Ying Zheng knew how Lin Tian had captured Daliang of Wei, so Ying Zheng was only shocked for a few days before he felt at ease.
Given Lin Tian's talent, it wasn't surprising that he accomplished such astonishing feats.
However, while Ying Zheng was at ease, others were not.
Especially the people of Chu and Qi, who were thoroughly terrified.
"They really took it down, they really took Wei. It's likely not long before they turn their attention to our Chu!"
"It truly is an eventful time! Now our Chu is in danger!!"
"In the last great war, our Chu suffered a great loss. I'm sure the King will order us into a state of preparedness! If we can truly defend Chu when Qin attacks!!"
Lin Tian's achievements were too brilliant, having conquered four countries consecutively.
Such powerful combat capability made even the mighty Chu uneasy.
Coupled with the previous defeat of Xiang Yan's twenty thousand strong army, the people of Chu had even less confidence.
They greatly feared the Qin army attacking Chu, and even more so, they feared Qin's Lin Tian breaking through their defenses.
If such a thing were to happen, Chu would inevitably be annihilated by Qin, just like other states.
Thinking of this, even the most foolish Chu King knew that the moment of Chu's life or death had arrived.
"Recruit soldiers, prepare for war, we need more soldiers, we need a larger army to defend our Chu!!"
"Your Majesty, our Chu does not lack soldiers. Our soldiers and our people can all become fierce and brave fighters!"
"It's just that our national treasury doesn't have enough funds to support so many soldiers!!"
"The treasury is out of money again? Where did the money in our treasury go?"
"Your Majesty, a portion of the treasury's funds was used to build palaces, and another portion was used to appease the soldiers who died in the last war. Now, there is very little money left!!"
Hearing this, the Chu King was furious.
He never imagined that their vast Chu, with land and people, would ultimately be constrained by a lack of money.
This made him, the King of Chu, feel utterly humiliated.
But he had not considered that Chu's shortage of funds was also related to his own extravagant spending.
The palaces he built had never stopped construction.
After finishing one, he would start grand construction projects elsewhere.
Therefore, Chu's funds were constantly being depleted.
To realize they were out of money at this point was indeed too late.
Fortunately, the Chu King was a resourceful man.
"At this critical juncture, we can only call upon everyone to donate funds!"
"Let the noble families contribute a portion of their wealth. This war is not just for me, but for them as well!!"
"If our Chu falls, they, these nobles, will fall with it!"
"Therefore, they must pay, and pay generously!!"
"At the same time, let the common people also contribute. With the nation in peril, it is not unreasonable for every commoner to contribute ten coins!"
"With so many commoners, each contributing ten coins, our Chu's treasury will surely be abundant. Recruiting soldiers and horses will be no problem!"
In the Chu King's view, ten coins from each person was not much, and it was an amount that everyone could afford.
However, such contributions would amount to a colossal sum for Chu.
If he truly implemented this, he would possess an inexhaustible amount of wealth.
Then he wouldn't have to worry about funds for building his next palace.
Thinking of this, the Chu King became excited.
"Tell the people, we won't fight a big war, let's start with a ten-coin war!"
"As long as every commoner is willing to contribute ten coins, we will surely be able to defeat the Qin army and protect our Chu!!"
"Even in the future, our Chu might be able to conquer Qin, become the sole dominant power, and truly become the overlord of heaven and earth!"
As he spoke these words, the Chu King's face was filled with excitement.
The officials of Chu, however, had very peculiar expressions.
Many of them seemed to want to speak but hesitated.
But thinking that speaking up might lead to them having to contribute even more money, they ultimately chose to remain silent.
The entire state of Chu was thus plunged into tense preparations for war.
On the other hand, the situation in Qi was quite different from that in Chu.
At this time, Qi was also very tense, but the entire state was in a state of silence.
Qi was not a large state, not as large as Han, nor as large as Wei.
What set it apart from other states was probably its great distance from Qin, which was why other states were annihilated, but their own state still stood.
However, Qin had already conquered Yan, which was close to them, so conquering Qi was only a matter of time.
And if the Qin army came, did Qi have the capacity to resist?
The answer was none at all.
Qi did not have the powerful cavalry of Zhao and Yan, nor the large number of soldiers of Wei and Han.
In their state, even feeding the common people was a problem.
In summary, it was simply impoverished.
Such a poor and sparsely populated Qi could not possibly withstand the Qin army.
Therefore, Qi was now facing a dilemma: should they resist the Qin army?
When the King of Qi asked this question, many fell silent.
Although the nobles of Qi knew that if they did not resist, they would likely lose everything and live like ordinary citizens.
Yet, they also knew that if they did resist, they might not only lose their wealth but also the lives of their entire families.
Therefore, when the King of Qi posed this question, the will to resist Qin was not strong.
In fact, many of them had no intention of resisting Qin at all.
This made the King of Qi sigh.
"Alas! So be it, our Qi cannot possibly be a match for Qin!"
"Rather than wait for them to actively send troops against us, it would be better for our entire Qi to surrender!!"
"By surrendering as a nation, perhaps you, and also the people of our Qi, will be treated with leniency!"
If they had the capacity to resist, the King of Qi would not want to perish and would naturally want to repel the Qin army.
But now, not only did they lack the ability to resist, but they also lacked the will to resist.
They were convinced that Qin conquering Qi was only a matter of time.
It was just a matter of when Qin would decide to send its troops.
Under such circumstances, Qi was already considered effectively conquered.
Thinking of this, the King of Qi felt a profound sadness, yet his resolve was unwavering.
He wanted to surrender as a nation.
This decision naturally led to a wave of pleading from the ministers of Qi.
In their hearts, they were still unwilling to surrender; it was too humiliating.
But after a period of pleading, they returned to their senses, knowing that only by surrendering could they survive.
Therefore, they tacitly accepted the King of Qi's intention to surrender.