Chapter 61: Qin Wu Wang's Victory

  Li's coalition received Dong Zhuo's letter of surrender, and without Han Sui's restraint on the Qin army, facing the rapidly expanding Qin army, the pressure on Li's coalition was enormous!

  Between one increase and one decrease, the strength ratio of both sides was vastly different. The three main leaders of the Li's Allied Army were not of one mind, so they prepared to surrender.

  Li Jue, who had been an emperor before, was particular about formalities. He wrote to Dong Zhuo, telling him that if they wanted to surrender, it would be acceptable, but they must have a decree from the side of Xianyang.

  In the main tent, Dong Zhuo waved Li Jue's letter with a relaxed expression: "As long as this Li coalition army is willing to surrender, we have nothing to say, let's wait for the imperial edict from Xianyang!"

  "General Dong, the Northern Liang's Song Pai's troops are currently trapped in Tianshui Commandery. His troops were all elite selected from the six counties south of Jincheng. At this time, the six counties south of Jincheng in Northern Liang are empty, we should make early arrangements."

  "These six counties are mountainous and the roads are winding, it can be said that there are dangers everywhere!" Gong Sun Ce grew up in that land since he was a child, so he knew the terrain very well.

  Dong Zhuo and Gongsun Zan were fellow countrymen, although separated by two thousand years, the terrain would not have changed much. Dong Zhuo naturally understood Gongsun Zan's meaning, which was not only to take advantage of the situation to plunder the land, but also to return to his hometown.

  "Can we delay for five days? Within five days, the edict from Xianyang will arrive. After this Li clan's allied army surrenders, we can divide our troops without delay. What I fear is that if we divide our troops now, the pressure on the Li clan's allied army will suddenly decrease, and they will do something two-faced!" Dong Zhuo did not oppose dividing their troops, but it had to be after the Li clan's allied army surrendered.

  "Alright, let's follow Lord Dong's words and wait for five more days."

  "Haha, you little scamp is very much to my taste! Three days later, I will formally adopt Liang'er as my son!" Dong Zhuo laughed with great joy.

  "Congratulations, Lord Dong!" Gong Sun Ce stood up and clasped his fists. He had also guessed that before the division of troops, Dong Zhuo would formally adopt Guo Liang as his son. Although it was expected, he still felt a sense of surprise.

  "Congratulations, Duke!" Li Ru and Niu Fu led the Western Liang generals in congratulating him, while Dong Zhuo's face was filled with a silly smile, waving his hand repeatedly.

  The Qin army inside Tianshui Commandery all came from Baoji Commandery, and this Qin army revived in Qinyang, the place of origin of the Qin people, which was also the first capital. They merged with Huhai and killed their way to Tianshui Commandery.

  The Later Qin forces, which had occupied Tianshui Commandery and were led by Yao Chong, were driven out of the area by the Qin army under the command of Jiang Wei and fled to Hanzhong. The remnants of the Later Qin forces that arrived in Hanzhong were then chased away by Li Xiong's Cheng Han forces stationed in the area to Wudu Commandery. The miserable state of their retreat is not worth mentioning to outsiders.

  Then the Qin army began to integrate the resources within Tianshui Prefecture, compiling registers of population and organizing production while collecting various supplies. On the other hand, they also divided their troops to exterminate the marginal mountain villages throughout the prefecture.

  Facing the sudden attack of the Liang army, the Qin army had not yet assembled and was defeated by the Liang army. They retreated all the way to the city of Tianshui Commandery. The Liang army achieved a preliminary strategic victory and pursued their victory, with Song Pi leading one route to besiege the city of Tianshui Commandery, and General Lie Feng's general Ma Cheng leading another route to attack Baoji Commandery along the highway!

  Although Gongsun Zan had surrendered the eight Western Liang tribes, only Han Sui's tribe became subordinate to Ma Chao's after their chief was killed. The other seven tribes still maintained a high degree of independence, and Gongsun Zan did not have the heart to subdue them at this time. Because even if he eliminated the eight Western Liang tribes, the remaining soldiers would not become his soldiers!

