Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 226

The young man before me is not from Qin, yet he seems so familiar with the State of Chu. According to Sister Huaying, he is a traveling merchant. Could he also be from Chu?

Judging from his understanding of the Fire Phoenix Tree, he may be of noble birth from the Chu Kingdom, just like Sister Flower Shadow.

After all, the other party kidnapped me, but apart from verifying my identity, they did not cause me any harm.

With a suspicion in mind, Mi Lian calmly surveyed her surroundings again and found that although the room was simple, the patterns on the doors and windows were very elaborate. Although they were not the common style in Chu, they still had a lot of aesthetic value.

"The State of Chu has not fallen, and Guangling City still exists, so I am naturally still the Princess of Chu!" the eldest princess declared firmly, now that she had gained some confidence.

Ji Yan didn't miss the subtle changes in Mi Lian's expression. She roughly guessed what the other was thinking, but instead of pointing it out, she smiled and asked again, "What if Guangling City falls?"

"After you lose that country, are you going to live a life of misery in the Drunken Dream Tower forever?"

"I can easily bring you out today, and anyone else can do the same tomorrow. Do you think a mere Hua Ying or a mere Shennong Hall can protect you for the rest of your life?"

'Are farmers just insignificant in his eyes...' Mi Lian tried hard to gather information in her heart. When asked about the other party's question, she subconsciously thought of the promise her father made when he sent her away. She shook her head and refuted Ji Yan: "I am only temporarily staying at Zui Meng Lou. Guangling City will not fall. Even if it does, I will not stay in such a place forever."

Do you think the King of Chu will send someone to fetch you?

Ji Yan sneered, turned around with his hands behind his back, and mocked the other party's naivety and stupidity in having once again leaked important information.

'It seems Xiong Qi and Mi Lian have some kind of agreement, which will be fulfilled at Zuimeng Tower. Theoretically, after the fall of Chu, they can find a group of elite Chu fugitives by monitoring this place.'

From Mi Lian's reaction, Xiao Yan'er immediately realized this information.

Xiong Qi himself certainly wouldn't have survived. The King of Qin hated traitors the most, as evidenced by the head of Fan Yuqi used by the Yan state to assassinate the King of Qin many years ago.

The head of a traitor could create a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Yan state to assassinate the Qin emperor within five steps, and this was precisely due to the exploitation of Ying Zheng's character.

Lord Changping once enjoyed a hundred times the trust of Fan Yuqi, and his actions were a hundred times more hateful. After the defeat of Chu, there was absolutely no way he could have survived. Even if a miracle had occurred, he would have to spend his life on the run. If he were to contact Zuimenglou, it would only bring danger to his daughter, which was absolutely impossible.

Mi Lian thought that her family still had a way out by giving up their privileged status, but in fact, their only hope from the beginning was to win on the battlefield.

They lost with an army of 400,000 before, how can they win with only 200,000 now?

This is not the story of Yue Yi's conquest of Qi. Ying Zheng was far superior to King Hui of Yan in terms of military strategy and overall vision.

"Do you think you know my father better than I do?" Mi Lian, repeatedly mocked, pouted and mimicked the other's tone, also retorting sarcastically to Ji Yan.

Her behavior only made Xiao Yan'er laugh out loud again: "Want to make a bet with me?"

"What bet?"

"Your fate is now in my hands. Logically, I could do whatever I want with you, and the most advantageous course of action would be to hand you over to the Qin..." Ji Yan no longer concealed her voice, her melodious, nightingale-like voice deliberately and inadvertently revealed: "But I want to play a game with you, in exchange for your willing freedom, how about it~"

“You…” Mi Lian did not pay attention to Ji Yan’s words, but instead pointed at her in surprise.

"Oh~ Anyway, I've already been exposed." Seemingly only realizing belatedly that she hadn't controlled her voice well, Xiao Yan'er stomped her foot in annoyance, then turned around and generously removed the hairpin from her hair, then took out a handkerchief she had prepared in advance from her bosom to wipe away the light makeup on her face, revealing her true face to the other party.

