Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 345

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The old empire's foundation of rule was seamlessly taken over by the new empire. Hu Hai and Zhao Gao had been causing chaos for a year, resulting in a large backlog of documents. However, these were all resolved under the personal guidance of Xiao He. Li Si, as prime minister, had compiled a comprehensive record of the empire's data. With this foundation, a new order could be established quickly.

The ministers were all busy, so Lu Wei came to the main imperial palace alone. He had no interest in visiting the vast harem, but instead carefully examined the two treasures that represented the emperor's status:

The Imperial Seal of the State and the Heavenly Question Sword.

The jade seal, which is four inches square and has five dragons intertwined on the top, was originally the He Shi Bi jade. Later, Li Si personally carved the seal with the seal characters "Received the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Life Be Long and Prosperous". Unlike other jade stones that Lu Wei had seen, which were warm and elegant, this jade seal gave people a sense of the weight and majesty of metal and stone.

Gently channeling internal energy into it, the jade seal, like a bottomless pit, indiscriminately swallowed everything. Such characteristics are comparable to the Yellow Stone Heavenly Book, which has been confirmed as a divine object.

In some ways, it is even more precious than the celestial book.

As a man-made product, the imperial seal transcends the boundaries of ordinary objects from the very beginning due to the significance it carries.

"Once it's in my hands, you won't need to fill the corners with gold anymore."

The jade seal was exquisite and had a special meaning, which Lu Wei greatly appreciated. Although he never deliberately pursued treasures, once something was in his hands, he would naturally keep it carefully.

Immediately afterwards, he turned to look at the Tianwen Sword. This famous sword, ranked first in the Feng Hu Zi Sword Manual, was not only once the sword of the First Emperor, but its power was also not to be underestimated.

The old man with the beard, Feng Huzi, hasn't appeared for a long time, but Lu Wei has interacted with him and knows that he is fair and impartial in judging swords. The reason why Tianwen was rated as the best sword is simply because it is the best sword Feng Huzi has ever seen.

The reason this sword was recognized by the Qin royal family as a symbol of the emperor was because the First Emperor himself used it.

As the first emperor, many of Qin Shi Huang's habits became accepted norms.

However, Lu Wei had no intention of using this sword to replace the Swallowing Sea sword at his waist.

'Heavenly Questions' represents the will of the First Emperor, while 'Swallowing the Sea' represents his own. Only when the swordsman and the sword work together can the greatest power be unleashed.

Therefore, in Lu Wei's eyes, Tianwen's fate will likely be to be hidden away: due to its former owner's status, it is destined not to be bestowed upon him again.

"Your Majesty, the royal chefs have prepared the meal. As you instructed, everything will be kept simple."

Ji Yan walked in, dressed in soft armor, temporarily managing many affairs in the palace as the head of the palace guards.

Upon arriving in Xianyang, Qi will have many things to do. The world is not yet at peace, and although the war between the north and south is nearing its end, it is not over yet.

However, although there are many things to do, not every one of them is worth his personal attention as the Prince of Qi. Lu Wei will not have any urgent matters in the next few days. He will make a decision after Xiao He, Chen Ping and others have completed their statistical analysis.

"Hmm, take it to the study, and while you're at it, let's see where Ying Zheng used to govern."

Lu Wei casually gave the order, and when he looked up, he noticed that Ji Yan's expression showed a slight hesitation.

Clearly, she was doing this on purpose for herself, but Lu Wei didn't need to guess anyone's thoughts now, because he could just ask, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, Your Majesty..." Ji Yan bowed respectfully and said, "When I was setting up security in the palace, I also inspected the harem. I found the women in the dance hall to be very beautiful. Would you like to invite them to come and dance for Your Majesty at the banquet?"

The women who were kept in the palace by Ying Zheng and Hu Hai were undoubtedly beautiful and possessed unparalleled talents, but...

"No need. They are all pitiful people. My entry into the palace must have made these orioles, who live to please the king, extremely uneasy. Go and appease them, and release them home as soon as possible."

Lu Wei immediately understood Ji Yan's purpose, chuckled, and directly rejected the attempt to take Qin's harem as Qi's harem.

He was a man, so of course he liked beautiful women. However, in his youth, he needed to practice his skills diligently, so he never got close to women. Even after he took in the Snow Woman after he had achieved some proficiency, he still tried his best to restrain himself.

Once their bodies are fully grown and they are no longer afraid of overindulging and affecting their strength, their instinct to actively seek food will be revealed.

Now that he is only one ceremony away from becoming emperor, Lu Wei is no longer in such a hurry for lust: in the future, he can have any woman he wants.

Just like Dongjun Yanfei and Da Siming of the Yin-Yang School, even though they had no emotional foundation with him, he still managed to easily win them over, didn't he?

This is the power of authority. The reason he is now dispersing the Qin harem of tens of thousands of people is also for the sake of power.

