Chapter 24. Pragya’s war tricks

When they went to her bedroom, he asked her what position he had given her. "Why do you say that you are appointing me queen of Great Empress Su?" She asked coldly.

"Because I appoint you," he answered.

"But you didn't ask my opinion on this? Look, Your Honor, I don't want this place," she made clear her decision.

"Why? Everyone in the palace wants this place. Besides, if you become queen, the pressure from grandmother and the concubines will lessen." he spoke of his intentions.

"Look, Zheng, when I become queen, all eyes will be on me. Everyone will do their best to kill me. And I'm not from this state, I'm not from this era. So this position does not suit me. Try to understand my point, Zheng?" she said.

He sat on her bed and let her sit next to him. Then he held her hand and said, "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course, I trust you. What kind of stupid question is that?" she replied.

"Trust me on this one. I know you are the only person fit for this. I don't care if you are from another world. But I know you can rule the country. I don't want anyone to bully you. Pragya, if you really trust me then accept my proposal and be my queen and wife, okay?

She cannot refuse him. "How can I say no to you, my king? After the expedition, you can do whatever you want." she smiled. Although she was unsure of her safety, she trusted him completely and decided to become queen.

***

The next day they started their journey to the state of Han. Pragya dressed as a military general and led the soldiers. It took half a day to cross the Wei River and reach the smiling city called Yong. They went to Yong to have lunch and rest. This time, Pragya planned her next move with the king and after a short rest, they started their journey to Anyi, the capital of Wei state. They arrived in the evening. After they calm down, Pragya sends her soldiers to misinform Jing Ke and his men.

***

Yangzhai, Han State.

Zhejiang went out in the morning to get something for the rest of the family. When he reached the department store, he heard two men talking about the king.

"The king is currently on an expedition in the state of Zhao," said one of the men.

"Who knows him? No one has seen him since he became king." said the second man.

"Sorry to interrupt, but did I hear you discussing the king's expedition?" asked Zhejiang.

"Yes," said the first man. "Some men in Qin State said that he had made an expedition to Zhao State," he assured him.

Zhejiang returned to the house with the purchased items. Arriving at the house, he impatiently gave the items to Qier to cook them something and ran to Jing Ke and Gunsun Xu who was practicing swordplay in the field.

"There was news from the state of Qin," he said. Both went to Zhejiang. "What news?" Jing Ke asked.

"You can relax, the king is not coming," said Zhejiang.

"What do you mean?" Xu asked in confusion.

"The king has made an expedition to the state of Zhao, Master, everyone in the city knows it. Every villager says that." Zhejiang explained.

"It means that he didn't listen to his concubine," said Jing Ke.

This time, Mr. Gunsun Xu, "I told you that the king is a fool. He is an egoist. He doesn't listen to her. And we use her. We will use his own concubine to bring him down." he said firmly.

They continued sword fighting until Qi er asked them to have breakfast.

Luoyang, Chu State

It was night when they reached Chu State. Pragya's army arrived at Luoyang, Chu state. She told Cheng Gu to let the soldiers rest.

"Still not convinced?" asked the king when they entered his tent.

"What am I convinced of?" she asked back.

"Don't you see how you led the army? With wisdom!" He answered.

"It's for your faith," she said with a bright smile.

"What do you mean?" he said as his lips curled at her smile.

"Your honor, if something good happens, it is because of your faith in me. By God's grace we will win," she said bravely.

"You will. Certainly," he patted her on the shoulder. "There's one more thing to show you, General," he said a little mischievously.

"What. huh?" she asked, curiously.

He showed her a map of the state. "Now look at this," he pointed at the map. "Here is a map of our neighboring countries. The eastern part is the state of Qin. This is Nanzheng, Xianyang, and Yong," he showed her the places on the map.

"And this one?" -- Pragya.

"This is Wei State",

"And this?"

"This is the Yao state. In the northeastern part of the country," he said.

She saw a blue line and asked: "What is that line?" she asked.

"It is a river that flows through the whole country. It is called the Yellow River. You can see it crossing from the northeast, from the state of Yan to the southwest of the state of Qin." he showed her the map.

"So where are you going to build the wall?" she asked.

"My plan. is to connect all seven states and I will build the wall from Qin to the north and from here to Zhao and From Yan to Jili to the Gulf. This will be the biggest unification in the world." he said excitedly as if they were united now. But Pragya's face was ruined.

"What's wrong, Pragya? Why are you so sad? Didn't you like my idea?" he asked, confused by her mood swings.

