Chapter 34: A Narrow Escape

The crowd turned to look at the source of the sound, only to see a swirling cloud of yellow dust rising behind them. The thunderous sound of hooves shook the very earth beneath their feet. It was an entire unit of Wei’s chariot soldiers!

“Not good!” Zhao Zheng’s pupils contracted sharply as he caught sight of the faintly visible Wei banners amid the dust storm.

Wei reinforcements? How did they manage to catch up?

“Run!” Zhao Zheng’s heart pounded wildly. He dug his heels into the flanks of his already exhausted warhorse, urging it forward.

“Stop! Don’t run!” a voice called from behind.

It was Young Master Ang. Wei Yang’s face darkened instantly.

That damned Young Master Ang was no fool either; Zhao Zheng cursed his ancestors under his breath.

But their mounts were spent, unable to pick up speed. The Wei troops soon closed in.

“Shoot!” Mo Hao shouted, and several disciples of the Mohist school behind him drew their repeating crossbows and fired at the Wei soldiers.

Zhao Zheng recognized the weapons from artifacts he had seen in a later era—they were the prototypes of the famous Qin crossbows.

True to the Mohist legacy…

Thunk! Thunk!

The Wei cavalry at the front was caught off guard and immediately thrown off their mounts.

But the Wei soldiers could only glare in frustration. The reforms of King Wuling of Zhao—introducing the nomadic attire and mounted archery—had not yet spread to Wei, so their cavalry lacked the skill of horse archery.

The Mohist disciples employed every trick they knew, but against the iron hooves of Wei’s forces, their efforts were but a drop in the ocean.

“Look ahead!” Jing Jian suddenly pointed forward, his hoarse voice brimming with joy.

Everyone turned to see a banner marked with the character for Qin fluttering faintly in the distance.

Relief flooded them—it was the Qin army! They had already entered Qin territory.

Meanwhile, Ying Qian and Du Zhi led a troop approaching from another direction.

“Report! Grand Tutor, there are riders rushing this way!” a soldier at the front shouted back upon seeing several riders galloping rapidly toward them.

Someone? Ying Qian urged his horse forward, his gaze piercing through the swirling dust like a hawk’s.

He faintly recognized the figure—it was that bastard Zhao Zheng!

And behind him, the Wei banner was unmistakable.

They were being pursued by the Wei army!

“Form ranks! Prepare for battle!” Ying Qian’s voice roared like thunder, radiating murderous intent.

At his command, the Qin soldiers quickly took formation.

Du Zhi was stunned. This was unexpected. Why wasn’t Zhao Zheng taking the usual route through the Xiaohan Pass? Why was he going through Shaoliang instead?

He had painstakingly lured Ying Qian here, but instead, they had stumbled right into Zhao Zheng’s desperate flight from the Wei pursuers.

“Grand Tutor, I think—” Du Zhi’s face paled, instinctively wanting to stop him.

But Ying Qian paid him no heed and commanded the troops to charge forward swiftly.

Soon, Ying Qian’s army positioned itself between the fleeing Zhao Zheng group and the Wei pursuers.

“Hmph, you little bastard think you’re tough now? If you have the guts, go feed your life to the dogs of Wei!” Ying Qian slapped Zhao Zheng hard on the head but firmly shielded him behind his own body.

“Heh heh…” Zhao Zheng rubbed his head, smiling sheepishly.

The Wei army noticed the Qin troops and Young Master Ang halted his warhorse, his face ashen. Damn it—it was the Qin army!

What irritated him further was the presence of Du Zhi among the Qin ranks.

“Du Zhi! You treacherous scoundrel, you’ve tricked me!” Young Master Ang accused, believing Du Zhi had set this trap to ruin him.

“Hmph, Wei dogs dare pursue the Left Minister of Great Qin? They must not know how to write the word for death!” Du Zhi forced down his unease and retorted sharply.

Ying Qian, being involved himself, immediately understood the situation and snorted coldly.

“Hmph, Du Zhi, you old fox, I’ll settle this with you when we return.” Then he glared at Young Master Ang.

“You have trespassed into Qin territory—is this a declaration of war?”

“Or shall we settle this here and now?” Young Master Ang looked at Shang Yang and Zhao Zheng, now surrounded by the Qin troops, teeth clenched in frustration. A golden opportunity lost.

But weighing the consequences, he steeled himself.

“Charge! We must kill Wei Yang and that Left Minister of Qin!”

