There were unusual movements in the palace. Those favored by the king of Zhao noticed something, but those neglected by the king knew nothing about it.
One day, Zhao's mother suddenly invited all of Zhao She and Zhao Kuo's retainers to dinner.
Although Zhao Kuo was defeated, Ma Fujun's reputation remained. In addition, Zhao's mother's sobriety and wisdom in asking the king of Zhao not to send Zhao Kuo to Changping before Zhao Kuo left for the war, Zhao's mother's reputation was still high, so everyone she invited attended the party.
Zhao's mother didn't like to appear in public. This was the first time she summoned her retainers in the name of the mistress.
Before the banquet began, Zhao's mother took out the sword that Zhao She once wore and placed it across her legs as she sat.
"My son has almost destroyed my beloved's reputation." Zhao's mother pulled out half of the sword and said, "I can't let the rest of his reputation be destroyed as well."
Everyone sitting down looked at Zhao's mother in panic, not knowing what she was going to do.
Could it be that Zhao's mother wanted to avenge Zhao Kuo? !
Zhao's mother touched the sword blade and let it pierce her finger, causing blood to flow out.
An old man from the Zhao family brought a jar of wine, and Zhao's mother dripped blood into the jar.
"Many of you have children who died in Changping just like mine," Zhao's mother said calmly. "Duke Zhu Xiang saved 150,000 people, but more than 200,000 people died on the battlefield of Changping. And the child of my Zhao family elder may not have died on the battlefield."
Mother Zhao's wrinkled face revealed a sneer: "They died at the hands of Zhao Bing!"
"Madam!" A servant was frightened and wanted to interrupt Zhao's mother.
But when Zhao's mother glanced at him, he immediately felt cold all over and was unable to speak.
"I think you have almost found out the truth. My son Zhao Kuo knew it was a trap, but he was still lured by the enemy's commander who took the initiative to act as bait. He was just like every time he argued with others, he always thought that the advantage was on his side and the opponent must have a disadvantage. That's why he was invincible in military arguments."
The sneer on Zhao's mother's face became more and more exaggerated.
"He not only led the Zhao army into the Qin army's encirclement, but also thought that the soldiers were executing his orders perfectly as he had said. So he took away the food and fodder of the ordinary soldiers who he thought were ready to die, and gave it to his personal guards, to those he thought were brave warriors, and to the war horses!"
"He also wanted to kill the soldiers who disobeyed his orders and dug up the potatoes left by General Lian to fill their stomachs!"
"Ha, he was killed by the hungry and angry soldiers! His personal guards were also killed! All the retainers he brought with him were also killed!"
Mother Zhao drew her sword and said sharply, "Do you think they should die?!"
"I said, damn it!"
Zhao's mother's excited and sharp voice pierced everyone's eardrums, causing their chests to jump violently and they were terrified.
Mother Zhao said angrily: "Even if that was my son, he deserved to die! If my husband were still alive, he would personally drive my son out of the house!"
"I know some of you hate Duke Xiang of Zhu. Why do you hate Duke Xiang of Zhu?"
"It was the enraged Zhao soldiers who killed your children and grandchildren. It was my son Zhao Kuo who enraged the Zhao soldiers. It was the King of Zhao who sent Zhao Kuo to the battlefield. It was the Qin people who attacked Changping!"
"Zhao cannot defeat Qin. You dare not hate the King of Zhao. My son Zhao Kuo is dead. There are too many angry Zhao soldiers for you to kill. So you can only vent your anger on Duke Xiang of Zhao, the only one who got credit in this matter!"
"Your children and grandchildren died on the battlefield of Changping, killed by the swords of the angry Zhao soldiers. However, Duke Zhu Xiang rescued the Zhao soldiers who killed your children and grandchildren, and became the only Zhao citizen who made contributions on the battlefield of Changping!"
"So Duke Zhu Xiang did nothing wrong, but some of you want to vent your anger on him!"
Mother Zhao regretted it.
When the King of Zhao ordered Zhao Kuo to be the commander-in-chief, she only asked the King to spare her life if Zhao Kuo was defeated. She originally thought that as long as she was not dead, her husband's former colleagues and subordinates would still have some affection for her, and she could protect her grandson and her husband's bloodline.
