Chapter 1

After a bout of intense pain, he slowly opened his eyes. His head felt dazed, as if it contained a bunch of memories that did not belong to him.

"I am Zhao Dan, a minor civil servant in the Huaxia Dynasty of 2017. In my free time, I enjoy reading historical books, especially those about the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods..."

"Rubbish! I am King Zhao Dan!"

"No, I am Zhao Dan. What King Zhao Dan? Get lost!"

When he opened his eyes again, he finally regained his clarity.

Zhao Dan lifted his head and began to observe his surroundings.

At this moment, Zhao Dan was lying on a bed. Around the bed were several wooden pieces of furniture, similar to screens, which enclosed the bed.

These pieces of furniture were painted with red lacquer, and on them were murals depicting nine phoenix-like creatures entwining and flying, along with many intricate cloud patterns, exquisitely and beautifully crafted.

Zhao Dan carefully examined these screen-like pieces of furniture and concluded: "This is... a yi?"

A yi is the term used for screens during the Warring States period.

Zhao Dan got off the bed and examined himself, finding that he was wearing a dark-colored silk top and a dark red skirt, with intricate cloud-dragon patterns on the collar and sleeves, giving an ancient, elegant, and noble appearance.

This was not the kind of clothing that an ordinary person could wear.

Zhao Dan walked out from among the screens and found himself in a grand hall.

This was a spacious hall, with dozens of intricate and ornate bronze palace lamps hanging from the ceiling, but only a few were lit, casting a dim yellow light that flickered and illuminated the hall.

In the center of the hall was a gold-inlaid bronze dragon and phoenix table, with a base divided into three layers. The bottom layer was shaped like a deer's head, and on top of it were four coiled dragons, with phoenixes flying between them. The heads of the four dragons stood tall, supporting the flat tabletop at the four corners.

On the tabletop were some bamboo slips, clearly having been read, and thus placed in a somewhat disordered manner.

Zhao Dan walked to the table and, quite naturally, knelt on a mat similar in size to a cushion, picking up the top bamboo slip.

It read a simple sentence: "Your Majesty, Zhao Kuo should not be appointed as a general."

"Zhao Kuo should not be appointed as a general?" Zhao Dan muttered, suddenly finding the phrase familiar: "Zhao Kuo should not be appointed as a general... Could this be referring to... Zhao Kuo?"

The moment the words "Zhao Kuo" slipped out, Zhao Dan's head was suddenly filled with intense pain, and countless fragments of memory flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

Zhao Dan clutched his head in agony, emitting a low moan of pain.

The pain came and went quickly, completely subsiding in just a few seconds.

And Zhao Dan finally understood everything.

He was Zhao Dan, a civil servant from the Huaxia Dynasty of 2017, but he had been transported back two thousand years to the body of Zhao Dan, a Warring States period ruler with the same name, inheriting all of this "Zhao Dan's" memories.

Zhao Dan, the grandson of King Wuling of Zhao and the son of King Huiwen of Zhao, was later known as King Xiaocheng of Zhao.

From the memories he inherited, it was the sixth year of King Xiaocheng's reign, 260 BC, and today was July 12th.

Zhao Dan's face suddenly changed: "Wait, 260 BC? That means..."

Looking at the bamboo slip in his hand, which read "Zhao Kuo should not be appointed as a general," Zhao Dan suddenly understood.

From 262 BC to 260 BC, a legendary battle took place in China, known as the Battle of Changping (or the Battle of Shangdang).

At this moment, as the ruler of the State of Zhao, Zhao Dan was about to make a decision that would be criticized by countless future generations: appointing Zhao Kuo, the son of General Zhao She, known for his "armchair strategy," to replace the current commander of the front lines at Changping, General Lian Po, as the commander of the 450,000 Zhao troops.

The story that followed is well-known to many: Zhao Kuo was outmaneuvered by Qin's General Bai Qi, and the 450,000 Zhao troops were annihilated at Changping. Qin defeated the last major rival of the Warring States period, the State of Zhao, and thus laid the foundation for the unification of China.

Before Zhao Kuo's campaign, many people tried to dissuade Zhao Dan from this decision, including Zhao Kuo's mother, Yi. The bamboo slip reading "Zhao Kuo should not be appointed as a general" was written by Zhao Kuo's mother, Yi.

