Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 289

If they put themselves in the position that Xiaoyaozi spoke of, they would understand that rather than opposing Luo Wang, it would be more advantageous to take control of Luo Wang themselves after eliminating Zhao Gao and his cronies through the anti-Qin alliance!

Not to mention what Xiaoyaozi did in secret, only he himself knows.

Even so, for the time being, Xiaoyaozi's Yanri faction can be an ally of the Farmer's School.

“The Luo Wang is backed by the Qin state. Attacking the Luo Wang from the outside is tantamount to attacking the Qin state itself, and it seems impossible to succeed at present.” Chi Songzi honestly stated his thoughts: “Only by attacking from within can the Luo Wang be truly brought to a standstill.”

"I see. Then we can be allies." Lu Wei clapped his hands in approval. "Both the Taoists and the Agriculturalists are victims of the Net's infiltration!"

“That’s true, but the Luo Wang organization is powerful, and I was worried about being discovered by them, which is why I kept it from Xiao Lu.” Tian Guang also started acting.

Chisongzi did not doubt their explanation: "Yes, we must not let our guard down in the face of the Luo Wang, but our top priority now is to help the anti-Qin alliance get rid of Zhang Han's scheme. With Lu Xiaokui's addition, this can be done easily."

"What did Xiaoyaozi originally intend to do?" Lu Wei asked with a gentle smile.

“He wants to use Fusu’s arrival to buy time.” Chisongzi answered every question: “By planning an assassination of Fusu, he can restrict the Qin state’s actions. This way, even Zhang Han and Meng Tian will not dare to spend too much effort to ambush the anti-Qin alliance. They will definitely have to ensure Fusu’s safety first.”

"The assassins are ready and will act on the night Fusu arrives in Sanghai."

"This was an assassination attempt destined to fail, and our mission was to ensure that the assassination did not implicate the Luo Wang organization."

Assassinating Fusu and killing Fusu are two different things. If the Luo Wang organization really wanted to eliminate Fusu in Sanghai, the latter would have no chance of escaping. However, His Majesty the First Emperor would not ignore the question of who would benefit from Fusu's death.

His greatest support has always been the emperor in Xianyang.

Therefore, in theory, Fusu could have acted more boldly, but unfortunately he failed to grasp this point.

"I see!"

On his way back to the stronghold from the waterfall outside the city, Lu Wei stopped again to look in the direction of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, but ultimately did not go to visit it.

He originally wanted to meet Zhang Liang behind the Thousand Machine Tower, and Ji Yan had even sent a letter, but Tian Guang's appearance interrupted the plan. Lu Wei took the opportunity to meet the other Yan Ri swords besides himself. It just so happened that tonight was the handover time of the Yan Ri sword, so this scene came about on the spot.

Zhang Liang thus gained complete control over the relationship between Chisongzi and Xiaoyaozi, and also learned in advance about Luo Wang's plan to assassinate Fusu. This event will undoubtedly further exacerbate the tense situation in Sanghai City.

But the effect was also significant: Zhang Han originally intended to use the Mirage Shipyard as a trap to ambush the anti-Qin alliance, but once Fusu was assassinated, the army, the Shadow Guard headquarters, and even Zhang Han and Meng Tian themselves could no longer leave the city at will, and the safety of the prince was of utmost importance.

This was somewhat contrary to Lu Wei's original plan: he wanted to use the battle at the shipyard to kill Zhang Han.

Now, Lu Wei has very little room to maneuver in the assassination attempt on Fusu.

However, some preparations should still be made, as there might be some unexpected events.

------

After the Mirage Shipyard set sail for its trial voyage, most of the heavily guarded army withdrew, and the shipyard's mission was accomplished: this was originally a secret shipyard of the Qin state before the fall of the Qi state, and since it was a secret, the biggest consideration from all sides was naturally to keep it hidden.

Therefore, despite its massive scale, shipbuilding here is actually not very convenient. There are shipyards with more complete infrastructure at the nearby Sanghai City dock, and many of the equipment used by the local shipbuilders will be transported there.

As for the shipyard's hull, its only purpose afterward is to rot away little by little in the sea breeze, which is to be expected.

However, due to Zhang Han's suggestion, His Majesty the Emperor ultimately ordered that this place be preserved, and it would take on another function: a prison.

This is an exploitation of the shipyard's secrecy: when used as a prison, all the original inconveniences become conveniences!

Meanwhile, there is another terrible prison near Sanghai City: the Tooth-Eating Prison. The combination of these two prisons, old and new, allows for the reasonable confinement of prisoners of different levels.

Furthermore, the shipyard is located by the sea, which allows prisoners from the mainland to be transported to the sea via major rivers and then to the prison by sea, thus minimizing the possibility of them being rescued en route.

Once the prison renovation here is completed, serious criminals from the mainland will be brought here to be imprisoned!

Among them were many nobles who were remnants of the six former states...

On this day, Zhang Han personally came to inspect the construction work of the prison. The original wooden shell of the shipyard was being gradually replaced with more robust materials.

