Chapter 212 A Bigger Gamble
With Huan Qi's insistence, the Qin army on the western front, led by Wang Jian, captured Yanyu. Since then, the last stronghold of Zhao State on the left side of Taihang Mountain was captured by the Qin army.

Although Yanyu was just a city, it was of great significance to the State of Zhao. With Yanyu, the State of Zhao had the ability to threaten the Hedong and Taiyuan areas of the Qin State. The Qin State's attack on the State of Zhao could only be launched from the south line to attack the most difficult to attack Southern Great Wall of Zhao. However, with the loss of Yanyu, the State of Qin completely controlled the Taihang Mountains.

From now on, the Qin army no longer had to worry about its retreat, and could safely cross the Taihang Mountains, go out of Jingxing Pass, and penetrate deep into the heart of Zhao State, cutting Zhao State in half and attacking the Zhao capital Handan from the north.

From now on, Zhao State will never have peace again. The Qin army will be able to invade Zhao State's hinterland at any time and anywhere, bringing endless trouble to Zhao State.

It was also at this time that the Zhao army finally arrived at the front line. On the one hand, they began to defend the Taihang Mountains to prevent the Qin army from attacking the Zhao palace. On the other hand, they sent tens of thousands of troops to cross the Southern Great Wall and enter Anyang. In addition to the four cities still occupied by the Qin army, they captured three cities. Yecheng was still under the control of the Jibei Army. The Zhao army had recovered half of the territory.

"King Yan of Zhao is really untrustworthy!" On the city wall of Yecheng, Yang Chong looked at the imperial edict in his hand and smiled, even though the news in it was exactly the news he hated the most.

In order to encourage Yang Chong to send troops, King Yan of Zhao at that time promised to give the nine cities in Ye to Yang Chong as a base for restoring the country. At that time, seven of the nine cities in Ye had been captured by the Qin army, and only Yecheng and Anyang were still struggling to hold on. However, they were also in a precarious situation and could be lost at any time.

King Yan of Zhao was so generous at that time, but in fact he was just trading things that would no longer belong to him, just so that Yang Chong could send troops.

At that time, King Yan of Zhao made such a promise, on the one hand because he was desperate and wanted to find a cure, and on the other hand because the nine cities in Ye were about to be lost, but now the situation is different.

King Yan of Zhao seemed to have recovered from his serious illness, and the Zhao army had also conquered most of the nine cities in Ye. Naturally, King Yan of Zhao was unwilling to give the nine cities in Ye to Yang Chong.

Unlike Jibei County, which is sparsely populated and lacks arable land, the nine cities in Ye are densely populated. Everywhere you look, there are fertile fields. It is very easy to mobilize 50,000 troops from such a place. King Yan of Zhao would seize such an important place whenever he has the chance. How could he easily give it to Yang Chong?

"King Yan of Zhao is greedy for small gains and forgets the greater good. Although he is intelligent, he is short-sighted. Although he is the King of Zhao, he does the things of a villain. It is normal for such a person to go back on his words." Yan Lingji, who came from Jibei County, analyzed, and there was a gleam of wisdom in her clear eyes.

After the Qin army withdrew, Yan Lingji came to Yecheng from Jibei County. Now her martial arts skills are very high and she has already broken through to the first-class level. Because she traveled quickly all the way, she arrived in Yecheng in just two days.

"Is this something Yan Lingji could say?" Yang Chong looked at Yan Lingji in front of him. He could still see his own reflection in her azure eyes. This kind of clarity was completely untainted by human wisdom. Could such a Yan Lingji have such wisdom? She actually revealed the essence of Zhao Wangyan in just one sentence.

"Why can't I say it? Don't look down on me." Yan Lingji retorted stubbornly, but she felt uneasy in her heart. She certainly didn't understand these things, but Zi Nu did. In that home, she and Zi Nu were so familiar with each other that she couldn't be more familiar with each other.

Moreover, the relationship between them is very interesting. They dislike each other and fight openly and secretly. During the day, Zi Nu bullies Yan Ling Ji, and at night, Yan Ling Ji bullies Zi Nu. It can be said that each has its wins and losses.

In this love-hate relationship, Yan Lingji also learned a lot from Zi Nu. For example, the words just now were what Zi Nu had told her before. Of course, Zi Nu also learned a lot from Yan Lingji. As for what exactly they were, that cannot be said.

"I have never looked down on you." Yang Chong said with a smile, not seeming to be dissatisfied at all because of Zhao Wangyan's breach of promise.

