Qin Dynasty: Starting with clinging to Zhao Ji's thigh

"Wouldn't it be better to just behave yourself?"

Why do people always want to die?

Ying Jing smiled, but there was a hint of coldness in his eyes.

By staging this event at Han Fei's succession ceremony, it seems they were trying to use divine intervention to ensure that the states of Han and Qin would fight to the bitter end.

If Han Fei hadn't succeeded him as King of Han, and if Ying Jing, Bai Yifei, and Lady Mingzhu hadn't sided with Ying Jing, Han would likely have become a tough nut to crack.

"Yan Dan? Or..."

Ying Jing's gaze had already fallen on Yan Dan.

According to the message from Lord Yanchun, Yan Dan only managed to gain some influence by relying on the theory of the Qin state as a threat.

Moreover, his goal in coming to Han was to persuade the newly enthroned King of Han to resist Qin to the death.

The motives and conditions are very compatible.

But now is not the time to worry about that.

In this era, such phenomena are still quite useful; it would be troublesome if they were to be swept up in the general trend.

By this time, many people were already whispering among themselves, including not only South Korean civil and military officials and members of the royal family, but also envoys from other countries.

At this moment, all their eyes were focused on Ying Jing and his group.

As you can see, some people's faces are pale with fear, but many others show joy and mockery.

The unusual phenomenon of the rising smoke was not good news for the Qin state.

If not handled properly, Ying Jing, as the envoy, will also be affected.

"People's hearts are restless..."

Ying Jing pondered for a moment, then subtly hooked his five fingers beneath his wide sleeves.

Instantly, golden light shimmered on the nine ancient bronze cauldrons, and the green smoke suddenly became much thicker, distorting and mixing with the eight large characters in the void.

Suddenly, the eight characters changed, and two new lines of text appeared.

"Those who receive the mandate of Heaven prosper, while those who defy it and resist Qin perish."

"Han followed the Mandate of Heaven, and Qin unified all nations."

In an instant, the expressions of everyone present changed again.

But Ying Jing did not stop there. The green smoke from the nine cauldrons continued to gather and rise into the sky, eventually transforming into a huge green dragon that hovered in the sky before exploding with a bang.

This time, two lines of large characters appeared directly in the sky in various languages, and in the form of seven languages.

In addition, scenes of peace and prosperity emerge, where people live in tranquility, everyone is well-fed and clothed, and their faces are filled with happiness.

You can see clearly from any corner of Xinzheng, or even from cities further away!

"Look! What's that?"

"If only things could be as peaceful as in heaven, and we could have enough to eat, that would be wonderful."

"Dog Boy, you've been to school, you know a few words, can you tell what those words mean?"

"Ah, does this mean that if we follow the Qin state, we can all live a good life?"

"Yes, Han is following the will of Heaven, and Qin is unifying all nations. This means we should submit to the will of Heaven and pledge allegiance to Qin!"

"I knew it! The Qin people sold me cheap grain seeds last year, it must be fate..."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's pack our things, call our fellow villagers, and go to Qin to live a good life..."

Those who could attend the grand ceremony at the Han King's Palace were all people of high status, educated, and with complex thoughts.

Some unusual phenomena might have some impact on them, but not too much.

On the contrary, those simple-minded people who haven't read many books are more likely to believe in fate and are more easily swayed.

Moreover, South Korea has been shrouded in darkness for many years, and the lives of ordinary people have not been good. Their most basic wish is to have enough to eat and wear.

Ying Jing made this strange phenomenon appear in the sky, so that countless people could see it clearly. This was far more effective than any small action he could take during the ceremony.

This time, Yan Dan's fake smile was so obviously fake it couldn't be any more fake.

He was clearly happy just a moment ago; such a strange phenomenon should have given Lord Changxin a major headache.

But Yan Dan never expected that there would be such a capable person by Changxin Jun's side.

Such a golden opportunity was so easily thwarted, and it even added a layer of so-called divine protection to the Qin state.

Once this news spread, Qin would have a legitimate excuse to launch a war in the future, and some people who blindly follow the crowd might actually defect to Qin.

"Such an extraordinary phenomenon signifies that Your Majesty is truly the chosen one of the Mandate of Heaven for Korea!"

Zhang Kaidi, having served as an official for many years, reacted quickly, being the first to kneel down and congratulate Han Fei.

Regardless of how it is interpreted, and regardless of how the relationship between the two countries develops, that's a matter for later.

Following closely behind Zhang Kaidi, Zhang Liang and officials from Zhang Kaidi's faction also followed suit.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! You have been chosen by Heaven!"

Wei Zhuang looked at the sky in silence, and finally put down the Shark Tooth sword in his hand. He glanced at Ying Jing, who had not said a word, and muttered to himself, "Senior brother, I lost this round, but not because I lost to you."

