Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 302

The elite status of the Golden Fire Cavalry was such that even the wolf-riding elite cavalry, raised on horseback, could not rival them. Their old and inferior weapons were extremely vulnerable to the Qin army's armor.

However, the wolf tribesmen were accustomed to the harshness of the borderlands, and the results of this battle might not be enough to annihilate them. The long supply distances also made them vulnerable to attacks by the wolf tribesmen. Therefore, Meng Tian requested that laborers be mobilized to connect the original northern border walls of Yan, Zhao, and Qin, forming a ten-thousand-mile-long iron wall. In this way, the Great Wall could serve as an outpost for both offense and defense.

His Majesty the Emperor granted the request, and with a stroke of his pen, hundreds of thousands more laborers were conscripted for corvée labor.

Meanwhile, in order to transport military supplies to the northern frontier, Ying Zheng built a new dedicated road, which required the mobilization of tens of thousands of people along the route to work.

The war in the northern frontier relies on the powerful national strength of the Qin Dynasty, and the wolf tribe is not a threat at all.

But when the eunuch read out the results of the battle in the southern border, His Majesty the Emperor's face immediately darkened, and a headache suddenly struck.

He habitually reached out and picked up a newly delivered pill from Yun Zhongjun, which had been inspected, and put it in his mouth.

As the medicine took effect, Ying Zheng calmed down considerably and waved to signal the maid to read out the military intelligence.

"When Commander Tu Sui led his army deep into the Sanluo region along the West River, they were ambushed by the Yue people. A hail of arrows struck the Commander, who fell from his horse and died instantly. Our army suffered a crushing defeat..."

Since Tu Sui led the expedition to the southern frontier, the Qin army has suffered heavy losses due to various reasons, including acclimatization problems and logistical difficulties. This time, even the commander-in-chief was killed by the Yue people, and the Qin Dynasty has almost completely lost face!

At the very beginning of the war, two groups of Baiyue people surrendered. Ying Zheng originally thought that with the Qin army of 500,000 pressing on the border, the remaining Yue people would at most resist for a year like the city of Ji in Yan and then all of them would submit. Who would have thought that after five or six years of fighting, this would be the result.

"In recent years, the Grand Commandant, frustrated by setbacks in the war, became enraged and vented his anger by committing acts of cruelty in Yue territory. He also carried out some massacres of surrendered Yue civilians and remnants of the army, which provoked fierce resistance from the Yue people..."

The eunuch, not hearing further instructions from His Majesty, could only continue reading: "Having lost their tribe, the Yue people would rather hide in the deep mountains and live among wild beasts than surrender. Our army is powerless to explore all the forests and lacks the ability to control the area..."

"After the death of the Grand Commandant, General Zhao Tuo gathered his troops and temporarily retreated to hold their ground, confronting the Yue people and awaiting His Majesty's new orders."

"Summon Ren Xiao." Ying Zheng's initial satisfaction with Meng Tian in the northern frontier vanished instantly. He accurately judged that what was more important now was how to conquer the Yue people: Tu Sui's tyranny was clearly a lesson of sufficient weight. To subdue the Yue people, he would ultimately have to rely on a combination of kindness and severity.

With the Lingqu Canal basically completed, the problem of food supply was no longer a concern. Instead, the key to the course of the war lay in how to confirm the rule of the prefectures and counties in Yue.

The area is inhabited by Yue people, who are prone to collusion. It is necessary to relocate Qin people there to reduce the proportion of Yue people in the area.

This would weaken the Qin state's power once again, given that it was simultaneously waging wars in the south and north. However, in the long run, the Qin empire would only become more stable after it absorbed the Yue territory!

Hu Hai, who was in another carriage, was not concerned about the news that his father had summoned General Ren Xiao. Instead, he asked the Luo Wang members who were traveling with him with great interest, "How long will it take to get to Mount Tai?"

"Your Highness, we still need to wait patiently." The members of Luo Wang were exhausted, but they dared not show it on their faces. They still respectfully comforted him, saying, "The Commander of Zhongche Prefecture said that the beginning of a truly good show always needs some calm to set it off."

"Hmph, he always says that." Hu Hai crossed his arms and turned his head away: "It's not fun anymore."

...

On the outskirts of Mount Tai, the anti-Qin alliance gathered to make final preparations for their earth-shattering assassination plot against the Qin emperor.

Holding the Xueji he had failed to hand over, Xiaoyaozi accepted the questioning from Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang.

