Watching Zhao Yan being taken away, Ying Zheng felt a rush of vengeful excitement.
However, this excitement was not revealed outwardly.
Years of enmity could now be avenged at any moment.
For Ying Zheng, he wouldn't let Zhao Yan die so easily. Just as he had said, he would make Zhao Yan witness firsthand how Zhao State would be destroyed step by step, how the Zhao royal family would be reduced to slavery, forever unable to rise again.
All of this was retribution!
"Guo Kai, you should prepare to leave Zhao State as well," Ying Zheng said as he turned to Guo Kai.
Upon hearing this, Guo Kai bowed deeply, his face full of gratitude. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your immense grace."
Immediately afterward, Guo Kai left Zhao's palace with joy.
Later, Guo Kai, the prime minister of Zhao State, perished on the day Handan fell. As long as he didn't court death himself, the vast world would provide him a place to survive.
If he exposed his whereabouts, Ying Zheng might not personally deal with him, but the fallen nobles of Zhao State certainly would not spare him. Ultimately, it was up to Guo Kai himself.
After Zhao Yan was taken away, Ying Zheng's gaze once again fell on Zhao Feng. His smile returned.
"General Zhao, you served as the main vanguard in this battle, broke through Handan, and captured Zhao Yan. These are all your accomplishments."
"Looking across the world, I truly can't think of another general as valiant as you."
"It seems the blood ginseng I granted you back then was indeed well-deserved," Ying Zheng said with satisfaction, laughing heartily.
"Blood ginseng? The Qin palace's treasure? Did Your Majesty truly grant it to me?" Zhao Feng asked with slight surprise.
Having been stationed in Zhao State all this time, he naturally hadn't heard of it.
"My word is law."
"Compared to the great contributions General Zhao has made for Qin, a single blood ginseng is nothing," Ying Zheng said with a chuckle.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generous gift," Zhao Feng replied gratefully.
With the blood ginseng, his mother's health should improve greatly. After all, it was a miraculous elixir known to save lives.
"Handan has fallen."
"Zhao Yan has been captured."
"The destruction of Zhao is now inevitable."
"What does General Zhao think of the upcoming battles?" Ying Zheng asked, his gaze carrying a hint of examination as he looked at Zhao Feng.
Zhao Feng didn't hesitate. "In this battle, thanks to Guo Kai, Zhao Yan had no time to escape, and many nobles of Zhao were also unable to flee. However, some have undoubtedly escaped and may regroup in Dai to resist Qin."
"Additionally, there are still many cities in Zhao territory yet to be conquered. These will take time."
"In my opinion, we should first pacify Zhao territory before advancing on Dai," Zhao Feng advised.
Ying Zheng nodded. "That aligns with my thoughts as well."
"Your Majesty," Wang Jian interjected, "Yan State has been amassing troops along the Yan-Zhao border, waiting for the fall of Handan to try to claim a share of the spoils."
"What does Your Majesty think we should do?"
"Does the general think I will tolerate such actions?" Ying Zheng sneered.
"With Your Majesty's unparalleled talent and foresight, you will undoubtedly strike them down," Wang Jian replied earnestly.
"The fall of Zhao means the state is now at its weakest. To Qin, it poses little threat."
"Our forces are also weary from the intense battles. After resting and reorganizing, we can plan the next moves. As for specific deployments, General Wang, you have full authority. I will not interfere in military affairs," Ying Zheng stated calmly.
As a ruler, he always managed his ministers with precision, utilizing their abilities to strengthen Qin.
Ying Zheng had mastered the art of controlling power. He never meddled in military operations, nor did he interfere with the decisions of his generals on the battlefield.
"Understood, Your Majesty," Wang Jian responded immediately.
"General Zhao, as the hero of this campaign, you've worked hard. Go and get some rest."
"But first, freshen up. If you walk out looking like this, you might scare people."
"Anyone unaware might mistake you for a ghost emerging from the underworld," Ying Zheng teased with a smile.
