Watching Zhao Yan being taken away, Ying Zheng felt a surge of vengeful exhilaration. However, he did not let this excitement show on his face.

My long-held grudge can finally be settled.

For Ying Zheng, Zhao Yan would not have an easy death. Just as he had declared, he would make Zhao Yan watch with his own eyes as the Zhao state was obliterated step by step. He would make him see how the royal family of Zhao was reduced to slaves, never to rise again.

This is all repayment!

"Guo Kai, you should also prepare to leave the Zhao state," Ying Zheng said, turning his attention to him.

Upon hearing this, Guo Kai kowtowed, his tears of gratitude flowing. "Thank you for your grace, Great King."

With a sense of joy, Guo Kai then departed from the Zhao Royal Palace.

Henceforth, Guo Kai, the Prime Minister of the Zhao state, would be no more; he had effectively "died" on the day Handan City fell. As long as he didn't deliberately seek his own death, the world was vast enough to offer him a place of refuge. If he ever revealed his existence, Ying Zheng might not act against him, but the nobility of the fallen Zhao state certainly wouldn't let him off. His fate was now in his own hands.

After Zhao Yan was gone, Ying Zheng's gaze fell upon Zhao Feng once more, and a smile returned to his face.

"General Zhao, you served as the vanguard in this battle, you breached Handan, and you captured Zhao Yan. These are all your accomplishments. Looking across the world, I truly cannot think of another war general as valiant as you. It seems the Blood Ginseng I awarded you that day was the correct decision," Ying Zheng laughed, pleased.

"The Blood Ginseng is a supreme treasure of the Great Qin Palace. Did the Great King truly grant it to me?" Zhao Feng asked, slightly surprised. Having been in the Zhao state all this time, he was naturally unaware of this.

"My word is as weighty as the Nine Tripod Cauldrons," Ying Zheng chuckled. "Compared to the monumental military achievements General Zhao has won for Qin, what is a single stalk of Blood Ginseng?"

"This subject thanks the Great King for his generous gift," Zhao Feng said simply, not dwelling on the matter.

With this Blood Ginseng, my mother's health should improve significantly. After all, it's a spiritual medicine said to be able to bring back the dead.

"Handan has fallen. The King of Zhao has been captured. The destruction of Zhao is now a certainty," Ying Zheng stated, looking at Zhao Feng with a testing gaze. "General Zhao, what is your assessment of the battles to come?"

Zhao Feng answered without hesitation. "In this battle, Guo Kai's assistance prevented Zhao Yan from fleeing, along with many of Zhao's royals and nobles. However, many others did manage to escape. I estimate that some will continue to resist Qin from the Dai Territory. Furthermore, there are still many cities within the Zhao Territory that have yet to be conquered, which will take time. In my opinion, we should first secure the entire Zhao Territory before advancing to conquer the Dai Territory."

Ying Zheng nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"Great King," Wang Jian spoke up. "Yan has been massing troops on the Yan-Zhao border, waiting for Qin to conquer Handan so they can claim a share of the spoils. What does the Great King think our army should do?"

"Senior General, do you think I will tolerate this?" Ying Zheng scoffed.

"With the Great King's bold strategy and grand vision, you will surely deliver a punishing blow," Wang Jian replied sternly. "The Lantian Camp's elite are ready to fight for Qin at any moment."

"With the Zhao Capital fallen, Zhao is at its last gasp and poses little threat to Qin," Ying Zheng said slowly. "Our Daqin Elite Soldiers also suffered considerable losses in taking Handan, and every man is exhausted. They will rest and recover here before we mobilize again. Senior General, the specific deployments will be at your discretion. I will not interfere in the Senior General's military affairs."

As a monarch, this had always been his way. He commanded his subjects, using their abilities to strengthen the state of Qin. Ying Zheng wielded his royal authority with masterful skill; he would never interfere with military campaigns directly or meddle with the generals commanding his armies in the field.

"Understood," Wang Jian immediately responded.

"General Zhao, you are the great hero of this campaign and have endured many hardships," Ying Zheng said, turning back to Zhao Feng. "Go and get some proper rest. First and foremost, go wash up. If you went out looking like this, you would likely frighten people. Anyone who didn't know better might think you were an evil spirit emerging from the Netherworld," he added with a teasing tone.

"Yes, my lord," Zhao Feng nodded immediately.

At that moment, Zhang Ming hurried into the great hall.

"General, the preliminary roster of the Zhao state's nobility has been compiled. A few names are missing," Zhang Ming said, handing the compiled list to Zhao Feng.

Not bothering to look at it, Zhao Feng passed it directly to Wang Jian. "Senior General, here is the compiled roster."

"Go and rest," Wang Jian said, taking the list with a nod. "I will handle these people."

Without further ceremony, Zhao Feng turned and walked out of the hall. "This subject takes his leave."

Tu Sui and Zhang Han quickly followed him.

After exiting the Longtai Palace, Zhao Feng did not head for a wash. Instead, he said to the two men, "Take me to the royal treasury."

"This way," Tu Sui responded at once.

"Our men are guarding it, correct?" Zhao Feng asked as they walked.

The treasury of the Zhao Royal Palace is surely just like Han's, brimming with resources and well-stocked. He was planning to make a clean sweep. Since gaining his own forces, Zhao Feng's Storage Space had been nearly empty. This was the perfect opportunity to fill it up.

"Rest assured, Master. It's all our people," Zhang Han said immediately. "If you wish, we can start secretly transporting some of it out right now."

Having followed Zhao Feng for so long, he knew what to do. The implication was clear, especially since Zhao Feng had given specific orders to secure the royal treasury while he was pursuing Zhao Yan.

"Let's see what's inside first," Zhao Feng said with a smile.

Soon after, they arrived at the Zhao Royal Palace's treasury.

"Greetings, General," the Sharp Warriors on guard called out, bowing deeply as soon as they saw Zhao Feng.

"At ease," Zhao Feng said with a raise of his hand, signaling for the men to stand before he walked toward the treasury doors.

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