Judging from the two people's constant vigilance towards him, his identity had most likely been exposed, probably by Zhang Liang. This is why he still had the chance to defend himself to Zongheng instead of being directly attacked by a Hundred-Step Flying Sword and a Horizontal Sweep.

"You two must want to hear me tell you the secret of the Hidden Sun in person." Xiaoyaozi decided to stop pretending to be ignorant and took the initiative to say, "It's a long story."

"If you continue to conceal this today, then this long period will end today." Wei Zhuang smiled, and although it was only for a moment, Shark Tooth did emit a faint sword hum.

“Someone leaked this information to us, and we trust him, but Brother Xiaoyao should still tell it himself.” Gai Nie did not notice any signs of resistance from Xiaoyaozi, and since he had voluntarily revealed his identity, his words remained somewhat polite.

"I've wanted to explain this identity to you two for a long time. Well, this timing is perfect." Xiaoyaozi nodded and sighed before recounting everything from joining Luowang in his youth to becoming Yanri and everything he did in that position. Most of it was true, including the fake deaths of Chisongzi and Tian Guang, as well as Zhao Gao's instructions to trigger the Azure Dragon Plan.

"The Net is an evil assassin organization, but the source of all its evil lies with Zhao Gao." Xiaoyaozi concluded at the end: "Trying to completely eradicate this organization may bring even worse results. With this organizational framework, at least those assassins are still confined to a set of rules. Once the rules are gone, the consequences of their unbridled behavior can be imagined with your intelligence."

"So, you want to use Yan Ri's identity to replace Zhao Gao? And you want us to support your plan?" Wei Zhuang understood Xiaoyaozi's intention and sneered.

“That was indeed my original idea, as it would allow us to clean up the Luo Wang organization from within as much as possible,” Xiaoyaozi said frankly. “But now, that plan is no longer possible. We can only try our best to kill Zhao Gao.”

Hearing him say that, the two exchanged a glance, and Gai Nie asked calmly, "May I ask why Brother Xiaoyao thinks so?"

“Zhao Gao ordered me to assist the Azure Dragon assassination plot against the King of Qin. My orders were to betray him and save the King when he was about to succeed. What do you think of this order?” Xiaoyaozi revealed Zhao Gao’s apparent plan and then asked in return.

"Wishful thinking." Wei Zhuang's assessment was succinct and clear.

“Indeed, Brother Wei Zhuang, you’ve hit the nail on the head. This isn’t his real plan.” Xiaoyaozi flattered the Master of Quicksand before continuing seriously, “I think his real plan is to pretend to push us to carry out the plan, and then, after obtaining the exact location of the Azure Dragon from me, his inside man, he will launch the Net to wipe out the entire anti-Qin alliance in one fell swoop!”

"And my identity as the Hidden Sun will not be recognized, and I will be killed by the Six Sword Slaves."

Xiaoyaozi planted the Snow Clearing Sword into the ground, bowed and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I deliberately came here according to his plan. In fact, there was no way out from the beginning. Therefore, even if you two did not come to discuss this matter with me, I would have taken the initiative to expose myself today."

"Once the Luo Wang (a network of spies) learned of this plan, its chances of success were already slim, unless we turn the tables on them."

"You want to use false information to ambush Luo Wang?" Gai Nie's gaze sharpened as he revealed Xiaoyaozi's plan.

“Zhao Gao must have foreseen the possibility that I might actually betray him.” Unexpectedly, Xiaoyaozi shook his head and refuted this conjecture: “Zhao Gao will not show himself, and the Six Sword Slaves will bring a large number of Luo Wang members and Qin soldiers. We will not have the opportunity to truly cripple Luo Wang.”

"That night, relying on my senior brother, myself, and a few others like Xiaomeng and Lu Wei from Tianzong, we captured Zhao Gao. If Lu Wei and Xiaomeng were replaced by Xiaoyaozi, Chisongzi, and Tian Guang, we might have been able to do it again..." Wei Zhuang listened to the words of the Human Sect leader, lost in thought: "Also, according to Lu Wei, he obtained the evidence that would determine the fate of Luo Wang from Zhao Gao. Luo Wang will at least listen to him to some extent, so..."

"Moreover, compared to Ying Zheng, the value of the Luo Net is far less. We cannot miss this opportunity to assassinate him."

