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Two months had passed since she moved into Yan Palace, and the news from Korea was delivered to her desk almost regularly. Uncle Qi seemed very concerned about Zhong Xue's situation and had sent many people to gather information. Every so often, someone would bring news to the palace, which varied between good and bad; it seemed that Zhong Xue's battles were quite arduous.
San Chun was very worried, both for Ji Xun and for herself. She hoped he would return soon because she truly began to miss him. Although it had only been two months, those two months felt incredibly long.
She longed for Zhong Xue's return, who also wished to end the troublesome war as soon as possible. However, things did not always go as planned. Although he had discussed strategies with Dong Cheng, the battle still required a significant amount of effort on his part. Ji Yan's army suffered heavy losses before they even reached the capital, having already lost more than half their forces.
Such a heavy price was hard for Ji Yan to accept; he acted like a furious lion, pacing around his troops.
In fact, they had truly underestimated the fighting capability of the Koreans. Although these individuals were not particularly strong, they had great endurance and fought recklessly in battle, requiring all their strength to engage with them.
Ji Yan's army reached Tongcheng, the closest point to the capital, yet they could not capture it no matter what.
At that moment in Tongcheng, the Wei Army and Zhao Army joined forces.
Upon seeing Zhong Xue, Ji Yan felt an overwhelming urge to cry. He had suffered several significant defeats in battle, which was a huge blow to someone like him who considered himself superior.
Zhong Xue comforted him, saying, "Do not be sad, my lord. It is quite remarkable that you have made it this far without frequently being on the battlefield."
Was this really comforting? Ji Yan was not foolish; he sensed that Zhong Xue did not mean well towards him. Otherwise, how could it be that only his army suffered losses while the Wei Army remained largely unscathed?
Even if he realized he had been manipulated at this moment, he could not easily turn against Zhong Xue. The situation had reached this point with no room for retreat; he could only continue fighting and must win. This was not just for Ji Xun but for himself as well. If he lost more troops and could not obtain medicine upon returning to Handan, he would have no way to explain himself. As for the throne, that hope was even more distant.
He secretly resented it but maintained a calm facade, smiling at Zhong Xue and saying, "Lord Jun is absolutely right; I should learn more from you."
Zhong Xue was very perceptive and naturally understood what he was thinking. This fellow likely wanted the Wei Army to take the lead so he could hide behind and catch his breath.
However, this time he did not plan to let the Zhao Army take the lead either. If Ji Yan were to achieve a great victory and ride that momentum all the way to the capital, it would be difficult for him to handle matters afterward.
He called for strategist Dong Cheng to discuss how to attack the city.
Dong Cheng thought carefully for a moment and then replied, "How would I know?"
Zhong Xue wanted to hit him so badly; he had thought about it countless times. The more critical the moment, the more this guy messed things up. Now he was starting to act like he was on strike.
He said coldly, "Since you don't know, then there's no need for you to be a strategist. I'll just have someone carry you out and bury you alive."
Dong Cheng grinned, thinking that being buried alive was unnecessary. He hurriedly said, "No, no, I'm just feeling frustrated, really frustrated."
At thirty, one should be established, but he was about to turn thirty and still hadn't married. For years, he had been working like a horse for his master and hadn't had the time to think about it. Now that he was older, he didn't have many demands; he just wanted to settle down and find a place to enjoy life. Was that too much to ask?
He brought up this matter with Zhong Xue, who agreed and asked whom he had his eye on. After thinking hard about the women around him, he couldn't find anyone suitable and said, "Well, there's that woman waiting outside the tent. Since you don't like her, let me have her."
Who knew that Lord Jun would flip out at that moment? He kicked him twice and then found an excuse to hit him with the Military Rod twenty times. Even now, his backside still ached.
Because of this matter, he had been sulking for a while and couldn't come up with any good ideas. However, he knew there should be limits when joking around; seeing his master truly angry made him quickly say, "That's not difficult. The flying claws we used during the siege are still around. This city isn't as tall as Ying City in Chu; we can manage it."
Zhong Xue told him to go prepare. Before leaving, he said, "From now on, keep your pants tight and stop thinking about women."
Dong Cheng grinned; when had he ever been preoccupied? He wondered what kind of strange fire his master was burning—did he secretly care about that woman even if he claimed not to?
Just then, Zhong Xue received a letter from the scouts indicating that San Chun had already been captured and taken to Yan State. King of Yan Uncle Qi personally escorted him back to the Yan Palace.
Upon hearing this, he became anxious. Initially putting in eighty percent effort in battle, now he was using all his strength to attack Tongcheng.
Dong Cheng felt that Lord Jun had gone mad; expending so much effort would make anyone sweat profusely.
Perhaps due to their commander’s fierce determination, the morale of the Wei Army soared remarkably high. They fought fiercely and truly broke through Tongcheng, reaching the capital of Han State.
