Chapter 40 'Qin' VS 'Yan' 'Zhao' 'Han' 'Wei' 'Chu'...
Qin is taking this war more seriously than ever before. This is evident in the fact that she has been visiting the smelting workshop more frequently lately. In previous wars, the Qin army did not change its weapons on a large scale, but this time, with Prince Chu of Qin giving the order, they have put their long-accumulated swords to use.
As predicted, these weapons were given to the elite troops for surprise attacks.
****
This was the first time Ying Zheng had ever seen the Qin people with such a solemn expression. She said, "In the past, I haven't used my full strength, nor have I focused all my attention on that place. But this time is different. Before the war ends, I may not even have time to pay attention to Xianyang."
“I have already sealed off Xianyang. No country can get in. If you don’t have anything to do, don’t leave Xianyang.” ‘Qin’ paused, then added Ying Zichu, “And your father too. If he wants to leave the city, you must stop him.”
Ying Zheng looked at 'Qin' with concern and said regretfully, "I regret that I cannot go with my mother. Whenever I see my mother risking her life, I always feel that I am too useless."
Qin chuckled softly, raising a hand with a hint of helplessness to pat Ying Zheng's head: "A monarch has his own position and his own obligations. It would be more appropriate for Cheng Jiao to say this; he was the one who kept clamoring to lead troops and become a general."
Ying Zheng smiled knowingly as he thought of his younger brother: "Chengjiao is still young. If he really wants to lead troops, it will probably be a long time before he can."
Qin nodded slightly, thinking that Cheng Jiao could still wait, but you probably would never have the chance to personally lead an expedition in your lifetime. She smiled and bid farewell to Ying Zheng.
Once she left Xianyang, the smile on her face vanished instantly. She counted her opponents this time: Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei, and Chu. Very well, five defeated adversaries.
****
When Qin reached the vicinity of the Yellow River, both sides were still cautiously observing each other, and there was no intention of engaging in close combat in the short term.
She ignored the Meng Ao below. She would not interfere in human wars. Besides the agreement between national spirits, there were other reasons. National leaders were unwilling to harm their future people. In their view, these ethnic groups living in the same area were not much different, and they could accept people from other countries.
Qin flew through the air and slowly walked towards the other side.
As she passed over the Qin army, Meng Ao seemed to sense something and looked up at the sky. He squinted because of the sunlight and couldn't see anything in the sky after looking for a long time. Puzzled, he stopped looking.
But the discomfort in his eyes lingered after looking directly at the sun; everything in front of him was blurry and yellowish. He raised his hand to rub his eyes and then ordered his trusted confidant, "Pass on my order: set up camp here today and rest for a few days, but the patrol work must not be relaxed."
"Yes, sir!" the soldier replied loudly upon receiving the order, turning around deftly to arrange everything.
****
On the surface, the five states opposite did not seem to make any special moves, but in reality, they had each received messages from their home countries that Qin had cut off trade routes with the other states and would no longer sell grain to them.
Even the distant state of Qi was affected. If they wanted to sell grain to Qi, they couldn't bypass these countries and had to pass through the territory of the five states. In order to prevent some countries from using the names of other states, Prince Zichu of Qin simply decided to go all the way and not sell to any of the six states if he wouldn't sell to the five states.
Unwittingly caught in the crossfire: ?
The ruler of Qi even sent a letter to inquire, but Prince Zichu of Qin was adamant. Except for making a somewhat tactful excuse that it was inconvenient to do business during the war, the attitude revealed in the subsequent text left Qi no room for refusal.
The State of Qi, which had initially been happy to sit back and watch the two sides fight, was now unhappy, and the King of Qi didn't know which side he should hope would win.
At times like this, he would lament why it was Qin that had this high yield of grain. The other side was not some kind grain merchant; they wanted to use this most important thing to control them and take a big bite out of them.
But they couldn't let go of the grain either. Now everyone in the world knew that Qin's grain seeds were the best. Even if they planted inferior grains meant for export, they could still get more grain than before.
The only drawback is that they need to buy new grain every year as seed, otherwise the grain yield in the fields will decrease.
This was a huge disadvantage for them, but those who understood it knew that this grain undoubtedly had the best characteristics for Qin.
Even the rulers and courtiers of the vassal states felt this was particularly outrageous. How could anyone control the reduction in grain yield when planting a crop a second or third time, when they were all descendants of the same seed?
The rulers and ministers of the Warring States period, who did not understand the separation of traits, naturally did not understand the reasons behind it, but they could see the surface phenomena. Therefore, when they received the 'threatening letter' from the Qin state, they all chose to communicate with their own armies fighting far away.
As for the specifics of how to proceed, it depends on the actual situation, and the timid king has already issued an urgent order to send people back.
****
As soon as 'Qin' entered the guard area of the five-nation allied army camp, several figures appeared. Because this allied army was led by Lord Xinling of Wei, 'Wei', dressed in simple gray clothes, stood at the front, in the middle of the group.
Wei showed no sharpness and spoke in a calm and even tone, immediately suggesting a change of scenery: "This place is too close to both armies, so let's not start the fight here."
