After the state of Zhao is vanquished this time, the marriage between Yan’er and Zhao Feng must be secured. I just wonder if Yan’er will bear me a grandson or a granddaughter.
Regaining his senses, Wang Jian handed a family letter to the Personal Guard Commander before him. "Find someone to deliver this to Zhao Feng."
The Personal Guard Commander immediately took it and swiftly retreated.
Meanwhile, Yang Duanhe looked on with an astonished expression. "That is the Senior General’s family letter. Why give it to General Zhao Feng? Could it be that General Zhao is...?"
Seeing Yang Duanhe’s astonishment and peculiar gaze, Wang Jian immediately understood what he was thinking. He simply thought Zhao Feng was his illegitimate son.
"He is my future son-in-law," Wang Jian said straightforwardly.
"What?" Yang Duanhe’s face was a mask of shock. "General... General Zhao is the Senior General’s son-in-law? I... I have never heard of this before."
Perhaps Yang Duanhe truly didn’t know. On that day in court, the betrothal of Zhao Feng to the Wang Family’s daughter had involved the Eldest Imperial Son of the Royal Family, Fusu. His marriage proposal had failed, and subsequently, Deputy General Zhao Feng won the favor of the Wang Family’s daughter. This was a humiliating affair for Fusu. Naturally, the ministers at court dared not discuss it excessively; matters involving the Royal Family must be handled with the utmost discretion.
Therefore, the news of Wang Jian’s daughter and Zhao Feng didn’t spread widely beyond the court ministers.
"Soon, the whole world will know," Wang Jian said with a very pleased smile. "The King once said that as long as Zhao Feng could hold Wei City, he would issue a royal edict for the marriage between Zhao Feng and my daughter. Now that Zhao Feng has accomplished this, a royal edict for the marriage will naturally follow once Zhao is vanquished."
Yang Duanhe immediately cupped his fist in salute. "Congratulations to the Senior General! A marriage by royal edict is a great honor indeed. Moreover, I’ve heard that the King has even granted a princess to General Wang in marriage. If another marriage is granted by royal edict, the Senior General’s family will be truly blessed by royal favor."
Wang Jian smiled, feeling very happy as well. A marriage granted by the dynasty was the highest honor for matrimony; to receive it was more than enough.
"Zhao Feng has already crushed the Wei army, and the difficulty he faced was even greater than ours. He was up against an enemy several times his number! Our two main camps cannot fall behind," Wang Jian said very seriously.
"I understand," Yang Duanhe immediately responded.
"Go and make the arrangements. We must be ready to commence the real attack at any time," Wang Jian said with a wave of his hand.
"Understood." Yang Duanhe bowed and exited the tent.
Once he had left, Wang Jian’s serious expression instantly melted into a smile again as he picked up the battle report from Wei City.
This young man truly has not disappointed me. That old fool Wei Wuji actually lost to him. With such military merit, if he keeps this up, he’ll likely become Qin’s youngest Senior General one day. Yan’er’s judgment was spot-on. It was worth the risk of offending the Eldest Imperial Son to see this marriage through. Hahaha.
Wang Jian held the battle report in his hands, unable to stop himself from laughing again.
「Time gradually passed.」
Compared to the states of Zhao and Yan, which were now ablaze with war, Qin’s capital city was peaceful. Many merchants from Zhao and Yan had come here, some seeking to escape the chaos of war, which made Xianyang prosper like never before. Across the Land of the Divine Continent, war was erupting everywhere. Qin, as a powerful state, was able to protect its citizens from its ravages.
「In the Qin Royal Palace, within the Morning Discussion Hall.」
Since Qin had commenced hostilities against Zhao, the court meetings, once held every three days, had been changed to every two days.
"Reporting to the Great King," Yu Liao announced loudly. "This minister has received General Li Teng’s report from Yingchuan. Within a month, the chaos within Yingchuan County will be completely pacified."
"It seems the chaos within Yingchuan County isn’t too severe," Ying Zheng praised. "The instigations by Zhao and Wei did not have a major impact. Li Teng has done well."
Including the forces within Yingchuan County, Qin had mobilized a total of 450,000 troops this time. This was a truly significant number, and the daily consumption of provisions was colossal. With troops moving on three fronts, Ying Zheng’s greatest concern was Yingchuan.
"Your Majesty," Wang Wan stepped forward and reported loudly, "the current focus should still be on Wei City, the gateway to Yingchuan County. This old minister is still worried about whether Zhao Feng will be able to hold it. In my view, we should issue another strict order urging Zhao Feng to increase vigilance and fortify his defenses. If Wei City falls, he must be punished harshly."
"I second the motion," Chunyu Yue immediately agreed. "We need not worry too much about the Zhao battlefield; the only real concern is Wei City. This city must not be lost. Once Wei City is breached, Wei Wuji will lead his army straight through, and Yingchuan County will be in grave danger."
Following this, a few other court officials also voiced their agreement. Clearly, while these men appeared to be speaking for the public good, their words carried a targeted undertone.
"Regarding this matter," Ying Zheng said in a heavy tone, "I have already entrusted it to the Senior General. Should anything happen at Wei City, the Senior General will decide the course of action. Additionally, the 200,000 troops at Hangu Pass will be mobilized."
"His Majesty is wise," Wang Wan called out, then added, "The situation in Wei City is currently unclear, but the report received that day about Zhao Feng abandoning his post without permission may be true. This old minister believes we should dispatch a War Supervisor to oversee Zhao Feng and prevent any rash actions. Although the boy was promoted for his military achievements, he is ultimately too young and lacks stability."
Just then, a voice called out.
"Report!" An express messenger ran in from outside the hall, his urgent demeanor suggesting a major development had occurred. "An urgent dispatch from Senior General Wang Jian regarding Wei City!"
Upon hearing it concerned Wei City and was an urgent report, Wang Wan immediately fell silent. His gaze turned to the messenger, a cold smile touching his old eyes.
This kid is done for, Chunyu Yue thought, raising his head with a smirk of satisfaction. Googlᴇ search novel⟡fire.net
The moment his eyes met Wang Wan’s, they shared a look of schadenfreude. Although Chunyu Yue acted rashly and sometimes couldn’t be dissuaded even by Wang Wan, he was, after all, Fusu’s teacher. As a staunch supporter of Fusu, Wang Wan naturally sought to protect him. Wang Wan was also aware that Zhao Feng had beaten one of Chunyu Yue’s disciples. Since Zhao Feng couldn’t be won over, they would find ways to suppress him.
"What is the situation in Wei City?" Ying Zheng’s brow furrowed. At this moment, Wei City was his greatest concern, and he immediately demanded an answer.
"Reporting to the Great King!" the messenger called out, his voice filled with excitement as he held up the urgent dispatch. "An urgent report from the Senior General! A great victory at Wei City!"
At these words, the expressions on Wang Wan and Chunyu Yue’s faces changed, and they stared at the messenger with utter bewilderment.
A great victory at Wei City? What’s going on? Why call it a great victory? Don’t tell me Zhao Feng actually held Wei City? Wang Wan and Chunyu Yue wondered.