Seeing the boy who was originally close to her age turn into a girl who seemed even more immature than herself, Princess Chu opened her mouth wide, but couldn't help feeling a little more relaxed: Ji Yan's sweet and obedient appearance and the fact that they were of the same gender made Mi Lian more accepting of her.

"Hmph, the stakes are: Chu will be defeated by Qin, and your father will not honor his promise to you."

After removing the male disguise techniques that Sister Xue Nu had meticulously designed for her, Xiao Yan'er displayed her liveliness in front of Mi Lian, which was undoubtedly a way to greatly reduce the other party's vigilance.

"How did you know about my agreement with my father...?"

“I don’t know the specifics of that agreement, but I know it will definitely be broken!” Ji Yan’s stepping forward again did not arouse Mi Lian’s disgust: “Moreover, you will definitely stay in Zuimeng Tower and spend the rest of your life as a dancer whose ‘jade arms are pillowed by a thousand men and whose crimson lips are tasted by ten thousand guests’.”

Using the strange phrases she had heard from her elder brother, the hall master, Xiao Yan'er crossed her arms and looked down at Xiao Lian'er on the bed with a smile.

"Drunken Dream Pavilion is an elegant place for playing music, not that kind of place..." Mi Lian subconsciously humbly refuted some of the inappropriate words in the other party's words.

"Really? Even the Tantai Terrace of the Zhao Kingdom, once known as the number one music and dance hall among the seven kingdoms, was used by Lord Pingyuan to entertain his guests at its peak." Ji Yan turned his head away disdainfully: "Whether those women danced or played the zither, they were ultimately just relying on their beauty to survive. Do you really think those guests went to Zuimenglou, a place without a powerful background, just to watch and listen?"

"I..." The princess remained silent. Although she had only been at Zuimenglou for less than a month, she had indeed vaguely heard some inappropriate sounds during the initial stages of her stay.

It's a fact that the young girl in front of him kidnapped him, and it's also a fact that Huaying couldn't bear the pressure and made him face the guests.

Today, Hua Ying couldn't even handle a nominally ordinary merchant properly. What if someone with greater power came in the future...? This isn't because Hua Ying is disloyal, but because she is just a weak woman, and given the nature of Zui Meng Lou, her inability to do anything is a sign of her inadequacy.

That's why Mi Lian was unwilling to stay in Zuimenglou for long. Her greatest wish was for Chu to win, so that she could return to Guangling and become a real princess again, and then ask for a pot of the rare Fire Phoenix Wutong tea to taste the legendary flavor.

Even if the State of Chu were to fall, it wouldn't be unacceptable for my father to live a wealthy life with my mother, sister, and myself. Even without social status, we could still enjoy a life of luxury and freedom.

But if, as the little girl said, her father broke his promise, then where else could she go besides the Drunken Dream Pavilion...?

"If you lose, will you let me go back?" Mi Lian asked a pointless question. In reality, she couldn't go back no matter whether she won or lost.

"Of course!" Ji Yan confidently agreed immediately. "If you lose, instead of sending you to some strangers to taste, why don't you become my maid? I promise I won't give you to outsiders, how about it~"

Xiao Yan'er never believed her promise was valid. She herself was still fighting for her own destiny. But in front of Mi Lian, Ji Yan was not worried at all: the person was already in her hands, and she would not let him go no matter what. The so-called 'promise' was just a well-intentioned lie to fool the child.

Anyway, there's a 50% chance this guarantee is true, and the other 50% chance it's false.

"Can you let me go back now and wait for the outcome of the bet?" Mi Lian always liked to ask a lot of pointless questions.

"No need. Do you think Zui Meng Lou will seriously search for you after your disappearance?" Ji Yan deliberately tried to sow discord.

“Sister Huaying cares about me a lot.” Mi Lian did not give a direct answer.

