【In 257 BCE, the Battle of Handan raged fiercely. The Qin army continuously besieged and pummeled the Zhao capital, Handan, causing relations between Qin and Zhao to deteriorate rapidly.】
Remnants of Zhao: “…”
What do you mean by “pummeled”?!
If you don’t understand, don’t talk nonsense!
【Ying Yiren, the Qin hostage in Handan, instantly became the primary target for venting anger, his life hanging by a thread.】
【In this critical moment, Lü Buwei turned his attention to Crown Prince Anguo Jun, Ying Zhu, of Qin. Anguo Jun’s favored consort, Lady Huayang, was deeply cherished but had no sons.】
【Coincidentally, Ying Yiren was one of Anguo Jun’s illegitimate sons. Thus, our Lü Buwei began to employ his wit, successfully persuading Lady Huayang to adopt Ying Yiren as her son.】
【After numerous hardships and meticulous planning, Shi Huang’s father, with Lü Buwei’s help, managed to escape from Zhao, safely returning to Qin and changing his name to Ying Zichu.】
Fusu, dressed in a plain brocade robe, had a fair complexion like jade, with eyebrows resembling distant mountains tinged with dusk—a picture of gentle refinement.
Perhaps due to his hurried journey, a light sweat beaded on his forehead, yet it did nothing to diminish his elegant demeanor.
He straightened his sleeves, bowed deeply, and saluted with his hands to the ground. “Father, your son has arrived late.”
Ying Zheng, who usually carried an air of stern authority, today seemed unusually softened. His gaze rested on Fusu with a hint of warmth as he raised a hand. “Rise.”
Fusu complied, standing up and stepping aside with his hands respectfully at his sides.
Ying Zheng paused for a moment, then turned his eyes to the sky screen hanging in the hall, his tone softening further. “Come, watch it with me.”
Fusu looked surprised—rarely did his father treat him with such kindness today.
His body, however, obeyed without hesitation, and father and son watched the sky screen together.
Elsewhere, not long after.
A palace attendant quietly entered the courtyard, whispered a few words into Qinghe’s ear, and then discreetly withdrew.
The sky screen continued.
【In 251 BCE, Ying Zheng’s great-grandfather, King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Ying Ji, passed away. During the Warring States period, when rulers of various states frequently changed, only Ying Ji remained firmly on the Qin throne, outlasting them all.】
【He outlived 15 rulers from the six other states, earning him the playful nickname ‘The Long-Reigning Ji King’ from many netizens, hahaha.】
Pei County.
“Pfft—”
“Liu Ji, what are you laughing at? Aren’t you afraid of death?” Xiao He hurriedly covered his mouth, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Liu Ji broke free from his grip and explained, “I don’t know—I just saw the girl on the sky screen laughing, and I felt like laughing too.”
Xiao He: “…”
Ying Zheng blinked. The sky screen wasn’t wrong.
His great-grandfather really did live long.
If only he could live that long too, how wonderful it would be.
Thinking of Xu Fu’s requirements for immortality, Ying Zheng paused.
【During Ying Ji’s reign, Qin’s foundations were not only solidified but also grew increasingly powerful. He left behind a strong foundation capable of sweeping through the six states, aiding Ying Zheng in ultimately achieving hegemony.】
【So what were the other six states doing at this time? Plagued by internal turmoil, strategic errors, and incessant conflicts among themselves, they failed to consolidate their strength. Instead, they continuously depleted themselves, steadily declining and ultimately paving the way for Qin’s later unification.】
【They simply couldn’t put up a fight.】
This sharp critique shattered the remnants of the six states.
“How can she speak so fearlessly?!”
“How dare a mere woman speak such insolent words!” In the crowd, a man dressed in old Han attire clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, his voice filled with resentment and bitterness.
Another man who had once belonged to Zhao joined in, equally indignant: “If not for the complete loss of our elite Zhao troops at the Battle of Changping, if not for the other states each harboring selfish schemes and refusing to unite, how could Qin have grown so arrogant today!”
Discussions rose and fell like waves. Though the remnants of the six states seethed with anger, they could only curse under their breath at the sky screen.
