The defeat "brushed Ying Zheng's face into the ground."...
The natural disaster struck without any warning. After a chilly spring, a severe drought struck the Qin Dynasty, and the Crown Prince's second birthday celebration was cancelled.
From April to August, not a single drop of rain fell.
"If the Zheng Guo Canal hadn't been repaired at that time, wouldn't the people have suffered and there have been unrest?" Banban was terrified.
Ying Zheng looked at the cracked sky and said, "This matter may not be without benefit for my Great Qin."
Droughts are often accompanied by famine. The State of Zhao bordered the State of Qin and was naturally affected, suffering from a severe famine.
At the end of August, Ying Zheng officially launched an attack on Zhao. General Huan Yi led a large army across the Taihang Mountains and deep into the heart of Zhao. When the battle report was sent back to Xianyang, it stated that General Huan Yi had successively captured Zhao cities such as Yi'an.
This wonderful event happened just as Ying Yue was nearing her due date, and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the Li residence.
Banban took Zhao'er and Yang Jiang out of the palace to visit her.
Ying Yue couldn't stand the wind. As soon as she entered the house, Yang Jiang hurriedly ordered the door to be closed. "Quickly block out the wind. You all need to be careful. The woman who has given birth must be well taken care of."
"The eldest princess is indeed imposing; she immediately began to reprimand the servants upon her arrival."
Ying Yue lay on the bed, jokingly saying, "Why don't you sit down?"
“How can she compare to the legitimate princess?” Yang Jiang rolled her eyes at her.
These two have always enjoyed teasing each other, being sarcastic and sarcastic, and we're used to it all. Now we just ignore it and move on.
"Zhao'er, it's been so long since I've seen you." Ying Yue beckoned Zhao'er over and touched his little face.
Zhao'er patted her hand gently, as if to comfort her: "Sister, it hurts."
Yingyue paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Banban, before revealing a gentle smile. "It really hurts. Which mother doesn't experience pain? Your mother was in a lot of pain when she gave birth to you. You must cherish your mother in the future."
The two instances of "pain" had different meanings, and it was unclear whether it was Ying Yue's mischievousness or something she did on purpose. Zhao'er was stunned for quite a while before looking up at Banban in a daze.
Banban: "..." They're all ancestors. Children have the strongest curiosity. They have a hundred thousand whys every day. Who knows how I'll ask her when we get back to the palace.
The room was immediately filled with laughter.
"I think you're too comfortable," Yang Jiang said irritably. "Let's take a look at the baby." Banban held her breath and leaned closer to look. Perhaps because he had just been born, the little guy was still very red. Zhao'er fussed to see, so she picked him up so he could see him clearly.
Yang Jiang observed for a while, then hesitated, "Look at his nose and mouth, they resemble Li You's. The son resembles his father, and Zhao'er looks more like his elder brother."
Ying Yue breathed a sigh of relief, "Luckily, Li Yousheng is good-looking, otherwise I would have nowhere to cry."
Yang Jiang said, "Li You was also in the army during this attack on Zhao. He couldn't even see his child after the birth of his child. I wonder if he is at peace with himself?"
Ying Yue smiled and snorted at her, "We've already chosen a name for our child, so what's there to worry about? Making contributions to the Great Qin is the best gift we can give our child."
“Then it seems you’re in luck,” Banban said. “General Huan Yi is valiant. I heard that he personally beheaded a Zhao general during the attack on the Zhao army in Pingyang. Li You was at the forefront. Our Qin army beheaded 100,000 people. I wonder how much Li You contributed.”
After saying that, she comforted Ying Yue by tucking a stray hair behind her ear, "But this attack on Zhao is destined to be a protracted war. He doesn't know when he will be able to return to Xianyang. You can't be impatient."
"I know." Ying Yue smiled obediently, then asked, "I heard that Yang Jiang's marriage is about to be settled?"