Underground, the Gongshu family's specially designed mechanical beasts were digging a tunnel to connect with the Tooth-Eating Prison on the other side, with excess soil and rocks piling up like mountains.

Reaching the top floor of the shipyard prison, Zhang Han looked down at the entire area and could see the laborers cutting down all the trees within sight that might obstruct his view.

Amidst all this labor, the cunning and darting bandit Zhi keenly observed the entire situation...

Chapter 345 Unexpected Changes

“There is indeed a problem here. The disciples monitoring us can no longer get close. If we want to get deeper into the shipyard to find out what they are up to, I need to wait until nightfall.”

Dao Zhi secretly memorized the exterior details of the entire shipyard, constantly calculating his entry route and retreat plan.

Zhang Han, standing atop the shipyard, did not notice that Dao Zhi had infiltrated the labor force, but he knew that the anti-Qin rebels would most likely be eyeing this place.

"Add two more patrols to the night patrols. The prison is indeed not finished yet, but the first batch of prisoners sent tomorrow must not be allowed to have any problems."

"Yes, General Zhang Han!" The warden respectfully accepted the order. He himself was a former member of the Shadow Guard, with outstanding professional skills, and had earned Zhang Han's trust, which enabled him to take on his current role.

After inspecting the construction progress of the prison, Zhang Han did not linger there. Although the bait could be laid tomorrow, the anti-Qin rebels would not act rashly before they had a clear understanding of the shipyard prison's details. Before that, Prince Fusu would be arriving soon. Although Zhang Han did not need to and could not gain status by flattering Fusu, he still had to take the necessary etiquette seriously.

One of the most important duties of the Shadow Guard is to protect the safety of the royal family.

Even though there were no dangerous elements left in Sanghai City, and considering the current situation, even the most extreme rebels wouldn't assassinate the prince at this time, Zhang Han still couldn't let his guard down...

...

Fusu's main duty in coming to Sanghai this time was to inspect the results of the mirage's trial voyage, so as to serve as a precursor to His Majesty the Emperor's arrival. However, he would also definitely have to make a trip to the owner of this place, Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

In particular, Fusu brought Xiaomengzi, the leader of the Tianzong sect, with him this time.

Xiaomeng's status in the martial arts world is quite special: she is eighteen years old, but her seniority is that of Chisongzi, who is over seventy years old. In the Confucian school, which is extremely particular about etiquette, she is of the same generation as the sect leader Fu Nian's teacher and Xun Kuang. In addition, Confucius once studied under Laozi of the Daoist school. Therefore, the Confucian school must treat the Daoist school with respect this time.

Xiaomeng's appearance at this moment is a foreshadowing of Fusu's intention to suppress Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

Of course, in the end, this eldest son of the empire will surely bestow some more favors upon the Confucian school, achieving a equitable distribution of benefits.

This is an open operation, a standard tactic of monarchical power politics. However, even though there are many historical examples of such tactics, not everyone can execute them well.

Fusu sat upright in the carriage, perusing various Confucian intelligence reports and contemplating the itinerary for his upcoming trip to Sanghai.

This was the first time Fusu had left Xianyang so far to deal with a major school of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought. Putting aside his certain fondness for Confucianism, figuring out how to make his actions best suited to the needs of consolidating the Qin Dynasty's rule was by no means a trivial matter.

If it's not done well, it will disappoint His Majesty the Emperor...

The thought of this made Fusu feel a bit breathless from the pressure. The First Emperor was a decisive and efficient ruler who had achieved the unprecedented feat of unifying the seven kingdoms. As his eldest son, Fusu had never dared to relax his behavior since childhood.

According to the patriarchal clan system, he should have been established as the crown prince long ago, but His Majesty the Emperor, although no longer young and with his headaches still worsening, has not yet established an heir.

The officials in the court who were most concerned about this were undoubtedly those from the Confucian school. They firmly supported Fusu's position, which was another reason why Fusu preferred Confucianism, in addition to believing that the empire needed to recuperate and rebuild.

However, the emperor clearly did not heed the various quotations and allusions used by the Confucian officials, and Fusu knew why...

After all, his uncle was that Lord Changping... This bloodline was like a curse.

'I must show Father my abilities!'

After feeling depressed for about half an incense stick's time, Fusu rallied his spirits and continued reading the book in his hands: No matter what, among the twenty or so princes of the empire, he was still the only one who had spent the most time and the most visits by His Majesty's side.

Even though I often end up getting scolded...

The eldest son's convoy continued its journey; they had already entered the Jiaodong Prefecture area, less than a day's journey from Sanghai...

The next day, Fusu's caravan arrived in Sanghai City a day earlier than initially expected. Li Si and Meng Tian, ​​who had received a report from the fast riders three hours in advance, prepared a grand welcoming ceremony. As for Zhang Han, he went to greet them in advance as the commander of the Shadow Guard, and it was highly likely that he would arrive with Fusu.