“Here, you can get the same important information from the outside world, so just wait for the outcome of the bet. It should be soon.” Ji Yan said with a faint smile, “Compared to Zui Meng Lou, this place is more elegant and quieter. In chaotic times, it is rare to have such a place to shelter from the wind and rain and not lack food.”

------

Lu Wei in Daze Mountain didn't pay much attention to what Xiao Yan'er was doing in Licheng, especially after he learned that he had already gotten his hands on her.

That was just a side quest to get Ji Yan moving around in the farmhouse and developing her abilities. Controlling a little girl was a piece of cake for the Hall Master.

Mi Lian still has a younger sister. As long as a person has family, they will have weaknesses. He has used this kind of mutual coercion many times before.

Although this younger sister is no longer in Lu Wei's hands, who in Licheng would know about this?

After looting the Juyang Treasury, Master Lu had a number of royal artifacts from the Chu Kingdom: he could find an orphan of similar age and throw out a few royal jade pendants as evidence to fake his identity.

While letting Xiaoyan play in Licheng, Lu Wei received news that the Zhu family had come to visit.

The reason for this was probably due to the war in the State of Chu.

The situation of the Chu army is very bad. The Qin army is under the personal command of King Ying Zheng in the rear. The last intelligence about Guangling City was that the Qin state had captured a lake in the north, built a high platform, and set up a post station. They planned to build Qinyou County after destroying Chu, which could also be called Gaoyou.

The Guangling City front fell one after another, and another piece of bad news was that the Qin army had severed the communication between King Xiong Qi of Chu and General Xiang Yan.

To defend a city, one must also defend the surrounding areas. A simple, isolated city has no hope of survival without external reinforcements. Therefore, when the Chu army defended Guangling, Xiong Qi personally settled the people inside the city and defended the city, while Xiang Yan led his troops outside, using the terrain to engage the Qin people.

Only with smooth communication between the city and the field can they cooperate to resist the Qin army. When Guangling City lost contact with the troops fighting in the field, neither side knew the other's situation, and defeat was inevitable.

Although many people had guessed this would happen from the beginning of the war, the Qin army personally informed the Chu people of their defeat.

The State of Chu was only one final offensive away from its demise. Due to the time difference, this offensive had already begun while Lu Wei was conversing with the Zhu family...

The unification of the world is getting closer and closer.

In the main hall of Gonggong Hall, after only a brief conversation about the State of Chu, Zhu Jia's mask suddenly turned blue and he sighed.

"Ah, speaking of the King of Chu, Brother Lu, do you know that the King of Chu's eldest daughter came to Licheng last month?"

Chapter 256 The Demise of the State of Chu

Shao Yu finally experienced the true taste of the battlefield.

The crimson sunset seemed to paint its color with the blood that flew up along with the cold light, accompanying the carnage on the ground. He drew the short spear from the back of the Seven Seas Dragon Armor and killed several pursuing Qin soldiers. He then led his few remaining subordinates to catch up with the main force and retreat.

Compared to last year's standoff, the current situation where the State of Chu is at a complete disadvantage makes him very anxious, but this battlefield also makes the young Shao Yu's blood boil.

The more trapped he was in and surrounded by enemies, the more he craved the feeling of sharp blades slicing through his flesh and the arrogance of winning with his bravery against overwhelming odds.

"Xiao Long, counting the five today, I have now killed exactly one hundred Qin cavalry."

Spurring his horse forward to ride alongside Long Qie, who was clad in fiery red armor, nine-year-old Shao Yu's racing heart had not yet fully calmed down: "The Qin people are nothing special. My grandfather was able to defeat two hundred thousand of them in one battle two years ago. When I grow up, I will kill another two hundred thousand of them!"

“Young Master…” Long Qie’s feelings were not as fervent as Shao Yu’s. His father had died in the previous battle, and now that he had succeeded as the commander of the Tenglong Legion, his primary task was to protect the Xiang family’s hopes.

A few days ago, the Qin army launched a massive offensive, which could almost be described as a general offensive. The Tenglong Legion was responsible for the left flank of the main force, but in the melee, they were separated from the central army by the Qin people. They have been out of contact with the main force for several days now.

