Chapter 71
◎Li Mu. ◎
The place where Li Mu was imprisoned by King Zhao was very secluded. It was not until the Qin army took over that he learned that Handan had been captured by the Qin army, King Zhao had been captured, and the State of Zhao... was destroyed.
After falling into the hands of the Qin army, Li Mu did not expect any good ending for himself, but only death.
But strangely, for a long time afterwards, the Qin generals seemed to have forgotten about him, a Zhao man who had fought against the Qin army many times. They simply locked him up, provided him with food and clothing as usual, and had no intention of taking any action against him.
Li Mu speculated that since the Qin army didn't want to kill him to vent their anger, they were perhaps trying to persuade him to surrender and serve the Qin. Li Mu scoffed at this idea, believing that asking him to surrender was a pipe dream. But he watched the sun rise and set, counting the days. More than half a month had passed, and he remained in this secret prison. No Qin soldier paid any attention to him, and there was no intention of persuading him to surrender.
Then, Li Mu had a third guess. The Qin army must be waiting for the order from the King of Qin. He even thought to himself with self-mockery that he didn't know how he had offended the King of Qin so badly that he had to personally order the execution.
Calculating the date of his death, Li Mu believed that he was ready to die.
However, when he was finally taken out by the Qin army, Li Mu was puzzled to find that he had not been abused and no one wanted to kill him. He was politely invited by the Qin army to take a bath and change into clean clothes.
Li Mu was familiar with the stitching on the garment; it was made by his wife. He straightened the hem of the garment and wondered if this was a threat from the King of Qin. But at least… his wife and family were still alive.
Therefore, Li Mu realized one thing. Although he himself did not know it, in the eyes of the King of Qin, he was actually a person of some use.
While wondering what his use was, Li Mu was led to a hall through twists and turns. There was already a young boy sitting there. Li Mu paused. Who was this person and why did he come to see him?
As he walked, Li Mu quickly took a look at the young boy sitting in the first seat. He was no more than ten years old, with a pretty face, a straight figure, and dressed in luxurious black clothes. He should be a member of the Qin royal family.
Li Mu didn't expect that after being imprisoned by the Qin people for so long, the first person he met was a young boy from the Qin royal family. What was his identity?
Li Mu had some guesses in his heart, but he immediately denied them. It was impossible. If the rumors were true, the King of Qin would not have asked him to travel thousands of miles to Handan. If the rumors were false...what reason did this person have to come to see him?
General Qiang Wei, who had brought Li Mu here, stepped forward and saluted, saying respectfully, "Greetings, Young Master."
Li Mu's eyes flashed. It was really him, the eldest son of Qin State. It was rumored that he and the King of Qin were taught by immortals.
Li Mu looked at the young boy who was reading a book in the first seat. He seemed to have just heard the voice and put the book down. He waived the Qiangwei ceremony and stood up to bow humbly to Li Mu. He said, "I am Fusu, the young man from Qin. I am honored to meet General Li."
"...As a defeated general and a captive, I dare not accept your great gift." Li Mu paused slightly before returning the gift stiffly.
Fusu smiled and said, "Please sit down, Generals. Bring me some tea." After giving his instructions to the eunuchs, he looked at the two men with a smile on his face. "I don't know what you like, but this tea was given to me by my father. Would you please try it?"
Qiang Wei had already repeatedly said he didn't dare, but Li Mu was shocked. Could the eldest son of Qin and the King of Qin be such close father and son? It seemed as if there was no difference between monarch and subject, and they were even closer than ordinary father and son. It was really... unbelievable.
Li Mu sat down and looked at Fusu. He said calmly, "Sir, what is so special about Handan?"
Fusu tilted his head, quite surprised. "General Li, I've only been in Handan for two or three days, and you're a local. Even if Handan has something special, you should be the one to tell me. Why are you asking me this instead?"
Li Mu asked, "If Handan City were ordinary, how could it attract the King of Qin and the eldest son of Qin?"
Qiang Wei glanced at him coldly. The generals who had been to the battlefield all had murderous eyes, but Li Mu didn't care. He still looked at Fusu, and his eyes were calm.
Fusu smiled and said, "I see that General Li is much older than my father. You should know that my father was born in Handan, so he naturally has a different feeling for this place."
Li Mu was horrified. Hearing this, he instinctively imagined the worst. Back when the King of Qin was in Handan, the people of Zhao had tried to kill him. Now, as the almighty King of Qin, he had returned to Handan, already conquered by the Qin army. What would he do to it? Li Mu simply couldn't imagine it. Handan... how many of its people could survive the Qin army's swords?
Fusu watched his expression change, and spoke with annoyance, "My father has instructed people to teach the people of Handan the techniques of breeding and farming, and has even rented them iron farm tools. With the autumn harvest approaching, this will be a great help. I hear that the people of Handan and Qiandu are singing praises of my father's benevolence. General Li, do you want to go out and listen?"
Fusu's original intention was to show that his father was a wise and holy ruler who was broad-minded, forgiving of past grudges, and repaying grievances with kindness. Who knew that Li Mu would show such a terrible expression, and it was obvious that he thought of his father as some kind of evil villain. Fusu could not help but be displeased.
