Chapter 42: The Wondrous Use of the Luck Official Seal!

“Obtain [Commander's Official Seal]? Equip?”

As the Destiny Official Seal appeared, the prompt surfaced once again.

“Equip,” Zhao Feng ordered immediately.

Then, the Destiny Official Seal before his eyes transformed into a beam of light, rushing toward Zhao Feng and vanishing in a flash.

“Official Seal equipped successfully. Obtained Official Seal passive attribute.”

【Commander's Official Seal】: Command five thousand troops under your banner. When the Host leads a charge, the morale of the subordinates increases by 10%, and their combat power increases by 10%. When the Host leads subordinates to carry and bury the dead, the Host obtains 10% of the total attribute collection from the buried soldiers.

When he saw this prompt on the panel, Zhao Feng was stunned.

The attributes of this official seal were simply too heaven-defying!

“It can actually do this? Incredible!”

“If several thousand soldiers go to carry and bury the dead together, even if I only get one-tenth of the attribute collection, it’s far stronger than me collecting it alone.”

“Moreover, this seal provides combat power and morale bonuses. Although it's only ten percent, it will definitely play a critical role.”

“The Commander's Official Seal is formidable.”

Looking at the attributes of the seal, a smile spread across Zhao Feng's face.

He hadn't understood the purpose of this Destiny Official Seal before, but now he understood completely—it would be of immense use to him.

“Open attribute panel,” Zhao Feng said.

Age: 16 years old

Strength: 999 (The stronger the strength, the greater the explosive power.)

Speed: 656 (The higher the number, the faster the speed.)

Constitution: 658 (The stronger the constitution, the faster the recovery from injury and the more inexhaustible the stamina.)

Spirit: 655 (The stronger the spirit, the clearer the mind and thoughts; spiritual power can be projected externally, and upon reaching a certain level, one can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.)

Lifespan: 86 years and 305 days

Portable Space: 6 cubic meters

Cultivation Method: Dragon-Elephant Formula

Martial Arts: Dragon-Subduing Palm, Exploding Punch... (Mastered at Beginner level; a single punch can release twice the user's own strength.)

“All attributes exceed seven hundred. Almost there,” Zhao Feng said with an air of anticipation.

...

Han Capital, Xinzheng!

Inside the Great Hall.

The atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

The King of Han sat upon his throne. Standing before him were Zhang Ping, the Chancellor of Han, and Han Fei, a nobleman of great renown and high prestige who was responsible for military affairs.

“Your Majesty.”

“Everything that needed to be sent out has been sent.”

“They have been dispersed among the various states, with most of them scattered within the State of Chu,” Zhang Ping reported with a solemn expression.

“The Great General has fallen in battle. His final stratagem has ultimately failed,” King Han An sighed, filled with helplessness.

“In terms of strategy, the Great General was very close to success.”

“What a pity.”

“If he could have severed the Qin army's supply lines, our Great Han could have held out longer until reinforcements arrived. But now, our only option is to defend the capital at all costs,” Zhang Ping also sighed.

“Wang Jian truly lives up to his reputation as the Great General most capable of commanding troops in Qin.”

“It is no wonder the Great General Baoyuan fell at his hands,” Han Fei added slowly.

“You are mistaken, My Lord.”

“The Great General's defeat this time was not due to Wang Jian. Perhaps this was an accident, or a result the Great General never anticipated,” Zhang Ping said slowly.

“Is there some other reason?” Han Fei asked, somewhat surprised.

“The Great General fell at the hands of the Qin logistics troops,” Zhang Ping said with a bitter smile, pulling a secret report from his robe and handing it to Han Fei.

Han Fei took it and opened it; his expression turned extremely grim.

“Is Qin truly that terrifying?”

“A few thousand routed logistics troops actually managed to stall the elite troops commanded by the Great General, allowing him to be surrounded and annihilated by the Qin army?” Han Fei’s expression was terrible.

If Baoyuan had lost to Wang Jian, he wouldn't have been so shocked, but to lose to a mere logistics force was truly hard for Han Fei to believe.

“Has the national strength of Qin reached such a level?”

“A routed logistics force can still contend with the elites of our Great Han?”

“How exactly are their armies trained?” Han Fei asked in a deep voice.

“The Shang Yang Reforms and the Qin military merit system.”

“That is the key!” Zhang Ping said slowly.

To this end

Why was Qin powerful?

It was because of the Shang Yang Reforms and the implementation of the military merit system.

This was, of course, known to the entire world, but what did it matter if everyone knew?

How much resistance had the Shang Yang Reforms faced in the past? They faced the entire old aristocracy of Qin. How many people died to implement those reforms? Countless.

But ultimately, because of those reforms, Qin turned strong.

But for the other states in the world, even if they knew, they were powerless, because their own aristocrats would never allow such reforms; it would damage their own interests.

“If Lord Shen's reforms had been completely successful back then, perhaps our Great Han could have stood a chance against Qin,” Zhang Ping said with some regret.

The King of Han also nodded. “Indeed! Ultimately, Lord Shen was born at the wrong time. Had he been under my rule, I would have supported him with all my might.”

Hearing this, Han Fei sighed inwardly.

*Lord Shen Buhai's reforms were different from Qin's. While his reforms could make a state strong for a time, they were not a long-term solution. Only the reforms of Qin truly built a powerful nation by breaking the monopoly of the powerful and allowing ordinary soldiers the chance to become nobility. This alone is enough to make the Qin soldiers unafraid of death, seeking glory with the swords in their hands!*

As a great talent of the Legalist school, Han Fei naturally saw through the nature of reforms very clearly.

After returning from his studies, Han Fei had also proposed reforms, but the resistance had been too great.

Listening to the King of Han's hindsight, Han Fei could only remain silent.

“Your Majesty.”

“There is no other way now.”

“We must mobilize all heavy troops to defend the capital and wait for the reinforcements from the states of Zhao and Wei.”

“I have already received word.”

“Both the King of Zhao and the King of Wei are willing to mobilize their armies. They are currently gathering grain and supplies. As long as we hold the capital and do not fall, we can repel the Qin once the reinforcements from Zhao and Wei arrive,” Zhang Ping said loudly, looking at the King of Han.

“Minister Han.”

“How much military strength do we have left to use?” The King of Han turned to Han Fei and asked.

“Mobilizing all forces to defend Xinzheng, plus the Imperial Guard, we still have seventy thousand troops.”

“If we mobilize all the slaves in the city and all the slaves of the nobility, we can have a total of over eighty thousand troops. However, mobilizing slaves requires a decree from Your Majesty,” Han Fei replied.

“Our Great Han is facing a crisis. I leave the matter of mobilizing slaves to defend the city to Minister Han. If anyone dares to refuse, they shall be dealt with according to military law.”

“Minister Zhang, as the head of the officials, you should set an example,” the King of Han said, looking at Zhang Ping.

“Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I swear to live and die with Great Han.”

“The two thousand slaves in my manor can all be used to defend the city,” Zhang Ping immediately said.

“Good.”

“With the Chancellor setting an example, I believe the other officials will also stand with the nation,” the King of Han said with a forced smile.

Beside them, Han Fei remained silent, but the sorrow on his face was very evident.

*I only hope that our Great Han can hold out until the reinforcements from Zhao and Wei arrive.*

*Or perhaps, there will be no reinforcements at all.*

Han Fei felt a bitterness in his heart. From his perspective, perhaps no reinforcements would come at all.

Even if they did, Qin would surely have a way to deal with them. The fall of Han was already inevitable.