Chapter 230

Chapter 230: The Fall of Han Shocks the World, Moon God Enters Qin with Fei Yan

When Ying Zheng returned from the Empress Dowager’s, Zhao Gao had already gathered the important ministers.

At this time, everyone still didn’t know what had happened.

But Ying Zheng urgently gathering everyone must mean something important.

When asked, Zhao Gao, the sneaky fellow, refused to reveal anything.

Li Xin sat on the side, hands folded, pondering.

Gathering them all here definitely meant it was a major issue.

And what’s Qin’s current major issue?

Nothing but the war.

With whom?

Naturally, with Han!

As he thought of this, Li Xin’s eyes suddenly brightened.

Doesn’t this scene feel familiar?

Last time when the National Advisor was trapped in Han, the Qin Emperor and Empress Dowager also urgently summoned them.

And now, the National Advisor has gone to Han again.

Could he be trapped again?

Li Xin thought it was very possible!

No matter how skilled a person is, it’s impossible to destroy a country alone, right?

Surely, something must have happened to the National Advisor in Han, so the Han Emperor urgently summoned everyone to discuss countermeasures.

Li Xin’s gaze involuntarily fell on Li Si sitting at the end.

Musing, he got up and moved his seat next to Li Si.

Li Si gave him a light glance and respectfully raised his hand, “General Li.”

Li Xin sat next to him, familiarly patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, “Brother Li, no need for formalities, no need for formalities.”

Li Si was momentarily stunned by the address.

Thinking of the bet with Li Xin, his heart sank.

Combining with Li Xin’s address, could it be that he’s already received some news?

Li Si was much more astute than Li Xin.

Without showing his hand, he probed, “General Li, your praise is overwhelming. How could I be worthy of such an address?”

Li Xin fell right into his trap.

Looking around, he lowered his voice and said, “What do you mean not worthy? We have a bet, remember?”

“If I win, you’ll call me brother. If you win, I’ll eat the pillar outside.”

As he spoke, he pointed to the redwood pillar outside the door.

Li Si’s heart tightened, thinking it was indeed so.

From Li Xin’s words, it was clear that the Qin Emperor summoned them because the National Advisor had failed, and Qin needed to re-evaluate its strategy against Han.

Li Si was suddenly very anxious.

The National Advisor’s failure was minor, but if something happened to him in Han…

Then wouldn’t he lose his backer in the future?

How did he get to this position? How did he enter the cabinet?

It was all thanks to the National Advisor’s support.

Without this backer, Lord Changping wouldn’t even look at him properly.

He might even be kicked out of the cabinet!

Thinking this, Li Si became even more anxious.

“Is General Li suggesting that the National Advisor has failed? Where did this information come from? Is it reliable?”

Li Xin’s eyes widened, and he said confidently, “Do we need information for this? Anyone could guess it!”

Li Si was stunned.

Staring at him blankly for a long moment.

“You guessed?”

Li Xin nodded, “Yep.”

Li Si almost cursed out loud but held it in.

So it was all baseless speculation?

“Ridiculous.”

Li Xin immediately became agitated.

“Hey, why is it ridiculous? We had an agreement. Are you trying to back out?”

Upon realizing that Li Xin was just talking nonsense, Li Xin finally calmed down in his heart.

Hearing this, he responded unhurriedly, “Since General Li hasn’t received any news, how do you know for sure that the National Advisor must have failed instead of succeeded?”

Li Xin argued with widened eyes, “You haven’t received any news either, how can you be certain he succeeded and not failed?”

“You—”

Li Si was so choked by his response that he couldn’t utter a word.

A scholar meets a soldier, reason doesn’t get through.

Li Xin was completely playing with semantics.

I ask you a question, and you throw the question back to me—that’s not cheating?

The two argued until their faces were flushed.

Others might not have heard, but Zhao Gao, standing at the door, heard everything clearly.

Since he often attended to Ying Zheng, he naturally knew that Li Mo valued Li Si highly.

Both men had the surname Li, so they might even be related.

Seeing Li Si being rebutted by Li Xin, he had an idea.

He wasn’t qualified to curry favor with the National Advisor.

He couldn’t reach Lord Changping either.

But Li Si was a good target.

With a flicker of his eyes, he came up with a plan.

He moved quietly behind the two and said in a low voice, “General Li, you shouldn’t say such things.”

Li Xin was startled by his sharp voice.

Turning around, he cursed, “What business is it of yours? Get lost!”

Zhao Gao was not offended by the curse; instead, he smiled sarcastically, “I just wanted to remind General Li that such words should not be spoken carelessly.”

Li Xin, looking fierce, retorted, “What nonsense did I say?”

Zhao Gao’s face was sinister, his smile eerie and creepy.

He said slowly, “General Li, without evidence, claimed that the National Advisor failed.”

“If the National Advisor fails, it means that our Qin State has failed.”

