Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 284

"Zifang is joking," Lu Wei said calmly. "Even something as simple as this is something a farmer could do on his own!"

He did not deny his desire to be a king...

------

As expected, Li Si did not meet Xunzi, and was even humiliated by Xunzi's statement that he had only one disciple from beginning to end, named Han Fei.

Even though he already knew this, Li Si couldn't help but clench his fist tightly in his sleeve: Xun Kuang was highly respected, and Li Si had already reached the pinnacle of his position. If there was anything else he wanted to pursue, it was to be recorded in history.

If Li Si could maintain a close relationship with Xun Kuang in his later years, he would undoubtedly receive even greater praise from history books; otherwise, he would be destined to have the stain of being expelled from his teacher's school.

This was Li Si's last concern before taking action against the Confucianists, but now that Xun Kuang has completely dispelled this concern, he can be ruthless and strike with deadly force!

A fierce glint flashed in Li Si's eyes, but he forced a smile to indicate that he didn't care and followed Fu Nian back to the reception hall.

As soon as he sat down, Li Si gave Gongsun Linglong a look, and then smiled and said that the famous scholar Gongsun wanted to compete with the "holy land of scholars in the world" in the art of debate.

Fu Nian already knew Li Si's plan to bring Gongsun Linglong here, and he had also planned to use this opportunity to test the students, so he nodded in agreement without hesitation.

A messenger was sent to summon the students, and soon a group of young men dressed in Confucian robes gathered outside the reception hall.

The commotion brought Lu Wei and Zhang Liang, who were chatting animatedly in the peach grove, back with smiles on their faces, looking like they were having a very pleasant conversation.

Fu Nian and Lu Wei were old friends. They exchanged polite nods, while Li Si asked a few questions about their conversation, which Zhang Liang brushed off lightly.

The ensuing debate wasn't very interesting. Although both Lu Wei and Zhang Liang appeared to be concentrating, their minds were actually wandering, constantly thinking about their previous exchange...

...

Li Si's visit to the Confucian scholars did not cause much of a stir, and the atmosphere in Sanghai City remained unchanged afterward.

But secretly, a special forces unit has already been stationed in this seaside city.

Shadow Guard, Zhang Han.

The arrival of the emperor's personal guards, known as "like maggots clinging to bones and like shadows following him," only meant one thing: Fusu's entourage had already departed from Xianyang.

Meanwhile, the trial voyage of the Mirage has also begun.

The giant ship on the shore of the shipyard has already sailed into the near sea. Sanghai City has begun to impose a sea ban. By the time Fusu arrives, the first trial voyage will be almost over. At that time, the mirage will finally dock at the dock in Sanghai City to carry out the final adjustments before setting sail.

After Lu Wei had a brief chat with Zhang Liang at Xiaoshengxianzhuang, he later "unintentionally" ran into Mr. Zhang San again on Jinshui Bridge and had a more in-depth conversation about some minor issues.

The city of Sanghai was as calm as the sea had been recently, but the mountains and forests outside the city were quite lively.

There are the Mohists, the Xiang clan, remnants of the Chu army, Mount Shu, the newly arrived Hidden Guards, and the indispensable Luo Net...

Opening the window, I watched in the distance as a troop of cavalry carrying torches entered the city under cover of night. Meng Tian, ​​leading the way, seemed to have set a precedent, igniting the intrigue and power struggles outside Sanghai City...

Chapter 337 Black Dragon Scroll

A group of merchants from the west attracted the attention of the Mohists.

The Grand Master Gao Jianli personally led the expedition, followed by Da Tiechui and Dao Zhi. The three of them lay in ambush in the dense forest, their sharp eyes fixed on the road in the distance.

Half an hour later, the suspicious caravan arrived as scheduled. A careful count revealed that there were a total of thirty knights guarding the three carriages in the center, a rather conspicuous display.

Big Hammer, unusually calm, carefully observed the knights. He nodded to Gao Jianli, who understood. He silently drew his Water Cold Sword, made a 'make a move' gesture, and charged out first!

When the caravan was attacked, the guarding knights reacted extremely quickly and formed a defensive formation. Their standard movements demonstrated their good training, but unfortunately, their tenacity and resistance could not change their fate of being slaughtered in front of three martial arts masters.

“That’s right, these horses are Qin military horses, and the guards are all elite Qin soldiers.” Big Iron Hammer soothed a frightened horse. As a former Yan soldier, he could tell the difference between military horses and ordinary horses at a glance.

“The information is correct, but…” Gao Jianli cautiously glanced around: “Never mind, let’s take this thing they’ve been so carefully protecting back first, and we can talk about other things later!”

Having received the leader's order, Dao Zhi and Da Tiechui nodded. The three carefully examined the items in the carriage and finally found three mechanical scrolls made of sturdy materials. With rare joy on their faces, they left with them.

Only a short time after the three left, several cold-looking soldiers wearing soft armor and masks covering half of their faces emerged. They silently, nimbly, and with precise and efficient movements, began to investigate the traces left on the corpses scattered on the ground.

