Chapter 111: Han Fei’s Resolve

“Yan Huang, chief envoy of Jing Ke, pays respects to King Han and greets all present.” Jing Ke bowed lightly, his smile calm and serene.

Alas! Han Fei lowered his head with a bitter smile. The Kingdom of Han was growing weaker by the day; now even envoys from foreign lands received only mere formalities!

King Han was displeased as well, but the northern kingdom’s power was immense—they indeed had every reason to be proud.

“Envoy Jing Ke, I am aware of your purpose, yet with a hundred thousand Qin troops pressing our borders, the Kingdom of Han cannot join your alliance!”

So that was it! Jing Ke frowned in understanding.

“Everyone knows the Qin’s intentions. After years of recuperation, they will surely mobilize. Joining the alliance is the royal family’s last resort. If I fail in my mission, the imperial court will take necessary measures.”

Ha ha!

Suddenly, a boisterous laugh echoed—it was the grim-faced General Ji.

“Hmph! Necessary measures? Jing Ke, tell me, what necessary measures could a northern kingdom thousands of miles away possibly take?”

The northern kingdom was strong, but it was separated by Yan and Wei states—a fact that bolstered Ji Wuye’s arrogance.

Jing Ke already knew Ji Wuye was a powerful minister, and neither the alliance treaty nor the letters from the three kings were meant for his eyes.

“General, your arrogance is clear, but do you not fear the fire you play with will consume you?”

“What did you say? This is the Kingdom of Han!” Ji Wuye glared fiercely at Jing Ke.

Jing Ke smiled faintly and turned to King Han. Though Ji Wuye was formidable, he was no weakling.

“King Han, the letters from the three kings surely make it clear: within half a month, troubles in the Wei palace will unfold, and at most within one month, the allied armies of four states will arrive at Han.”

This! King Han dared not gamble. The King of Wei had declared plainly that if Han refused, Wei’s forces would be bound by the alliance to act.

“Very well! I agree! Envoy Jing, bring forth the treaty!”

What? So quickly? Not only Ji Wuye was stunned, but even Han Fei was left bewildered.

“Your Majesty, if the treaty is signed, the Qin army will surely march!”

Ji Wuye glared at Jing Ke, wishing he could strike him down with a sword. Yet, he had not yet gained absolute control, and could not disregard the King of Han.

Sigh! King Han smiled bitterly and sighed deeply. He knew little of the Wei palace incident, but he had heard that a northern prince had stormed the palace, and thousands of armored soldiers could not resist.

“Rest assured, King Han, the Qin army will not mobilize in the short term. Even if they do, the empire will not idly watch within these three years.” Jing Ke spoke confidently. The Han principality had yet to be established, and the emperor would never permit the Qin to destroy Han.

Good! With these words, King Han felt reassured.

“General! Even without the treaty, Qin seeks the downfall of our Han house! The court is dismissed for now; I will personally handle the treaty matters.”

Damn it! Ji Wuye clenched his fists and sighed deeply, forced to withdraw.

“Han Fei, you shall stay.” After some thought, King Han decided on the division of the kingdom.

The crown prince was weak and controlled by the military—King Han intended to support the fourth prince as his successor. He disliked Han Fei’s softness and meekness, but the ninth prince was the easiest to control.

King Han had come to realize that perhaps in a few years, he too would have to seek refuge in the Eastern Ocean. At that time, Han Fei could be entrusted with power; with any other prince, he dared not hope.

“Yes, Father!” Han Fei was even more surprised that even the crown prince and the fourth prince were not retained.

Hmph! With a cold snort, the crown prince quickly departed.

So it was as expected! Zhang Gaodi seemed to understand something as well.

The Zhang family had deep ties with Zhao nobility; he had long heard of the overseas establishment of Yan and Zhao states, and now many matters were confirmed.

In fact, Lü Buwei of Qin had already investigated the division of lands overseas, but those were wild islands, and Qin paid them little heed.

