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King Zhao of Qin Year Eight.
Having completely consolidated power in the Qin State, King Zhao of Qin invited Chuhai Wang to meet at Wu Guan for an alliance, driven by a desire for revenge against Chuhai Wang Xiong Huai, who had once incited Ba State to invade Qin State, causing destruction and plunder. Without hesitation, he kidnapped Chuhai Wang and forced the King of Chu to cede most of the lands of Wugun and Qianzhong Commandery to Qin State.
If it weren't for the fact that King Zhao of Qin's Mother Dowager was a Chu Person, he wouldn't have dared to confront the already sold-out Chuhai Wang. However, at this point, discussing such matters was pointless, as he was now a hostage of Qin State.
Chuhai Wang Xiong Huai was quite alone, and since there were no witnesses when he urged the King of Ba to attack Qin, he could deny it. He vehemently accused the confronting King of Ba of slander while firmly stating that he would never accept this humiliating and unequal treaty!
Watching the furious and cursing Chuhai Wang, King Zhao of Qin was utterly unconcerned. What difference did it make if you denied it? What difference did it make if Ba State attacked Qin? The entire region of Bashu already belonged to me, Qin State! If anything, I should be thanking you!
Since the matter had already passed, King Zhao of Qin decided not to pursue the issue further and ordered that the deceived Chuhai Wang and the now powerless King of Ba be taken away. He then sent someone to inform the detained Chuhai Wang: if you don't want to cede land, why not settle permanently in Qin State?
King Zhao of Qin Year Nine.
As Chuhai Wang, who neither intended to apply for a resident identity card in Qin State nor sign any agreements, insisted on his position, an impatient King Zhao of Qin Ying Ji decided to take military action against the now sovereign-less state of Chu. He personally led the main force of the Qin Army out from Wu Guan to attack Chu, resulting in the decapitation of fifty thousand soldiers from the Chu Army and the capture of sixteen cities in Chu.
King Zhao of Qin Year Ten.
The detained Chuhai Wang Xiong Huai suddenly went missing and was later discovered to have escaped from the capital, Xianyang. Considering that Xiong Huai would likely return to Chu, King Zhao of Qin ordered the Qin Army to block all routes leading to Chu and issued a hefty bounty for his capture.
With no way back home, Xiong Huai, realizing he could not return to his country, turned instead to seek refuge with the Zhao Wuling Wang. Upon hearing this news, King Zhao worried about offending the King Qin, so he feigned illness and refused to meet with the distressed Chuhai Wang.
Having thoroughly experienced the harshness of reality, a helpless Xiong Huai had no choice but to head towards the Wei Kingdom, seeking assistance from the ruler there. However, unexpectedly, he was sold out halfway through his journey and captured by the arriving people from Qin shortly after falling asleep.
King Zhao of Qin Year Eleven.
It was heard that the Crown Prince in the country had ascended to the throne but was melancholic due to the serious illness of Chuhai Wang, who passed away without ever seeing the Empress Dowager of Qin State. Upon learning this, the Empress Dowager, recalling their shared hometown, ordered King Zhao of Qin to immediately send someone to escort Xiong Huai's body back to the State of Chu.
What moved the world was that the Chu People, upon hearing the news, rushed to mourn and pay their respects along the way as they welcomed the remains of the former King of Chu back to their homeland. History bears witness that the Chu People felt deep sympathy, as if mourning a relative.
Year Eleven of King Zhao of Qin corresponds to Year Two of King Qingxiang of Chu. United in their enmity, the State of Chu completely severed ties with Qin State from then on.
The deceased has passed, but those who live continue to persevere. Fully aware that he was despised by all Chu People, King Zhao of Qin naturally would not venture into nearby Chu. He ordered Luzi to immediately depart from Luoyi and head to Chu to persuade them, while he himself hurriedly left Luoyi to return to Hanoi.
Luzi, worried about exposing the king's whereabouts and attracting assassins sent by the Chu People, tearfully parted ways after ensuring King Zhao of Qin's safe departure from Luoyi. What puzzled him was that despite sending Ji Xi for the king's protection, he had not shown up at all. Logically speaking, this secret protection should not require confidentiality among their own people.
But such was the reality, and it was difficult to find anyone to inquire further. It wasn't until Luzi saw the guards protecting King Zhao of Qin leave by boat that he received a small bamboo slip from Li Xin. Looking at the mark left by burning, he couldn't help but smile and shake his head. Thus, he completely set his mind at ease and called his brothers aboard the ship bound for Chu.
To ensure a subsequent visit to Yan State, Luzi did not allow Chang Yu to accompany him to Chu. He instructed Feng Quji and Chang Yu to stay behind and head to Yan State later, laying groundwork for future endeavors.
If only Gongsun Nan, the Keeper of Prosperity Records in Yan State's capital, Ji City, could be reliable, perhaps Yan would not need further visits. But these were merely speculations; preparations could not be delayed.
The relationship between Qin and Chu was well known among the common people. If it weren't for Chunshen Jun Huang Xie, Luzi understood that his chances of successfully persuading them were slim. Even though he held an edict from Zhou Tianzi, it remained uncertain whether anyone would secretly undermine it. They even dared to delay payments necessary for maintaining operations in the royal city without cause; truly, this emperor was quite a failure.
Currently, the State of Chu was eager to give Qin State a hard time, especially since today’s King Kao-Lie of Chu Xiong Wan had once been held hostage by Qin State. If they could use this opportunity to exhaust the main forces of the Qin Army in Shangdang, then the Chu Army could directly invade the defenseless territory of Qin State. If that were to happen, both old and new grievances could be avenged!
To be honest, knowing all these stakes made Luzi quite apprehensive. His friendship with Chunshen Jun could hardly outweigh this situation; after all, they were sworn enemies, and both were directed at one person!
Sun Thirteen and Li Xin, who were already aware of the mission, were also feeling quite frustrated. These two understood the deep bond between Luzi and Chunshen Jun. However, given the current situation, the possibility of stopping the two hundred thousand Chu Army from mobilizing was almost zero. At this moment, Xiong Wan, who had taken control of the highest power in the State of Chu, wished he could swallow the Old King of Qin whole, but he hesitated to act, knowing that Chu alone could not contend with Strong Qin.
Such a great opportunity should not be overlooked!
Watching the calm river surface, people's emotions began to stir. As the light rain dampened their clothes, the three remained standing at the bow of the boat, gazing at the swaying wind and rain without feeling any chill.
The sky, long obscured by dark clouds, appeared gloomy, and the moisture-laden earth responded in kind. When it seemed as if heaven and earth were connected, mist began to rise from the river's surface.
The scenery along the shore gradually faded from view, and everything around them suddenly froze in place, becoming utterly still. If it weren't for the occasional sound of water splashing against the boat's hull, one might even think time had come to a standstill.
Are we moving forward now? How strange! Once a person loses their point of reference, they can even lose this sense!
Luzi stretched lazily, suddenly remembering that he hadn’t slept all night. He turned to look at Li Xin and Sun Thirteen, who were also standing in the drizzle, and a warm feeling surged within him. He wiped the rain off his face and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the damp air. Slowly exhaling the stale air made him feel instantly relaxed.
With brothers by his side, he would never be lonely in this life!
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