Inside the city, King Yan of Zhao could no longer sit still.
"What are we waiting for?" he said anxiously to Han Ming. "If we delay any longer, the whole city might turn into a sea of fire!"
"Your Majesty is right," Han Ming said, his face also full of worry. "In my humble opinion, it would be better to break out after dark. Although their firearms are powerful, they are difficult to aim at at night."
Even though King Zhao Yan was unwilling, he was frightened by the deafening explosion and immediately nodded in agreement to Han Ming's proposal.
........
That night, King Zhao secretly led his trusted men toward the north gate.
Unfortunately, the Qin army had already taken precautions against desertion or night attacks, and had secretly buried a large amount of gunpowder around the city.
As soon as the north gate opened, the news reached Wang Li and the others. They quickly found a high place to enjoy the spectacular scene that was about to unfold!
On the hillside.
"Look," Wang Li pointed towards the city gate, "that old fox Han Ming really is trying to break out from here. But..." He smiled sinisterly, "we're just waiting for them to walk right into our trap!"
"Brothers!" Meng Tian ordered in a low voice, "Once they've stepped on the gunpowder and are stunned, charge forward immediately! Whoever captures the King of Zhao will be credited with the greatest merit!"
One soldier asked jokingly, "What if we get blown up?"
Meng Tian chuckled, "If he's blown up, he's just unlucky. Whoever gets the body will be the hero!"
"Alright!!" The soldiers roared with laughter, their eyes fixed on the city gate.
Sure enough, just as Zhao Jun's breakout team was halfway through their journey, a deafening explosion shattered the tranquility of the night!
"boom!"
It turned out that the Qin army had not buried ordinary gunpowder underground, but a special product containing 'fire mother' and iron filings. The explosion produced flames that resembled hellfire, accompanied by countless sharp fragments flying everywhere.
"Ah!" Screams rose and fell.
Zhao Jun was thrown off balance by the sudden explosion; some were killed instantly, while others were set ablaze and writhed on the ground in agony.
The Zhao King's carriage, which was behind, quickly came to a stop, and explosions rang out from all directions.
It turned out that the Qin army had already set up a large encirclement, and there was gunpowder everywhere underfoot!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Amidst the continuous explosions, the entire wilderness was engulfed in flames.
The most ingenious thing is that the Qin army was still burning gunpowder, and the raging flames illuminated the night, completely exposing their figures, making them like live targets!
"Go and claim the credit quickly!!" Wang Li gave the order.
The Qin cavalry, who had been waiting for a long time, pounced like wolves and tigers. Many Zhao soldiers, who were frightened, threw down their weapons and surrendered on the spot. Those who wanted to resist were shot into pincushions by arrows.
"It's over..." Han Ming looked at the surrounding firelight and closed his eyes in despair.
He then realized that the Qin army was playing a cat-and-mouse game, first scaring them with firearms, then deliberately letting them break through, and finally wiping them out in one fell swoop!
King Zhao slumped on his horse, trembling all over. He watched helplessly as many of his personal guards were blown up, burned to death, or shot to death.
These are all his elite personal guards, fiercely loyal to him!
"Your Majesty! Surrender now!" someone shouted.
King Yan of Zhao looked at the sea of fire all around him, and then at the captured soldiers, and tears welled up in his eyes.
The dignified ruler of Zhao was annihilated by a few gunpowder pellets!
"That's enough..." He lowered his head helplessly, "Let's surrender..."
At daybreak, the people of Handan learned of this devastating news.
King Zhao was captured, his personal guards were wiped out, and important officials in the court either died or fled. The Qin army's firearms were simply unstoppable!
The next day, the Qin army marched straight in and entered the city without lifting a finger, completely occupying Handan.
The State of Zhao was thus destroyed!
......
Seven days later, in Handan City.
Wang Li sat in a chair, toying with a beautiful piece of jade in his hand. This was a national treasure that had just been seized from the Zhao Kingdom's palace; its smooth, silky texture made him reluctant to put it down.
Now that the State of Zhao has been destroyed, only the territory of the State of Chu remains in the world, and it has not yet been completely brought under the rule of the State of Qin!
"General, what should we do with those prisoners?" the lieutenant asked. "We've captured several hundred of King Zhao's close associates alone, and there are twenty to thirty thousand surrendered soldiers from various regions."
"King Zhao and his high-ranking officials will be imprisoned for now. They will be brought back to Your Majesty for judgment upon their return." Wang Li casually tossed the jade to his deputy.
He raised his hand, took a sip of warm wine, and said in a relaxed tone, "As for those surrendered soldiers, select some of the strong and healthy to join our army, and the rest will be convicted and sent back to do hard labor. In the words of the Grand Commandant, they will contribute to the construction of our Qin state!"
"Furthermore, have the Black Ice Guards conduct a thorough inventory of household registrations throughout Zhao, preparing for the compilation of these registrations."
"Huh?" The lieutenant was stunned. "Is this...is this appropriate? Aren't you afraid they'll incite a mutiny and cause trouble?"
Wang Li laughed loudly: "Cause trouble? Didn't you see how cowardly they were when they saw our gunpowder? Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to cause any more trouble!"
He stood up and walked outside the hall.
"Pass down the order." After a moment of distraction, he turned to his deputy and said, "Have all shops remain open as usual, and let the people continue with their daily lives. Also, compile a list of all those who died or were injured last night, and provide compensation to those who are due."
Just then, Meng Tian rushed over: "Old Wang, guess what the Grand Commandant said after hearing the news of the fall of the Zhao state?"
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"The Grand Commandant said..." Meng Tian couldn't help but laugh, "He said as long as the gunpowder is effective, that's enough. We originally thought we'd have to fight for another month or so, but it's over so quickly. He even asked us to tally up how much gunpowder we used so we can replenish our stock."
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