Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 219

For Luo Wang to kill two birds with one stone by having Hou Sheng incite the King of Qi to rebel against Qin, it was a brilliant move.

This would both provide the King of Qin with a pretext for future attacks on Qi and simultaneously eliminate his political opponents.

It was likely the generals' military plan to have Qi transfer all its troops to the Qi-Wei border to defend against the Qin army. King Ying Zheng of Qin agreed, and if this were accomplished, the achievements of the Luo Wang organization would undoubtedly increase further.

However, taking action against the Yin-Yang School's plan in Sanghai City would be another step in the game.

The Yin-Yang School's colleagues and the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) weren't exactly at odds with each other and couldn't afford open conflict; both sides had to be mindful of each other's strength. But this time, they could use the Qi people to cause trouble for the Yin-Yang School—why not?

Anyway, Hou Sheng won't live much longer, and in the end, there will be no way to prove it.

In the long run, the Yin-Yang School will indeed be the biggest enemy of the Luo Net in the future unraveling of the secrets of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions.

"Then let's send some more small gifts to this Prime Minister Qi, so that he can be more comfortable during this period."

"Yes, my subordinate will do it now."

"My lord, the king summons you."

After the Qi spy left, a young eunuch from Xianyang Palace hurriedly came in to report: "The Eighteenth Prince is now by the King's side."

"Oh, I'll be right there."

Chapter 246 The Defeat of the Chu Army

The River God and the Mountain Spirit have recently noticed that someone with malicious intentions is approaching the Mirage Base.

The two men instinctively thought of the transport accident two months ago, but they quickly dismissed the possibility.

So much time has passed, and judging from the other party's strength and the fact that they only killed people and didn't take the goods, they were unwilling to offend the Yin Yang School.

Moreover, on the way back to the Mirage Base, Hebo and Shangui had personally conducted an inspection. If the enemy's strength could evade their search and follow them here, there would be no need to wait two months before sending these useless people to investigate.

The Mirage Project was of paramount importance. Both the Eastern Emperor and King Ying Zheng of Qin eagerly began construction work ahead of schedule, even before incorporating the Qi territory into their own. Their goal was to spend ten years building this massive ship, and then quickly set sail to find the immortal islands and immortals to fulfill their wishes.

The River God and Mountain Spirit are not worried about any Jianghu forces getting involved in the Mirage. They don't have the strength to be enemies with the Yin-Yang School, and the Mirage has no effect on Jianghu people.

However, if the Qi state government were to take action at this time, even the Qin state would not be able to come to the rescue in time.

Although the plan can be restarted later, the wasted time cannot be made up for.

The bad news is that, according to the investigation by Hebo and Shangui, the other party might indeed have some connection with the royal family of Qi...

Upon arriving at this conclusion, the two elders of the Yin-Yang family hardened their expressions and, without hesitation, took out a black dragon scroll from the warehouse, which the River God then carried to Linzi.

This was a contingency plan. King Jian of Qi had ruled the Qi Kingdom for decades. Even a fool sitting in that position for so long would have grown. The Mirage Project had circled a large coastal area, which could deceive ordinary people, but if King Jian really wanted to investigate, he could certainly find clues.

The only hidden danger had long been anticipated by His Majesty the Eastern Emperor, who secretly obtained a Black Dragon Scroll for Hou Sheng.

Only a handful of people knew about this; it contained a secret letter personally written by King Ying Zheng of Qin to Hou Sheng.

The best way to deal with the Zhao people was through their own prime minister, Guo Kai, while the best way to deal with the Qi people was through their own prime minister, Hou Sheng. This path dependence has never caused any problems.

------

The few months of calm passed in the blink of an eye.

After obtaining permission from the Grand General, Shao Yu and Long Ju led two hundred elite cavalrymen from the Tenglong Legion to launch surprise attacks on the Qin army every few days. However, the Qin army remained unmoved. Under Wang Jian's orders, they were not to launch any preemptive strikes, regardless of what happened outside.

This thwarted Xiang Yan's plan to use the two children's actions to seduce and humiliate the Qin people for their cowardice.

However, despite the failure of the grand strategy, the fact that these two young heroes from the Xiang and Long clans were able to safely participate in this battle involving millions of people and make a difference will greatly benefit their future development. In another ten years, these two talents will become generals who command an army!

It's not a huge loss.

It's just unknown how much territory the State of Chu will still have ten years from now...

In the Chu army camp, after a runaway foal returned from a wild roam, the soldier tending the horses in the stable solemnly announced: "Young General, the General has summoned you."