If she had threatened Zhao Kuo with death to stop going to Changping instead of seeking to protect herself, she might not have let her family fall into such a situation.
If Zhu Xiang was killed, what would the angry people of Zhao do
Even if the people of Zhao still believed that "Lord Ma Fu" would not do anything too ruthless, would the King of Zhao put the blame on himself
In order to maintain her lover's remaining reputation and protect his bloodline, she had to let everyone know that she had no intention of avenging Zhao Kuo, even if it meant disappointing her retainers!
Moreover, even if he wanted to avenge Zhao Kuo, he shouldn't have gone to find Duke Zhu Xiang! Zhao's mother was very grateful to Duke Zhu Xiang. If all the Zhao soldiers had died on the battlefield of Changping, I'm afraid that no one in the future would know Ma Fujun anymore, and only Zhao Kuo, who was defeated in Changping, would have known about him!
"Ask yourselves, should you hate Duke Zhu Xiang? If you still have a conscience, you will not hurt Duke Zhu Xiang out of jealousy and anger!"
"On the contrary, Duke Xiang of Zhu persuaded the Qin people to bring back the remaining Zhao troops, making up for the mistakes of our descendants. We should protect him!"
Mother Zhao angrily scolded: "If you agree with what I said, please drop your blood into the wine jar and swear a blood oath that you will never repay Zhu Xianggong with evil! If you disagree, please leave. From now on, those who leave will be my enemies!"
After saying this, Zhao's mother pulled out the sword that her lover had used, and looked at the sword body without any trace of rust with sad eyes.
"No, Madam!" The nearest retainer rushed forward and cried bitterly, "Madam, we all know that we should thank Duke Zhu Xiang, so how could we hurt him?"
After saying this, he immediately drew the sword from his waist, cut his finger, and dripped the blood from his fingertips into the wine jar.
The retainers dripped blood into the wine jar one after another. They had swords, and some even carried small daggers with them to cut meat when eating, so Zhao's mother did not need to prepare utensils.
Seeing that everyone was willing to swear a blood oath, Zhao's mother felt relieved.
She did not expect the blood oath to restrain these people. She only needed to force the retainers to swear the blood oath and publicize the matter.
Everyone swore a blood oath one by one. Zhao's mother ordered people to pour the wine from the small wine jar into a larger wine jar, give each person a bowl of wine, and then call for the feast to begin.
Just when the atmosphere at the banquet was finally less tense, the sound of metal falling to the ground was heard.
Everyone looked over in horror and saw an old man with white hair and beard dropping his wine cup on the ground, covering his face and weeping.
"Madam, it's too late, it's too late..." The old man's voice was very painful, "I know I shouldn't hate Duke Xiang of Zhu, but I dare not hate the King of Zhao, I can't hate Zhao Kuo, who else can I hate?"
Mother Zhao walked over with a sword in hand: "What did you do!"
The old man shook his head and said, "The King of Zhao wanted to kill Duke Zhu Xiang and put the blame on Qin. I helped him lure Lian Po and Lin Xiangru out of Handan City."
Mother Zhao breathed a sigh of relief: "You didn't do it?"
The old man smiled bitterly: "I also sent people..."
Mother Zhao stabbed a sword into the low table in front of the old man and cursed: "Are you old and confused? The King of Zhao told you this matter to put the blame on you and me! If the people of the country don't believe that Zhu Xianggong was killed by the Qin people, the people you sent will become the evidence for the King of Zhao to put the blame on you! No..."
Mother Zhao smiled bitterly: "No, it's not a false accusation, you really did it!"
The old man put his face to the ground and said, "I was confused! After listening to the words of the mistress, I realized that I was deceived by King Zhao. Not only can I not take revenge, but the rest of my family will also be affected. Mistress, save me!"
Mother Zhao took a deep breath and said to the family servants around her: "Even if you are still angry with Duke Zhu Xiang in your hearts, just to avoid being framed, come with me to protect Duke Zhu Xiang!"
All the retainers stood up and said, "Yes!"