"Understood," Zhao Feng replied, nodding immediately.
Just then, Zhang Ming hurried into the palace.
"General," he said, "the names of Zhao's nobles have been roughly compiled."
"Some are missing," Zhang Ming added as he handed the list to Zhao Feng.
"General Wang, here is the list," Zhao Feng said casually, handing it over without looking.
"Go and rest," Wang Jian said. "I will handle these individuals."
Zhao Feng did not hesitate. Turning around, he left the palace.
"Farewell," he said.
Tu Sui and Zhang Han quickly followed.
Once outside the Longtai Palace, Zhao Feng spoke, "Take me to the palace treasury."
"This way," Tu Sui responded immediately.
"Are all our men guarding it?" Zhao Feng asked as they walked.
The Zhao palace treasury was bound to be as resource-rich as the Korean one. Zhao Feng intended to take full advantage of this opportunity.
"Yes, General. All the guards are our people," Zhang Han replied quickly.
"If you wish, General, we can start secretly transporting some of the items out now," he added.
"Let's first see how much is inside," Zhao Feng said with a smile.
Before long, they reached the treasury.
"Greetings, General," the guards stationed there saluted Zhao Feng as he arrived.
"Hmm," Zhao Feng acknowledged with a wave, signaling them to rise as he headed toward the treasury.
Tu Sui and Zhang Han opened the doors to reveal the inside.
Upon entering, Zhao Feng froze.
"Why is Zhao even poorer than Han?"
Looking around the treasury, Zhao Feng was stunned to find it nearly empty.
The mountains of wealth he had imagined were nowhere to be seen just emptiness.
"General," Tu Sui explained, "I've heard that Zhao's wars with Yan and Qin drained their resources significantly. Zhao's treasury was likely emptied by the king."
"If the money is gone, the medicinal supplies must be too," Zhao Feng muttered as he walked deeper into the treasury. Most of the space had indeed been cleared out.
Wars consume not only wealth but also medical supplies.
After walking around for a while, Zhao Feng stopped in front of a rack deep inside the treasury.
"As expected, there's a hidden passage," Zhao Feng chuckled.
With just a sweep of his senses, Zhao Feng detected a concealed passage behind the rack, identical to what he had encountered in the Korean treasury.
Without hesitation, he opened the secret door. The rack split apart, revealing the entrance to the hidden passage.
"General, the lamps inside are still lit. It seems someone has been here recently," Zhang Han observed in surprise, noticing the burning lamps along the passage walls.
"This passage should be similar to the one in Korea, leading to another treasure room," Zhao Feng thought to himself.
"Let's hope it hasn't been emptied," he added inwardly.
Time passed quickly.
When Zhao Feng emerged from the treasure room, he wore a satisfied smile.
Zhang Han and Tu Sui, however, remained silent, their expressions filled with even greater respect for Zhao Feng.
"Find a place to rest. We'll await orders in a few days," Zhao Feng instructed them.
"If there's anything urgent, find me at the medical camp."
"Yes, General," the two replied in unison.
After this battle, Zhao Feng's forces had suffered heavy casualties. The medical camp was busier than ever. With his advanced medical skills, Zhao Feng could assist significantly. Not only could he save his injured comrades, but he could also earn merit points.
This had always been Zhao Feng's way.
In the palace, Zhao Feng found a place to stay.
He removed his battle armor, thoroughly cleaned himself, and changed into a fresh military uniform. Feeling rejuvenated, he sat down casually.
"Now that the battle is over, it's time to settle the collected attributes," Zhao Feng thought to himself.
"The war is over."
"Host's forces killed 56,928 enemies, collecting 18,976 attribute points."
"Collected 2,349 True Qi points."
"Collected 3,421 Strength points."
"Collected 3,123 Speed points."
"Collected 2,874 Constitution points."
"Collected 2,345 Spirit points."
"Collected 4,864 days of lifespan," the system interface displayed.