“General Li, hoping for Qin State’s defeat—isn’t that a serious crime?”

“If the Emperor hears this, it will be a disaster.”

Upon hearing this, Li Xin’s hair stood on end.

He had been so focused on his bet with Li Si that he had forgotten this!

Moreover, Zhao Gao often attended to the Emperor. If he disclosed this to the Emperor, Li Xin would not have good end!

Thinking of Ying Zheng’s usually stern, ruthless demeanor, Li Xin felt a chill down his back.

Li Si unexpectedly glanced at Zhao Gao.

He could see that Zhao Gao was speaking on his behalf.

But why would he help him when they had no prior dealings?

He understood in a flash.

Though Zhao Gao served the Emperor, he had always been unremarkable.

Without any special achievements, it was hard for him to rise.

He was trying to win Li Si’s favor.

No!

Thinking of this, Li Si suddenly denied his earlier thought.

He wasn’t trying to win over Li Si.

Rather, he hoped to curry favor with the National Advisor through Li Si!

So that’s it!

Li Si suddenly realized.

At that moment, Ying Zheng strode in from outside.

Zhao Gao quickly returned to his place.

Li Xin, drenched in cold sweat, hadn’t yet moved his seat back when Ying Zheng had already sat down, looking at them.

Li Xin dared not move and sat next to Li Si with a lowered head.

Ying Zheng didn’t care where Li Xin sat; seeing everyone present, he began, “Han is destroyed.”

Everyone was shocked!

Ying Zheng spoke succinctly, getting straight to the point.

The news stunned everyone present!

Especially Li Xin.

He was completely dazed!

Looking at Ying Zheng with a blank expression.

Ying Zheng glanced around.

Why is no one speaking?

Shouldn’t you be happy to hear this news?

Did I speak too quickly, and they didn’t hear it clearly?

Thinking this, he pulled out a report sent by the frontline.

The report was handwritten by Wang Jian, with his seal on it.

Ying Zheng took out the report and slowly said, “Wang Jian sent word that the National Advisor set out the day after arriving at the frontier camp and took Emperor Han’s palace in three days.”

“Emperor Han was captured, and all Han officials were taken prisoner.”

“My Qin army has occupied Hangu Pass, the frontier of Han, and stationed troops in major cities like Xinzhen.”

“In this battle, my Qin state secured an unprecedented victory without losing a single soldier or consuming any supplies.”

At this point, even Ying Zheng couldn’t help but be astonished!

Destroying an entire country single-handedly, what kind of concept was that?

Even the unparalleled feat of Bai Xianwu from back then, who slaughtered over 400,000 Zhao soldiers, couldn’t compare!

In warfare, what matters most is popular support and morale.

This battle was not just a victory!

It was also a prime opportunity to boost the morale of Qin’s ruling and civil classes!

After this battle, everyone in Qin would be of one mind!

Morale would reach unprecedented heights!

The stunned crowd finally reacted.

An uproar echoed through the study.

Only then did Li Si realize, belatedly, that he had somehow torn his official robe in excitement.

When he looked at his open palm, it was drenched in sweat.

Prior to this, he held two people in the highest regard.

First was his teacher, Master Xun.

Second was the national advisor.

But now, these two rankings had to be swapped!

Li Si couldn’t help but ask himself.

Could Master Xun have achieved what the national advisor did?

As soon as that thought emerged, he shook his head.

Not just Master Xun, but no one in the world could accomplish this!

This was already beyond the capabilities of mere mortals!

Suddenly, Li Si glanced over at the still-stunned Li Xin.

Li Xin, sensing it, looked back at him.

Li Si smiled faintly.

A finger hidden in his robe pointed in a certain direction.

Li Xin involuntarily followed the pointed direction.

And immediately, his face turned deathly pale.

In the direction Li Si pointed, there stood a red wooden pillar!

The news of Han’s demise spread like wildfire, reaching all corners of the land within less than half a month.

This state that had coexisted with the other six for over two hundred years suddenly vanished!

So quickly that other nations hadn’t even reacted.

Especially Zhao. Just a few days ago, Zhao was awaiting Princess Hongliangs envoy from Han for a marriage alliance.

Yet they waited and waited, but no one came.

Emperor Zhao, in a fit of rage, sent emissaries to Han to demand an explanation.

But as soon as the emissary arrived, he fled back in terror.

No more Han to be found.

The place was filled with Qin soldiers, and the city walls were adorned with Qin flags!

The news shocked Zhao.

Emperor Zhao was so frightened he almost lost his soul.

If Qin could silently annihilate Han within three days, could they not do the same to Zhao?

The longstanding tensions due to the Nanyang affair made hostilities between Qin and Zhao irreparable.

Not to mention the deep-rooted hatred from the Battle of Changping, the two nations were akin to fire and ice.

A war was inevitable!

Emperor Zhao urgently mobilized the national army, appointing Li Mo as the general to defend against any Qin invasion!

