Chapter 83: Withdrawal from Handan (I)

  After returning to the mansion, Li Mu immediately ordered Yuan Xuan to lead all the troops to enter Handan City, take over the four gates of Handan, and thoroughly control the entire Handan. Then he informed his family members and guests, and let Ning Ji tidy up the things in the mansion, prepare vehicles, and prepare to leave Handan and retreat to Quyang.

  At the same time, Li Mu sent someone to pick up Sima Shang's family. Originally, Sima Shang was supervising the construction of the Great Wall on the north bank of the Zhang River, but Qin State returned twelve cities south of the Zhang River to Zhao State, so Zhao State also stopped building the Great Wall on the north bank of the Zhang River. Therefore, Li Mu transferred Sima Shang to garrison the Jingdian camp. Li Mu and Sima Shang were sworn brothers, advancing and retreating together, so when Li Mu withdrew from Handan, he must have taken Sima Shang's family with him as well.

  Qūyáng Yì is now the fief of Lǐ Mù, but Lǐ Mù has not yet arrived in Qūyáng, only sending some family members to take over the government affairs of Qūyáng. Qūyáng is located in the north of Zhāo Guó, about two hundred miles away from Jǐng Jìng and Fān Wú, under the jurisdiction of Dài Prefecture.

  Li Mu had been stationed in Dai Prefecture for a long time, spanning over a decade. Because Li Mu governed the army strictly and prepared to defend against the Xiongnu, protecting the people, he was indeed popular among the people of Dai Prefecture. The troops led by Li Mu were mostly local civilians. Therefore, if Li Mu were to establish himself in Dai Prefecture, it would be extremely advantageous from all aspects. Quyang was also made by Li Mu as the base for his administration in Dai Prefecture.

  Once he made up his mind, Li Mu's actions were swift and decisive. Orders were issued one after another, clear and concise, showing that Li Mu's attitude was very firm and no longer held any illusions about King Zhao Xiang.

  Li Mu then ordered someone to invite Wu Lie, Lin Wenqing, Zhuo Dong and others to come to his mansion tomorrow to discuss matters. Because Li Mu had already made a guarantee to the merchants that he would protect their interests, but now the situation has changed, Li Mu was forced to withdraw from Handan, so it was also necessary to invite everyone to come and consult on how to operate afterwards. After Li Mu retreated to Dai Prefecture, a large amount of grain and supplies were needed, and Handan could no longer be relied upon, only relying on these merchants.

  After arranging these things, Li Mu called Gao Yuan and Li Yinghong to the inner chamber. Li Mu said: "Gao Yuan, thanks to you today, otherwise I might have died in front of the palace."

  Gao Yuan Dao: "General, no need to be polite. However, I think this assassination attempt is quite suspicious. Because one of the people involved was someone I met during the rescue of Luo Huan. At that time, we suspected they might be Qin spies, but why would they appear in the palace? Judging from the situation at the time, they should have been disguising themselves and blending in with the soldiers guarding the palace, probably even Zhao Shuo didn't know."

  Li Yinghong said: "Isn't it obvious? Guo Kai must have colluded with the Qin state, so he could let this group of people mix in with the soldiers and assassinate Father."

  Gao Yuan shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. If it was really related to Guo Kai, he shouldn't have let someone hide among the soldiers in the palace to assassinate the great general. He couldn't have predicted that the great general would get so close to the city gate, otherwise, there wouldn't have been an opportunity for assassination at all. Instead, he should have tried to lure the great general into the palace and then set up an ambush to kill him. Even if the great general had entered the palace with guards, the chances of success would have been much higher. Moreover, at that time, only a dozen or so people took action, and Zhao Shuo didn't make any moves at all. If Zhao Shuo had given the order for other soldiers to shoot arrows from the city walls, we would have been in big trouble. Therefore, I think this time has nothing to do with Guo Kai, but rather was a spontaneous act by Qin's internal personnel. Being able to assassinate the great general is of course good, and if not, it can also make the great general and Zhao State completely break off relations."

  Li Yinghong also nodded, to be honest, at the moment when Li Mu was assassinated, Li Yinghong's heart was indeed filled with anger, and he wished he could have rushed into the palace at that time and killed Zhao Wangqian and Guo Kai.

  Li Mu waved his hand and said, "Forget it, no matter what their goal is, I'm afraid Zhao Guo and I can't go back to the way we were before. Leaving Handan is our only choice. Gao Yuan, you've just started your official career for a few days, but you're already being dragged down by me."

  Gao Yuan hastily said: "What the Grand General has said, from the moment I arrived here, I have been taken care of by the Grand General. Coming to Zhao Guo was entirely following the Grand General. As for whether or not I become an official, I actually don't mind at all. As long as the Grand General is safe and sound, that's all that matters."

  Li Mu smiled slightly and said, "Alright, I won't be polite with you either. To tell the truth, after withdrawing from Handan this time, my future is uncertain. If something happens to me, then I'll have to rely on you to take care of Yinghong in the future."

  Li Yinghong was stunned for a moment, her face flushed with embarrassment, and she said in a spoiled tone: "Father."

  Although Li Yinghong and Gao Yuan's relationship is no longer a secret, it has not been explicitly stated yet. However, with Li Mu's words, the implication is already very clear, which is to betroth Gao Yuan to him. Even though Li Yinghong has always been straightforward and generous, she can't help but feel somewhat humiliated.

