"Won't you stay for a few more days?"
The opinions of others held no sway over Ying Zheng's affection for Lin Tian.
Thus, after keeping Lin Tian for two days, Ying Zheng still found it hard to let him go.
Even with the hundred thousand strong army in Yan territory, Ying Zheng did not urgently assign Lin Tian to lead them.
Such favoritism was beyond compare for an ordinary person.
Even the most foolish individual would have realized by now that Ying Zheng treated Lin Tian differently.
But at this moment, why would Ying Zheng care about others' thoughts?
If not for Lin Tian's unwillingness, he would have gladly announced Lin Tian as a prince of Great Qin, and its Crown Prince.
However, he knew he could not force Lin Tian's will.
Therefore, he could only hope that Lin Tian would stay longer to accompany him.
Yet, after two days, Lin Tian chose to depart.
He would naturally remain in Xianyang city, but now was not the time for him to govern it.
Conquering Yan was his primary objective.
"The assassination attempt in Yan has failed; there will surely be other actions!"
"We must attack Yan as soon as possible, conquer it, and let them know that a king cannot be insulted!"
"This time, I have decided to directly take over Yan and make it disappear!"
Although he was aware of the historical event of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, witnessing it firsthand still enraged Lin Tian.
Especially considering how close Ying Zheng was to Jing Ke at the time, constantly facing death.
This made Lin Tian even more intolerant.
Therefore, he decided to strike against Yan immediately, annihilate Yan, and kill the Crown Prince of Yan, Dan.
Upon hearing these words, Ying Zheng clearly sensed Lin Tian's resolve.
This made him sigh.
"So be it. Since you are determined to destroy Yan, we shall speak again after you have accomplished it!"
"Understood!"
Lin Tian spoke, and under Ying Zheng's gaze, he returned to the military camp alone.
Such an action would have been incredibly perilous for anyone else.
If their whereabouts were discovered, they might very well die on the road.
But it was different for Lin Tian; no one was his match.
Any assassin who dared to target Lin Tian had met their end at his hands.
Therefore, even when acting alone, Lin Tian was exceptionally safe.
Upon returning to the army, his first action was not to organize the troops for the attack on Yan.
Instead, he inquired of the Black Ice Guard:
"Have you been watching Han Fang?"
"He is being watched! But he is not in the military camp!"
"Not in the military camp?"
"Correct! After the General left, he employed a stratagem of 'the cicada shedding its shell,' leaving a substitute in the camp. As for himself, he is within our city and has not gone far!"
"As expected of a clever man. Even when he realized the plot was exposed, he did not panic, but instead, he is still observing the situation nearby!!"
Zhang Liang's departure was a clear indication that he had sensed something was amiss.
Lin Tian's departure coincided too perfectly. Others might not have found the timing significant,
but Zhang Liang immediately perceived the underlying strangeness.
At the same time, he made the worst possible assumption.
He surmised that Lin Tian had seen through everything and had rushed to Xianyang to save Ying Zheng.
If such a thing had truly happened, then Zhang Liang remaining in the military camp would clearly be extremely dangerous.
Therefore, he arranged for someone to take his place, while he, under a different identity and in a different location, continued to observe from the sidelines.
However, such a tactic, effective against ordinary people, was not as potent against the Black Ice Guard.
Even if he changed his identity, the Black Ice Guard could still find him.
When Lin Tian and the Black Ice Guard appeared in Zhang Liang's courtyard, Zhang Liang was visibly taken aback.
He had never imagined that Lin Tian would appear directly in his courtyard.
This led Zhang Liang to ponder, had Lin Tian indeed seen through everything?
What should he do next? Was there any possibility of escape?
Zhang Liang contemplated many things, but outwardly, he remained remarkably calm.
"May I know which general this is...?"
"Mr. Han, why do you still play pretend with this general?"
"Mr. Han? I believe the general has mistaken me. My surname is Wang, and I am not the Mr. Han the general speaks of!"
"Indeed. One should not call you Mr. Han, but rather Zhang Liang of Han!"
At the mention of Zhang Liang's name, he was utterly stunned.
At this moment, he was absolutely certain that Lin Tian had seen through his entire guise.
Not only did he know his location, but he also understood his identity.
He even suspected that Lin Tian might have figured out his involvement in sending Crown Prince Dan of Yan to assassinate Ying Zheng.
Instantly, Zhang Liang's face turned pale.
"You, how did you know?"
With his intelligence, Zhang Liang naturally understood that pretense was no longer feasible.
Therefore, he desperately wanted to comprehend how Lin Tian had seen through his identity.
He even more so wished to know how Lin Tian had discovered everything about him.
Zhang Liang's admission brought a smile to Lin Tian's face.
"Who doesn't know the name Zhang Liang!"
"Mr. Zhang is truly sentimental. Even when adopting a new name, you based it on the state of Han and your own name!"
"With such a name and such a brilliant individual, I truly cannot think of anyone else besides Mr. Zhang Liang!"
Lin Tian had indeed deduced his identity from Zhang Liang's chosen name.
This was something Zhang Liang had never anticipated, and he froze.
Originally, the name he chose was merely arbitrary, based on his own name, but he never expected that such a casual choice would become his downfall.
One had to admit, Lin Tian was too intelligent, frighteningly so.
However, Zhang Liang was still somewhat unwilling to concede.
He wanted to know if the assassination attempt on Ying Zheng in Yan had succeeded, and if Lin Tian was the one who thwarted it.
Therefore, Zhang Liang did not attempt to flee immediately.
"Did General Lin go to Xianyang to save the King of Qin?"
"Yes!"
"How did you know that Yan intended to assassinate the King of Qin?"
"It's all thanks to the people of Yan sending me a letter! They said they wished to present their maps and negotiate peace with our Great Qin!"
"But if they were negotiating peace, they wouldn't need to involve me, yet they sent an unknown envoy to Xianyang!"
"Such an action, if claimed to be without ulterior motives, I doubt even they would believe it!"
Jing Ke might not have been famous to others,
but Lin Tian knew him very well.
However, Lin Tian could not reveal such information.
Upon hearing Lin Tian's explanation, Zhang Liang's face instantly turned green.
He never expected that Yan would write to Lin Tian about a peace negotiation. Such a matter could have been delayed or brought up when Lin Tian's army was already marching to attack Yan.
To mention it so early was tantamount to betraying Lin Tian.
Thinking of Crown Prince Dan of Yan as such a person, Zhang Liang felt utterly exhausted.
He was lost in thought.
"It's not that the opponent is too formidable, but rather that the teammates are too foolish!"
"With such teammates, how can one win?!"
Zhang Liang felt that the biggest regret of his life was partnering with Crown Prince Dan of Yan.
Crown Prince Dan of Yan was simply too incompetent.
...