With his temples graying and a soft armor clinging to his body in a combination of dark silver and black, Zhang Han stood with his hands behind his back, patiently awaiting the results of his subordinates' examination.

His deputy surveyed the scene and said in a deep voice, "The plan succeeded, but what about these thirty soldiers..."

"..." Zhang Han understood his deputy's meaning, but did not respond directly: "Gao Jianli, Da Tiechui, and Dao Zhi are among the few troublesome characters among the remnants of the Mohist school."

"If they take the items back and try to decipher the text inside, they will inevitably have to contact other rebels. These past few days, we've increased the number of spies in Sanghai City to see who will leave the city."

"Yes, General." The deputy acknowledged the order and withdrew. Zhang Han waited for a while before stepping into the center of the corpses. He remained silent, as his subordinates would deduce the enemy's fighting habits based on the wounds on the corpses.

These sacrifices were necessary, but that doesn't mean he was indifferent to them.

These soldiers are all here to safeguard the long-term peace and prosperity of the empire and ensure its eternal continuation!

Zhang Han walked up to the carriage that had been forcibly opened, and looking at the tearing at the break, he could vaguely imagine how great the rebellious strength of the man called Big Iron Hammer must have been.

As trusted confidants of His Majesty the Emperor, Zhang Han personally led the Shadow Guard to Sanghai. One reason was to clear the way for the arrival of the eldest prince, and the other was to resolve any potential problems before His Majesty the Emperor's arrival!

The two are of completely different importance, but the former can serve as cover for the latter.

Few people knew for certain that His Majesty the First Emperor was coming to Sanghai, but Gai Nie did. His defection meant that all the other rebels knew as well, so there was little point in continuing to suppress the news.

His Majesty cannot abandon his eastern tour plan just because the news has been leaked, and it is the Shadow Guard's duty to ensure the absolute safety of His Majesty's trip.

The Mohist school had been suppressed many times before. This time, after the Luo Wang reported that these rebels had gathered in Sanghai, Zhang Han volunteered to come here to extinguish the last embers.

To this end, Zhang Han devised a plan: the Mohists were able to safely evacuate from the Southern Mechanized City to Sanghai, which must have been due to the help they received from other rebels.

The key to this plan lies in following the clues and capturing as many rebel leaders as possible all at once.

Such a large fish requires a larger hook and bait...

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Zhang Han's eyes, and he turned to return to Sanghai City.

The nest is ready; now we need to wait patiently.

...

"The Black Dragon Scroll is a secret mechanism used by the Empire to transmit top secrets. It contains six Jiazi locks designed by the Gongshu family, which contain 100,000 variations and cannot be opened by ordinary people."

Gai Nie looked at the familiar black dragon scroll on the table and calmly explained its identity and function.

“I recognized the Six Paths of Jiazi Lock, but there are three here. Does Mr. Gai know anything else?” Master Ban asked in confusion. Since the Black Dragon Scroll was a top secret, it was rare for even one to appear. The fact that three appeared at once made the Mo family suspect that there was something wrong, so they promptly sent a message to Zhang Liang.

Zhang Liang had noticed something amiss in the atmosphere of Sanghai City recently. Instead of leaving the city himself, he used Bai Feng's spy bird to relay the message to Liu Sha. Therefore, the allies who came to the Mo family to help them decipher the Black Dragon Scroll were the two strategists.

Gai Nie spent twenty years in Qin, during which time he was always by Ying Zheng's side. He knew many of Qin's secrets, so having him as a help would be invaluable.

"That's right. Two of these three Black Dragon Scrolls are fake. Regardless of whether they are opened correctly or not, as long as there is any attempt to decipher them, the explosives inside will be ignited and explode."

Gai Nie nodded, and his words sent a chill down the spines of the Mohist disciples: If this Sword Saint hadn't come and Master Ban had intended to solve the problems one by one...

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhuang frowned and said, "Strange."

"Such a confidential imperial scroll, with such tight security, how could you have gotten your hands on it so easily?"

A smile crept across his lips: "You only killed thirty guards, and didn't even encounter a single expert before daring to bring back the files?"

“There’s a possibility of a trap, but we carefully checked behind us and deliberately circled around the woods quite a few times, and found no signs of being followed.” Gao Jianli sensed a hint of sarcasm in the other person’s voice, but he wasn’t angry. Instead, he went on to explain the process of bringing back the scroll.

He is now the leader of the Mohist school.

"Oh, quicksand is quite cautious, so they haven't done anything these past few days, right?" Dao Zhi interjected with a shrug, his sarcasm blatantly obvious.

Wei Zhuang glanced at him, but didn't argue. Instead, he looked down at the three files and asked, "How do we tell which one is real and which two are fake?"

"The appearance is indistinguishable, but if we use internal energy to probe, it is still possible to trigger the Six Jiazi Locks. Therefore, without knowing the answer in advance, we can only trigger the files one by one from a safe distance."

Gai Nie said, "The fake one will be detonated, while the real one will remain. But be careful, if the way the Six Paths Jiazi Lock is triggered violates its mechanical principles, the real Black Dragon Scroll will also be corroded and exploded by the strong acid inside. So even in testing, we must be careful."

