Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 115

Listening to the music, Yan Dan's eyes revealed a complex emotion: the only problem now is how to remove the two current commanders... even if they have done nothing wrong.

"This is also for the greater good of the world..."

Having made up his mind, the Crown Prince turned around and left the Golden Terrace.

Neither the schemes in Qin nor Yan implicated the head of the hall.

At this moment, Lu Wei had already left Handan City and arrived in Fanwu.

This place was practically the front line for Li Mu and Wang Jian.

As soon as the war began, Master Lu arrived here to await the occurrence of the incident.

It is no longer advisable to remain in Handan City. Firstly, it is too far from the northern front, making timely responses to the battlefield impossible. Secondly, Guo Kai has returned with the King of Zhao, and once he learns that his 30,000 gold has been stolen, he will surely unleash a bloodbath in the capital.

Even if Guo Kai couldn't find any evidence, Lu Wei absolutely didn't want to get involved in any extra trouble at this time. That city was meaningless to him now, so why keep it?

Having received instructions, Ayu was secretly arranging for her disciples to retreat.

In a country that has become a battlefield, no one's safety can be guaranteed. The cities of Zhao, especially Handan, are very unsafe.

After transferring most of his elite troops back to Qi, leaving some to lie low in the countryside, and only having his meticulous and bold disciples manage the major cities, Lu Yu himself also left. He went south to Daliang to manage the Wei region with A Ye.

As for Zhao Yi, the close partner and nominal supreme leader of the peasants in the Zhao state, he was a pawn to be discarded.

After all, he has the bloodline of the Zhao royal family; such a person is both useful and troublesome.

The royal bloodlines of the six kingdoms could unite the hearts of people in various regions in the future. However, in Lu Wei's view, it would be easier to deal with Zhao in the future if Li Mu were to be associated with it, rather than with this so-called 'Lord of Pingyuan'.

Whether Zhao Yi survives or not ultimately depends on how smart he is...

Chapter 137 Li Mu Enters the Farm

A light drizzle can appear differently to people in different moods.

Guo Kai's anger burned for more than three months. He never expected that there would be a traitor in his own household!

Thirty thousand gold coins vanished into thin air. Is this possible unless someone is colluding with insiders?

It was not just collusion between insiders and outsiders, but an organized collusion involving a wide range of people!

However, faced with the sudden visit of the person in front of him, Prime Minister Guo still had to suppress his anger and put on a smiling face: "Xianyang, do you have any instructions for Kai?"

"Li Mu has always been a problem, so Prime Minister Guo shouldn't pretend to be completely ignorant."

The visitor was completely shrouded in a black robe; such a furtive attire suggested he was probably not a good person.

"Of course I understand the obstacles that Lord Wu'an of Zhao poses to Qin." Guo Kai chuckled, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

Even though he saw Qin as his fallback plan, Guo Kai knew that this was probably the biggest deal he would ever make and the last time he would act recklessly. After betraying his country and the fall of Zhao, he would have to live a low-key life.

"The King of Zhao trusts him to the extreme, and even I cannot change the King of Zhao's mind."

Seemingly to make his words more convincing, Guo Kai also cited an example: "In the Battle of Changping, Lian Po was replaced midway through the battle, which led to the great defeat of the Zhao state at Changping, with the loss of 400,000 soldiers."

"If we want to follow the example of Changping and replace Li Mu now, the obstacles in the court will be enormous."

“I’ve come to Handan, I don’t have time to waste with you.”

The man in black understood Guo Kai's intention to "get more money," and spoke crisply, reading out the offer from Qin: "After the fall of Zhao, the King will appoint you as the Grand Minister of Qin."

"A mansion has already been prepared for Prime Minister Guo in Xianyang. After the fall of Zhao, there will be countless people who hate you. You don't want to stay in Handan any longer, do you?"

"To serve as a lackey and henchman for the Great Qin is my honor..." Guo Kai slightly relented, but still wanted to bargain: "To persuade the King of Zhao to believe me, I also need to visit some of the other ministers in the court..."

"These people are incredibly greedy..."

