A Hundred Thousand Qin Cavalry Advance!
The overwhelming presence of such a massive cavalry force only those stationed at the Yan Kingdom's border camp could truly comprehend its crushing pressure.
Endless oppression surged forth.
An inescapable killing intent swept in like a storm.
It felt as if the entire Yan border camp was on the verge of being trampled into oblivion at any moment.
"Our Yan Kingdom… is doomed."
Countless Yan soldiers gazed upon the charging Qin cavalry, their eyes filled with utter despair.
For them, against such a formidable cavalry force, their border camp was as good as nonexistent.
"The people of Yan dared to assassinate our king!"
"This crime is unforgivable!"
"Only by destroying Yan can we uphold the might of Great Qin!"
"Elite warriors of Qin!"
"Avenge our king leave no Yan soldier alive!"
"In this battle, Great Qin will take no prisoners!"
"Kill!"
Leading the charge was Zhang Han, galloping at the forefront.
As a trusted confidant of Zhao Feng and a master of martial arts, Zhang Han feared nothing on the battlefield.
"Wind! Wind! Wind!"
"Great winds!"
A hundred thousand Qin cavalry encircled the Yan border camp.
They did not launch an immediate assault.
Instead, they loosed a torrential rain of arrows upon the camp.
Arrows blotted out the sky, covering the entire Yan border camp in a deadly storm.
A relentless volley of arrows rained down.
The Yan soldiers within the camp were like lambs led to slaughter.
"Aahhh!"
"We're surrounded by the Qin army!"
"What do we do?!"
"General!"
"Aahhh!"
Amidst the relentless downpour of arrows, countless Yan soldiers perished.
This was the wrath of Great Qin, unleashed upon the battlefield.
They came to avenge their king.
They came to destroy the Yan Kingdom and assert the might of Qin.
Each of the hundred thousand Qin cavalry carried dozens of arrows.
They fired without hesitation.
Most of these cavalrymen had once been part of Zhao's elite cavalry, skilled in horseback archery their accuracy and technique required no further explanation.
After the merciless rain of arrows
The iron cavalry charged straight into the Yan border camp.
A massacre commenced.
There would be no mercy in this battle.
No prisoners would be taken.
All enemy soldiers were to be slaughtered.
The bloodshed within the Yan border camp continued.
High above the battlefield…
A two-meter-long, pitch-black dragon hovered in mid-air.
A terrifying killing aura invisible to mortals was being devoured by the dragon.
The source of this aura?
The battlefield below, is drenched in blood and carnage.
Slaughter.
Bloodshed.
These were the very essence of the killing aura.
As the endless aura poured into its body, the black dragon visibly grew stronger.
A dense black mist coiled around it, and its massive form began to expand.
Clearly
This battlefield was immensely beneficial to it.
The fact that the black dragon appeared here meant only one thing:
Its master was not far away.
Yan Kingdom, Ji City!
"Urgent border report!"
"Make way!"
"Urgent border report!"
A Yan messenger rode frantically into the capital city, waving his command flag.
No one dared to obstruct him.
Citizens immediately stepped aside, not daring to delay the report for even a second.
Urgent military reports were of utmost importance in every nation.
Obstructing one was a grave crime.
"An urgent border report?"
"Could it be the Donghu tribes attacking from the north?"
"That shouldn't be possible. We signed a trade agreement with Donghu. They wouldn't attack us."
"Could it be Qin?"
"That's even more unlikely."
"Qin just conquered Wei less than half a year ago. Do they even have the strength to attack us?"
"Exactly. Qin just waged war on Wei; their national strength must be greatly depleted. They couldn't possibly have the resources to invade Yan."
"Not only that, if Qin attacks Yan without cause, they would be violating our alliance with Qi and Chu. If Qin wages an unjust war, both Qi and Chu will certainly send their armies to aid us."
"No matter how powerful Qin may be, they cannot stand against three nations combined."
"That must be it. Still, we must see what this urgent report says. Is it the Donghu or Qin…?"
As the messenger raced through the streets, the people of the capital city debated endlessly.
For them, all they could do was speculate they had no real knowledge of the truth.
Yan Royal Palace – Court Hall
"Your Majesty!"
"Qin has launched an invasion!"
