"Hahaha, Jimo has fallen! Half of the credit for the destruction of the country is mine!" Wang Tian rode his horse with his trusted generals and headed towards the city of Jimo.
At this moment, Jimo City was breached, and soldiers poured into the city like a tidal wave, chasing and killing the remaining Qi troops everywhere. Everywhere one looked, there were small pools of blood and corpses.
"General, we took the six cities of Jiaodong without losing a single soldier. Only Jimo required fighting, but even with some casualties, there won't be too many. The Grand Commandant will surely be extremely satisfied!" A lieutenant laughed heartily, his face full of excitement.
They trusted Wang Tian and followed him into the Qin army. Now, Wang Tian is highly regarded by the Grand Commandant and has earned this merit as a pledge of loyalty. His future prospects in the Qin officialdom are limitless.
When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
These old brothers naturally benefited immensely as well!
Upon hearing this, Wang Tian's lips curled into a smug smile. He knew better than anyone what this resounding victory meant for his future path.
“Yes, the successful capture of the six cities in Jiaodong, coupled with the conquest of Jimo, is enough to impress the King of Qin,” Wang Tian said in a deep voice, his gaze firm. “But we cannot be careless. The next steps of governance and pacification are of paramount importance. We must show the King of Qin and the Grand Commandant that we can not only conquer cities and seize territories, but also stabilize our rear.”
He turned to his lieutenants and said, "You must immediately set about stabilizing the city, calming the people, and thoroughly investigating whether any remaining rebels or hardened criminals are hiding within the city. We must not allow a moment's negligence to cast a shadow over our victory."
The lieutenants nodded in agreement, naturally understanding the seriousness of Wang Tian's words, and each of them turned and left with a solemn expression.
As time went by, the bloody atmosphere in Jimo City seemed to gradually fade away, and the noisy fighting gradually subsided.
The Qin soldiers began to clean up the battlefield, and some were mobilized by their lieutenants to patrol and defend the city, searching for any remaining Qi troops.
Several lieutenants led their soldiers through the streets and alleys to reassure the city's fearful inhabitants and prevent them from causing trouble due to excessive fear.
Thanks to their efforts, Jimo City gradually returned to peace. As night fell, smoke rose from every household, just as it always had, as if the fighting in the city had never happened.
Wang Tian had also finished compiling the military report and sent a scout on horseback to Linzi to deliver it to the wicked man for his perusal.
......
"A great victory!!"
"The Grand Commandant led his army to conquer the capital of Qi, and Qi was destroyed. Now, Qin has destroyed another country!"
As soon as the scout entered the city, he roared excitedly. He had already learned from the scouts who had delivered the military report of the great victory that he would be surrounded and cheered by the people.
Unexpectedly, after he shouted a few times, many people stopped to watch, but the scene was unusually calm, a far cry from what his predecessors had described.
"What's going on?!" The scout was dumbfounded. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked almost unconsciously, "Folks, this is the destruction of a country, why aren't you excited at all?"
Upon hearing this, an old man laughed and said, "Young man, is it so strange that the Grand Commandant destroyed the State of Qi?"
“Exactly!” an older woman chimed in with a laugh. “We’re not new to living in Xianyang. Whenever the Grand Commandant leads his troops out, who can escape?”
"Destroying a country...isn't that a piece of cake for the Grand Commandant?"
The words of the people on the road made the scout want to cry. He thought he could have a grand welcome and show off, but he didn't expect that the people had already taken it for granted.
However, he thought again that even they, the soldiers, believed that the Grand Commandant's departure from the city was a foregone conclusion. Whether it was Yan, Qi, Zhao, or Chu, who could escape?
"Alright, let's hurry to the palace to see the king!" The scout put aside his distracting thoughts and lashed his horse's rump with his whip. The warhorse, in pain, accelerated wildly.
At this time, the morning court session was being held in Zhangtai Palace.
The imperial guards, accompanied by scouts, swiftly arrived at Zhangtai Palace, interrupting Ying Zheng's discussion with his officials.
"Your Majesty, a great victory! The Grand Commandant has led his army to capture Linzi City, and our Qin state has destroyed another country!" The scout knelt on one knee, holding the bamboo slips on which the wicked man had recorded the victory report.
Zhao Gao quickly stepped down from the platform, took the bamboo slips, and returned to the platform to personally hand them to Ying Zheng.
Ying Zheng opened it and was overjoyed. He laughed loudly, "This lad is really something! He only went there for a marriage alliance and yet he managed to poach a talent for my Qin state..."
The ministers below craned their necks to look, as if their gazes could bend and land directly on the bamboo slips.
Ying Zheng looked up at them and saw them scratching their heads in frustration. He couldn't help but smile. "Zhao Gao, read it to the ministers."
Zhao Gao quickly took the document, cleared his throat, and said, "Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, have reported that I have led my troops to the capital of Qi, Linzi, and King Tian Jian of Qi has opened the city gates and surrendered."
"In this battle, our army suffered fewer than three thousand casualties, including General Wang Jian..."
"Wang Tian, a general from the State of Qi who surrendered..."
The battle report was written in great detail, especially highlighting the achievements of Wang Jian and Wang Tian in this battle, and listing in detail how they cleverly exploited the enemy's weaknesses and successfully captured Linzi, the capital of Qi.
The evil man specifically mentioned that Wang Tian performed exceptionally well in the battle. He was not only the first to arrive at the city of Linzi, but also brave and resourceful, and adept at calming the people's hearts. He was a key figure in this battle.
After Zhao Gao finished reading, Ying Zheng smiled slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, and said softly, "The Grand Commandant has good judgment."
"In this conquest of Qi, I value Wang Tian's military talent more than his skillful methods in calming the emotions of the people in the city. A general must not only have strong military power, but also wisdom in governance in order to be called a commander."
The officials below nodded in agreement. Wang Wan then gestured to Ying Zheng, "Your Majesty, the Grand Commandant has won a great victory this time. The contributions of Wang Tian and Wang Jian cannot be ignored. Are you prepared to reward them?"
Ying Zheng smiled calmly and said, "Rewards are certainly necessary. Since the Grand Commandant has not yet returned, we will reward him after we have conquered Yan and returned in triumph!"
Only then did everyone remember that there was still the State of Yan waiting to be attacked!
The ministers bowed their heads and responded, "Your Majesty's insight is brilliant!"
Ying Zheng turned his gaze to Feng Jie, who was bowing his head, and asked, "The Grand Commandant wants you to go to Qi to take charge. What do you think?"
Feng Jie raised his head, his expression calm, clearly prepared for Ying Zheng's question. He took a deep breath and slowly replied, "Your Majesty, if the Grand Commandant orders me to go to Qi to take charge, I will certainly live up to the trust placed in me and do my utmost."
Before he could finish speaking, Ying Zheng nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "Have you thought this through? The Grand Commandant wants you to eradicate deep-seated problems, which will inevitably be accompanied by bloodshed. I remember that you are usually very fond of Confucian classics!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Jie replied without hesitation: "Since I dared to accept this task, I have no fear of any storms. Moreover, it is precisely because I am so devoted to the classics of the sages that I cannot allow them to become tools for gaining fame and fortune, nor can I allow others to abuse and arbitrarily alter the classics to deceive and mislead the world."
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