"Nuo" is when a person of higher status or equal status accepts a request, while "Wei" is mostly used in the military for subordinates to obey orders from their superiors. Both are written expressions, and such formal responses are not usually used.
When the retainers said "Yes" to Zhao's mother, they regarded her as their chief general and were ready to go to the "battlefield" with her where they might die.
Mother Zhao held a sword and asked her servant to drive the carriage towards the prison where Zhu Xiang was imprisoned.
Pulling down the curtain of the carriage, Zhao's mother held the sword with a look of fear on her face.
She wiped her tears and cursed why Zhao She died before her, forcing her to take up a sword and become the "chief" of her retainers.
Zhao She offended someone in his early years, and only married a wife after he settled down in Zhao State. His health was not very good due to years of traveling, and he only had one son, Zhao Kuo, so he spoiled Zhao Kuo a little too much.
After marrying Zhao She, Zhao's mother had never suffered hardship or danger. Although she was smart, she only stayed in the rear to support Zhao She and never used a sword.
When she was old, she became the "commander-in-chief", holding a sword and leading her retainers to a battlefield with an uncertain future. She was really scared.
"My dear... I'm really scared..." Mother Zhao held the sword and sobbed, "I was scared when Kuo'er went to Changping, I was scared when Zhu Xiang returned to Handan with hundreds of thousands of Zhao soldiers, and now I am also..."
The old woman curled up and said what she had said when she was still a young girl and led the army to war and returned victoriously. But now there would be no one to hold her in his arms, stroke her hair, and tell her "I will take care of everything, don't be afraid."
She could only wipe away her tears, put on a resolute expression, pick up the sword left by her lover, and lead the retainers who once followed her lover to fight to protect this family and her lover's remaining reputation.
Lian Po left Handan City and went to a certain place to deal with an urgent matter concerning Zhu Xiang.
Lin Xiangru also left Handan City and went to a certain place to deal with an urgent matter related to Zhu Xiang.
Xue didn't know what they were dealing with. She felt scared.
Even though Li Mu and Xun Kuang comforted Xue, Xue was still frightened.
She hugged Ying Xiaozheng tightly, sobbing helplessly. She had clearly promised her lover that she would wait for him, protect Zheng'er, and be his backer. But she was not as strong as she said, nor was she as smart as she promised.
"Zheng'er, your aunt is so panicked." Xue didn't dare to disturb her husband's elders and friends who were already working hard to save her husband. She could only cry to Ying Xiaozheng, "I feel like something is going to happen, but I don't know what to do."
Ying Xiaozheng kept wiping his aunt's tears with his chubby little hands.
He was also very flustered.
When his uncle was imprisoned, he entered a dream room. In the dream room, he kept thinking about how to save his uncle. After thinking about it, he felt deeply powerless.
What can a child with such short legs that he falls down if he runs fast do? He can do nothing.
Ying Xiaozheng could only comfort his aunt, give advice to his panicked aunt, show his intelligence beyond that of a child, and help his aunt take care of household affairs.
Unlike some people Ying Xiaozheng had met before, Xue was not afraid of the child's extraordinary wisdom. Instead, she encouraged Ying Xiaozheng. Xue told Ying Xiaozheng, who was a little afraid to show his talent, that Zhu Xiang was as smart as Ying Xiaozheng when he was a child, so that Ying Xiaozheng didn't need to hide it.
Only now did Ying Xiaozheng dare to give Xue some advice.
"Aunt and uncle are very close, and my aunt suddenly panicked. Maybe something really happened to my uncle." Ying Xiaozheng wiped his aunt's tears and said with a stern face, "Aunt, please ask Lin Weng and Uncle Li to visit my uncle. If nothing happens, it will only cause some dissatisfaction to King Zhao, who already hates my uncle. However, Lin Weng is not an official of Zhao State, and Uncle Li is a lower official, so King Zhao should not pay too much attention to them."
Xue touched Ying Xiaozheng's hair and said, "Okay, you, you stay, aunt..."