"Congratulations, Host, for surpassing 6,000 points in all attributes. You've been awarded a Tier-1 treasure chest."
"Congratulations, Host, for surpassing 7,000 points in all attributes. You've been awarded another Tier-1 treasure chest," the system prompted again.
Seeing this, Zhao Feng smiled with satisfaction.
A smile appeared on Zhao Feng's face.
This battle...
It was a huge profit.
"All my attributes advanced by two levels, I gained two Tier-1 treasure chests, and I even extended my life by more than ten years."
"Fantastic." Zhao Feng was incredibly excited.
"Adding the previous one, I now have three Tier-1 treasure chests."
"Open them all!" Zhao Feng immediately gave the command.
"Open the Tier-1 treasure chest."
"Acquired Tier-1 High-Grade [Reverse Blood Pill] recipe."
"Acquired Tier-2 Low-Grade [True Qi Pill] recipe."
"Acquired [Lower-Grade Spirit Stones] x100," the interface prompted.
"Recipes without the ability to refine them does that count as good luck or bad luck?"
Looking at the first two rewards, Zhao Feng felt a bit helpless. To him, pill recipes were practically useless.
These weren't the so-called pills made by alchemists of the current era, which were just toxic metal concoctions. These were real elixirs.
"Spirit stones?"
"Are these the legendary spirit stones containing the essence of heaven and earth?" Zhao Feng curiously extracted one spirit stone.
Immediately, a stone about the size of a fist, glowing faintly white and resembling a piece of white jade, appeared in his hand.
"The spiritual energy within a lower-grade spirit stone is already this abundant."
"No wonder they're called spirit stones."
With a mental scan of the stone, Zhao Feng instantly sensed the rich spiritual energy contained within it.
In one corner of Handan City, the streets in the surrounding area had been entirely sealed off by the imperial guards.
Black-armored elite soldiers were stationed everywhere.
This wasn't the city center; instead, it was in the northern outskirts of Handan City, near the outer perimeter.
This area hadn't been heavily affected by the earlier battle, and the few corpses that were here had already been cleaned up.
"Father-in-law."
"It's been more than ten years. I never thought we'd return here," Ying Zheng said with a sigh as he stood outside the courtyard of a house.
Standing beside him was Xia Wuque.
"Indeed."
"I never imagined I'd set foot on this land again," Xia Wuque replied with a wry smile.
"Let's go inside and take a look."
"It's been so many years. Who knows what's changed?" Ying Zheng said with a tinge of anticipation.
With a somewhat nervous heart, he pushed open the courtyard gate.
The moment the gate opened, the inside was already covered in cobwebs and layers of dust, clearly showing that no one had set foot here in years.
Yet, for Ying Zheng, even though the place was desolate and dust-covered, the sight stirred deep emotions within him.
At this moment, Ying Zheng's thoughts seemed to drift back to the past.
"Brother Zheng."
"Come and catch me!"
"Dong'er."
"Stop right there! You took my book again."
"Hehe, Brother Zheng, you're always reading. I'm helping you take a break."
"Zheng'er, you can't bully Dong'er. If you do, your mother will scold you."
"Zheng'er, the way of governance lies with the sovereign. The art of kingship is in mastering your ministers. Have you learned this?"
...
Scenes from years ago replayed vividly in Ying Zheng's mind.
"Years have passed..."
"Things have changed."
"Mother."
"Dong'er."
"Teacher..."
Gazing at the courtyard before him, Ying Zheng was overcome with a flood of emotions he couldn't put into words.
Perhaps only in this place could Ying Zheng show such a vulnerable side.
Before returning to Qin, his mother had been kind and loving, willing to sacrifice everything for him, even her own life.
Back then, his mother had treated Dong'er as her daughter-in-law, caring for her in every possible way.
But after returning to Qin, everything changed.
"Father-in-law."
"I've already given the order."
"Search the entire city."
"If there's any trace of Dong'er, report to me immediately."
"I hope the result won't disappoint us," Ying Zheng said as he turned to Xia Wuque.