"I'm glad you know." Yan Lingji wrinkled her nose proudly. Compared to when Yang Chong first met her, Yan Lingji has become more naive after so many years.

"But, King Zhao Yan went back on his word. We have paid such a huge price, can we really give up nothing?" Yan Lingji put away her pride, and a hint of worry appeared between her brows.

Jibei County paid a heavy price in this battle, with thousands of casualties, countless military equipment and food consumption, plus the rewards and pensions for the soldiers after the war. This is a huge number. Even though Jibei County is very rich now, it cannot ignore such a huge and unrewarding consumption.

"Since King Zhao Yan doesn't want to fulfill his promise, then we will find a King Zhao who can fulfill his promise." As Yang Chong clenched his palms, the paper turned into powder and fell through his fingers.

"There is only one King Zhao in Zhao State. How can there be another King Zhao who can fulfill his promise?" Yan Lingji asked puzzledly. What Yang Chong said was simply incomprehensible.

"Just change the King of Zhao." Yang Chong said with a relaxed look, as if he was just talking about an insignificant matter.

"Change the King of Zhao? Don't you want to..." Yan Lingji couldn't help but gasp when she heard that, and then her eyes lit up. She was a very daring person. According to the original trajectory, she could directly kill into the King of Han's palace and force King Han An and his people into a miserable state. What else could she not dare to do?

King Zhao is a king to others, a great king who can decide the life and death of countless people, but to Yan Lingji, he is just a person, a person who can die.

However, it is still very exciting to decide the life or death of such a person. Look, Yan Lingji has already become interested.

"King Yan of Zhao should have died this year. The reason he is still alive is because I helped him avoid a crushing defeat in this war. It can be said that he is alive today because of me. Now that he has gone back on his word, I naturally have to take back what belongs to me." Yang Chong said.

According to the established historical trajectory, King Yan of Zhao became ill and eventually died this year due to the disastrous defeat of the Zhao army. However, due to the participation of Yang Chong, the Zhao army did not suffer such a disastrous defeat in this battle. King Yan of Zhao's condition took a turn for the better and he eventually survived.

The living King Yan of Zhao and the dying King Yan of Zhao are completely two different people.

"King Yan of Zhao is not King An of Han." Yan Lingji reminded him. She was bold and reckless, but not stubborn.

The Palace of King Han was infiltrated like a sieve, so people had an opportunity to take advantage of it, but the Palace of King Zhao was different. Although the Palace of King Zhao was not a dangerous place, not everyone could break in.

"Someone will take his life. All we have to do is to help and add fuel to the fire." Yang Chong explained.

It would be very troublesome, even dangerous, to ask him to kill Zhao Wangyan directly. The most important thing is that the cost would outweigh the gain. But the other person is different. That person has enough reasons and opportunities to take action, but he just doesn't have the ability to do so.

What Yang Chong needs to do is to make that person have the ability to take action.

"Who is that person?" Yan Lingji asked curiously. She seemed to have seen a huge conspiracy, a conspiracy that shrouded the entire State of Zhao. It would be very interesting if she could participate in it.

"Queen Zhao!" Out of Yan Lingji's curiosity, Yang Chong uttered this name.

"Queen Zhao?" Yan Lingji was stunned. She never expected to hear such a name from Yang Chong.

How could she be the Queen of Zhao? Wasn't King Yan of Zhao her husband and the father of her son?
So why would Queen Zhao want King Zhao Yan to die? "How could it be her?" Yan Lingji asked puzzled.

"It's very simple. Compared with the role of a wife, Queen Zhao cares more about the role of a mother. Of course, it is also possible that she cares more about her own identity and life." Yang Chong said.

"How terrible." Yan Lingji couldn't help but shudder. She thought she was bad enough, but she never thought there would be a woman like Queen Zhao. Of course, King Zhao Yan was not a good guy either.

Thinking of this, Yan Lingji laughed again and said, "Does this count as a case of evil getting its own way?"

Since Prince Yan of Zhao dared to trick Yang Chong, she naturally hoped that Prince Yan of Zhao would be in trouble.

"There are no good people anyway." Yang Chong said indifferently.

Everything is going smoothly, King Yan of Zhao should just die!
……

"You forced me to do this." In Handan, in the dark palace of King Zhao, Queen Zhao looked at the reply letter in her hand, and a sinister smile appeared on her delicate and charming face.

Ever since she saw the fragment among the ashes, her friendship with Zhao Wangyan was completely severed.