"No! I want to go too!" Ying Xiaozheng hugged Xue's neck tightly, "If anyone hurts my aunt, I will shout that I am a prince of Qin. If the people of Zhao kill me, Qin will have a reason to attack Handan and avenge me! They dare not hurt me!"
Xue: "But..."
Ying Xiaozheng rubbed Xue's cheek and said, "Aunt, Mr. Xun and Uncle Li left with you. I am not safe at home, so why not go with you?"
Xue hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Okay, Auntie will protect you!"
Xue changed into a set of Hu clothing and picked up Zhu Xiang's sword.
Xue was not very strong, and Zhu Xiang's sword was a little heavy for her.
She pursed her lips, put her sword behind her back, and went to look for Xun Kuang and Li Mu.
When Xun Kuang and Li Mu heard Xue's panic, they were willing to visit Zhu Xiang immediately to seek peace of mind, but they hoped that Xue and Ying Xiaozheng would stay at home.
"If something really happens to my beloved, they might send people to attack Zheng'er and me. It will be safest for Zheng'er and I to go with you." Xue used the words that Ying Xiaozheng had used to convince her to convince Xun Kuang and Li Mu.
Xunzi named a few Confucian disciples whom he did not acknowledge as his disciples. Li Mu took his private soldiers and rode towards Handan City.
The horse that Xue Ye rides.
When Zhu Xiang was learning to ride a horse, he made her a Hu costume and taught her how to ride. Although she didn't like the bumps, she could still keep up with the pace.
Xue was carrying Zhu Xiang's sword on her back and Zheng'er was tied in front of her, so it was very difficult for her to ride a horse. Li Mu wanted to help hold Zheng'er, dismount and hand Zheng'er to Xue, but Xue refused.
She thought, if she couldn't even do such a small thing, how could she fulfill her promise to her lover
It was almost dusk when someone suddenly came to deliver the king's order, asking to replace the jailer who was specially selected by Zhao Sheng and Zhao Bao to protect Zhu Xiang.
The jailer stopped him and said, "To transfer the jailers, they must have the common token of Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang."
The leader cursed: "Can the orders of Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang take precedence over the king's orders?!"
The jailer said, "That is not the case. It is the king's order that all changes in the prison where Duke Xiang is imprisoned must be made with the joint order of Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang."
The leader frowned.
The jailer also frowned: "You don't know about this?!"
The leader's brows relaxed and he smiled, "Of course I know. I'm just testing you. Here."
He showed the tokens of Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang: "Can we change people now?"
Although the jailer was still suspicious, he had no choice but to agree to the replacement since the token was genuine.
"Give me the key to the prison." The leader stretched out his hand.
The jailer was alert again: "I am an official ordered by the king to assist in this matter. Unless the king personally asks me to hand over the keys, even if Pingyuan Jun and Pingyang Jun come, they cannot transfer my position."
The leader's expression froze. Didn't the Lord tell him about this? Could it be...
He had a plan in mind. It seemed that the Lord did not want to leave anyone alive, but he just didn't say it clearly.
Figuring out the emperor's intentions is also what the death warriors need to do. After doing this, the death warriors will take the blame for the emperor. He sighed in his heart, regretting that the time for him to be loyal to the emperor had come so early, but he was not dissatisfied or afraid.
The death warriors are trained from a young age and are not afraid of missions that require death.
"I am only going to deliver the royal decree to Zhu Xiang." The leader said, "Take me to see Zhu Xiang."
Before he could finish his words, the man behind him had already taken action, drawing his sword and stabbing at the unsuspecting jailer.
The jailer didn't expect the other party to turn hostile so quickly. Fortunately, he was alert and immediately drew his sword to block the sword.
"Who are you... No, you are... I have seen you before, you are the king's guard!" The jailer's eyes widened in surprise, "The king wants to kill Duke Zhu Xiang?!"
The leader never expected that he would be recognized by the little jailer.
He only served as a guard when King Zhao traveled, and his face was disguised, so he was confident that others would not recognize him.
But this jailer was a capable official. He became a jailer in Handan City because of his strong memory of faces and his meritorious service in catching thieves. It was precisely because of his ability that Lord Pingyang and Lord Pingyuan specifically requested King Zhao to transfer him to guard Zhu Xiang.
