Chapter 549: Kill Zhang Liang and Recruit Han Xin
Just as Ying Chengjiao and Han Xin were talking, Zhang Liang finally caught his breath and got up from the ground.
His knees were stained with blood and mud, and his body was covered with dried blood and small wounds. This kind of male beauty was not beautiful at all. Standing opposite Ying Chengjiao, who inherited the excellent genes of the Ying clan, he was like an ugly duckling proudly showing off its gray feathers in front of a white swan, looking extremely embarrassed.
"General Han, there is no need to ask. The King of Qin is very calculating and will not tell you the truth."
Zhang Liang believed that the despicable King Qin had come earlier, otherwise it would not have been such a coincidence.
The despicable King Qin did this in order to avoid taking credit, but Zhang Liang didn't believe it. He thought this guy wasn't that noble!
"Zifang misunderstood me, didn't he?"
Ying Chengjiao pretended to be helpless and spread out his hands.
"I turned my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the ditch."
Han Xin felt a little uncomfortable.
[Based on what I have seen so far, such words should not come from the mouth of the King of Qin!]
He didn't know why, but his thoughts had been stirred since the first moment he met the King of Qin.
Since he started learning the art of war from Wei Liao, his performance has been different from that of ordinary people. Ordinary people start learning the art of war by reading "The Art of War by Sun Tzu" and "The Art of War by Sun Bin". After reading a book a hundred times, the meaning will become clear.
Han Xin is not.
Han Xin did not learn the art of war from books first, but from people first.
He first looked through the battle records of all the famous generals from all countries who were still alive, and simulated them regardless of whether they won or lost. Then he went back a hundred years and simulated the battles of the generals during their lifetime.
After that, read military books.
Wei Liao once said:
"My disciple Han Xin is good at attacking people's hearts."
The main reason why Han Xin was able to defeat Li Xin was that he knew Li Xin well enough.
He was able to learn about people's personalities through hearsay and fight accordingly, but when he met the King of Qin whom he had studied face to face, he found that his personality was completely different from what he had imagined.
A man who is cunning and good at using conspiracy in warfare should be very calculative. How could he have the courage to abandon 2,000 war horses?
If you are good at finding loopholes and don't take advantage of others, then you are like a greedy person. How can you come up with a beautiful sentence that can be savored for seconds?
This King of Qin had a lot of life events, which should have been clear and thorough, like a clear lake that could be seen through at a glance, but Han Xin could not see through him.
How could he know that a certain guy had a two thousand year history of copying, what he did was out of his own heart, but what he said was what others said, so it was normal that they often did not match.
Moreover, people change. The Ying Chengjiao he knew was the Lord of Chang'an, but the person standing in front of him was the second emperor.
"Zifang, are you willing to surrender this time? This time I can offer more than just the title of 'wise man'."
The second emperor was serious, clasped his fists, and behaved in a very respectful manner, and no one could find any fault with him.
"Sir, you entered Qin to serve as an official. I appointed you as the Shangqing."
When saying this, Ying Chengjiao's mind flashed for countless times the image of the First Emperor, as well as his brother who would appoint a virtuous person as a high minister and whom he mocked for being unoriginal.
Now that he has become the emperor, he will only offer the title of Shangqing, which is the highest reward he can offer.
The positions of two prime ministers and nine ministers in a country cannot be given to anyone easily.
First, we must not hurt the feelings of the old officials. Why can a newcomer squeeze out our position and stand above us?
Second, there are no ordinary people who can be ranked among the three dukes and nine ministers, and they are all very important to the Qin Empire. In their respective positions, Zhang Liang is capable, but he may not be able to compare.
Laugh at the First Emperor, understand the First Emperor, and become the First Emperor.
"No surrender!"
Zhang Liang's breathing was disordered, but his answer was as steady as a rock.
If Han State cannot be restored, he can enter Qi, Chu, and Zhao, but not Qin.
The Qin State destroyed his country and ruined his family. If he served the Qin State, how would he face the ancestors of the Zhang family and the kings of the Han Dynasty after his death?
A senior minister wants to bribe him? The Prime Minister of Korea has always been the Zhang family!
"I'll give you one last chance."
Ying Chengjiao raised a finger and said solemnly:
"You don't have to surrender, but you don't have to be an enemy of Qin anymore. You can live a carefree life, or seek immortality. As long as you agree, I won't kill you this time."
Zhang Liang made a "Puh" sound and spat a mouthful of blood foam onto the ground. The blood foam melted into the night and the dark red soil and could no longer be seen.
"The one who destroyed Qin was a good friend!"
Peng~!
There was a thunderous sound that shook the earth, and the soldiers on both sides' front lines felt their ears buzzing.
The Qin soldiers felt dizzy and looked at the Qi soldiers with hostility and vigilance.
The Qi soldiers all looked towards the Second Emperor amid the buzzing sound. The sound of the explosion came from the Second Emperor's hands.
“That’s a shame.”
The second emperor spoke slowly, and the regret revealed in his words could block the water of virtue.