  Recently there has been no war, Gong Sun Ce led his cavalry to wander around the periphery. The rare relaxation only lasted for a while, but it was already deep autumn, and the scenery had withered a lot.

  "It's strange, the villagers nearby all said that the Temple of Nuwa is right here. Why can't I see it?" Guo Liang dismounted his horse and looked around in all directions on a piece of desolate land.

  Liu Wei was riding on horseback, swaying back and forth, with a grass stem in his mouth, saying: "This is already the third time, many existing temples have disappeared inexplicably. Even stranger is Mount Kongtong, which is just a big fog, and no matter what, you can't get in."

  Gongsun Zhi dismounted his horse and bowed towards the direction where Nüwa Temple disappeared. After finishing his bow, he turned around to the surrounding crowd and said: "We have now seen the legacy of the military family and the ghostly path. This divine path should also have a legacy."

  "Big brother, what should this Taoist inheritance look like? It shouldn't be like Zhang Jiao or Hong Xiuquan's, right?"

  As for Guo Liang's question, Gong Sun Ce had also asked Dai Ji like that at first.

  "What the gods need is faith, faith from the heart, not material things. We don't have much conflict with the local forces, so it's better to pay respects when we see an ancient temple. After all, this is someone else's territory, and more courtesy means no trouble."

  "Zhang Jiao and Hong Xiuquan relied on their faith to rise to power, this is indeed a great evil path. If they succeeded, they would enjoy the blessings of the country while alive, and after death, they could be enshrined as gods and become immortal. But if they failed, it would truly mean the end of their physical existence and spiritual destruction, without even the chance for reincarnation!"

  "Big brother, everyone's inheritance is about the same. Why do you know some things that we don't?" Guo Liang said casually, and Gong Sun Ce didn't think much of it either. Anyway, he wouldn't tell anyone about Dai Ji's matter.

  Gongsun Ce smiled secretly. This attracted the attention of Guo Liang and others: "Do you know who Lü Bu is? That's a war god! What is a war god? Someone who can fight with gods is a war god! So, all this information is in the inherited information."

  "Rubbish! God of War's explanation, can't you come up with something even more ridiculous?" Liu Wei retorted, but in his heart he still had some faith in this explanation.

  On the twelfth day of the ninth lunar month, the central area of San Cha Kou was cleaned up and a grand feast was laid out. There is no place safer than this, as the three passes of San Cha Kou have all been set up with camps, as solid as rocks!

  "Now there is the Great General of Qin who Pacifies the West, Dong Zhuo. He issues an edict to Heaven and our ancestors..." After burning incense and making offerings to Heaven, Dong Zhuo had Li Ru draft a proclamation which he read aloud before setting it alight and turning it into flying ashes.

  "Liang'er, you are now a son of the Dong family, and as your father, I have nothing to give you!" Dong Zhuo said in a low voice, suppressing the joy in his heart. Guo Liang knelt below the platform. Both of them wore ordinary clothes, without any armor.

  Under Dong Zhuo's command, one thousand six hundred Flying Bear warriors stood in formation around them, towering like mountains and exuding an aura that was oppressive.

  Li Wei was now a team leader in the Flying Bear Army, qualified to stand at the forefront. Looking at Guo Liang, Li Wei's heart was filled with envy, jealousy and hatred. He envied Guo Liang's good luck, was jealous of Guo Liang's good luck, and as for the hatred, it was purely directed at himself for being unlucky.

  Next to him was Tun Jiang Zhang Qiang, a dark-skinned and thin middle-aged man. Zhang Qiang was Li Wei's original new recruit commander, although the two did not know each other that night. However, this did not prevent the two from becoming friends in the labor of Qin Dynasty.

  "You are about to come of age, I will give you a two-character name, Kongming!" Dong Zhuo thought for a long time, not knowing what kind of character to give his newly recognized son. He thought and thought, but couldn't find a good one.

