Chapter 298 The Last Man of Yan State

Once Qin destroys Zhao, its power will inevitably be further enhanced. Yang Chong has a clear understanding of this, but Yang Chong is not worried, because he is not only the King of Qi, but also a time traveler. As a time traveler, after learning about the mechanical arts of this world, how could he not have some ambitions?

Over the years, he has not only made money with things from another time and space, he has also been pursuing another branch, but he has never used it. He is still waiting to give Qin a huge surprise when the war between Qi and Qin really breaks out.

So for now, Yang Chong just sits back and watches Qin destroy Zhao. When the people of Zhao focus all their hatred on Qin, Yang Chong will choose to take action. At that time, he, who also has his eyes on Zhao, will no longer be the enemy of the Zhao people, but their savior. It must be said that Yang Chong has made a very good plan. Of course, the prerequisite is that Yang Chong can really defeat the Qin army in the subsequent decisive battle with the Qin army in Zhao, otherwise he will be the second Zhao Kuo of Zhao.

Nanyue obviously didn't know all this, but when Yang Chong revealed his trump card, Nanyue still chose to believe it. She believed that what she could see, Yang Chong could also see. Since Yang Chong was so sure, she chose to believe it.

"Since the king has already made a plan, what about the matter of Yan Yi? Right now, time seems to be a very precious thing." said Nanyue.

"Yes, time is indeed precious, so I don't have time to play this letter-writing game with Yan Yi." Yang Chong said.

Since Yang Chong had no interest in continuing the letter-writing game with Yan Yi, his reply to Yan Yi was very firm.

"If you surrender, the King of Qi will come to negotiate in person. If you don't negotiate, the Qi army will directly launch an attack?" Yan Yi looked at the reply letter in his hand, trying to read Yang Chong's thoughts between the lines.

In the letter, Yang Chong certainly contained threatening words, but he also contained words of inducement. The mere fact that he came in person to talk was enough to prove Yang Chong's sincerity. A gentleman would not stand under a dangerous wall, let alone the ruler of a country?

Yang Chongken personally came forward to negotiate with Yan Yi, which was the highest respect he showed to Yan Yi.

"So what should I choose?" Yan Yi hesitated. Of course he could survive by surrendering, but his surrender was related to the survival of the State of Yan after all, so he could not afford to be careless.

While Yan Yi was hesitating, the war in the direction of Jicheng continued. The people in Jicheng were indeed the same as Yan Yi. Facing the attack of the Qi army, they did not even have the courage to fight a decisive battle, but chose to defend.

This situation made Yan Yi realize the reality. Jicheng was not reliable at all. It was even possible that the people in Jicheng were still counting on him to defeat the Qi army and then rescue Jicheng. But was that possible?

If Yan Yi had such determination, he would not be stuck in Yicheng, unable to move forward or backward.

"Jicheng is no longer reliable, and I have to find a way out for myself. It's not that I want to betray the king, but I really have no other choice." Yan Yi muttered to himself, having already made a decision in his heart.

At the moment of making the decision, Yan Yi felt that the world had become wider. It was true that if you take a step back, the sky would be wider. As long as you give up your moral integrity, things will go smoothly.

After Yan Yi made up his mind, negotiation letters soon appeared in Yan Ju's military camp.

"Yan Yi is indeed such a person." The moment he saw the letter, before even reading the contents, Yan Ju already knew what the content of the letter was.

The next thing is easy. Since Yan Yi dares to talk, Qi can continue. Qi is not worried that Yan Yi’s appetite is too big, but is afraid that Yan Yi is ready to die.

Fortunately, Yan Yi is not a man of iron will.

The information from Yicheng to Linzi was transmitted very quickly, and Yang Chong had already left Linzi City without even needing Yan Ju to deliver Yan Yi's letter of negotiation to Linzi.

Regardless of whether Yan Yi wants to negotiate surrender or not, Yang Chong will go to the front line. Although he and Nongyu talked lightly about the war between Yan and Zhao, Qin will destroy Zhao and Qi will destroy Qi. Whoever can be faster will be able to gain the advantage in the future Qin-Qi decisive battle. Yang Chong has to pay attention to this.

The struggle for supremacy between the two countries and the battle between hundreds of thousands of people cannot tolerate the slightest mistake. A slight advantage of the first move on a battlefield stretching thousands of miles may evolve into an event that can decide the life and death of tens of thousands of people.

