Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 323

As the Mirror Lord, Lu Wei knew the details of the uprising in the south before anyone else. Moreover, the communication speed of the Luo Net was slightly slower than that of the Mo family's mechanical birds. Therefore, he knew the news that the uprising had already succeeded in its first step several hours earlier than the ruler of this empire.

Not long after the Mohists accepted the protection of the Farmers and hid in the Daze Mountain, Lu had already obtained several mechanical wooden kites from them.

Compared to the mechanical Vermilion Bird, the small, palm-sized Wooden Kite was originally designed to be used as a carrier pigeon.

The agricultural school's research on mechanical arts, starting from scratch, has indeed yielded remarkable results. However, for nearly twenty years, Amu has never made a breakthrough in the direction of the sky. Now, with the great wrath of the Mohist school, Lord Xia Kui has directly adopted the "borrowing" approach.

The Mohists were very wary, but their extreme anti-Qin stance never changed. So when Lu Wei revealed the plan for the southern uprising to Gao Jianli, Gao, who had already relinquished his leadership of the anti-Qin alliance, immediately offered to do whatever it took to ensure the success of the uprising.

In addition to recreating the secret mechanical arts passed down by the Mohists using the mechanical workshops of the farmers, there was also the incident in Dongjun where Dao Zhi incited the Xiang clan to steal the Yinghuo Stone.

The Mohists instigated the tragedy of the Xiang clan because Gao Jianli was told by Chen Ping that the actions of the nobles of the six states could hold back the Qin's battle-hardened soldiers from marching south and reduce the pressure after the uprising. However, he did not know that the Xiang clan would die in that small town.

By the time Xiao Gao learned of the incident in the town, news also arrived that the southern uprising had successfully captured six counties in three prefectures. Amidst the complex emotions of joy and sorrow among the Mo family members, joy ultimately prevailed.

The events at the city of government offices, the shipyard prison, and other places had already shown them too much life and death. Now, although Xiang Liang, Fan Zeng, Long Ju, and Ji Bu had died under the swords of Qin, the significance of their uprising, which had initially established a foothold, was extraordinary.

After the ambush in Dongjun Town, Wang Li, without receiving orders from His Majesty the First Emperor, took the initiative to lead his troops to Daze Mountain, intending to find direct evidence that the peasants wanted to confront the Qin state. Then... just like the incident in the town, he acted first and reported later!

Regarding Wang Li's intentions, the people in the peasant family who were scheming against him in Licheng were Chen Ping and Han Xin.

Whether it's a game of cunning or a direct military confrontation after the showdown, Dazeshan is not afraid of its opponent. The plan has reached its final stage, and even if Wang Li dies suddenly in Licheng, he will not become the protagonist of the next phase.

Having obtained the Yellow Stone Heavenly Book from Chu Nan Gong for the second time, Lu Wei gazed at the completely blank interior of the exquisite bamboo slip and chose to immerse himself in this wordless heavenly book.

The creation made by the Yellow Emperor and Jiang Ziya was undoubtedly a true divine object, but the help it could provide to Lu Wei was limited.

The Heavenly Book will have different effects on different people. For example, the Yellow Emperor wanted to get a way to defeat Chi You from the Heavenly Book, Jiang Ziya wanted to get a way to help the Zhou replace the Shang, and Lu Wei only wanted to get how to destroy the Qin.

He had already made his own plans to destroy Qin, so the Heavenly Book could only divine the fortune of each step Lu Wei had planned.

The Heavenly Book indicated that the Jingxian Uprising was auspicious, while the poisoning of the First Emperor was extremely auspicious. Thus, the future could not be clearer.

Lu Wei closed the Heavenly Book and stored it together with the Eternal Tyrant's Military Manual in a hidden compartment. He then quietly waited for the guests to arrive, with Ji Yan guarding him by the side, holding the Jingni Sword.

The spirited Xiao Yan'er was completely focused: With Lu Wei's strength, he certainly didn't need anyone to protect him, but he needed to get used to having his subordinates take care of everything.

This time, his guest was Zhao Gao again. This mastermind of the inescapable net had just come out of the mansion of the high minister Meng Yi. After switching places with his double in the alley, he quietly arrived at this farmhouse stronghold.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, today will be the last time Lu Wei sees this Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office. Perhaps it won't be long before he becomes the Prime Minister of Qin and then offers his head to leave this world stage.

