Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 329

"According to the Emperor's order, the middle section of the Great Wall must be connected by March next year. Why is the progress reported so slow!"

"Reporting to the General..." the supervising general in the army said tremblingly behind the camp's brazier, the flames crackling and popping, as he faced the questioning. "It's already winter, and the northern border is always bitterly cold, but this winter is exceptionally cold, so..."

"Cold?" Upon hearing this, Wang Li snorted angrily, "Is cold more terrifying than being beheaded?"

"Pass on my order: the Great Wall must not only be completed, but also completed two months ahead of schedule!"

"This..." The supervising general's forehead was covered in cold sweat from fear: "General, even if the conscripted laborers work an extra hour each day, I'm afraid it still won't meet your expectations..."

"If there aren't enough laborers, we'll conscript more; if one hour isn't enough, we'll add two more hours. This is a military order, and there must be no delays!"

Wang Li picked up the warm wine on the table and drank it all in one gulp. Half of the wine dripped from his bright silver armor and flowed onto the ground because he was too hasty. "Your Majesty only cares about the result, and so do I. If this mission is not completed by January next year, you should find a good burial site for yourself and your family inside the Great Wall!"

"Yes, Your subordinate will certainly complete it!" The supervising general gritted his teeth and knelt on one knee. Wang Li's uncompromising attitude left him no room for negotiation... The threats he suffered here would only intensify his lashings on his subordinates...

"At this year's farmers' annual meeting, I want to meet the governors of the eight prefectures of Jiaodong, Jiaoxi, Linzi, Jibei, Boyang, Langya, Chengyang and Xue."

In the Daze Mountains, Lu Wei, who had returned from Sanghai, was also giving instructions to the heads of the various farmhouses below him.

The eight prefectures he just instructed basically encompassed the former territory of the State of Qi. If the peasants were to use Qi as their base for an uprising, the governors of these eight prefectures must deal with them in advance.

"Yes, sir." Kuiwei Hall Master Chen Ping and Lieshan Hall Master Lu Yu stepped forward to accept the order. The two had been working on infiltrating the eight prefectural governors for a long time, and given the influence of the Farmer's Clan in Qi, this was not difficult to accomplish.

As the two intelligence chiefs of the peasant family, Chen Ping and Lu Yu were responsible for external affairs and internal affairs, respectively. They were both promoted by Lu Wei and were his absolute confidants.

"Gonggong Hall should make sure to coordinate with the mirage in Sanghai, where a large amount of medicinal herbs are stored. Arrange for people to transport them back to Dazeshan as soon as possible. The demand for wound medicine will be enormous after the war starts next year. This is Gonggong Hall's responsibility."

"Yes, Xia Kui, don't worry, I will make sure there are enough medicines in Daze Mountain." Duanmu Rong, who succeeded her master Nian Duan, addressed Lu Wei as Xia Kui in formal settings, and was determined to carry out the tasks he assigned.

When Gonggongtang was under Lu Wei's leadership, its business scope was extensive. However, many of its businesses were gradually spun off, and this change has accelerated significantly in recent years.

The former head of the medical sect, Nian Duan, had been in the position of hall master for several years, but recently insisted on resigning. Even Duanmu Rong could not persuade him. In order not to worry Lu Wei about this, Xiao Yixian took over the position herself, with Lü Qing assisting her.

All told, Lü Qing, whose hair and beard are all white, has been abducted by Lu since he was in his thirties and is now serving as the head of the Gonggong Hall for the third time.

Fortunately, the affairs within the Gonggong Hall have been reduced considerably now; otherwise, with his energy, he certainly wouldn't be able to work as hard as he did when he was young.

Having arranged the three most important matters, he needed no further instructions for the remaining three:

Zhu Jia, the head of Shennong Hall, was still subduing bandits in the Taihang Mountains. These bandits were enough to form an army of over ten thousand to attack Zhao, and they would play a significant role in the future. Therefore, he could not return lightly. As a result, Shennong Hall in Daze Mountain appointed a acting head: not the general manager Liu Ji, but Lu Shan, who came from Gonggong Hall and was also a confidant of Lu Wei.

