Chapter 54: Besieging the Royal Palace!

He was the enemy who had killed the father of Zhang Liang, the future Sage of Strategy; he had indeed become a participant in history.

A father-killer.

In the future, Zhao Feng would undoubtedly be one of the people Zhang Liang sought to kill.

However.

Zhao Feng truly would not be afraid.

He immediately raised his Longquan sword and decapitated Zhang Ping.

In the Qin army, this was simply the rule; the heads of enemy high-ranking officials were the best proof of one's military achievements.

Without such evidence, who in the chaos of battle could prove one's merit?

Furthermore.

When facing enemies met on the battlefield, both sides harbored bone-deep hatred for one another. Unless a commander possessed heaven-shaking prestige or a general of true rank issued an order, no one would dare to grant a proper burial, for ordinary soldiers could not concern themselves with such matters.

"The merit of breaking the city, the merit of slaying a general, and the merit of slaying a minister—I have claimed them all."

"The merit of capturing the King still requires more effort."

"Historical records state that the King of Han was forced to surrender. Now that the inner city of the Han capital has little defending force, I fear it will proceed as history recorded: the King of Han will surrender," Zhao Feng thought to himself.

The momentum of the era was such.

In this age, it was rare for a King to coexist with his state.

Zhao Feng did not believe for a moment that the King of Han was not a man who feared death.

Historical records showed that the last monarch of Han, King Han An, was no formidable ruler.

Outside the city!

"Report!"

"Reporting to the General!"

"The outer city has been completely conquered."

"Our army has entered the inner city and is storming the King of Han's palace!"

Li Teng's personal guard commander reported with an excited expression.

Hearing this news, Li Teng's brow moved with emotion, filled with excitement: "Splendid."

He had secured a monumental achievement.

"Has it been investigated?"

"Who broke the city? Who holds the primary merit?" Li Teng pressed immediately.

"Reporting to the General," the guard commander said with reverence. "Under the command of General Chen Tao, the First Commandant's Battalion Commandant, Zhao Feng, broke through the city gates single-handedly, led his troops to crush the Han defensive lines, and slew countless enemies."

"Broke the city gates single-handedly?" Li Teng's expression changed, looking at the guard commander in shock.

How could this battle report be so unbelievable?

"How did he do it?"

"Even our many elite Qin soldiers could not break them with battering rams." Li Teng asked in astonishment.

"General, you should go see for yourself."

"This subordinate can only say that Commandant Zhao Feng possesses innate divine strength," the guard commander said respectfully.

Now that the inner city had been breached and elite soldiers were stationed on the city walls, the threat had naturally subsided.

"Let's go."

Li Teng gave the order immediately.

The soldiers driving the chariot immediately spurred their horses, racing toward the city gates.

When they saw the city gates destroyed by a sharp weapon—to the point where the connecting walls showed deep cracks—one could imagine the sheer force unleashed during the breach.

"Is such strength truly human?" Li Teng could not help but feel shocked upon seeing it.

"Report it to the Central Army Sima to record the merits."

"The merit of breaking the city: Commandant Zhao Feng."

"The merit of commanding troops: General of Ten Thousand Chen Tao."

After regaining his composure, Li Teng instructed his personal guard.

"Understood!" the guard commander replied instantly.

The merit of breaking the city was achieved through the successive waves of countless elite soldiers.

While Zhao Feng's breach could be considered the true primary merit, so too could Chen Tao, who commanded the Ten Thousand Soldiers Battalion.

This was the nature of those in high positions!

When a subordinate achieved great merit, a portion of it belonged to the superior.

However, for Zhao Feng, this could be seen as Chen Tao taking the credit.

If he were in any other Ten Thousand Soldiers Battalion, someone else would be taking the credit; ultimately, it depended on which battalion Zhao Feng belonged to.

"Report!"

"Reporting to the General!"

"New battle reports indicate that all Han forces have retreated to turtle up in the King of Han's palace."

"Our army has completely taken control of the Han capital's inner city!"

A general of ten thousand galloped out from the city and, upon reaching Li Teng, reported loudly.

"Huddled in the palace."

"The King of Han is afraid; he intends to surrender," Li Teng sneered.

Then, Li Teng waved his hand. "Pass my command: surround the palace. There is no need to attack for now."

"If the King of Han is willing to surrender, I can grant him a chance to live."

The general nearby immediately accepted the order: "Understood!"

"Move."

"Enter the city," Li Teng commanded loudly.

The soldiers driving the chariot immediately headed into the city.

Along the way, corpses were scattered everywhere.

Some were elite soldiers, some were Han soldiers, but most were Han soldiers and the slave cannon fodder forcibly conscripted by the King of Han.

Once the Qin army broke through the gates of the Han capital, the tide of battle had shifted; Han soldiers without defensive strength stood no chance against the Qin elites.

At this stage of the war, the state of Han had no chance of changing, no matter how many reinforcements the states of Zhao or Wei might send.

Outside the palace!

The army surrounded the city.

More than half of the elite soldiers were stained with blood and grime, their weapons dripping.

However, the army did not launch an immediate assault on the palace. Instead, they aimed their crossbows at the palace, waiting only for the signal to begin with a barrage of arrows to clear the way.

Compared to being outside the city, the rain of arrows surrounding the palace now was enough to turn the entire palace into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

"Commandant."

"Why have we stopped? Wouldn't it be better to charge straight into the palace?"

"There must be many treasures inside."

Standing in one spot, Zhang Han spoke to Zhao Feng, sounding quite perplexed.

Looking at the palace so close at hand, Zhang Han truly wanted to charge in. Of course, he wasn't the only one; the elite soldiers behind him felt the same.

Though they were resting outside the palace, the pause greatly suppressed their bloodlust.

"From the current situation, the King of Han definitely wants to surrender and will surely send someone out to negotiate."

"For our army, if we can take the palace without shedding blood and force the King of Han to surrender, that would be ideal." Zhao Feng glanced at the tightly closed palace. The Han forces inside had not even fired arrows; the answer was obvious.

"Sigh, I was just getting into the spirit of the slaughter."

"In all my time in the army, this has been the most exhilarating fight," Zhang Han said with some disappointment.

"To be honest, charging alongside the Commandant is truly exhilarating."

"I've killed at least twenty Han soldiers," another military officer laughed.

"The Commandant is the God of War in our army, possessing extraordinary combat power."

"To serve under the Commandant is truly our good fortune," other officers and soldiers added.

After this battle, the elite soldiers of the Commandant's Battalion were all filled with reverence for him.

The military values strength, and nothing demonstrates this more clearly than on the battlefield.

And the ferocity Zhao Feng displayed in this battle was seen not just by his own battalion, but by countless soldiers across the entire army.

At this moment, the two heads hanging from Zhao Feng's waist served as the ultimate testament to his merit!

The head of the newly appointed Han General.

The head of the Han Chancellor.

Combined with the merit of breaking the city, one could hardly imagine what kind of rewards such military achievements would bring!

But one thing was certain: Zhao Feng's future was limitless.