"Kill." After being recognized, the leader panicked for a moment. He immediately ordered his men to block the door and took out crossbows to massacre the jailers.
Most of the secret guards were assassination missions. Their crossbows were very small and were specially used indoors to assassinate people without armor. Even if the small crossbows were not very lethal, a round of shooting could make a person lose their combat effectiveness. They only needed to make the final strike.
But the jailers were veterans transferred by Zhao Sheng and Zhao Bao, and some were private soldiers specially placed by Lian Po. Facing crossbows, they charged fearlessly as if they were facing a rain of arrows from the enemy, and did not stop waving their swords even after being hit by several arrows.
The jailer ran back, saying, "Get out now! As long as people outside hear that the King of Zhao killed Duke Xiang, the assassin won't dare to kill Duke Xiang!"
"Kill him!" The leader started to panic when he heard this.
He led a team of people, passed the fighting jailers, and chased after the prison keeper.
The jailers consciously divided themselves into two teams, one team rushed out, and the other team ran behind following the jailer.
As the jailer ran, he took out a lighter from his waist and lit a pile of hay in the yard. Thick smoke billowed and slowly rose into the sky.
After lighting the haystack, he ran to the heavy wooden door of the corridor connecting to the prison. The heavy wooden door was left open during the day to ventilate the prison where Zhu Xiang lived. He threw the key to Zhu Xiang's cell into the wooden door before closing it and locking it.
It's a pity that a key is needed to lock it, otherwise he would have thrown the key to the wooden door in as well.
The jailer took a deep breath, and with all his strength, he shouted at the thick courtyard wall at the loudest voice of his life: "The King of Zhao wants to kill Duke Xiang of Zhu! Please help!"
After saying that, he stabbed the key towards his mouth.
The key to the door lock was as long as an adult's palm, and he couldn't swallow it at all. He could only squat on the ground and press the key into his mouth.
Soon, the key pierced his esophagus and airway, and he first spit out saliva and then vomited blood.
The jailer thought that perhaps committing suicide by cutting his throat with a sword would be much easier than swallowing a key.
But even as he thought this, he still endured the intense pain and inserted the key little by little until it was completely swallowed.
The signal has been sent out, he thought, this might buy Duke Zhu Xiang a little more time.
When the smoke rose, Zhao's mother was only a few miles away from the prison.
"Speed up!" The driver immediately notified his companions without any order from Zhao's mother.
He didn't know that this was a signal for help, but the thick smoke rising from the prison indicated that something had happened to Duke Zhu Xiang.
Mother Zhao lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked in the direction of the thick smoke.
She gritted her teeth, not caring about offending King Zhao further, and shouted to the street: "I am the wife of Lord Mafu, Duke Zhu Xiang was attacked! Please follow me to save Duke Zhu Xiang!"
His retainers also shouted: "Duke Zhu Xiang was attacked, please follow me to save him!"
People on the street looked at the convoy in surprise, and some civilians even forgot the etiquette of kneeling and kowtow.
Then, they also noticed the smoke.
The butcher who was about to close his stall was holding a sharp knife, the shopkeeper and the clerk who were about to close the shop were holding wooden sticks, the old man who was sweeping the house was holding a broom... Some people picked up branches and stones on the ground, and some people had nothing in their hands, and they all ran behind Zhao's mother's carriage.
Farther away from the thick smoke, Xun Kuang and Li Mu, who currently held no official positions, changed to ox carts after entering the city, while Li Mu led his private soldiers towards the prison.
Li Mu and his soldiers were good at rapid marches, and when they saw the thick smoke, they were only one street away from the prison than Zhao's mother.
Li Mu panicked and shouted, "Speed up!" Xue's premonition actually came true!
"Wait a minute, are you going to rescue Duke Zhu Xiang?" A man dressed in noble clothes stopped Li Mu, "Use my horse! If anyone stops you, show this token!"
Li Mu looked down and found that it was actually the token of Lord Pingyuan.
He clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Lord Xinling!"
After saying this, he selected a few people to borrow the nobleman's horses, and the rest continued to run.