Liu Ji has been very open-minded over the years, staying on the outskirts of Daze Mountain to do management work. When faced with the opportunity to become the acting hall master, he not only decisively declined, but also took the initiative to recommend Lu Shan for the position.

He and the group of people on the mountain can't really have much fun together anymore, and the mountain casino has been moved away, so Liu Ji simply and openly takes a backseat.

The task of Shennong Hall is farming, which is the foundation of farming families. As the leader of the chivalrous sect, Lu Wei must often pay attention to it, but he is at ease with Ashan in charge.

The head of the Chiyou Hall is Dian Qing, an honest and simple-minded leader of the Armored Sect. He is now in charge of the defense of the entire Daze Mountain and also has some military training responsibilities. The Armored Army, mainly composed of Armored Sect disciples, is a heavy infantry force. Lu Wei also transferred Fan Kuai to this force.

The elite troops trained by Li Mu, who is independent from the Gonggong Hall, will be the main force of peasant military forces in the uprising next year.

Although Ji Yan was the last leader of the Four Mountains Hall, she had been running around with Lu Wei for the past two years, so the specific affairs were actually managed by Mi Lian. Her status as a princess of Chu gave her a huge advantage in dealing with the remnants of the Six Kingdoms, and these advantages and connections quickly turned into money flowing into Daze Mountain in the caravan trade.

Each of the six households in the farmhouse has its own duties. Preparations for the uprising have been underway for many years, and now they are in the final warm-up phase.

------

When the emperor's carriage returned to Guanzhong, the old Qin people, the officials who remained in Xianyang knelt outside the city to welcome not His Majesty the First Emperor, but the control of the net of tyranny.

The web-like figures, dressed in black spider robes, closely monitored the movements of all the court officials; their numbers were unprecedented.

This is the first time since the establishment of Luo Wang that such a large number of assassins at all levels have been gathered to carry out the same mission.

In fact, not only did the Luowang organization in Qi withdraw as Lu Wei had seen, but in order to seize power in Qin, Zhao Gao also concentrated all the Luowang organizations from all over the country in Guanzhong.

However, the awkward thing is that the current Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) no longer has a top-tier assassin...

Xuan Jian, Jing Ni, Yan Ri, and Liu Jian Nu—these top-tier individuals have all perished one by one, leaving no one to replace them for a long time. This year, the death of Liu Jian Nu has brought the number of top-tier individuals to zero.

With the loss of its top-level combat power, Luo Wang no longer holds absolute deterrence over other forces in the martial arts world, so it's better to retreat.

But it doesn't matter. As long as I can gain power in the Qin state, I can have as many lowly servants as I want in the future!

"Gentlemen, His Majesty is tired and needs to return to the palace first. You will be summoned later, so please wait patiently for now."

Chancellor Li Si stepped out of his carriage. His appearance brought a slight sense of reassurance to the court officials, but a heavy feeling remained in everyone's heart: any slight movement in the imperial court carried a strong implication, and now His Majesty the Emperor had suddenly summoned so many powerful figures to monitor the officials, while he himself remained unseen...

Adding to Fusu's demotion and the hasty return of the carriage, could it be...?

The courtiers had their own guesses. There was no shortage of clever people in the court, but most people would remain silent and wait for what would happen next. However, some people were just waiting for such an opportunity.

Chunyu Yue, a former scholar from the State of Qi, a Confucian disciple, and the teacher of Fusu, risked his life to step forward:

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty rescind the decree banishing the eldest son!"

After Chunyu Yue finished speaking, several more Confucian scholars and doctors stood up to express their support.

Li Si, standing at the very front of the emperor's carriage, and Hu Hai and Zhao Gao, inside the carriage, all narrowed their eyes at Chunyu Yue and the others' actions...

Chapter 413 Old Friends Reappear

"The news of Ying Zheng's death has spread far and wide. Hu Hai has succeeded to the throne. It is said that on the day the imperial carriage arrived in Xianyang, four ministers were killed."

Lu Wei raised his hand and thrust his sword towards Gai Nie. The Sword Saint, who had lost Yuan Hong, held the unfamiliar longsword with no rust in his swordsmanship. He reversed his grip and raised the sword to meet the Devouring Sea Sword's edge diagonally upwards, but because the opponent was too strong, he could not move it and could only barely block the attack.

