Chapter 88: The Sovereign Alliance Decree II

The North King seeks to aid Qin in unifying all under heaven!

Ju Xin’s face went pale. Finished. His scheme to set the wolf against the tiger had failed before it even began.

“Your Majesty, please think again. If Western Qin unifies the realm, how can the northern kingdom sleep soundly in the north?” Guo Kai watched Lin Shu’s expression closely.

He too knew that Zhao was already nearing the end of its road. If the northern kingdom joined hands with Qin, Zhao would not last half a month. The northern kingdom could even be enough to destroy Zhao outright.

Lin Shu had already thought it through.

“Once Great Qin has unified all under heaven, that is precisely the time for the empire to reclaim what is rightfully its own.”

“Enough. Return first and report back. If you do not agree, then five days from now this king will pay a personal visit to your ruler. If the King of Yan or the King of Zhao refuses, then replace him with one who agrees. If the house of Yan or the house of Zhao refuses, then replace the royal house with one that will.”

It was over. Guo Kai knew there was no room left for choice.

“Your Majesty, Yan will certainly comply. Yan He has long yearned to enter the embrace of the empire. I beg leave to govern this newly granted territory: Yan shall forever submit with reverence to the Son of Heaven of Huaxia!”

Disregarding all dignity, Prince Yan Chun dropped to his knees.

It seemed the North King no longer wished to make things difficult for him, but it would be hard for him to maintain his footing in Yan either. Now that there was this overseas land to be enfeoffed, it was precisely Yan He’s last chance.

Lin Shu gave it little thought.

“Very well. Let Prince Yan Chun lead one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians to open and settle the new domain. If the King of Yan is unwilling, I will assist you personally.”

Alas. Ju Xin was envious. Too bad he was not of the royal line; otherwise he might have been able to fight for it a little.

“The King of Yan previously gave his word to the North King, and Yan will certainly honor the alliance.”

“Even Yan’s army can dispatch one hundred thousand troops to join the northern army in punishing the unjust Zhao.”

Ju Xin still could not let go of his plan to set the wolf against the tiger. He understood that the cowardly King of Yan would certainly agree. Even if the king did not, the royal house of Yan would. And if the royal house did not, then perhaps those ministers and noble clans could seize the chance to rise.

“North King, Zhao will certainly agree as well! I beg Your Majesty not to trust the words of treacherous men!” Guo Kai glared at Ju Xin and Yan He. Damn them. So they really were faithless men! He knew Zhao had to agree, or it would truly be finished.

“Good! Do not disappoint me. Otherwise, the royal houses of Yan and Zhao can wait to go north and become slaves in the snow!”

This was Lin Shu’s final warning. If they dared go back on their word again, he could only add more bloodshed.

Killing intent spread, cold as ice, making the three men even more alarmed.

“Please rest assured, Your Majesty. If Yan He breaks his word, I will come back with my head in my hands!” Prince Yan Chun secretly clenched his fists. If the king-brother refused, then he might as well go and pay respects to the father-king in advance.

Lin Shu nodded in satisfaction. Yan seemed secure enough.

“I will have a steamship take you back to the mouth of the Bohai River. Yan He, take Zhao Jia with you as well.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Yan Chun’s submission drew no reaction from Ju Xin. He himself had risen through flattery, and instead envied Yan Chun’s methods.

...

During this time, Zhao Jia had also been imprisoned, eating salted fish every day until he nearly went mad.

Disheveled and unkempt, Zhao Jia looked every bit like a beggar and a wanderer.

“Hah! Crown Prince Jia! You are still alive!”

Yan He had thought this bastard was already dead.

Hmph. Zhao Jia seethed in silence, but did not dare make a sound.

“Prince Yan, we should hurry aboard at once,” Guo Kai said urgently. They had to report back to the northern kingdom as soon as possible, or the northern army would not wait for them.

By now Guo Kai could not even be bothered with Zhao Jia. He too had thought Zhao Jia dead. The Zhao king had many sons; this beggar-version Zhao Jia was no longer the crown prince of Zhao.

The sea ship was swift, reaching the mouth of the Yan River before midnight.

After resting at the small pier until dawn, the nearly hundred-man party also split into two.

Since Yan Dan was still being held in Zhao, Zhao Jia could only remain behind as well.

...

Yan King’s Palace.

A month had passed, and the envoys finally returned. The King of Yan hurried to receive them.

“Ju Xin, what is this?”

His trusted minister wore such a grim expression that it only made the king more anxious.

“Your Majesty need not worry. This minister, together with the lord above, did not fail your expectations and has reached agreement with the northern kingdom! However...”

Ju Xin sighed.

The king’s brow tightened further. Was this another demand for land?

“Brother, the North King is willing to cease hostilities! However, he wants our Yan to divide out several hundred thousand civilians...”

Yan Chun finished speaking slowly, then handed the vassal treaty to the King of Yan.

With a long sigh, the King of Yan hesitated, torn.

“Royal brother, how did the Zhao envoy Guo Kai reply? Is Zhao willing?”

Yan He solemnly nodded.

“Guo Kai has temporarily agreed as well. The King of Zhao will certainly consent, or else Zhao will be replaced by another king, perhaps even another royal house.”

“If Royal Brother is unwilling, then please grant this younger brother death!” Yan Chun bowed again. He meant it. If the King of Yan refused, then they would have no choice but to stand opposed in life and death. Of course, the first to die might well be himself.

