Handan City, Royal Palace.

"Report! Mingzhou City has surrendered without a fight! Zheng Ping has led his entire army to surrender to the Qin army!"

"Report! Wang Li's army has captured Jingxing and is advancing towards Handan!"

"Report! The Qin army of 50,000 has joined forces with King Li, and the three armies are about to arrive at the city walls!"

A series of bad news turned King Zhao Yan's face ashen.

Inside the main hall, the assembled officials were all silent, trembling with fear, with only the sound of hurried footsteps echoing through the air.

"These Qin dogs have gone too far!" King Yan of Zhao smashed his teacup to pieces. "My Zhao state has already paid its tribute on time, why do they still want to exterminate us?!"

The hall was completely silent.

Everyone knows that the Qin army came with the intention of destroying the state.

"Your Majesty," an old minister stepped forward tremblingly, "I have heard that the Qin army has brought a type of firearm never seen before. It was this firearm that breached the walls of Gaoyang, shattering them to pieces..."

"Shut up!" King Zhao Yan roared in fury. "What firearms? Could it be... that thing really is sorcery?!"

Before the words were finished, another messenger rushed into the hall: "Your Majesty, scouts at the front report that the Qin army's firearms are extremely terrifying. A single explosion can wipe out a large area, and the flames are so intense that even water cannot extinguish them. Three cities have already been razed to the ground by these firearms..."

King Zhao Yan turned pale and slumped onto the dragon throne.

"My esteemed ministers, what should we do?" His voice trembled. "Can Handan still be defended?"

The assembled officials looked at each other, none daring to speak rashly. After a long while, an elderly minister, dragging his ailing body, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I dare to offer this suggestion," said Han Ming, a veteran general of Zhao. "Since the Qin army possesses such formidable weapons, perhaps we should temporarily avoid their advance. Why doesn't Your Majesty temporarily evacuate Handan and seek refuge in Daicheng?"

"Seek refuge?" King Yan of Zhao's face grew even more grim. "Does he expect me to abandon the capital and become a ruler of a fallen kingdom?"

"Your Majesty!" Another general stepped forward, "This humble general is willing to lead all troops to defend Handan to the death. If we can hold out for a while, perhaps we can retreat once their gunpowder is exhausted..."

"A pipe dream!" Han Ming interrupted sharply. "Do you think Qin is unprepared? They dare to launch such a large-scale attack because they have ample confidence and a sufficient supply of gunpowder. Besides, Mingzhou and Jingxing have already fallen; how are they going to defend Handan?!"

In the midst of the argument, a commotion suddenly came from outside the palace. Although the sound was far away, it was still clearly audible.

Zhao Yan immediately sent someone to investigate, and soon the guard returned quickly to report.

It turned out that the people in the city had heard that the Qin army was about to arrive, and they were all packing their valuables to escape. Many wealthy families had already begun to secretly move out of the city.

"Chaos! Utter chaos!" A minister stamped his feet in desperation. "If Your Majesty doesn't make a decision soon, even the people will flee!"

King Zhao Yan looked at his ministers, completely bewildered, when suddenly he remembered something: "Right, where's Meng Dai? Let him tell us just how powerful the Qin army's firearms really are!"

"Your Majesty..." a minor official said in a trembling voice, "General Meng Dai has been terrified ever since the defeat at Gaoyang City. He is currently bedridden with a high fever, saying he was frightened..."

These words shocked the entire hall.

Meng Dai was a famous general of the Zhao state, yet he was so frightened that he fell ill? How terrifying must the Qin army's firearms have been?

"Guards!" King Yan of Zhao gritted his teeth and said, "Immediately arrest Zheng Ping's entire family! Since he dared to surrender to the Qin army, let his whole family be buried with the Zhao state!"

"Your Majesty!" Han Ming hurriedly stopped him, "The army's morale is already in chaos. If you continue with your killing spree, I fear we won't even be able to defend the city!"

"This won't work, that won't work, are you suggesting I open the city gates and lead you out to surrender?" Zhao Yan's eyes were bloodshot.

The thought of becoming a prisoner of Ying Zheng filled him with a thousandfold resentment; he would rather die!

Just then, another scout rushed in: "Report! The Qin army has already set up camp outside the city and seems to be deploying some kind of weaponry. General Wang Li boasted that he wants us to see their latest improved gunpowder..."

Not only King Zhao, but all the civil and military officials present turned pale. "Why did they arrive so quickly...? So many cities have already been breached?"

Before Handan, there were still nine cities blocking the way. If the Qin army wanted to come to Handan, they would have to break through the city first. And the fact that they could arrive so quickly... their firearms must have been extremely powerful. How could Handan be defended?

"Your Majesty!" Han Ming knelt on the ground, "Please make a swift decision! If this drags on any longer, I fear the entire Zhao Kingdom will perish in flames!"

King Zhao Yan trembled all over, looking at the terrified ministers in the hall, and was speechless for a moment. Although he was the ruler of a country, he was also terrified by this unprecedented weapon.

......

As night deepened, the city of Handan was brightly lit.

The once bustling streets were in chaos, filled with people preparing to flee for their lives. The wealthy and powerful were secretly transporting their valuables out of the city, while the poor huddled at the city gate with their belongings, waiting to escape at dawn.

On the city wall, the guards patrolled while gazing at the Qin army's camp in the distance, their hearts filled with fear. They had all heard of those terrifying firearms and knew that this time, they were likely doomed.

"Alas, it's over, it's really over..." an old soldier sighed. "The Qin army has captured all the cities of our Zhao state, and now they're at our gates. I'm afraid Handan can't be defended."

"Indeed!" another soldier chimed in. "You haven't seen how powerful that gunpowder is. It's said that even General Zheng Ping was so frightened he surrendered, saying he'd never seen such a terrifying weapon."

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" someone quickly stopped them. "Don't let the adults inside hear us. I think we should run away quickly, or we'll all be roasted meat when the Qin army throws their gunpowder!"

This pessimism spread throughout Handan. Not only ordinary people, but even the army was filled with apprehension. Many soldiers had already sneaked away at night, fearing they would be killed by the Qin army's gunpowder.

...

The next morning, King Yan of Zhao convened another court assembly. Looking at his haggard face, the courtiers knew he had likely not slept well that night.

"Gentlemen..." King Yan of Zhao began weakly, "In your opinion, what decision should I make?"

Han Ming replied without hesitation, "Your Majesty, please evacuate Handan immediately! The Qin army's firearms are too powerful; this city cannot be defended. Let us preserve our lives and plan our comeback later!"

"But..." King Yan of Zhao was still hesitating.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from outside the city!

The guards rushed into the hall to report that the Qin army was testing new gunpowder. The noise and the flashes of light were so loud that they startled the entire city of Handan.

"It's over!" King Zhao Yan's face was ashen. "Is this their new firearms? How can we defend the city like this?"

"Your Majesty!" Han Ming cried out, his voice trembling with tears, "Make a decision quickly! If we don't leave now, we won't even have a chance to escape!"

Finally, King Yan of Zhao made up his mind: "Send down the order to pack our valuables and break out of the encirclement tonight!"