After all, supporting so many people, plus the annual maintenance costs of those palaces, is a huge expense.

Saving this expense would solidify his power, while saving it would undermine it. Lu Wei was very clear about how to choose.

"Yes!"

Upon learning of Lu Wei's feelings, Ji Yan immediately knew what to do. Just as she was about to leave, His Highness Prince Qi's voice rang out again:

"After the palace guards have lined up, a set of moon-shine wide-sleeved dress from the Qin State Treasury will be given to you."

"Yes, Ah Yan understands..."

"And Xiaomeng, go tell her that I want to see the two of you dance tonight."

Stroking his chin, His Highness Prince Qi casually ordered: "No need for the Qin palace dancers, but let's have some music and dance for entertainment. That's a good suggestion."

As for Ji Yan being able to dance, and Xiao Meng probably not being able to dance since she has been cultivating Taoism since childhood, that's their business.

As the victor, King Qi simply issued orders.

Chapter 443 The North Settles Down

"Damn it, why did you step down!"

With a slap, Wang Li knocked a Qin army captain to the ground. The once mighty Wang Li, who had once annihilated the wolf clan, was no longer as imposing as before. His towering body was slightly bent due to fatigue, and his arrogant, bow-like eyebrows were unkempt from days of neglect.

He was surrounded by nearly 20,000 battle-hardened armored soldiers and nearly 80,000 other Qin troops, but the Qi army blocked the key passage, preventing him from advancing or retreating.

"General, the Qi army is well-equipped. Continuing to force a breakthrough is just sending our soldiers to their deaths!"

When Shejian saw Wang Li about to draw his sword to kill someone, his expression changed and he rushed forward to dissuade him, saying, "Sun Tzu's Art of War says, 'When surrounded, plan; when in a desperate situation, fight.' We are not yet in a hopeless situation, and we need to think calmly."

"Humph!"

Wang Li's expression was conflicted. He snorted coldly, clenched his fist, threw away his longsword, and with a flick of his cloak, returned to the main camp, leaving Shejian to help the captain up...

"It seems the Qin army's offensive has ended for today."

Inside the main camp of the Qi army in the north, Han Xin saw Yan Bing and Xiang Yu return and confidently made his judgment with a smile.

Xiang Yu replied arrogantly, "Indeed, they have lost another day, and they are about to run out of food by killing horses."

Now, more than ten days have passed since the day he led his cavalry to burn down the Qin army's granary. That night, Xiang Yu not only burned most of the grain that the Qin army had painstakingly transported from Shangjun to support Wang Li, but also led more than a hundred men to disperse five thousand Qin reinforcements. He then spread the spoils of war to the camps of tens of thousands of Qin soldiers.

Because it was night, the rout was easily contagious. As soon as the vanguard retreated, the rear immediately fell into chaos. Xiang Yu seemed brave, but in reality, the number of people he killed was limited. The total number of enemies killed by the entire cavalry squad was at most a few hundred. However, the result was that more than 20,000 Qin soldiers scattered and fled in the dark forests.

The young master of the Xiang clan rose to fame in one battle and was quickly promoted by General Han Xin.

Han Xin himself was a prime example of rapid promotion, so he would emulate this approach when dealing with talented subordinates. In addition, the Qi army was severely lacking in cavalry generals, and there was not a single one who could make good use of cavalry. Previously, they had to use Yan Bing as a temporary substitute. The appearance of Xiang Yu undoubtedly solved the immediate problem.

Moreover, although Xiang Yu did not initially use his family background to his advantage, once he achieved tangible results, his family background, as a bonus, undoubtedly silenced the dissent of others.

The reputation of the Xiang clan, the strongest clan in Chu, still enjoys considerable prestige among the six states, even though they were previously claimed to have perished.

Upon learning this news, Wang Li was furious, but also faced with two choices:

Firstly, we should continue our advance. As long as we defeat the main force of the Qi army, everything else will be fine. We can simply plunder the grain from the people of Yan and Zhao.

Secondly, they admitted defeat, voluntarily abandoned a unit to cover the main army's retreat back to Shangjun, and immediately plundered the people of Shangjun. After obtaining sufficient food and supplies, they immediately crossed the Hetao region back to Guanzhong.

Although there were two options, Wang Li could only choose the first one. The reason was simple: as a general who had never been defeated, the Marquis of Wucheng, and the only general who had led the empire to a great victory over the Wolf Clan royal court, how could he suddenly lose and retreat after winning all the way on the road to suppressing the rebels?

Only by constantly winning can Wang Li live up to his grandfather's title of Marquis Wucheng!

Therefore, the battle-hardened armored soldiers chose to cross the Gouyi River and launch a preemptive attack on Han Xin's camp.

