HCT – Chapter 221 Veteran Generals Request to Fight

When Qin launched its attack on Zhao, the Zhao king was stunned for a long time after hearing the news.

Clearly, the era of King Zhaoxiang of Qin had been gone for so long that they had forgotten Qin’s ability to fight on two fronts.

Now that all six states had declined, simply being able to initiate a war and supply a single battlefield already counted as strength.

For a country like Qin to dispatch troops to attack two states at the same time—no one had expected it.

Originally, Zhao had assumed that Meng Ao’s offensive was only a feint meant to warn Zhao against aiding Han.

But when Pang Nuan arrived at the battlefield, Meng Ao had already captured the three cities of Long, Gu, and Qingdu. Only then did Zhao realize Qin was serious.

Pang Nuan immediately reinforced the defensive lines, trying to block the Qin army’s assault, and urgently requested reinforcements from the Zhao king.

Pang Nuan had just come down from the Yan front.

Even if Yan was weak, Pang Nuan had fought all the way to its capital; his soldiers had certainly suffered heavy losses. After the long march, the Zhao army was utterly exhausted.

Seeing the fierce advance of the Qin army, Pang Nuan made the correct decision at once: he contracted his defensive line and did not rush to rescue the besieged cities. Instead, he chose to hold his ground and wait for reinforcements, avoiding giving Qin the chance to strike when they were fresh and rested.

His judgment was unquestionably sound—but he forgot that in Zhao’s court, there were already people who disliked him and were waiting to seize upon any mistake.

Pang Nuan was already over seventy when the Zhao king began relying heavily on him.

Originally, there were not many in Zhao who envied him for receiving such favor.

After all, his years of glory would not last long. No matter how much the king trusted him, it was unlikely he would take away others’ interests for the sake of a general whose roots in Zhao were shallow and who would not live many more years.

For such a man—without a deep foundation in Zhao, and unlikely to live much longer—anyone with sense naturally maintained cordial relations with him.

But one exceptionally clever man was an exception: Guo Kai.

When Qin prince Zichu’s envoy found Guo Kai, he arrogantly told him that Zhao was doomed—and certainly would perish before Guo Kai died.

Guo Kai was a scholar of humble birth who, through luck and flattery, had first become King Xiaocheng’s close attendant and then the trusted confidant of the current Zhao king.

Ensuring the lasting prosperity of his family had become Guo Kai’s greatest worry.

That he could rise from nothing to become the king’s favored minister, holding the position of Zhao’s chief councillor without a single military or political achievement, showed that he was far smarter than most people in the world.

And precisely because he was so smart, he had long foreseen Zhao’s hopeless future.

In earlier years, when Qin was still recuperating, he had harbored a bit of wishful thinking—perhaps Zhao might survive until after his death.

But now that Qin’s armies were once again marching across the lands of the Six States, he could no longer deceive himself.

The problem was—he was too young, too healthy, and could live for a very, very long time.

Other Zhao officials possessed reputation and clan backgrounds; even if Zhao fell, they might still remain among the upper class. But all of Guo Kai’s honor and disgrace depended solely on the king’s favor. He had no achievements capable of earning the respect of the Qin king. After Zhao’s destruction, he would likely fall to the level of a commoner.

Having finally climbed to the position of the king’s beloved minister and enjoying unprecedented luxury, Guo Kai became sleepless at the mere thought of his fate after Zhao’s collapse.

Now, the Qin envoy had offered him an opportunity.

In his early years, Guo Kai had never imagined he would become the king’s favorite. While serving as an attendant, he seized every chance to accumulate wealth.

And Qin had always been the greatest financial patron of ministers from other states. Guo Kai had received large amounts of money from the Qin and therefore already had connections with Qin’s envoys.

The Qin envoy first threatened him, saying he would report Guo Kai’s acceptance of Qin’s money to the Zhao king.

Although the Zhao king was well aware that his ministers took money from Qin, Guo Kai was different from the others.

Other ministers either had status or achievements, and even if the king knew of their disloyalty, he had to tolerate it.