Li Mu looked at the angry young boy in front of him. He seemed very dissatisfied with his reaction.
But, the King of Qin's benevolence? Li Mu didn't believe it.
Li Mu asked, "Sir, can you let me out?"
Fusu said: "It is not me, but my king, Nengxu, who gave it to the general."
Finally hearing what he wanted to hear, Li Mu immediately said, "Sir, let's be clear. What does the King of Qin want from me?"
Fusu asked, "General Li, what do you think you can give to my father?"
Li Mu said steadily, "I believe I have nothing, but... the King of Qin seems to think I can give him something."
Fusu smiled and said, "You are wrong, General Li. I am the one who wants to keep you, and I am also the one who wants to get something from you."
Li Mu couldn't help but sneer: "Master, do you think I will believe it?"
Fusu said, "Do you think my father wants anything from you? General Li, you can't use this to threaten him." He stood up and said, "That's enough, General Li. Although my king is kind to the people, he won't be coerced."
Seeing that he was really leaving, Li Mu couldn't help but frown. He grasped his sleeve. Could he have guessed wrong? He hadn't received any useful information yet! Was he just going to let Young Master Qin leave in vain?
If he hadn't said those things before, he would have just died, but now Li Mu had something he couldn't let go of.
"Sir..." Li Mu called out to Fusu and changed the subject, "What do you want from me?"
Fusu stopped and turned to look at Li Mu.
Li Mu straightened his back even more and tightened his lips. He had offended the eldest son of Qin and was afraid that he would not be able to escape humiliation today.
Fusu said, "What I want is very simple. General Li, you have been fighting against the Xiongnu for many years. I wonder if you are willing to share your experience in fighting the Xiongnu with my Qin State?"
Li Mu had no time to think about Fusu's purpose. He was already subconsciously furious after hearing these words. He tried to hold it back, but in the end, he couldn't suppress a sneer: "Prince Qin, you destroyed my country, captured my king and my family, and even asked me to sell military secrets. Who do you think I am, Li Mu?"
Qiang Wei gripped the long knife at his waist tightly and stared at Li Mu warily.
Fusu said sternly, "I believe General Li is a righteous man who couldn't bear to see the people of the borderland suffer from the Xiongnu invasion. I've heard that General Li is very beloved by the people of the borderland. Now that your monarch can't protect his people, are you also going to abandon the people of the borderland who love and respect you?"
Li Mu's face suddenly changed. He clenched his fists. Li Mu knew all too well the cruelty of the Xiongnu. If the people of the border areas were to suffer humiliation from the Xiongnu just because Zhao was destroyed, then he...
Li Mu gritted his teeth and asked, "Will the Qin army... also protect the Zhao people?"
Fusu said, "General Li, there are no Zhao people left. All Qin lands are inhabited by Qin people. My King of Qin will protect every one of his people."
Qiang Wei once again tightened his grip on the long sword at his waist. He swore that he had never been so nervous even in a battle.
Li Mu was indeed on the verge of a rage. The veins on the back of his hands were bulging and his face was ferocious, but he still had some rationality, which allowed him to maintain his final restraint.
Fusu waited patiently for Li Mu to calm down. Then, with a gloomy expression, he asked, "In the eyes of the King of Qin, are the people of Zhao really the same as the people of Qin?"
Fusu simply said, "General, have you heard about what happened in Yingchuan County?"
Li Mu was stunned for a while, lowered his head and said nothing.
Fusu continued, "Handan County is right before your eyes, General. Would you like to go and take a look?"
Li Mu suddenly looked up, his eyes were red, and finally he nodded slowly.
Only after Li Mu was quietly taken away by the soldiers did Qiang Wei put down his hand on the hilt of the knife. He let out a long sigh and only wanted him to fight ten more battles. He didn't even want to take on the task of protecting the eldest son.
Fusu smiled softly and said, "General, please relax. I'm fine. You can report to my father."
Qiang Wei had met Fusu during court meetings, heard his speeches, and knew that he often said shocking things, but he did not expect that he would dare to do this in front of the enemy general!
Qiang Ye said with a bitter face, "My Lord, if you have nothing else to do, the King has ordered me to escort you back to the palace."
Fusu smiled and said, "Let's go back."
Facing such a smiling, adorable child, Qiang Wei's face could no longer bear the bitterness, and his admiration for Fusu slowly began to rise: "Young Master, with just a few words, you can convince Li Mu to help our Qin fight against the Xiongnu. You are truly a genius."
"Old General, please stop talking like that," Fusu said. "General Li has the people at heart, otherwise, nothing I say would be of any use."
Although Li Mu was his rival, Qiang Wei also had great respect for him. He nodded and said, "Young Master, you are right. Li Mu is indeed a talented general. It's a pity that he is stubborn and stubborn. He insists on being loyal to King Zhao. Our king is clearly a wise and powerful sage, but he can't recognize his greatness!"
Fusu felt the same way: "Yes, the rulers of the various states are all mediocre. Only my father is the true sage!"
While singing praises to the king, Fusu and Qiang Wei formed a friendship regardless of age difference. Qiang Wei also said that if Fusu meets Li Mu again next time, he can volunteer to ask the king to be the eldest prince's guard.
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