Chu Reinforcements Were Near, and the Counter-Encirclement Began

In the great hall, Ying Zheng laid the silk report on the table and pondered for a while.

Suddenly, he tapped the table three times with the black jade thumb ring on his thumb.

The faint sound echoed through the hall, clear and crisp.

At some point, a man dressed entirely in black had appeared behind Ying Zheng.

"Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng tapped the name "Zhao Cheng" in the military report with his finger. "Dun Ruo, take the Black Ice Terrace's Secret Agents and investigate this man in person."

"Find out everything about his life and bring it back to me."

Dun Ruo bowed his head. "Yes."

He withdrew without a sound, his footsteps utterly silent.

Ying Zheng looked again at the military report's record of titles awarded, his brows drawing together slightly in dissatisfaction.

After a moment's thought, Ying Zheng shook his head. "The army should be attacking Ye County by now. Once Ye County falls, Chou City will already be in our hands. Wan City will be isolated and without aid; before long, Nanyang will be ours as well."

"Let's see how much military merit you earn in this battle. No matter how much, I will not treat you unfairly..."

Inside the Ye County army camp.

Meng Wu's hair was a mess. He kept scratching his head, but the ink on his brush had dried before he could figure out how to phrase it.

"It's my first time losing sleep over a subordinate earning too much merit."

Meng Wu could only smile wryly.

After thinking it over, he decided to write the truth.

"Your Majesty, King of Qin:

Your servant Meng Wu bows his head and prostrates himself twice, daring to report matters concerning the frontier.

In this campaign against Han, your servant first employed the strategy of cutting off the water, damming the Zhi River to besiege the isolated city. The people of Han relied on the defenses of Kunyang and the strength of its walls, shutting their gates and refusing to fight.

Yet Zhao Cheng led twenty Death Warriors, changed into hunters' clothes, and slipped inside.

In the dead of night, he hunted down enemy troops in the city, drawing several thousand Han soldiers into a pursuit.

Zhao Cheng fought to sustain himself, battling from street to street. Wherever he passed, enemy heads fell and blood splashed across the roads.

When he reached the Government Office in the city, he slew three hundred guards alone, beheaded the County Commandant before his desk, burned the seals and ribbons of office, and held the gate.

Two thousand Han soldiers gathered to attack him from all sides, their arrows falling like rain. Yet Zhao Cheng held his ground alone, steady as a rock, and returned their fire. Every arrow found a throat. Corpses piled up on the steps; he slew nearly a thousand enemies, and none dared advance.

When the enemy troops broke and fled, Zhao Cheng charged out and pursued more than a thousand of them into the city alone, where he encountered two thousand enemy reinforcements.

He fought as he withdrew, breaking through encirclement from every side, but was ultimately surrounded and attacked in the streets.

The enemy fought with blood and valor, throwing themselves into the fray one after another, yet he killed more than half of them, driving the rest away in terror.

At daybreak, Zhao Cheng disguised himself as a hunter, carried game up to the ramparts, and pretended to be bringing food to approach the Han commander.

Before the two armies, Cheng caught them by surprise and slew the commander with his sword atop the tower.

The defending soldiers fell into chaos. Zhao Cheng wielded his halberd, sweeping through a thousand foes; the enemy fell like rain.

He then seized the Barbican, broke through the suspended gate, and opened the inner gates. My army swept in, taking Ye County without shedding a drop of blood.

This officer is the bravest of the three armies and wiser than ten thousand men:

He stormed the Government Office by night like a tiger entering a flock of sheep; by day, he slew the enemy commander like an eagle snatching a sparrow.

Fighting from place to place on a single horse, he took more than a thousand heads; he cut off the enemy's voice and tongue, and shattered their heart and guts.

Such valor is not merely the finest in the Qin Army; it is truly rare throughout the realm.

Among the battles of past generals, I have never heard of anyone driving off the enemy alone and taking a city in the blink of an eye.

The laws on military merit state: 'Whoever is first to scale the walls and break the enemy's formation shall be granted three ranks; whoever takes more than a hundred heads shall be made Left Shuzhang.'

Yet Zhao Cheng's achievements surpass the usual standards and cannot be encompassed by the old laws.

Your servant is ignorant and dares not decide this alone. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to grant him special favor, thereby honoring his extraordinary achievements.

Your servant Meng Wu bows twice. The sixteenth year of King Zheng of Qin, early winter."

