I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 590 The Campaign Against Wei 11

The Wei general could see the black banners, dark armor, and orderly square formations from afar... Under the winter sun, this army looked like a demon legion emerging from hell, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

The Wei soldiers could hardly believe their eyes.

"Light the beacon fires! Quickly!" the garrison commander roared.

Smoke rose, one, two, three... the alarm reached Daliang at top speed.

Inside the border garrison camp, the garrison commander Duan Ganchong climbed the watchtower and gasped when he saw the size and formation of the Qin army.

“At least fifty thousand…” he murmured, “and they are… the main force and elite troops.”

What alarmed him even more was the Qin army's equipment. The soldiers wore uniform black armor, carried standard-issue halberds, and slung powerful bows and crossbows on their backs. In front of the army formation were dozens of large machines he had never seen before—catapults, ballistae, and... several strange cylindrical objects.

"What's that?" the lieutenant asked, pointing to the cylinder.

Duan Ganchong shook his head, his ominous premonition growing stronger. He recalled that the Qin army possessed a new type of weapon, its sound like thunder, capable of shattering metal and stone...

"Close the city gates tightly! Nock the arrows!" Duan Ganchong ordered. "Send another fast horse to report to Daliang immediately! Tell them... the main force of the Qin army has arrived, and we urge Your Majesty... to make a decision as soon as possible!"

"promise!"

Tension immediately rose within the camp. Many soldiers wore fear in their eyes—most had heard of the Qin army's formidable reputation and were acutely aware of Wei's current predicament. Supplies were running low, morale was wavering, how...how could they possibly fight this battle?

The Qin army halted three miles from the Wei army's camp and began setting up camp. The speed and efficiency of their actions terrified the Wei army.

In just two hours, a fully equipped camp rose from the ground. Moats, palisades, arrow towers, and sentry posts formed layers of defense. What shocked the Wei army even more was that the Qin army was still assembling large siege equipment, their movements practiced and their coordination impeccable.

That night, the Qin army camp was brightly lit with bonfires, while the Wei army camp was deathly silent.

Duan Ganchong observed from the watchtower, his heart growing colder with each glance. He could hear the sounds of drills, commands, and even...singing coming from the Qin army camp. It was a Qin army song, its melody desolate yet majestic, the lyrics drifting on the wind:

"How can you say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields, and fight together against this common enemy..."

The song reminded many Wei soldiers of their hometown, their families, and... this seemingly doomed war.

“General,” the lieutenant whispered, “the soldiers… their morale is very low.”

Duan Ganchong remained silent. He knew perfectly well what he was doing. But what could he do? Motivate them? With what could he motivate them? Tell them that dying for Wei was an honor? But their families were starving in Daliang...

"Pass on the order," Duan Ganchong finally spoke after a long silence, "Tomorrow...hide the white flag of truce."

"General?" the lieutenant asked in surprise.

"Hang up the truce sign," Duan Ganchong repeated, his voice weary. "Wait for news from Great Liang...wait for the King's decision."

The next morning, when the Wei army's camp displayed a sign of truce, Han Xin was studying the defense map of Daliang in his central command tent.

"General, the Wei army has raised a truce sign," a scout reported.

Han Xin raised his eyes: "Oh? Duan Ganchong is quite sensible."

He stepped outside the tent and looked towards the Wei army camp. The truce sign swayed gently in the morning breeze, conveying a sense of helpless desolation.

"General, should we..." Wang Li made an attack gesture.

Han Xin shook his head: "The princess has ordered that deterrence be the primary measure. Besides..." He paused, "King Wei should make a decision soon."

No sooner had he finished speaking than another scout came to report: "General! A group of people is approaching from the direction of Daliang, carrying envoy flags!"

Han Xin's eyes lit up: "They've arrived. Send the order to line up and welcome them—with the highest honors."

"promise!"

Half an hour later, the Wei envoy walked nervously into the Qin army camp. When he saw the Qin soldiers standing solemnly on both sides, his legs went weak—the soldiers were all expressionless, with cold eyes, as if they would draw their swords and kill people at any moment.

Inside the central command tent, Han Xin sat in the main seat, flanked by generals. The atmosphere was tense and solemn.

"Wei...Wei envoy pays respects to...pays respects to General Han." The envoy knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.

Han Xin said calmly, "Stand up and speak. What brings the King of Wei here?"

The envoy rose, wiping the cold sweat from his brow: "My king... my king wishes to ask... if Wei surrenders... what conditions will Qin offer?"

Han Xin took a document from the table: "The conditions are as follows. First, the King of Wei shall relinquish his title and become a vassal, be granted the title of Marquis of Guiming, and move to Xianyang; second, all the armies of Wei shall be disarmed, and the Qin army shall take over the city's defenses; third, Wei officials shall be retained after passing the examination; fourth, the people of Wei shall all be subjects of Qin and enjoy the protection of Qin law; fifth, the ancestral temples of Wei shall be converted into shrines, and sacrifices shall be permitted in all four seasons."

The envoy took the document, his face growing paler with each reading: "This...disarmament...this..."

"This is an ultimatum, not a negotiation." Han Xin's voice turned cold. "I'm giving you three days. If the gates of Daliang are not open by noon on the third day, my army will attack the city immediately."

He paused, then added, "Tell the King of Wei that the princess said: If we surrender, we can protect the ancestral temples and the people; if we fight, everything will be destroyed. Don't say you weren't warned."

The messenger trembled all over: "This humble official...this humble official understands."

When the envoy returned to Daliang with the terms of surrender, the final debate began in the Wei King's palace.

On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, at the Wei King's Palace.

This was the last court assembly in the history of the Wei Kingdom. Fewer than forty officials were present, making the hall seem exceptionally empty. Everyone knew that today would determine the fate of the Wei Kingdom.

King Wei sat on his throne, his face ashen, as if he had aged twenty years overnight. He held the Qin surrender document in his hand, his knuckles white.

“As you all have seen,” he said in a hoarse voice, “the Qin people’s conditions are… very harsh. To disarm all forces, to submit to them, to convert ancestral temples into shrines… I know this is a disservice to our ancestors.”

He paused, tears welling in his eyes: "But I would like to ask you all: Do we still have a choice?"

Jin Yu stepped forward. This old general was not wearing armor today, only a plain dark robe. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty! Your subject... requests to fight! Your subject is willing to lead five thousand personal guards out of the city to fight to the death! To shed the last drop of blood for Great Wei!"

His voice was mournful yet resolute, echoing throughout the hall.

Wei Ziyuan also stepped forward and knelt beside Jin Yu: "General, your loyalty and bravery are evident to Heaven and Earth. But I ask you, General: what then? If you die in battle, will the Qin army retreat? Will Daliang be preserved? Will the people... be able to survive?"

Jin Yu opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

Wei Ziyuan turned to King Jia of Wei, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty! This old minister has served the Wei dynasty for fifty years and has witnessed its rise and fall. Today's situation is not due to a failure in battle, but rather... fate. The Qin people have the advantage of timing, location, and popular support; their momentum is unstoppable."

He kowtowed heavily: "For the sake of the hundreds of thousands of lives in Daliang City, for the sake of the Wei dynasty's bloodline continuing... Your Majesty, surrender!"

"I second that proposal." The second person knelt down.

"I second the proposal."

"I second the proposal."

One after another, the civil officials knelt down.