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As the urgent reports of the Qin Army capturing nine cities in a row continued to arrive, Han Ran, the head of the Han family, was at a loss for words. The capital was already in chaos, and despite gathering all the ministers to discuss countermeasures, he found that each one wore a face of despair. In fact, it wasn't just the high officials; King Han himself also had a grim expression. The reason for their distress was that the commander leading the Qin State Army was none other than Bai Qi himself. This was a dire situation! It was said that wherever he went, it was like a flood sweeping through, leaving not even a mouse behind!
Was this the end of the nation? Sigh! Why were they wasting time holding meetings instead of packing up? There were so many valuables outside that hadn’t even been collected yet!
Seeing the two rows of ministers looking deeply troubled and somewhat organized, King Han sighed heavily. "My loyal subjects, I have always treated you well. On this day of national crisis, do we have no strategies to respond?"
While others could flee or even sell out their country for glory, Han Wangran could neither escape nor surrender. After all, this was a banner of restoration; as long as he lived, there would be a chance for revival. Since they were here to destroy his nation, this person could not be left alive. The ministers exchanged glances, all sighing in despair. If they could fight, they would have done so already; how could they just stand here waiting for death? It wasn’t that they couldn’t defeat the enemy! In previous encounters, hundreds had fought, yet no one ever returned!
The king was still waiting for news from above; remaining silent was not an option. Chancellor Han Chengbang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty! The Qin State has mobilized troops with the intention of taking Shangdang City. The ministers have discussed this matter and come to a conclusion: ceding land and ceasing hostilities is the best strategy."
Ceding land! Ceding land! At this rate, they might as well take my head along with it! King Han suppressed his anger and wanted to hear if there were any opposing opinions below. After waiting for a long time without any hero stepping forward to turn the tide, he could only look up at the ceiling of the hall and remain silent. Since his ancestors founded the nation over a hundred years ago, many capable ministers and generals had emerged. But why had there been none in this generation? Was it heaven's will to destroy the Han?
In truth, it wasn’t entirely fair to blame his ministers for being useless; those who were capable or unwilling had already gone to the front lines and been defeated by Bai Qi. The remaining officials had never dared to serve their country loyally; now, just hearing Bai Qi's name made their legs tremble. If they were tasked with leading troops into battle against the enemy, they would likely faint on the spot. Moreover, governance had long been controlled by relatives from various influential families, leaving no opportunity for talented individuals from among the common people to enter this circle. These connections bullied ordinary citizens without hesitation; if asked to die for their country, they would probably run faster than rabbits.
If only they had known this earlier!
"Submit! Cede land! You all decide how to handle it!" King Han spat out these words in frustration before sweeping out of the hall.
Whether he stayed or left was actually more of an obstacle now. Several key ministers exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Since His Majesty had already consented, why were they still lingering here? They needed to hurry! They had been busy counting valuables and hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet! It seemed there was no need to rush moving now! They would send someone later to notify the staff at Prosperity Record and discuss it again in a few days.
If one were to evaluate the strategic vision of these ministers, it was still commendable. The Qin State had not shown any clear military action targeting Shangdang County; yet they had already anticipated the movements of the Qin Army ahead of time. This shows that there are no true useless individuals in this world; it all depends on how a leader chooses to utilize them.
After some discussion and resolution, they decided to send an envoy into Qin while issuing an edict to Feng Ting, the prefect of Shangdang County, instructing him not to resist if confronted by the Qin Army. All seventeen cities under his jurisdiction would register their residents with Qin State’s household registry.
The jade seal of King Han was casually tossed onto the table, and the Chancellor picked it up and breathed on it. He then stamped the Edict with the seal, ensuring that the matter was settled without any further changes.
Grand Commandant Han Ju watched as his uncle finished his work and was about to call for a courier when he hurriedly stopped him, reminding, "Chancellor! It would be best to let the king review it personally to avoid any trouble for us later."
Upon hearing this, Han Chengbang immediately showed a disdainful expression. With a smirk, he leisurely replied, "Grand Commandant Han! The king had already given his instructions before leaving. If you doubt my authority, you can go report me now."
Noticing the tone was off, Han Ju quickly took a step back and bowed respectfully. He earnestly expressed his support for the Chancellor, assuring him of his loyalty.
Seeing that this one was somewhat reasonable, Han Chengbang nodded in satisfaction. He called over Imperial Historian Han Jiang and Grand Commandant Han Ju, leaning in to whisper, "The king has been busy with the national Selection these days; we should not disturb his interests. As subjects, we should share the king's burdens."
The two were moved to tears upon hearing the Chancellor's unwavering support for King Han. They expressed their desire for more guidance from the Chancellor in the future and pledged their loyalty.
However, matters often take unexpected turns. Just when a messenger arrived at the small river to fetch water, he happened to encounter a Sentinel under Bai Qi. Seeing someone dressed as an Official Family by the riverbank, they quickly surrounded him and captured him on the spot. Before the sharp sword could be drawn, the messenger had already wet his pants. He hurriedly begged for mercy and revealed that he carried a letter from King Han addressed to Prefect Feng Ting of Shangdang County. As for its contents, that remained unknown since it was sealed with wax.
In this chaotic situation, capturing a letter from King Han would undoubtedly be a significant achievement. Thus, the Sentinel squad escorted the messenger to the Central Army Tent to seek General Bai's decision on the matter.
Since sending Luzi with Five Thousand Troops to capture Earthen City, Bai Qi finally felt a sense of familiarity return. However, there was someone by his side whom he couldn't quite shake off; after all, this person was appointed by King Zhao. To put it bluntly, they could be seen as a military supervisor. Every move he made and every word he spoke could potentially lead to someone reporting him. Therefore, he had to be extremely cautious to avoid causing endless trouble.
During this time, discussions arose among everyone regarding the pros and cons of the new Crossbow weapon. They found that using both hands and feet was too time-consuming compared to traditional bows and arrows; its firing speed could not compare at all. However, this issue couldn't be resolved since using both hands and feet was necessary to ensure the Bowstring's strong elasticity and guarantee the arrow's initial speed and projection distance. If it were like a bow where one could pull it with just their hands, its excellent long-range projection would lose its significance.
After all, things are dead while people are alive. Since they couldn't solve the issue of needing both hands and feet to operate the Bowstring, they decided to find ways to improve loading speed instead. They mobilized everyone’s imagination to devise faster methods for stringing the bow. The infantry adopted a lying position for loading; lying down with both feet pressing against the crossbow's support while using both hands to pull back the Bowstring hook. As they stood up half-kneeling to load an arrow and then pulled the Trigger while aligning with the Sight Block aimed at their target. After repeated training and adjustments, from sitting down as a Crossbowman to standing up and aiming at their target before firing an arrow could almost be done in one fluid motion.
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