"Your Majesty, Yan Yi has decided to negotiate with us." Yan Ju was not surprised at all that Yang Chong suddenly appeared in the military camp. This was not the first time that Yang Chong had done such a thing.

"Everything will be easy as long as there is a chance for negotiation." Yang Chong said.

When the royal flag was raised in the Qi army camp, Yan Yi was shocked. He thought that the negotiations between the two armies would be a long process of back and forth, but now, not long after his letter was delivered to the Qi army camp, Yang Chong, the King of Qi, had already appeared in the Qi army camp.

This fact made Yan Yi give up his last glimmer of hope. Although the Qi troops outside the city were still the same Qi troops, the Qi troops led by King Chong of Qi were different from the Qi troops led by Yan Ju.

As for the question of whether Yicheng could be defended, Yan Yi didn't even think about it. Dingtao, an important town in Dongjun of Qin State, was conquered by Yang Chong. He didn't think that Yicheng was stronger than Dingtao of Qin State, and he didn't think that the Yan army was more brave and durable than the Qin army.

The appearance of Yang Chong made Yan Yi determined to surrender. However, he still had to negotiate. He had to make some gestures. Besides, he surrendered so that he could continue to live and keep his wealth. If surrendering could not guarantee these, then why did he surrender? Was he asking for trouble? People who betrayed their masters would not leave a good reputation in history books.

However, negotiations were something that could not be allowed in public, so Yan Yi made careful plans and finally chose a high mountain outside Yicheng. This place was very close to Yicheng and not far from the Qi army camp. It was a place where neither the Qi nor the Yan armies had stationed troops, but was within the influence of both armies.

Yan Yi believed that if the Qi army turned against him during the negotiations at this place, he would have enough opportunities to take back Yicheng. At the same time, he could make King Chong of Qi believe that he had no intention of taking advantage of the negotiations to do anything bad.

Without anyone in Yicheng knowing, a group of people left Yicheng.

When Yan Yi arrived at the top of the mountain, he only saw a young man. Apart from him, there was no one else, not even a single Qi soldier.
After a brief moment of shock and confusion, Yan Yi quickly realized the identity of the person in front of him. Suddenly, a bold idea came to his mind. If he took action at this time, could he capture Qi Wang Chong?
If I can capture Qi Wang Chong, can I force Qi to withdraw its troops, or even counterattack Qi and become a hero of Yan? Yan Yi thought in his heart, and the impulse was hard to suppress.

However, when meeting Yang Chong's gaze, Yan Yi quickly suppressed his impulse.

Because he thought of some rumors about King Chong of Qi. Although he also brought fifty or sixty personal soldiers, it might not be enough to besiege King Chong of Qi. More importantly, although success is tempting, the cost of failure is even greater, and he cannot afford such a price.

"General Yan Yi of the State of Yan greets the King of Qi." Yan Yi organized his thoughts, stepped forward and saluted Yang Chong.

"General Yan is here, but has he made a decision?" Yang Chong looked at Yan Yi, who seemed not as despicable as he remembered. In fact, how could those who could hold high positions be so despicable? They all had their own strengths, and the same was true for Yan Yi. Yang Chong could despise him, but in the State of Yan, he could be regarded as a hero among men.

"In front of the great king's majesty, Yan Yi has no intention of resisting, but before surrendering, I still need the guarantee of the king of Qi." Yan Yi said. Yan Yi knew very well that he could talk with Qi Chong here now only because he still had 100,000 elite Yan troops and Yicheng in his hands, but after surrendering, neither the 100,000 elite Yan troops nor Yicheng belonged to him anymore. If the king of Qi Chong turned his face and refused to recognize him, he would not have any room for resistance.

So today, he must get a clear guarantee from King Chong of Qi.

"You are not a good general, and you can even be said to be very incompetent, so after you surrender, I will not use you." Yang Chong said.

When Yan Yi heard Yang Chong say this, his face changed and he subconsciously grabbed the hilt of the sword at his waist. He heard contempt in Yang Chong's words.

But the next moment, Yan Yi's vigilant mind relaxed again. The more unpleasant Yang Chong's words were, the more it proved Yang Chong's sincerity, and not that he was deceiving him. Who doesn't know how to say nice things? It was Yang Chong's extreme disregard for him that proved Yang Chong's sincerity.

