Meanwhile, at the Yan Kingdom's palace.
"Your Majesty, an urgent report has come from Qi's spies: the Qin army has captured Linzi, taken King Tian Jian of Qi, and Qi is doomed!" As soon as the morning court session ended, Yan's Prime Minister Li Fu stepped forward and presented this shocking news to the public.
King Xi of Yan's eyes widened, a hint of disbelief flashing in them. "Prime Minister, you say that the State of Qi... is doomed?"
Prime Minister Li Fu looked grave and said in a low voice, "Yes, Your Majesty. The Qin army came with overwhelming force, attacking Qi as if it were empty land. They have reached the gates of Linzi, and King Tian Jian of Qi had no choice but to come out of the city and surrender."
A deathly silence fell over the palace. The ministers looked at each other speechlessly, their faces filled with fear and worry.
King Xi of Yan took a deep breath and tried his best to calm himself down, but the shock in his heart was hard to suppress.
"They...they just formed a marriage alliance with Qi, why...is this happening?" King Xi of Yan asked, his voice trembling slightly.
The states of Yan and Qi have a long-standing feud, with each side having its share of victories and defeats. In terms of strength, the two states are evenly matched. If Qi is so easily destroyed, Yan will surely be unable to resist. How can Yan not be afraid?
One minister said in alarm, "Your Majesty, Qin's ambitions are not limited to this. Now that Qi has fallen, Yan will surely be next."
King Xi of Yan frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked slowly, "Has any news come back from the envoys sent to Qin?"
"Your Majesty, there is still no news." Prime Minister Li Fu frowned and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, you should stop hoping to clear up the misunderstanding. Your wicked husband is hot-tempered, vindictive, and ruthless. He will never let the assassination go unpunished."
“In the past, when the Qin state stationed troops in Ye City and formed a marriage alliance with the Qi state, I asserted that it must have been to use the Qi state as a route to attack Yan.”
"However, no one expected that the Qin state had such grand ambitions. They pretended to appease the Qi state through a marriage alliance, and then turned around and attacked and destroyed the Qi state."
At this point, Li Fu sighed deeply, his voice filled with bitterness, "Now that things have come to this, whether the assassin came from my Yan state or not is no longer important..."
King Xi of Yan turned deathly pale, his last glimmer of hope shattered. He pleaded, "Gentlemen, is there any good plan to break this deadlock?"
Ju Xin, a trusted minister, hurriedly stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, the current situation is critical. The only way is to gather a large army to garrison the border, thereby delaying and resisting the Qin's attack. At the same time, we should send envoys to seek help from Zhao and Chu. Perhaps this can resolve the crisis."
Upon hearing this, Changguo Jun Lejian's eyes suddenly brightened, as if he had remembered something. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember that the State of Chu once sent an envoy to form an alliance with the States of Yan, Zhao, and Qi to jointly resist the State of Qin?"
King Xi of Yan glanced around, then nodded slightly. "Of course I remember. The State of Chu, too, was allied with Qin through marriage, yet they still wanted to form an alliance with Yan... Did they really think we were fools?"
This is truly laughable. The Chu envoy personally visited the Yan state to denounce Qin's tyranny and wickedness and to plead for an alliance with Yan, yet he actually harbored such thoughts.
Unexpectedly, news arrived just a few days later. The King of Chu was overjoyed and agreed to a marriage alliance with Qin. Both countries made grand preparations, and the wicked butcher made numerous promises, which infuriated him so much that he wanted to behead the Chu envoy.
"Your Majesty, do not be anxious!" Lord Changguo said solemnly, "The fate of Qi is still fresh in our minds. How can Chu not be afraid?"
"It is all because of the marriage alliance. Today, Qi is suffering such a misfortune, and in the future, Chu will also be unable to escape it. Now, Zhao has been tormented to the point of death by that wicked husband, and Qi has also perished. If my Yan state suffers another misfortune, Chu will be left isolated and helpless."
"The Qin state will certainly not let go of such a good opportunity. At that time, he will be in a desperate situation with no way out and no one to help him."
This analysis made King Xi of Yan's eyes light up, and he quickly regained some composure and decisiveness. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "What Lord Changguo said is very true. If we can use the strength of the alliance between the two countries, we can get out of the current predicament."
Lord Changguo nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Both in terms of sentiment and reason, our Yan state should remind both countries to avoid being defeated one by one by Qin."
King Xi of Yan pondered for a moment, then continued, "Then let's send envoys to the states of Zhao and Chu to seek a plan for an alliance. But who should we send...?"
Changguo Junyue calmly replied, "I suggest that we send the Grand Master Li Liang to the State of Zhao. He is not only exceptionally intelligent, but also has connections in Zhao. As for the State of Chu, I recommend sending the General Sun Jing."
King Xi of Yan nodded in agreement: "Li Liang and Sun Jing are both pillars of our dynasty. Let's proceed according to Lord Changguo's suggestion!"
Li Liang and Sun Jing immediately stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, we obey your command. We will certainly exert all our strength to facilitate the alliance!"
On that day, Li Liang and Sun Jing embarked on their mission, carrying a letter of sincerity from the State of Yan, which detailed the threat posed by the State of Qin and the necessity of an alliance between Yan and Zhao.
......
One morning more than half a month later, the wicked husband gathered with Wang Jian and Feng Jie.
The wicked man laughed and said, "Feng Jie, the situation has now stabilized. It's time for the General and I to lead our troops to conquer the Yan Kingdom."
"Remember, before I return in triumph, do not presume to eliminate the evils; focus on investigation and gathering information first!"
Without saying anything more, Feng Jie stood up and bowed solemnly, "Feng Jie wishes the Grand Commandant and the General a great victory and awaits your triumphant return!"
Wang Jian rose and helped Feng Jie up, laughing, "With the Grand Commandant here, it will take at most a month to destroy Yan, and taking its territory will be as easy as taking something out of a bag."
The three looked at each other, and then burst into laughter.
......
Li Liang and Sun Jing arrived in the states of Zhao and Chu respectively, and began intensive diplomatic persuasion.
...
The State of Zhao.
Li Liang first conveyed the demands of the Yan state to the King of Zhao, and provided a detailed analysis of the ever-increasing threat from the Qin state.
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