"Oh, I understand." The precocious Shao Yu tossed the riding whip to Long Qie beside him, jumped off his horse, and hurriedly headed towards the central army tent.

Upon arriving at their destination, Shao Yu discovered that his second uncle, Xiang Liang, was also there. He bowed to him in turn and waited quietly for orders.

My grandfather looked very unwell, and Uncle Liang also looked worried. It seemed that bad news had come from those petty people who only knew how to sit in the halls of power.

"Yu'er!" Xiang Yan took the lead in violating discipline by not calling Shao Yu by his military rank.

"Shaoyu is here!" Shaoyu naturally couldn't correct his grandfather, the great general's, mistake, so he simply straightened his back and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Pack your things..." Xiang Yan walked to the maps on both sides of the tent, pointed to the location of Chenying City in the north: "Take your two hundred cavalrymen and go to serve under Lord Changping for the next three months."

Shao Yu was taken aback, but his strict military discipline prevented him from asking any further questions: "Yes, I'll set off immediately."

Changping Jun's Chenying City was not on the front line, and Shao Yu was certainly unwilling to withdraw from there. However, his grandfather's expression clearly left no room for negotiation, and as a soldier, obeying orders was his duty, so he had no choice but to agree.

Anyway, it's only a three-month trip, and this war has only lasted eight months. It seems that even if we fight for another eight years, we still can't break through the Qin people's defenses. There's still a long way to go.

However, the fact that Chen Ying suddenly wanted me to go there in such a hurry might mean that Qin troops had also gone to Chen Ying City.

With these thoughts in mind, Shao Yu slowly withdrew.

"The General ordered Shao Yu to go to Chenying at this time..." Xiang Liang said with concern after confirming that Shao Yu had left.

"After the army's attack fails, it will retreat. At that time, no one will care about him. Let Yu'er go first; it won't affect the overall situation." Xiang Yan replied absentmindedly, his eyes closed as he pondered the Chu army's next strategy.

"The continuous rain in the rear has made the roads muddy, and the already scarce grain cannot be transported. Alas..." Xiang Liang understood the reason for the hasty attack...

When Shao Yu returned to his team and announced the next order to head north, he found that Long Qie was not there.

Only after asking the military commander did they learn that General Long had summoned them and assigned them to another unit, meaning they would not be able to go to Chenying with them.

Somewhat regrettable, but given the military orders, Shao Yu had no choice but to find Long Qi again, bid him farewell, and promise to meet him again in three months before leading his troops to set off.

Upon arriving at Chenying City, the heavily fortified former state of Chu was far from welcoming the Qin army that had been expected; it was much quieter than the standoff at the front lines.

Despite his disappointment, the nearly nine-year-old Shaoyu still showed great respect when facing Lord Changping, a figure of legendary stature in the hearts of the Chu people.

Lord Changping, for the sake of righteousness, rebelled against Qin and returned to Chu, helping the Chu people defeat Li Xin's 200,000-strong army. Although the disgraced King Ying Zheng of Qin tried desperately to cover up this event, Chu was not Ying Zheng's country, and the nobles of Chu welcomed Lord Changping's return with great enthusiasm.

"I have already discussed the matter of the young general's visit with the general." Lord Changping patted Shao Yu's shoulder gently and led him to the banquet inside the mansion.

As for the two hundred cavalrymen, camps and food were prepared for them outside the city.

"General Ji Bu, commander of the Shadow Tiger Legion, led a thousand cavalrymen deep behind enemy lines for several months. His forces have already suffered more than half their losses, and he is now retreating towards Chenying."

"But because they are facing being surrounded and annihilated by the Qin people, they will have to take a much longer route, and the return time is uncertain."

"Before General Ji Bu returns, the defense of Chenying City will be handed over to the young general."

Upon hearing Changping-jun's explanation at the banquet, Shaoyu didn't think much of it; his grandfather and Changping-jun's orders must be correct.

He settled down in Chenying with peace of mind, and just as he had done in Shouchun, he personally patrolled the city on horseback.

In the Changping Lord's residence, Mi Lian was taking care of his sleeping younger sister, Mi Xin, but a sense of unease was growing in his heart.

After the people in the city adapted to military rule, the atmosphere was peaceful, and the little girl was unaware of the accelerated preparations for war outside the city.

But she could always clearly see her father's daily expressions.

Even Mi Lian could see a hint of forced smile on Changping-kun's face lately, and his mother certainly knew more.