"Meng Yi has already set his sights on Xia Kui. I made some excuses to him, but I'm afraid he won't give up." Zhao Gao's eyes casually swept over the Jing Ni sword that should have belonged to Luo Wang, and he briefly described his meeting with Meng Yi.

Zhao Gao was very anxious, but he was unwilling to show his urgency in front of Lu Wei. He believed that the peasants were definitely the ones in a more anxious situation.

Originally, Zhao Gao had always been in a subordinate position in the cooperation between the two parties, but the sudden rebellion in Jing County gave him an opportunity.

"Meng Yi and the Shadow Guards make a natural enemy of the Luo Net. The power of the Chief of the Central Carriage Office is far superior to theirs, so there should be an emergency response plan."

Lu Wei remained calm and showed no concern whatsoever about being investigated by Meng Yi.

"Imperial Minister, direct descendant of the Meng family, and younger brother of Meng Tian—if Meng Yi, with these identities, were to suffer the same fate as Zhang Han, does Xia Kui know what His Majesty the Emperor would do?" Zhao Gao emphasized the word "Emperor" in his tone.

"Ying Zheng..." Lu Wei feigned a low murmur, calmly reciting the emperor's name. Zhao Gao paid no attention to this, patiently listening to his next words: "The imperial physician Xia Wuqie is a member of the Luo Wang organization. Didn't he tell you about Ying Zheng's health condition?"

“Your Majesty may be occasionally tired, but your health remains robust.” Zhao Gao’s reply revealed that he was more concerned about Ying Zheng’s health than Lu Wei had imagined: “Although he has been unwell recently, it is nothing serious.”

"Really? But the Yin-Yang School told me that the Imperial Star is dim and on the verge of collapse..."

Lu Wei's eyes gleamed as he said, "Lord Zhongchefu should stay at the Binhai Imperial Palace for the next few days, in case anything happens and you're caught off guard."

Chapter 402 The Death of the First Emperor (Part 1)

As he stepped out of the reception room, a familiar sword aura locked onto the Lord of the Heavenly Net, who was leaving the stronghold through the back door.

It was Gai Nie, a former colleague from the empire.

It seems that the relationship between Guiguzi and the Farmers was not merely one of cooperation.

Zhao Gao thoughtfully noted down this unexpected event. After returning to his residence, he soon learned that the Yin-Yang School had brought back the Yinghuo Stone and sent it to the palace.

The thought of Lu Wei's ominous remarks about the imperial star came to mind again. After much hesitation, he summoned the six sword slaves and headed towards the palace.

For Zhao Gao, gaining an audience with the Emperor was not difficult; he didn't even need to sneak around, he could simply drive out of the city openly: the Luo Wang (a secret intelligence network) could find plenty of information that needed to be reported secretly...

Inside the Seaside Palace.

Yesterday, Ying Zheng first received good news from Dongjun and Lingnan. Later, the rebellion in the two counties was subtly linked to the Central Plains and even the court through the involvement of a disciple of the Human Sect. This meant that even after Li Si and Meng Yi retired, His Majesty did not rest. He summoned Hu Hai immediately after finishing the previous day's government affairs.

Hu Hai was only fifteen years old this year, but he already had some desire for pleasure. He was very resentful about being dragged out of his sleep, but he dared not show any of this resentment in front of his father, the emperor.

He took a mind-awakening pill from inside the net beforehand and continued to act innocent and naive, trying to maintain a good impression on Ying Zheng.

However, today, the First Emperor only lightly tested his studies and then asked Hu Hai about his impressions of the eastern tour. Hu Hai was very good at Qin law, but he was slightly lacking in other subjects. He had not had time to prepare any impressions of the eastern tour and could only make up some random things on the spot.

Even if it was nonsense, Hu Hai tried his best to describe his father in a way that he would like to hear, based on his understanding of the emperor over the years. However, Ying Zheng did not agree or disagree. He frowned and reprimanded Hu Hai for his deliberate attempt to please, ordering him to stay at home for a month to reflect on his mistakes and study. During this period, he was not allowed to see any outsiders except for necessary physical activities.

His golden-blue heterochromatic eyes were filled with shock. Hu Hai had learned from Luo Wang in advance that he should behave himself in the coming days. He had not violated the rules, so why was he being woken up in the middle of the night and scolded and punished?