Lord Xinling Wei Wuji asked in confusion: "How does he know I am Lord Xinling?"
Hou Ying put his hands in his sleeves and said, "He must have known that you have arrived in Handan City. The only noble who dares to take out the token of Lord Pingyuan and let him ride a horse in Handan City is you, my Lord."
Wei Wuji smiled and said, "Pingyuan Jun is my brother-in-law. He has troubles, and I should help him solve them."
Hou Ying sighed, "My lord, I know you admire the reputation of Duke Zhu Xiang, but the person who assassinated Duke Zhu Xiang this time is likely to be the King of Zhao. As an envoy of Wei, you should not get involved."
Wei Wuji sighed repeatedly. That was why he lent the horse to Li Mu instead of going there himself.
"That Zhao general named Li Mu is a righteous man. It would be great if he could go back to Wei with me." Wei Wuji sighed again.
Hou Ying rolled his eyes without giving his own son any face, and did not expose his wishful thinking.
Li Mu's family had been Yanmen generals for generations, so how could they possibly go to Wei? Even if Li Mu wanted to go to Wei, if he wanted to be valued, he couldn't be recommended by his own son.
Although the prince refused to admit it, who could not see how much the King of Wei feared the prince now? How could he appoint the person recommended by the prince as a general? Humph.
"I'm worried about Duke Zhu Xiang." Wei Wuji turned around a few times and looked at Hou Ying with a pleading expression.
Hou Ying sighed deeply: "Sir, change your clothes before going? You must not reveal your identity!"
"Okay!" After getting Hou Ying's consent, Wei Wuji immediately changed clothes with the guards around him, and even deliberately pulled his hair loose. He rolled on the ground a few times before running towards the thick smoke.
Hou Ying was extremely speechless.
Forget it. When the young master is looking for talents, he never cares about his image.
Hou Ying sighed. Even at his old age, he still had to run on the street with Wei Wuji.
There were more than a dozen people running like this. They followed Wei Wuji, all with proud smiles on their faces.
King Zhao climbed up a tall building in the palace and looked towards the place where Zhu Xiang was imprisoned.
The musicians played music and the dancers danced.
King Zhao pretended to enjoy the singing and dancing while waiting anxiously.
Finally, he saw the thick smoke, and he felt both anxious and happy.
King Zhao wondered if Zhu Xiang was already dead, and whether the fire was set to destroy his body.
At this moment, he felt a sense of relief in his heart.
After his mother's death, he finally took power, and all his decrees were opposed by his father's old ministers. Those old ministers took advantage of their seniority and showed no respect to him, and even often mentioned his deceased brother Zhao Li.
Facts have proved that old ministers are often right, such as Zhu Xiang, whom they want to recommend. But it is precisely because of this that King Zhao is even more angry and disgusted.
At this time, a close attendant came in a hurry to report: "Your Majesty! There are civilians attacking the gate of Handan City. They are holding farm tools in their hands, they may be farmers nearby!"
King Zhao was furious: "What's going on? How could civilians dare to rebel?! Didn't the soldiers guarding the gate kill them?!"
The attendant knelt down and said, "I don't know why the soldiers let them into the city."
King Zhao's angry expression froze and he felt a chill all over his body.
He seemed to have lost all his strength, leaning against the backrest of the seat. He was silent for a long while before he said, "Zhu Xiang..."
The attendant sighed in his heart at the foolishness of the King of Zhao and said, "Yes, they shouted to rescue Zhu Xiang from prison."
King Zhao said expressionlessly, "Why today?"
The attendant said, "I heard that Zhu Xiang's family rode into the city today, saying that Zhu Xiang was in trouble."
King Zhao's lips opened and closed like a fish out of water, his mind was blank.
He wanted to ask who leaked the news.
He also knew that there was no point in pursuing this now.
At this moment, he finally began to get scared.
"Prepare a carriage for me!" King Zhao gritted his teeth and said, "It is the Qin people who want to kill Zhu Xiang, not me! I want to save Zhu Xiang! Hurry and prepare a carriage for me!"
Attendant: “Yes.”
After King Zhao stood up, he hastily added: "Let all the guards in the palace come to protect me when I travel!"
