Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Once the killing intent in his heart was awakened, he immediately flicked his wrist, and the longsword, carrying a sharp sword aura, pierced straight into Tian Jian's heart.

Tian Jian had never practiced martial arts and was powerless to dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the longsword pierced his body, and blood instantly stained his robes, dripping down the sword and splashing onto the cold ground.

"You...you're so cruel..." Tian Jian's eyes widened in disbelief. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't make a sound. His body went limp and he collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.

During this process, Hou Sheng's soul and essence were being devoured by the sword.

However, Hou Sheng obviously did not notice this scene. After seeing Tian Jian die, he instinctively loosened his grip on the sword hilt, letting it remain embedded in Tian Jian's body. Then, he began to tremble uncontrollably, his face filled with panic and lingering fear.

With Tian Jian's death, he finally came to his senses a little more and realized what he had done.

"I killed the king...I killed my nephew..."

Hou Sheng muttered to himself, the fear of killing his lord and his relatives instantly engulfing him, almost suffocating him.

But just then, Xu Qing's words rang in his ears again, and the effects of the illusion reappeared.

If Tian Jian doesn't die, he will. Only by killing Tian Jian can he save his life and wealth, and save the State of Qi.

After a moment, the panic in Hou Sheng's eyes gradually faded, replaced by determination and ruthlessness.

He took a deep breath, drew his longsword, wiped the blood off the blade, and began to hypnotize himself, “I am not committing regicide, I am saving the State of Qi, and saving myself! If Tian Jian hadn’t been so stubborn and insisted on resisting Qin, I wouldn’t have resorted to this desperate measure!”

After regaining his composure, Hou Sheng immediately calmed down. He knew that the tragic death of the King of Qi required a reasonable explanation, otherwise he would suffer the consequences before the fall of Qi.

His eyes darted around, and he quickly came up with an idea. He immediately used his sword to inflict a hideous wound on himself. He felt a sharp pain, but fortunately, it did not trigger the sword's bloodlust. Otherwise, Hou Sheng's actions would have killed him.

Immediately afterward, Hou Sheng shouted, "Guards! There's an assassin!"

Because of Hou Sheng's special status, there were no outsiders present when he and Tian Jian were talking in this hall.

At that moment, upon hearing Hou Sheng's repeated exclamations, someone soon noticed the commotion. The guards immediately rushed into the hall, and upon seeing Tian Jian's corpse on the ground and Hou Sheng covered in blood, they were horrified. "Prime Minister! What happened?!"

Hou Sheng's face was grim. Pointing at Tian Jian's corpse, his voice choked with sobs, he said, "Just now, the remnants of the five kingdoms infiltrated the palace and coerced Your Majesty to resist Qin. Your Majesty refused to yield, so those traitors ruthlessly attacked and killed you! I tried my best to stop them, but it was too late!"

As he spoke, he squeezed out a few tears, his expression one of deep sorrow, a performance that was remarkably lifelike.

The guards' gazes swept over the corpses of Hou Sheng and King Tian Jian of Qi, and they were stunned for a moment, unsure whether to believe Hou Sheng.

The reason was that they had been guarding outside the main hall the whole time. If the remnants of the five kingdoms had really broken in, they would have discovered something.

Hou Sheng noticed their gazes and realized they suspected him. He gritted his teeth and said menacingly, "You don't suspect me, do you? The Prince of Qi is my nephew. I am extremely close to him. How could I possibly harm my own family!"

These words dispelled the doubts in the hearts of some guards, and one of them immediately shouted angrily: "Severely punish the remnants of the five kingdoms! Avenge the King!"

"Avenge the King!"

The others also responded enthusiastically.

Upon hearing these words, Hou Sheng immediately realized that the hearts of the people could be won over.

Then, he swiftly issued an order: "By my order! Martial law is to be declared throughout the city. A massive manhunt is to be launched to apprehend the remnants of the five kingdoms. Anyone connected with the remnants of the various kingdoms shall be executed without exception! Thoroughly search inside and outside the royal palace. Do not let any suspicious person escape!"

"Yes!" the guards replied in unison, then immediately turned and left to begin the search for the remaining rebels from the five kingdoms.

A purge targeting the remnants of the five kingdoms quietly unfolded in Linzi City.

