Chapter 68: The Problem of Quarks

  The dusty and exhausted Prince Shi finally returned to Xianyang. Except for a group of violent civilians trying to rush the embassy, this journey was surprisingly uneventful. This couldn't help but make Prince Shi start doubting his own thoughts - could it be that his brother, the king, really didn't intend to get rid of him after all?

  He pretended to be drunk and revealed the true intentions of Qin, thinking that Chu would not truly form an alliance after knowing this. However, forming an alliance is just a formality; what's more important is the exchange of hostages between the two countries afterwards. Would Chu send its crown prince as a hostage in such a situation? Who would King Hui send as a hostage then?

  With such doubts, Gongzi Shi attended the first court meeting back in Xianyang.

  "His Excellency, despite the difficulties, visited Chu State this time and facilitated the alliance between Qin and Chu. This is indeed a great achievement. Yes, announce my reward." The King of Qin nodded to his attendant beside him to proclaim the decree.

  The eunuch retreated a few steps, turned around and said: "His Majesty has decreed that the Marquis of Yan is wise and brave, with great merits and achievements. I am very pleased. He is to be rewarded with 500,000 taels of silver and ten pairs of jade pendants."

  "I thank Your Majesty, I will definitely be diligent and not betray the trust of Your Majesty." Gongzi Shi also immediately stood up and walked out of the team to kneel down and thank him after hearing the king's edict.

  "The talents and loyalty of the Lord of Wan, I am aware of. This alliance with Chu is also inevitable. The capital of Ying was hard to conquer, but now it has to be returned to Chu, I regret it!" King Qin sighed.

  "We are guilty!" As it is said that when the ruler is humiliated, his ministers die. All the high-ranking officials in the grand hall immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness upon hearing the Qin king's words.

  The King of Qin, however, paid no attention and said: "As for having merits then rewards, having faults then punishments, this is the foundation of our great Qin's establishment. In these two months, our great Qin has lost many soldiers and generals, and lost cities and land. Today, just as Wu'an Jun returned from suppressing the rebellion with his army intact, we can now settle accounts for these merits and demerits. Where is the eunuch? Read out the imperial edict!

  "Yes!" The eunuch immediately picked up the imperial edict that had been prepared earlier and read out: "The Emperor decrees: Former Governor of Yique, Gong Sunyun, has rebelled against the country and surrendered to the enemy. His crime is unforgivable, his family property shall be confiscated, his clan exterminated, as a warning to others."

  "The Emperor decreed: Originally, the former governor of Yiyang, Xiang Shou, was loyal and dedicated to the country, fought to the death without retreating, and upheld the great prestige of Qin. He is hereby posthumously awarded the title of Zhongwu Jun and rewarded with 100,000 coins."

  "The Emperor decreed: The Grandee You, the Imperial Secretary Hong, and others who recommended Feng Di, the Magistrate of Kuaiyang, did not clearly understand people. Feng Di was afraid to fight and fled first. He is hereby dismissed from his post and ordered to return home for reflection. The two clans of Feng Di are to be exterminated."

  "The Emperor decreed: Chen Cang's commander, Hua Hao, was remiss in his duty to guard the granary, resulting in a loss of 200,000 dan of grain and fodder. He is hereby sentenced to beheading and confiscation of his property."

  ......

  "The Emperor decreed: As the Marquis of Wu'an, Bai Qi, has been defeated in battle, losing many soldiers and generals, considering his merits in quelling the rebellion at Pingyi, his achievements offset his mistakes. He is hereby punished by being deprived of his salary for three years to serve as a warning to others."

  "The Emperor decreed: This time the army was defeated, and Prime Minister Wei Rang has the responsibility of dereliction of duty. The Emperor remembered his previous hard work and great contributions, and ordered that he be punished by reduction of salary for three years."

  The eunuch read out the twelve imperial decrees in one breath, and except for those who had died in battle or defected to the enemy, all the remaining ministers knocked their heads on the ground to thank the king's grace. The King of Qin looked at the quiet group of officials below the platform and asked with a playful expression: "Are there any of you gentlemen who are not satisfied?"

  "We are deeply moved and convinced." Even the stupidest person knows that King Qin has been very lenient, not severely investigating the responsibilities of these big shots, just slapping them a few times as a warning, of course, they are deeply moved and convinced.

  "Good! As long as you acknowledge it in your heart. What about the history of the inner palace?" King Qin continued to ask.

  "I am." A steady middle-aged man walked out.

  "Has the extent of our losses in this Great Qin been calculated?" asked the King of Qin.

  "I report to Your Majesty, the relevant losses have been counted: within the pass, a total of 130,000 civilians and 60,000 soldiers were lost, as well as 800,000 dan of grain and 1 million strings of cash."

  "What about outside the pass? Have you counted them?" Qin Wang asked.

  "This...the history of swallowing millet inside is too shocking to say out loud, after all this number is really too astonishing."

  "But never mind, I pardon you of your crime."