With the fall of the Han state, the Han faction in the court had been completely absorbed by King Zheng of Qin a few years ago. Only now was he willing to grant her a marriage, which meant that she no longer needed to worry about factional struggles and could choose whomever she wanted.
To some extent, Yingyue envied Yang Jiang.
Speaking of this, Banban still felt a little uneasy. A few days ago, Ying Zheng couldn't sleep in the middle of the night and inexplicably asked her what would happen if Yang Jiang were betrothed to Han Fei.
Xia Ba Zi, as a princess of the State of Han, was related to Han Fei by blood. Her daughter, Yang Jiang, could also call Han Fei her cousin.
Even if the other country has been destroyed, proposing to strengthen ties with them through marriage is just a way to win over Han Fei.
It's understandable that Ying Zheng would consider this possibility for the sake of the political situation, but Banban was too embarrassed to say it to Yang Jiang.
Moreover, Han Fei was a widower, and his son was already three years old.
Yang Jiang was her good friend, so why should she marry a widower? She refused on the spot, and Ying Zheng, seeing that she was angry, did not mention it again.
"We haven't chosen anyone yet. There are so many talented people in the whole country and among the court officials. We have to choose carefully." Banban smiled and pretended to peek at Yang Jiang, whose cheeks were flushed. "What do you think, Yang Jiang? Do you have anyone you like?"
"...I'm not in a hurry!" Yang Jiang said, quite embarrassed and angry. "Didn't you come to see the child? Why are you bringing this up against me? I'm leaving!"
As expected, on the way back to the palace, Zhao'er kept asking what "banban pain" meant.
"Does Mother feel pain too?"
"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt."
As a mother, Banban's instinctive answer was that it didn't hurt.
"Mother lied to me." Zhao'er pouted and hugged her arm. "She didn't lie to me."
Even a small group of people scolded her.
Banban: "Okay, it hurts a lot. Even if I answer truthfully, you can't truly understand what I'm going through."
"Why?"
"Because you are a man, and men don't feel pain."
"Why?"
How do you explain this?
"...There's no reason why."
"for--"
She covered her son's mouth with her hand, "Don't ask anymore. If you want to ask, go back to the palace and ask your father."
After returning to the palace, he indeed kept asking Ying Zheng a barrage of questions, wanting to know everything from why men don't feel pain to the creation of the world by Pangu. Ying Zheng, impatient, handed him over to Han Fei.
Han Fei was a very stubborn person, as obstinate as an ox, which surprisingly fits him well with the "Walking 100,000 Whys" book.
No matter what Zhao'er asked, he would think it over carefully and explain it to him in simple and straightforward language.
He has a stutter and doesn't like to talk much. As a result, few people in Korea dare to ask him to speak in long sentences. So even though he is a Korean prince, he doesn't actually have many people he can talk to.
Crown Prince Ying Zhao was talkative, even a chatterbox, and strangely became Han Fei's friend.
Within a few days, he had found a candidate for his second Grand Tutor.
This did not cause any ripples in the court or among the people. Han Fei was good at writing books and spreading his ideas, so the Crown Prince's second tutor must be someone who could make up for Han Fei's shortcomings. He had to be a military officer. Who among the military officers in the court could be a tutor without delaying the conquest of the states, and also be deeply trusted by the King of Qin?
It was naturally Meng Tian, who grew up with the King of Qin.
Moreover, the crown prince is still young and cannot understand anything too profound, so Meng Tian is very suitable.
It just so happens that the Crown Prince's study companion was Meng Huan, the son of Meng Tian.
That night, the couple sat down to eat antique soup. When the topic of Yang Jiang's future husband came up, Banban was quite troubled. "Yang Jiang always says there's no rush, but she's not young anymore. She's only a year younger than me."
Banban is already twenty-three years old this year.
In this era, ordinary women would marry at fifteen or sixteen. Qin law was strict, and those who did not marry by the time they reached marriageable age would be fined. Princesses were different. Generally speaking, the marriages of princesses of a country had political needs and were not subject to Qin law.