Without firsthand experience, the scholars and nobles of the time would never believe the overseas lands were a desirable destination. Even the southern lands of Chu were seen as barbaric by the Qin.

The more he considered, the more alarming it became. After reading the alliance treaty and the letters from the three kings, Han Fei understood fully: Han had no choice left; the four-state alliance was more terrifying than Western Qin. The northern alliance would not destroy Han outright but could obliterate other great clans to replace the Han house!

“Father, my talents are mediocre; I fear I cannot shoulder such responsibility!”

Han Fei understood that fate had changed, and Han could be destroyed at any moment. Yet he was unwilling to submit; his return home was to realize his ambitions.

First, to reform and strengthen Han; after repelling Western Qin, to unite the five states to drive out Qin.

If sent to the peninsula thousands of kilometers away, his ambitions would only be fulfilled among savages.

“Hmph! This matter is not yours to choose!” King Han showed no mercy. Only Han Fei would obey unconditionally; if another were sent to govern the divided land, the king feared he might lose even his life.

Han Fei was truly unwilling.

“King Han, the Northern King has heard of Han Fei’s legal doctrines and has appointed him as Duke of Han, but also commands that he set sail only after one year.” Jing Ke was unaware why the king arranged it so.

This! King Han frowned. The Northern King knew of Han Fei!

“So be it! Han Fei, prepare for the migration. Within three months, gather two hundred thousand, no, three hundred thousand able-bodied men! You may also recruit fifty thousand warriors! First, recruit retainers and subordinates to handle the land reclamation; one year later, personally lead to support the grand plan.”

King Han intended to keep this secret from other clans; after all, Qin would not be too harsh on them.

Three hundred thousand able-bodied men and fifty thousand warriors! Han Fei was shocked.

“Father, may the first batch be just one hundred thousand?”

What was the king planning? Was this a plan to flee?

“Keep this strictly confidential. You may say you’re sending surplus refugees from Han to the North for resettlement. No one else must interfere. The royal household will fully cooperate.”

King Han knew well there were few trusted retainers left—otherwise, this task would not fall to Han Fei.

Was Han truly doomed? Han Fei could only obey. The Northern King’s will and King Han’s decree were beyond his power to alter.

“Yes, Father. But one year from now, I must take Red Lotus with me.”

Han Fei looked firmly at King Han. If he could not bring Red Lotus, he would rather die than leave.

“Very well! I agree. If you fail, do not blame your father!” The king was angry; this bastard dared to defy him again!

But since it was for Red Lotus, the most ruthless were the imperial families; yet here he showed such sentiment.

This was why King Han refused to make Han Fei crown prince. To rule a kingdom, a king must be cold and ruthless to command his ministers.

Yet the gentle and kind Han Fei was also his most trusted.

“Thank you, Father! But may I have those two maps?”

Unable to change fate, Han Fei could only accept.

The maps were about half a meter in size: one showed all of East Asia, including the South Seas and the western territories of the empire; the other depicted the southern peninsula and surrounding seas and islands of the Eastern Ocean.

“Very well! Take the treaty as well.” King Han nodded.

After receiving the second treaty, Jing Ke took his leave immediately. The displeased King Han also dismissed Han Fei, intending to rest with Lady Mingzhu.

Han Fei did not know whether to hate or thank Jing Ke.

“Envoy Jing Ke, why would the Northern King pay attention to a minor like Fei?”

Jing Ke did not know either. He disliked reading and seldom cared for others’ thoughts.

“To be honest, even I do not know,” Jing Ke answered.

“Heh! Envoy Jing Ke speaks truly and uprightly.” Han Fei’s regard for him deepened.

Jing Ke smiled but said no more. Before leaving the palace gates, he took out a small flask.

Parched, he drank a mouthful of pure liquor—joyous as if a celestial being.

“Ah, this is northern strong liquor!” Han Fei swallowed secretly. He had only tasted northern liquor once before.

The liquor he had drunk previously was just ordinary white wine; this had a rich and potent flavor.