After serving the peasants for Tianming, Gai Nie could not play a significant role, but practicing swordsmanship with the chivalrous leader was a project that suited his profession.

Putting aside the difference in internal energy, Gai Nie is one of the few opponents in the world who can still fight Lu.

The two exchanged blows for several rounds. In response to the topic raised by the chivalrous leader, the swordsman replied, "Huhai is still a child. In some ways, he is even more naive than Tianming. The power of Qin will fall into the hands of Li Si and Zhao Gao."

"The Qin royal family had been suppressed during Ying Zheng's lifetime, and now they are powerless to change it."

“It’s not just a matter of being powerless to change things.” Lu Wei recalled the message that came this morning, and his swordplay slowed down. But Gai Nie on the other side did not let his guard down because of this; slow moves had their own threat.

"With Fusu dead, Huhai publicly beheaded his twelve brothers in the XY Market on the second day after he ascended the throne. Not long after, he ran over six of his brothers and ten princesses of the royal family with a wheel in the East City in a manner that was almost like torture for amusement."

At this point, Lu Wei sighed: He was quite satisfied with Hu Hai's methods. He treated his own brothers the same way, but once his position was stable, he would only become more ruthless towards the common people.

Moreover, by reducing the power of the Qin royal family to a completely harmless state, Zhao Gao became even more unscrupulous in his actions.

The situation of peasant uprisings is not only good, but will be extremely good!

Hearing about the current situation of Ying Zheng's children, Gai Nie felt a mix of emotions. Among those princes and princesses who died tragically, there were certainly some he had watched grow up...

...

In Xianyang, after the new emperor ascended the throne, Zhao Gao, who had been appointed as the Imperial Physician, persuaded the Second Emperor to enforce the Qin laws against his brothers in the royal family and ministers who harbored discontent in the court. At the same time, he was also re-promoting the core members of the corrupt regime.

For example, military officials.

This mercenary, who had infiltrated a peasant family with Zhou Zhang, escaped quickly after the plot was exposed, thus preserving his strength intact. When the Six Sword Slaves were still around, Zhao Gao didn't think much of such a lackey. However, during the process of monitoring the officials in Xianyang, Wu Chen stood out with his ruthless methods and proved to be a useful talent.

After testing him, Zhao Gao bestowed the Zhen Gang Sword upon him, granting him the qualification to become one of the new Six Sword Slaves.

Of course, Zhao Gao still needed to conduct a loyalty test after that. There were many ways to cultivate assassins within the Luo Wang organization, and he was not afraid that Wu Chen, a mercenary who had wandered through Zhao, Yan, Chu, and Qi, would betray him.

After Wu Chen, another person favored by the Imperial Physician was Zhou Zhang. Although he had lost his right hand, Zhou Zhang had performed exceptionally well in the northern border over the years and had gradually become a backbone force of the Wolf Clan's Luo Wang.

Having been revived by the secret techniques of the Net, Zhou Zhang, whose lifespan has been rapidly depleted, has now reached the end of the Heavenly level in terms of strength, despite his exceptional talent. Although he cannot use it for long, he can use it in emergencies.

Moreover, he has a blood feud with the peasants and is highly loyal to the Net, making him a tool that can be used with confidence.

However, Zhou Zhang is currently on the grasslands, following his younger brother Zhao Cheng to control the wolf clan's movements, and will not be able to return until Wang Li launches his attack.

"We need to urge Wang Li to act. These scions of noble families from military backgrounds are so slow. The Luo Net has already arranged a winning opportunity for him, but they're dragging it out until next year to attack..."

Zhao Gao's discontent is growing more and more frequent: unlike before when he was just a lowly servant, he is now only a 'minor physician', but thanks to his influence over the Second Emperor Huhai, his power in the empire is second only to the emperor!

Those ministers who once looked down on his status as an eunuch could now be framed and killed at will. This rise in status made the psychologically damaged Zhao Gao suddenly arrogant.

Anything that doesn't go according to Zhao Gao's wishes will cause him to accumulate dissatisfaction.

The Wolf Clan was a card that Luo Wang had prepared long ago. The purpose was to use the opportunity of destroying the Wolf Clan to create a general who could be used by Luo Wang to control the Qin army. Therefore, this card must be played, and the sooner the better.