Banban was also a princess at the time. Her early marriage was not due to her own reasons, but rather to Ying Zheng. He ascended the throne as King of Qin but could not rule personally. The more important factors for a king to rule personally, besides the coming-of-age ceremony, are marriage and having offspring. These can prove that the king has matured and can take over the government of the country.
Even within the royal family, the princes compete to see who will have a legitimate son first, which is another branch of the competition.
Naturally, Banban and Ying Zheng got married very early. Almost the year she came of age, everyone began to eagerly prepare for their wedding.
“The entire palace is empty. She lives alone in the West Six Palace, and I feel lonely,” Banban said. After Zhao’er came along, the two no longer spent every day playing together. “But I can’t choose a good person either. After all, it’s her marriage, and she has to be satisfied first.”
Marrying into another country is definitely out of the question, so that's the first option. That leaves choosing from among the civil and military officials.
“She’s a woman of her own mind, you don’t need to worry about her,” Ying Zheng said.
Banban glanced at him and said, "You're not allowed to mention Han Fei again."
Ying Zheng, who hadn't intended to speak, paused leisurely upon seeing this, and said, "I mentioned Han Fei to you, and you were unhappy. But if it were Yang Jiang's own idea, would you refuse?"
"That's impossible," she replied without hesitation.
After saying that, she cast a suspicious look at him, her expression filled with doubt and uncertainty.
Ying Zheng didn't say anything, and just kept eating his own food, while he put all the mutton slices that she didn't like into the pot to cook.
"Why are you keeping me in suspense?" Banban said resentfully, kicking him. "Just tell me already!"
"Alright, I'll tell you." He said reluctantly, beckoning to her.
Banban immediately got up and sat next to him, her ears perked up, her eyes full of curiosity and doubt.
“Last month, I ran into the two of them near the observatory. I was just strolling around thinking about Han Fei that day and didn’t have anyone follow me, so they didn’t notice me.”
Banban hesitated, "They all have Korean blood, so it's normal for them to talk."
"They didn't talk much, enjoyed the scenery together for a while, and then Yang Jiang left."
"..." That's a bit strange.
Banban imagined it for a moment. Han Fei did seem to be a man of few words, and Yang Jiang was a proud and aloof person. If the two of them stood together, all that would be left was silence. Could they even have anything in common?
"How do you know they didn't say anything? How long did you spy on them?"
“…” Ying Zheng said, “How can this be considered peeping?”
Wasn't he at his own home? He was just strolling around his own house when he bumped into his minister and sister admiring flowers, and he was just curious about what was going on.
Sure enough, even the King of Qin had a gossipy heart.
Banban: "Then... what should we do?"
The two of them always pretended not to know each other in front of others.
“Nothing to do,” Ying Zheng glanced at her, “pretend you don’t know, let’s see who can’t hold it in first.”
Lying in bed at night, Banban kept muttering things like Han Fei had been married and had children, and that he was not good enough for Yang Jiang. Ying Zheng knew that his cousin had high standards when it came to relationships, so he didn't think anything of it. "In Qin, remarriage is a very common thing. There's no such thing as being good enough or not. Don't meddle in other people's business."
At that time, there were indeed no requirements for chastity, and even marriage between men and women did not require excessive consideration of social status or matching families.
She was indignant and wanted to say something more, but before she could speak, she was pressed down on the couch. "Since you're not sleepy, let's do something else."
She bit him in anger.
The next day, Banban unconsciously began to observe Han Fei and Yang Jiang. Strangely enough, he couldn't see anything unusual about them.
Did my cousin just happen to 'accidentally' stumble upon this?
He must have some other source of information to be pretending to be innocent.
The more Banban thought about it, the angrier she became, and she simply stopped observing altogether.
