Chapter 60: The Heroic and Chivalrous Qin Zhao Wang (Part 2)

  King Zhuang of Qin had a majestic and awe-inspiring presence, his power was boundless. However, Da Tianling's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke bluntly: "Your Majesty, allow me to calculate one account carefully, then you will understand."

  "Speak." King You of Qin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

  "The great war of Changping, the Great Qin mobilized 580,000 elite soldiers. In one day, they would consume a mountain's worth of food. After three years, how much money and grain were spent? Recruiting laborers, transporting grain and hay, digging trenches, feeding people and horses, how much money and grain were spent?" Commander Da Tian counted on his fingers.

  Just after settling two accounts, Qin Zhao Wang's face turned gloomy.

  With the astuteness of King Zhao of Qin, he certainly knew that what Da Tianling said was a big truth. An army of 580,000 would consume a mountain in one day, and if they were to hold out for three years, how many mountains would be consumed? Not to mention the mobilization of millions of civilians to transport grain and dig trenches to assist the Qin army, which would cost even more money and grain.

  He glanced at King You of Qin, as if he hadn't seen the king's unpleasant expression, and continued to calculate: "The Battle of Changping shook the entire state of Qin. The elite soldiers fought in the front lines, while the civilians were busy in the rear. Good fields couldn't be cultivated, and only women, children, and the elderly could plant crops. How much will production decrease? How much will taxes and tributes decrease?"

  The Changping War was unprecedented in scale, with the entire state of Qin mobilized. The victory came at great cost, exhausting the accumulated resources of several generations. At that time, Qin had a population of only 5 million people, yet it could support such a large-scale war, which is a miracle that has been admired by countless later generations, and Qin was indeed very powerful.

  "May I add something?" The face of King Zhao of Qin became even more unpleasant.

  "If you don't mind hurting the foundation of our country." Daito's words can be infuriating.

  "..." Qin Zhao Wang was quite unhappy, forcing himself to hold back his displeasure and said: "Now that the Battle of Changping is over, as long as we grit our teeth a bit longer and destroy Zhao, everything will be fine. Adding some taxes won't be a big deal either."

  "Your Majesty, Qin law is established, taxes and levies all have fixed forms, cannot be changed at will." Da Tianling raised his head loudly.

  "Bang!" King Qin Zhao's right hand heavily slapped the armrest, his eyes bulging with anger, bellowing loudly enough to shake the mountains: "You have a big nerve, you dare to defy my will, I'll kill you!"

  "Your Majesty, Qin is not a vassal state of the east. Disobeying your orders is no crime. If I have committed an offense, I should be punished according to Qin law."

  The laws of Qin were strict, even the king could not violate them. To kill a senior official, he had to follow the law and provide convincing reasons that would satisfy the people; otherwise, there would be public outrage. Since Shang Yang's reform, Qin had never seen a case where a senior official was killed for disobeying an order.

  The Grand Officer of the Imperial Clan, Da Tianling, was so choked by Qin Shuang's words that he couldn't speak for half a day. Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down, he said: "Summon the man! The Grand Officer of the Imperial Clan is loyal to his duties and speaks the truth. Grant him a cup of wine."

  The State of Qin had various ways to encourage its officials to speak freely. Granting a cup of wine was a light reward, intended to show respect and honor.

  This is the difference between Qin and the six nations of Shandong. If it were in the six nations of Shandong, farting at the king's intention would be a capital offense, punishable by decapitation. In Qin, it doesn't matter. Moreover, Da Tianling said something reasonable, and King Qin would even reward him for it.

  Daotai Lijing took over the wine cup, rushed to see Qin Shaowang's courtesy and thanks, drank it all in one gulp. King Qin Shaowang waved his hand, and Daotai Lijing retreated.

  "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has arrived." Long historian Huan Xing came forward to report.

  "Please, Chancellor." The King of Qin's spirit lifted, his white eyebrows rose, and a smile spread across his face. He relied heavily on Fan Yuqi, so Fan Yuqi's arrival must be bearing good news.

  Fan Ju hastened in and, before he had time to pay his respects to the King of Qin, heard the latter say: "Prime Minister, Bai Qi has repeatedly petitioned for troops to be sent to destroy Zhao. However, Da Tianling says that our grain supplies are not abundant; do you have a plan?"

  A hundred years of Warring States, not a single state has been annihilated. To destroy Zhao would be exhilarating, but Qin has been drained dry, without money or grain. Even a majestic figure like King Zhao of Qin is helpless.

  "Your Majesty, what the Grand Commandant of the Great Plains has said is true. I personally went to inspect the treasury after the outcome of the Battle of Changping was already decided, and indeed there was not much left. Fan Sui sighed: "This is still the accumulation of more than a hundred years since the time of Duke Xiao, through four generations of rulers."

  "What can be done?" King Qin Zhao was greatly disappointed.

  "I can calculate the six nations of Shandong, I can make precise calculations, but I cannot create something out of nothing and conjure up money and grain." Fan Ju was very worried.

