Chapter Ten: The World is Shocked

  Huayang south, Xinzheng.

  It was already three o'clock in the afternoon, and the whole city of Xinzheng was bustling with activity.

  A massive war effort is underway, with everyone working hard to defend Xinzheng. From the streets to the city walls, from transporting stones to making rolling logs. Even children are being kept at home by their parents, doing what they can to help.

  The Crown Prince led the army out of the city for two whole days. All sorts of possible war situations made every Korean anxious, with high-ranking officials worrying about how to keep their wealth and status; ordinary people were worried about their husbands, sons, and fathers.

  The King of Korea was also on pins and needles in the palace. The Crown Prince Yan was his only beloved son, who would inherit the great undertaking in the future. Although before the expedition, the Crown Prince Yan had promised that even if he couldn't defeat the enemy, he could still retreat safely, but things didn't go as planned, and when it came to himself, everything went awry.

  Actually, at the moment when Prince Ran left the city, King Han regretted it. Now that two days have passed, he doesn't know how Ran is doing, has he encountered the enemy? Has he been injured?

  At the time when the King of Han was anxious in the palace, the palace of Wei Kingdom 160 miles east of Xinzheng was another scene.

  Now that King Wei of Wei has been on the throne for four years, except for the previous year when Qin's Prime Minister Wei Ran led an army to attack Wei, forcing Wei to cede eight cities including Wen City, King Wei's days are quite comfortable.

  Although his own brother, Xinling Jun, opposed him sending troops to attack the State of Han, there is no eternal friendship between countries. Even though the State of Han had helped him before, he had also repaid them. The land that was ceded must be compensated from a neighboring country. This was what King Wei thought in his heart.

  At this time, King Wei came to General Duan Ganzi to understand the military situation. Although Duan Ganzi had no great abilities, he was skilled in flattering and observing people's words and expressions. Mangmao, his former superior, had been recommended by Mengchangjun of Qi as Prime Minister of Wei, and he himself had also risen to the position of General.

  The war report in Duan Ganzi's hand was still the one from two days ago. After all, the heavy snow had blocked the roads and made them impassable. The report said that the combined forces of Zhao and Wei were advancing like a hot knife through butter, and had already surrounded Huayang, which would fall at any moment. Once it fell, they could take advantage of the momentum to march on Xinzheng in one swift motion, and everything would be settled.

  "Your Majesty, Meng Shu is now surrounding Huayang with 150,000 troops. The entire state of Han must be in a panic. As the roads are impassable, it's possible that Meng Shu's victory report is on its way here right now. When the time comes, the King of Han will come to apologize and make peace with you, and Wei will once again shake the world! I offer my congratulations to Your Majesty first." Duan Ganzi said with a flattering face.

  "Yes, my lord is right. There is also your credit here, I will not forget your credit. When the prime minister returns triumphantly, I will reward the three armies!" The King of Wei had a look of admiration for his own prestige and power that was unmatched in the world.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will serve you with all my heart and soul, and die in exhaustion." Duan Ganzi hastily expressed his loyalty.

  The capital of Zhao State is Handan.

  The current King Zhao of Zhao is the second son of Wu Ling Wang. Wu Ling Wang Hu Fu riding shooting, the national strength of Zhao suddenly increased sharply, only after Qin, became the northern overlord. Under his command, there were also able ministers and generals such as Lin Xiangru, Lian Po, and Zhao She, and few dared to offend him like Qin.

  Now 38-year-old Zhao Wang is supposed to be in his prime, but he is indulging in wine and lust. The Wei State's Mangya also saw this point, and several carts of jewels and a few beauties made King Zhao agree to send troops. Jia Yan and other military assistants led the two armies with 20,000 soldiers to join the allied forces.

  It was the New Year, and King Zhao of Zhao held a grand feast in the palace for his officials. It was rare that Zhao had been blessed with good weather and no disasters in recent years, making it truly worth celebrating. The ministers were also singing praises, flattering King Zhao who was beaming with pride.

  Lin Xiangru and Lian Po exchanged a glance, both revealing a helpless expression. The wine in the cup was fragrant, but drinking it was dull and tasteless. Nothing else, just worrying about national affairs.