“Kill!” At his order, the Wei cavalry roared and spurred their horses into another fierce charge.

“Don’t panic! Stay close together!” The Qin side consisted mainly of infantry, who were at a disadvantage against chariot troops.

However, Zhao Zheng knew how infantry could counter chariots.

Chariots and the later-rising cavalry shared one crucial feature: horses.

“Close ranks! Brace your long halberds and spears!” The Qin soldiers wielded primarily long spears and halberds. Their spear formations perfectly countered the chariot charges.

Wei’s chariot troops relied mainly on slashing swords but found themselves thoroughly checked by the spear phalanx.

After a single charge, the Wei army crashed like eggs against an anvil, suffering heavy casualties.

“Damn it…” Young Master Ang realized his cavalry alone could not break this turtle-like defense but dared not wait for infantry reinforcements.

This was enemy territory, and getting encircled here would mean disastrous losses.

“Junior brother, this is your homeland. Are you really not coming back?” Young Master Ang took a deep breath and shouted toward the Qin troops.

After a long silence, receiving no reply, he sighed deeply and led his troops away.

He knew that Qin’s rise was probably unstoppable now.

The Wei troops retreated in disorder like a receding tide.

“You little bastard, if it weren’t for the ‘Grand Minister,’ your grave would already be overgrown with three-meter-high grass.” Ying Qian knocked Zhao Zheng’s head again and then turned to Du Zhi.

“Why not thank the Grand Minister?”

He emphasized the word “thank.”

Zhao Zheng immediately understood what was going on—Gan Long, that old scoundrel, was up to no good again.

“Thank you, Grand Minister, for your timely rescue,” Zhao Zheng said innocently, bowing respectfully to Du Zhi.

Du Zhi felt a chill shoot from his feet to the crown of his head and hastily waved his hands.

“This… this was just a coincidence, a coincidence…”

“Hmph, you call yourself Wei Yang? Just a pretty face. What’s worth risking your neck for a bastard like this?” Ying Qian looked disdainfully at Wei Yang, snorting with utter contempt.

He showed Wei Yang no mercy.

History records the same: since Wei Yang entered Qin, he and Ying Qian were at odds, and later, Wei Yang’s reforms led to his downfall.

Four years after the reforms began, Ying Qian was punished by mutilation, and the feud between the two deepened irreparably.

As for what happened afterward, the Records of the Grand Historian remains silent.

“Ahem, let’s return quickly,” Zhao Zheng hurriedly changed the subject, not wanting the two to quarrel.

...

At Liyang City, Ying Qu Liang, having received the news early, was waiting outside the city.

“You scared me half to death,” Ying Qu Liang said, exhaling deeply as Zhao Zheng dismounted.

“Sorry to worry you, Your Majesty,” Zhao Zheng scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

His gaze then fell on Gan Long standing behind Ying Qu Liang.

“Well, if it isn’t my good neighbor,” Zhao Zheng said with a mocking tone.

Gan Long twitched at the remark. He had noticed Du Zhi trailing behind Ying Qian and immediately understood the situation.

Fool, fool!

Gan Long cursed Du Zhi silently, feeling as if a pot of muddy clay had just been dumped into his pants—no matter how you look at it, it was a mess.

Though the bad idea wasn’t his, Gan Long knew he would bear the blame.

“Left Minister, you flatter me…” Gan Long forced a stiff smile, inwardly berating Du Zhi harshly.

Ying Qu Liang’s eyes flickered slightly, sensing something amiss, but it was not the time to probe further.

“Wei Yang, the last time we met was at Wuguan, wasn’t it?” Ying Qu Liang addressed Wei Yang amid the crowd.

Wei Yang nodded. At Wuguan, he had intended to show his mettle but was unexpectedly outshone by Zhao Zheng.

“Wei Yang, I pay respects to the Lord of Qin,” Wei Yang said respectfully, bowing to Ying Qu Liang.

“Hmph, pretty boy…” Ying Qian snorted coldly, barely sparing Wei Yang a glance before flicking his cloak and striding away.

Gan Long, feeling as if he had been pardoned, quickly slipped away after Ying Qian, eager to avoid Zhao Zheng’s sarcastic remarks.

Ying Qu Liang also regarded Wei Yang as unremarkable, unworthy of Zhao Zheng’s risking so much for him.

“Your Majesty, if Qin is to grow strong, reforms are indispensable.”

“And if reforms are to be made, this man alone can lead them.”