  The Zhao state is on its last breath and only needs one more blow from the Qin state to be finished off, but unexpectedly there's no money or food left, who wouldn't be annoyed?

  It's like a big pervert discovering a naked beauty right in front of him, and he actually... This can't be tolerated, can it?

  "So, Prime Minister, you have come in the middle of the night. What is it?" King Qin Xiang was greatly disappointed, but he knew that this was something that no one could help, and being unwilling would not do.

  "There is a guest from Shandong who says that if Zhao Bai rises and destroys the state of Zhao, he will definitely become one of the three dukes of Qin, ranking above me. As a minister of Wei, I am in danger." Fan Ju reported this truthfully.

  "But Ru Zhonglian?" King Zhao of Qin suddenly stood up, his eyes wide with anger, a murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

  "That's right." Fan Yi didn't conceal it.

  "In nine out of ten places, he is there. Everywhere he opposes the Great Qin, everything he does is against the Great Qin, kill him!" King Zhao of Qin thundered loudly.

  Lu Zhonglian was an iron opponent of Qin, opposing Qin everywhere, and King Zhao of Qin hated him to the bone.

  "Your Majesty, this cannot be done, absolutely cannot be done." Fan Jushi hastily stopped him and said: "Lu Zhonglian has a reputation and is respected by the world. If he were to be killed in Qin, Qin would certainly bear the infamy. Moreover, among the officials of Qin, three or four tenths are from Shandong, and six or seven tenths of the clerks are from Shandong. The scholars will resent Qin for this reason and will not come westward to enter Qin. Would we not lose more than we gain?"

  The officials and clerks of Qin State mostly came from the six states in Shandong. If a scholar did not enter Qin, the consequences would be very serious.

  "How could I, a humble person, not be able to kill him?" King Qin Zhao gnashed his teeth and wanted to chop Lu Zhonglian into pieces, but he knew that Fan Yu's words were extremely reasonable. He had to suppress his murderous intentions and asked: "Prime Minister, what do you think should be done about the current situation?"

  "The state of Zhao is weak and vulnerable, if the great Qin's sharp soldiers arrive, it will surely be annihilated. However, once Zhao is destroyed, the alliance will rise, and with the alliance comes endless war, which cannot be concluded in three to five years. Moreover, Qin is currently lacking in both money and grain, making it difficult to wage a large-scale war." Fan Sui took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and said: "This matter of Lu Zhonglian entering Qin can be taken advantage of, withdraw the troops, rest and recover, and plan for future actions."

  "Your Majesty, General Wei's memorial." Before Fan Jue could finish speaking, Huan Xing hastily came in and presented the memorial of Bai Qi.

  Qin Zhao Wang took it in his hand, weighed it for a moment, sighed, unfolded it and said: "As expected, it's another request to send troops. Bai Qi, you think fighting is about what? It's about money and food. Without money, without food, what can the great Qin use to fight?"

  "Bang!" Heavily slapping the white memorial tablet on the short table, he closed his eyes in pain.

  "The general is eager to achieve merit, submitting memorials three times a day, but he does not know the difficulties of Great Qin." Fan Sui let out a long sigh.

  A generation of heroes and outstanding Qin Zhao Wang, a generation of famous ministers Fan Ju, the two men faced each other without words, only with big eyes staring at small eyes.

  "Your Highness, a letter from the young master of Yi Ren." Huan Xing came in again, holding a copper tube in his hand.

  "An extraordinary person?" King Zhuang of Qin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Which extraordinary person?"

  "Zi Zhao's son, the crown prince's illegitimate son, is different from other princes." Fan Yu reminded him.

  "Oh, it's him." King Qin Zhao finally remembered that he had such a grandson and asked in surprise: "Is he still alive? Didn't the State of Zhao kill him?"

  Qin Yiren was an abandoned child and yet he was still alive, which truly surprised him. In his opinion, the State of Zhao should have killed him long ago.

  "Your Highness, I bid farewell." Qin Yiren's letter must be asking for money, and Fan Yi staying behind wouldn't have much to do, so he took his leave.

  Qin Zhao Wang took the sheepskin paper from Huan Xing's hand without even looking at it and said to Huan Xing, "It must be a request for gold."

  Slowly unfolding, after a careful examination, he was greatly surprised: "Not begging for money."

  "Isn't it begging for money?" Who doesn't know that the days of a beggar are difficult? Everyone thought Qin Yiren was a beggar, and Huan Xing was also quite surprised when he heard this.

  "A mere child dares to plot against the state." King Zhuang of Qin sneered, tossing the sheepskin paper into the blazing brazier.

  The sheepskin paper was being licked by the blue flames, and it was about to turn into ashes. Huan Xing was busy grabbing it out, patting it repeatedly, and finally extinguished the flames. Only one sentence remained: "Handan can be broken, Zhao cannot perish, preserve Zhao and pressure Han."