Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield

In the military encampment, bonfires blazed throughout the barracks. Clusters of Sharp Warriors gathered around the flames for warmth, passing around wine. In this era without cotton-padded clothes, the several layers of garments they wore offered little protection from the biting cold. Many of the Sharp Warriors shivered uncontrollably, even next to the fires, a testament to the severity of the weather. If things were this dire within the well-supplied military camp, one could only imagine the situation among the common people.

Every winter, countless people across the Land of the Divine Continent froze or starved to death. This had been an unsolvable problem since the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, right up to the current era of warring states. The food produced in Shenzhou was never enough for its people, and not everyone had a warm place to take shelter.

「Atop Wei City!」

Zhao Feng stood on the city wall, bundled in several layers of military garments with a thick cloak draped over his shoulders. He gazed out at the vast, white, snowy landscape beyond the walls.

With this snowfall, who knows how many more people will die, he sighed inwardly. Only a united Huaxia will have the power to change this. Without unification, the suffering of people freezing and starving to death can never be alleviated. Knowing history and now living it, Zhao Feng felt these truths all the more profoundly.

”My lord,” Zhang Ming said, approaching him and respectfully presenting a military report. ”This just arrived from General Li in Xianyang.”

”Read it aloud,” Zhao Feng said.

”Twenty-five days ago, the King of Zhao personally traveled to Qin to sign a non-aggression pact with our Great King. Meanwhile, the Zhao state’s Senior General, Pang Xuan, has secretly moved his forces to the Zhao-Yan border. Zhao’s army of three hundred thousand men has been dispersed along that border,” Zhang Ming read.

”Is that the entire report?” Zhao Feng asked, turning to him.

”That is all of it, my lord. It was sealed and sent directly from the Senior General,” Zhang Ming replied respectfully.

A light smile touched Zhao Feng’s lips as he instantly grasped the report’s true meaning. The Qin-Zhao alliance... a pact designed to make the Zhao state lower its guard. No wonder there were reports of disturbances across Qin recently, yet I never saw any of them myself. It was all the Great King’s strategy of misdirection.

”My lord, what does this report mean?” Zhang Ming asked, puzzled. ”Wei City doesn’t border the Zhao state; it borders Wei. Matters on the Zhao-Yan border seem unrelated to us.”

”Zhao and Wei are allies,” Zhao Feng explained with a smile. ”Once the Zhao state attacks Yan and they are locked in a difficult struggle, that will be the perfect moment for Qin to strike Zhao. When that time comes, do you think Wei will simply sit back and watch?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ming was startled. ”My lord, you mean... there’s going to be a war?”

”Once this heavy snow subsides, the Zhao state will surely attack Yan,” Zhao Feng stated with conviction. ”Just wait. When Yan can no longer hold out, they will inevitably seek aid from Qin, and the Great King will most certainly issue a royal edict for us to mobilize.”

Zhao Feng knew his history; he knew this event was inevitable. The so-called non-aggression pact was nothing more than a scrap of paper, ready to be torn up at any moment.

Zhang Ming instantly understood. Once Qin made its move, Wei would seize the opportunity to act, and Wei City would have to bear the brunt of their assault.

Zhao Feng smiled, his eyes reflecting his anticipation. ”Alright, keep this matter to yourself for now. We’ll discuss it after winter has passed. Once the snow stops, the Imperial Court should send provisions to prepare for the great battle.”

War was coming again.

The curtain was about to rise once more on Qin’s unification of Shenzhou.