After a moment of silence, he suddenly knelt on one knee and said loudly to Han Fei, "Your Majesty's succession is the will of Heaven. You should obey Heaven's will and let Qin unify all nations."

If Wei Zhuang couldn't guess the deal between Han Fei and Ying Jing or the King of Qin, then he wouldn't deserve to be called a disciple of Guiguzi.

Wei Zhuang was also fully aware of what Han Fei was about to bear.

Now is an excellent opportunity to protect Han Fei.

Obey the will of Heaven!

What a grand excuse! By using this unusual phenomenon, they could minimize the impact of this incident on Han Fei.

Wei Zhuang had long since given up on the idea of ​​using Han Guo to defeat Gai Nie; now he was more interested in helping Han Fei, the only friend he could truly respect.

Wei Zhuang's actions were somewhat unexpected by Ying Jing, but after a moment's thought, he decided to cooperate.

This is a good thing.

With such an opportunity, the obstacles to Han Fei offering up the state were much smaller, and the Qin state was able to start taking action sooner!

Ying Jing's deep gaze fell directly on Madam Mingzhu. Perhaps because of their in-depth conversation, Madam Mingzhu immediately understood his meaning with just a glance.

Soon, Lady Mingzhu gave her support, making a subtle gesture. Immediately, Bai Yifei led a group of people and shouted loudly, imitating Wei Zhuang.

"In accordance with Heaven's will and destiny, Qin will unify all nations!"

Zhang Liang hesitated slightly, glanced at Han Fei, then at Wei Zhuang, and finally sighed softly before joining in, proclaiming loudly, "In accordance with Heaven's will, Qin will unify all nations!"

Zhang Kai looked utterly astonished, but before he could speak, the situation had completely spiraled out of control.

This may not have been Zhang Kaidi's intention, but Zhang Liang's words in this setting were enough to make officials from Zhang Kaidi's faction follow suit.

"In accordance with Heaven's will and destiny, Qin will unify all nations!"

"In accordance with Heaven's will and destiny, Qin will unify all nations..."

"Following the will of Heaven..."

More and more people joined in, and the voices grew louder and louder. Apart from Zhang Kaidi, the royal family members and envoys from various countries, who looked rather grim and remained silent, the voices of the others had become a vast ocean.

Not only in the palace, but also outside the palace walls, more and more voices are rising, and they are becoming more heated and louder.

"Han followed the Mandate of Heaven, and Qin unified all nations!"

The sounds were slightly different from those heard in the palace, but the meaning was the same, and even more straightforward.

This is the voice of the common people, the voice of the commoners whom the nobles have never paid attention to.

The will of Heaven cannot be defied, nor can the will of the people!

Ying Jing listened to the increasingly loud and tumultuous sounds around him, his expression indifferent as he stared at Yan Dan, whose face had become somewhat ferocious.

Are they using metaphysics and destiny to wage propaganda wars and manipulate public opinion?

Others are still too inexperienced to handle these things, but Ying Jing is much more skilled at it.

What use is the opinion of princes and nobles? It is the right way to win over the seemingly insignificant voices of ordinary people!

In this era, the power struggles and conquests were still among the nobility, who completely disregarded the power of the common people.

But the voices of these commoners, who were never taken seriously or exploited by the nobles, when combined, were deafening and earth-shattering.

Han Fei, hearing the almost perfectly synchronized voices around him, rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Although he had long been prepared to surrender the country, he never expected it to end like this.

He's only just officially ascended to the throne!

So they're all shouting for Qin's return?

"Alright, I understand. I will discuss this matter with Lord Changxin and the King of Qin."

Has this never happened before? Is it due to dissatisfaction from other countries?

That's not a big deal.

He was simply going along with it.

Xunzi once said: "The ruler is the boat; the common people are the water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it."

As a disciple of Xunzi, Han Fei roughly understood just how terrifying the often overlooked power of the common people truly was.

Given this situation, Han Fei clearly understood that this was the best opportunity to complete a peaceful handover.

Moreover, if this public opinion is left unchecked and allowed to continue to ferment, he might not have to bear any infamy.

What do you mean by sacrificing the country? That's in accordance with the will of Heaven!

"Lord Changxin, you can turn your hand to make clouds and rain, you are still so terrifying."

"Fortunately, I have made my choice and do not need to become an enemy of someone like Lord Changxin."

Han Fei knew very well that the phrase "By the mandate of Heaven, forever resist the tyrannical Qin" that had appeared in the smoke earlier was a conspiracy orchestrated by certain people.

The subsequent changes could only have been caused by Lord Changxin.

