"Your Majesty, the King of Chu's reply has arrived."

In the Qin army camp, Ying Zheng was examining a map when he heard this and looked up: "Read it!"

Wang Ben unfolded the letter and read aloud: "The King of Chu said: I have inherited the legacy of my ancestors and have been the leader of the feudal lords for generations. Although Qin is powerful now, Chu has vast territory and a strong army. How can we easily submit?"

"If the King of Qin insists on marching south, I have no choice but to mobilize the entire nation to fight him, to the death!"

"Ha!" Ying Zheng sneered, "He certainly has guts."

"Your Majesty," Wang Jian stepped forward and said, "this letter from the King of Chu is likely a bluff. In my humble opinion, they are already at their last gasp."

"I know," Ying Zheng nodded. "They simply wanted to buy time to regroup their forces. Unfortunately..."

His gaze turned south: "Since I am personally leading the army, I have no intention of giving them a chance to regroup! Issue the order: the entire army shall march!"

"promise!"

Three hundred thousand Qin troops marched south in a mighty force.

Upon learning of the annihilation of the main force of the Chu army, many cities surrendered without resistance.

At this time, Yingdu presented a completely different scene.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!" A general rushed into the palace. "News has come from three commanderies at the same time, saying they intend to surrender to the Qin state!"

"What!" Xiong Qiteng stood up abruptly. "These traitors!"

Since the Battle of Xiaoshan, the morale of the Chu army has wavered.

The local commanders sought ways to retreat, some openly surrendering to Qin, while others secretly observed the situation.

In just a few days, more than ten cities defected.

"Your Majesty!" Zhen Xiong said worriedly, "Now is not the time to lose your temper. The morale of the army is wavering; if handled improperly, things could get much worse!"

"Then, in your opinion, what should be done?"

"In my humble opinion..." Zhen Xiong said cautiously, "we should first appease the troops. Reward those who deserve it, and punish those who deserve it. At least we must stabilize the remaining soldiers."

Just then, another scout came running: "Report! Urgent report from the north! The Qin army has crossed the Xiaoshan Mountains and is advancing south in three routes!"

"What? So fast?" Xiong Qi's expression changed drastically. "They...they don't they need to rest?"

"Your Majesty, the Qin army has a clear division of labor. The vanguard attacks cities and seizes territories, while the rearguard is responsible for supplying provisions. I've heard..." the scout lowered his voice, "...that the King of Qin is in the central army, personally overseeing the battle!"

These words filled the courtiers in the hall with even greater fear.

The King of Qin is personally leading the expedition; this is a recipe for national annihilation!

"Quickly!" Xiong Qi ordered urgently, "Bring me the troop deployments from all regions!"

Soon someone presented a map of the military forces' distribution. Xiong Qi examined it carefully, growing increasingly alarmed as he looked, and his face visibly paled.

After the defeat at Xiaoshan, the main force of the Chu army was almost wiped out, and now there are very few troops left that can be mobilized.

"This..." His fingers trembled, "How can such a small force withstand the Qin army?"

"Your Majesty, do not panic!" A young general stepped forward. "This humble general is willing to quickly conscript able-bodied men into the army, then lead troops out of the city to fight the Qin army to the death!"

"No!" Zhen Xiong hurriedly stopped him. "To go out and fight now is tantamount to suicide! In my opinion, we should keep the city gates closed and defend Yingdu to the death. If the Qin army fails to capture it after a long siege, they will naturally give up."

"Defend to the death?" someone objected. "The Qin army has powerful firearms; a city alone can't hold them off. We'd be better off taking advantage of their unstable foothold and launching a preemptive strike..."

In the midst of the argument, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

"Report! Urgent report from Nanjun!"

"Report! Jiangxia is in dire need of help!"

Report! Three more cities in Juyang have surrendered to the Qin army...

One bad news after another arrived, and the court was in chaos. Some advocated surrender, some wanted to fight to the death, and some even suggested abandoning the city and fleeing.

"Enough!" Xiong Qi shouted sternly to stop everyone. "Shut up, all of you!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Xiong Qi surveyed his assembled ministers and said in a deep voice, "My esteemed ministers, you all know the true extent of Chu's resources. Now that the Qin army is pressing in, I ask you, how long can we hold out?"

The words had been spoken for a long time, but unfortunately no one answered.

After a moment, Zhen Xiong stepped forward: "Your Majesty, with our current forces, we can only hold out for a month at most. If the Qin army launches a strong attack with firearms..." He shook his head and did not continue.

Everyone present understood that if the Qin army used gunpowder to attack the city, Yingdu would probably not last more than three days.

"Report!" Another scout rushed in. "The Qin army has captured Dengzhou! They're speeding up the construction of their camps!"

"What?!" everyone exclaimed in shock. "Dengzhou is less than 500 li from Yingdu!"

Xiong Qi slumped on the high platform, at a loss for what to do.

"Your Majesty!" Zhen Xiong said urgently, "Things have come to this point; a decision must be made quickly! If we hesitate any longer, I fear we won't even have the chance to surrender!"

"Surrender?" Xiong Qi smiled bitterly. "I have already replied to the King of Qin, saying that I will fight to the death. To surrender now would only be to invite humiliation."

"Your Majesty!" an old minister stepped forward, "For the sake of the nation, for the foundation of our Chu state, we... must bow our heads when necessary!"

Just then, another scout came to report: "Your Majesty! The Qin army has posted notices in Dengzhou saying that officials and generals who surrender will retain their titles and property!"

These words stirred up even more among the courtiers, and many began to secretly plot to defect to the Qin state.

Seeing the reactions of his ministers, Xiong Qi felt utterly hopeless. He knew that the State of Chu had reached its most critical moment.

"Someone!" he suddenly stood up. "Prepare the horses!"

"Your Majesty, what is this...?"

"I, the King, must go and see for myself!" Xiong Qi's eyes burned with determination. "I want to wander around the city and see just how much loyalty my people of Chu still possess!"

With that, he got up and walked out of the main hall, heading straight for the palace gate.

Arriving outside the palace gates, I mounted my horse and slowly rode through the city. The streets were sparsely populated, and even when I did see a few people, they all had serious expressions and hurried along.

The city was devoid of its former bustling activity, replaced by a desolate and bleak atmosphere.

"Your Majesty..." Zhen Xiong followed, "You'd better make a decision quickly!!"

Xiong Qi remained silent, observing every corner of the city. At that moment, he had already conceived an unexpected idea.

"Pass down the order," he suddenly spoke, "summon all generals for a meeting tonight!"

"Your Majesty desires..."

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!" Xiong Qi said coldly. "I have my own plans."

............

Meanwhile, in the Qin army camp, Ying Zheng was not resting either. He was reviewing various military reports, a satisfied look on his face.

"Pass on my orders," he said to Wang Jian. "Order all troops to proceed according to the original plan. Three days from now, I will surely see the walls of Yingdu!"

"Yes, sir!"

The night wind was biting, carrying with it the sound of war drums.