  Later, Li Ru made up his mind and decided to use Kongming. Dong Zhuo accepted with a black face, after all, there were countless examples of repeated names and words, and using Kongming for Guo Liang had other implications.

  Dong Zhuo's words left everyone with a dark expression, except for Li Ru who continued to drink tea as if nothing was wrong. Guo Liang was especially distraught, wondering how he would introduce himself in the future: "I am Guo Liang, style name Kongming?"

  "Kong, is a hole, the same sound as Dong. I hope you can make my Dong family prosperous and glorious! Bright like tomorrow!" Dong Zhuo stood in front of Guo Liang, his expression solemn. He ignored the laughter from the surrounding troops and the Li family members who came to attend the banquet.

  Guo Liang gritted his teeth and accepted the character bestowed upon him by Dong Zhuo, kowtowing to him, then called out: "Greetings, Father!"

  "Good! Dong Zhuo has another son!" Dong Zhuo lifted up Guo Liang with one hand and burst into loud laughter.

  "Congratulations, my lord!" The Western Liang generals and the Flying Bear soldiers all knelt down on one knee, shouting in unison three times. They had practiced this for a long time, and as Commander Hua Xiong of the Flying Bear Army said, anyone who shouted too early or too late would be stripped of their military status!

  Dong Zhuo then stretched out his hand and grasped Guo Liao's hand, raising it high, prompting the Western Liang generals and the Flying Bear warriors to cheer once more. This time their slogan became: "Pay respects to the young master!"

  This banquet will not end until drunk, and afterwards the Qin army and Li's coalition forces had many exchanges of letters, just waiting for the imperial edict from Xianyang.

  On the fifth day, Gong Sun Zan got up early and began to order his troops to prepare for departure. Around noon, the envoy from Xianyang finally arrived.

  The envoy came and went in a hurry, took away Gong Sun Ce's General Seal, gave him a "General of the Horizontal Field Seal", along with matching flags.

  "I didn't expect the king of Great Qin to be not the First Emperor, but rather King Wu of Qin. How come I have no impression of this guy at all?" The envoy from Xianyang, apart from conferring official titles on Gongsun Zan and the other surrendered generals, brought only one piece of news: in the city of Xianyang, King Wu of Qin had been revived and was currently building palaces, and would dare to ascend to the throne on New Year's Day next year.

  "Qin Wu Wang, surname Ying, name Mang, son of Qin Huiwen Wang, also known as Qin Wulie Wang and Qin Daowu Wang. In 310 BC, after the death of Qin Huiwen Wang, Wu Wang Ying Mang ascended to the throne. He was tall and strong, with divine strength, and enjoyed competing in wrestling matches. Strongmen such as Ren Bi, Wu Huo, Meng Yue and others all became high-ranking officials due to this."

  According to Chu Mengmeng, Qin Wu Wang was the son of Qin Hui Wang and Queen Hui Wen. He was also the half-brother of Qin Zhao Wang. Qin Wu Wang was brave and decisive, and had a strong interest in military life from a young age. The generals admired his courage and boldness. King Hui of Qin was both surprised and delighted that his young son could become an idol in the army at such a young age.

  King Hui of Qin was already a father at the age of twelve or thirteen, with many children, but none were as exceptional as Ying Zheng. When Ying Zheng was born, King Hui of Qin was fully committed to conquering the Central Plains. When naming Ying Zheng, King Hui had high hopes for him to dominate the Central Plains and conquer the world.

  When Ying Zheng ascended to the throne, Chen Zhuang, the governor of Shu County, rebelled. The surrounding states were not well-intentioned either. However, they were all pacified by the young Ying Zheng through various means, so that Qin did not consume too much strength during the transition of monarchs.

  Later, King Wuling of Zhao wanted to launch a campaign against the outside world. He said to his two chancellors, Zhongli Jixia and Gan Mao: "I was born in the western Rong region and have never been to the Zhou capital Luoyang. I do not know how prosperous the Central Plains are. I yearn for the day when I can ride a chariot into the royal domain of the Zhou king, tour around, and personally see the sacred vessels, the Nine Cauldrons. If I can fulfill my wish, I will die contentedly. Which one of you two can help me conquer Yiyang and advance into the Central Plains?"