Normally speaking, if King Tian Jian of Qi was assassinated and Hou Sheng was the only eyewitness, and there happened to be a bloodstained sword next to him at the time, it would not be so easy for him to clear his name.

Anyone with a sound mind would doubt Hou Sheng.

However, the problem lies in the fact that Hou Sheng's identity is truly extraordinary.

He was the prime minister of Qi and the maternal uncle of the King of Qi. For many years, the King of Qi was incompetent and listened to Hou Sheng's words in everything. Hou Sheng was also a very ambitious person. It can be said that the entire Qi court was filled with his confidants and eyes and ears.

Even if everyone knew that he was the one who killed King Qi, it wouldn't matter.

Because the power that prevails in the future can completely depose and install emperors.

Of course, a public opinion crisis still exists, but that's under normal circumstances. What we're experiencing now is an abnormal situation.

The Qin army was already approaching the city of Linzi.

The State of Qi was on the verge of collapse. At such a time, even if the King of Qi died, it seemed like it wouldn't be a big deal.

Even if a new king is installed, he will only be a ruler of a fallen kingdom.

However, after the death of King Qi, Hou Sheng, as the prime minister, presided over the court assembly. What he said at the assembly moved many people.

Hou Shengyan claimed that he had found a way to survive, a way that would allow them to preserve their wealth and status even if the State of Qi were to perish.

"May I ask, Prime Minister, what is this so-called path to survival?"

In the imperial court, after Hou Sheng mentioned the way out, although some ministers were still concerned about the death of the King of Qi, most people were still concerned about this matter.

Qi had not fought a war for many years. When the seven states were in a state of peace, they actively maintained good relations with Qin while also avoiding offending the other five states in Shandong, even exchanging trade routes with them. It can be said that the pro-war faction had long since disappeared in Qi.

Given Hou Sheng's existence, it was impossible for him to allow those people to occupy high positions in the State of Qi.

Back then, Hou Sheng was even able to push King Jian of Qi to visit Qin.

It should be noted that the states of Qi and Qin were separated by more than a thousand miles. King Jian of Qi's journey to Qin was fraught with danger, especially since Qin itself was a country with a history of imprisonment, having previously imprisoned King Huai of Chu, leading to his death in Qin.

Even though it was such an outrageous thing, Hou Sheng still forced it to go ahead.

Even though he drew upon the power of Confucianism, it was primarily used to quell public opinion storms, while the turmoil in the imperial court was largely resolved by Hou Sheng through his own efforts.

The Qi court today can be said to be the culmination of decades of effort by Hou Sheng; there is not a single good person among them, they are all cowards who are afraid of death and selfish.

Faced with these people's questions, Hou Sheng only felt that he had not done anything wrong.

Tian Jian's previous attempt to resist was going against the tide, and he did not do anything wrong by killing Tian Jian.

He strengthened his resolve and answered the questions from the crowd, “Qi cannot stop Qin. Rather than resisting to the bitter end, we should open the city gates... This is not because we are cowardly, but for the sake of the people of Qi, and to save this land from the ravages of war!”

Hou Sheng spoke eloquently and said a lot, but in general, his only way out was to surrender.

Surrender offers a chance of survival, but fighting to the death only leads to certain death.

Many others had thought of this, but couldn't make up their minds.

Now that Hou Shengdu had brought it up himself, everyone immediately echoed his sentiments.

"The prime minister is kind!"

"The Prime Minister's righteousness is paramount!"

Numerous words of praise came from their mouths, and they all agreed to surrender.

Seeing that none of the ministers objected, Hou Sheng felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He immediately ordered the drafting of a letter of surrender, using extremely humble language. Not only did he offer up the territory of Qi, but he also promised that after the city was opened, all the treasures, weapons, and armor of the state would belong to Qin. He only asked that Qin would spare the lives and wealth of the Qi ministers and treat the people of Linzi well.

A group of cowardly ministers echoed the sentiment, and some volunteered to draft the letter of surrender. Before long, a neatly written and earnest letter of surrender was completed. Hou Sheng personally reviewed it and, after confirming that it was correct, stamped it with the seal of the Prime Minister of Qi and the jade seal of the King of Qi. Tian Jian was already dead, and the jade seal had long since fallen into his hands.

