Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield

Chapter 159: Chapter 105: The Royal Edict Arrives in Sha Village! Mrs. Zhao Recalls the Past! (Part 4)

Tu Sui immediately produced a military order of appointment from Wang Jian and presented it with both hands. ”This is a military order from the Senior General.”

Zhao Feng took it and understood at once.

”Very well. Once the new recruits are enlisted, I will organize a separate army for you,” Zhao Feng said immediately.

”Thank you, General Zhao,” Tu Sui replied, his voice filled with excitement. Being incorporated into the main battle camp of the true elite Sharp Warriors made him extremely pleased.

”You are new here, so I’ll have someone arrange quarters for you and then introduce you to the other generals in the army,” Zhao Feng said with a slight smile.

”General Zhao,” Tu Sui began, ”before that, I have a personal letter from Senior General Wang Jian, which he instructed me to deliver to you myself.” He fumbled inside his robes and took out an unopened scroll of silk fabric.

Zhao Feng said nothing, simply taking the letter.

Ever since Wang Jian had triumphantly departed from Yingchuan, Zhao Feng had received nothing but a few military orders. There had been no news about Wang Yan, nor did he know anything about the proposed marriage. It was as if he had been completely left out to dry. He anticipated that this letter would finally bring news about her.

He opened the silk fabric.

Zhao Feng’s face, which had been expressionless, broke into a smile as he read the first sentence. My father-in-law really came through! The marriage between Fusu and Wang Yan is off, and he even mentioned me to the King of Qin.

Reading this, Zhao Feng felt a great weight lift from his heart. Fusu no longer has a chance to touch my woman. This means I don’t need to worry about eloping or planning an escape route for now. I can safely stay aboard the great warship of Qin, grow stronger, enhance my power, and develop my own influence while quietly awaiting the End of Qin.

But as he read the final lines, Zhao Feng shot to his feet, his face a mask of astonishment and an indescribable joy.

”General, what is it?” Tu Sui asked, startled by Zhao Feng’s sudden, excited movement.

”It’s... it’s nothing.” Zhao Feng forced the joy from his face and called out, ”Zhang Ming!”

”My lord.” Zhang Ming immediately entered the main hall.

”Arrange quarters for General Tu Sui and familiarize him with the camp,” Zhao Feng ordered.

”Yes, my lord.” Zhang Ming nodded, then turned to Tu Sui. ”General Tu, please follow me.”

At this, Tu Sui bowed deeply. ”This subordinate takes his leave.” He then followed Zhang Ming out of the hall.

With no outsiders present, Zhao Feng picked up the letter again and read it closely, a smile now spreading uncontrollably across his face. Wang Yan is carrying my child? After just one night? Just a few times, and she’s pregnant? My seed is truly vigorous!

At this moment, Zhao Feng couldn’t help but marvel at the potency of his lineage. To have achieved such a result from a single night of passion... he was truly impressed with himself.

Even if my father-in-law, the Senior General, hadn’t spoken up for me, it wouldn’t matter. The deed was already done with his daughter, and now she’s with child. Even if the marriage had been finalized, the King of Qin would have no choice but to cancel it. If he knew Yan’er was pregnant, he’d probably be relieved he didn’t arrange the marriage to Fusu. Otherwise, a child of my bloodline being born into the Qin Royal Family... that would be a joke of epic proportions.

Zhao Feng couldn’t help but laugh. With this news, his worries completely vanished.

It seems I must report this and travel to Xianyang to formally propose. Since Yan’er is carrying my child, I must marry her into the Zhao Family with all due honors. This thought now settled in his mind. It was his nature to take responsibility for his actions. And with Wang Yan carrying his flesh and blood, he would never even consider abandoning her. Although their night together had been partly driven by her desire to defy her fate, what was done was done.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, the Land of the Divine Continent had reached its most difficult season, truly entering the harsh depths of winter.

In the military encampment, bonfires blazed throughout the barracks. Clusters of Sharp Warriors gathered around the flames for warmth, passing around wine. In this era without cotton-padded clothes, the several layers of garments they wore offered little protection from the biting cold. Many of the Sharp Warriors shivered uncontrollably, even next to the fires, a testament to the severity of the weather. If things were this dire within the well-supplied military camp, one could only imagine the situation among the common people.

Every winter, countless people across the Land of the Divine Continent froze or starved to death. This had been an unsolvable problem since the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, right up to the current era of warring states. The food produced in Shenzhou was never enough for its people, and not everyone had a warm place to take shelter.

「Atop Wei City!」

Zhao Feng stood on the city wall, bundled in several layers of military garments with a thick cloak draped over his shoulders. He gazed out at the vast, white, snowy landscape beyond the walls.

With this snowfall, who knows how many more people will die, he sighed inwardly. Only a united Huaxia will have the power to change this. Without unification, the suffering of people freezing and starving to death can never be alleviated. Knowing history and now living it, Zhao Feng felt these truths all the more profoundly.

”My lord,” Zhang Ming said, approaching him and respectfully presenting a military report. ”This just arrived from General Li in Xianyang.”

”Read it aloud,” Zhao Feng said.

”Twenty-five days ago, the King of Zhao personally traveled to Qin to sign a non-aggression pact with our Great King. Meanwhile, the Zhao state’s Senior General, Pang Xuan, has secretly moved his forces to the Zhao-Yan border. Zhao’s army of three hundred thousand men has been dispersed along that border,” Zhang Ming read.

”Is that the entire report?” Zhao Feng asked, turning to him.

”That is all of it, my lord. It was sealed and sent directly from the Senior General,” Zhang Ming replied respectfully.

A light smile touched Zhao Feng’s lips as he instantly grasped the report’s true meaning. The Qin-Zhao alliance... a pact designed to make the Zhao state lower its guard. No wonder there were reports of disturbances across Qin recently, yet I never saw any of them myself. It was all the Great King’s strategy of misdirection.

”My lord, what does this report mean?” Zhang Ming asked, puzzled. ”Wei City doesn’t border the Zhao state; it borders Wei. Matters on the Zhao-Yan border seem unrelated to us.”

”Zhao and Wei are allies,” Zhao Feng explained with a smile. ”Once the Zhao state attacks Yan and they are locked in a difficult struggle, that will be the perfect moment for Qin to strike Zhao. When that time comes, do you think Wei will simply sit back and watch?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ming was startled. ”My lord, you mean... there’s going to be a war?”

”Once this heavy snow subsides, the Zhao state will surely attack Yan,” Zhao Feng stated with conviction. ”Just wait. When Yan can no longer hold out, they will inevitably seek aid from Qin, and the Great King will most certainly issue a royal edict for us to mobilize.”

Zhao Feng knew his history; he knew this event was inevitable. The so-called non-aggression pact was nothing more than a scrap of paper, ready to be torn up at any moment.

Zhang Ming instantly understood. Once Qin made its move, Wei would seize the opportunity to act, and Wei City would have to bear the brunt of their assault.

Zhao Feng smiled, his eyes reflecting his anticipation. ”Alright, keep this matter to yourself for now. We’ll discuss it after winter has passed. Once the snow stops, the Imperial Court should send provisions to prepare for the great battle.”

War was coming again.

The curtain was about to rise once more on Qin’s unification of Shenzhou.