  Zhu Li replied: "Korea is a strong city with strong soldiers, and the road is far and treacherous. If Wei and Zhao send troops to rescue Yiyang, the Qin army will be isolated in a deep and dangerous terrain. Once they lose, the consequences are unthinkable."

  Qin Wu Wang was very unhappy after hearing this. At that time, Gan Mao said that the advantages of attacking Han's Yi Yang outweighed the disadvantages, and Qin Wu Wang immediately adopted Gan Mao's strategy. Gan Mao was the grandfather of Gan Luo, who was a 12-year-old cowherd appointed as a high-ranking official by the King of Qin.

  But Gan Mao was worried that he would lead his troops on a distant expedition, and Qin Wu Wang listened to the advice of Xiangli Ji, which was also advocated by Ying Ji, to retreat. Afraid of losing all their gains, the monarch and his ministers signed a treaty in Xi'e.

  Then with Gan Mao as the general, he led an army of 50,000 to attack Yiyang. Gan Mao attacked Yiyang for five months without success. At this time, the Right Chancellor, Chu Li Ji, said to King Wu: "The Qin army has been attacking Yiyang City for five months and is exhausted. If we continue, I'm afraid the situation will change, it's better to withdraw the troops."

  King Wu heard this and sent someone to summon Gan Mao to withdraw his troops and return to the capital. Gan Mao wrote a letter, letting the messenger bring it to King Wu. King Wu opened the letter and saw that there were only two characters: "息壤". Suddenly he was greatly enlightened.

  Then dispatched 50,000 relief troops, ordered Wu Huo to lead them to assist Gan Mo. Gan Mo received reinforcements and his military strength greatly increased. He then made Wu Huo the vanguard, drove back the Korean relief troops, captured the isolated city of Yiyang, and killed 70,000 Korean soldiers. Korea was severely damaged and hastily sought peace with Qin.

  After capturing Yiyang, facing the majestic Qin army, the Zhou royal house did not dare to resist. Wangzi Hei led his men straight to the Temple of Zhou, where the ancestral temple was located, and the nine tripod cauldrons were placed here.

  Nine tripods weighed a thousand jun, Qin Wu Wang asked the bodyguards who could lift it up. Ren Bi said he could only lift things weighing 100 jun, but Meng Ban wanted to try, and he lifted it up, just above his knee, then went soft.

  Qin Wu Wang also wanted to try, thinking he was more powerful than Meng Ban. To prove that he was more powerful than Meng Ban, simply lifting the tripod would not do, and he had to move two steps. Despite humble advice, Qin Wu Wang insisted on lifting the tripod.

  As a result, Qin Wu Wang lifted it up, but when he took a step, the weight of the tripod was borne by one leg, and the consequences were predictable. The tripod fell down, crushing Qin Wu Wang's left leg into fragments.

  That night, Qin Wu Wang died of exhaustion. Before his death, he murmured to himself in a daze: "I finally saw the nine tripods, my wish has been fulfilled. Although I'm dead, I have no regrets!"

  After Qin Wu Wang was buried, Zhuo Li pursued the responsibility, Meng Ben was divided into five horses and his clan was exterminated; rewarding Ren Bi for his ability to advise, he was promoted to Han Zhong Taishou; pursuing Gan Mao's crime of inciting Wu Wang to enter Zhou to observe the tripod. Gan Mao heard the news, feared punishment and escaped to Wei State, until death did not dare return to Qin.

  And this matter also became a laughing stock for the Qin state. You, King Wu of Qin, are a good ruler but instead of ruling, you want to compete with a strongman in strength. Should I say that you, King Wu of Qin, are simple and good or should I say that you are naive?

  Not only did Qin State take it as a shame, but other states also used the example of Qin Wu Wang to warn their descendants.

  Then, Qin Wu Wang Ying Dang was revived before other Qin kings! Because he wanted to give himself a good name and wash away the stains on his body!