“But I can guarantee that after you surrender, the wealth you own in Yan State will still be yours, your Yan family can preserve its wealth, and among your family members, if there are talented people, they can also serve as officials.” Yang Chong said.

Yang Chong was indeed sincere, otherwise he could have made a lot of extravagant conditions to persuade Yan Yi to surrender. However, Yang Chong was unwilling to do such a thing.

If he was still the young man in Xiliu Village, he could tell lies for the so-called purpose without any psychological burden, but it is different now. Now he is the lord of Qi State, and his every word and action is watched by countless people.

If Yang Chong goes back on his word this time, countless people will follow his example, which will only make the whole State of Qi full of betrayal and deception. Yang Chong is not unable to think of many means, but Yang Chong can use them, but King Chong of Qi cannot.

Although conspiracy can achieve some goals, as a monarch, open conspiracy is the best means. It is not appropriate for a monarch to use conspiracy unless it is absolutely necessary.

As for the saying that a monarch should do everything he can, it may seem that he can achieve his goal, but that is only in the short term. In the long run, what he gains may not be more than what he loses. This is roughly the case with Sima Shi in another time and space.

Are the conditions proposed by Yang Chong good? Of course they are not good, but Yan Yi did not feel any resistance when he heard them, nor was he angry at being looked down upon by Yang Chong. On the contrary, he felt that the conditions proposed by Yang Chong were more sincere.

If the conditions offered by Yang Chong were too good, Yan Yi would worry that Yang Chong would not honor them later. The more demanding Yang Chong's conditions were, the more real they seemed to him.

Humans are such strange creatures.

"I agree to King Qi's conditions, but in addition to these conditions, King Qi needs to agree to one more thing of mine." Yan Yi made up his mind, but before that, there was one thing he couldn't let go of.

"Your legitimate son has been brought out of Jicheng at night." Yang Chong said.

"Your Majesty actually..." Yan Yi looked at Yang Chong in shock. All his relatives were in Jicheng, but the one he cared about most was his legitimate son. As for his wives and concubines, they were gone, and as long as he was alive, he could find younger wives and concubines. But it was different for his offspring.

"Since I want to persuade General Yan to surrender, how can I let General Yan have any worries?" Yang Chong said.

This is how the era is. Yan Yi's family has dozens of people, but he only cares about a few legitimate sons. As for the others, although they are also his family members, they can be abandoned when necessary.

However, this is also a good thing for Yang Chong. After all, the difficulty of bringing out a few people and bringing out dozens of people from Jicheng is very different.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. In three days, I, the surrendered minister, will open the gate of Yicheng and leave the city to submit to Your Majesty." Yan Yi's heart became ruthless. He no longer had any hesitation, and there was no way to retreat.

"I will wait for you for three days." Yang Chong said.

The transaction involving 100,000 elite Yan troops from Yicheng and the survival and prosperity of the Yan State was completed in such an ordinary place and in such an ordinary way.

After returning to Yicheng, the first thing Yan Yi did was to gather all his trusted men in the army. Although there were not many of these people, they were all promoted by him and could be absolutely trusted.

Yan Yi’s career as a general for so many years was not in vain.

"Does anyone have any good ideas to repel the Qi army outside the city?" In the hall, Yan Yi looked around and asked a heavy question.

Repel the Qi army? All the generals looked at Yan Yi in unison: Are you kidding, General? The Qi army is outside the city, led by Qi Wang Chong himself. Even the Qin army may not be able to gain an advantage in front of them. Asking them to repel the Qi army? If they had such ability, they would have been famous all over the world long ago. Why are they still acting like turtles?

"The King of Qi has arrived. You all know what he is capable of. Given the current situation, are you sure you can defend Yicheng?" Yan Yi asked again.

This time the generals responded with silence again.

"If the Qi army breaks into the city, are you sure you can survive?" Yan Yi asked again.

This time, Yan Yi heard silence again.

"If you have no idea what to do, I have found a way out for you." Yan Yi saw the reactions of the crowd and felt that the time was almost right.

"Please give us your instructions, General." Someone spoke.

"Open the city gates and surrender to the King of Qi."

As Yan Yi gave this answer, the generals in the hall all changed color, but no one objected.

(End of this chapter)