Chapter 215 The Most Important Lesson

Qicheng.

Qicheng is located in the heart of the northern Anhui plain, overlooking Bengbu in the south, Suzhou in the north, Guzhen in the east, and Suixi in the west. It is a Chu town in Pei County.

This place is only a few hundred miles away from the battlefield where Xiang Yan and the Qin army fought. As the war dragged on, the Chu territory was constantly captured by the Qin army, and the strategic depth was shrinking day by day. Knowing that even if they delayed further, Xiong Qi and Xiang Yan would only struggle to the death, they simply put all their chips on it. In this battle, Xiong Qi and Xiang Yan knew that they would definitely lose!
But they insisted on fighting, because a spectacular ending was better than a slow death without dignity.

When Xiang Yan, who was given the title of Wu'an Jun, led the last 200,000 troops of Chu to fight against the 400,000 Qin troops on the battlefield, Xiong Qi, who was supported as the King of Chu, also moved his base to Qicheng. With the complete defeat of the Chu army, most of the few remaining defenders in Qicheng fled.

An old tree in a lonely city, the setting sun.

When Prince Fusu personally led 3,000 elite soldiers to Qicheng in the afterglow of the setting sun, what appeared before him was an almost undefended city. The outline of the city and the setting sun in the west reflected each other, which seemed to symbolize the end of the destiny of the Chu State.

"Enter the city!"

Two years of fighting on the battlefield had made Fusu shed his former immaturity and become more resolute and courageous. Standing in front of the open gate of Qicheng for a moment, Fusu waved his whip fiercely and headed towards the city.

Most of the people in Qicheng had fled, and the Qin army entered the city unhindered. After half of the troops were assigned to take over the defense of the city, the other half, led by Fusu, rushed to the royal palace in the center of Qicheng with a swift momentum.

No, strictly speaking, it cannot be called a palace. It was just a temporary reconstruction of the most luxurious mansion in Qicheng.

In the center of the palace, there is the royal hall which was converted from the lobby.

King Xiong Qi of Chu sat on a makeshift throne. Although he was wearing a royal robe, the sunlight outside the palace fell on him, revealing his old age. In the palace, besides Xiong Qi on the throne, only Xiong Qi's younger brother, Chang Wenjun, was left. In theory, the eunuchs and maids who served them had fled.

"You all stand down!"

Fusu led his army to the outside of the palace and saw the two uncles who had doted on him. Although they had only been apart for two years, the Xiong and Qi brothers looked more than ten years older, with wrinkles all over their faces and their spirits completely fading. They were clearly two old men who were about to die.

At that moment, Prince Fusu, who was fully armored, had a look of deep sadness in his eyes. He walked slowly towards the hall and signaled his subordinates not to follow him.

"Eldest Young Master!"

"Everyone, get out of here!" Fusu shouted impatiently.

"You finally came!"

Xiong Qi and Chang Wenjun looked at Fusu who walked in from outside the palace. The two brothers showed the same relief on their faces and said in unison.

"But you are going to die!" Two years of battlefield training made Fusu agree with what Tianxuan said to him that year. After stepping into the hall, Fusu's right hand slowly but firmly reached out to the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist, tightly grasped the hilt of the sword, and was ready to pull out the sword as soon as he exerted force.

"Yes, we are going to die." Because of the excessive consumption of energy in the past two years, the elderly Xiong Qi was just dragging his last breath. Seeing Fusu's hand reaching for the hilt of the sword, his eyes flashed with approval, "Come on, kill me!"

"Kill me, and you can erase the impact of our rebellion against Qin on you!"

"Kill me, and your father will trust you again!"

Clang!
Under Xiong Qi's stern urging, Fusu drew the sword hanging from his waist and pointed the cold and ruthless sword at Xiong Qi, ready to thrust it forward to pierce Xiong Qi's heart and take his life. However, at this moment, Fusu found that it was much more difficult to stab out the sword than he had imagined.

The old man in front of him was not only a traitor who rebelled against Qin, but also his uncle who had taken good care of him since he was a child!

"Fusu, what are you waiting for?" Xiong Qi, who was sitting on the throne, saw that Fusu had not yet stabbed out the sword. His eyes were full of disappointment, and he scolded and urged the other party.

"Have you forgotten? Two years ago, I almost killed you!"

"Go ahead! Use my life to prove to your father that you have learned the most important lesson on the road to becoming a king - to be ruthless and merciless!"

"You... stop talking!"

At Xiong Qi's urging, Fusu's eyes sparkled with tears, and with a loud shout, he finally thrust the sword in his hand. The ruthless sword pierced Xiong Qi's heart squarely. After receiving the fatal blow, there was no anger on Xiong Qi's old face, only relief.

"Remember, on the road to becoming a king, only by learning to be ruthless can you control your unruly subordinates; only by learning to be ruthless can you learn to make choices at critical moments; and only by learning to be ruthless can you inherit your father's throne!" Xiong Qi, who was only breathing his last breath, looked at Fusu in front of him without blinking.

After saying this, Xiong Qi, the last king of the Chu State, lowered his head on the wooden throne and breathed his last.

Gulu!

At the last moment of Xiong Qi's life, the only person who accompanied him was his younger brother Chang Wenjun, who was held hostage in Qin State. When Fusu stabbed Xiong Qi with the sword that took his life, Chang Wenjun's eyes were filled with relief. When Xiong Qi died, Chang Wenjun, who had been prepared, took out the prepared poison and drank it in one gulp.

Bang!
Soon, the poison took effect and blood gushed out of Chang Wenjun's seven orifices at the same time, and his body fell heavily to the ground.

"Goodbye, uncles!"

He killed his eldest uncle with his own hands, watched his second uncle take poison and committed suicide, stood in the empty hall, his clothes were thick, and his body was tempered by the wind and frost of the Guanzhong land. For some reason, Fusu felt very cold, very cold.

His piercing eyes finally glanced at the bodies of Xiong Qi and Chang Wenjun, and he murmured.

………………

Xianyang, Zhangtai Palace.

The two pieces of news, Xiang Yan's suicide after his defeat in battle, and Prince Fusu's arrival at Qicheng with his army, personally beheading Xiong Qi and forcing Changwen Jun to death, were delivered to Zheng Ge at the same time.

call!
In the magnificent palace, Zheng Ge looked at the battle report sent to him, his handsome face full of deep concentration. After a long time, Zheng Ge exhaled heavily, a barely perceptible relief flashed across his brows, and he said lightly: "Fusu, you were able to be so cruel as to kill Xiong Qi and force Chang Wenjun to death. It seems that you have gained a lot from the battles in the past two years."

"Come here, pass my edict to Wang Jian!"

While admiring Fusu's growth, Zheng Ge did not waste his precious time on this matter that had already become a foregone conclusion.

"Order him to return to Guanzhong as soon as possible."

"My slave understands!"

The Imperial Chariot Officer, Zhao Gao, appeared like a ghost, with his head lowered, and took Zheng Ge's order.

"Wait!" Zheng Ge suddenly remembered something and called his own dog, "Tell Wang Jian not to rush back with all the troops. Give 50,000 troops to Tian Xuanzi and have him go to Yan and destroy the Yan State!"

(End of this chapter)