Xiaoyaozi didn't notice that Wei Zhuang was distracted and continued, "Use some bait and the Azure Dragon to lure the main force of the Luo Net in another direction. That way, even without the Azure Dragon, the real assassination plan might still succeed!"

"This is bad. If we do this, both sides could be completely wiped out," Gai Nie instinctively objected.

“No, perhaps it is feasible.” A loud voice emerged from the woods to the side where the three were chatting, and a head of long, flowing hair revealed his identity: Gao Jianli, the leader of the Mohist school.

His eavesdropping was arranged in advance by Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang. When he heard the crucial part, Gao Jianli took the initiative to step forward, no longer doubting Xiaoyaozi's identity, and even acknowledging Xiaoyaozi's plan: "As long as Luo Wang knows the location of Qinglong, their main force can be drawn away. This is an extremely rare opportunity."

"This matter can be handled by the Mohists!"

------

In Sanghai City, the anti-Qin alliance and the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) quietly left, and even the Shadow Guard, who had lost Zhang Han, was no exception.

His Majesty the Emperor's eastern tour has become a new point of contention, and Lu Wei's side is also facing a tense moment.

With meticulous strokes, the brush completed the final line on the paper. Master Xia Kui put down his brush, admiring his small seal script work with satisfaction and contentment.

However, Xiaomeng, who was in front of him, moved her eyes and commented disdainfully: "Dignified and neat, rigid and inflexible, without any natural charm."

As she spoke, she got up and came to Lu Wei, sitting across his lap without any hesitation. She picked up a brush and wrote her calligraphy freely on the side of the white paper. The flowing strokes did not have the delicate and graceful style of a woman, but were instead slightly sloppy. However, upon closer inspection, Xiaomeng's philosophy was clearly hidden in them.

"The small seal script is simple yet beautiful. Although I write it in a neat and upright manner, it is the most suitable style for my disciples to see. Naturally, it cannot be appreciated simply in the way of Taoism."

Xiaomeng sat steadily, but Lu Wei still kindly helped to support her slender waist, shaking his head and casually defending himself.

"You're too entangled with worldly affairs." Xiaomeng sighed regretfully, sat up straight, tore off the first page, and continued writing.

Before long, the paper was filled with writing, and at that moment, a light knock came from outside the door. Xiao Yu's clear voice called out, "Hero, an envoy from the Yin Yang School has brought a letter from the Moon Goddess."

"Let her in."

The Mirage Project has reached its final stage. Lu Wei, with a plan in mind, gave instructions to the outside world.

He had intended to get up and tidy his clothes before the Yin-Yang School envoy arrived, but the sect leader of the Heavenly Sect showed no intention of leaving, seemingly engrossed in calligraphy...

Chapter 365 The Great Zhou Dynasty

The messenger from the Yin-Yang School was Shao Siming. She and Xiao Yu had worked together for a considerable period in Sanghai, and had even collaborated to stage a play using the wandering Tenglong Legion to bring Shushan into the anti-Qin alliance, although this action didn't yield many benefits...

Xiaomeng's existence had always been unknown to Xiaoyu, so she only referred to her as "messenger" when reporting. However, since Lord Xia Kui directly summoned them in, it proved that this Master Xiaomeng was one of their own.

Shao Siming remained a silent young girl, showing no sign of the urgency one might expect from receiving an important letter from the Moon Goddess in the Mirage Toad Palace.

When the two pushed open the door and entered the room, they saw that Master Xia Kui was calmly practicing calligraphy, while Master Xiao Meng was opposite Master Xia Kui with her back to the door, seemingly lost in meditation and not turning around.

However, in Lu Wei's view, Xiao Meng's usually aloof face showed a rare, mischievous smile with her tongue sticking out. A glint of light flashed in her gray eyes, and when Xiao Yu and Shao Siming walked to the table, her expression naturally adjusted to a dignified one.

The moment the door was pushed open, the girl shoved the pen into Lu's hand, activated the "Harmony with the World" technique to escape from his embrace, and then wore an expression of a successful prank, just like any other girl, completely unlike a Taoist master.

Acting so freely and spontaneously—is this what they call 'following the natural way'?

Shifting his gaze from the 'aloof' Master Xiaomeng's face, Lu Wei looked at the two women beside him. At this moment, Xiao Yu, being sensible, took out the letter she had obtained from Shao Siming, stepped closer, and handed it to Xia Kui.

The moment they made contact, Xiao Yu's small nostrils twitched slightly, and her gaze involuntarily lowered.

