"Han Fei, let us drink this cup together!"

After introducing the assembled civil and military officials to Han Fei, Ying Zheng pulled Han Fei aside and began drinking heartily, appearing to be in a very good mood.

Han Fei smiled ingratiatingly, raised his cup, and drank the wine in one gulp, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

He had an excellent alcohol tolerance and refused to believe that the young Ying Zheng could outdrink him. After getting him drunk, he would make an excuse to go back and rest, and then find an opportunity to escape Xianyang on the way.

Thinking of this, Han Fei smiled and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty is right. Although Han is my homeland, it cannot allow me to realize my ambitions. The people live in misery, but I can only watch helplessly."

"And what General Evil has proclaimed is indeed of great benefit to the people of the world. Han Fei is willing to contribute to the cause of bringing peace!"

"This cup of wine is Han Fei's toast to Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will give Han Fei the opportunity to serve you in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng was overjoyed. He could tell that Han Fei was indirectly expressing his willingness to submit to the Qin state, so he immediately raised his cup and drank with Han Fei.

They drank until late into the night.

At this moment, Han Fei's eyes were blurry with drunkenness, and he smiled bitterly to himself. He never expected that... in the drinking contest... he wouldn't be able to determine a winner with Ying Zheng.

"Clang..."

Just as he was slightly distracted, Ying Zheng suddenly collapsed onto the table. Zhao Gao, who was serving him, rushed forward to help him up, and the scene became slightly chaotic.

"Your Majesty... would you like some more?" Han Fei's eyes lit up as he tentatively asked.

Little did anyone know, Ying Zheng was already snoring softly, clearly drunk and unconscious.

Zhao Gao ordered his men to carefully lift Ying Zheng up, and then said, "Young Master Han Fei, let's stop here for today. The King is already drunk. The guards will escort you back to your residence to rest later."

Having said that, without waiting for Han Fei to respond, they escorted Ying Zheng away.

In the blink of an eye, only he and a group of officials remained in the vast hall.

"Gentlemen, Han Fei is a little drunk, so I'll go back and rest first." Han Fei glanced around, then cupped his hands in greeting and left as well.

Han Fei followed the palace guards out of Xianyang Palace, boarded the carriage, and prepared to return to his residence. Halfway there, he called the guards who were driving to stop.

"Stop for a second, I need to go to the toilet, I really can't hold it in anymore."

Upon hearing this, the guards didn't take it seriously and immediately stopped the carriage.

Han Fei strolled to a shady spot, pretending to undress, but in reality, he kept observing whether the guards around him were paying attention to him.

Seeing the two guards turn away to avoid danger, he was overjoyed and plunged into the alleyway in the shadows.

When the two guards saw that Han Fei had not moved for a long time, they subconsciously turned their heads to look, only to find that Han Fei was nowhere to be seen.

"Sigh, we still have to run!"

"Let them run, what does it have to do with us... Let's go back first!"

The two guards remained completely unperturbed, chatting and laughing as they drove away in their carriage, showing no intention whatsoever of searching for Han Fei.

Han Fei wandered through the alleys, grabbed a set of clothes from a house, changed into them, and headed towards the remote southern part of the city.

He thought the guards would surely report his escape to Ying Zheng, but since he was drunk and had no royal order, no one dared to search or impose martial law without authorization.

At that time, he could slip away from Xianyang by blending in with the peddlers and servants entering the city before dawn.

Of the four city gates of Xianyang, the South Gate was the first to open, simply because it was the gate through which peddlers, porters, and commoners entered the city, a fact he had already ascertained in advance.

By then, even if Ying Zheng sobers up, the sun will be high in the sky, and the martial law in Xianyang will no longer concern him.

As dawn was breaking.

Xianyang City remained silent, which pleased Han Fei, as everything seemed to be going as he had expected.

Arriving at the south gate, he was delighted to find it bustling with activity.

He mingled in the crowd, waiting in line to leave the city.

Everything seemed unusually calm, just like any other day.

Just as he reached the city gate, only a step away from leaving the city, a confident and domineering voice came from behind him.

"Han Fei, where are you thinking of going?"

Upon hearing the voice, Han Fei's heart skipped a beat. He slowly turned his head and saw Ying Zheng staring intently at him, looking radiant and showing no sign of drunkenness.

......

"Report—!"

"Your Majesty, the Qin army has arrived..."

"Report—!"

"Your Majesty, the Qin army is preparing to attack the city..."

"Report..."

The shouts echoed throughout the hall, causing the expressions of the court officials present to change repeatedly.

The King of Han, sitting on his throne, felt a deep sense of despair; this day had finally come.

The state of Han did not receive aid from the state of Chu, nor did it witness the great victory of Bao Yuan, nor did it receive the royal decree from Ying Zheng brought back by Han Fei.

"Father... what do we do?!" Prince An looked at his father with empty eyes, his heart filled with despair.

Facing imminent disaster, the King of Han appeared somewhat calm. He gave a bitter smile and said, "I have failed my ancestors, allowing the state of Han to be destroyed in my hands."

"Now that things have come to this, you'd better run for your lives!"

"I, the King...determine to coexist with the Kingdom of Han!"

At this point, he suddenly paused, stood up and shouted, "Men, prepare me to be armored and mobilize 100,000 soldiers in the city... to prepare to meet me in battle."

The King of Han's order relieved the courtiers present, who were already planning their escape routes. Only a few old ministers were moved to tears, shouting that they would fight to the death with the King of Han and would never be ministers who would lead a fallen kingdom.

A hint of hesitation flashed in Gongzi An's eyes, but he quickly became resolute. As a prince of Han, he had to fight alongside his father. How could he run away like a stray dog?

The 100,000 soldiers in the city were quickly assembled. Although they were poorly equipped and their morale was low, they stood tall in the face of the approaching Qin army and prepared to fight to the death.

King Han donned his armor, gripped his long sword, and swept his unwavering gaze across the faces of every soldier. He wanted these warriors to know that they were not fighting alone.

"Today, I will fight alongside you!"

"We will never abandon each other, even in the face of death, until the Qin army withdraws... or even if we die on this battlefield!"

A cold, resolute roar echoed in their ears, and the soldiers' morale surged. They roared, "Fight to the death!"

Upon seeing this, the wicked man, with his army at the gates, didn't bother with any words and immediately ordered an attack on the city.

Meanwhile, Han Fei was stopped by Ying Zheng at the city gate. His heart sank; he knew he had nowhere to escape. Ying Zheng's gaze was sharp as he looked at Han Fei, a cold smile playing on his lips: "You think you can escape?"

Han Fei took a deep breath. He knew his fate was beyond redemption, but he still tried to persuade Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, Qin is powerful and Han is weak. Why must we exterminate them?"

Ying Zheng smiled coldly: "The unification of the world is the will of Heaven. How can you, by your own strength, stop it?"

Han Fei remained silent for a moment, then lowered his head helplessly, looking dejected.

Ying Zheng continued, "To tell you the truth, on the very day you arrived, my Qin Commandant also sent word that we had marched on Xinzheng. I suppose we have already captured Xinzheng by now!"

Upon hearing this, Han Fei was struck dumb. He immediately looked up and stared at Ying Zheng in a panic.