White smoke was coming out of the muzzle of the black pistol, pointing right at Zhang Liang's forehead.
The no longer handsome man still had his mouth shaped like the Chinese character “也” (也), and a hole appeared out of nowhere between his eyebrows, extremely suddenly.
He had just stood up when he fell to the ground again and this time he could not get up again.
Han Xin, who witnessed everything that happened, tried his best to control his facial expression, but still inevitably revealed a look of horror.
Zhang Liang died so quickly, in an instant, and no one knew how he died.
The second emperor acted too decisively. He had just expressed his willingness to treat him as a high-ranking official and show leniency, but in the blink of an eye he killed him.
The muzzle of the gun emitting white smoke turned to Han Xin and pointed at Han Xin's eyebrows.
"Mr. Han, are you willing to surrender, or to accompany Zifang to die?"
Looking at the King of Qin's warm face and feeling the physical warning at the tip of his eyebrow that was a hundred times more painful than a needle prick, Han Xin felt cold all over.
A chill ran up from the coccyx along the spine, exploded in the head, and froze all the limbs!
The general of Qi State, who had just shouted that he would not surrender and wanted to take the Qi soldiers home, let go of the spear in his hand, knelt on the ground, looked at the black spear that moved with his head, and said without any reluctance:
"Han Xin is willing to surrender."
"good."
Ying Chengjiao smiled and put away his pistol.
This action was like a switch. Han Xin's feeling of a thorn in the middle of his brow disappeared in an instant, and cold sweat poured out of his whole body like a flood.
He supported himself on the ground with his hands, gasping for breath, not daring to look at Zhang Liang's body beside him.
"Those who surrender will not be killed."
He heard the King of Qin's soft voice, followed by the sound of dense footsteps and the clattering of horses' hooves.
"All troops, listen! Lay down your weapons! Surrender!"
Han Xin lowered his head, closed his eyes, and roared with the last bit of strength in his body.
He doesn't feel ashamed.
The corpse of Zhang Liang in the corner of his eye reminded him that he was still alive, and he was very grateful.
The noisy and clanging sound of weapons falling to the ground was heard continuously, and the Qi army surrendered.
"Your Majesty doesn't like people kneeling, so this won't happen again."
Li Xin pulled Han Xin up, his face stiff with discomfort.
He knew very well that if the Second Emperor had not suddenly arrived, he would have lost the battle.
Fighting at home , 10,000 Qin troops were defeated by 3,000 Qi soldiers. This was an even more humiliating defeat than the one during the war against Chu!
The man in front of him, who was younger than him, had much higher attainments in military strategy than him. Military strategists always judged by their battle records, and it was not shameful to show goodwill when serving in the same dynasty.
"Thank you very much."
Han Xin smiled bitterly and did not reject Li Xin's kindness.
Facing his defeated general, he, the victor, did not feel the slightest sense of superiority. Li Xin supported Han Xin, whose legs were a little weak, and after a long while, he managed to utter a word.
"You are invincible among ten thousand people."
Han Xin hurriedly thanked him and said nothing else.
In fact, what he really wants in his heart is - the more Xinzhang troops, the better.
After Wang Jian stepped down, the Qin Empire entered the era of four great generals, namely Wang Ben, Meng Tian, Han Xin and Li Xin.
The two letters fought at the water of virtue, and met at the water of virtue.
During one of the court sessions, the second emperor jokingly said that the two generals became acquainted only after a fight. The historian recorded this and made it a good story.
After the Wei Kingdom was destroyed and the Qi army surrendered, Ying Chengjiao, whose journey had truly come to an end, summoned the Langzhong Ling Yuenu who had accompanied the army on the expedition, and they stayed there for half a day.
While playing with the ball and picking beans, he said with a smile:
"Steal a little time to relax from busy life."
The Yue girl, who had the highest martial arts skills and could fight the second emperor in bed and out of bed, spat and crossed her jade arms in front of her body to block.
The two got into a battle for the ball, and finally the Vietnamese girl let it go and asked while biting her lip:
"Your Majesty, why did you only show leniency to Zhang Liang?"
She had no idea that her husband had killed someone. If it were her, she would have killed him long ago. Her husband was too magnanimous. However, she was very curious why her husband could let Zhang Liang go.
After seeing the pigs running for so long, the Yue girl, who had never eaten pork, now roughly understood Ying Chengjiao's idea. All the nobles of the old forces would be killed without leaving a single one alive, and a path would be cleared.
But why did they let Zhang Liang, who belonged to the old aristocratic faction, off? This was unprecedented. The King of Wei and Zhou Ji, who were willing to die, did not leave any offspring.
Ying Chengjiao rolled the dough into a ball and didn't speak immediately.
There are many reasons for letting Zhang Liang off the hook, the most important of which is the innate filter.
Zhang Liang, Marquis of Liu, made great contributions, but he stayed away from the court and sought a life of leisure and idleness.