The news spread further and soon reached the secluded Sage’s Villa in Sanghai.

In a quiet, seaside courtyard,

The courtyard was in full bloom with trees casting their shade.

A set of tea utensils was laid out on a long table.

Steam rose from the boiling kettle on the stove, clouding Fu Nian’s vision.

He stared through the steam at Master Xun across from him.

Normally, tea shouldn’t be boiled too long.

Otherwise, it loses its sweetness and turns bitter.

Master Xun knew his tea well.

He wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.

But now, he seemed as if in deep meditation, frozen there.

For a long time, he didn’t move.

In all these years, Fu Nian had seen Master Xun lose composure only twice.

Once when he first learned about this thing called paper.

The second time was now.

After a long while, Master Xun finally recovered from his astonishment.

He wasn’t worried about Han Fei.

Li Mo had promised him that he would ensure Han Fei’s safety no matter what.

If he could annihilate a nation in three days, what couldn’t he do?

After a long while, Master Xun finally regained his composure from the shock.

That person had given him too many surprises!

He looked up at Fu Nian beside him, then down at the tea that had been boiling for a long time.

With a sigh, he ordered, “Change the pot.”

“Yes.”

Fu Nian picked up the teapot handle, a faint glow enveloping his hand to insulate it from the heat.

After he replaced the pot and set the new tea to boil, Master Xun spoke again.

“Fu Nian.”

“Yes, here.”

Master Xun looked at him and slowly asked, “What do you think about this matter?”

He was asking about the destruction of Han.

Without hesitation, Fu Nian replied, “It was expected that Qin would destroy Han to conquer Zhao.”

Master Xun squinted his eyes, a sharp light flashing in them.

“Is that so?”

Fu Nian was slightly taken aback.

His teacher’s gaze seemed dangerous!

Did he say something wrong?

After a brief thought, he suddenly trembled!

Seeing his reaction, Master Xun knew he had figured it out.

“What have you realized?”

In disbelief, Fu Nian looked at Master Xun with a grave expression, “This is probably just the beginning.”

Master Xun nodded gently.

He looked up towards the west.

The fiery sunset painted the sky red, as if drenched in blood.

He sighed, “A chaotic era is approaching!”

Fu Nian’s heart trembled, confirming his suspicion.

The destruction of Han by Qin was merely the start.

Once the wheels of motion began, they wouldn’t stop.

Until everything in their path was crushed!

“A chaotic era…”

Fu Nian murmured.

“Uncle, since a chaotic era is coming, is there any strategy to prevent it?”

Master Xun’s deep eyes bore into him.

Fu Nian felt a chill run down his spine under the gaze.

“Why prevent it?”

Fu Nian pondered, “When chaos descends, the people suffer. Our Confucianism values benevolence, how can we watch the people fall into despair?”

Master Xun suddenly sneered.

Fu Nian looked at him puzzled. He felt that ever since his uncle returned from Han, he had changed.

Exactly how, he couldn’t say.

It seemed…less rigid!

“The seven states have been warring for hundreds of years, the world has been in chaos for hundreds of years.”

“Having endured hundreds of years of turmoil, does it matter if it lasts a few more?”

Master Xun’s words struck Fu Nian like a thunderbolt.

“The world’s grand trend: separation inevitably leads to unity, and unity to separation. After chaos, comes prosperity.”

Master Xun nodded, “Indeed.”

“Uncle, I heard that Han’s quick downfall is all because of Qin’s national advisor. Is he really that capable?”

Master Xun was silent for a moment before giving his assessment.

“This young man… I cannot compare.”

Fu Nian was greatly shocked.

One must know, even the likes of Guiguzi and Donghuang Taiyi could be compared to Master!

Yet now, he gave such a shocking appraisal of this young advisor!

Master Xun spoke slowly, “Even in insight and scholarship, I fall short of him.”

“His understanding feels like…it’s…”

Master Xun paused before continuing, “It feels like he is ahead of us by thousands of years!”

Meanwhile, at the School of Yin-Yang, in another building.

A tall and lush phoenix tree was growing vibrantly in the center.

A figure stood beneath the tree.

She resembled a celestial being fallen to the mortal realm, her demeanor elegant and noble, her figure graceful and curvaceous.

Her plump lips carried a mesmerizing, faint smile, and she was stunningly beautiful.

The news of the Qin national advisor’s three-day conquest of Han had already spread across the land.

As the master of the School of Yin-Yang, Fei Yan was naturally aware of this matter.

She didn’t care whether Li Mo was renowned; she only knew that with the fall of Han, he would be happy.

And as long as he was happy, she was happy.

That was all!

Suddenly, Fei Yan’s smile faded.

Moon Goddess, exuding a mysterious aura, appeared in the building, her gaze hidden behind her veil falling on Fei Yan.

Slowly, she said, “The Donghuang Taiyi has decreed that I accompany you to Qin.”