"However great the union, there will be war. Bloodshed. Children become orphans, women become widows. Men are left alone. I care about that, dear sir, I know how bad war is. I lost my aunt, Neha, and all my cousins ​​to the bloody war in Kashmir," she said.

He hugged her back to comfort her. She rested her head against his chest and got comfortable.

"I am sorry for your loss. I know, my dear. I know how bad war is. Does no one know the evils of war better than I do? Do you think I would go that route if I had the choice? I'm worried too. But we have no choice but to unite the country.

Pragya, if you taste the bitterness of medicine, you will never know the sweetness of sugar. If you don't test for strenuous walking, you can't value rest. Likewise, if there is no pain during the war, we cannot appreciate our unity. We will find something that separates us than unite us. That's why I chose this path," he briefly explains his vision.

After that, there was a long silence over them. He stroked her hair gently. After a long silence, Pragya broke the ice and spoke. "But there is another way to achieve this union without bloodshed," she said.

"What is it?" he asked. He felt nothing. He is already convinced that war is his only chance to unite the seven nations.

"We give people a choice," she said. She knew he would not agree, but she did her best to make him understand the concept of democracy.

He looked at her in disbelief, "Are you serious? What choice should I give the people?" he asked.

"See, Your Honor, it's plain and simple. It is easy for you to rule when you have the support of the people. Even when internal things happen, like what happened on your birthday, people support you. You are supported not only by your army but also by the people you rule. Isn't it great?"

"Dear, I don't understand your point?" he asked for clarification,

"Zheng, it's easy. Shall I ask something? What compels you to declare war?" she asked.

"To rule nations," he answered sharply.

"Can't we do without war? If we can convince the people of our plan, they will vote and join without bloodshed and war," she said innocently. She heard the king laughing and break free from his embrace.

"Why are you laughing? Did I say something funny?" she got angry.

"I didn't know you were so innocent, my dear," he said, still laughing.

"What do you mean?" he asked, still angry. Her cheeks flushed and her big eyes widened. She's cute when she's angry.

"General Pragya Sing Rather, I want to inform you that this world is not what you used to be. This ideology might work in your world, but certainly not in mine. The people are too different. If we carry out what you say about it, there will be a bloody war between the countries." he argued.

"How?" she did not look convinced.

He smiled and said, "Let me ask, have you ever been; around cattle?" he asked.

"Yes, when I was a five-year-old girl, I went to a place called Kashmir to live with my aunt. She had cattle," she said, remembering her aunt.

"Then you will understand me. When you release a calf that has been tied for so long, what then?"

"Running and jumping this way and that," she answered immediately.

"What you say is exactly like that. Many things bind these people together. To use this ideology makes them like a freed calf. And that brings us to an endless flood of blood.

They could not agree on the matter, so they abandoned it.

The next morning, Cheng Gu came to the royal tent where both Zheng and Pragya were dressing.

"There's a message," he said breathlessly.

"What is it?" asked the king.

"We arrested a man named Wang Luo Yi," he said.

"Who is he? Is it important to guard him?" Pragya asked.

"He is a friend of a guy named Gunsun Xu, Jing Ke's right-hand man, and his swordsman trainer. This guy kept these guys in his house for over a month."

Pragya went to Cheng Gu, "Good job. Don't hurt the man and send two men to Yangzhai. Tell them to inform them that we're getting close and their man is in jail. When our men return, release the man." she ordered firmly. Like a gentle warlord.

The king was impressed by her courage. Cheng Gu greeted both of them and left.

***

Yangzhai, Han State.

"… No… No… No… Father," Qi er called and woke up. The husband was startled and woke up. He himself was surprised by her scream. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" he asked.

She just hugged him and cried. "I had a bad dream about dad. I'm afraid they're going to kill him."

Jing Ke calmed him down. "It's okay, Qi er. It's just a dream. Don't worry, Uncle Luo Yi will be fine," he reassured her. Because it was dawn, she didn't nod after that. She stepped out of the house to catch the morning sun. While she was enjoying the sunrise, two young men came up to her.

"Are you Wang Qi?" one of the men asked. Shocked, she got up from her chair and replied: "Yes, I am. What do you want?" she asked.

Another man: "I think you are Wang Luo Yi's adopted daughter, right?" he asked.

"She remembered her dream and got scared. "Yes, who are you? Are you his men?" she asked casually.

"Yes, your father sent us to you. Qin forces approach. They imprisoned your father. They had already reached Luoyang. Their next destination is Yangzhai" said the other man. She couldn't believe her ears.

"Did they catch my father? Did they hurt him?" she got nervous. She ran straight into the house.