Chapter 45: Preparing for Battle!

  When the news of Yi Qu's death reached the palace, the entire Qin Wang Palace fell silent once again.

  The face of Qin Wang Iron Green represents the storm that is about to arrive. Perhaps it's an unlucky year, with bad news coming one after another, and people have already forgotten how many times Qin Wang has lost his temper.

  The King of Qin looked at the ministers below, who were trembling with fear, and made a great effort to calm the anger in his heart. He asked very calmly: "Now that the King of Yi has died, our Great Qin cannot shirk its responsibility. When the news reaches Yi, it will inevitably cause unrest. You are all pillars of our Great Qin, do you have any plans?"

  Ministers look at me, I look at you, all dare not speak.

  "I report to Your Majesty, in my opinion, our Great Qin has been lenient towards Yiqu for many years, and Yiqu's will has long been worn down by us. Now that the King of Yiqu is dead, it would be better to immediately send troops to destroy Yiqu and eliminate the heart disease of our Great Qin." Huayang Jun broke with his usual manner and was the first to speak up.

  "Not good, not good", Jingyang Jun immediately raised a different opinion. "In my humble opinion, sending troops at this time is too hasty. It would be better to immediately close the gates of Xianyang and seal off the news of King Yiqu's death. In the name of King Yiqu, gather the nobles of Yiqu in Xianyang, then annihilate them all at once! By that time, the country of Yiqu can be settled with a single order."

  "Now, the whole city of Xianyang is spreading rumors that the king has issued a fake decree. This news cannot be concealed. Although all the officials know it's not the king's intention, now the entire city thinks the king will attack Yiqu. If we don't take action, I'm afraid it will damage the king's reputation!" A loyal minister immediately retorted.

  "Then let's gather a large army and blockade Xianyang. Isn't that enough?" said the Duke of Jingyang gloomily.

  "The impact of sealing Xianyang is too great, I think it's not feasible." Gao Lingjun spoke up, "Once the seal is imposed on Xianyang, the inconvenience to the people's lives is secondary. What I'm worried about is that the people will harbor suspicions towards Your Majesty. Since our Great Qin was established, there have been few instances of closing all four gates of Xianyang. If we close the city gates, aren't we implying that our Great Qin is afraid of a small Yiqu? It's not worth it for Your Majesty."

  "If we don't close the city gate, it's hard to guarantee that Yuqiu spies won't sneak out and the news of King Yuqiu's death will be hidden for long." A minister expressed his concern.

  "I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it's feasible."

  "Gao Ling Jun, please speak, I also want to know what clever plan you have." The King of Qin spoke up.

  "I dare not claim credit for this plan, it's just for Your Majesty to consider. In my humble opinion, what our Great Qin lacks now is time. The sudden assassination of the King of Yiqu has forced us to advance our troops and destroy Yiqu prematurely. However, there are only about 50,000 soldiers available near Xianyang, barely enough for defense, not sufficient for an attack."

  "Closing the city gate would show weakness, damaging the prestige of the king and the great Qin. Not closing the city gate would make it impossible to conceal the news of King Yiqu's death, and Yiqu will come as soon as they hear the wind. However, I think we can be loose inside but tight outside, the gates of Xianyang remain open as usual, but within fifty miles outside Xianyang, only entry is allowed, not exit. Especially those with Yiqu accent or attire, all are to be captured and killed. In this way, neither the prestige of the king nor the gathering of the great army will be affected."

  "Excellent! Excellent!" Upon hearing this one word, all the high officials suddenly understood.

  Although the 50-li blockade line requires a relatively large amount of manpower and material resources, it is a rare win-win strategy at present.

  "Gao Lingjun's plan is not bad, I also have a plan to share the worries of the great king." The prime minister Wei Rang, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.

  "The Prime Minister, please speak." said King Qin with great pleasure.

  "According to the scout's report, the envoy of Yiqiu State who came to pay respects to King Yiqiu has set out. As in previous years, the envoy is still led by King Yiqiu's younger brother, Yiqiu Hong. I suggest that Your Majesty dispatch a thousand elite cavalry to annihilate the Yiqiu envoy. If Yiqiu Hong dies, Yiqiu will surely fall into internal chaos. After the main army assembles, Your Majesty can conquer Yiqiu without exerting any effort, and it can be done in no more than a day or two."

  It's settled then. Only now did the various ministers think of another important figure from Yiqi, Yiqi Hong. Why didn't they think of this earlier and let the Prime Minister take the lead? The various ministers secretly regretted it in their hearts, but on the surface, they all praised the clever plan.