  "I must speak plainly, because the large number of prefectures and counties east of Tongguan Pass have been lost, I can only calculate based on the numbers reported by each prefecture and county at the end of last year. It is estimated that about 700,000 civilians were lost, 1.1 million stones of grain, and more than 5 million strings of cash."

  "Alright, withdraw!" King Qin waved his hand to dismiss the Minister of Granary, and then turned to the officials in the grand hall: "All of you have also heard what the Minister of Granary just said. This is the greatest defeat our great Qin has suffered in 600 years since its founding! Our great Qin has been severely damaged in this war! We lost nearly 300,000 soldiers and almost a thousand miles of territory. It's all because of my incompetence, it's all my responsibility!"

  "We deserve death!" The ministers knelt down again to plead for forgiveness.

  "All of you, get up! The situation is so critical now, what good strategy do you have?"

  The minister looked at me, I looked at him, neither of us was willing to speak first. At this time, the Remonstrance Official stepped forward and said, "I beg to report to Your Majesty, I have a request to make."

  "Speak!" The King of Qin encouraged.

  "Our great Qin has suffered losses in troops and generals, but still has 700,000 soldiers who can fight. Looking at the three countries of Han, Zhao, and Wei, although they have expanded their territory by four or five hundred miles, their military strength is severely insufficient near Hangu Pass. For example, the two countries of Han and Wei have no more than 100,000 troops each, while Zhao has no more than 150,000. Their troops also need to garrison various cities, so in fact, there are only tens of thousands of troops available for mobile deployment. Our great Qin is still in control of the strategic initiative with its strongholds at Hangu Pass. In my opinion, it would be better to take a break for several months and wait for their morale to decline before sending a small detachment to cooperate with the troops from Ancheng to recover the Hedong Commandery."

  "I concur, now that the Yiqu have been driven north of the Great Wall by our mighty Qin cavalry, our great Qin has no more internal worries. For two months, our Qin has been continuously at war and with the Yiqu's rebellion, the grain reserves within the pass are severely insufficient. I think it is not advisable to mobilize the army rashly. We should follow the example of Chu State and send many officials to visit Yan and Qi States and make friends with them." Another high-ranking official, Zhong Jun, also spoke up.

  Seeing the king of Qin nodding in agreement, the other ministers also spoke out and presented their strategies, speaking frankly that they should rest and recover. Once their strength is restored, at that time they can mobilize tens of thousands of elite soldiers, exit through Hangu Pass, and retake the lost land with one battle.

  The King of Qin had been planning this all along, he just let his ministers propose that they could gain a reputation for being benevolent and generous, otherwise it would be said that he was timid and afraid to go out of the pass to meet the enemy.

  "As everyone has the same opinion, I will follow the good advice. However, our Great Qin cannot let Han, Zhao, and Wei be too comfortable. Pass down my order: the garrison troops in Shangjun, Nanyang, and Hangu Pass should take advantage of opportunities to act, maintaining pressure on the three states. I want the soldiers of Han, Zhao, and Wei to be always on tenterhooks, and their people unable to produce with peace of mind."

  "The king is wise!" The ministers all voiced their praise in unison.

  "I have a memorial to present." After discussing this matter, Gongzi Shicheng stood up.

  "It doesn't matter what you say."

  "When I came, the King of Chu entrusted me to pass on a message to Your Majesty: Although Chu and Qin have already formed an alliance, there are strong opposition voices among the people. Is it possible to follow the previous example and exchange hostages between the two countries?"

  "The words of the King of Chu are indeed reasonable. What does everyone think, who should be sent as a hostage?" The King of Qin looked around at the reactions of his ministers.

  The position of the Crown Prince of Qin has been hanging and undecided, but it is known to all that the current Queen Mother had a previous agreement - brother dies and younger brother succeeds. Therefore, in fact, Gongzi Shi has always been cultivated as the successor of Qin.

  Now that Qin and Chu have formed an alliance, it is likely that the state of Chu will send its crown prince, Xiong Wan, as a hostage. By rights, the state of Qin should also send its own crown prince as a hostage. However, this has led to a problem. The king of Qin has always wanted to make his eldest son, Zhu, the crown prince, while the queen dowager wants to keep her promise and have Prince Shi inherit the throne. Now that they are faced with the situation of sending the crown prince abroad as a hostage, the ministers are finding it difficult to decide who to support.

  This is much more difficult than choosing a crown prince. If they choose Gongzi Shi, that would be acknowledging him as the Crown Prince of Qin, but Gongzi Shi is already nearly fifty years old, how many more years can he endure such danger? The King of Qin would rather have Gongzi Shi die in Chu and let his own eldest son Zhuang take the throne.

  Choose the eldest son, that is to acknowledge him as the crown prince. That would be even more unbearable, and Prince Shi would surely make a big fuss! Moreover, with the Empress Dowager's current attitude, it's hard to say who she will ultimately support. If this matter leads to conflict between King Qin and Prince Shi, then Qin State will truly be in an uproar.

  So the officials of Qin Wang and Gongzi Shi's faction all kept silent. As the saying goes, "When gods fight, devils suffer", it's better not to speak when you're not clear about your master's thoughts.

  (Two updates presented, seeking recommendations and collections!)