With the letter of credence finalized, new challenges arose one after another.

How can this letter of state be safely delivered to the Qin army commander?

Ordinary people would not only fail to gain the trust of the Qin army's commander, but would also likely arouse the suspicion of the Qin state.

The ministers looked at each other, none of them daring to volunteer. They all lowered their heads, afraid of being called upon by Hou Sheng.

Hou Sheng looked at the cowardly appearance of everyone and cursed their uselessness in his heart, but he also knew that this matter was dangerous and that ordinary people could not do it.

He pondered for a moment, and the first person who came to mind was Mr. Qing. If it weren't for Mr. Qing's guidance, he wouldn't have reached this point today. Moreover, Mr. Qing is incredibly powerful and would surely have a way to meet the Qin army's commander.

Therefore, the court assembly had to be temporarily suspended.

Upon returning to the Prime Minister's residence, Hou Sheng immediately went to find Xu Qing.

"Thanks to Mr. Qing, all the ministers have agreed to surrender, and the letter of state has been drafted. However, the Qin army is coming in a fierce manner, and no one can deliver the letter of state to the commander-in-chief. I beg Mr. Qing to lend a hand!" He spoke humbly, his eyes full of pleading. At this moment, he had already regarded Xu Qing as his only support.

Xu Qing took the letter of state, glanced through it casually, and after confirming that the wording was correct, nodded slowly: "This matter is not difficult, leave it to me."

Upon hearing this, Hou Sheng was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Mr. Qing! If this matter is accomplished, I will do my utmost to serve you in the future!"

"No need for formalities. You just need to guard Linzi and appease the people. Once I send out the letter of state, the Qin army will enter the city. At that time, you only need to open the city gates and surrender to preserve your wealth and status."

Xu Qing then said something to Hou Sheng.

His trip to Qi was merely a side matter; his primary objective was to bring about the downfall of Qi.

Hou Sheng acted so quickly, he certainly wouldn't waste any time.

After speaking with Hou Sheng, he immediately left the Prime Minister's residence and headed out of the city.

Chapter 373 The world is unified, merits and fame are hidden!

Wang Ben's army swept through Qi territory, unstoppable. Qi was unable to mount any significant resistance and could only watch helplessly as the enemy continued to advance towards Linzi.

When the incident occurred in Linzi, the Qin army was already very close to the city.

Han Xin, who had previously been sent by Xu Qing to serve under Wang Ben as a halberd bearer, was also fortunate enough to participate in this war.

For Han Xin, this was like a dream come true.

He studied diligently in Huaiyin for several years, secretly researching the military strategies and tactics taught by Chu Nan Gong, all in order to stand out from the crowd. Many people in Huaiyin looked down on him, but he didn't care. He knew that as long as he mastered all that he had learned and then found an opportunity, he would soar to great heights and become a sensation.

What he didn't expect was that this opportunity would come much faster than he had imagined.

The Yin-Yang School found him, and then the leader of the Yin-Yang School gave him a chance by throwing him into the army, and placing him next to Wang Ben.

I thought I would be studying with Wang Ben for a while.

However, the Qin state's war against Qi came so quickly, and the commander-in-chief was still Wang Ben.

He was thus unprepared to participate in this war.

After the initial confusion, Han Xin was very excited.

Although he was a halberd bearer, his responsibility was to guard Wang Ben's safety. He was very close to Wang Ben, so perhaps he could try to offer some suggestions to Wang Ben and indirectly experience what it was like to march and fight.

To prepare for this matter, Han Xin began to collect various intelligence and devise strategies.

In his view, as the last of the six states in Shandong, the state of Qi would face considerable obstacles if Qin wanted to destroy it. However, Han Xin ultimately made a mistake.

Although Qi was indeed the last state, the remnants of five other states had also fled to Qi.

However, the prerequisite is that Qin has the determination to resist Qin, only then will the remnants of the five states have a place to use their strength.

The truth is, the State of Qi had absolutely no intention of resisting.

The Qin army moved through Qi territory as if it were empty land.

There's no need for any strategy or tactics; you can just push forward relentlessly.

This meant that Han Xin had no chance to reveal his plans to Wang Ben, which greatly frustrated him.