Zhao Dan took a deep breath and, from memory, picked up another bamboo slip from the table and unfolded it. It read:

"Initially, I served his father, who, when he was a general, personally served food and drink to dozens of people and befriended hundreds. All the rewards and gifts from Your Majesty and the royal family were given to the officers and soldiers. On the day he received his orders, he did not ask about family matters. Now, Zhao Kuo, upon becoming a general, faces east to receive his audience, and no officer dares to look up at him. The gold and silk Your Majesty has bestowed upon him are stored at home, and he spends his days looking for and buying convenient fields and houses. What do you think of him compared to his father? Father and son have different hearts. I hope Your Majesty will not send him. If Your Majesty insists on sending him, and if he fails, will I, his mother, be held responsible?"

The author of this bamboo slip was also Zhao Kuo's mother.

The content of this bamboo slip was quite simple, mainly focusing on two points: first, it highlighted the differences between Zhao Kuo and his father, Zhao She, suggesting that Zhao Kuo was far inferior to his father and thus should not be sent to the front lines.

The second point was that if Your Majesty (Zhao Dan) insisted on sending Zhao Kuo, and if Zhao Kuo ultimately failed, then the responsibility should be placed solely on Zhao Kuo, not on his mother.

At the end of the bamboo slip, Zhao Dan saw his own response, which was a single word: "Agreed."

This "Agreed" was a response Zhao Dan had just written before going to sleep, and it had not yet been sent out.

If not for this time travel, Zhao Dan would have convened his ministers at dawn to formally announce the decision to replace Lian Po with Zhao Kuo.

Zhao Dan stared at the bamboo slip, speechless for a long time.

After a while, Zhao Dan suddenly stood up and walked out of the hall.

The guards outside the hall were surprised and greeted him: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Zhao Dan nodded and looked up at the sky.

There was no moon tonight, and the night sky was filled with brilliant stars. From the high platform of the palace, the vast city of Handan seemed like a giant beast, quietly lying in the darkness.

It was already summer in Handan in July, and the hall was somewhat warm, but it was quite cool outside.

The cool night breeze blew on Zhao Dan's face, invigorating his spirit.

Suddenly, the darkness of the world began to fade, and a hint of dawn appeared in the east. The outline of Handan began to slowly emerge before Zhao Dan.

At this moment, Zhao Dan had no doubt that this was not a dream. He had indeed traveled back two thousand years to the Warring States period, becoming the contemporary ruler of the State of Zhao, who shared his name.

If history continued as it had, the State of Zhao under Zhao Dan's rule would soon suffer an unprecedented and historically significant defeat at the Battle of Changping. Zhao Dan would die after fifteen years of hard work and effort.

After Zhao Dan's death, the great unifier, Qin Shi Huang, would rise to power, completing the unification of China, and the fate of the State of Zhao would be to serve as a stepping stone on Qin Shi Huang's path to success.

"This is simply—unfair!" Zhao Dan's face was grim, and he let out a silent roar in his heart.

After going through so much to travel through time and inherit such a vast legacy, how could he let it all be for someone else's benefit?

I will change this damned course of history and make the State of Zhao the ultimate victor in this chaotic Warring States period, and I, Zhao Dan, will become the true first emperor of all time!

Zhao Dan took a deep breath and began to think about strategies for the current crisis at Changping using his modern knowledge.

Since the replacement of the general has not yet truly happened, there is still a chance for a turnaround, and it is not too late!

At this moment, a gray-haired eunuch appeared before Zhao Dan, bowing: "Miu Xian greets Your Majesty. Is there anything Your Majesty needs at this late hour?"

This eunuch, who showed signs of aging, was Miu Xian, the chief eunuch of the State of Zhao, responsible for the palace eunuchs and attendants, or what would be known in later times as the "Grand Chamberlain."

Zhao Dan nodded slightly but did not speak, instead staring at the gradually brightening eastern sky for a long time.

Miu Xian, with decades of experience as the chief eunuch, stood by patiently waiting.

After a long contemplation, Zhao Dan finally made up his mind.

"Miu Xian, send people out of the palace to summon Pingyang Jun Zhao Bao, Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng, Lin Xiangru, Yu Xin, and Lou Chang to the palace! Also, summon Zhao Kuo and Su Dai to wait in a side hall."