The reason is still related to Lu Wei.

Zhao Gao would not forget that Lu Wei still held 100,000 disciples who were preparing to rebel: Now he was no longer worried about the evidence of the Luowang rebels against Qin in Lu Wei's hands, nor was he worried that Lu Wei would use his superior martial arts to force his way into Xianyang and kill him. Therefore, he had to retaliate against him as soon as possible.

The peasants are now releasing their accumulated power into the land of Qi and Lu, turning it into their base of operations. Once this is accomplished, a rebellion will immediately break out. The governors of the eight prefectures of Qi have already lost contact with Xianyang.

"Ren Xiao from the south is also urging us on. It takes so long to prepare for just two counties and some barbaric Yue people. Why should our 200,000-strong army worry about those ant-like enemies!"

Thinking about how ineffective these Qin generals were, Zhao Gao's pale fingers, which had been tapping on the table, suddenly stopped. He thought of someone.

A famous general from the Zhao state is still in his hands, imprisoned. This man also has some connection with the peasants and is an old friend of Lu Wei.

"Yan Le needs to guard Xianyang, so why not use him as the general in charge of external affairs controlled by the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven)?"

The following day, in the Qin court, Zhao Gao personally recommended a young and renowned general to the Second Emperor.

"Zhao Yi? Who is this?"

Hu Hai was initially enthusiastic about attending court, but after three days, he quickly grew tired of this arduous task.

As the second emperor, Hu Hai had no ambitions or grand achievements. The empire was already large enough, and he only wanted to have fun: the palaces and wonders built by the First Emperor were places he could not enter before, but now Hu Hai could go wherever he wanted and play with whomever he wanted.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Yi is the son of Zhao Sheng, the former Lord Pingyuan of Zhao. He is the greatest general of Zhao since Li Mu, the Lord of Wu'an. He once led the Zhao army to organize a defensive battle at Handan. His ability to deploy troops was even highly praised by Wang Jian, the Marquis of Wucheng of Qin."

"A man from Zhao?" Hu Hai waved his hand dismissively: "Our Great Qin is not without famous generals. Not killing him is already merciful. Why should we appoint him as a general again!"

"Your Majesty," Zhao Gao chuckled, "all the people under heaven are now Qin people; where are the Zhao people anymore? Besides, the Chancellor once submitted a 'Memorial on Expelling Foreign Officials' to His Majesty the First Emperor. All the treasures of the empire belong to Your Majesty. This man has been investigated for many years and is confirmed to be willing to surrender to the Empire. Why should Your Majesty complain about having too many subjects?"

Zhao Gao mentioned Li Si, and the latter naturally couldn't remain silent.

Standing at the head of the court, Li Si carefully crafted his speech and agreed with Zhao Gao's proposal. He had no intention of contradicting his ally, who was also involved in the co-establishment of the new emperor, on this matter.

Firstly, Li Si himself was very satisfied with the article "Admonition to Expel Foreign Guests," believing it to be a masterpiece that would be passed down through the ages, and it was a good thing that it was being mentioned now.

Secondly, he still vaguely remembered the name Zhao Yi. Although the state of Zhao had been destroyed more than ten years ago, Zhao Yi, after Li Mu, had indeed caused some trouble for the Qin army.

In addition, his status as the son of Lord Pingyuan, and his noble lineage, made him worthy of serving Qin.

Seeing that Li Si had said so, Hu Hai agreed to appoint Zhao Yi as general. The other ministers were not involved and most of them shared Li Si's opinion that Zhao Yi was capable, so no one objected.

"Hangu Pass is your first appointment, you know what to do, right?"

After the court session, Zhao Gao tossed the appointment document to Zhao Yi, who was kneeling on the ground, and casually gave the order.

Zhao Yi was dressed in hemp clothing, and even though he had been bathed three times before coming to see Zhao Gao, he still had a slight odor on his body.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will guard Hangu Pass. No one may enter or leave without your orders!"

After being imprisoned in a dark cell for ten years, Zhao Yi was unusually obedient after seeing the light of day again, and he forced himself to remain calm as he said...