The attendant sighed again in his heart: "Yes!"
While King Zhao was waiting for the palace guards to line up, someone came to report.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Bai Qi is here!!” The man was so panicked that he fell before he could kneel down. “It’s Bai Qi, it’s Bai Qi’s flag! He’s just outside Handan city!”
The King of Zhao's legs went weak as he sat in the carriage. Fortunately, he was sitting, otherwise he would have fallen down. "Who? Who are you talking about?"
The person who reported it said in a trembling voice: "It's Bai Qi. Bai Qi is outside the city gate. He sent an envoy into the city and said, said..."
The King of Zhao could hear the sound of his teeth chattering: "What are you talking about!"
The person who reported it kowtowed fiercely and said in a tearful voice: "They said they would exchange Handan City for Duke Zhu Xiang!"
King Zhao's body softened.
When the Qin army arrived outside the city of Handan, they finally encountered the Zhao army.
Just as Bai Qi was about to start a war, he was stopped by Bofu, who secretly ran out of the city and reunited with Bai Qi.
After all that he had experienced, Bofu became even braver and dared to interrupt Bai Qi's order directly: "General, that doesn't look like an army. I saw someone I know. Please let me get some information first."
Bai Qi looked at him in silence for a long time. Bofu looked him in the eye bravely, with no cold sweat on his forehead.
"Okay." Bai Qi was a little puzzled. Has the oppressive feeling he gave people become weaker
After receiving Bai Qi's order, Bofu immediately took off his Qin soldier's attire and ran out from the Qin army's hiding place.
There were actually mountains and forests near Handan City that could hide 80,000 Qin troops. This shows that the national strength of Zhao State had indeed declined a lot.
"Uncle, what are you doing?" Bofu rushed into the team and asked directly.
The old man immediately grabbed Bofu's sleeve and said, "Duke Zhu Xiang is in danger. We have to go save him!"
Bofu immediately asked nervously: "How do you know that Duke Zhu Xiang is in danger?!"
The old man said, "Zhu Xiang's wife carried a sword and rode to the city to rescue Zhu Xiang. Zhu Xiang's wife couldn't even hoe the land, but she was ready to fight with a sword. Zhu Xiang must be in danger! Oh, and Zhu Xiang's wife also tied Master Zheng in front of her. The whole family is going to fight!"
After the old man finished speaking, he wiped his tears and said, "Young people cannot go to Handan, or they will be killed. We are old enough and it is time to repay our gratitude. Well, you don't have to go either, you are also young."
After saying this, the old man carried his pitchfork and continued walking towards Handan city.
Bofu clenched his fists and immediately ran back to the Qin army's hiding place to tell Bai Qi the situation.
Bai Qi thought for a while and said, "Lower the flags, take off the black clothes, and disperse. If anyone asks, say you are farmers from nearby, going to Handan to rescue Zhu Xiang."
The generals obeyed the order.
Bai Qi also disguised himself as an old farmer and approached Handan, telling people who came to ask him that he was going to rescue Zhu Xiang.
By the time Bai Qi could see Handan City, there were already many more Zhao people in his team.
Handan City is very large, and 80,000 people are scattered outside the city walls and are not conspicuous. Moreover, the atmosphere in the city is tense, and the patrols of Handan guards are absent-minded.
Bai Qi had a headache again.
He always felt that if he led his troops into Handan City now, he could capture the King of Zhao alive and force the Zhao royal family to establish a new capital and King of Zhao.
Unfortunately, Handan was too far away from other territories of Qin State and was separated by the Taihang Mountains, making it difficult to defend. After the coalition forces of several countries swallowed it, it only hit the morale of Zhao State, which was not worth the loss.
And it hit the morale of Zhao...
Bai Qi looked at the listless guards of Handan. Perhaps if the King of Zhao was not captured alive, the morale of the Zhao State would suffer enough of a blow.
After Bai Qi arrived at Handan City, he immediately lit up smoke and ordered the Qin army to assemble.
When Bai Qi was preparing his army and was about to raise the flag of "Wu'an Jun" again, a man carrying the order of King Qin asked to meet with Bai Qi.