On the surface, Long Qie could not show any signs of defeat in this war, but in his heart, he had silently adjusted his goal to safely send the young master out of the Guangling battlefield.

As long as the young master is alive, the Xiang clan will exist, and as long as the Xiang clan exists, the Chu state will still have hope!

These past few days, when we encountered Qin cavalry pursuing us during the retreat, the young lord always excitedly led the troops to cover the rear. Convincing him to voluntarily leave the battlefield will likely be quite difficult...

"Xiaolong, what's wrong?" Shaoyu asked, looking at his stammering companion with curiosity.

"General, they are our own men!" Just as Long Qi was preparing to persuade them with kind words, the vanguard cavalryman shouted from his spear.

Looking up, they saw a white-armored cavalry unit approaching them in the distance.

Unlike the Tenglong Legion, which still maintained a respectable size, the Chu cavalry only numbered a hundred. However, as the two sides drew closer, Long Ju and Shao Yu could clearly see the other side's "Xiang" banner.

"It's Uncle Liang and Master Fan!" From the color of the flag and the surrounding patterns, Shao Yu, with his excellent eyesight, immediately recognized which Chu army the newcomers belonged to.

"Shaoyu." Xiang Liang, looking slightly disheveled, recognized the Tenglong Legion, an elite Chu army, as the two armies drew closer. But more important than the Tenglong Legion was that Shaoyu was also there!

This gave Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng a jolt: the Xiang family was the soul of the Chu army, and apart from the Grand General, the existence of the Young General Shao Yu was the most important in the Chu army.

Even though Xiang Liang was also Xiang Yan's son, his status was not as high as that of Xiang Yu, who was a generation younger but was recognized as a young general.

"Uncle Liang, Master Fan, how could you..." After his initial joy, Shao Yu looked at the few and disheveled Chu soldiers beside his two elders and a bad premonition immediately arose in his heart: Uncle Liang and Master Fan were the generals in charge of the central army, where his grandfather Xiang Yan's position was located...

"It's a long story..." Fan Zeng shook his head, his face pale, while Xiang Liang lowered his head in despair. The deathly silence of the scene seemed to say it all.

It wasn't until the sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distant land that everyone was startled.

"It's not our people, it's Qin pursuers, let's retreat!" Long Qi gripped his spear and took the lead, facing the direction from which the commotion came.

He could tell from the sound of the horses' hooves that the Qin army pursuing them numbered no less than three thousand. The Chu army's horses had not been properly rested and maintained for several days, and they would definitely not be able to escape if they ran straight away: "General Xiang, Military Advisor Fan, you take the young master and retreat. I will lead the Tenglong Legion to buy you some time!"

"No, I'll cover the rear too!" Shao Yu shouted instinctively, but was pulled by Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng and had no choice but to leave with them.

Although he holds a high position, at least for now, he still obeys the orders of Uncle Liang and Master Fan.

"Golden Fire Cavalry, is it?" After the young master withdrew, Long Qie looked at the golden-patterned black-armored cavalry charging in the distance and shouted sharply, "Soaring Dragon Legion, form ranks, charge!"

Facing the Qin army that had made the greatest contribution in this war, Long Ju was not afraid at all.

He must buy time for the young master's retreat...

------

"I know, you arranged for that Chu princess named Mi Lian to enter the Drunken Dream Pavilion, but she mysteriously disappeared some time ago?"

Faced with the Zhu family's questions, Lu Wei nodded frankly.

"Hey, the Gonggong Hall really knows everything, even more so than my Shennong Hall." Zhu Jia's mask quickly changed between red and blue twice. He had recently made progress in his skill of making a thousand faces for a thousand people.

“Licheng is so close to Gonggong Hall, Gonggong Hall has just made some elaborate arrangements there. When it comes to intelligence, Shennong Hall is a veteran in the intelligence business. Gonggong Hall is far behind,” Lu Wei said with a smile.