Ying Zheng's actions were naturally not without reason.
Although Lin Tian had said that he did not wish to reveal his identity before conquering the other six states, this did not prevent Ying Zheng from laying the groundwork for Lin Tian in advance and giving everyone a preemptive warning.
And Ying Zheng's preemptive warning undoubtedly fell upon the military.
After all, all of Lin Tian's strength originated from the military.
And it was the military's strength that supported the current Great Qin.
As long as a solid foundation was laid for Lin Tian within the military, then ascending to the throne would present no further obstacles for Lin Tian in the future.
In the beginning, Wang Jian had not fully grasped this point.
But once he truly understood, his entire body could not help but tremble.
He also showed Lin Tian a level of respect he had never experienced before.
This kind of respect was something Lin Tian had never felt before.
Even when Ying Zheng transferred tens of thousands of troops from Wang Jian's army to reinforce Lin Tian's forces, Wang Jian did not complain in the slightest.
Wang Jian understood that the future Great Qin belonged to Lin Tian.
And now, Lin Tian needed to establish absolute prestige within the military, so he naturally cooperated.
To this end, he not only allocated sufficient troops for Lin Tian but also transferred his son, Wang Ben, to serve under Lin Tian's command.
In Wang Jian's view, if Wang Ben could grow alongside Lin Tian, he would become a loyal minister in the future, and thus, the prosperity of their Wang family would be assured.
Even achieving dual marquisates within one family would not be a fantasy.
Ying Zheng did not refuse this.
Wang Jian's willingness to transfer troops to Lin Tian was equivalent to stating his support for Lin Tian to become the future king of Great Qin.
Given this, having Wang Ben under Lin Tian's command was undoubtedly the icing on the cake.
As a result, Lin Tian directly gained two more capable generals.
One was Li Mu of the Zhao state. Although he only held the position of an advisor under Lin Tian, everyone showed him reverence.
The other was Wang Ben.
Although young, he already possessed a certain reputation within the military.
With the addition of these two, Lin Tian's staff of talented individuals increased significantly.
After arranging these matters and taking control of everything in Handan City, Ying Zheng and his entourage departed.
Subsequently, Lin Tian did not return to Xianyang City but led a hundred thousand troops to Yumen Prefecture.
Yumen Prefecture was a very special location. To its north were the Xiongnu, who had troubled the Zhao and Yan states for many years.
To its northwest was the current Yan state.
Lin Tian stationed his army in Yumen Prefecture, thereby defending against the Xiongnu invasion and deterring the Yan state.
Of course, Lin Tian's primary objective was to use Yumen as a base to conquer the Yan state.
The people of Yan seemed to know this. After Lin Tian's hundred thousand troops appeared in Yumen Prefecture, they strengthened the defensive forces of their various cities.
Moreover, they were in a state of constant apprehension.
At this moment, they were deeply dissatisfied with the presence of Lin Tian's hundred thousand troops stationed in Yumen Prefecture.
"Why is it Qin's Lin Tian, and not Qin's Wang Jian?"
"If it were Qin's Wang Jian, we would certainly not need to be so cautious!"
Wang Jian had a distinct style of warfare.
His combat ability was exceptionally strong, and few people, except for a handful of top generals, could withstand his offensives.
However, he was very cautious in his battles.
Generally, he would not launch a full-scale attack unless he had a guaranteed victory.
This cautious approach would have given the Yan state ample time to react.
If Wang Jian had truly attacked, even if they couldn't win, they could have retreated while fighting.
But Lin Tian was different. Lin Tian's actions were unlike anyone else's, and he did not follow conventional tactics.
If he were to attack the Yan state, Yan would have no idea where Lin Tian would strike from.
This sense of uncontrollable unpredictability was undoubtedly terrible for the people of Yan.
Of course, more importantly, Lin Tian's combat power was immense.
Once Lin Tian led a hundred thousand troops to attack their cities, it would be difficult for them to resist.
Therefore, the people of Yan were terrified.
"What should we do? How should we resist the offensive of Lin Tian's army?"
"How can we resist this? Lin Tian's combat power is famously strong; even Prince Dan was defeated by him. Now that he has a hundred thousand troops, it will be even harder for us to resist!"
"This time, we can only defend the city!"
Facing Lin Tian's hundred thousand troops, not a single person among them had any intention of attacking.
They knew very well that with their strength, it would be difficult to defeat Lin Tian's hundred thousand troops.
If they were to charge forward, they might end up like Crown Prince Dan, suffering a crushing defeat.
Moreover, they might not have Crown Prince Dan's good fortune to return alive.
If they went, it might be a one-way trip.
Under such circumstances, who would be willing to provoke Lin Tian?
King Yan, sitting on his throne, listened for a long time and had a general understanding of their words.
The entire court advocated for defending the city, and not a word was spoken about proactively engaging Lin Tian's army.
This made King Yan extremely angry.
"Lin Tian's hundred thousand troops have reached our Yan state's doorstep, and you have no thoughts of engaging Lin Tian in battle?"
"Not a single person in the entire court dares to speak?"
King Yan's words made many feel ashamed and even stirred a desire to volunteer to fight Lin Tian.
However, thinking of Lin Tian's prowess and the disastrous defeats of the Han, Zhao, and Prince Dan of Yan, they suppressed this urge.
Lin Tian had already proven through his actions how strong his military capabilities were.
Under such circumstances, if they were to force a battle with Lin Tian, they would undoubtedly suffer a crushing defeat.
Rather than that, it was better to remain silent and pretend nothing had happened.
Their reaction filled King Yan with extreme disappointment.
"Fine, it seems I cannot count on you lot!"
"Prepare an army of two hundred thousand, ready to respond to any attack from Qin's Lin Tian at any time!"
"Yes!!"
Although they did not know who would command this army of two hundred thousand, being able to gather such a force provided a sense of security in their hearts.
At least, if Lin Tian's hundred thousand troops attacked, they would have a way to respond.
Therefore, King Yan's willingness to gather two hundred thousand troops relieved the people of Yan.
Of course, they understood that this relief was only temporary.
When Lin Tian truly attacked, whether they could hold him off was still an unknown.
However, for now, Lin Tian had not attacked their Yan state, and they could continue to enjoy their wealth and status without worrying about their privileges.
In such chaotic times, enjoying one more day was a blessing.
And Lin Tian did indeed have thoughts of attacking them, but before he could attack Yan, a new development occurred in Yumen Prefecture.
...