Seeing the high morale of the Wei Army, Ji Yan couldn't just stand by anymore; he quickly organized his troops for an assault on the city, striving to be at the forefront of the Wei Army.
When Zhong Xue saw that the Zhao Army was fighting desperately, he hid behind and took a deep breath.
He did not believe that the Zhao Army could enter the city. Although Ji Yan was clever, he ultimately lacked experience. The capital's defenses, while not as strong as those of Ying City in Chu, were not so easily breached. Without some extraordinary strategy to secure victory, a direct confrontation would only result in more corpses being thrown into the city.
After two consecutive battles, seeing that the Zhao Army was somewhat fatigued, he called Dong Cheng into the tent. Without wasting any time, he asked, "How is the matter I assigned to you progressing?"
Dong Cheng smiled and asked, "What matter? Is it about me not thinking about women? I've been tightening my belt these days."
Zhong Xue shot him a glare; this man never took anything seriously in the evenings.
He said, "I asked you to bribe the high officials of various states. Has anyone from Han agreed to help?"
Dong Cheng responded with an "Oh," suddenly realizing, "So that's what you meant. Of course, I've done that. For those people, the money spent each year is substantial. Everyone knows that Chengyang Jun is the wealthiest; who would guess that your money is spent on others?"
Zhong Xue huffed twice, annoyed at his loose tongue.
Before becoming Lord Jun, he had already started laying this groundwork. At that time, his ambitions were not as grand; he merely wanted to build good relationships with officials from various states for future use. As his network gradually expanded, so did his ambitions. The money spent each year could have built a city.
Spending money was easy, but making it was difficult. Fortunately, he had his uncle; although the old man had a terrible temper, no one was better than him at making money. Not only did he run a thriving business, but he also raised many adopted sons to help manage affairs in various states. He dabbled in all kinds of businesses, from the living to the dead.
Although a lot of money had been spent over the years, he gained considerable benefits in return by establishing relationships with various states. These individuals had secretly helped him significantly, and until now, no state had united against him—this was also due to their contributions. Additionally, when he attacked Qi State, it was information from some military personnel about defensive layouts and movements of the Qi army that allowed him to capture Qi State in the shortest time possible. The same applied when attacking Chu; if it weren't for someone inside Ying City providing assistance, relying solely on San Chun's designed flying claws would not have made it so easy.
Now that they were in Han State, these people would naturally be needed. If they could secretly get them into the city, would there even be a need for battle?
Dong Cheng understood Lord Jun's intentions well; many matters were handled by him and the Chancellor. Lord Jun's uncle was also exceptionally talented and skilled in personnel matters; with him handling things, no matter how high-ranking an official was, they could ultimately be corrupted.
After they devised a plan to send Ji Yan away, Zhong Xue had already instructed him to secretly contact those high officials in the capital and seek their assistance. Promises were made that once the city fell, they would be granted titles and lands together. This was incredibly enticing; even a fool couldn't resist salivating over such an offer.
Dong Cheng said, "I’ve already arranged with them that once Wei Army arrives, they will definitely assist."
Zhong Xue nodded; at least he hadn’t forgotten about the important matters.
That night, Dong Cheng led his men to the West City Gate. Ji Yan was attacking the East City Gate, which was not the main entrance and was closest to the royal palace. He thought it was a good idea, believing that attacking from the East would be the easiest, not realizing that because it was close to the palace, it had the strongest garrison of all four gates.
In contrast, the West City Gate was farthest from the palace and remote, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack, resulting in a more relaxed guard.
At the second watch of the night, the Wei Army fired a rocket into the air. After a moment, a basket was lowered from the city tower, containing a piece of silk.
Dong Cheng picked it up and looked at it, smiling broadly, thinking to himself that these people really knew how to get things done; they were worth every penny.
Following the instructions on the silk, he stationed heavy troops in place, waiting for the next day's assault.
By the next nightfall, just as darkness fell, the officials and soldiers inside the city were having dinner when suddenly there was a blaze at the West City. Someone shouted for help with the fire. At that moment, a group stealthily approached the city gate, killed the guards, and opened the gate.
Dong Cheng had been well-prepared and charged in with his men. Chaos erupted inside the city as shouts and cries filled the air. No one expected how these intruders had gotten in; it was like chopping off heads as if they were watermelons. Many lost their lives in their sleep.
The Wei Army rushed straight to the royal palace. Han Wang was still asleep when he was called out of bed. He didn't have time to escape and was captured right in his chamber.
All of this happened in just over an hour; it was incredibly fast. By the time Zhao Army outside the East City Gate realized something was wrong inside, Zhong Xue had already taken over the royal palace. In the end, it was still Wei Army who opened the city gate and let them in.
Ji Yan entered the city feeling distressed; he had thought that with his abilities he could definitely capture the capital, but he had clearly overestimated himself. However, how did Wei Army manage to get in?
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