A few days later, Ying Zheng issued an edict pardoning Lao Ai's retainers who had been exiled to Shu. It had been two years since Lao Ai's coup, and it had been a long time since we had heard the name Lao Ai.
Those who followed Lao Ai in his rebellion were almost all killed. The few thousand retainers who migrated to Shu were those who had committed minor crimes, but were not the main ones.
This year, the tribute from Sichuan is made of the finest silk. Banban has been collecting some wool, and is really planning to try making a few warm clothes for the whole family to wear during the winter.
She sat in the back hall of Chengzhang Hall studying the silks, listening to Ying Zheng pacing back and forth muttering to himself, "Shu is located on the southwestern frontier. Too far and I'm not at ease; too close and I'm not satisfied. Those damned Lü faction, they've been spreading rumors for two years now. Do they really think I can tolerate them?!"
Banban was tired of hearing it; his cousin would sometimes reminisce about Lü Buwei, and at other times curse him. There was no better way to describe the complex mix of love and hate.
"Then why did my cousin pardon them?"
“If Shu were not so remote and almost outside the control of Xianyang, why would I have pardoned Lao Ai’s retainers? The Lü faction and Lao Ai’s retainers resented each other, which would have kept them in check. My pardon of Lao Ai’s retainers was an act of kindness to them, to dispel those rumors.”
"In addition, those retainers were educated and had some talent, which enabled them to effectively implement the 'strengthening of the border' policy and strengthen my control over the southwest region."
Oh, let them fight amongst themselves, which will also consolidate the central government's control. Finally, use a combination of kindness and severity to establish the monarch's authority.
Banban understood. In fact, her cousin was unwilling to pardon them, but as a ruler, he could not implement his ideas perfectly and had to consider many things.
His frustration stemmed from the accumulation of these unpleasant experiences over time.
With nothing else to do, she gave him a massage.
Embarrassingly, halfway through the massage, an urgent military report suddenly arrived.
The two finished tidying up and came out of the back hall. The first words from the newcomer startled Banban so much that he dropped his hand.
"Our army suffered a crushing defeat!"
Ying Zheng's expression froze on his face, and his face instantly became clouded with gloom.
Before long, important officials such as Lord Changping, Li Si, Wang Wan, and Meng Wu gathered at Chengzhang Hall.
The atmosphere inside the hall was solemn, with candlelight flickering.
Banban sat upright to one side, not daring to interrupt at such a moment.
Holding a tattered piece of military intelligence, the young general knelt on the cold ground, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty! Our army initially swept through the enemy lines. General Huan Yi led his troops eastward, capturing cities such as Yi'an and Pingyang in succession, and now his sword is aimed at Handan."
"The people of Zhao are terrified at the mere mention of our name, and our army is riding high on morale!"
"At that time, the King of Zhao urgently summoned Li Mu, who was guarding the border." Speaking of Li Mu, the young general almost couldn't continue reading, and his voice trembled with resentment and tears. "That Li Mu was cunning in his military tactics! Instead of confronting our army head-on as the Zhao army had done before, he fortified his camp with high walls and held firm. General Huan Yi thought that Li Mu was afraid of Qin and wanted to delay, so he imitated the tactics of Lord Wu'an in the past and divided his troops into two routes, wanting to launch a surprise attack on the Zhao army's camp."
"I never expected... I never expected this to be Li Mu's trap!"
Since we've already mentioned "when," the situation must be contrary to our expectations.
Changping-kun's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and the others held their breath, their faces grave.
It's not surprising that Huan Yi wanted to emulate Bai Qi. His tactics were highly regarded by the Qin army. This means that Bai Qi's strategies were correct in themselves, and if they didn't work, it was only because the enemy was absurd and hateful.
The young man didn't finish his sentence, but those present still held onto hope.
The young general bowed his head: "Our main force received an urgent report while marching."
