Chapter 48: Cessing Territory and Seeking Peace
King Xiaocheng of Zhao nodded secretly, and then ignored Ying Zheng. Even if he became king, it would be a long time later, and he would not be around by then. So he was more curious about why Jin Yao was so sure that this messy-haired child would become the future King of Qin.
"Is it your guess, or is it supported by your Mohist school?" Zhao Xiaocheng and Wang Dan looked at Jin Yao. Jin Yao's guess and the Mohist school's support were different, and the latter was of great importance.
"Who in the world can control the Qin State? Lord An Guo succeeded to the throne and made Lady Huayang the queen, but Lady Huayang had no children. Prince Qin Yiren and the Wei tycoon Lu Buwei have been active. In order to please Lady Huayang, Qin Yiren even changed his name to Zichu, and Prince Zichu has been made the crown prince!" Jin Yao said calmly.
King Xiaocheng of Zhao looked solemn. This was information from Zhao that had not yet been sent back. How did the Mohists know about it, and the whole process was so clear.
"Is the news reliable?" King Xiaocheng of Zhao looked straight at Jin Yao.
Jin Yao did not answer, bringing Ying Zheng here had already answered for him.
King Xiaocheng of Zhao also understood that if Qin Yiren really became the crown prince of Qin, then the status of this messy-haired child in front of him would be invaluable.
"So what do you want to do?" King Xiaocheng of Zhao continued to ask.
"Cease land and ask for peace!" Jin Yao gave an answer that King Xiaocheng of Zhao had never thought of.
"How outrageous!" King Xiaocheng of Zhao was furious and threw the bamboo slips at hand directly at Jin Yao, but Jin Yao dodged it.
"You dare to hide!" King Xiaocheng of Zhao became even angrier.
"Pa pa pa~" The sound of armor clashing was heard, and the guards outside the hall came in one after another and surrounded Jin Yao and Ying Zheng.
Jin Yao, however, looked at King Xiaocheng of Zhao without looking away.
"Get out!" King Zhao Xiaocheng suppressed his anger, waved his hand, and asked the palace guards to retreat. He then looked at Jin Yao and asked, "Reason!"
"An Guojun has been the crown prince of Qin for thirteen years. Does your Majesty think he still needs time to gain control of the Qin court?" Jin Yao said calmly.
King Xiaocheng of Zhao did not say anything, agreed with his words, and waited for Jin Yao to continue.
"Yan State is invading the east, and Zhao State is no longer able to defend the west. Those cities will sooner or later fall into the hands of Qin State. Instead of doing this, it is better to recall the troops stationed on the Yellow River, abandon some cities, and concentrate our forces to deal with the invading Yan State!" Jin Yao said.
"Fortify the walls and clear the fields!" Jin Yaoyou continued to add.
Abandon some small cities west of the Yellow River in Zhao State, fortify the city and clear the fields, and at the same time transfer part of the army back to Handan.
King Xiaocheng of Zhao was not a monarch who did not understand war. He was very clear about Jin Yao's intention. Even Zhao Bao, Lian Po, Le Cheng and others had mentioned this to him in the memorials they submitted. However, no one could afford the guilt of ceding land in exchange for peace, especially when the target was Qin.
"What we lose today will be taken back someday, even tenfold or a hundredfold. But if the State of Zhao is gone, these cities will still fall. The only difference is whether they are surnamed Qin or Yan, but never Zhao!" Jin Yao said without any fear.
The veins on King Xiaocheng of Zhao's arms bulged, but he remained silent and stared at Jin Yao. His surname is not Zhao!
"You are the prime minister of Zhao State, so you, the general and the prime minister should do it!" King Xiaocheng of Zhao took a deep breath and collapsed weakly.
"Yes!" Jin Yao nodded and left with Ying Zheng, but he glanced at Zhao Qian. At this time, King Zhao Xiaocheng was a helpless old man who needed the care of a small cotton-padded jacket. Of course, if this cotton-padded jacket was leaky, then... it was better than nothing.
Without Jin Yao's reminder, Zhao Qian had already run to King Xiaocheng of Zhao and began to gently massage his back.
It was just the dull sounds that made Jin Yao and Ying Zheng look at each other. It was not just that the cotton-padded jacket was leaking air!
"Do you know how to get to the Prime Minister's Mansion?" Jin Yao hesitated and looked at Ying Zheng. This was his first time in Handan and he didn't know how to get there.
"I know!" Ying Zheng nodded.
This brother was sometimes unreliable, but sometimes seemed very knowledgeable. He could face the swords of the palace guards and look King Zhao in the face without changing his expression. He even forced King Zhao to finally agree to a proposal that he thought was as difficult as climbing to the sky.
"Ceding land in exchange for peace is not only for Zhao, but also for you!" Jin Yao let Ying Zheng lead the way in front and spoke slowly.
"For me?" Ying Zheng looked back in confusion.
"It's not easy to be a king, especially the king of Qin," said Jin Yao.
"Can it be more difficult than being in Zhao?" Ying Zheng laughed.
"In Zhao, you are a hostage. As long as Qin remains strong, no one dares to kill you. But once you return to Qin, the people who want to kill you can line up from Xianyang to Shouchun!" Jin Yao reminded the young Ying Zheng. As for whether Ying Zheng could hear the subtext of his words, he didn't understand it now, but he should be able to understand it very clearly in the future.
In fact, if he had not been appointed as the deputy general of the Zhao army, he really wanted to see how the young Ying Zheng survived and took power in the turbulent city of Xianyang.
The most dangerous times for Ying Zheng were the journey back to Qin and the transition of royal power after King Zhuangxiang's sudden death.
And now, what he has to do is to ensure that Ying Zheng can return to Xianyang safely!
"We're here!" The high-walled courtyard, simple and solemn, was the Prime Minister's Residence of the State of Zhao.
"Shang Qing Yao, I would like to see the Prime Minister Yangquan!" At the door, Jin Yao handed over the token representing the position of Shang Qing.
The guards of the prime minister's mansion checked carefully and then took Jin Yao and Ying Zheng to meet Yangquan Lord Zhao Bao.
In the government hall of the prime minister's residence, Zhao Bao saw Jin Yao coming and hurriedly stood up to greet him. However, he was still a little confused as to what this young prime minister wanted to do by coming to see him after only taking office for a few days?
"Cease land and seek peace!" Zhao Bao was not shocked by this. Lian Po also suggested to him to gather the troops in the west and give up some cities surrounded by Qin army, but it was not accepted.
"How dare you, you boy!" Zhao Bao didn't say anything, but the other officials in the prime minister's office had already stood up and glared at Jin Yao, and also implicated Ying Zheng.
"Originally, we thought Shang Qing would be a young talent, the hope of Zhao State, but now it seems that he is just a servile and weak-kneed person. There is no way he will cede land to Qin!"
Without Zhao Bao saying a word, all the Zhao officials stood up to oppose it, and some even stood up with swords drawn and pointed at Jin Yao, which shows the strength of Zhao State.
"Put away your sword, otherwise I have no doubt that I will kill you!" Jin Yao looked at the sword-wielding doctor coldly, then turned to look at Zhao Bao. Zhao Bao was the only one in charge here.
"Does the king agree?" Zhao Bao asked slowly.
"Yes!" Jin Yao nodded.
"This boy is bringing disaster to the country!" Another wave of ridicule surged.
Jin Yao was always watching Zhao Bao. Back then, Zhao Bao failed to withstand the pressure from Zhao Sheng, which allowed Zhao to take Shangdang, and then led to the start of the Battle of Changping. Will Zhao Bao retreat again now?
