Inside the great hall, Xiang Liang’s voice seemed to come from the depths of the underworld itself, freezing the blood of every Xiang clansman present.
“Inviting us… to gather all our friends.”
“And then…”
“To die together.”
Silence.
A suffocating silence so deep that even a falling pin could be heard.
Bang!
The young Xiang Guan could no longer endure it. He smashed the table before him with a single palm strike.
His eyes were bloodshot like an enraged young tiger.
“My lord!”
“This is humiliation! An unbearable humiliation!”
“When has our Xiang clan ever suffered such disgrace?!”
He suddenly drew the sword at his waist and pointed it toward the doors.
“Please grant me three thousand clan troops, my lord!”
“I will march to Xianyang immediately, flatten his Qilin Hall, and personally twist off that little bastard’s head to honor the souls of our fallen Chu!”
“Insolence!”
The thunderous roar did not come from Xiang Liang, but from the usually calm and steady Xiang Bo beside him.
Xiang Bo tightly grabbed the impulsive Xiang Guan, his face pale.
“Haven’t we embarrassed ourselves enough already?!”
Xiang Guan stiffened his neck stubbornly.
“Uncle! A man may be killed, but he cannot be humiliated! That brat has already shoved his face beneath our swords—how can we not strike?!”
Xiang Liang slowly turned around.
He said nothing.
He merely walked over to Xiang Guan.
Then he raised his hand.
Smack!
A loud, crisp slap struck Xiang Guan square across the face.
The blow staggered him, leaving him completely stunned.
“My lord…”
Xiang Liang grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
Those hawk-like eyes stared directly into his.
“What exactly are you planning to fight with?”
Xiang Guan opened his mouth.
“I…”
“With your hot blood alone?”
Xiang Liang’s voice was as cold as ice.
“Or with your three thousand clan soldiers charging into the inescapable net laid out by that eight-year-old child?”
“Tell me—can your sword move faster than the hundreds of heavy crossbows atop Xianyang’s city walls?”
Xiang Guan’s face instantly turned red like pig liver.
The sword in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.
Xiang Liang released him, letting him collapse weakly onto the floor.
Turning around, he walked to the enormous map hanging in the center of the hall.
It was a map of the Six Kingdoms before Qin unified the realm.
His finger slowly traced a line from Kuaiji in Chu territory before heavily pressing down upon the center of the map.
Xianyang.
“That little monster never regarded us as a threat from the start.”
Xiang Liang’s voice had regained its calmness, yet it was even more frightening than his earlier fury.
“He deliberately let Xiang Zhuang escape.”
“Just so Xiang Zhuang could bring back the full truth of Xianyang’s strength, Qinglong’s martial skill, and his own monstrous nature.”
“He wants to completely crush the last bit of confidence we have in rising independently!”
“He wants us to fear him!”
“He wants us to feel that the Xiang clan alone isn’t even worthy of scratching his itch!”
He turned to look at the various expressions throughout the hall.
“He calculated that we would never accept defeat willingly.”
“So he gave us another path.”
His finger swept across the map, tracing through the former lands of Qi, Zhao, Wei, Han, and Yan.
“He is telling us this—”
“If you want revenge, if you want to restore your kingdoms, fine.”
“Go call for people.”
“Drag out everyone hiding in the shadows who still hates Great Qin.”
The atmosphere inside the hall grew heavy once again.
Xiang Bo, who had remained silent, finally could not help speaking.
His voice was filled with worry.
“Elder Brother, this scheme is indeed vicious, but… I fear it may not succeed.”
“The remnants of the Six Kingdoms all harbor their own selfish motives.”
“Especially the Tian clan of Qi. They have always been opportunists, forever hoping to reap benefits while others fight.”
“To ally with them carries far too much risk.”
“Furthermore, even if we do unite, who would become the alliance leader? Such an alliance would be fragile beyond belief!”
Xiang Bo’s words echoed the thoughts in everyone’s hearts.
An anti-Qin alliance sounded mighty on the surface, but internally it had long since rotted away.
No one truly accepted another’s authority.
Everyone wanted to preserve their own strength while letting others become cannon fodder.
Yet a strange sneer appeared on Xiang Liang’s face.
From his robes, he pulled out a black wooden token.
It was the secret signal accompanying the intelligence report sent back from Xianyang.
Holding the token as though it were a chess piece—
He suddenly slammed it heavily onto the map!
“That little monster calculated everything.”
“He also calculated our disunity.”
“And so, he gave us a reason that none of us can refuse—a reason that forces us to unite!”
Everyone looked confused.
Xiang Liang stared at them and said each word slowly and clearly:
“A divine object!”
“Potatoes!”
“A yield of five thousand jin per mu!”
Those words struck like heavenly thunder upon everyone’s heads.
Xiang Liang’s breathing suddenly grew heavy.
Pointing at the map, he roared at everyone present:
“Don’t you understand yet?!”
“This is that little monster’s most vicious move of all!”
“If we keep waiting! If we keep fighting among ourselves!”
“Then once that divine crop yielding five thousand jin per mu truly starts growing from Xianyang’s soil—”
“Once every household under heaven has enough food to eat and no longer fears starvation—”
“Who will still remember us former nobles of the old kingdoms?! Who will still follow us in rebellion?!”
“The hearts of the people will belong entirely to Qin! Entirely to that eight-year-old tyrant!”
“And by then, we won’t even have the foundation needed to raise an army!”
“We will be completely forgotten by this world! Reduced to wandering ghosts whose names nobody will even remember!”
Those words were like a bucket of icy water poured over everyone’s heads.
Xiang Bo, who had just advocated caution, turned deathly pale.
Xiang Guan, who moments ago still shouted about fighting alone, now showed fear in his eyes.
At last, they understood.
This was no longer a matter of restoring their kingdoms or not.
This was a matter of whether they could survive at all!
Seeing the crowd shaken by his words, determination flashed through Xiang Liang’s eyes.
“We cannot wait any longer!”
He began issuing orders.
“Xiang Bo!”
“Here!”
“You will personally bring generous gifts and depart immediately for Linzi in Qi! I want you to personally persuade Tian Dan!”
“Xiang Guan!”
“…Here!”
“You will lead men into Zhao territory and contact the former subordinates of General Li Mu! Tell them the time for revenge has come!”
“And the rest of you!”
Xiang Liang’s voice echoed throughout the hall.
“Spread the news of Xianyang’s divine crop!”
“I want every former minister, former general, and former royal family member of the Six Kingdoms to know!”
“If they keep waiting, then together with us, they’ll only end up swept into the dust of history by that little monster!”
Everyone was stirred by Xiang Liang’s resolve and answered in unison:
“Yes!”
Soon, only Xiang Liang remained in the hall.
Slowly, he walked back to the seat of honor and picked up the bronze sword he had set aside earlier.
It was the sword bestowed upon the Xiang clan’s ancestors by the last king of Chu.
A moment later, Xiang Bo—already preparing to depart—entered the hall once again.
“Elder Brother, do you have any further instructions?”
Xiang Liang did not turn around.
He handed over the bronze sword, polished until it gleamed brightly.
“Brother, take this with you.”
As Xiang Bo accepted the treasured sword, it felt heavier than a thousand jin.
Xiang Liang finally turned around and looked at him.
His eyes were so cold they held not the slightest trace of emotion.
“Tell Tian Dan this—”
“This time, either all of us win together…”
“Or…”
“We wait for that eight-year-old child to personally hang each of us one by one from the gates of Xianyang.”
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