Frowning, the man in black's tone grew displeased upon hearing Guo Kai's chuckle, but he still spoke: "In the mansion in Xianyang, the Luo Net has prepared ten thousand taels of gold for the Prime Minister."

Qin's wealth far surpassed that of Zhao, but Xianyang had more income but also more expenditure. Giving Guo Kai ten thousand gold pieces was an extra expense.

"That traitor Li Mu will surely be brought to justice within half a month!"

Guo Kai estimated that the proceeds from selling out the country would not be much, and would even be very low.

Guo Kai originally thought that even if the King of Qin gave him 100,000 gold pieces, it wouldn't be too much for him to do so, considering the entire state of Zhao.

However, the visitor's tone was already unfriendly. After arriving in Xianyang, he would inevitably have to cooperate with the Luo Wang organization. Moreover, he had no other way out but to return to Qin. Knowing when to quit while he was ahead was a wise move.

"I hope that the Prime Minister's words can be put into practice as soon as possible."

Having received a satisfactory answer, the man in black vanished from Guo Kai's residence in a flash.

At this moment, Guo Kai clapped his hands and summoned his trusted confidant, ordering him to bring out a whole box of fabricated evidence of Li Mu's "treason":

He didn't want to delay and immediately went to the palace to pay his respects to the King of Zhao in order to complete the King of Qin's mission.

Li Mu and Lu Wei had long anticipated this event, and they had even made an agreement: if the King of Zhao removed Li Mu from his command and Li Mu failed to disobey orders, he would voluntarily fake his death and become a farmer, serving as an ordinary disciple in the Gonggong Hall.

The Lord of the Hall made this promise by purchasing grain from Yan and Qi for Zhao Jun.

In order to satisfy Zhao Jun as much as possible, Gonggongtang spent a lot of money on purchasing grain. If it weren't for Yanchunjun's previous friendly sponsorship, it would have been difficult to come up with such a large sum of money in a short time.

Despite the enormous expense, the good reputation gained from Zhao Jun and the sincere commitment of Li Mu to agriculture made it all worthwhile.

After the war began, Lu Wei suddenly wanted to personally command his subordinates who were gathering intelligence in Zhao, which made communication much more difficult due to their unfamiliarity with each other.

However, news such as "Guo Kai advised King Zhao that 'Lord Wu'an, Li Mu, is plotting a rebellion,' and King Zhao was furious and immediately announced the removal of Li Mu from his title of Lord Wu'an and his military post" quickly reached him.

Regardless of the uproar this incident caused in Handan City, the fact that the Hall Master saw the message, "Guo Kai reports news of Wu'an Jun's rebellion; King Zhao, without even looking at the evidence, is furious and announces the result," was utterly astonishing.

He had met so many famous people, and no matter what news he received, he had never been as shocked as he was today.

Even Master Lu couldn't tell whether it was a Qin spy who bribed Guo Kai, or someone who directly bribed the King of Zhao himself...

Shaking his head, the Hall Master took the intelligence and left the small town inn, heading towards the Zhao army camp at the front.

Using the token that Li Mu had given him beforehand, Lu Wei met Wu Anjun, who was wearing bright silver armor, for the first time.

At noon, having just finished lunch with his soldiers, Li Mu planned to take a short nap to ensure he was full of energy and clear-headed.

Upon learning of Lu Wei's arrival, he immediately realized the situation: "Please invite Hall Master Lu in."

"The general should know why I've come."

Lu Wei sat down in front of Li Mu in a low voice, knowing that he didn't need to say anything more.

He obtained intelligence through expedited means, a few days faster than official news reaching the army.

"I thought I could have more time..."

As he pressed his hand to the hilt of the Zhenyue Sword at his waist, this general, who had fought on the battlefield for many years, seemed to age suddenly.

Li Mu's idea behind the bet with Lu Wei was to find a weakness in the Qin army during the stalemate and quickly defeat them.

In all warfare, one engages with the orthodox and wins with the unorthodox. Therefore, those skilled in using unorthodox tactics are as boundless as heaven and earth, and as inexhaustible as rivers.

Surprise attacks have always been the secret to quick victories, but everything has two sides. Surprise attacks are not something everyone can use accurately and well. If used poorly, they can lead to unbearable backlash.

