People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 538, The Matter Is Over (Bonus Chapter, 4,000 words!)

Xu Qing glanced at the corpse of Hei Bai Xuan Jian, picked up the Hei Bai Xuan Jian sword from the ground, and left with Gai Nie.

After the two left, the old man in black who had been standing on the eaves came down.

Upon seeing the scene inside the small temple, he was first stunned, then his calm face revealed anger. However, when he saw Yan Jun's memorial tablet, which was unharmed among the shattered tablets, the old man's face instantly darkened, and he remained unsettled for a while.

"You even schemed against your own ancestors, brothers, and descendants. You deserve to have your surname changed. If I ever believe anything you leave behind again, I'm a dog!"

The old man said angrily, then took out the tortoise shell from his bosom and threw it heavily on the ground.

The tortoise shell bounced up from the ground and hopped over to Ying Ji's memorial tablet. The tortoise shell kept shaking and hitting the floor, making a trembling sound, which sounded like laughter, or rather, mockery.

Upon seeing this, the old man's calm face instantly flushed red, and he raised his cane high, about to strike Ying Ji's memorial tablet.

"Sigh, never mind, it's all for the sake of Qin, it's all for the sake of Qin."

After a helpless sigh, the old man withdrew his hand and looked down at the shattered memorial tablet on the ground.

"What should we do? Ancestors, please forgive us, blame us if you must."

The old man squatted down and carefully began to tidy up, his expression respectful and devout. However, when he saw Ying Ji's memorial tablet, his face was full of disgust, as if he wanted to spit on it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, Xu Qing and Gai Nie finally found Ying Zheng inside the Yongwang Palace.

Ying Zheng stood in the hall, his expression calm, revealing nothing of his mood. From inside the room came a heart-wrenching cry, which Xu Qing immediately recognized as Zhao Ji's.

Two soldiers each carried a sack and walked outside, with faint traces of blood seeping from the bottom of the sacks.

Xu Qing looked at the situation inside the hall and stepped aside to let the two soldiers come out.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Lao Ai's last remaining henchmen, Hei Bai Xuan Jian, have been executed."

After bowing, Xu Qing took out the black and white twin blades and placed them in front of Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng looked at the Black and White Xuanjian sword, his thoughts drifting back to the time when the Luo Wang assassinated him in Xinzheng. However, he quickly regained his composure and shook his head slightly, saying...
"Sir, you can keep this sword."

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

Xu Qing initially intended to refuse, but after thinking about it, he still cupped his hands and said yes.

With so many top-tier assassins in the Luo Wang organization, one more Hei Bai Xuan Jian won't make a difference, and one less won't make a difference either. He can keep this famous sword for himself; he can give it away or keep it for his own use in the future.

"Sir, the rebels have now been dealt with, and a message has arrived from Xianyang via carrier pigeon. Your Excellency, Meng Wu, Wang Ben, and Li Xin have defeated the rebel army and brought all those involved in the rebellion under control," Ying Zheng said as he walked outside.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations on sweeping away all treacherous officials and rebels, restoring peace and order to the Qin Kingdom!" Xu Qing said with a smile.

Ying Zheng glanced helplessly at Xu Qing, then bowed respectfully to him and said...

"This matter is all thanks to you, sir. If it weren't for you, I certainly wouldn't have been able to deal with Lao Ai and the other rebels so easily, nor would I have been able to eradicate these parasites from the Qin state."

"On behalf of the former rulers of Qin, I thank you, sir, for your great assistance."

"Your Majesty is too kind. I was merely fulfilling my duty," Xu Qing said humbly as he helped Ying Zheng to his feet.

Seeing Xu Qing's continued humility, Ying Zheng didn't say anything more polite. He took Xu Qing's hand and walked outside, looking at the bright sun in the sky and saying...
"Sir, I have now come of age, and I want to tell the world that this land is about to enter a new phase. I hope that you will join hands with me to create a country where people can have enough to eat, wear warm clothes, receive education, and have hope!"

"That is my wish; how could I dare not comply?"

Xu Qing chuckled softly and looked at the clear sky as she spoke.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Just as the rebellions in Xianyang and Yongcheng were being quelled, Shangdang, thousands of miles away, was attacked by the allied forces of Han, Zhao, and Wei.

Shangdang, Tunliu.

More than 200,000 troops from the Three Jin states were stationed outside the city, with the allied camps stretching for dozens of miles, and the flags of the three kingdoms fluttering in the air.

On a small hill, Li Mu and his men were observing the situation in Tunliu.

