Despite Wei’s solemn guarantees that the Qin Army would not be allowed to pass through its lands to enter Zhao, Qin ultimately succeeded. This was a natural source of immense embarrassment for the King of Wei.
"This old minister misjudged someone," Wei Wuji said, not even trying to argue as he knelt to accept the blame. "Please, Great King, decree my punishment."
Seeing Wei Wuji , the King of Wei’s boundless rage gave way to a feeling of helplessness. Wei had no one else to rely on. If he were to truly punish Wei Wuji, the state would be utterly finished.
At this thought, the King of Wei sighed. "Uncle, it’s not that I wish to blame you for this matter. The truth is, I have no way to answer to the Zhao state, nor can I justify this to the ministers of my court."
"Without even declaring war, a single Qin army of tens of thousands of soldiers has seized nearly a thousand miles of our territory and dozens of our cities. They’ve forcibly carved a path straight through Wei to reach the Zhao state."
"How can I possibly explain this to the citizens of Wei?"
Having said this, the King of Wei felt a profound helplessness.
Wei Wuji nodded, his old face flushed with shame. "This is this old minister’s crime. If not for my defeat, Wei would not have fallen into such a dire state."
"Alas," the king lamented. "There’s no use discussing it now."
"In your opinion, Uncle, what should Wei do now?" the King of Wei asked with heavy concern. "Are we to simply watch as Qin seizes our territory, and after they destroy the Zhao state, wait for them to come for us?"
The King of Wei was naturally heartbroken over the loss of so much land, but he was even more worried about the aftermath. If Qin truly annihilated the Zhao state, he could already foresee the outcome. Qin would undoubtedly use Wei’s previous military campaign as a pretext for their own invasion.
Wei had very little time left.
"We must seek life from the jaws of death," Wei Wuji said gravely. "We must rally our main forces, attack Qin once more, and retake every city they have seized from Wei."
"But if we mobilize our army again... can Wei truly stand against Qin?" the King of Wei hesitated.
"Great King," Wei Wuji pressed, his voice somber. "This is Wei’s final chance to choose its path."
"If we do not take it, Qin will surely attack us one day. That is inevitable."
"I know," the King of Wei said, his voice lacking confidence. "But Wei has never fared well against Qin. Can we truly reclaim our territory from their grasp?"
"The decision lies with the Great King," Wei Wuji said, placing the choice squarely in his ruler’s hands. "If the Great King still has faith in this old minister, I am willing to lead the troops against Qin again to reclaim our territory. Conversely, if the Great King prefers a defensive strategy, I will stand by Wei and protect it with my life, ensuring our state does not fall."
Hearing this, the King of Wei’s face was a mask of deep contemplation, clearly struggling with the decision.
"This matter..." he began, trailing off. After a long deliberation, he still couldn’t bring himself to issue the order. "Let us discuss this again later."
If they attacked Qin and were defeated again, Wei would be left with no chances at all.
Seeing this, Wei Wuji sighed inwardly. The last chance for a counterattack is now gone.
However, he naturally respected his liege’s choice. The state of Wei indeed lacked the strength to contend with Qin now.
"This old minister understands," Wei Wuji replied.
"Uncle," the King of Wei said as he stepped forward and grasped Wei Wuji’s arm, his tone one of complete entrustment. "The security of Wei, and my own safety, are now entirely in your hands."
"Although we cannot attack Qin, our defenses against them must not be lax."
"All of Wei’s military forces are now under your command, Uncle. How we defend our borders, how we protect the state—it all falls to you."
"This old minister will do everything in his power," Wei Wuji vowed.
Lian Po... Zhao Feng... How could Qin possess such a man? To think that even Lian Po died at his hands. Without Lian Po, can the Zhao state truly withstand Qin? Wei Wuji’s heart filled with pessimism.
Having faced Zhao Feng in battle, he knew the man’s prowess. Now, with Zhao Feng having led a modest army to breach Lincheng, Wei Wuji’s wariness toward him grew even deeper. But more than anything, he felt a crushing helplessness. In all his long years, this was the first time Wei Wuji had ever felt such apprehension toward such a young War General.
「Qin Capital, Xianyang!」
A squad of messengers galloped rapidly through the main roads of Xianyang.
"Victory report! Victory from the Zhao front!"
"Our great Qin’s War General Zhao Feng has slain General Lian Po of Zhao outside Jinyang City!"
"Victory report! A great victory for Qin’s campaign against Zhao!"
"Our great Qin’s War General Zhao Feng has slain General Lian Po of Zhao outside Jinyang City..."
As these messengers entered the city, they shouted with all their strength, proclaiming Qin’s grand victory. Countless citizens stopped in their tracks to listen as the riders thundered past. Upon hearing the messengers’ roaring announcements, every single person’s face was etched with shock.
"Impossible! General Lian Po of Zhao... is dead?" Check latest chapters at novel·fire·net
"It seems so! And he died at the hands of one of our Qin’s War Generals, though I didn’t catch the name."
"I heard it clearly! It was our War General, Zhao Feng, who killed Lian Po!"
"Who is this Zhao Feng? Why does that name sound familiar?"
"Wait, I know who Zhao Feng is! Don’t you remember? He’s the one from when Wei Wuji attacked our Yingchuan County not long ago!"
"That’s right! General Zhao Feng! He’s the one who defended Wei City and crushed Wei Wuji’s elite Wei Wu Troops with a much weaker force."
"But wasn’t General Zhao defending Yingchuan? How did he suddenly appear on the battlefield in the Zhao state and even manage to kill Lian Po?"
"That is strange. Yingchuan is over a thousand miles from the Zhao state. General Zhao couldn’t have gone there all by himself, could he?"