This Concubine Zhao is truly incurable. Every ti she sees , she’s terrified, as if I’m here to claim her life.
Seeing her react this way for the second ti, Zhao Feng was utterly baffled. However, it’s not surprising she went mad, considering she witnessed her two sons being killed right before her eyes. He could only complain inwardly.
Once Concubine Zhao was safely aboard the Yong City Imperial Guards’ ship, Tu Sui finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she was alive, he could return and complete his mission.
"General Zhao," Tu Sui said, bowing deeply to Zhao Feng once more. "Great kindness is beyond thanks. I, Tu Sui, will engrave this in my heart."
"Your na is Tu Sui?" Zhao Feng smiled faintly, his mind turning. That na sounds familiar, like a notable figure from history. But right now, I can’t quite place it. After all, there were so many famous generals throughout history; it’s impossible to rember every single one of them.
"Yes," Tu Sui replied imdiately.
He was extrely deferential toward Zhao Feng, not daring to show the slightest disrespect. It was clear he was also deeply grateful; without Zhao Feng, even Empress Dowager Huayang might not have been able to save his life.
"Good. I will rember that na," Zhao Feng said with a smile. "The Empress Dowager has been frightened, and the Great King is surely pursuing this matter closely. You should return and deliver your report at once."
"Thank you for your understanding, General Zhao. I shall take my leave."
Tu Sui nodded, gave Zhao Feng one last grateful look, and then turned to board his ship.
"Turn the ships around! We’re heading back!" Tu Sui ordered loudly.
At his command, dozens of ships pivoted and raised their sails for the return journey.
Watching the ships depart, Zhao Feng’s pensive expression gradually relaxed. Tu Sui... so it’s him. In history, Emperor Qin Shi Huang first sent him to conquer the Baiyue. He succeeded in defeating them decisively, but he was ultimately ambushed, poisoned, and killed by the Baiyue people. Only then did Zhao Tuo take over the Hundred Yue Lands.
At that mont, Zhao Feng finally recalled who this Tu Sui was.
Forming a positive connection with this Tu Sui is a good thing, Zhao Feng mused with a faint smile. During the Qin era, many of its war generals were overshadowed by Wang Jian. But without a doubt, anyone who left a mark on history was no simple character.
Watching Tu Sui’s ships recede into the distance, Zhao Feng felt a pang of disappointnt. What a pity. I’m not a general stationed within the Qin Territory. Otherwise, I could have gone to Xianyang and witnessed the presence of Emperor Qin Shi Huang for myself.
He was exceedingly curious about the legendary Emperor Qin Shi Huang—the man revered by later generations as an emperor for all ti, the first emperor, the one known as the Ancestor Dragon. What did such an existence look like? What kind of overpowering aura did he possess?
Zhao Feng was truly curious. However, he was under orders to garrison Wei City and could not leave without a command from a superior. To do so would be an act of treason. This was a restriction placed on all generals; if a general guarding a region were allowed to roam freely, it would inevitably lead to disaster.
"My lord," Zhang Ming said with a smile, looking toward the Wei Territory, "this Wei Army certainly knows its place. They retreated imdiately."
Zhao Feng turned his head to look. The thousands of Wei Army soldiers who had been there monts ago were now receding like the tide.
"Wei is not the power it once was. They dare not wage war with Qin," Zhao Feng said with a faint smile. "Han has already fallen. Now, the thing Wei fears most is giving Qin a pretext to send its troops. If they dared to attack us to seize Guo Kai, it would be the perfect excuse for Qin to invade. The Wei General leading them could never bear such a responsibility."
Zhao Feng understood perfectly well why the retreating Wei Army had done so.
"My lord, shall we continue on to Hidden Island, or shall we return?" Han Xi asked respectfully.
"We’re going to Hidden Island, of course. There are so disloyal individuals there who must be dealt with," Zhao Feng said with a cold laugh.
Han Xi had recruited a mixed bag of people. For Zhao Feng, loyalty was paramount, yet quite a few of the new recruits fell short of this standard. These individuals had to be dealt with to make an example of them. In Yanting, a lack of talent could be tolerated, but disloyalty to Zhao Feng was absolutely forbidden. This was his inviolable rule.
「Capital of Wei, Daliang!」
In the residence of Lord Xinling, a subordinate bowed respectfully to an elderly man who carried an air of authority. "Reporting to Lord Xinling, General Cao, who guards the border, has sent word. He arrived a step too late and failed to rendezvous with Minister Zhao of the Zhao state."
This was Lord Xinling, known to posterity as Wei Wuji, one of the Four Lords of the Warring States. In the present era, he was held in extrely high regard and was considered the pillar of the Wei state. As a mber of the Wei royal family and the uncle of the reigning King of Wei, he commanded imnse prestige and held the deep trust of the king.
Hearing his subordinate’s report, a look of disappointnt flashed across Wei Wuji’s face.
He was well aware of the Zhao state’s plot to kidnap the Empress Dowager of Qin. Guo Kai had approached him for a secret discussion beforehand, and he had given his consent. The plan was to abduct the Empress Dowager of Qin, travel down the Wei River, enter Wei territory, and then return to the Zhao state.
With Qin’s power growing ever stronger, all the other nations feared it. As a neighbor to Qin, Wei had witnessed the fall of Han and inevitably felt a chill, knowing it could be next. Wei’s national strength was far inferior to that of the Zhao state, let alone Qin’s.
"In the end, it seems fate is not on our side," he sighed. "If we had managed to take the Empress Dowager of Qin hostage, the King of Qin surely would not have dared to act so rashly."
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