Looking at the soldiers patrolling the walls of Tunliu and the dense array of black bird flags, Li Mu then looked at the Qin army camps set up on the two hills outside Tunliu. The two camps and Tunliu formed a defensive triangle, so that if one side was in trouble, the other two would come to its aid.

These two camps were fortified very well, occupying advantageous positions and their layout was difficult to breach, making them easy to attack, defend, or deal with.

Judging from the way the two camps were set up, Li Mu could guess who was guarding the garrison.

Building strongholds and fighting protracted battles—this distinctive style could only belong to Wang Jian, a cautious and formidable opponent, like a curled-up hedgehog, making it impossible to find a way to attack him.

"Isn't it said that Tunliu is undefended? Judging from the flags on the city wall and the smoke from the cooking fires in the two camps, the Qin army has at least 80,000 men stationed here."

Ji Wuye looked at Tunliu and the two camps, and said in a deep, muffled voice.

Upon hearing this, Han Fei, Li Mu, and the generals sent by Wei all looked at Ji Wuye.

"General Ji, why are you so anxious? At this moment, a great change must be taking place within the Qin state. Even if there are 80,000 Qin troops stationed here, without a good general to lead them, they cannot exert even one-tenth of the Qin army's fighting strength."

Han Fei looked at Ji Wuye with feigned ease and spoke slowly and deliberately.

Even without Ji Wuye's reminder, Han Fei could naturally tell that something was wrong. According to the intelligence Lao Ai had given him, the enemy had already transferred the garrison in Tunliu, leaving at most two or three thousand men.

Judging from the smoke rising from the two camps, there were at least tens of thousands of people there.

Although he knew something was wrong, Han Fei understood that this was his last chance. No matter what the situation in Qin was, he could not let this alliance fail.

Because he had a premonition that once this alliance ended, he probably wouldn't have another chance to buy time for South Korea.

"Humph~"

Seeing Han Fei refute him, Ji Wuye snorted coldly and continued to observe the situation in Tunliu.

Wei glanced at the Han prince and general, who were at odds with each other, then turned to Li Mu and asked in a deep voice.

"General, what do you think? Should we still attack Tunliu?"

"No rush, let's wait for the scouts to find out the situation first," Li Mu said.

The Wei general glanced thoughtfully at Li Mu, then looked at the scouts riding towards them not far away. Their Wei state was participating in the alliance out of respect for Li Mu and Zhao. When they arrived, the King of Wei had already told him not to cause unnecessary losses.

The subtext of this statement is that if Lao Ai's rebellion succeeds and Qin's borders are left undefended, then the Wei army will join Li Mu in invading Qin and taking a share of the spoils.

If anything seems amiss, withdraw your troops immediately. Do not risk following Li Mu.

The Wei Kingdom's current resources are insufficient to withstand major setbacks. Soon, the scout rode up to the hill, dismounted, and quickly walked to Li Mu, bowing respectfully as he said...
"General, we have confirmed that there are at least 50,000 Qin troops in the two camps outside Tunliu City. They are flying banners indicating Lantian, Pingyang, and..."

The scout looked at Li Mu, then at Han Fei, Ji Wuye, and the others, hesitating, unsure whether he should say what he was about to say.

"And what?"

Before Li Mu could speak, Ji Wuye asked.

Li Mu glanced at Ji Wuye, his gaze darkening, and nodded, saying...
"Keep talking."

"And the banners of the battle-hardened soldiers. Our brothers have learned that Wang Jian has brought reinforcements from the Lantian camp, along with the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army stationed in Pingyang," the scout said in a deep voice.

"What?! Wang Jian is here?!"

"The Pingyang Heavy Armor Army! What are they doing here!?"

Wei Jiang and Ji Wuye asked in surprise.

The State of Wei had just fought a battle with the State of Qin last year, and Wang Jian had routed the Wei army, causing them to lose several cities. Meanwhile, the Pingyang Heavy Armored Army had always been the main force for Qin's attacks on the State of Han, and the State of Han had long been traumatized by this army.

Immediately, Wei generals and Ji Wuye began to consider retreating.

Han Fei glanced at the changes in their expressions, his heart sank, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes. He knew this would be the outcome.

"Don't be nervous. Perhaps this is just a trick by the Qin army. Send someone to investigate further. Wang Jian should be at Wuguan right now," Li Mu said calmly, glancing at the two of them.

The alliance of the three Jin states seemed very positive, but after the past two days of contact, Li Mu had already realized that among the people present, only Han Fei truly wanted to form an alliance to attack Qin.

The rest of the troops would flee at the slightest sign of trouble, just like in the Battle of Zuicheng, where the 500,000-strong coalition army was routed by the 200,000 Qin troops led by Lü Buwei, and fled in disarray.

