บท 88: Rewards and New Orders [1]

"How much longer will you stay by the river?"

Jun turned around just to see Kyou Kai approaching. He was deeply contemplating many things, one of which was: What would come next for him?

It's obvious that being involved in a historical event like the unification of China was something every man wanted to leave his mark on, but Jun wasn't entirely convinced.

The reason he had seized power was to fiercely protect what was his. Only with strength could he truly claim ownership of anything.

But now that he had power, and with a war likely on the horizon, far bigger than any he could imagine, the question became: how should he act when that situation arrived?

Jun had a vast army, probably around fifty thousand elite soldiers with two to three years of battle experience. The equipment of each soldier was equivalent to that of a general commanding ten thousand men.

Typically, infantry didn't wear armor, but Jun had equipped each member of his private army with the best armor, making it likely the strongest force of all.

With such power in his hands, Jun still didn't know how to approach the looming war that would involve everyone.

"The soldiers are returning to the city as you ordered," Kyou Kai said, moving slowly as she was exhausted from straining her muscles to eliminate the false princess, Shiyuu.

Jun stepped out of the river, grabbed a dry towel, and began drying himself. "This victory will reach the ears of Wei. They will likely summon us for a reward and order us to maintain order in that hot zone near the Zhao border."

"This is our chance to return," Kyou Kai understood where Jun was heading with the conversation.

No one knew they hailed from Qin, but that didn't matter because they weren't aligned with any kingdom.

Jun could withdraw his support for Qin at any moment, and there would be little anyone could do about it. However, creating chaos wasn't beneficial for anyone.

"My Lord, urgent message."

Kyou Kai glanced at a shadow approaching with a bamboo tube, which contained a message from the intelligence network Jun had been expanding across China.

"You may leave." Jun took the bamboo tube, opened it, and inside found a rolled-up letter.

As he unrolled it, Jun's calm eyes showed an inexplicable surprise.

During the alliance between Zhao and Qin, while Qin fought to expand its borders, the Prime Minister of Zhao, Ri Boku, has been negotiating with the Prime Minister of Chu, Shun Shin Kun, behind the scenes. Their goal is to form a coalition army from all warring states with the sole purpose of destroying Qin.

Jun handed the letter to Kyou Kai, who read it with interest.

"If this happens..."

"If their plan succeeds, they could form a massive army of more than five hundred thousand soldiers from all the states." Jun understood the gravity of this situation that affected everyone, not just Qin.

With that in mind, Jun tore up the letter and said, "We'll have to move faster than expected. We'll gather all our troops here and cross into Qin's border."

Jun's banners were well-known, as he commanded a border city that had been under his control for the past two years.

Additionally, his army was active in the distant villages, protecting those far from the cities.

As for the rest, Jun needed to inform the Asura Clan of what internal stance they would take, and while waiting for a response, he would prepare his army to ensure Qin didn't fall.

"If all goes well, we could use this invasion to eliminate Zhao." Of course, Jun would not involve himself in the war—at least not until seeing the stance of the King of Qin.