However, the forces she could mobilize in Zhao State were very limited. If she wanted to plot against King Yan of Zhao, the forces she could win over were even more limited. After careful consideration, she could only think of Yang Chong.

In order to get Yang Chong to take action, Queen Zhao also contributed to the matter of Prince Zhao Yan going back on his word. Although Prince Zhao Yan was a villain, Queen Zhao was a real woman.

If it were someone else, they might not dare to cooperate with her to plot against King Yan of Zhao's life and the throne of Zhao, but Queen Zhao believed that Yang Chong must be the accident.

As for the reason?

Yang Chong has a long criminal record.

First, Yang Chong killed Ji Wuye, and then he plotted to seize the throne of Qi. Yang Chong was good at both planning for the country and overthrowing his superiors. In the eyes of Queen Zhao, Yang Chong was simply the best candidate for cooperation.

What's more, the two of them already have a basis for cooperation, so further cooperation is not impossible.

While Queen Zhao was planning, King Yan of Zhao appeared before her.

"Queen, I have already ordered Yang Chong to be transferred to Handan. What do you think I should do with him?" Zhao Wangyan, who looked in good spirits, sat on the couch arrogantly. He did not lose the war and he survived. He had too many reasons to be happy.

"Your Majesty, do you want to help him restore his country? Why do you want to transfer him to Handan?" Queen Zhao pretended to be confused, but in fact she was looking forward to Yang Chong coming to Handan.

"I want to help him restore his country, but this does not prevent me from using him. He is very useful. Twenty thousand Jibei troops can defeat the 60,000 Qin troops under Huan Xi. Such talents cannot be wasted." King Yan of Zhao said.

He used to only want Yang Chong to disrupt Qi so that he could profit from the chaos, because in his opinion, even if Yang Chong had the support of Zhao, he would not be able to restore his country successfully. People with the surname Jiang had lost Qi for more than 200 years. How many people in Qi still recognized this surname?
However, Yang Chong's ability to govern, his ability to make money, and his almost divine performance in war over the past year have shaken King Yan of Zhao's perception of him.

He suddenly felt that with the support of Zhao, Yang Chong might really be able to conquer Qi.

Moreover, Yang Chong is by no means comparable to the current King Jian of Qi. In the control of King Jian of Qi, Qi is just a weak country with empty size. But if Qi falls into the hands of Yang Chong, Qi will become different. Qi will become strong again because of Yang Chong.

Although Qi has been very weak in recent years and seems to be bullied by everyone, its foundation is still there. It has a population of millions and has accumulated a huge amount of resources after decades of recuperation. Once these forces are directed to the level of war, the war potential that Qi can unleash is by no means inferior to that of Zhao.

Zhao was already struggling to hold out under Qin's attack. If Zhao had a powerful neighbor in the east, King Yan of Zhao would be unable to sleep or eat.

After considering various factors, King Yan of Zhao decided to withdraw some of his support for Yang Chong, so that Yang Chong would have the ability to disrupt Qi but not the strength to completely take over Qi. At the same time, it would also make Yang Chong more dependent on Zhao so that he could continue to be used by Zhao.

It has to be said that King Zhao Yan's analysis makes sense and the decision he made was brilliant.

Unfortunately, the person he met was Yang Chong.

In this world, Yang Chong is not the one who plays chess, he is the one who flips the table.

King Yan of Zhao was too arrogant. He looked down on King Zheng of Qin before, so he was plotted against by him. Now he thought he had seen through Yang Chong, but he didn't know that he still underestimated Yang Chong. He looked down on Queen Zhao even more, and underestimated this woman who, in his eyes, could be used to achieve his goals for instant entertainment.

In Zhao Wangyan's cognition, his queen was of humble origin and was a little woman who relied on no one but himself. He could push her to the position of queen, and he could also easily take away everything from her.

But King Yan of Zhao was wrong. The Queen of Zhao was of low status and had no power, but she was a mother, and a mother who had experienced a difficult life.

She was a mother, so she would not allow anyone to threaten her son's position, not even King Yan of Zhao.

Her childhood was too difficult, so she cared more about everything she had now. She would not allow anyone to take away everything she had now, even if that person was Zhao Wangyan, who gave her everything she had now.

"Then transfer him back to Handan. No matter how powerful he is, isn't he just a tool in the king's hands?" Queen Zhao smiled sincerely, but it was not to agree with King Zhao Yan, but because King Zhao Yan just happened to follow her wishes.

(End of this chapter)