"Let's hope so," Xia Wuque nodded in agreement.
Then Xia Wuque asked, "What does Your Majesty plan to do with Zhao Yan?"
"Death would be too lenient for him."
"I will make him wish he were dead."
"In a few days, when Handan is fully secured, I'll personally take him to my teacher's grave to give an account," Ying Zheng said coldly.
"And what about the people of Zhao? How does Your Majesty plan to handle them?" Xia Wuque continued.
"Father-in-law, after all these years, don't you know me?" Ying Zheng glanced at Xia Wuque. "If I were an ordinary person, my grudge with Zhao Yan would be personal. But as a king, Zhao's people will become my people."
"As long as they submit to Qin, I will treat them equally, just as I've done with the people of Han."
"Not just Zhao, but one day, when the world is united as one under heaven, all of Hua Xia will be treated equally."
"I once promised Dong'er that if I became king, I would create a world without war, without internal strife, and safeguard peace under heaven."
"I will always remember this promise." Ying Zheng's face was solemn, as though he was once again making this pledge to Xia Wuque.
Upon hearing this, Xia Wuque bowed deeply to Ying Zheng. "This old minister thanks Your Majesty on behalf of the millions of people in Zhao."
Xia Wuque had initially been worried that Ying Zheng's past humiliation and hatred for Zhao might lead him to target its common people. While he trusted Ying Zheng's character, he couldn't help but offer this reminder.
"There's no need for that, Father-in-law." Ying Zheng immediately stepped forward to help Xia Wuque to his feet.
Inside the field hospital.
Chen Fuzi was frantically busy.
Along with him, hundreds of military doctors in the field hospital worked tirelessly, unable to spare even a moment for rest.
The field hospital was filled with cries of pain.
This battle had been too brutal.
The number of wounded reached tens of thousands, but there were fewer than six hundred military doctors in total this, from the entire Lantian camp.
"Chief."
"We're running out of hemostatic medicine. More supplies are urgently needed."
"Chief, Physician Lin fainted from exhaustion."
"Chief, please allocate some support."
"We haven't slept in days..."
"The medicinal supplies are far from sufficient..."
Amid the cries of pain, military doctors hurriedly moved back and forth, voicing their concerns and requests.
"Quick, report to the General."
"Request immediate allocation of medical supplies."
"The medicine in the field hospital is entirely inadequate."
Facing these pleas, Chen Fuzi was overwhelmed but had no other options. He could only report and request additional medicine.
"Understood."
The attendant immediately left in haste.
"Sigh," Chen Fuzi sighed deeply. "The number of injured soldiers this time is overwhelming, far beyond the capacity of our medical camp."
"Chen Fuzi," Zhao Feng's voice rang out from nearby.
Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Fuzi's face lit up with delight. "General Zhao, what brings you here?"
"With the battle for Handan now over, I've naturally come to see if there's anything I can do to help in the medical camp," Zhao Feng replied with a smile.
"You're just in time," Chen Fuzi said, his tone filled with relief. "The injured are too many to count after this battle, and we simply don't have enough medics. On top of that, we're running dangerously low on medical supplies."
"While I can't help with the shortage of medics, I've brought plenty of medical supplies," Zhao Feng said with a grin, clapping his hands.
Behind him, his guards escorted carts carrying loads of supplies.
"Where did all this come from?" Chen Fuzi asked in shock.
"These were taken from the medical camp of the Zhao army. And this is only a tenth of the total supplies; the rest are being transported here in batches," Zhao Feng explained.
"What about the injured Zhao soldiers?" Chen Fuzi asked, startled.
Zhao Feng's expression turned cold. "I only care about saving my brothers-in-arms. The enemy soldiers? They're none of my concern."
"Men, take these supplies to the medical camp for preparation," Zhao Feng ordered his guards.
The medical camp within Handan City was also overflowing with Zhao soldiers who had been wounded.
