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

Catapults loaded with boulders have already been launched at the city walls.

The incredibly strong archer unleashed a barrage of arrows, which rained down on Handan.

Under the cover of arrows and catapults, siege ladders with solid bases were already erected next to the city walls.

One after another, fierce elite Qin soldiers rushed forward to scale the city wall and claim the credit for being the first to capture the flag!

"Fire arrows in retaliation!"

"Pour oil, light it!"

"Get those thunderstones and rolling logs to me!"

Sima Shang shouted loudly, gritting his teeth as he issued the order.

Handan has been besieged for many days and has undergone several feint attacks. Military supplies are already in short supply, making it difficult to defend the city.

However, if we had to consider the issue of material reserves at this point, the morale that had been slightly boosted would inevitably be damaged again, and there would be absolutely no chance of resisting such a fierce Qin army.

"Brothers, we must hold the line tonight!"

"Our reinforcements are arriving soon!"

There were no reinforcements, of course.

The State of Wei did not send any troops, and the State of Chu also remained silent.

Only in this way could Sima Shang temporarily stabilize the morale of his troops and get through the immediate hurdle of the siege.

……

"Has Guo Kai not made a move yet?"

Wang Jian frowned; if this continued, it would be a direct assault.

The city may fall, but the losses will be substantial.

Could it be that there's been a problem with the information from Changxin Jun's side? Or has Guo Kai changed his mind?

"Get the battering ram and the siege hammer."

Regardless of whether Guo Kai's side would actually coordinate an attack from within or without, Wang Jian had already decided to launch a full-scale assault.

War is not child's play.

Given the current situation, he can no longer back down.

Even if we launch a direct assault and pay a heavy price, we will surely capture Handan today.

"General, look! The city gates are open!"

Suddenly, the personal guards following Wang Jian exclaimed in surprise.

The battering ram had been transported to the city gates, but at that moment, the gates of Handan City had already been opened from the inside.

"Hahaha, okay."

"Lord Changxin is truly not deceiving me!"

Upon seeing this, Wang Jian was overjoyed.

Although a strong attack would inevitably succeed, it would be acceptable to minimize losses, even if some credit were shared.

This is the achievement of destroying a country; if he gets all the credit, wouldn't he feel a little uneasy?

"Enter the city, capture Sima Shang, and seize the King of Zhao!"

……

"That bastard Guo Kai deserves to die!"

"I should have killed him first!"

Sima Shang gritted his teeth fiercely and angrily slashed at the city wall with his weapon, as if he were slashing at Guo Kai.

He resorted to lying to stabilize morale in order to hold out against today's attack.

In the blink of an eye, while the soldiers were resisting the Qin army, the city gates were opened from the inside by Guo Kai, the prime minister.

All the efforts were rendered futile.

"Although the city walls are strong, it is difficult to prevent internal collapse."

Sima Shang suddenly remembered a sentence that General Li Mu had said when they discussed military strategy.

He could still think of ways to deal with the Qin army's fierceness and low morale, but how could he deal with the internal collapse?

"Hahahahaha!"

"General Li Mu, Sima Shang has arrived!"

He suddenly burst into laughter, brandishing his longsword, and charged towards the Qin army, ignoring the attempts of his personal guards to stop him...

The battle at the city gate ended quickly.

With Sima Shang's death in battle, the morale of the remaining Zhao troops plummeted, and they soon gave up resistance.

It wasn't that they lacked the determination to fight to the death, but the series of misfortunes had already chilled the hearts of many Zhao soldiers.

The matter of Li Mu was not yet over, and now Guo Kai had taken the initiative to open the city gates, leaving many of the soldiers who were holding out to the death somewhat confused.

Why fight to the death and refuse to retreat?

Was it truly meaningful to fight to the death against the Qin army?

outside the city.

"Your Majesty, it's time for us to enter the city."

“Your enemies have all been spotted by the Net, and I guarantee that none of them will escape.”

Ying Jing had never seen Zhao Ji in this state before; her body seemed to be trembling slightly.

It wasn't anger, but a strange excitement of impending revenge.

"Okay, little Jing'er, you're very thoughtful."

Zhao Ji's voice was gentle and soft, as if she was forcibly maintaining her composure.

Originally, Zhao Ji could have simply waited at Fei Xue Ge's lodging, and Luo Wang would have naturally arrested people according to the list and brought them before her to await punishment.

But Zhao Ji refused.

This was a knot in her heart, one that she could never let go of, even though she held such a high position as Empress Dowager.

We had to go there ourselves, searching house by house.

"That winter, Zheng'er's feet got frostbite, so I worked at this place to earn money and made him a new pair of shoes."

"But those shoes were taken away and thrown into the fire."

"They said that I stole the shoes from the master's child."

“I didn’t argue, I didn’t plead, and neither did Zheng’er, but…”

"I have never forgotten this humiliation for a single moment."

This was a mansion with its vermilion gates tightly shut. Zhao Ji stood in front of the gate and spoke softly.

His tone was very calm, seemingly devoid of any hatred.

Ying Jing frowned as he looked at the tightly closed door and gently waved his hand.

Instantly, several black shadows darted out from the darkness...

"This clinic."

“I remember that year I was sick, and Zheng’er took the jade left by his father and exchanged it for some money to buy medicine.”

"But the prescription the doctor gave me was problematic. I suffered from a high fever for three days straight and almost died."

In front of yet another clinic with its doors tightly shut, Zhao Ji stopped and spoke softly.

Ying Jing's expression grew increasingly cold: "This family, not a single one will be spared."

Several dark figures darted out, this time breaking directly into the room...

"This family, they're a high-ranking noble family. I heard someone in their family died in Changping..."

"Since they couldn't retaliate against Bai Qi and the Qin state, they could only vent their resentment on me and Zheng'er."

"At least half of the humiliations that Zheng'er and I suffered in the State of Zhao were instigated by them."

This time, what came into Ying Jing's view was a magnificent mansion covering an extremely vast area.

It might not be quite as grand as Guo Kai's Prime Minister's residence, but it's not far off.

"noble?"

Ying Jing sneered: "We're killing nobles."

As for the nobles in Korea, they were first purged through Tianze's hands, and then purged again through Ji Wuye's affair.

Those who were stubborn and unyielding had been dealt with to a large extent, and Ying Jing did not take any further action after arriving in Xinzheng.

The situation was different for the State of Zhao, as the two countries were sworn enemies.

After years of fighting, countless people died on both sides, and many nobles and officials harbored hatred towards the Qin state.

Unless someone like Guo Kai surrendered early and made contributions, they should be kept or even given preferential treatment to set an example for the officials and nobles of the remaining countries.

Others, especially those who harbored hatred towards the Qin state.

These are all unstable factors that need to be dealt with!

If we don't eliminate them now, they will lurk in the future and become a chronic disease of the empire, difficult to deal with.