Qin smiled, completely unconcerned: "Where do you want to be?"
Wei pointed to the side: "That's a good spot, secluded and deserted, just right."
“Okay, I agree.” ’Qin’ took the lead and walked to the side. She didn’t take big steps, but with the next step, her figure was already a hundred meters away.
The five states exchanged glances. Zhao remained silent, deeply conflicted. If she really fought, would she still be able to enter Qin territory in the future?
Because of this problem, she silently followed behind the four countries, experiencing a great internal struggle.
The other country in a dilemma is 'Han'. She knows the virtue of her king and just saw the order from within the country. The King of Han actually ordered the army to return home and no longer participate in this alliance.
However, the Korean general was persuaded by Lord Xinling to suppress the matter for the time being, but it was uncertain how long this news could be suppressed. It was feared that before the war even began, the five-nation coalition would disband.
She wasn't considered strong among the various countries, so maybe she should just coast along... A wicked thought popped into Han's mind.
'Han' looked up at the backs of the four countries in front of him. Wait... four countries?
Huh? Why is 'Zhao' lagging behind even more than her? What does this mean? 'Zhao' is among the strongest of the states, shouldn't she be walking ahead with Chu and the others...?
'Han' thought she had guessed the correct answer. 'Zhao' must also want to slack off, so she wouldn't be the only country that was slacking off in the fight. Suddenly, she felt neither ashamed nor guilty.
Han, who had never blushed before, calmly put aside her inner turmoil and made up her mind to play it safe on the sidelines.
****
In mid-air
The six states were divided into two distinct sides, clearly separated by a clear boundary.
On one side was the solitary state of 'Qin', and on the other side were the allied states of 'Yan', 'Zhao', 'Han', 'Wei', and 'Chu', and the two sides stood in silent confrontation.
For the time being, no country could resist making a move. Normally, 'Han' would definitely not be able to stand such a serious and quiet environment. She likes lively chatter. At this moment, she also treated the country standing opposite her with a cold and cautious expression.
The question of who makes the first move doesn't need to be decided through friendly discussion; the women simply didn't want to rush into action and be caught out of a vulnerable position.
Qin observed the opposing positions, his fingertips already touching the scrolls of books hidden in his sleeve. He thought it best to kick out the weakest one first, to avoid the annoying buzzing of a fight.
Unfortunately, the "New Qin Dictionary" has only been partially compiled and cannot be used yet. She still uses the "Qin Laws" and other classic texts occasionally.
The attack methods of the five opposing countries are much more direct. In the end, it is impossible to determine who has jurisdiction over a place where multiple countries meet, especially when there are multiple countries' armies confronting each other nearby.
At this point, any of them could vie for control of the clouds, rain, and wind in this area, or using the sword at their waist would also be a good option.
As ethereal spirits, their battles are not as simple as ordinary people fighting. Even before they have started fighting, their struggle begins the moment they stand still.
They seize control of the wind, manipulate clouds and mist to gather and block out the sun, and control the moisture between heaven and earth for their own use.
The moment they made a move, the heavens and earth seemed to echo and resonate with it.
As the clouds gathered, before Wei could do anything, Chu used the dark clouds to manipulate the lightning that emerged from them to strike Qin.
The commotion was immense, and the roar resounded through the sky. Even the troops on both sides who were not on this side heard it, and the generals on both sides stood on the watchtowers, trying to see what was happening in the distance.
Then they saw that in the distance, the clouds and mist were as black as ink, and within them, lightning snakes danced wildly and struck straight down in one place.
The apocalyptic scene shocked everyone who saw it. They could not see the various countries in it, nor could they understand why such a scene had occurred, but they could see the natural disaster.
There's no way to escape now; all they can do is pray that the natural disaster doesn't move in their direction. If it could move to the other side, that would be even better.
Some people in the military camp had already knelt down, praying to heaven and asking for divine protection.
****
Qin calmly took out the bamboo slips from her sleeve. The bamboo slips unfolded and grew larger, revealing moves she had used before. Moves don't need to be numerous, as long as they are effective.
After the bamboo slip phantom blocked 'Chu's' attack, 'Qin' held a long sword. She smiled gently and elegantly, her tone slow and deliberate, as if she were strolling in her own backyard rather than standing on a tense battlefield.
"This sword is named Sheji (社稷). If you can die by its blade, it will be a blessing."
Five countries: ?
Before the five kingdoms could feel displeasure or utter a rebuttal, Qin raised the sword in her hand. The sword was as heavy as her arm. The sword of the state was both as steady and restrained as a high mountain and as passionate and turbulent as flowing water. The combination of these two opposing auras did not seem abrupt. She slowly swung the sword. Although the speed was not fast, the sword energy was incomparably sharp, as if it could cleave the sky with a single stroke.
Wei's pupils constricted, and she no longer had time to frown and rebuke Chu for using the clouds she had gathered without permission. She hurriedly waved her hand, causing the dark clouds to move quickly and block the way for the other states.
Chu also withdrew its attacking thunder and switched to defense.
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Author's note: Han: I'm outta here, you guys fight.
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