After much thought, Meng Wu finished writing and sighed. He still ordered someone to attach the military report and send it to Xianyang.

"Call Zhao Cheng here."

At that moment, Zhao Cheng was in the city camp, disciplining the several household servants he had just acquired.

After being granted a title, he was entitled to retain servants in the army. But there had been few captives worth choosing from after the battle at Fang City Pass, so he had picked none.

But in this battle, he had discovered Chai Lie, a man who could take on a thousand.

Chai Lie had also helped him find several capable fighters among the enemy troops.

Unfortunately, a few of these fighters had been loyal to their old side and refused to follow Zhao Cheng. In the end, Zhao Cheng cut them all down.

Three men remained. They had some strength, and each could handle more than a dozen opponents without much trouble.

"From now on, the four of you will be my army servants. Chai Lie, you'll lead them."

"Yes."

Chai Lie had become much more obedient. The burly man, built like a black bear, now acted like a kitten in front of Zhao Cheng.

The other three had long been used to Chai Lie's arrogance and violent temper. Seeing him like this, they stared in astonishment—only for Chai Lie to beat them soundly.

Once Chai Lie had finished beating them, Zhao Cheng called out, "Chai Lie, come with me."

The two went to Zhao Cheng's tent, where Zhao Cheng asked, "Did you build this physique through years of martial arts training?"

Chai Lie sighed. "To answer you, my lord, I began training when I was young. I practiced through the depths of winter and the height of summer, taking medicinal remedies and applying them externally. That's how I developed my skills. Compared with yours, they're nothing."

Zhao Cheng asked again, "You mentioned Qi Refiners before. Have you ever refined qi?"

Chai Lie shook his head. "The methods of refining qi are hard to come by. They're passed down only through the most elite family lineages, taught by renowned masters, or known to recluses in immortal mountains. Even one method is hard to find."

"But my lord, with your strength, aren't you a Qi Refiner?"

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment. "I don't know much about it. I only stumbled onto the threshold of qi refinement by exploring on my own."

"Tell me what you know about Qi Refiners."

Chai Lie stared at Zhao Cheng in astonishment. He had figured out how to refine qi all by himself?

Could that really be done?

Not daring to hide anything, he thought for a moment and replied, "Qi Refiners are also called Fangshi. They're rare, and usually don't make a name for themselves in the secular world. Most of those who do are frauds."

"Besides secret methods passed down through families, some renowned masters and recluses teach these methods of refining qi. The Yin-Yang School, Daoists, and the followers of Guigu all have elite Qi Refiner disciples who travel the world."

"I've heard that Wei Liao, the Grand Commandant of the Qin State, was a disciple of Guigu. He knows the finest methods of refining qi and is also skilled in diplomacy and strategy. He is not only an expert at deploying troops, but a fierce general who can take on ten thousand men."

"Of course, I've never encountered anyone like that. I've only heard a few rumors."

"Most of those I've encountered are like me, with family-taught martial arts that temper the body. With some of the most elite family techniques, those who master them deeply can reach the level of qi refinement. They not only need far less food, but can also fast for long periods and live on qi."

Zhao Cheng stroked his chin, deep in thought.

It was good to know there were Qi Refiners.

After the battle atop the city wall, his lifespan in the system had already surpassed twenty-five thousand years. But he had also brought the Basic Body Refining Technique to perfection, and the next step was to cultivate Primordial Qi.

Even now, however, he still had no idea where the path ahead led. He only knew that he had to keep refining the Primordial Qi within his body. If he continued fumbling forward on his own, he would take many more detours and get only half the results for twice the effort.

If he could obtain some Qi Refiner techniques, he might be able to make far faster progress.

Unfortunately, Chai Lie only knew a little, and the useful information was scarce.

Fortunately, Zhao Cheng felt that his strength was already sufficient for now, so there was no need to rush to improve it further.

Just then, an officer came to Zhao Cheng. "Chief Commandant Zhao, the general wants to see you."

Zhao Cheng nodded and headed for Meng Wu's tent.

"Zhao Cheng pays his respects to the general."

"Sit."

When he entered the tent, he saw that many senior officers were there besides Meng Wu. Meng Tian was among them as well.

They all looked him over with curiosity, and some officers gazed at him with such fervor that Zhao Cheng felt a little uncomfortable.

"Young Divine General—his reputation is well deserved! He plunged behind enemy lines and fought through the night, then was first up the walls, captured the commander, and took the city. And he's still bursting with energy! Truly a divine warrior!"