"The army camp in the rear was attacked by the elite Zhao army. The supplies and provisions were in imminent danger. Upon hearing this news, the morale of the army wavered instantly. General Huan Yi knew that he had fallen into a trap. Even though he was full of resentment, he could only order the whole army to return to the rescue."
"Who would have thought!"
"On the way our main force hurriedly returned to defend, they came to a mountain pass where an ambush was sprung up. It turned out that Li Mu's main force was lying in ambush here, and had set up a net around the perimeter, just waiting for our army to walk into the trap. Arrows were shot out from the front, back, left and right at the same time. Our army panicked and its formation was thrown into chaos, so it had to retreat."
After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent, except for the young general's choked sobs.
Banban looked worried, thinking that her cousin would fly into a rage and sweep all the books, memorials and bamboo slips off the table, but to her surprise, he didn't say a word or do anything out of anger.
The entire Chengzhang Hall was filled with a low atmosphere. Losing a battle was not shameful, nor was being toyed with by Li Mu. What was shameful was that the Qin state wanted to emulate the tactics of Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi, but was instead defeated by Li Mu using Bai Qi's tactics in reverse.
Bai Qi was a minister of Qin!
The faces of everyone present were a mixture of ashen and pale, and they could hardly breathe.
Ying Zheng asked, "Are you sure it's Li Mu?"
The young man nodded vigorously.
Li Si hurriedly inquired about the losses of the young general Zhao Jun, whether he still had the strength to counterattack, and also asked about the characteristics of Li Mu's army formation.
The young man answered each question in turn.
Ying Zheng listened silently, and after a long while said in a deep voice, "Li Mu... If Li Mu is not eliminated, it will be difficult to avert the shame of Qin. With him around, the Zhao army will remain like a trapped beast. We must kill him first!"
Li Si bowed and said, “Your Majesty, hasn’t Lord Wei Liao’s strategy already been implemented? Yao Jia is currently in Zhao. Since Zhao is so fond of emulating Lord Wu’an, we can let them know what the true strategy of Qin general Bai Qi is.”
He said confidently, “We can use the same old trick again. We can use the counter-espionage strategy that worked in the Battle of Changping. We can have Yao Jia bribe Guo Kai with a large sum of money. Guo Kai is greedy for money. It would be very beneficial for him to falsely accuse Li Mu of plotting against the enemy. At that time, Li Mu will be the second Lian Po. He will either die or flee.”
"King Zhao Qian is muddleheaded and appointed Guo Kai as prime minister. This shows that he is someone who will listen to slander and let Zhao repeat the tragedy of the Battle of Changping so that the shame of our Qin army can be avenged."
Banban listened from the side, frequently glancing at Li Si.
This plan was insidious, yet Li Si spoke of it with a smile, even displaying a rather righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor.
She had rarely heard of Qin's defeats, and guessed that Huan Yi's defeat would not have any serious consequences. With Wang Jian in charge, even if they lost a small battle, Zhao would eventually be destroyed.
King Zhaoxiang, Ying Ji, won the Battle of Changping, and Bai Qi massacred more than 400,000 Zhao soldiers. But Banban had never heard of her cousin Ying Zheng massacring the Zhao people. Or perhaps she simply hadn't heard of it and had limited historical knowledge?
Ying Zheng did not hesitate and immediately approved Li Si's suggestion, "Let's do it your way."
He hated Li Mu for fooling the Qin army and insulting the Qin people with Bai Qi's battle strategies, so naturally he wouldn't object.
The meeting concluded, and the reaction from the Zhao state quickly reached the Qin state. King Qian of Zhao was overjoyed and appointed Li Mu as Lord Wu'an.
Yes, it's the same Lord Wu'an who is associated with Bai Qi.
This is blatant mockery, utterly humiliating Ying Zheng.
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Author's Note: Oh my god, we had guests over today, so I didn't have much time to write. No extra chapter today, but I wrote a little more in this one, so it's 5,000 words! Mwah, love you all, Happy National Day!
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