He bit his lip and respectfully apologized before retreating, but how could Ying Zheng hide the resentment in Hu Hai's heart?

There were some things that Ying Zheng wasn't unaware of before, but he simply didn't care. Once he really cared, how could the First Emperor of the Empire not even be able to control his own eighteen sons?

“You harbor resentment towards me, yet you are far bolder than Fusu.” Ying Zheng calmly increased Huhai’s punishment: “During your confinement, your food will be halved. A little hunger can clear one’s mind. I will re-examine you in a month.”

"If you disappoint me again, you can stay in Sanghai from now on. This place suits you very well."

After casually dealing with Hu Hai, Ying Zheng ordered his attendant eunuchs to bring him the latest compilation of information from the various schools of thought. After listening to Li Si's account of the rebellions in the two counties, and with Wang Li's report that the peasant school "seemed to have rebellious intentions," and with the Qin army achieving successive victories, he decided to eliminate this potential threat from the various schools of thought as soon as possible.

Leaving aside the smaller, less influential families, the Mohist school, having lost its mechanical city, was destined to perish under relentless manhunts. The only remaining Hundred Schools of Thought posing a threat to the empire are the Confucian, Taoist, and Agricultural schools.

Fu Nian, the head of the Confucian Xiaoshengxianzhuang, had been observed by him. Although he had not spoken with him, he believed that Fu Nian's doctrines lacked the foundation for resisting the empire, and his appearance also suggested loyalty and integrity. However, his junior brother Zhang Liang was a nobleman of the state of Han. According to the law of collective punishment, Xiaoshengxianzhuang already had the legal grounds to be destroyed.

Xiaoyaozi, the founder of the Taoist sect, is already a traitor with conclusive evidence, and there is no obstacle to destroying the Taoist sect. Although Xiaomeng of the Tianzong sect seems to be compliant with the empire, the Taoist sect does not have any ability to negotiate with the empire. The location of Mount Taiyi means that under the emperor's watchful eye, they can only accept any demands of the empire.

As for the Agricultural School, having 100,000 disciples was a recipe for disaster, but it was also the most difficult to deal with. However, if Ying Zheng didn't care about these 100,000 people and the hearts of the people influenced by the Agricultural School's doctrines, it would be easy to resolve.

Once the two counties are pacified, we can simply use imperial decrees to force the peasants to rebel, and then send troops to annihilate them.

If we care about the various schools of thought, we will be constrained; but if we don't care, their heads will be no harder to cut than those of the six states.

"For the empire to maintain long-term stability, the five strategies for governing the people in the *Book of Lord Shang*, which merely involve weakening, exhausting, humiliating, and impoverishing the populace, are insufficient. Given the hidden dangers posed by the various schools of thought during the Warring States period, the means of 'keeping the people ignorant' should be further emphasized..."

Having devised the empire's next course of action, Ying Zheng was still unwilling to rest until dawn, and read the Book of Lord Shang once more.

Although the effects of Yun Zhongjun's pills have weakened, their aftereffects are still quite long-lasting.

Despite having not slept all night and having exhausted much of his focus, His Majesty the Emperor felt slightly tired, but as long as he didn't lie down, his mind remained as clear as usual.

At breakfast time, a palace servant reported that the Grand Master of Yin-Yang School requested an audience: the team that went to Dongjun to bring back the Yinghuo Stone had returned.

With a bright look in his eyes, Ying Zheng immediately ended his meal and summoned the other party... and most importantly, that stone!

He wanted to see for himself what this extraterrestrial object, inscribed with "The First Emperor died and the land was divided" and "The one who will destroy Qin is Hu," actually looked like!

...

After meeting with Zhao Gao, Lu Wei took Ji Yan to the Mirage Tower.

Halfway there, they encountered several Shadow Guards and spies following and monitoring them, but Ji Yan casually killed them: Meng Yi is a competent Qin state minister, but he should be more worried about his own safety than focusing on the peasants.

After all, Qin had many talented people, and Lu Wei liked many of them. Unfortunately, Qin would soon destroy its own Great Wall.

The chivalrous leader had no intention of saving these people; on the contrary, he would only fuel the flames, even though some of them were exceptionally talented and others were of outstanding character: 'Their heroes are my enemies.'