"So, if all three files explode, it's a trap, but if one of them is genuine, the information inside is likely to be true and reliable?" Gao Jianli pressed.

“I can’t guarantee it; we still need to decide based on what the genuine artifact contains when it’s opened.” Gai Nie slowly shook his head. “But as long as a genuine artifact is opened, regardless of whether the information inside is true or false, it will provide us with some information.”

"Alright, I'll take care of this. Six Jiazi Locks are no problem for me!" Master Ban patted his chest and carefully picked up the three Black Dragon Scrolls and took them outside. Clearly, the first thing he had to do was detonate the fake scrolls.

After Master Ban left, the Mohists, the two strategists, and Fan Zeng, who had been silent all along, began to discuss the intelligence:

"The Black Dragon Scrolls appearing in Sanghai at this time shouldn't involve too many things. Mr. Gai, do you have any thoughts?" Fan Zeng stroked his beard, his aged voice tinged with weariness.

Although his martial arts skills were mediocre and he was quite old, he was still the most quick-witted member of the Xiang family, and he had to handle everything for the Xiang family, which was quite a lot of work.

“It’s related to Ying Zheng himself, or the mirage,” Gai Nie replied earnestly.

Gao Jianli narrowed his eyes: "Each one is a major secret of the empire. We were lucky enough to obtain them this time. If we can crack them, it will be of great help in setting up our next plan."

“Indeed, Meng Tian’s Golden Fire Cavalry arrived recently.” Fan Zeng frowned. “This army is the true elite of Qin. Now that they’ve come to Sanghai, we need to be even more careful about our movements.”

“The Golden Fire Cavalry just arrived, and the Black Dragon Scroll has already disappeared. I’m very curious about Qin’s next reaction.” Wei Zhuang’s tone clearly showed that he still harbored the strongest suspicion about the Black Dragon Scroll: “What’s even more interesting is that my men recently discovered clues about another unit in the city.”

“It’s the Shadow Guard.” Gai Nie shared the information before anyone could ask, and Wei Zhuang snorted and shut up.

“Zhang Han has secretly come to Sanghai. Based on my understanding of the Shadow Guard, every time they go out to fight, it is extremely important. Shouchun City has suffered losses before.”

“That’s true.” Fan Zeng knew Meng Tian and Zhang Han, and this knowledge came entirely from the Qin-Chu war. These two Qin generals played an important role in the fall of Chu, so his expression was not good.

“The appearance of these two Qin generals has indeed put us under a lot of pressure, and the possibility that the Black Dragon Scroll is a trap has greatly increased. But from another perspective, this is also an opportunity for us.” Gao Jianli understood why Wei Zhuang was so wary of the Black Dragon Scroll, but that didn’t mean it was necessarily fake: “Now that we have the Black Dragon Scroll in our hands, the initiative is in our hands.”

"Moreover, Li Si, Meng Tian, ​​and Zhang Han have all appeared, and Fusu is next. We can be certain that Ying Zheng's arrival is imminent, and this is the opportunity to launch the Mount Tai Plan!"

"The premise is that we can avoid being captured by Zhang Han and Meng Tian before Ying Zheng sets off." Wei Zhuang poured cold water on the situation: "The Black Dragon Scroll has been stolen. Whether it's real or just for show, the Golden Fire Cavalry and Shadow Guards will launch a sweep of the mountains and forests around Sanghai."

"Don't forget, the Yin Yang School and the Luo Wang will also make a move. Even if the Mechanical City were still standing, it would be difficult to contend with such power."

"You!" The shrewd man, who had been holding back for so long, finally couldn't contain himself any longer. He pounded the table in a fit of rage and was about to stand up, but Gao Jianli pressed his arm down and shook his head, forcing him to sit back down.

“The lessons of the past are still fresh in our minds, and we will be more careful this time.” Gao Jianli nodded coldly to Wei Zhuang, without arguing with him.

"The Mohists are well-hidden here and shouldn't encounter any major problems. It's our Xiang Clan that needs to retreat even further," Fan Zeng said, both to ease the tension and to request reinforcements.

I also need to hurry and inform my newly acquainted friends in Shushan.

“I’ll go tonight, so you won’t have to make the trip. You can rest here tonight and see how things go.”

The one who said this was Dao Zhi. The analysis just now has shown that Sanghai City will definitely be under martial law now. The only ones who can pass messages flexibly and freely under martial law are him, Bai Feng of Liusha, and Ji Bu of Xiangshi.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Brother Daozhi."

Chapter 338 Zhang Han

Rebels brazenly attacked and stole the Black Dragon Scroll from Xianyang. When Li Si received this news, the prime minister, in an extremely rare outburst of rage, slammed his fist on the table.

"This is utterly audacious! General Meng, General Zhang Han, the young master's carriage is about to depart. If such a case occurs under these circumstances and the murderer is not apprehended in time, wouldn't that be condoning rebellion!"

"The target has been confirmed as the remnants of the Mo family after the destruction of the Mechanized City last year, but these people are well hidden and it will not be easy to find them."