It all started a month ago. What did the arrival of the young general from the Xiang clan signify...?

She couldn't understand it, but that day, when a disheveled Chu cavalryman rushed into the study without any obstruction, Mi Lian, who was grinding ink for her father, overheard an urgent military report:

When the main force of the Chu army retreated to Qinan, it was attacked by the Qin army. The Chu army was no match for them and suffered a great defeat. General Xiang Yan is leading the remaining troops to retreat towards Chenying!

The main force retreated? After a crushing defeat, they retreated to Chenying?

With her eyes wide open, Mi Lian accidentally splashed ink onto the bamboo slips on the table with too much force, startling her so much that she hurriedly wiped it off with her sleeve.

Lord Changping, who was resting on the other side, didn't pay attention to his daughter's actions at the moment. After listening to the report, he hurriedly left the mansion with the messenger.

Mi Lian's hands trembled as she tidied her father's desk. Her eyes were vacant as she listened to the military intelligence she had just heard.

She didn't know why the Chu army, which had been facing off on the front lines for almost a year, suddenly said they were retreating, or why they had been defeated, but the little girl was very clear about the outcome of their defeat.

With the defeat of the Chu army, the fate of Chu was fraught with peril. Her father, herself, and the state of Chu were inextricably linked...

------

A month ago, the Chu army was running out of food. King Fu Chu sent another letter hoping for a breakthrough at the front. So Xiang Yan had no choice but to have his grandson Shao Yu withdraw and then try to launch a large-scale attack on the Qin army camp.

Because the attack was sudden, it put enormous pressure on the Qin army, but it also practically revealed to Wang Jian that the Chu people could not hold out any longer.

Just like the Battle of Changping decades ago...

The side that can't defend will always have to attack to survive.

Wang Jian remained calm and composed, while simultaneously arranging for reinforcements to the defensive line and selecting elite soldiers. He had already planned the pursuit when the Chu army was forced to retreat after their unsuccessful attack!

The Meng family's Golden Fire Cavalry will shoulder the important task of being the vanguard.

For seven consecutive days, seeing that the Qin people's defenses had become increasingly solid after the initial chaos, Xiang Yan sighed deeply and painfully issued the order to retreat.

Wang Jian knew that the Chu people would definitely retreat, and Xiang Yan also knew that Wang Jian would not let go of this opportunity to pursue them. Therefore, he made preparations in advance for the issue of covering the retreat.

However, the old tortoise king, Wang Jian, was as sturdy as a mountain forest when defending and as swift as thunder when attacking. After the rearguard was relentlessly broken up by the Golden Fire Cavalry, the retreating army was thrown into disarray...

A crushing defeat that Xiang Yan had not anticipated instantly put the fate of the State of Chu in grave danger.

Xiang Yan commanded his army to fight and retreat. At this moment, the road south to Shouchun was blocked by the Qin army. He had no choice but to lead his gathered army of about 100,000 westward to Chenying, intending to take advantage of the fortifications that Lord Changping had been repairing for a year and wait for the Qin army to crash into them.

Unexpectedly, after confirming that he had scattered the main Chu army force in the field, Wang Jian did not continue the pursuit to Chenying. Instead, he took the opportunity to head south directly to Shouchun, where hundreds of thousands of troops besieged the city...

Xiang Yan's defeat was too sudden. At this time, in Shouchun, the capital of Chu, there were only 20,000 hastily summoned troops left to defend the city...

Chapter 247 Lunar Divination

The State of Chu was a powerful state, having just defeated a Qin army of 200,000 a year ago.

However, after the Qin state made a comeback, they suffered a defeat in the field battle just one year later, which led to the siege of the capital and the capture of King Fu Chu of Chu.

The Chu state went from having an army of 400,000 to being on the verge of destruction. The war situation in Chu changed so quickly that most of the surrounding forces did not even have time to evacuate Shouchun before they were besieged.

No one had the guts, nor the strength, to charge headlong into the encirclement of hundreds of thousands of troops.

Although Wang Jian did not purge the city after capturing Fu Chu, thus letting these people go, the impact of this was enough to make everyone amazed and even terrified by the Qin army's fighting strength and discipline.

This was naturally Wang Jian's deliberate act. For him, destroying Chu was fulfilling the King of Qin's order and enough to ensure his lasting fame.

Why offend so many other martial arts factions and other powerful figures? He himself is already old, and even if he can disregard these things, his family still needs to continue its lineage.

Even the greatest power will eventually fade away. Wang Jian's current leniency may prove useful in the future.