  Li Mu gently stroked his daughter's hair and smiled: "After the beginning of the year, the Qin army will inevitably attack Zhao Guo, and this time it will be a national mobilization. The outcome is indeed difficult to predict. However, I am already over 50 years old, even if I die now, it won't be considered untimely. Moreover, I have been at war all my life, and even if I die in battle this time, being wrapped in horsehide would still be a proper burial for a general. The only thing that weighs on my heart is you."

  At this point, Li Mu's words also had some meaning of entrusting his orphaned children, so Li Yinghong immediately said: "Father, don't say such inauspicious things."

  Li Mu smiled and said, "As a military general, there are so many taboos. Although you are not my biological daughter, I have always regarded you as one, Gaoyuan. If I'm no longer around, can you guarantee that you'll take good care of Yihong?"

  Gao Yuan suddenly sat up straight, bowed to Li Mu and said: "Thank you for your kindness, General. I can assure you that I will never disappoint Xinghong for the rest of my life."

  Li Mu also nodded and smiled: "Good, with your promise, I can rest assured. After Qu Yang settles down, I will hold a formal wedding ceremony for you two. It's just that time is pressing, so it can't be helped if things are a bit rushed. But now is an extraordinary period, everything can only be simple."

  Gao Yuan said: "Everything will be done according to General's intention."

  Li Mu smiled and said, "Alright, Yinghong's lifelong matter is settled, I don't have anything to worry about anymore. I can now fully focus on fighting this battle with Qin Jun. Gao Yuan, you also go back and prepare. Tomorrow there is still one day of preparation time. The day after tomorrow at dawn, we will leave Handan."

  Gao Yuan bid farewell to Li Mu and stood up to leave, while Li Yinghong still escorted him out of the mansion as usual. However, since that layer of paper had been pierced through, both of them felt somewhat awkward and didn't speak a word until they reached the gate of the mansion. It was only then that Li Yinghong said: "Gao Yuan, thank you for ensuring Father's safety today."

  Gao Yuan smiled and said, "Between us, there's no need to say thank you. Now the Great General is my father-in-law, I won't help anyone else if not him. After we withdraw from Handan, I will do my best to assist the Great General in defeating the Qin army's attack, so don't worry."

  Li Yinghong's face turned bright red, she hooked her arms around Gao Yuan's neck and gave him a peck on the cheek, saying: "I'm really happy to be your wife." After that, she turned around and went back.

  Leaving Li Mu's mansion, on the way back to his own mansion, Gao Yuan's mind was also rapidly thinking. From the current development situation, there have been some minor deviations from the true history, but overall, the course of history has not changed much. The Qin state is still strong, the six states are still weak, the Han state has perished as before, and the Zhao state is still ruled by a foolish king and treacherous ministers.

  However, the efforts of Gao Yuan were not entirely in vain. At least from what can be seen now, Li Mu's fate has indeed undergone a significant change. Due to the lack of historical records, there are roughly two accounts of Li Mu's death: one is that he was stripped of his military power and killed on the spot; the other is that after returning to Handan, he was murdered. However, from the current situation, both possibilities seem extremely slim. This is also Gao Yuan's main goal at this stage, and it can be said that this goal has been basically achieved. But after retreating to Dai Prefecture, how should things develop next? Gao Yuan had no idea either.

  But Gao Yuan also knew that although Li Mu's fate had changed, the fate of Zhao Guo remained the same, and the situation was not optimistic. Because after the new year, Qin Guo would definitely raise a large army to attack Zhao Guo, and this time the main general of the Qin army would be Wang Jian, a famous general in the late Warring States period who was as famous as Li Mu. With the strong support of Qin Guo, it was really difficult to predict who would win or lose this battle. But the chances of Zhao Guo winning would not be higher than those of Qin Guo.

  Actually, there has been a controversy in later generations: if Li Muo didn't die, could he have preserved the Zhao state? One view is that after all, the general trend of history was Qin's strength and Zhao's weakness, and this gap couldn't be changed by one person, so even if Li Muo were still alive, it would be very difficult to preserve the Zhao state; at most, the Qin state would just have to waste more energy, spend a bit more time, and unify the country a few years later.

  Another theory is that Li Mu was entirely capable of preserving Zhao, because at the time there were still six nations in the world. After Han's destruction, other nations had some feelings of "rabbit dies, fox grieves" and "lip dies, tooth cold". Therefore, as long as Li Mu could resist the Qin army, other nations could organize another alliance to resist Qin, so it is difficult to say what the outcome would be. Even if it couldn't change the strong trend of Qin's unification, delaying Qin's unification for over a decade was entirely possible.

  Actually, both statements make sense. Although the overall trend of history cannot be changed by individual efforts, in some local situations, personal efforts can also change the course of history, and Li Mu is precisely a person with such ability. Therefore, the next goal is to do one's best to expand this local situation as much as possible.

  From the current situation, Zhao Guo is not entirely without opportunity. Firstly, Li Mu's outstanding military talent has been proven by history, and now with Gao Yuan, even Gao Yuan himself can feel that his influence on history is gradually increasing. With the advantageous terrain, combined with the new cavalry and the newly compiled Mandarin Duck Formation, the combat effectiveness of the Zhao army has also been greatly improved, so it's not impossible to defeat the Qin army again.