bestfiction Chapter 587 The Campaign Against Wei 8
Chapter 587 The Campaign Against Wei 8
What King Jian of Qi was unaware of was that at that moment in Xianyang, Ying Wuyou was planning the future of the State of Qi.
Ying Wuyou sat alone in his study, discussing with the system in his mind: [Qi's ruler, Hou Sheng, is greedy and avaricious. He can be heavily bribed to whisper in the ear of the King of Qi, praising Qin's invincibility and the benefits of cooperation.]
The system's fluffy cat head nodded repeatedly: [Host is wise, but...shouldn't we deal with the Yan Kingdom sooner rather than later?]
Ying Wuyou responded: "The Yan state is already on its last legs. King Xi of Yan fled to Liaodong, leaving only a remnant of his army. There's no need to concern ourselves with it; we can deal with it after the situation in Wei is settled."
Xiangping City (present-day Liaoyang), Liaodong, Yan State.
This was the last refuge of King Xi of Yan. The former capital of Yan, Ji, had fallen into the hands of Qin, and most of Yan's territory had been lost, leaving only the harsh land of Liaodong.
The royal palace—if it could still be called a royal palace—was merely a slightly larger mansion. King Xi of Yan sat in the simple main hall, a copy of the *Da Qin Xin Bao* (New Report of the Great Qin) spread out before him. It had been brought by a merchant who had risked crossing the Qin army's defenses.
"The unification of the world...a blessing for all people..." King Xi of Yan murmured, then suddenly burst into laughter, a shrill laugh, "What a blessing for all people! Where is the blessing for the people of my Yan Kingdom? When Ji City fell, tens of thousands died and were injured! My son, Crown Prince Dan, was forced to commit suicide! Is this the blessing the Qin people have given us?"
Your Highness, the few remaining ministers knelt on the ground, none daring to speak.
After laughing, the King of Yan slumped down, saying, "So be it... Yan is gone, saying anything is pointless. But..." A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, "The Qin want Liaodong? Not so easy! Issue orders to hasten the construction of defenses and recruit Hu people as soldiers. Even if we die, we will make the Qin pay the price!"
"Your Majesty!" the old minister Ju Wu cried, "Liaodong is bitterly cold, vast and sparsely populated. How can we resist the Qin army? Perhaps... perhaps we should send envoys to sue for peace, maybe..."
"A plea for peace?" King Xi of Yan sneered. "Ju Wu, you're old and senile. Do you think the Qin people will accept a plea for peace? They want the whole world! Liaodong may be bitterly cold, but it has the natural defenses of the Liao River and the protection of the mountains and forests. As long as we can hold out until winter, the Qin army will surely retreat!"
Ju Wu wanted to persuade him further, but seeing the resolute look in Yan Wang Xi's eyes, he knew that further words would be of no use, so he could only kowtow and retreat.
Stepping out of the palace, the biting wind chilled him to the bone. Ju Wu gazed southward, towards his homeland, a place he could never return to. He thought of Prince Dan, of Jing Ke, of the warriors who died fighting against Qin...
"The unification of the world..." he murmured, "Perhaps... it really is the inevitable trend of the times."
In Xianyang, at the Princess's residence, Ying Wuyou was listening to reports from various parties.
"The economy of Wei is on the verge of collapse," Tian Guang reported in a secret report. "Grain prices have skyrocketed eightfold, salt prices tenfold, and the supply of ironware has been completely cut off. Yesterday, three riots broke out in Daliang City, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries."
“The debate at the Jixia Academy in Qi is intense,” Sun Yi added, “but Chancellor Hou Sheng has shown signs of softening his stance. His subordinates have already sent people to make contact, and arrangements are being made for a large bribe.”
Ying Wuyou nodded and then asked, "How is the situation on the other side, where Crown Prince Wei is?"
Zhou Xun replied, "According to Zhang Cang, Crown Prince Wei has been quiet and reserved lately, but he has been studying even harder. He is particularly diligent in geography and water conservancy subjects. Yesterday, he even consulted the scholar about water conservancy issues around Daliang..."
