freenovelworld Chapter 482 The Panicked Nobles of Six Nations 5
Chapter 482 The Panicked Nobles of Six Nations 5
After much agonizing deliberation, King Jia of Wei decided to personally travel to the State of Dai to meet with King Jia of Dai, hoping to persuade him to increase military strength and join forces against Qin. He traveled day and night with a small retinue to the State of Dai.
Upon finally arriving in the State of Dai, King Jia of Dai was quite surprised to see King Jia of Wei come in person. King Jia of Wei spoke earnestly: "Your Majesty, after Qin destroyed Han, its next target will inevitably be Wei and Dai. You surely understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' If we cannot join hands to resist Qin, only destruction awaits us."
King Jia of Dai sighed: "King Wei, I am well aware of this. However, Dai is a small country with poor people, and three thousand men is already the limit. If we increase our troops, the livelihood of the people will be greatly affected."
King Jia of Wei earnestly advised, "King of Dai, this is our last chance. If we unite and gain the support of other countries, we may be able to fight Qin."
After a long silence, Prince Jia of Dai finally shook his head: "King Wei, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but I'm simply powerless to do so. I will send these three thousand men to Daliang as soon as possible, but that's all."
King Jia of Wei was extremely disappointed. He knew that with such a small force, he was no match for the Qin army. But he also understood that King Jia of Dai had done his best. Helpless, he had no choice but to return to Daliang.
Back in Daliang, King Wei feigned exhaustion, rubbing his temples. Just then, Wei Ziyuan came running up, beads of sweat on his forehead. He rushed into the palace, panting, and without even a chance to bow to King Wei, hurriedly said, "Your Majesty! A secret letter from the Crown Prince!"
Upon hearing this, King Wei Jia's heart tightened, and he quickly took the secret letter handed to him by Wei Ziyuan. He unfolded the yellowed silk and saw that the handwriting on it was messy and wild, obviously written by Wei Ji in a hurry.
King Wei squinted and read the letter, which read: "Qin has over a hundred thunderbolts ready for battle. Father, please do not act rashly." This short sentence instantly made King Wei's expression turn serious.
King Wei's hand trembled slightly. Hundreds of thunderbolts hung like a sharp blade over the head of the Wei kingdom. Seeing this, Wei Ziyuan hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, what does the letter say?"
King Jia of Wei slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with despair. "Qin has over a hundred Thunderclap Bombs on standby."
Wei Ziyuan's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. "Your Majesty, what... what should we do?"
At this moment, a fierce wind howled outside the palace, as if wailing for the impending doom of the Wei Kingdom. King Wei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and ordered, "Send down the order to reinforce the city walls, stockpile grain, and make a final stand."
Wei Ziyuan accepted the order and departed. However, panic had spread like wildfire throughout the Wei court. Ministers gathered, discussing the matter animatedly, many already plotting their own escape routes. King Wei, observing this chaotic situation, felt a deep sense of sorrow.
He knew that the fate of the State of Wei might be irreversible, but as its ruler, he could not abandon his last shred of dignity. He decided that even if it meant death, he would make Qin pay a heavy price, making a final stand for the people of Wei and for the legacy of his ancestors.
Deep within the Xianyang Palace, Ying Zheng leaned against a lacquered desk carved with dragons. The mountain of memorials piled on the desk gleamed coldly. In the flickering candlelight, his shadow was stretched long, twisting and shifting on the wall engraved with ferocious Taotie patterns, like a giant dragon about to awaken, lurking in the darkness, ready to pounce.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, echoing through the empty corridor. The sound, like the beat of a drum, grew closer and more urgent.
A man dressed in a dark brocade robe with cloud patterns came rushing in like a gust of wind. His steps were vigorous and powerful, each step like a drumbeat, producing a crisp and powerful sound. The jade pendant at his waist swayed constantly with his rapid movement, making a clear clinking sound, as if accompanying his footsteps.
The man held a secret report in his hands, which still exuded the distinctive smoky smell of the firearms workshop. It was a pungent odor, a mixture of metal smelting and gunpowder burning. This smell might be unpleasant to ordinary people, but to the man, it was a harbinger that would make the whole world tremble.
The man ran all the way and finally arrived at the front of the palace. He knelt on one knee. His voice trembled with barely suppressed excitement: "Your Majesty, the third-generation Thunderclap Bomb has been successfully tested!"
His words echoed in the hall, as if the entire hall was shaken by his excitement. The man continued, "The newly cast iron outer shell has been quenched nine times, making it incredibly hard and able to withstand three times the impact of gunpowder; the range has also exceeded five hundred paces, and the improved delayed fuse can precisely control the timing of the explosion!"
Ying Zheng suddenly opened his half-closed eyes. His eyes were deep and sharp, like the brightest star in the night sky. The candlelight danced in his eyes, as if ignited by his gaze, reflecting a heart-stopping light.
He slowly rose from his seat, each movement deliberate and powerful. His steps were slow yet firm, as if the entire world were under his control. One step, two steps, three steps… He walked to the huge silk painting displaying the maps of the six kingdoms and stopped.
His fingertips lightly traced the area marked with cinnabar, where a glaring red circle had already been drawn. The circle was so vivid and jarring that it resembled a wound that would never heal, deeply embedded in the fibers of the silk painting.
"King Jia of Dai, in the end, still doesn't know his own mortality." Ying Zheng's voice suddenly rang out in the silent room, tinged with a cold laugh. His laughter revealed a chilling aura that instilled fear in everyone.
He whirled around abruptly, his wide sleeves whipping up a gust of wind like a whirlwind. The bamboo slips on the table were startled by this gust, fluttering and rustling mournfully, as if lamenting the approaching storm.
"I spared his life until now, intending to appease the remnants of the Yan and Zhao people with benevolence, so that they might feel the tolerance and goodwill of Great Qin. But he is so ungrateful, attempting to reignite the flames of the alliance and oppose me to the very end. Does he really think that Great Qin's tolerance is weakness and vulnerability?" Ying Zheng's words were filled with anger and authority, and his voice echoed in the room for a long time.
That night, Xianyang was shrouded in endless darkness, utterly silent, like a dead city. Yet, in this inky stillness, only the Zhangtai Palace was brightly lit, like a burning island in the darkness, radiating a dazzling light.
Ying Zheng sat upright behind the golden altar, his figure appearing exceptionally tall and majestic in the candlelight. Incense smoke rose from the bronze cauldron on the altar, adding a touch of mystery to the entire hall.