Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield

"Taking command of fifty thousand troops, bestowed with the Destiny of a Deputy General, would you like to upgrade your Fate Official Seal?" A prompt appeared on the panel.

"Upgrade."

Zhao Feng did not hesitate.

As the destiny halo shimmered with golden light, the words 'Capital Commandant' on his official seal changed to 'Deputy General'. The seal itself transformed into the shape of a tiger.

"Equip official seal."

As soon as the Fate Official Seal was upgraded, Zhao Feng immediately equipped it. The attributes of the new seal were displayed before him.

[Deputy General's Official Seal]: Lead an army of 50,000 troops. When the Host leads a charge, you can double the morale and combat strength of your soldiers. When the Host leads his soldiers in burying the fallen, you will obtain thirty percent of the total Attributes collected from the buried soldiers.

Seeing the official seal's attributes, Zhao Feng was still slightly disappointed despite the considerable upgrade.

Doubling both morale and combat strength is indeed formidable, but why must I bury the dead to obtain the Attributes collected by my men? Can't it be set up so I gain a portion of Attributes for every enemy killed by my Sharp Warriors? he thought in exasperation.

If he could gain Attributes based on a percentage of enemies killed by his Sharp Warriors, that would be much more convenient. It would certainly be more exciting than arranging for his troops to carry corpses, and he would gain far more Attributes as well.

I hope I get a chance to change the attributes of this Fate Official Seal when I'm promoted to Main General in the future, Zhao Feng thought to himself.

After handling various matters, Zhao Feng did not waste his precious cultivation time. He returned to his quarters and began his necessary daily cultivation.

Now that Zhao Feng had become a second-level faction leader, his cultivation speed increased once again. From now on, the Attributes gained from each night of cultivation would be considerable. However, as his own Attributes strengthened, he could no longer gain as much as before; previously, he could obtain about forty Attribute points each night. The increase in his True Qi, on the other hand, was exceptionally noteworthy.

「Zhao Capital, Handan!」

"Damn it! Ying Zheng, that damned Ying Zheng!" King of Zhao, Zhao Yan, bellowed, his voice echoing through Longtai Palace in a towering rage. "He actually wiped out Han. How dare he? By what right?"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger," Guo Kai said, his tone immediately obsequious. "This Ying Zheng is just a lucky incompetent. He's nothing compared to Your Majesty."

"If he is an incompetent, then am I, who has not expanded our territory, even more of one?" Zhao Yan shouted angrily.

Guo Kai immediately scurried forward and knelt. "Your Majesty, calm your anger! That is absolutely not what I meant."

"Ying Zheng," Zhao Yan snarled. "He was under my heel as a child, and he is destined to remain under my heel now that he's grown. How can a waste of space like him be worthy of being a king? One day, I will destroy Qin and all the other states! Only I am worthy of unifying the world!"

In his heart of hearts, he had never once considered Ying Zheng a genuine threat. Back when Ying Zheng was a hostage in Zhao, he and Guo Kai had been the ones who bullied him the most viciously.

"What Your Majesty says is absolutely true," Guo Kai flattered him instantly. "Only Your Majesty can unify the world."

"Guo Kai," Zhao Yan said, his face turning sullen as he looked at his prime minister. "You must have heard the talk about me, both in the court and among the common people."

"I... I dare not say," Guo Kai replied, his expression changing.

Zhao Yan sneered. "That I seized the throne unjustly, that I robbed Zhao Yi of his birthright. That I lack the virtue and talent to be king." He spat out the name with contempt, "Zhao Yi. What a scheme. He spread all of this."

"Zhao Yi is even more detestable than Ying Zheng. No, Ying Zheng is the most detestable! If he hadn't sent Zhao Yi back, I would never have had to deal with this!"

Guo Kai immediately said, "Your Majesty need only issue the decree, and this servant will execute that villain Zhao Yi at once. Let the entire state of Zhao know that Your Majesty is the one true king!"

"Kill Zhao Yi?" Zhao Yan scoffed. "If I killed him, I would face the wrath of the entire royal clan and cause immense unrest among the people. If he could be killed so easily, I would have done it long ago. Detestable!"

Zhao Yan cursed, but his anger was laced with a deep sense of helplessness.

Guo Kai's eyes darted about before he offered, "If Your Majesty could expand Zhao's territory, then all the talk in the court and among the people would cease. Everyone would praise Your Majesty as a wise and enlightened ruler."

At these words, Zhao Yan's eyes lit up. A ruler who expands his empire—what a glorious title! If he could conquer a state, wouldn't his prestige surpass even Ying Zheng's?

"You're right," Zhao Yan said, his arrogance resurfacing. "If I can expand the territory for Zhao, then I will be Zhao's enlightened ruler. Everyone will truly submit to me, and no one will dare to question me again. Zhao Yi will be nothing but a dog at my feet. And as for Ying Zheng... he managed to destroy Han. Am I any less capable than him?"

"What Your Majesty says is absolutely true," Guo Kai fawned. "Ying Zheng in his entirety isn't worth one of Your Majesty's toes."

The reason he held the rank of Prime Minister was simply that he had followed Zhao Yan since childhood, mastering the art of sycophancy to climb to his current position. Of course, there was also an old promise from Zhao Yan: if Guo Kai got rid of Mao Sui and ensured Zhao Yi could not return to Zhao, the position of Prime Minister would be his. The rumors circulating within Zhao were not wrong at all; Zhao Yan's claim to the throne was indeed illegitimate.

"Yan has always been an enemy of Zhao," Zhao Yan said in a low voice. "If I were to attack Yan, I could rightfully convince the court officials."

"Your Majesty," Guo Kai cautioned, "waging war is feasible, but we must be wary of Qin. It would be disastrous if Qin attacked us while our army is engaged elsewhere. If we can force Qin to sign a non-aggression pact, making them afraid to invade, then Zhao will have enough time to conquer Yan."

Hearing this, Zhao Yan's expression turned serious. Indeed, that was a valid concern.

"Ying Zheng despises me to the bone. Why would he ever sign a pact with me?" Zhao Yan sneered, finding the idea laughable.

"Your Majesty could send someone to investigate," Guo Kai suggested tentatively. "Perhaps there is something that could threaten Ying Zheng, something that would force him to sign the pact?"

Zhao Yan nodded, pondering for a moment. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Have you heard of Ying Zheng's mother, Concubine Zhao?" Zhao Yan sneered, a malicious scheme already forming in his mind.

"Of course," Guo Kai said with a derisive laugh. "Ying Zheng's mother is a harlot who bore him two half-brothers from a different father—a laughingstock for the entire world. She even betrayed Ying Zheng and helped her lover rebel against him. Only a woman as shameless as her could do such a thing."

"If we capture Concubine Zhao and bring her here," Zhao Yan said with a cold laugh, "wouldn't Ying Zheng be entirely at my mercy?"