  "I think that even a hundred miles outside, checkpoints should be set up. All those who are in a hurry and speak little should be arrested and thrown into prison. This will ensure that not a single fish slips through the net." The other ministers, unwilling to fall behind, hastened to offer their suggestions to supplement this proposal.

  The King of Qin looked at the crowd of ministers below the platform who were discussing and debating, and felt greatly relieved in his heart.

  The monarch and his ministers are of one mind, and the great Qin has no worries about being unable to pacify the world.

  The King of Qin likes his ministers to be loyal to him, but he doesn't want them to gang up together. Just like today, the suggestions from the "four nobles" are all different, even if they have their own shortcomings, the King of Qin will still be happy. But if they speak with one voice and think that there is only one way to do things, the King of Qin will feel as though he has been hijacked, no matter how good the method may be, he won't adopt it.

  "Let's do it according to the method of Zhong Ai Qing! Pass down my order: mobilize the troops from Hexi, Beidi, and Hanzhong prefectures, each sending 50,000 soldiers, bringing their own food and fodder, and arrive in Xianyang within ten days. After ten days, I will personally lead an army of 200,000 to destroy Yiqiu."

  "How old is Wang Ling?"

  "The end is near!"

  "Take the Tiger Tally of the few people quickly to the Forbidden Guard Camp, and lead a thousand imperial guards to go and kill Yi Qu Hong. Do you understand?"

  "Ah!"

  Huan Qi?

  "The end is near!"

  "I order you to lead 30,000 troops and set out immediately, sealing off the area within 50 miles of Xianyang. Anyone who appears suspicious, you can behead first and report later. I only have one requirement for you: it is better to kill 3,000 by mistake than to let one escape! Do you understand?"

  "Ah!"

  After sending away the two warriors, the King of Qin did not announce the end of the court session. Instead, he smiled and asked: "The King of Yiqu was mysteriously killed, and I am very uneasy about it! When did the world produce such a formidable assassin? Who knows, one day I might also lose my head while sleeping!"

  "We deserve death!" All the ministers immediately knelt down. How could the Qin king, who was just beaming with joy, suddenly change his face like that?!

  The King of Qin did not stop him, but instead smiled even more coldly.

  Although the King of Yi Qu is his most hated person in life, he mysteriously died in the heavily guarded Ganquan Palace, and there are too many suspicious points to say that there was no insider. Is it that some people under the stage bought the army for personal gain? The army! This is the inverse scale of the Qin King. The Qin King absolutely does not allow anyone to touch this piece, especially the imperial guards guarding the palace.

  At this moment, a man rushed in. Looking at the ministers who were kowtowing on the ground beside him, Zhao He, the commander of the Zhongche Prefecture, became even more respectful.

  "How's it going?"

  Report to the Emperor, a total of 732 people including the Ganspring Palace Forbidden Army Lieutenant, General Manager Eunuch and all soldiers, slaves and eunuchs on duty last night have been executed. After careful investigation by subordinates, it was found that the assassin entered the Ganspring Palace through a well in the back hall. There is a secret passage in the well that leads directly to the foot of Lishan Mountain. The secret passage must have been left by the craftsmen.

  "Hmm? Secret passage?" Qin Wang asked in puzzlement.

  "Yes, Your Majesty. Since ancient times, the craftsmen who built palaces and mausoleums would often dig secret tunnels to save their own lives. The assassins must have known the craftsmen who originally built Ganquan Palace in order to find this tunnel and successfully kill King Yiqiu. After learning of this situation, I immediately sent someone to contact the craftsmen who participated in building Ganquan Palace and discovered a very strange thing."

  "Speak!" The King of Qin was concise and to the point.

  "At first, the chief engineer who designed and supervised the construction of Ganquan Palace died mysteriously on the eve of its completion. Seven members of his family and two neighboring households were all killed in a big fire. And on the second night, there was a case of King Yiqu being murdered. In my opinion, these two events must be connected."

  "Hum! I know. Order the Xianyang Magistrate to thoroughly investigate this case, and in a month's time, I want to know the cause and effect of this matter."

  "Yes!" Zhao He responded and retreated.

  "Order the imperial guards to thoroughly search every nook and cranny of the palace, and strictly prevent any secret passages from existing. I do not wish to become the next King Yi of Chu. Dismissed!"

  (Suddenly had a task at work, a series of things happened, and didn't get home until 9 pm. Leaving on a business trip tomorrow, will be typing on the road, sorry about that.)