Therefore, the most urgent task is to stabilize morale, find Wang Jian's weaknesses, and find a way to capture Tunliu.

Ji Wuye and the Wei general looked at the composed Li Mu. Although they had the intention to retreat, they did not show it. After all, the matter was not yet determined. If they were frightened into fleeing because of one or two names, they would lose face.

"Then send more people to investigate," Ji Wuye said.

"We must send out more men, and we must find out who the Qin army commander is. We must not repeat the mistake of the Battle of Changping, General," the Wei general agreed.

"Please go back first, everyone. I will make appropriate arrangements."

Li Mu simply looked at the two of them calmly and said in a flat tone.

"it is good."

Ji Wuye and the Wei general said nothing more, turned around and prepared to leave, intending to send someone back to their home countries to let the King of Han and the King of Wei decide what to do next.

Han Fei and Li Mu watched the two figures leave, their expressions turning grave. They knew they had to launch an attack as soon as possible, otherwise this alliance would most likely end in failure.

However, the two were unaware that Guo Kai, the prime minister of Zhao, had already traveled from Handan to Shangdang with an edict from King Yan of Zhao.

While Li Mu and Han Fei were anxious, Wang Jian and Meng Tian, ​​who were stationed in Tunliu City, were not worried.

Tunliu, within the main camp.

"News has arrived from Handan. Guo Kai is on his way with the imperial edict ordering the withdrawal of troops and will arrive in Tunliu the day after tomorrow," Meng Tian said with a light laugh as he looked at the intelligence report in his hand.

"Guo Kai? This guy never lets us down," Wang Jian joked with a smile.

Immediately, all the generals in the tent burst into laughter. They were naturally familiar with the name Guo Kai, who was a good partner of their Qin army and had helped them kill several famous generals of Zhao.

If we were to truly say who made the most significant contribution in the Qin's attack on Zhao, it would undoubtedly be Guo Kai, the prime minister of Zhao.

"There are no major problems here in Tunliu. Meng Tian, ​​you should immediately lead half of the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army north to pacify the Lao Kingdom and eliminate Lao Ai's accomplices."

Wang Jian looked at Meng Tian and issued the military order.

"promise."

After handing the intelligence over to Wang Jian, Meng Tian left with the military orders, preparing to pacify the Lao Kingdom.

"After you return, strictly follow military orders. No matter how the enemy provokes you, you must not engage in battle," Wang Jian emphasized to the others.

"promise."

All the generals said in unison.

When Meng Tian led his troops away from Tunliu, he deliberately made a great show of force so that the scouts of the Jin army could find out.

When Ji Wuye and the Wei generals learned that Meng Tian had led his troops to the State of Lao, they immediately understood that Lao Ai was bound to fail, otherwise Meng Tian would not have dared to attack Lao Ai's fiefdom. Therefore, they had no intention of continuing to attack the State of Qin and hurriedly sent someone back home to deliver intelligence, preparing to withdraw their troops.

While the standoff continued in Shangdang, Ying Zheng and Xu Qing in Yongcheng resolved all matters and led their troops on their journey back to Xianyang.

The pacification of a period of turmoil marked the beginning of a new era for the Qin state, and also signified a new era for the other seven states.

Jiugong Shendu Mountain, Yin-Yang School.

In a palace that resembles a starry sky, countless stars adorn this sky, changing unpredictably, like the turning of the seasons.

At the center stood Donghuang Taiyi, clad in a black robe and wearing an ancient mask, resembling the figure of an ancient priest. His voice, which had been heard at some point, echoed throughout the starry sky, carrying a hint of turbulence.

"Nine-five, the flying dragon soars in the sky, it is advantageous to see the great man... The thousand-year-old tradition has finally come to an end, that day is not far away..."

He had waited too long.

Although fate has taken some twists and turns, it is ultimately developing in the direction he wanted, and Xu Qing, this anomaly, is currently on his side.

"We must keep the anomalies completely under our control."

Donghuang Taiyi looked up at the stars above the Qin Kingdom, where countless stars were shrouded in a thin mist, obscuring the future.

……

Guigu School.

In a secluded valley, the contemporary Valley Demon stood calmly in the courtyard, silent for a long time, muttering to himself:
"The common people are in turmoil, and the world is in chaos. This game of chess called 'the world' must eventually come to an end, but this end is not without a beginning. I wonder what choices you two will make."

His eyes seemed to hold images of Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang.

Sometimes an ending is just the beginning of another cycle.

Guiguzi eagerly awaited their choice.

(End of this chapter)