But Guo Kai’s entire position rested on the king’s favor. If that trust diminished even slightly, countless low-born attendants seeking to follow Guo Kai’s path would pounce like wolves and tigers and tear him apart to take his place.

After frightening Guo Kai, the Qin envoy then offered consolation:

“Zhao is already a setting sun, its last light fading soon. Why does Lord Guo not defect to Qin at an early opportunity?”

Guo Kai was immediately tempted. Feigning distress, he asked:

“I wish to pledge myself to Qin, but would the Qin king truly treat me generously?”

The Qin envoy smiled. “Ever since Zhu Xiang came to Qin, virtuous talent from all under Heaven has gathered in Xianyang. Naturally, the Qin king looks down on someone like Lord Guo who has yet to accomplish anything. Of course, this is not because Lord Guo lacks ability—only because Lord Guo previously had no chance to display it.”

Guo Kai’s expression first darkened with displeasure, but after hearing the envoy’s clarification, his face eased.

The envoy continued:

“But now things are different. As the Zhao king’s favored minister, Lord Guo has every opportunity to demonstrate his talent.”

The Qin envoy said only that single sentence, then merely gave Guo Kai a meaningful smile without spelling anything out.

Cold sweat trickled down Guo Kai’s forehead.

He understood perfectly well what the Qin envoy meant. This “display your talents” certainly did not mean sincerely assisting the King of Zhao.

After leaving behind a large amount of gold, silver, jewels, and fine silks, the Qin envoy quietly departed from Handan.

He made no demands of Guo Kai, nor did he use the bribes Guo Kai accepted as leverage to threaten him.

“Why would we need to threaten him? Guo Kai is a fool who only knows how to curry favor. As long as he remains the king’s favorite, he alone can steer Zhao toward destruction fast enough.” Lin Zhi lounged in a chair, one leg crossed over the other, holding a bowl of medicinal soup. “The medicine’s cooling. Drink it.”

Zichu, who had caught a chill, shot Lin Zhi a resentful look.

Zichu had always been frail. After becoming King of Qin, he traveled constantly; every winter, he fell ill for a stretch of time.

After the hot spring was excavated, he began spending winters there. His health barely improved. But now that Qin was waging war again, he could only remain stationed in Xianyang himself.

War required the coordination of resources across the entire country. Even if Lin Zhi and Cai Ze were capable of managing it, King Zichu could not let them do it.

The power of Qin’s king must remain in the king’s own hands.

Zichu was much like Ying Zheng in temperament. Whenever he fell sick, he hated drinking medicine, would rather rely on folk remedies, and refused all dietary restrictions.

Who asked medicinal decoctions to be so bitter? And drinking medicine always came with dietary taboos.

After she no longer had a grandson to raise, Empress Dowager Huayang began caring more about Zichu’s health.

She would often stare at his face in a daze, saying that Zichu looked very much like the former king in his youth.

If he could gain some weight, he would resemble him even more.

Zichu knew she missed the late king deeply. She kept his portrait in her chambers, staring at it often. So he let her look at him as a way to remember the late king.

When Empress Dowager Huayang visited often enough, she eventually discovered that Zichu was secretly ignoring the physician’s instructions.

The empress dowager herself possessed no particular abilities. The only thing King Renwen of Qin had taught her was whom to seek help from and whose advice to heed when she wanted something done.

After a short moment of contemplation, she immediately went to find Lin Zhi.

Although Xunzi was Zichu’s teacher, and Cai Ze’s official rank was higher, Lin Zhi was the one who could get drunk with King Zichu in the Xianyang Palace, hand in hand, dancing around. She believed Lin Zhi was the only one who could force the king to take his medicine.

As expected, when Empress Dowager Huayang summoned him, Lin Zhi immediately took her edict into the palace. He told King Zichu that until His Majesty recovered, he would not be leaving the palace.

Now, Lin Zhi personally boiled the medicine, fed him the decoction, and supervised every aspect of his daily diet.

Zichu was on the verge of tears. Of all the people Lin Zhi could imitate—why did he have to imitate Zhu Xiang!