"I have been waiting for Wu'an Jun near the city gate for a long time." Cai Ze said while holding the bamboo slips, "I am Cai Ze, a friend of Zhu Xiang. I have already lobbied the King of Qin to solve Wu'an Jun's worries."
After Cai Ze persuaded Lord Xinling, he did not return to Handan, but took a detour to Shangdang, risking his life to stop the King of Qin who was about to return to Xianyang.
After the King of Qin learned that Cai Ze was Zhu Xiang's friend, he summoned Cai Ze.
After receiving the Qin King's order, Cai Ze immediately rode back to Zhao State at full speed, hid near Handan City, and waited for Bai Qi's arrival.
Bai Qi glanced at Cai Ze and took the bamboo slips from Cai Ze's hand. As soon as he unfolded the bamboo slips, his breathing stagnated.
"Trade Handan City for Zhu Xiang?!"
Bai Qi was stunned at first, then burst into laughter.
At this moment, all his anger towards King Qin disappeared.
Even if the King of Qin wanted to kill him, what did it matter if he could follow such a king even if there were dangers? !
I’m going!
"Qing Cai, do you dare to be the envoy of Qin and complete this transaction for Qin?" Bai Qi said with a smile.
Cai Ze cupped his hands and said, "Yes."
Bai Qi waved his hand and said: "Raise my general's flag! Send Cai Qing to meet the King of Zhao!"
The Qin soldiers shouted loudly: "Yes!"
Zhu Xiang heard the jailer's shouting.
He was stunned for a while, then tried to pry open the cell door, but the cell door was strong and he couldn't pry it open.
Zhu Xiang sat on the ground dejectedly.
Although the wooden door was thick, it could not completely block out the sound. In order to maintain ventilation, Zhu Xiang's cell was closest to the wooden door. So Zhu Xiang could hear the faint sound of fighting outside the wooden door.
Maybe it was because the cell was too quiet, but Zhu Xiang's hearing was very sharp at this time. He could even tell which screams and curses came from people he knew.
After the jailer shouted "The King of Zhao wants to kill Duke Zhu Xiang", Zhu Xiang did not hear the jailer's voice again.
Did he have a lucky escape, or was he assassinated before he could make another sound
The battle outside the door was very slow. Zhu Xiang counted his heartbeats and felt that every second felt like a year. The battle outside the door ended very quickly. The screams gradually subsided and turned into the sound of chopping on the wooden door.
The wooden door was heavy and they couldn't chop it open, so they started looking for the key.
Judging from their cursing, they were having a hard time finding the key.
They then seemed to want to burn down the wooden door, but there was not enough firewood.
They seem to have finally found the key.
Zhu Xiang sighed deeply, put on his clothes, smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeves, adjusted his crown, then stood in front of the prison door with his hands behind his back, his back straight.
After replacing most of the assassins who remained in the front hall, all the jailers finally fell down.
There were not many assassins left. After hearing the leader's shout, they hurried to the rear for reinforcement without having time to finish off all the jailers.
A jailer opened his eyes, pushed aside the dead body, and crawled toward the gate.
He opened the door with difficulty, then fell to the ground, surrounded by a group of people.
Zhao's mother arrived first and was trying to break down the door when it suddenly opened.
"King of Zhao, send secret guards to kill Duke Zhu Xiang!" the jailer, who was hit by several crossbow arrows, roared, "Kill my colleagues and silence them!"
After he shouted these two sentences, he died with his eyes bloodshot!
Mother Zhao drew her sword and rushed to the door without saying a word, followed closely by her retainers.
They saw Zhao people wearing jailer's clothes all over the ground, lying in a pool of blood with unwilling and resentful eyes.
Mother Zhao took a deep breath, and her nose was filled with the infuriating smell of blood.
She continued to rush forward and saw King Zhao's secret guards chopping a corpse.
"kill!"
Regardless of her old age and frailty, Zhao's mother rushed forward with a sword in hand.
"only!"
The retainers quickly jumped over Zhao's mother and slashed at Zhao Wang's secret guards with their swords raised.
(End of this chapter)