"They have already overrun our border camp and are now advancing toward Yun Dong City!"
The messenger knelt inside the court hall, his voice trembling as he delivered the report.
Silence.
A heavy silence filled the hall.
Every court official wore a look of utter shock.
Sitting on the throne, King Yan's face instantly turned pale, a look of fear surfacing on his aging features.
"How could this be?!"
"Did we not just send an envoy to Qin?!"
"Why would they suddenly attack?!"
"There is no reason for this!"
"This war is completely unjustified!"
"Qin would not be so reckless! Are they not afraid of Qi and Chu intervening?!"
"What in the world is going on?!"
The ministers in the Yan court were engaged in heated discussions, their faces filled with confusion. However, more than anything, they were overwhelmed by fear of Qin.
"Enough."
King Yan's cold voice rang out.
Even though he was deeply unsettled inside, he had no choice but to remain calm.
"Calm yourself, Your Majesty."
The ministers immediately bowed, not daring to speak further.
"Are you certain it is the Qin army attacking?" King Yan fixed his gaze on the messenger, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Reporting to Your Majesty."
"It is confirmed."
"The Qin army, under the banner of revenge, has sent an iron cavalry of 100,000 into our Yan territory. Wherever they go, they leave no Yan soldier alive."
"The Qin forces have been slaughtering their way forward. The over 10,000 troops stationed at our border camp have been nearly wiped out by Qin cavalry, with only a few hundred survivors managing to escape to Yundong City."
"Moreover… it is not just the Qin cavalry. It seems the entire Wu'an military camp of Qin has mobilized." The messenger's voice trembled as he reported.
Upon hearing this!
King Yan's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Why is this happening?"
"The State of Qin would never launch an attack without cause. They have no reason to wage war against Yan."
"Moreover, the envoy I sent to Qin has yet to return."
"Could something have happened to the envoy?" King Yan's heart grew heavier with unease.
Having ruled for decades, King Yan was no great monarch, but he was not blind to the ways of power. Qin's sudden mobilization could only mean that something had gone wrong with the envoy.
"Send envoys immediately to Qi and Chu."
"Inform them that Qin has invaded Yan and request them to uphold our alliance agreement and dispatch troops to aid us."
Steadying himself, King Yan gave a direct order to the minister in charge of foreign affairs.
Even though Qin had launched an attack, he was not entirely consumed by fear. After all, he had already signed a defensive alliance with Qi and Chu.
Since Qin had no justification for this war, the two nations would surely intervene.
At least, that was how King Yan saw it for now.
"We obey the royal decree."
The minister responsible for diplomacy immediately accepted the order.
"General Qing Qin." King Yan then turned to the foremost military leader in his court.
"How is the recruitment of new soldiers progressing? How is their training?" King Yan asked at once.
"Reporting to Your Majesty."
"Since the decree was issued three months ago, we have recruited just under 150,000 new soldiers. However, most of them have received only minimal training, their combat skills are weak, and many still lack armor, weapons, and other essential supplies." General Qing Qin replied.
"Why has the progress been so slow?" King Yan frowned.
"Your Majesty."
"The time has been too short."
"Given the current state of the world, these 150,000 recruits were largely conscripted against their will." Qing Qin said helplessly.
In today's era,
Qin was strong, while the other states were weak.
Commoners understood that joining the army meant facing the formidable forces of Qin, a battle that would almost certainly lead to death.
When the royal decree was first issued, few volunteered. In the end, Qing Qin had no choice but to enforce conscription, as per King Yan's orders.
Every household with an able-bodied man was required to send him to the military.
This was reminiscent of what had happened in Wei. To defend the state from Qin, Prince Wei Wuji heavily militarized the nation.
Yan had now found itself in the same predicament.
However, unlike Prince Wei Wuji, who had nearly two years to prepare, Yan had only four months from the decision to implementation.
Nationwide orders took at least a month to take effect, and recruitment and troop deployment required even more time.
Strictly speaking,
These 150,000 forcibly conscripted soldiers had received barely any training they were merely a group of untrained civilians.
Many of them didn't even have weapons yet.
Such forces facing Qin's army could only end in disaster.
"Send orders at once."
"Mobilize the entire nation to forge weapons and armor."