At the request of the young master, the city was not under martial law today. The residents of Sanghai could stand on both sides of the road and see the royal convoy through the layer of black-armored Qin soldiers. Even if Fusu did not lift the curtain to show himself, this was still a rare sight for ordinary people.

"Fusu has arrived, so the shipyard's operations will have to be delayed."

Even from this vantage point, it's unrealistic to expect to see the details of a convoy two streets away through a thick curtained window. However, with her bright, clear eyes, it wasn't too blurry.

Ji Yan was pressed against the window, her toes raised, and she breathed out warm air as she spoke.

"Fusu will encounter assassins tonight. As long as the Mo family can receive the news in time and make a decisive decision, Zhang Han's plan is indeed very likely to fail."

Holding the soft, boneless body from behind, Lu Wei remained calm: "But this may not necessarily be a bad thing for him."

"Oh?" Feeling the burning impulse, Ji Yan raised her head. Her bright, golden eyes, which should have represented absolute rationality, were now somewhat dazed: "Are you referring to the exposure of the Luo Net?"

“Every action leaves a trace, especially an action taken on a whim. Zhang Han isn’t that stupid; he will find clues in failure.”

Although the leader's tone was serious, his large hands were not so well-behaved: they followed the curves of the silky bodysuit, his fingers stroking the slender waist and continuing downwards, finally lifting up a firm and elastic thigh to allow him to penetrate deeper.

Ji Yan's face flushed even more, and despite her excellent physical condition, she felt slightly weak as she stood on one leg: "But our target is the Mirage. If Zhang Han's plan fails, I'm afraid the security at the Mirage will increase."

With her upper body almost completely pressed against the window, Xiao Yan'er could see that Fu Su's carriage had entered the city on the main road of Sanghai and was heading towards the residence of the eldest son.

Where will blood flow tonight...

"The most troublesome thing for us on the Mirage is not the guards, but the timing of the arrival of the Eastern Emperor and Ying Zheng. The Moon Goddess will soon be escorting the treasures of the Ji Zhou royal family to Sanghai. I think that the Eastern Emperor will likely arrive ahead of time, but he will not reveal his true identity to the outside world. It is very possible that a drunkard or a beggar in Sanghai could be the Eastern Emperor."

"Shouldn't we send a disciple to find him?"

"No need, our enemy only has time left!"

------

Knowing full well that the eldest son of the empire would be assassinated, Lu Wei did not want to take any action that night, so as not to spend too much time being questioned in the next few days.

But an urgent investigation report from a disciple in the city at dusk made Lord Xia Kui raise an eyebrow: Zhang Han was not in the city today.

The news that the Shadow Guard commander did not return with Fusu after going out of the city to welcome him was truly beyond Lu Wei's expectations.

The anomaly still occurred!

"Shall I go to the shipyard?"

While Lu Wei was thinking, Ji Yan sat up on the bed, put on her shoes, socks, and coat, and calmly spoke.

Zhang Han's whereabouts were both unexpected and unexpected: the unexpected part was that both Lu Wei and Ji Yan judged that with Fusu's arrival, no matter what happened outside the city, he would not leave due to the need to protect the young master's safety.

However, the reality is that both of them made the wrong judgment, and so did the Luo Wang organization!

This applies not only to Zhang Han's side, but also to the anti-Qin alliance: Zhang Han's disappearance can only be related to the actions of the anti-Qin alliance.

Originally, according to the calculation, Fusu's arrival a day earlier would have allowed his convoy to meet the six noble prisoners from the shipyard prison at sea on the same day. However, on that day, due to the abundance of information, neither side dared to take any action.

Based on this inference, the secret third-party organization, Luo Wang, could launch an assassination of Prince Fusu by surprise, while simultaneously helping the anti-Qin alliance buy precious time for a prison break: as mentioned before, once Prince Fusu was confirmed to have been assassinated, Zhang Han would not dare to leave again, and at this time the anti-Qin alliance's actions would not encounter too many obstacles.

But the current situation in Sanghai clearly points to another possibility:

After learning that nobles from the six states were being held in the shipyard prison, the anti-Qin alliance decided to act decisively and launch a raid to break into the prison, even without obtaining detailed information about what was inside!

Their goal in doing this was the same: to catch the Qin state off guard!

After all, Fusu had just arrived, and Meng Tian and Zhang Han couldn't possibly be guarding the remote shipyard prison.

However, Shi Lan, a member of the anti-Qin alliance, was unable to relay the news to Lu Wei in time due to the martial law imposed on Sanghai City in preparation for Fusu's arrival. This resulted in the peasants not receiving the information in advance.

However, after learning about the anti-Qin alliance's actions through some means, Zhang Han turned the tables and, under the pretext of welcoming Fusu, went directly to the shipyard prison to lay an ambush!

He was unaware of the assassination attempt by the Luo Wang organization, and his concern for protecting Fusu's safety was less than his concern for suppressing the anti-Qin rebels...