The King of Yan was in disarray, unable to decide.

Ju Xin stepped forward as well.

“Your Majesty, the North King is arrogant and overbearing. He even seeks to aid Qin in sweeping away the Six Kingdoms. No matter whether the northern kingdom survives afterward, Zhao will surely be the first unable to withstand it.”

“If Zhao falls, Han and Wei will also perish. After that, it will surely be our Yan’s turn! In the short term, it may be a few years; in the long term, within ten years the Qin army will surely arrive!”

The King of Yan sighed in sorrow.

“Let us discuss it again at tomorrow’s court assembly.”

“Understood.” Ju Xin also let out a breath. He knew the King of Yan had already agreed, he simply could not save face.

“Royal Brother may allow Crown Prince Yan Dan to go with this younger brother to the Eastern Sea and establish a separate domain. If things truly become impossible, then in the future our Yan foundation will still have a chance to rise again. Besides, the northern kingdom’s strength rests with the North King alone.”

Yan Chun still needed the full support of the King of Yan to found the new state, so he hurried to profess loyalty.

“Forget Yan Dan for now. Royal Brother should first establish the separate domain. If Zhao falls, Royal Brother will have no choice but to relocate.”

By now, the King of Yan’s confidence had already been shattered by the northern army. He even feared that he might wake one morning to find his kingdom destroyed and his people gone.

In low spirits, the King of Yan received more comfort from Ju Xin.

“Your Majesty, though the North King is powerful, he has already passed his prime, and he is also licentious and indulgent. At the latest, within twenty years the North King will perish, and the matter of a new ruler can be discussed. Yet the various queens each control real power in their respective departments. By then, those queens will surely bring their sons to contend for authority.”

The King of Yan gave a faint, bitter smile.

“Perhaps.”

Twenty years? He might not even be able to endure that long himself.

Mentioning licentiousness, Yan He could only shake his head with a wry smile. Were they not the same?

Still, Ju Xin had a point. Twenty years from now, Yan would certainly have a chance to rise again.

At the court assembly the next day, the ministers made a show of arguing for a long time, but in the end the motion passed unanimously.

Afterward, even many people came to visit Prince Yan Chun, preparing to take part in the matter of opening new lands and founding a separate state.

With brutal Qin to the west and barbarian armies in the north, and with the whole world seemingly on the verge of chaos, the great clans also had no choice but to prepare a retreat.

...

Inside the Zhao royal palace, the ministers hurried over through the night, and even Pang Nuan, who had been waiting to be charged, was summoned.

After hearing Guo Kai’s report, the King of Zhao slowly opened the vassal treaty.

“I, your son of no account—back then my Zhao shook the world and stood so mightily! And now we are forced into submission by northern barbarians!”

“With brutal Qin to the west, barbarian armies to the north, and shameless Yan to the east! Tell me, gentlemen, what counsel do you offer me?”

Everyone’s expressions were complicated. In the end, Zhao Wang could only look to Pang Nuan.

Guo Kai lowered his head and sighed. If the King of Zhao refused, then he would have no choice but to leave Zhao.

Pang Nuan’s face was filled with grief and fury. He had never imagined Yan would be so treacherous and shameless!

“Your Majesty! If Yan and the north join forces, our Zhao truly lacks the strength to resist!”

Zhao had so few young men left; how could it possibly withstand pressure from three nations? Even if the Qin army had not yet moved, they still did not dare withdraw troops from the border.

This... the King of Zhao was tempted, but his expression remained unwilling.

“How can our Zhao submit to northern barbarians? The sea is far away, and this separate domain may not be a blessing after all,” said an elder minister, shaking his head repeatedly.

The King of Zhao frowned and looked toward Guo Kai.

“Guo Kai, how trustworthy are the North King’s words?”

Guo Kai immediately recalled all the information and quickly reached a conclusion.

“Your Majesty, though the North King is cruel and rude, he keeps his word. Besides, heaven and earth are vast, far more than just tens of thousands of miles. The northern kingdom does not have the power to swallow it all, so it can only allow the Six Kingdoms to work together to divide the land and establish states.”

“The North King also knows his own limits and understands that he cannot easily win the hearts of the seven kingdoms’ people, which is why he does not wish to march further south.”

Nodding inwardly, the King of Zhao made up his mind.

“Your Majesty must not! To abandon hundreds of thousands of women and children would leave Zhao’s people in unrest!” a senior minister cried, dropping to his knees in haste.

Although Zhao was already nearly finished, Guo Kai now had nowhere else to go either, and he did not wish to see Zhao descend into chaos.

“Your Majesty, those two elders were once close friends and retainers of Lord Pingyuan! If the king does not agree, perhaps there will be someone within the royal house who does!”

The elder minister was so enraged he nearly spat blood, cursing in fury.

“Guo Kai, you—”

Just as the quarrel was about to erupt, the King of Zhao raised his hand at once.

“Hmph. The North King said that if the King of Yan does not agree, then he will be replaced by one who does. I fear the King of Yan has already signed the treaty.”

“If any of you can lead troops to defeat the northern army, then come and tear up this treaty!”

The King of Zhao held up the treaty. The ministers all hurriedly lowered their heads.

“Please, Your Majesty, condemn this old minister to death.”

Pang Nuan knelt. Of course he did not agree with this worthless treaty, but they truly could not win.