Chapter 35: The time to cast the net has come

Zhao State, Handan.

Inside the luxurious, decadent palace filled with a tense atmosphere, all the feudal lords sat upright.

Their faces showed anxiety and anticipation as they listened to the personal guard's report that the blue bricks could boost the army's combat power.

After the guard finished speaking, the Prince of Ji'nan could not wait any longer and rose from his throne, his face flashing with a mad excitement.

He clenched his fists, raised them high, and roared: "Hahaha, Heaven truly aids me! With these miraculous blue bricks' help, my army will surely be invincible; what is that old man Wei Qing to fear?"

As the leader of this "loyalist king" campaign, he seemed already to see himself returning victorious and ascending the throne in glory.

The Prince of Huainan also wore a satisfied smile, sneering: "This is a heaven-sent opportunity! Now our army has divine aid; we will surely crush Wei Qing's forces in one blow, and then I will make that Liu Ju kneel before me in repentance."

The Prince of Jiaodong was still drunk, hazily hearing about the blue bricks' blessing, and then waved his wine cup, shouting: "Generals, now that we have the blue bricks' protection, it's as if we have divine aid. Though Wei Qing is strong, before such divine power he too will surely suffer defeat!"

The crowd found it somewhat laughable, but at this moment their morale was high, also infected by the Prince of Jiaodong's confidence, which surged.

The Prince of Zhao stood up and issued the order: "All troops, prepare immediately to march out and let those dog emperor's armies see our might!"

At that moment, the hitherto silent Prince of Zhongshan suddenly said: "Since the blue bricks can bestow blessings, this divine object ought not to be left in the hands of commoners; we should immediately order the soldiers to collect the blue bricks from the people's homes, and those who refuse shall be slain!"

"Exactly, cousin brother, I forgot this matter; thanks to cousin brother's reminder."

"Those commoners are not worthy of possessing this divine object!"

"Take back the divine object..."

All the feudal lords immediately ordered their troops to scour the people's cities for the divine object, blue bricks.

The feudal lords' rebel army quickly went mad, extending their vicious hands toward the innocent populace.

Whether in towns or remote countryside, the Han people who had just been blessed by the immortals to eat their fill this winter once again grew fearful.

Tension permeated the streets and alleys; hearing that the feudal lords' henchmen would soon come to seize the blue bricks, the people hurriedly spread the word, their faces full of fear and anger.

Chen Da hurriedly dug a deep pit in his own small courtyard, carefully wrapped those few blue bricks he treasured, placed them in the pit, and buried them thoroughly with soil.

Then he laid a layer of dry grass on top, trying to conceal the digging traces, his eyes full of reluctance and worry, muttering: "This is the little hope we painstakingly obtained; we must never let those damned feudal lords snatch it away."

Meanwhile, Chen San wrapped the blue bricks in layers of old oilcloth, then, under the cover of night, quietly came to the riverside. Gazing at the icy river water, tears in his eyes, he gritted his teeth and hurled the blue bricks forcefully into the river.

Watching the ripples on the water fade away, his heart was a tangle of feelings—worry that the blue bricks might be washed away, and hatred for the feudal lords, cursing those greedy nobles over and over.

And elsewhere, the situation was the same.

Worse still, some of the feudal lords' rebel armies, under the pretext of confiscating blue bricks, once again looted the people's grain and money.

For a time, within the territory of the feudal lords' rebel army, the people were once again shrouded in gloom.

Wei Qing and Sima Qian were inside the military tent when they heard the news that the feudal lords were extensively scavenging for blue bricks within their territory; they first stared in surprise, then exchanged a glance, both faces breaking into an extremely sarcastic smirk.

Wei Qing furrowed his thick brows, his eyes full of contempt and disdain for the feudal lords, and he let out a heavy snort: "These feudal lords usually throw their weight around, but now they've been bewitched by a single blue brick, absurd to this extent—truly disgusting!"

He clenched his fists, his joints whitening from the force, his anger surging like a tide:

"They disregard the people's lives, impose arbitrary levies and extortionate taxes, solely to satisfy their own greed and ambition—how is this any different from banditry?"

Sima Qian gently stroked his beard, shook his head slightly, his eyes showing deep disappointment and anguish: "General, you are absolutely right. Consider our Han people, whose lives are already hard; yet these feudal lords, for baseless rumors, extend their poisonous hands to innocent civilians—this is truly heinous."

Afterwards, Wei Qing strode out of the tent and mounted the platform for appointing generals.

Below, tens of thousands of soldiers stood tall and spirited, their eyes revealing anticipation and nervousness for the impending battle.

Wei Qing raised his arms and shouted: "Soldiers! Recently, the feudal lords heard that blue bricks could boost troop strength, so they went mad scavenging among the populace, thinking that obtaining a divine object would guarantee victory—utterly foolish!"

His voice was deep and powerful, echoing long in the camp.

He then showed a disdainful smirk: "The blue-brick blessing incident is merely a trap set by the current emperor's order, with me and Lord Sima Qian; where would the blue bricks get divine power? They are simply the material our Han uses to repair houses and pave roads—now blue bricks can be found everywhere within Chang'an."

"Those rebel kings are merely timid and fearful, their eyes blinded by superstition!"

The soldiers below then suddenly realized: the recently rampant rumor of the blue-brick blessing was actually a scheme orchestrated by the court, and those rebel kings are indeed foolish.

Sima Qian also stepped forward, his expression solemn, and said: "Officers, these feudal lords act against heaven, plotting rebellion, and have already plunged our Han people into dire straits."

"Their actions are a betrayal of the nation and a trampling of justice. Our campaign this time is to seek justice for the people and defend the dignity and peace of our Han!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers below were filled with indignation, raising their weapons and shouting: "Crush the traitors! Defend the Han!"

The sound rolled like spring thunder, reverberating through the heavens.

Seeing this, Wei Qing nodded in satisfaction, drew his waist sword, pointed toward the distance, and said: "Advance! Let these feudal lords know that those who defy heaven will surely be defeated!"

"We will use the blades in our hands to slay all these treacherous ministers and villains, restoring a peaceful and prosperous age to our Han!"

Having said that, he took the lead, commanding the vast army as it marched toward the feudal lords' rebel camp.

The hooves thundered like claps of thunder, kicking up dust that obscured the sky.