He had thought that with Zhu Xiang absent from Xianyang, he would no longer be forced to choke down medicine.

Zichu struggled to swallow the bitter concoction, then stuffed candied fruits into his mouth desperately. With his speech slurred by sweetness, he mumbled, “We’ve already planted in Guo Kai’s mind the idea that if he doesn’t obey Qin, he’ll lose the king’s favor. Even if he thinks Qin might not keep its promise, he won’t dare gamble.”

Lin Zhi had the bowl taken away, instructed the cooks to prepare some roasted meat to satisfy the king’s cravings, then continued, “If he tells the King of Zhao what the Qin envoy said, and the two of them fabricate false intelligence for Qin—then after Zhao falls, Your Majesty may grant him an official post.”

Guo Kai now was much like Lou Chang once was.

Lou Chang had been a favored courtier of King Xiaocheng of Zhao. He had also taken much money from Qin, leaked information to Qin, and hindered Zhao several times.

But Lin Zhi did not despise him.

Lou Chang simply lacked the ability. King of Zhao knew he took Qin’s money; he often planned with Lou Chang how to send false intelligence back to Qin, and extracted Qin information from Lou Huan through him.

But Lou Huan’s skill was superior, and dragged Lou Chang into a trap.

If Guo Kai could manage even as much as Lou Chang once did, he would at least be worthy of the king’s favor.

Zichu swallowed a few more candied fruits, downed a cup of water, and only then did the pain in his expression ease. “If he tells the king… when Qin destroys Zhao, I won’t be seeing him again.”

Hearing Zichu still refer to himself privately as “the lonely one,” Lin Zhi knew he was angry.

He sighed helplessly. “Your Majesty, why is your temper so much like Zheng’er’s?”

Zichu shot him a glare. “You force me to drink medicine—do you take me for the King of Qin or not!”

“Of course I do,” Lin Zhi said. “Look—I have the empress dowager’s decree. If you weren’t the king, why would I need this? I’d simply get a few men to hold you down and pour the medicine into you.”

Zichu angrily hurled a cup at him.

Lin Zhi dodged, then glanced at the shattered pieces. “Careful. Porcelain is expensive. One piece could bribe a high-ranking official of the Six States.”

Zichu said nothing and continued throwing whatever objects were within reach.

Lin Zhi dodged every one.

When Cai Ze arrived with documents, he saw the mess across the floor and his expression darkened.

King Zichu and Chancellor Lin Zhi immediately straightened their robes, sat properly, and assumed solemn expressions, slipping into work mode.

Servants rushed out from hidden corners, swiftly cleaning up the mess and bringing a chair for the chancellor.

“After Meng Ao requested to go to war, Generals Wang He and Sima Jin have also requested to return to the battlefield,” Cai Ze said bluntly, not bothering with the chaos he had just witnessed.

King Zichu frowned. “Wang He? Sima Jin? Weren’t they both just recovering from serious illness?”

“Precisely because they were ill, they jointly submitted this petition. They want to return to the front,” Cai Ze said. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “When Meng Ao marched out, he told them he didn’t have much time left and refused to die at home. It seems his words stirred something in them.”

King Zichu fell silent.

After a long pause, he sighed. “Let them go. How could I deny old generals their final wish?”

Thus King Zichu issued the decree: Wang He would serve as Meng Ao’s deputy, Sima Jin as Lian Po’s deputy, escorting the logistical supplies to rendezvous with Meng Ao and Lian Po.

At the same time, Bai Qi requested permission to fight from Crown Prince Zheng.

Despite the persuasion of the crown prince and Lord of Changping, Zhu Xiang, Bai Qi said calmly, “Li Mu and Wang Jian will have many chances to go to war. I have only this one. Do you want the great Lord Wu’an to remain obscure for more than ten years after King Zhaoxiang’s death?”

The crown prince and Zhu Xiang were left speechless.

Thus, they appointed Lord Wu’an, Bai Qi, as commander-in-chief to prepare for war against Southern Chu.