out the rebels and remnants within the other country before true peace can be achieved.

Therefore, the most important thing at present is to eliminate the remnants of the Chu state like Lord Changping.

Although the Qin state had previously spread rumors that Lord Changping was a spy sent by Qin, Ying Zheng knew very well that Lord Changping had truly betrayed Qin.

Throughout his life, what he hated most was traitors.

He doesn't want to let any of them go, including Cheng Jiao, Fan Yuqi, and now Xiong Qi, the Lord of Changping.

However, all of this has nothing to do with Xu Qing for the time being.

Xu Qing himself had no intention of getting involved in the affairs of the world.

Previously, his repeated involvement in wars of national destruction was actually aimed at collecting the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations from various countries to complete the sword that would kill the king. However, after entering the Illusionary Sound Box with the help of Xiaomeng and understanding some of the truths about the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations from the remnant soul of Mozi, his interest in collecting the Azure Dragon Seven Constellations vanished completely.

Xu Qing is a very receptive person.

The world is a deep place.

Since Mozi said that the Azure Dragon is an ominous sign, it means that this thing is not a good thing, so it's better not to collect it.

Anyway, Xu Qing also has several Azure Dragon Seven Constellations Bronze Boxes. As long as he keeps them hidden, no one else can collect all seven constellations of the Azure Dragon.

These days, Xu Qing has been traveling between Xianyang and the Yin-Yang School.

His understanding of the Yin-Yang School was deepening, and at the same time, he had brought his old friend Gongsun Liji out of the Yin-Yang School. Naturally, he contacted the Mohist School.