Zhao Feng charged forward relentlessly.
The area was strewn with the bodies of Han royal guards.
In just a fleeting moment, Zhao Feng had broken through their defenses and stood before King Han.
With a swift swing of the Longquan Sword, its blade rested directly against King Han's neck.
Blood dripped from the sword's edge, staining the king's robes.
"If anyone takes another step, your king's life is forfeit," Zhao Feng said coldly, turning his icy gaze to the surrounding guards.
"Don't come any closer!"
"Everyone, stand down!" King Han shouted in terror.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the guards answered, retreating and not daring to make a move.
"This mighty warrior," King Han began, his voice trembling.
"You're merely a Qin captain. There's no need for such hostility. If you spare me, I can grant you wealth and honor. I can even take you to Wei and make you a general there, a commander of troops."
"Furthermore," he continued, his desperation growing, "I have a daughter, a true beauty beyond compare. If you let me go, I'll grant her to you in marriage, making you my royal son-in-law."
Facing Zhao Feng's murderous aura, King Han was overcome with fear, resorting to promises of riches and alliances.
"Rest assured," Zhao Feng said coldly.
"As long as you behave yourself, I won't kill you. But if you try anything, my sword might just slip."
Wealth, honor, a princess's hand in marriage it all sounded enticing.
If it were a decree from the King of Qin, Zhao Feng might have considered it.
But coming from a king whose kingdom had already fallen, it was an empty promise, unlikely to ever be fulfilled.
"Warrior, if you release me, I will give you three-tenths of Korea's treasury… no, five-tenths!" King Han upped his offer.
Zhao Feng ignored him. His voice grew colder as he commanded, "Have your men lay down their weapons and kneel together."
"Lay… lay down your weapons, all of you!"
"Kneel!" King Han shouted, terrified and compliant, with a blade still pressed to his neck.
The surrounding guards dared not disobey. One by one, they discarded their weapons and knelt on the ground.
"Good," Zhao Feng said with satisfaction.
"You get to live."
"W-warrior…" King Han tried to plead further.
"If you say one more word, I'll kill you," Zhao Feng interrupted, his tone sharp and merciless.
Meeting Zhao Feng's gaze, King Han fell silent, trembling uncontrollably.
"This is what passes for a king?" Zhao Feng scoffed.
He looked at the cowardly and pitiful figure before him with disdain.
"A king should stand with his kingdom, and share its fate with his people. How does a man like this deserve the title of king?"
To Zhao Feng, a ruler's worth was judged by their willingness to protect their nation and its people, even at the cost of their lives.
In his heart, the ideal king embodied the phrase:
"The emperor guards the borders; the king perishes with the state!"
As Zhao Feng nurtured ambitions of his own, he held himself to the same standard. If he were ever to forge his legacy during the chaos of the Qin dynasty's fall, he resolved to be a ruler who would live and die for his realm.
A true man, Zhao Feng thought, must live by such principles!
Time slipped by.
In just half an hour, Zhao Feng single-handedly subdued King Han and left over two hundred Han royal guards kneeling in submission.
This was an incredible feat, one that defied belief.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps and clanking armor came from the forest outside.
Zhao Feng glanced over and saw Wei Quan leading a force of five hundred elite soldiers toward the palace.
When Wei Quan saw the scene before him, his face froze in shock.
"What… what is this?"
"Did Zhao Feng subdue all these Han soldiers on his own?"
"And… capture King Han?"
Wei Quan's sharp eyes quickly recognized King Han in Zhao Feng's grasp, as well as the kneeling Han soldiers.
"Following this kid was the right choice," Wei Quan thought, his heart swelling with admiration as he hurried toward Zhao Feng.
He gestured to his soldiers, who immediately understood and moved to secure the surrendering Han soldiers.
The elites, seasoned by countless battles, needed no verbal commands. They swiftly disarmed the kneeling Han soldiers and took them into custody.
"Captain, are you alright?" Wei Quan asked with concern as he approached Zhao Feng.
"Perfect timing," Zhao Feng said with a smile, sheathing his sword and shoving King Han forward.
"Take him away and deliver him to General Li."
Two soldiers, visibly excited, stepped forward and seized King Han.
"Unhand me!" King Han protested.
"Even as your prisoner, I am still a king! If you treat me with such disrespect, the King of Qin will not forgive you!"
His indignation didn't faze Zhao Feng in the slightest.
"This is a king?" Wei Quan muttered quietly to Zhao Feng.
"He looks more like a common thug."
The sight of King Han's behavior left Wei Quan both baffled and disillusioned.
Zhao Feng chuckled softly but said nothing more.
Han Royal Palace
Council Hall
"Report!"
"General, urgent news!"
"A dispatch just arrived: Captain Zhao Feng has captured King Han and is en route to the palace!"
The guard commander burst into the hall, his voice brimming with excitement as he addressed General Li Teng.
"What?"
Li Teng's face lit up with joy. "Excellent! Excellent!"
"At last, he's been captured."
"With this, the conquest of Han is truly complete."
"I can now report a perfect victory to both the Supreme General and His Majesty."
As the commander of the campaign to conquer Han, Li Teng had borne immense pressure and scrutiny.
If King Han had escaped, it would have tarnished his achievements and left room for future complications.
But now, with King Han captured, Li Teng's triumph was unblemished, and his reputation would be secure.
"I will personally welcome Captain Zhao Feng," Li Teng declared with a laugh, striding eagerly out of the hall.
Outside the Royal Palace
A prisoner cart stood prominently.
Inside, dressed in a simple royal robe, sat the dejected figure of King Han.
The Qin soldiers stationed nearby couldn't help but glance over.
"Is that the King of Han?"
"He doesn't look like much."
"Yeah."
"For a king to flee like that… what a disgrace."
"Isn't that Captain Zhao Feng of the vanguard? He was credited with breaking the capital's defenses. Did he also capture the king?"
"Incredible!"
"If that's true, Zhao Feng has achieved unparalleled glory." patreon.com/LordoftheReader