  As for the war in Korea 400 miles away, both of them were not very concerned. The only thing to worry about was whether Qin would send reinforcements and what impact the Qin army would have on the battle situation.

  The two men agreed to unite with the State of Wei to attack Han, not because they were eager for merit. With the decline of the States of Wei and Qi, there was no country in the Central Plains that could resist Qin alone. The State of Chu in the south had just been defeated by Bai Qi and could not find its way north, so the State of Zhao was pushed to the forefront of resisting Qin. To increase their chances of victory, the two men this time agreed to Wei's proposal - to attack Han and force it to ally with Zhao, pulling Han onto the chariot of resistance against Qin.

  Zhao Sheng, the Lord of Pingyuan, was chatting with everyone and having a great time. As the younger brother of the current King Zhao, he had been taught aristocratic etiquette since childhood, so socializing came naturally to him.

  After noticing the expressions of Lin Xiangru and Lian Po, he suddenly understood why they looked so gloomy. He picked up his wine cup and made a toast to Lin Xiangru beside him, saying: "Lin Shangqing, nowadays Zhao Guo is peaceful from top to bottom. It's also the beginning of the new year, let's not think about official business for now."

  Zhao Sheng, how could he not be worried about the war that is happening in Korea at this moment! As a prime minister, he was clearer than anyone else about the consequences of Korea's persistence in defending Xinzhen and refusing to surrender, while their own side had been attacking for a long time without success.

  But now that winter has arrived, the Qin army is a thousand miles away from Huayang and cannot reach the battlefield in less than half a month. Half a month is enough to force Korea to agree to an alliance!

  Although King Zhao has recently indulged in sensual pleasures, now that the music and dance have subsided, he should take on more responsibilities himself and shouldn't cause any trouble. Moreover, if King Zhao is indeed wise, what use is his own wisdom? Prince Pingyuan sighed to himself.

  Lin Xiangru also knew that King Zhao of Zhao loved grandeur and showy accomplishments, so it would be useless to try to persuade him in this situation. He could only wait for news of the outcome of the battle before making further plans. If only King Zhao had half the wisdom of Ping Yuan Jun, things would be much better. The sudden thought that flashed through Lin Xiangru's mind gave him a fright. Trying to shake off this treasonous idea, Lin Xiangru raised his wine cup and drained it in one gulp.

  Zhang Hu is a Beichang of Xinzheng North Gate. He was very disappointed that he did not get selected for the rescue team to save Huayang. Even he himself didn't understand why, as someone who usually values his life, he would impulsively want to rush onto the battlefield.

  You should know that I was previously scared to death. Each time I was lucky enough not to get injured, and even gained some merits in battle, rising to the rank of Bo Zhang.

  Two days ago, the crown prince's speech made him blood boil. Even the crown prince Han Ran didn't mind his own life, what was there to be afraid of for a small person like himself? Although he did not follow the army to rescue Huayang, he could still guard Xinzhen well and protect the people behind him. Zhang Hu made a silent vow in his heart.

  Just as Zhang Hu was urging the civilians to hurry up and transport stones to reinforce the city wall, he heard his subordinate Wang Er shouting, "General, come quickly! Someone is riding over!"

  Is someone riding a horse? Has the enemy army arrived? Or has Prince Ye been surrounded and sent someone to ask for help? Zhang Hu's heart was in a panic, he rushed up to the city wall, grabbed Wang Er, and urgently asked: "Where is the person? Where are they?"

  "Bo Zhang is over there." Wang Er pointed at a black dot in the distance.

  Everyone on the city wall stopped what they were doing and stared at the approaching troops. At first, it was just a vague black dot, then increasingly clear flags and clothing.

  "It's our army!" someone shouted.

  How can there be news so soon? Have we been defeated? Many people looked at the approaching troops with such concerns.

  As he gazed at the increasingly close Xinzheng City, Wang Fugui clutched his horse's belly tightly and added another whip. The warhorse, already not slow, sped up even more under the lash.

  Think about it, he's just a soldier, although his name is Fu Gui (meaning wealthy and noble), but the two words "wealthy" and "noble" have nothing to do with him. Born in a poor family, he was sent into the army as soon as he came of age. Relying on his physical strength and loud voice, he managed to get by in the army. Think about it, the happiest moment for him is when he has a full stomach, but even as a soldier, only during wartime would the military camp provide enough food to fill his belly.

