"Lay down your weapons and be spared..."
The surrounding Daqin Elite Soldiers also roared madly.
The Zhao soldiers all instinctively looked toward Zhao Feng on the chariot, seeing the head of Pang Xuan held high. At that mont, their morale plumted completely.
"rcy!"
"I surrender!"
"rcy!"
"Run, flee now!"
"The Senior General is dead! We’re defeated!"
"Quick..."
At this mont, the Zhao Jun devolved into two states. So imdiately threw down their weapons and knelt in surrender, while others turned and fled. Even though many Zhao generals desperately tried to maintain order, they could do nothing to change the reality of this overwhelming defeat.
Zhao Feng hung Pang Xuan’s head from his waist, leaped down from the chariot, and gazed at the fleeing Zhao Jun in the direction of the Zhao Royal Palace.
"Brothers!" he roared. "The Zhao army has collapsed! Our Qin’s capture of Handan is certain! I shall claim the glory of capturing the king! Follow and charge! Breach the Zhao Royal Palace!"
Zhao Feng shouted loudly, once again raising his sword to lead the pursuit. Having undergone another transformation, he naturally reaped the rewards of his upgraded All Attributes. All his fatigue vanished, and his combat power beca limitless.
"We swear to follow the general to the death!"
"Kill!"
"Breach the Zhao Royal Palace!"
"Capture the King of Zhao!"
"Kill!"
Countless Daqin Elite Soldiers shouted in exhilaration. They could already see the dawn of their conquest of Handan City.
「Inside the Zhao Royal Palace!」
As Zhao Feng led his troops toward the palace, the cries of battle grew ever closer. The Zhao Imperial Guards, palace maids, attendants, and everyone else within the walls could clearly hear the fighting rapidly approaching. Inside his sleeping quarters, Zhao Yan also heard the commotion.
"Soone! Co here!" Zhao Yan called out frantically.
"Your Majesty," a temple official said, hurrying over and kneeling beside Zhao Yan.
"Why do the sounds of battle seem to be getting closer? What is the current situation on the battlefield?" Zhao Yan asked, his brow furrowed with worry.
"Your Majesty," the temple official replied, frightened, "The Pri Minister’s ssage arrived just an hour ago. It said that Senior General Pang Xuan had won a victory and was holding the Qin army outside the city."
"Then why are the cries of battle growing louder?" Zhao Yan’s brow tightened, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. It wasn’t that he disbelieved Guo Kai, but with the relentless sounds of battle in his ears, he knew he couldn’t be fooled.
"Shall this servant send soone to ask the Pri Minister again?" the temple official asked tentatively.
"Go! Go quickly!" Zhao Yan waved his hand dismissively.
"This servant takes his leave." The temple official bowed and quickly retreated.
Just then, Zhao Yan spoke again. "Are the Hundred Officials still in Longtai Palace?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty," the temple official imdiately responded, "The Hundred Officials are still in Longtai Palace."
"Good." Zhao Yan finally nodded, a flicker of relief on his face.
Pang Xuan had previously taken asures to stabilize the city’s defenses. Worried that officials in the Zhao court might defect, he had petitioned Zhao Yan to place the Hundred Officials under house arrest in Longtai Palace. He intended to release them only after the battle was over.
However, Pang Xuan had overestimated himself, underestimated the Qin Army, and completely misjudged Guo Kai, utterly oblivious to the fact that Guo Kai had already defected to Qin. If the Hundred Officials inside the Zhao Royal Palace did not escape now, they would be trapped by the Qin like turtles in a jar.
「Inside Longtai Palace!」
"Why are the sounds of battle getting closer?"
"Could the Qin Army have already breached the city?" an official asked.
"Impossible," another official said grimly. "When the Pri Minister’s ssenger reported earlier, he said Old General Pang’s defense was still orderly and the Qin Army was being held outside the city."
"Even so, why do the battle cries sound so near? I feel as if the Qin Army has already reached the palace gates."
"Indeed. The sound is so close, it really does seem to be just outside."
"They couldn’t have actually reached the Royal Palace, could they?"
The many officials in the court hall couldn’t help but murmur amongst themselves. The sheer volu of the approaching battle cries could not be ignored.
Just then, a voice cried out, "Report! A report from the Imperial Guard Commander! The Qin Army has reached the outside of the Royal Palace! There is also a large contingent of routed soldiers. As soon as they surrender, the Qin Army will attack the palace!"
A Junhou of the Imperial Guard Army rushed into Longtai Palace, shouting his report.
"What?"
"How can this be?"
"Weren’t the Qin Army being held outside the city?"
"Why have they reached the Royal Palace?"
"What is going on?"
"What are we to do?"
"For the Qin Army to reach the palace couldn’t have happened in an instant! Why didn’t the Senior General report this sooner?"
"We are trapped in the Royal Palace! We will surely die!"
"Quickly, petition the King! We must evacuate the palace imdiately!"
"Hurry!"
Hearing that the Qin Army had reached the palace, all the civil and military officials were thrown into a panic. The once orderly Longtai Palace descended into chaos as everyone scrambled for the exits. Although so were shouting to inform the King of Zhao, they couldn’t be bothered. In the face of a life-and-death crisis, their own survival was paramount. They were not commoners, but ministers with official titles in the state of Zhao. If captured by the Qin Army, their fate would be dire.
Among these officials, only one person remained calm: Zhao Yi. After a single glance at the panicked Hundred Officials, he quietly slipped out of Longtai Palace through a side hall.
Clearly, he had other plans.
「Inside the sleeping quarters!」
Listening to the approaching sounds of battle, Zhao Yan’s heart was in turmoil, even though he had sent a servant to verify the situation.
"Report!"
"Your Majesty! Terrible news!"
The temple official who had just gone out to investigate stumbled back in, falling to his knees as he yelled, "The Qin Army has reached the outside of the Royal Palace!"
"Wha... what?"
Zhao Yan’s face instantly turned ashen white.
"No, impossible!" he stamred, his face stricken with fear. "How could the Qin Army have suddenly reached the Royal Palace? Why was there no warning?"
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