People like Meng Tian, ​​Meng Yi, and even Li Si would never be recruited by Lu Wei, so their best fate would be to die young like Zhang Han.

It wasn't just the Qin side; many members of the anti-Qin alliance were either killed or framed by Lu. Anyone who dared to defy his will would cease to exist.

On the cliff of Sanghai, Lu Wei first met Tian Guang before heading to the Mirage.

As a stand-in for Yan Ri, Xiao Yao Zi was killed by the Six Sword Slaves of Luo Wang. Tian Guang and Chi Song Zi, unaware of the truth, could only return to Sang Hai and be taken into the hands of Lord Xia Kui.

The identity of Yan Ri is no longer useful, so the Yan Ri sword ended up in Lu Wei's hands as one of the collectibles. However, these two people are still useful: especially Tian Guang.

It is worth mentioning that Tian Guang, whose hair and beard are all white, is the greatest benefactor in Lu Wei's life. Since their first encounter outside Jicheng twenty years ago, Tian Guang has been protecting Lu Wei from all the storms and helped him become the leader of the knights. He also took the initiative to clean up the powerful Tian family within the peasant family, so that Lu Wei could take over a clean and honest force.

Without this cooperation, Lu Wei might have succeeded, but it certainly wouldn't have been so smooth.

Even now, he is still of great value to Lu Wei, who is already the number one in the world: After stepping down from his position as the leader of the knights, Tian Guang followed Xiaoyaozi's arrangement to enter Lishan. He gained great prestige among the criminals of Lishan with his own qualities. This prestige made Tian Guang a possibility... a possibility of emulating King Wu's conquest of Zhou.

"The world is about to undergo a dramatic change. The Central Plains are entirely under the control of the peasants, with the only gap being in Guanzhong..."

"Don't worry, Xia Kui, I know what to do." Before Lu Wei could finish his hypocritical words, Tian Guang surprisingly interrupted him.

At this time, only Tian Guang was alone on the cliff of Sanghai. His other companion, Chisongzi, was unable to return to the Daoist school for the time being, so he went to the Confucian school. The old man who had also implemented the strategy of faking his death had a very harmonious relationship with Zhang Liang of the Confucian school.

"As the former leader of the Farmer's Clan, I have made tremendous contributions to the Farmer's Clan. This return to Mount Li is probably my last chance, and I want to take this opportunity to ask the leader for something."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Tian Guangqing's eyes, but what he said was not very clever and also contrary to his image.

"Taking advantage of someone's kindness" is not a good phrase. Given Tian Guang's contributions, he could have done nothing and still have a peaceful end in the farming family...

"Please speak." Ji Yan, standing behind him, subtly began to observe his expression, while Lu Wei remained unmoved, his smiling face continuing to speak in a kind tone.

The fact that Tian Guang has survived this long proves he is an extremely intelligent man. His ability to know when to advance and when to retreat is evident in many situations. The fact that such a person would suddenly ask him for something today, instead of angering Lu Wei, actually surprised him.

Now that things have come to this, what is it that Tian Guang wants?

Chapter 403 The Death of the First Emperor (Part Two)

"I once saw a special and famous sword in the Daze Mountain, and I liked it very much, so I want to get it this time."

Tian Guang smiled and revealed his purpose.

What is the name of this sword?

Over the years, Lu Wei has indeed unintentionally achieved some success in collecting famous swords. Although the number is not large, each one is a masterpiece.

Hao Cao, Shu Lou, Gan Jiang Mo Xie, Mo Mei, Yan Ri, and Fei Gong, which have special characteristics.

There should have been a Xueji (a type of wine), but he returned it to the Taoists.

Of these swords, the latter four are renowned in the martial arts world, while the first two, though slightly less famous, each have their own stories and legends.

In terms of value, they are hard to judge, but since Tian Guang has spoken, he can generously give away all of them except for the special Mo Mei and Fei Gong.

Mo Mei Fei Gong is the symbol of the leader of the Mo family and their supreme weapon. It will be returned to its rightful owner in the future, just like snow after a storm, so it is not advisable for it to reappear in the martial world at this time.

"That famous sword has a unicorn deer carved on its hilt. I wonder if the chivalrous leader would be willing to part with it?"

It belongs to 'carved'...

This is an ornate sword, its blade exquisitely crafted, but Tian Guang clearly didn't want it for its function as a weapon...