"You've earned first merit in both battles. With Chief Commandant Zhao here, this battle has been a breeze for us."

"When you swept through the enemy on the walls, it was enough to leave me stunned."

"Thank you, Chief Commandant Zhao. Without you, I don't know how many men my unit would have lost."

"Lord Zhao didn't keep all the spoils to himself. Even as he swept through the enemy, he remembered to leave a share for the soldiers below. I'm impressed!"

Taking a city was no easy task. Even with all of Meng Wu's preparations, a siege would still cost many lives.

But Zhao Cheng had slain the commander and taken the city, making the assault far easier. Many officers had breathed a sigh of relief.

Most importantly, even as Zhao Cheng rampaged across the walls, he hadn't forgotten to share the credit with his comrades.

He had swept wave after wave of enemy soldiers off the walls. They lost their ability to fight, but weren't dead yet, so the soldiers below finished them off.

They had all benefited in the battle, of course they were deeply grateful.

Zhao Cheng was speechless. Was that what they called sharing the credit?

Those men were just too light. The moment they touched the shaft of his Great Halberd, they went flying.

That was one drawback of the Great Halberd. Its reach was indeed tremendous, and a blow from its blade could kill a whole swath of men in an instant.

But aside from crushing people to death, the shaft could also send them flying.

Even with broken bones and torn muscles, those men wouldn't die right away.

In the chaos of battle, his own soldiers wouldn't hold back, so they naturally stole Zhao Cheng's kills.

Otherwise, he would have gained even more lifespan in this battle.

"Enough." Meng Wu raised a hand to quiet them, then addressed Zhao Cheng. "In this battle, you went behind enemy lines, killed nearly two thousand enemies, and were first to scale the walls, slay the commander, and take the city. You deserve first merit.

"Ye County is more valuable than the pass as well, so this achievement is far greater than your last.

"I can no longer decide your promotion myself. Once the military report reaches Xianyang Palace, His Majesty will grant you a title based on your achievements."

"As for your military position, you may temporarily be appointed Vice General and serve as Vanguard General, commanding over ten thousand troops in an independent campaign."

The Vanguard General was effectively the deputy commander of the entire army, answering directly to General Meng Wu.

Zhao Cheng bowed solemnly. "This subordinate accepts the order."

"Earlier, you said Chu reinforcements were coming?"

Zhao Cheng nodded. "The reason the enemy commander was so confident, gesturing and shouting from atop the walls, was that Chu reinforcements would arrive tomorrow."

"He wanted them to join forces with the Han army and crush us beneath the city walls."

Meng Wu smiled. "Then if the battle had dragged on until tomorrow and they'd made it here, things really would have been troublesome."

If they failed to take the city and were then attacked by reinforcements, they would suffer heavy losses whether they forced their way in or broke out and retreated.

Fortunately, Zhao Cheng had struck like a surprise force and slain the commander, allowing them to take Ye City before the reinforcements arrived.

Otherwise, if they had followed the original plan, they would have been in a passive position tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Meng Wu looked at Zhao Cheng with even greater admiration.

"If Chu dares to stick out its hand, we'll cut it off!"

"Cao You, take ten thousand soldiers and put them in Han armor and clothing. Make yourselves look like the Han defenders."

"Yu Bo, take twenty thousand light troops and lie in ambush among the southeastern hills."

"Zhao Cheng, take three thousand Assault Cavalry and ten thousand Light Cavalry around the Kunyang Mountain Range. When battle begins, strike in from the rear, cut off the Chu Army's retreat completely, and scatter their ranks! Hmm... have Meng Tian serve as your deputy!"

Meng Wu himself would lead fifty thousand troops to camp east of the city once more, pretending that the two armies were still facing off and Ye County had not yet fallen.

Everyone moved with astonishing speed. Before an hour had passed, the arrangements were complete.

Outside the city, the Qin Army spread out like a raging torrent. To make their numbers appear greater, they packed the outer ranks tightly and left the center hollow.

The city walls were also heavily guarded, the soldiers standing ready. From every angle, they looked just like the Han Army.

Another twenty thousand troops lay in ambush among the southeastern hills, waiting for the right moment.

Zhao Cheng's force took a long detour around the Kunyang Mountain Range. Scouts spread out in great numbers to reconnoiter ahead as they waited for the Chu Army to walk into the trap.