For Zhao Feng, the heavily injured enemy soldiers were simply left to their fate, with orders to his elite troops to send them on their way if needed. Those with minor injuries were left to survive on their own.
Enemies were enemies.
His actions were not born of cruelty but of pragmatism. In times of war, this was the brutal reality. Had Qin's injured soldiers fallen into Zhao's hands, the Zhao army would have treated them no differently.
Seeing this, Chen Fuzi said nothing further.
"General Zhao, with your extraordinary medical skills, you alone are worth ten men," Chen Fuzi remarked. "Today, will you be assisting with surgeries or medicine preparation?"
"The usual," Zhao Feng replied with a faint smile. "I'll handle the surgeries, and you take care of cleaning the wounds and applying medicine."
"Very well," Chen Fuzi nodded without hesitation.
The two quickly entered the medical camp.
One was a general, the other a healer, yet their cooperation in treating the wounded was seamless and highly efficient.
As time passed, Zhao Feng and Chen Fuzi moved about the camp, treating the injured with precision and efficiency, their teamwork as fluid as ever.
"Saved one injured soldier, gained one merit point."
"Saved one injured soldier, gained one merit point."
...
As Zhao Feng continued to treat the injured, a constant stream of merit points was added to his tally.
At the Yan-Zhao Border
"Your Highness," a scout reported urgently, "we've just received the news Handan has fallen to the Qin army."
In the Yan border camp, Crown Prince Yan Dan's expression shifted immediately, a hint of joy lighting up his face.
"General, the opportunity has come!" Yan Dan said excitedly.
"Your Highness, do you truly intend to mobilize troops?" The general expressed concern. "If we cross into Zhao territory, we will likely encounter Qin forces and may even engage in battle. With Yan's national strength, we cannot possibly contend with Qin."
Despite his caution, Yan Dan waved off the concerns with confidence.
"Ying Zheng won't dare open a second front," Yan Dan said firmly. "Besides, Zhao is our enemy, to begin with. Our invasion of Zhao is fully justified, and Qin has no grounds to interfere.
"As for encountering the Qin army..." Yan Dan's tone turned confident and somewhat naive. "Even if that happens, I am certain Ying Zheng won't dare clash with us."
Seeing Yan Dan's unwavering determination, the general could only nod. "Understood."
"Relay my orders!" Yan Dan declared with rising fervor. "The Grand General will personally lead an army of 100,000 into Zhao territory. Seize every city and eliminate any opposition. Take this chance to expand the territory of Yan!"
For Yan Dan, this was a rare opportunity that could not be missed.
Not only could he avenge the humiliation he suffered during his years as a hostage in Zhao, but he could also expand Yan's domain. Should his mission succeed, his prestige in Yan would soar, securing greater support when he ascended the throne.
Yan Dan was thrilled by the prospect. As for Qin, he naïvely believed that his actions would not provoke a war between the two states.
In Wei State
The royal court convened in urgency.
"Your Majesty," a messenger entered the hall hurriedly, his voice strained. "A report has just come in Handan has fallen to Qin forces."
"The Zhao capital has fallen?" Wei King's expression changed drastically.
The court ministers also showed various reactions of concern and dread.
"General Pang Nuan has fallen in battle, and the 300,000-strong Zhao army defending Handan has been routed," the messenger continued.
The court erupted in worried murmurs.
"With Handan fallen, Zhao is doomed."
"Two of Zhao's three top generals have perished. Only Li Mu remains. Can he, along with Zhao's frontier army, truly resist Qin forces?"
"Lips gone, teeth cold. If Zhao falls, Wei will be next!"
"What are we to do?"
Many of the ministers wore faces full of unease, already envisioning Qin's invasion of Wei shortly.
On his throne, the Wei King appeared pale and anxious. His gaze turned toward Wei Wuji, the state's most trusted general.
"Uncle," the Wei King asked urgently, "what should Wei do under these circumstances?"
Wei Wuji, though visibly fatigued, stepped forward and prepared to advise the court.
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