A look of satisfaction flashed in Ying Wuyou's eyes: "Very good. The seed has been sown, now we just have to see when it will sprout."
She walked to the window and looked southeast. The twelfth lunar month was drawing to a close, and the New Year was approaching. And this New Year was destined to be extraordinary.
"Issue the order," she turned around, her voice clear, "print an additional 100,000 copies of the *Da Qin Xin Bao* and send them to all parts of Wei through all channels. I want every Wei citizen to see that article."
"At the same time, allow border merchants to continue purchasing Wei grain at high prices. The price can be increased by another 30%."
“And,” she paused, “inform General Han Xin that we can begin…moving forward.”
The crowd bowed in agreement.
On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, at the Library of Daqin Academy.
Crown Prince Wei sat alone under the lamp, the world map that kept him awake at night spread out before him. The candlelight flickered, casting shimmering shadows on the enormous map. His finger traced a path from Xianyang eastward across the Central Plains, stopping at the small dot of Daliang, then continuing eastward, crossing the vast East China Sea, to the land marked "Fusang Islands."
“Baka Island…” he murmured the name. The other day in geography class, the professor had explained the island in detail: it was rich in gold and silver, had hot springs, and its inhabitants were called “Wa people.” Qin general Li Xin had already led his army ashore, established a stronghold, and started mining gold. What shocked him even more was that the youngest son of the Qin king, Huhai, had been sent to the island for training—this wasn't exile, but rather cultivation, nurturing a child's vision and ability to explore the seas.
“Looking at the State of Wei…” Crown Prince Ji smiled bitterly. His father and his ministers were still arguing endlessly over the six cities, still practicing alchemy and seeking immortality, and still clinging to the old dream of “extending the dynasty.”
He recalled the secret letter he had received a few days earlier from a former Wei official. The letter stated that grain prices in Daliang had risen to eight times their usual level, and salt prices to ten times; the people had begun digging up grass roots and peeling tree bark. The old official pleaded at the end of the letter: "The Crown Prince is in Qin and should know the Qin people's movements. If Qin truly intends to attack Wei, could you... mediate on my behalf? I only beg that the ancestral sacrifices of Wei be preserved, and the ancestral temples protected..."
To mediate on their behalf? The Crown Prince smiled bitterly to himself. What could he possibly offer? Qin wanted the entire world, not just negotiations or compromises. In his two years in Xianyang, he had seen it all clearly: Qin's ambitions had long since extended beyond the Central Plains. They wanted to build giant ships to explore the four seas, establish academies to cultivate talent, and construct roads to connect the nine provinces… This was a rising new civilization, while Wei was merely a remnant of the old era.
"You can't talk about the sea with a frog in a well, and you can't talk about ice with a summer insect..." He murmured this sentence, which was a quote from Zhuangzi that Zhang Cang had cited when they discussed the Dao the day before.
Yes, he was like that frog in the well, that summer insect. In Daliang, he thought the world was just a contest between seven states; after arriving in Xianyang, he realized how vast the world truly was. And what's even more frightening is that the Qin people not only knew the world was vast, but they were also actively exploring it.
He spread out Qin paper and picked up the improved Qin brush—a brush that wrote smoothly, far superior to the writing brushes used in Wei. The ink was top-quality pine soot ink, and the paper was pure white Qin paper; these were all results of Qin's "investigation of things for practical use." In contrast, in Wei, the nobles were still using cumbersome bamboo slips and pursuing the illusory art of alchemy...
As he began his letter, he wrote: "Your Majesty, I, your son, in Xianyang, inquire after your well-being and happiness in the New Year..."
At first, he wrote slowly, carefully choosing his words. But gradually, his writing flowed freely, and the experiences, thoughts, shocks, and pain that had been building up in his heart for two years poured out like a flood.
He described the prosperity of Xianyang: "...The East Market is lined with shops, goods piled up like mountains; the streets are all paved with cement, so they are neither muddy in the rain nor dusty in the sun; there are thousands of students in the academy, studying not only classics and history, but also physics, mathematics, law, agriculture and industry... Your son is here, gaining something by day and pondering something by night..."