After all, the world now belonged to Qin, and open resistance would only mean certain death.
Meanwhile, inside the main hall of Xianyang Palace, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Ying Zheng listened to the sky screen’s scathing comment about being “completely undefeatable,” the corner of his mouth curling almost imperceptibly. His gaze swept over Fusu beside him as he spoke with certainty: “You see, the general trend of the world was already seventy percent determined during Great-grandfather’s time. The six states’ internal conflicts presented our Great Qin with the opportunity for unification.”
Fusu bowed his head in agreement, though unease stirred within him.
While he acknowledged Qin’s formidable strength, he felt that the sky screen’s blunt disparagement of the six states and glorification of military might might not be entirely beneficial.
Yet seeing his father in high spirits, he ultimately kept his doubts to himself.
Unaware of his son’s concerns, Ying Zheng’s thoughts drifted back to the immortality techniques mentioned by Xu Fu.
The sky screen’s earlier reference to Ying Ji’s “extraordinary longevity” had intensified his longing to live as long as his great-grandfather. If he could live long enough…
Not only could he consolidate the Great Qin empire more firmly, but he could also personally witness the complete submission of the world, until no one would dare utter half a word against Qin’s majesty.
Under the sky screen, the remnants of the six states cursed in fury, only to be immediately refuted.
[Though Zhao briefly flourished, it rapidly declined. Chu’s territory shrank significantly, and its national power suffered greatly.]
[Qi indulged in comfort and maintained long-term neutrality.]
[Yan remained isolated in its corner, occasionally making efforts but achieving no substantial results.]
[Han and Wei struggled to survive in the cracks, continuously ceding territory to seek peace.]
[Wei, once the hegemon during the early Warring States period, had already declined by Ying Ji’s era.]
[Finally, Han was the weakest among the six states, completely reduced to Qin’s vassal state during Ying Ji’s reign.]
[In summary, while King Zhaoxiang of Qin steadily consolidated and strengthened the state, the six states failed to form an effective alliance against Qin—either due to military disasters (Zhao, Chu), internal corruption (Chu, Yan), or strategic shortsightedness (Qi, Han, Wei). Instead, they continuously weakened through internal conflicts and Qin’s persistent attacks.]
Accurate and piercing.
The remarks left the remnants of the six states speechless, forcing them to resort to moral arguments.
[Meanwhile, Qin continued to accumulate advantages during this period, ultimately paving the way for Qin Shi Huang’s unification of the six states.] After saying this, Shi Jin sighed in the video.
[So you see, one must be strong to forge iron.]
[Even without Qin, countless states like Qin would have emerged eventually.]
[Should we always respond like this? Ceding land and paying indemnities for peace whenever there’s war? Engaging in internal strife when we’re not strong enough? Should common people’s children die because their rulers lack strategic vision?]
[How can the people live in stability under such states?]
[The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit—what’s done is done.]
[Unifying China remains Qin Shi Huang’s eternal, unparalleled achievement.]
As the words faded, the common people of the six fallen states seemed to have all their strength drained away. Their previously clenched fists slowly loosened, the indignation on their faces gradually replaced by bewilderment and helplessness.
Some lowered their heads, staring silently at the bluestone slabs beneath their feet. The phrase from the sky screen—”the children of commoners are meant to be sent to die”—pierced through their last remaining moral justifications like a fine needle.
An old man who was once a citizen of Wei let out a long, trembling sigh: “In the days of Marquis Wen of Wei, with Li Kui’s reforms and Wu Qi’s military governance, how glorious we were! But later… the nobility only knew to fight for power, the rulers only sought temporary peace, ceding territories without batting an eye. When did they ever care about the lives of the border people?”
Beside him, a young man from Han clutched a tattered cloth remnant of the former Han state, his Adam’s apple moving as if to speak, yet no words came out.
He recalled when his hometown was seized by the Qin army during his childhood—his father carrying him on his back as they fled, the roads filled with displaced fellow villagers. At that time, the Han court had indeed been busy only offering gold and silk, ceding cities and territories.
If Han had persisted, they would have continued to repeat the same mistakes…