This exemplary strategist who spent all his family wealth just to destroy the Qin Dynasty actually did not care about high positions and generous salaries at all.
"Zhang Liang is a smart man. He knows what I want and what Qin wants. If I let him go, he will definitely restrain his descendants and not cause trouble for Qin or himself. Unfortunately, he is unwilling to do so."
Ying Chengjiao sighed with genuine regret. If he wanted to kill Zhang Liang, he could have done it a long time ago.
The Vietnamese girl entangled herself with him.
"Perhaps Zhang Liang did not expect that Your Majesty would kill him so decisively."
"have no idea."
Ying Chengjiao, who claimed to have observed human nature for ten years and could see through people's hearts, could not see through Zhang Liang's heart.
No one knows whether Zhang Liang, who was more beautiful than a woman and willing to negotiate, would have decisively said, "He who destroys Qin is a good friend," if he knew that the consequence of not surrendering would be immediate death without any room for maneuver.
After a night, when the sun was high in the sky, Han Xin received the news that the second emperor had summoned him.
Walking through the heavily guarded military camp, Han Xin, who had not slept well the night before, with dark circles under his eyes, met the energetic Second Emperor.
He clasped his hands together and bowed his head. This was a last-minute lesson that Li Xin gave him.
"Sir, you don't have to be so polite."
The second emperor was all smiles. The moment he saw Han Xin, he couldn't stop smiling. He personally ran up to Han Xin and held up his arm.
At the moment of contact, Han Xin shuddered violently. At that instant, the image of Zhang Liang's death with a hole in his forehead flashed through his mind.
Han Xin, who was good at attacking people's minds, was as stiff as a corpse. He allowed the second emperor to manipulate him and forcibly drag him to sit on the bed.
Han Xin forced a smile.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
He felt as if there was a fire burning on his buttocks and sat there very uncomfortably, fearing that the King of Qin, who looked sincere and had no airs at all, would take out the black object with a smile.
There was a loud thunder, and he died without knowing why.
Han Xin thought about it all night but couldn't figure out how Zhang Liang died.
He knew that Zhang Liang's death was closely related to the pistol.
But this kind of thing was something he had never seen before, it made a louder sound than thunder and could emit fire . Han Xin couldn't understand why he could use swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks and forks. He couldn't even imagine how it was.
"Mr. Han's entry into Daqin is like adding wings to a tiger."
Ying Chengjiao's sincere praise sounded like a warning to Han Xin.
Automatically translated into - Our Great Qin doesn't have much in other aspects but has many generals. Don't think you can take yourself seriously just because you defeated Li Xin.
Han Xin, who was almost dead, didn't believe that the King of Qin valued him at all.
Zhang Liang, who was valued, was given opportunities again and again, but when it came to him, he would either surrender or die. Is this what is called valuing someone?
"Xin must be law-abiding."
Han Xin shrank back and said, his previous arrogance and contempt for everything no longer showing at all.
[It seems like yesterday’s blow was too severe. This can’t be okay!]
What Ying Chengjiao wanted was a military genius who was good at fighting and would leave a mark in history books, not a timid yes-man.
"Sir, are you blaming me for what I did last night?"
Han Xin was startled and did not hide his shock. He shook his head like a rattle.
"Don't dare!"
Grabbing Han Xin's shoulders, the Second Emperor looked serious.
"I did that yesterday for a reason. It's not that I don't value you, sir. It's that I value you too much."
[The reason you value my performance is to kill me? Who would believe that?]
Han Xin said gratefully:
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will definitely live up to your trust!"
Ying Chengjiao explained earnestly:
"If we let Zhang Liang go , he won't make any big waves. A scholar's rebellion will not accomplish anything. But you are different. Your knowledge is only matched by heaven and man. It is worth gold no matter where you are. If you were not a general of Qin, the Qin would surely perish at your hands! I dare not slack off in my treatment of you. Please forgive me, general."
Han Xin has always been causing trouble throughout history.
He offered advice to Xiang Yu, but Xiang Yu did not accept it and ran to Liu Bang's side.
Liu Bang did not take it seriously and escaped again, but was caught up by Xiao He.
He stayed because Liu Bang appointed him as a general. Then, when the war between Chu and Han was at its fiercest and whichever side he supported would win, he asked Liu Bang for the fake title of King of Qi.
Such a troublemaker who could endure humiliation promised in person that he would not be an enemy of Qin, but Ying Chengjiao did not believe it. Ying Chengjiao only believed that they would meet again on the battlefield.
Then the only option is to kill.
Release? Impossible!
There is no reason to release it, and Ying Chengjiao is not stupid. Is he forcing the plot just to make the book longer?
[You watched the whole show from the sidelines, and the letter performed for you like an actor.]
[You use Xin to train a general, want Xin to be defeated, and then say that Xin is too strong so you can't let him go?]
The gratitude on Han Xin's face became even more intense, tears fell from his eyes, his nose ran, and his voice trembled.
"Your Majesty values me so much, I am willing to sacrifice my life for the Qin Empire, even if it means death!"