Han Fei had to admit that he couldn't think of a good way to deal with it for the time being.

Unexpectedly, Lord Changxin came up with a solution in that short time, and even launched a counterattack with the help of the common people, which also lent him a hand.

Using power to intimidate others is clearly a Legalist approach, but Lord Changxin used it even more skillfully than he did.

……

After Han Fei's succession ceremony concluded, none of the envoys from various countries lingered, including Yan Dan.

But Lord Longyang stayed a little longer.

The envoys from various countries were busy reporting back to their home countries about what happened in Xinzheng, while Yan Dan was well aware that his goal was no longer achievable.

However, Longyang Jun still had some expectations.

Whether or not the State of Han should align itself with the State of Qin does not conflict with its goal of gaining the support of Empress Dowager Leling.

Even if the Qin state was truly ambitious or had some so-called destiny, it was impossible for it to attack the Wei state in a short period of time.

"To repel external threats, we must first secure internal stability. Only by dealing with Wei Yong can we free up our resources to deal with the Qin state!"

In this chaotic era, various states have been fighting and conquering for many years. Qin and Wei have fought each other before. If they resolve their internal problems first, the Iron Eagle Warriors may not necessarily be able to defeat the Wei Wuzu.

Ying Jing had no idea what Longyang Jun was thinking, but when Han Fei brought it up with him, Ying Jing's answer was without hesitation.

"Promise him!"

Ying Jing sent Xuan Jian to Wei only to ensure Wei Yong's safety, but that doesn't mean he actually wanted to help him.

This cheap father-in-law isn't particularly capable, but he's quite ambitious, and once he gets carried away, he's prone to becoming disobedient.

Now that the matter in South Korea has been basically resolved, it will soon be the turn of Zhao and Wei.

If we don't first drive Wei Yong to desperation, how can we get him to cooperate and defeat Wei from within?

The upper troops attacked the plot, the second attacked the Jiaotong, the second attacked the soldiers, and the lower attacked the city.

Ying Zheng only wanted the result, and Ying Jing didn't want to use any means in the process of unification, but he still hoped to minimize direct warfare and casualties.

hypocritical?

Perhaps there was a little, but Ying Jing didn't care. He was simply following his own heart, that was all.

Like Lord Longyang, Ying Jing was not in a hurry to leave the State of Han.

However, he didn't plan to stay any longer.

The main problem is that this incident has escalated quite a bit, so we need to go back as soon as possible to discuss with Brother Zheng all the matters related to accepting South Korea. At the same time, we also need to start preparing to take action against the Zhao state.

Before that, Ying Jing had some things to take care of in South Korea.

In the courtyard of the post station.

"Send someone to Lord Yanchun with 30,000 gold pieces, asking him to help Yan Dan spread his good reputation, and then send the man to Qin."

Ying Jing didn't care about throwing money around.

If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass.

Over the years, he has spent a considerable amount of money on his partners in various countries.

But this is just temporarily depositing the money with them; in the end, they'll take it all back with interest.

As for Yan Dan, Zi Nu had already taught Ying Jing a lesson. Originally, Ying Jing did not intend to continue to deal with him and planned to keep Yan Dan in Yan to check and balance Lord Yan Chun.

However, what happened at Han Fei's succession ceremony changed Ying Jing's mind.

Ying Jing could easily make the smoke from burning mugwort in the bronze cauldron form characters or even patterns, after all, he had a cheat code, but that didn't mean others could do the same.

“My Yin-Yang techniques can achieve this, but it will inevitably leave traces of Yin-Yang techniques.”

The Moon Goddess clasped her hands together in front of her lower abdomen and spoke softly, displaying a quiet and virtuous air reminiscent of Fei Yan.

“Your Majesty, there are actually quite a few schools of thought that can do this, but it is very difficult to do it without leaving any trace. The Farmer School, however, has some possibility of doing so.”

The Black and White Lesser Masters were also trying their best to show themselves. As Lesser Masters of the Yin-Yang School, they dealt with plants the most.

"A farmhouse?"

Ying Jing was not surprised by this answer.

The traditions of farming families are extremely ancient, even tracing back to the ancient Shennong clan, so it's not surprising that they employ some unusual methods.

The blue smoke from those nine bronze cauldrons was from burning mugwort, and farmers are the school of thought that deals most with plants.

In comparison, the probability of the Mohists being able to do this is lower, since even if the Mohists could do it using mechanical techniques, the traces would be very difficult to erase.

"Another farmhouse, it seems your handiwork is everywhere, Changping-jun..."

Ying Jing stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the plants in the courtyard that were gradually withering. He casually picked a yellowed, withered leaf and asked, "If Yan Dan is sent to Qin as a hostage, will you, Lord Changping, help him out?"