Lu Wei naturally noticed the close proximity, but he didn't care and directly opened the letter to read the important matter.

The letter was brief, essentially stating that 'Ying Zheng's chariot has already departed, and Donghuang will board the ship at any time to take control of everything. The Moon Goddess invites Lu Wei to board the ship as soon as possible to plan an ambush.'

The letter did indeed appear to be written by the Moon Goddess, but according to Lu Wei's imagination, the Moon Goddess should have already been captured by now...

'The moon goddess who gave me the letter is a fake.'

Just as Lu Wei was pondering, Shao Siming suddenly stretched out her fingers and manipulated the internal energy that had gathered into leaf shapes, writing characters in mid-air.

This action was immediately seen by everyone in the room, but the content of the words was clearly more astonishing than the action itself.

Shao Siming ignored all of that; she dutifully carried out her orders: 'The Moon Goddess and I agreed on some secret codes for communication.'

It seems the Moon Goddess had planned this all along...

Lu Wei already had some guesses about the situation on the mirage, and now that Shao Siming confirmed it, he understood it completely: it must be that Donghuang had transformed into the appearance of the Moon Goddess and wanted to use Shao Siming to trick him into climbing the mirage trap!

'Mirage, danger.'

Shao Siming stubbornly finished expressing her final meaning before lowering her fingers. Above her face mask, a pair of pure purple eyes, similar to those of the Moon Goddess, stared intently at Lu Wei.

Xiaomeng only had a vague understanding, but she didn't ask any questions. She turned her head and waited attentively for Lu Wei's next move.

Xiao Yu was even more confused, but she knew this was a major issue concerning the mirage, and she quietly awaited the final decision-maker's decision.

"I see." Lu Wei smiled as he stared at the letter in his hand. The Eastern Emperor on the Mirage must have already planned everything. "Go back and report. I will use a special method to board the ship late at night three days from now."

"Have that 'Moon Goddess' be ready to receive you at that time."

Upon hearing this, Shao Siming hesitated, then shook her head, shaking her finger again: 'The Moon Goddess's intention was that we shouldn't take any risks at this time.'

“This isn’t an adventure, it’s a deal.” Folding up the letter in his hand and tucking it into a hidden compartment in his sleeve, Lu Wei said casually, “You don’t need to worry about it, just report back as I instructed.”

The fact that Donghuang threw out Yunzhongjun proves that he already knew about Lu Wei's underhanded tactics against Ying Zheng. If Lu Wei hadn't gone, these underhanded tactics would probably have been presented to Ying Zheng's desk.

Lu Wei openly revealed this to Donghuang, giving Donghuang enough of his weaknesses to invite him onto the ship. Using the name of the Moon Goddess to lure him was only the first and most friendly one.

Whether Lu Wei's cooperation here is genuine or not, it will make Donghuang feel much more relaxed. In any case, as long as he ascends the mirage, everything will tilt in his favor.

In this way, Lu Wei will most likely be able to meet the real Donghuang Taiyi... As long as that's enough!

"Alright," Shao Siming said, touched that Lu Wei still made the same choice after she had expressed the Moon Goddess's true intentions. She nodded slowly and left without any hesitation.

Xiao Yu had many questions she wanted to ask, but Xiao Meng was still there, so she had no choice but to see Shao Siming off first, planning to ask her questions after Xiao Meng left. She then walked out of the house.

“You need my help.” Three breaths after the door closed, Xiaomeng said in a matter-of-fact tone.

It seems that Lu intends to force his way into the mirage, and Xiaomeng is confident that she is the only one in the current Sanghai who can secretly follow him as his helper.

“If the head of the Heavenly Sect is willing to help, I will certainly be more confident.” Lu Wei did not deny that, given that the Sun, Moon and Stars of the Yin Yang School were likely imprisoned, the number of people who could see through Xiaomeng’s “Harmony with the World” technique would not exceed a handful.

"Really?" Xiaomeng had always found it cliché for others to call her 'Sect Leader' or 'Master,' but at this moment she thought it was quite nice.

She activated her "Blend with Light and Dust" ability and instantly appeared in front of Lu Wei, sitting down as if she had just been practicing calligraphy, the white strands of hair hanging down at her temples fluttering slightly: "When we first met, didn't you keep your distance from me because you thought I was dirty and messy? Now, you don't even refuse to let me sit in your lap anymore~"