Li Mu was confident that as long as the Qin army revealed a flaw, even a feigned flaw in a trap, he could use his strategic planning to break through the stalemate and achieve victory, like a mighty river flowing through the air.

But Wang Jian, the Qin general, remained completely unmoved.

This veteran general, who was much older than Li Mu, knew that time was on his side. He was one of the participants in the planning of the counter-espionage scheme and understood that he did not need to compete with Zhao Wu'an Jun in terms of military strategy.

Frankly speaking, if he were in Zhao Jun's position, he probably wouldn't have performed as well as Li Mu. But in a war, the most important thing is always victory.

All we need to do is wait patiently for General Zhao to be dismissed before launching an attack on the Zhao army; the victory of destroying the country will be within our grasp.

Wang Jian believed that if one could overwhelm the enemy with overwhelming force, one should not take any risky actions for petty gains, lest one suffer unnecessary losses.

"General, do you know that the news of your dismissal is known to everyone in Handan City? I imagine that in a few days, the morale of the army will inevitably suffer a blow."

Lu Wei then delivered a second piece of bad news: this significant dismissal wasn't even conducted in secrecy; rather, the entire state of Zhao seemed eager to know that the King of Zhao had committed such a foolish act...

This act of currying favor with Qin by undermining the morale of the Zhao army and, more importantly, the national will to resist Qin, was a deliberate act of treason by Guo Kai...

"You bastard!"

Li Mu understood this as well. For the first time, he lost his composure and scolded harshly, then immediately stood up: "Thank you, Hall Master Lu, for coming to inform me. This allowed me to know about this matter in advance, so that I wouldn't be caught off guard."

"General, will you still disobey the king's orders?"

"No," Li Mu quickly regained his composure: "It's too late to defy the king's order. Even at top speed, it would take at least five days to get here from Handan."

"Furthermore, since the king wants to seize my military power, he will certainly not send only two generals with light equipment. I estimate that this will give me three more days."

"I wonder what day the King gave the order, according to Master Lu's intelligence?"

"Four days ago," the hall master answered honestly.

"Then I have four days to plan!"

Li Mu clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lu Wei: "In the next four days, I will launch a full-scale offensive against the Qin army."

"Given Wang Jian's methods, the outcome of the battle is unlikely to be groundbreaking, but it can create a better situation for my successor, which is not contrary to my duty as Lord Zhao Wu'an!"

"Four days from now, when the envoy from Handan arrives, I will no longer resist. I will readily relinquish my military power and join the Farmer's Clan as promised with Hall Master Lu!"

Li Mu's gaze was sincere, and his face was full of determination.

Thinking that he was about to be able to subdue someone of this caliber, Lu Wei nodded emphatically:

"I, Lu, possess some martial skills and have also read a little about military strategy. I am willing to serve as General Li Mu's vanguard cavalry for the next four days!"

The sect leader has decided to join the war at this final moment, to experience the thrill of battlefield combat ahead of time.

"I will never forget the kindness of Hall Master Lu."

"Four days from now, I am willing to become a farmer and serve Lord Hall Master to the death!"

It takes immense courage for a victorious general to willingly accept defeat.

Although this general was not defeated on the battlefield, but rather in the court...

------

Zhao Cong and Yan Ju led a thousand royal guard cavalrymen and advanced rapidly toward Fanwu.

With the country in peril, the two understood the heavy responsibility on their shoulders. Along the way, they carefully considered how to achieve a great victory over the Qin army after taking over military power, and then be rewarded with titles for their merits.

Li Mu was deposed as the Marquis of Wu'an, so the title of Marquis of Wu'an is now vacant.

"When two rats fight in their hole, the braver one will win." Zhao Cong recited the famous saying of Zhao She, the Lord of Ma Fu, and shook his head: "Confronting the Qin army is not a solution. Wang Jian and Li Mu are too old and have lost their fighting spirit on the battlefield."

"After we take over the army, we will use the methods of Lord Ma Fu in the past to lead elite cavalry to bypass the Qin army camp and launch a surprise attack on Wang Jian's central army. The old man will definitely be caught off guard and his army will be thrown into chaos."