After Erniu and Chun Ning received their orders and left, the tent fell silent. The wicked man slowly sat back down at his desk, his eyes slightly lowered, but his heart was burning with turbulent flames.
He tapped the table lightly a few times and muttered to himself, "Since we are going to unify the world, some bloodshed is inevitable. We must make everyone understand that anyone who obstructs the unification of the nine provinces—whether they are commoners, high-ranking officials, or those self-proclaimed noble knights and scholars—will have to pay a bloody price."
“The military power in my hands has never been a mere decoration, and the blade is not a paper tiger to intimidate.” He stood up again and strode out of the tent.
With a flick of the tent flap, the last rays of the setting sun fell like blood onto his shoulders. It was as if, in the next instant, one could hear the chilling sound of countless swords being drawn.
-------
Meanwhile, in a simple, dimly lit prison in Jicheng.
Prince Dan and Prince Xi of Yan were imprisoned here. The iron gate was sturdy, and heavy troops guarded it day and night in shifts. Not even a fly could get out.
In the dark, damp corner of the cell, Prince Dan sat against the wall, motionless, looking exhausted but not utterly hopeless.
In the other corner, King Xi of Yan sat reclining, his face ashen, muttering to himself repeatedly, "It's all your fault...it's all your fault...acting on your own, angering the Qin army...the country is destroyed...and you die..."
As he spoke, his voice gradually became hoarse, as if he were filled with regret, yet also seemed to be mixed with boundless killing intent and anger.
Crown Prince Dan turned his head and looked at him coldly: "Father, things have come to this point, and further speculation is useless. Since the situation has deteriorated to this point, I only wish that... the Yan people will not surrender and await their doom, but will fight to the death!"
Upon hearing this, a crimson glint flashed in King Xi of Yan's eyes. He lunged at Crown Prince Dan, grabbing his neck tightly with both hands, and cursed, "You unfilial son! It's all your fault! You caused the destruction of my Yan Kingdom and the loss of my throne... How could I have given birth to such a scourge!"
Prince Dan had no power to resist, nor did he want to resist at all. He simply stared silently at his father's hideous and terrifying face, and gradually... fell silent.
-------
Another corner of the city.
Erniu and Chuning each led several hundred Black Dragon Armored Soldiers to begin searching house to house in Jicheng. To prevent trouble, they did not interrogate anyone; anyone suspected of the slightest wrongdoing was killed without mercy. Screams and shouts echoed from the alleyways, filling the city with fear.
"You scoundrel, what are you hiding for? You must have something to hide, kill him!!" Chun Ning strode into a dilapidated house and saw a ragged scholar trying to escape through the door. Without saying a word, he drew his sword and stabbed him.
The scholar lay in a pool of blood, without even uttering a scream.
"Go to the next one and keep searching!" Chun Ning ordered the soldiers to move forward.
In the days that followed, the people of Jicheng were filled with unease, and a faint, lingering stench of blood hung in the air. Many so-called scholars and patriots, as well as self-proclaimed chivalrous knights, had been executed on the spot. Of course, many of them had also died unjustly.
As evening fell, the wicked man slowly walked up the high wall of Jicheng.
The setting sun, like blood, cast an even more desolate glow upon the ruined capital. In the distance, wisps of black smoke rose intermittently, clearly from the burning of houses during the raids. Footsteps sounded, and Wang Jian, accompanied by several officers, approached from behind, his expression slightly grave.
Wang Jian clutched his still-recovering arm and said in a deep voice, "Grand Commandant, this action is truly excessive. Pacifying the city is good, but it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. If this continues, it may cause trouble. After all, this is the capital of Yan. If we carry out a large-scale massacre, it may lead to a popular uprising. Wouldn't all our previous efforts be in vain?"
The wicked man narrowed his eyes, slowly turned around, and looked at Wang Jian with his hands behind his back: "This Grand Commandant is also unwilling to kill without cause. But if those swordsmen and scholars are ignorant of the times and incite the people to cause trouble first, they cannot blame me."
"I, the Grand Commandant, have given them kind words; if they don't cherish them, then they should die. How can the grand ambitions of this world be delayed by such trivial matters?"
Wang Jian sighed softly. "A wicked man always acts with lightning speed and decisiveness. Once he makes a decision, it is very difficult to reverse it."
After some thought, he still spoke up: "I will strengthen the city's patrols and strictly control the killing during the search. If anyone is found to be guilty of a capital crime, they will be executed according to military law. But if they are just cowardly civilians seeking survival, I hope the Grand Commandant will give them a way out."
Upon hearing this, the wicked man remained silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "For the sake of the General, I will tolerate them a little longer. If another assassination attempt or riot occurs, the order to massacre the entire city will be issued!"
Wang Jian sighed. They had already bought them a chance to turn things around. If they still didn't know when to advance or retreat, they would truly deserve to die: "That's how it should be."
As dusk settled, Ji City was shrouded in darkness and bloodshed. The wicked man stood with his hands behind his back, as if he could already foresee the unification of the world.
Now, four of the six states have been destroyed, leaving only the barely surviving Zhao state and the declining, empty-shell Chu state.
The wind howled, like the wailing of vengeful spirits. "The world will belong to Qin..." He stood atop the high wall, gazing at the dilapidated streets and still-smoking houses in the distance, muttering to himself, as if he were about to grasp this world completely in his hands.
......
"Your Majesty, Qin has conquered the capital of Yan. Why don't we..." A voice rang out from the luxurious command tent, causing the new King of Dongyi, seated at the head of the table, to instantly change his expression, which then flashed with a hint of fervor.
The King of Donghu pondered for a moment, then said with considerable doubt, "Qin is not easy to deal with!" His father had died in the Central Plains, and it had only been a short time since the three kings, along with the Yuezhi and the Xiongnu, were wiped out in one battle. Naturally, he was extremely wary of Qin.
The minister continued, “Your Majesty, you have just ascended the throne and need to establish a record of military achievements to convince the people! At this moment, Qin has destroyed Yan and is too busy to attend to Liaoxi and Liaodong. Why not take the initiative and occupy them first?”
"It is said among our clans that Liaodong and Liaoxi are our ancestral lands, but the Yan state drove our ancestors out. If we can find our ancestral lands, Your Majesty will surely win the respect of your clansmen and thus secure your throne!"
Inside the Dongyi king's tent, a campfire blazed brightly, and the leather carpets were laid out comfortably and luxuriously. The young king, seated in the main seat, frowned, his knuckles tapping rhythmically on the table, his expression complex.
"Liaoxi and Liaodong are the ancestral lands of my clan?" He repeated these words in a low voice, his thoughts seemingly drifting back to the day his father died without a complete corpse.
Seeing his king deep in thought, the advisor in the tent coughed lightly and said in a calm tone, "Your Majesty, after destroying the capital of Yan, you will surely be busy consolidating your territory. If we can strike quickly and seize the initiative, we can take Liaoxi and Liaodong into our hands."
The King of Donghu gently stroked the jewel-encrusted wine vessel on the table, gazing at the flickering firelight outside the tent. Logically, he did need a victory to solidify his throne. But if this action provoked the Qin state, the consequences would be unpredictable.
The Yuezhi, Xiongnu, Donghu, and Zhao, along with their three kings, all suffered a brutal death at the hands of the Qin army. This is a bloody lesson right before our eyes.
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