Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield Chapter 145 - 102: Ying Zheng: What? It Was Zhao Feng Who Saved the Tai Hou?

Seeing her react this way for the second time, Zhao Feng was utterly baffled. He could only complain inwardly.

Once Concubine Zhao was safely aboard the Yong City Imperial Guards’ ship, Tu Sui finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she was alive, he could return and complete his mission.

"General Zhao," Tu Sui said, bowing deeply to Zhao Feng once more. "Great kindness is beyond thanks. I, Tu Sui, will engrave this in my heart."

"Your name is Tu Sui?" Zhao Feng smiled faintly, his mind turning.

"Yes," Tu Sui replied immediately.

He was extremely deferential toward Zhao Feng, not daring to show the slightest disrespect. It was clear he was also deeply grateful; without Zhao Feng, even Empress Dowager Huayang might not have been able to save his life.

"Good. I will remember that name," Zhao Feng said with a smile. "The Empress Dowager has been frightened, and the Great King is surely pursuing this matter closely. You should return and deliver your report at once."

"Thank you for your understanding, General Zhao. I shall take my leave."

Tu Sui nodded, gave Zhao Feng one last grateful look, and then turned to board his ship.

"Turn the ships around! We’re heading back!" Tu Sui ordered loudly.

At his command, dozens of ships pivoted and raised their sails for the return journey.

Watching the ships depart, Zhao Feng’s pensive expression gradually relaxed.

At that moment, Zhao Feng finally recalled who this Tu Sui was.

Zhao Feng mused with a faint smile.

Watching Tu Sui’s ships recede into the distance, Zhao Feng felt a pang of disappointment.

He was exceedingly curious about the legendary Emperor Qin Shi Huang—the man revered by later generations as an emperor for all time, the first emperor, the one known as the Ancestor Dragon.

Zhao Feng was truly curious. However, he was under orders to garrison Wei City and could not leave without a command from a superior. To do so would be an act of treason. This was a restriction placed on all generals; if a general guarding a region were allowed to roam freely, it would inevitably lead to disaster.

"My lord," Zhang Ming said with a smile, looking toward the Wei Territory, "this Wei Army certainly knows its place. They retreated immediately."

Zhao Feng turned his head to look. The thousands of Wei Army soldiers who had been there moments ago were now receding like the tide.

"Wei is not the power it once was. They dare not wage war with Qin," Zhao Feng said with a faint smile. "Han has already fallen. Now, the thing Wei fears most is giving Qin a pretext to send its troops. If they dared to attack us to seize Guo Kai, it would be the perfect excuse for Qin to invade. The Wei General leading them could never bear such a responsibility."

Zhao Feng understood perfectly well why the retreating Wei Army had done so.

"My lord, shall we continue on to Hidden Island, or shall we return?" Han Xi asked respectfully.

"We’re going to Hidden Island, of course. There are some disloyal individuals there who must be dealt with," Zhao Feng said with a cold laugh.

Han Xi had recruited a mixed bag of people. For Zhao Feng, loyalty was paramount, yet quite a few of the new recruits fell short of this standard. These individuals had to be dealt with to make an example of them. In Yanting, a lack of talent could be tolerated, but disloyalty to Zhao Feng was absolutely forbidden. This was his inviolable rule.

「Capital of Wei, Daliang!」

In the residence of Lord Xinling, a subordinate bowed respectfully to an elderly man who carried an air of authority. "Reporting to Lord Xinling, General Cao, who guards the border, has sent word. He arrived a step too late and failed to rendezvous with Minister Zhao of the Zhao state."

This was Lord Xinling, known to posterity as Wei Wuji, one of the Four Lords of the Warring States. In the present era, he was held in extremely high regard and was considered the pillar of the Wei state. As a member of the Wei royal family and the uncle of the reigning King of Wei, he commanded immense prestige and held the deep trust of the king.

Hearing his subordinate’s report, a look of disappointment flashed across Wei Wuji’s face.

He was well aware of the Zhao state’s plot to kidnap the Empress Dowager of Qin. Guo Kai had approached him for a secret discussion beforehand, and he had given his consent. The plan was to abduct the Empress Dowager of Qin, travel down the Wei River, enter Wei territory, and then return to the Zhao state.

With Qin’s power growing ever stronger, all the other nations feared it. As a neighbor to Qin, Wei had witnessed the fall of Han and inevitably felt a chill, knowing it could be next. Wei’s national strength was far inferior to that of the Zhao state, let alone Qin’s.

"In the end, it seems fate is not on our side," he sighed. "If we had managed to take the Empress Dowager of Qin hostage, the King of Qin surely would not have dared to act so rashly."