  When Dian Hu handed over the heavy responsibility of reporting to Xinzheng to Wang Fugui, Wang Fugui was so excited that he couldn't speak. The team of ten people each had two horses, and they rushed back and forth on fast horses without stopping.

  "At this moment, Wang Fugui shouted with all his might: 'Victory! Victory! Our army has defeated the combined forces of Zhao and Wei. We have killed 700,000 enemies and captured 800,000!'"

  The soldiers behind him also shouted loudly: "Good news! Good news! Our army defeated the combined forces of Zhao and Wei. Killed 700,000 enemies, captured 800,000!"

  Zhang Hu on the city wall was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly grabbed the shoulder of the person next to him, shouting loudly: "What did they just say?!"...

  When the news of the express spread throughout Xinzheng City in an instant, the whole city was boiling.

  Every household is celebrating with drums and gongs the biggest news in Korean history! The king and his ministers were also shocked by this news in the palace.

  Wang Fugui showed the letter written by Taizi Ran and Bao Yan, which made everyone believe this fact: Korea sent only 20,000 troops to launch a surprise attack on Huayang at night, defeating Zhao Wei's 150,000-strong army. They captured Wei Guo's prime minister Mang Mao, Zhao Guo's commander-in-chief Jia Yan and 800,000 others, killing 700,000 enemies.

  As the captives are as many as 80,000, in the letter, Crown Prince Yan specially suggested that King Han make early arrangements. At the same time, he reported to the king that the fields around Huayang City were severely damaged and begged his father to exempt Huayang City from paying taxes for one year. He would report the details in person and asked his father to prepare the necessary expenses for the large army.

  Han Wang read the letter three times in a row before he could convince himself of this fact. The surprise was too sudden, and Han Wang felt like he was about to faint.

  Apart from wiping out Jeong-guk, this is the most brilliant result of Korea's foreign war in history. After destroying Jeong-guk 102 years ago, Korea has had few victories.

  "Your Majesty," said Prime Minister Zhang Ping, who was the first to regain his composure, "The Crown Prince's achievement is truly a great fortune for Korea. The urgent matter at hand is to quickly dispatch reinforcement troops to assist the Crown Prince in escorting the captives back to Xinzheng. At the same time, prepare the surrendered soldiers' barracks and all necessary food and military supplies to prevent their morale from becoming unstable."

  "At the same time, this great victory will surely shock the world. The main force of Wei has been completely defeated and is not worth worrying about. What to worry about is one for Zhao, according to the Crown Prince's words, this battle is actually the foundation of the three Jin united, should send an envoy to make friends with them, prevent them from being angry and humiliated. Two for Qin, prevent them from taking advantage of the fire to loot."

  The King of Han heard this and his heart also tightened. The joy he had just felt was also gone by more than half, calming down.

  Zhao is the second strongest country in the world today, and now it has destroyed 20,000 of its elite troops and captured its great general. If Zhao wants to avenge itself, Korea can't fight back at all.

  This time it was a lucky win, who knows if they will win next time. And there is the wolf-like ambition of Qin State, now that Wei State has been severely wounded by its own doing, what if Qin State wants to take advantage of this and borrow a road from them, how should they deal with it? Thinking about this, the King of Han also got a headache.

  Chen Chen deeply agreed with Zhang Ping's view. Looking at the worried King of Korea, he stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, for now, let's focus on welcoming the Crown Prince back. In my humble opinion, it's not too late to discuss how to deal with other countries after the Crown Prince returns."

  "Yes! How could I have forgotten that? Maybe Ran'er will have a good idea." Thinking of this, King Han threw away his worries and said with great momentum: "Han Wen, hurry up and prepare according to what the Prime Minister said. I want to go out of the city ten miles to welcome the great army!"

  However, in just one week, the Korean army defeated the 150,000-strong Zhao and Wei armies with a mere 20,000 soldiers, capturing eight million prisoners including the main generals of Wei and Zhao, and killing seven million enemies.

  In an instant, the winds and clouds were stirred up. Xinzheng became the focus of attention for the entire world.