"Even if Qi and Chu come to our aid, we must be prepared."
King Yan instructed Qing Qin.
Yan's total military strength was limited.
The kingdom had an army of 400,000, including regional militias.
Now, with 150,000 recruits, its overall strength had not truly increased.
"How infuriating."
"That Qin would dare to attack so soon, leaving me no time to prepare." King Yan could only curse in his heart.
This situation had spiraled out of his control.
He truly could not understand why Qin had suddenly launched an attack.
It had been less than half a year since they conquered Wei.
Even if they had the national strength to do so, did they not fear the long-term consequences of continuous warfare?
If they waged war now, they would be facing the combined strength of three states!
At the same time.
In the Crown Prince's residence of Yan!
Yan Dan stood atop a set of palace steps, his hands clasped behind his back.
His expression was calm, but his eyes held a trace of anticipation.
"If my calculations are correct."
"Qin Wuyang and Jing Ke should have completed their mission by now."
"No matter what, Ying Zheng will surely die this time."
"No matter how clever he is, he could never have expected Jing Ke to attempt an assassination, let alone that the dagger would be hidden inside the map scroll."
"This plan is foolproof."
At this moment, Yan Dan was in high spirits. He was utterly convinced that his plan would succeed.
No matter what,
Ying Zheng was doomed.
With Jing Ke's skills, as long as he got close to Ying Zheng, the attack would not fail.
Even if he only managed a minor cut, the dagger was coated in a deadly poison that killed on contact.
No matter how skilled Qin's imperial physicians were, they could never save him.
"Sigh."
A sigh suddenly sounded from behind Yan Dan.
"Jianli."
"Are you feeling remorseful?" Yan Dan turned around, his tone slightly displeased.
"In the end."
"The three of us once relied on each other in Handan. How did we end up on opposing sides?"
"When I think about it, I cannot help but feel uneasy."
A man carrying a qin (a traditional Chinese musical instrument) slowly stepped forward.
"Ying Zheng is no longer the Zhao Zheng of old."
"He once said that if he ever returned to his country, he would destroy Zhao and aid Yan."
"But what did he do?"
"When Zhao invaded, he stood by and watched. It was only after my state of Yan suffered heavy losses that he finally intervened. A man who breaks his promises is utterly despicable." Yan Dan's face was filled with resentment.
Hearing this,
Gao Jianli shook his head, seemingly unconvinced.
Or rather,
He thought Yan Dan was being too naïve.
Too childish.
Back when Ying Zheng was a hostage in Handan, he was what?
Nine years old?
He was just a child, yet Yan Dan took his words at face value.
Moreover,
Yan Dan ignored all geopolitical realities, seeing everything only through the lens of Yan's interests, as if Ying Zheng belonged to Yan.
Such naïve thinking!
"Once Ying Zheng dies."
"Qin will fall into chaos."
"With Qin in disorder, the lands of the Three Jins (Han, Zhao, and Wei) will descend into turmoil."
"Not only will Qin lose the ability to invade Yan, but with the Three Jins in disarray, Yan may even seize the opportunity to expand."
"This assassination plan is truly a masterstroke."
"When news of Qin's internal chaos reaches us, my father will view me in a new light, and the people of Yan will revere me."
"I, Ji Dan, will be the savior of Yan."
Yan Dan extended his hand, his excitement overflowing.
He had spent too long preparing for this moment.
He had sacrificed too much for this moment.
"But have you considered… if the assassination fails, it will bring utter destruction upon Yan?"
"If that happens."
"King Yan may be executed by Qin." Gao Jianli said slowly.
Unexpectedly.
Upon hearing these words,
Yan Dan's eyes filled with rage.
Suddenly, he turned around and stared at Gao Jianli with a piercing gaze.
"Impossible! I will never fail!"
"Ying Zheng must die!"
Seeing the madness in Yan Dan's expression, a flicker of fear flashed through Gao Jianli's eyes. He dared not say another word.
Although he and Yan Dan had grown up together, their status and positions were vastly different. If he truly angered Yan Dan, Yan Dan might take action against him.
"Jing Ke…"
Sigh.
Gao Jianli sighed deeply in his heart.
Just then
A retainer from the prince's residence hurried over, his face full of urgency.
