"Let's go!"
Zhao Cha flicked his sleeves, turned around and walked out with several personal guards, completely ignoring Bai Wuni and the Kucha officials present.
His back was tall and straight, without the slightest hint of faltering or staggering.
No one saw that Zhao Cha's face was full of anticipation, and he even slowed his steps extremely slowly, as if he were a gambling saint making his entrance, just waiting for Bai Wuni behind him to give an order so that the guards would come forward and kill him with a flurry of blows.
Unexpectedly, even after he reached the door, there was no sound from behind him.
"Bastard, damn bastard! The General was right, he really is a turtle shell, so patient!" Zhao Cha cursed inwardly, and when one plan failed, he came up with another.
Bai Wuni's silence was tantamount to cutting off Zhao Cha's source of income; how could he possibly be willing to do that?
Zhao Cha paused, turned around abruptly, and said in a calm and composed tone, "Bai Wuni, my Qin state rose from humble beginnings. The old Qin people of that time never lost their fighting spirit. Even if they were carrying wooden sticks, they dared to fight against foreign tribes."
"Your forbearance and concession are truly worthy of respect!"
His words carried a hint of an ambiguous attitude, which made Bai Wuni's eyes suddenly light up, thinking that Zhao Cha had just been testing him.
"Envoy, I have suffered too much as a king..." Bai Wuni said with a worried expression and his words were very sincere.
The past few days had left him exhausted, and he was starting to really not want to be the king anymore.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Cha raised an eyebrow, his eyes burning with fervor, and roared, "I was born a Qin citizen, and I will die a Qin soul. I will be a loyal subject of Qin."
"You're actually willing to give up the throne to me just to win me over?!"
As he spoke, Zhao Cha reached out and drew the sword from the guard beside him. “My loyalty to Qin and to the King is as clear as day and night. How can I tolerate your filth, Bai Wuni?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he tried to draw his sword and commit suicide.
Unexpectedly, the deafening sound of horses' hooves and the roar of battle erupted outside.
"Report—!"
"It's terrible, Your Majesty! The Qin army has invaded and has already stormed into the royal court!" A Kucha soldier staggered over, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Seeing this, Zhao Cha loosened his grip a bit. The sharp sword would have severed his head directly, but now it only cut open the flesh, leaving a lot of bright red blood, perfectly avoiding the fatal point.
"Those who dare harm my Qin envoys will be left with nothing but barren land!"
"Kucha must be destroyed!"
At this moment, a loud roar came from the source, making everyone in the hall turn green, including Zhao Cha, who was pretending to be dead on the ground.
He's not dead yet!
That's a bit embarrassing.
Although Bai Wuni and the others were shocked by the Qin army's invasion, they watched Zhao Cha draw his sword and commit suicide. How could they say he 'harmed' them?
Zhao Cha inwardly cursed Huan Yi and the others for acting unpredictably, arbitrarily changing the agreement, and cutting off his source of income.
He intended to prove his innocence by dying and make Bai Wuni take the blame, but he didn't expect that Bai Wuni would interfere and ruin his entire plan.
He lay in the guard's arms, his eyes darting around as he plotted how to take advantage of the unexpected situation.
"It's better to live a miserable life than to die. Quickly stop my bleeding, and later we'll say I was chopped down by Bai Wuni!" Zhao Cha whispered to the guard as he fell into his arms.
The courtiers of Kucha were in chaos; some were panicked, while others whispered among themselves, unsure of what to do.
Bai Wuni was pale. Although he was surprised by Zhao Cha's sudden move, he was more worried about the Qin army's surprise attack. He knew that once the Qin army breached the royal court, Kucha would be in grave danger.
At this moment, a minister stood up and angrily proposed: "Your Majesty, the Qin army is invading. We should immediately organize a counterattack to protect the royal court."
"The Qin state has provoked us time and again. Now that things have come to this, why not fight them to the death?"
With repeated provocations, even though they didn't want to offend the Qin state, they had no choice but to fight back, otherwise Kucha would be destroyed.
Bai Wuni looked at Zhao Cha, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He understood that the minister's suggestion was the only way out at present.
So he nodded and ordered all capable soldiers to be gathered to prepare for battle against the Qin army.
Zhao Cha's lips curled up slightly. He knew he had successfully turned the tide. Now, all he had to do was ensure his survival in this chaos and wait for Huan Yi to conquer the Kucha royal court.
"It's a real pity he didn't die, but now... I wonder if the King and the Grand Commandant will still keep their promises?" Even at this moment, Zhao Cha was still concerned about his benefits.
Bai Wuni got up and led his ministers outside, not even bothering to glance at Zhao Cha. This kid was just a pawn sent to his death to cause trouble.
Under Bai Wuni's orders, the courtiers of Kucha began to busy themselves, some gathering soldiers and others dispersing the people. The entire royal court was in a tense but orderly state of preparation for war.
Zhao Cha was carefully carried to a safe place by the guards. He closed his eyes, pretending to be unconscious, but in reality, he was secretly observing everything around him.
At the entrance to the royal court, the two armies were locked in fierce combat.
The Qin army's offensive was exceptionally swift. Although the soldiers of Kucha fought back fiercely, they were clearly at a disadvantage and were forced into a series of defeats.
Huan Yi was stationed in the central army, while Zhang Han and the other two were at the forefront, their faces showing anxiety.
They couldn't bear to see Zhao Cha die in Kucha, so after a brief discussion, they decided to act ahead of time and forcefully pin a label on them.
Anyway, Kucha has already been destroyed, so no matter what Zhao Cha says, there's no way to verify its truth or falsehood, and it might even save his life.
Although the soldiers of Kucha were brave, they gradually became overwhelmed by the fierce offensive of the Qin army.
The Qin army's iron hooves trampled the land of Kucha, and every neigh of a warhorse heralded the imminent doom of Kucha.
Bai Wuni stood on the high ground of the royal court, looking down at the battle below, his heart filled with helplessness and despair.
He knew that the outcome of this war was already predetermined, and the defeat of Kucha was only a matter of time.
He turned to look at Zhao Cha, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, a mixture of resentment towards Zhao Cha and uncertainty about the future.
Zhao Cha's plan seemed to be on the verge of success. He only needed to wait for the Qin army's victory, and then return to Qin safely as a Qin envoy.
But what should Kucha do now?
Even now, he still doesn't know why the Qin state is doing this. They are just a small tribe located in a remote area, so how could they attract such a large-scale mobilization from the Qin state?
Perhaps sensing Bai Wuni's gaze, Zhao Cha slowly opened his eyes, met his gaze, and made no attempt to hide his mockery.
Be lenient with yourself, but strict with others!
"It's strange...it can only be blamed on the fact that Kucha's geographical location is just too good."
It must be said that Huan Yi had a very keen eye. The place he chose was located in the very center of the Western Regions, connecting all four directions, making it the most suitable place for a distribution market.
At this moment, a Qin cavalry force broke through layers of blockade and rushed into the heart of the royal court.
The leader was none other than Zhang Han!
He glanced up and saw Zhao Cha lying on the ground covered in blood, and his eyes immediately turned red.
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