"Your Highness!"
"Something has happened!"
"A major incident!"
The retainer rushed forward and knelt before Yan Dan.
"What is it?"
"Has something happened to Qin?"
Yan Dan's eyes lit up with joy, and he immediately stepped forward to ask.
"How does Your Highness know?" The retainer was visibly shocked.
"Has Ying Zheng died?"
Yan Dan pressed further, his eyes filled with ecstatic anticipation.
"Your Highness…"
"How could the King of Qin be dead?"
The retainer looked at Yan Dan with confusion, seemingly unable to understand why he would ask such a thing.
Yan Dan froze.
"Ying Zheng is not dead?" His brows furrowed, and he asked urgently, "Then what is the major event in Qin that you speak of?"
"The Qin army has crossed the border and invaded our Yan territory!"
"Our 10,000 border troops have been almost entirely slaughtered by the Qin forces!"
"The Qin army is now advancing on a large scale against our Yan state!" the retainer reported anxiously.
At these words
Yan Dan's face instantly turned deathly pale.
The confidence he had just moments ago was now replaced by panic, and he stumbled backward unsteadily.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?" The retainer asked in confusion, his tone full of respect.
Beside them, Gao Jianli's expression also changed.
"It failed… The assassination must have failed. That's why Qin has mobilized its army against Yan," Gao Jianli muttered.
"No…!"
"That's impossible!"
"How could Ying Zheng evade Jing Ke's strike?"
"The plan was flawless!"
"And we even had Fan Wuqi's severed head!"
"Ying Zheng hated Fan Wuqi to the core having his head should have completely won over his trust!"
"Jing Ke should have been able to get close to him!"
"There was no way the assassination could have failed!"
"Could it be… that the heavens have truly abandoned Yan?"
"Heavens! How can you be so blind?"
Yan Dan trembled all over.
Just hearing the words 'Qin army invasion' was enough for him to understand
The assassination had undoubtedly failed.
Otherwise, Qin would never have mobilized its forces without reason.
"The Qin army has launched an unprovoked attack on our nation, under the banner of revenge," the retainer continued.
"The court has sent word His Majesty has already dispatched envoys to Qi and Chu, requesting their intervention."
"Qin has waged an unjust war. Qi and Chu will not stand idly by they will certainly send troops to aid us. Your Highness need not worry too much."
Seeing Yan Dan's increasingly grim expression, the retainer tried to reassure him.
He naturally assumed that Yan Dan was worried about Yan's ability to resist Qin's invasion.
Little did he know
Yan Dan was not merely worried he was consumed by fear.
"An unjust war?"
When Yan Dan heard those words, his face grew even paler.
If the assassination had succeeded, then indeed, Qin would have suffered an unimaginable blow.
But if it failed
Then Qin's mobilization would not be unjust it would be completely justified.
Qi and Chu, bound by their alliance, would have no grounds to send aid.
Because it was Yan that had sent an assassin.
"How am I supposed to face my father?"
"How am I supposed to face the court?"
At this moment
A deep sense of terror welled up inside Yan Dan.
For his entire life
He had been desperate to prove himself to his father.
He believed that his father had always underestimated him, and so he sought to prove his worth.
This assassination had been his greatest opportunity to do so.
If he had succeeded
Yan Dan could already envision the praise from his father, and the admiration of the people of Yan.
But now
It was all a fantasy.
"Your Highness."
"There is no need for you to worry His Majesty will handle the situation."
Seeing Yan Dan lost in thought, the retainer spoke again.
"Get out!"
Yan Dan roared.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Frightened by Yan Dan's sudden outburst, the retainer trembled and quickly withdrew.
Yan Dan stood frozen, his face filled with dread.
He had made a terrible mistake.
At that very moment
Inside the Yan royal court
As King Yan was issuing decrees
Ordering Qing Qin to lead troops into battle, dispatching envoys to Qi and Chu
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed through the hall.
Yet another urgent messenger rushed in.
"Your Majesty!"
"Urgent report!"
"A matter of great importance regarding why Qin has moved against our state!"
"The information comes from a covert agent in Qin who risked his life to deliver it!"
The messenger knelt on the ground, raising a sealed report high above his head.
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