This truly caught Han Xin off guard: he had expected Wang Li to fight to the death out of pride, but he never imagined that Wang Li, who was well-versed in military strategy, would order the main force to cross the river on his own initiative.

The Ouyi River is not so easy to cross: it connects to a mountainous area. Once the Qin army crosses it, if they cannot quickly defeat the Qi army in front, they will have to set up camp with their backs to the river. If Han Xin can send 5,000 Qi soldiers to bypass the mountains and come to the opposite bank from upstream to block Wang Li's retreat, he can easily surround the Qin army from three sides by taking advantage of the terrain.

If Wang Li were to travel downstream along the river, he would only get closer and closer to the territory controlled by the State of Qi. If he wanted to retreat to the other side of the river, he would face encirclement from three sides when crossing the river.

The only hope is to break through the Qi army's mountain defenses and return upstream.

Attacking from a lower position to a higher position is not so easy...

This was a dead end move that even a novice in military strategy wouldn't make, yet Wang Li, who had utterly defeated the wolf clan, managed to pull it off.

Admittedly, if Wang Li could break through the Qi army head-on, he could not only turn the tide but also advance directly into Yan territory, which would be a brilliant move. However, is it really the kind of approach that Wang Jian's descendants would take to place all their hopes on the success of their attack?

Or does Wang Li believe that the Qin state today is still like the Qin state of twenty years ago, capable of wearing down its opponents even after several major defeats by relying on its powerful national strength?

Han Xin couldn't understand Wang Li with his own mindset, but since the enemy had already made a mistake, he only needed to accept it!

In a war, for both the attacking and defending sides, the most important thing above morale is the correct and reasonable military formation. Wang Li had no problem with this, and neither did Han Xin. Since neither side could overwhelm the other in terms of troop strength, a stalemate was inevitable.

Some local advantages rarely affect the overall situation, thus creating a situation that is best for Han Xin and worst for Wang Li.

Unable to advance or retreat, the Qin army indeed sought to retreat through the mountains and upstream of the river. However, after a few days of stalemate, Han Xin immediately took charge of the mountain defense line and released Xiang Yu with eight hundred cavalry to charge freely through the Qin army using the terrain. That domineering figure wielding a long spear became a nightmare for all Qin soldiers.

The usual methods to stop the cavalry charge were always broken by Xiang Yu's strength in lifting a tripod, and he was no match for the same cavalry charge tactics.

In addition, the elite of the Hundred Battles Armored Soldiers was not only because the soldiers were selected from among the bravest men, but also because they were fully armed with the empire's wealth.

Without logistical support, as the battle dragged on, the equipment of the battle-hardened armored soldiers gradually began to succumb to damage...

Without equipment, their offensive sharpness visibly diminished, and they could no longer advance to a dangerous distance for the Qi army.

For Han Xin, this Qin army of just over 100,000 men had already been defeated!

Although Sun Tzu did say that when surrounded, one should devise a plan; when in a desperate situation, one should fight, what could Wang Li do if there was nowhere to devise a plan or nowhere to fight?

Aside from sending Yan Bing and Xiang Yu to raid the Qin army's supplies, Han Xin's only contribution in this great battle seems to be his troop deployment to resist Wang Li's fierce attack; he doesn't seem to have made any significant contributions.

He himself admitted this, and the most important reason for this was that the Qi army was not much weaker than the Qin army, and its logistics were continuous. Under such circumstances, Han Xin would unconsciously march and fight like Wang Jian.

For a commander leading an army of tens or even hundreds of thousands, this is the most responsible tactic for himself and his soldiers. Unless his strength is insufficient, no general would be willing to take such a risky approach to victory; after all, if the risk fails, Wang Li's fate is already laid bare...

With the situation on the northern front settled, Han Xin immediately sent a messenger to Lu Wei, while the standoff in the south continued.

However, both Liu Sha and Zhao Tuo viewed the 100,000 Qin troops as a form of leverage, so this stalemate was unlikely to escalate into a deadly battle.

Chapter 444 Solving the Net

Does this version of me seem unfamiliar to you?

Lu Wei summoned Zhou Wen the day after he entered Xianyang Palace.

This accomplice who conspired with Luo Wang still hasn't regained his true identity; the name 'Zhou Wen' is that of a traitor despised by everyone in the farming community.

The 100,000 disciples of the Farmer's School supported the middle class of the Qi Kingdom. Apart from Lu Wei, the only people who knew the truth of the matter were Zhou He, the former leader of the Gonggong Hall who had been buried, and Tian Guang, the former leader of the Knights who was wandering outside. With no one revealing the plans, Zhou Wen's reappearance would cause a huge uproar.

The very act of revealing the truth will cause a stir, even though the traces of the biggest victim of the incident, the 'Tian family,' have been gradually erased from the farmhouse.

"No, His Highness Prince Qi is the ruler of the world, while I am merely a notorious assassin with less than two years left to live. It is an honor to be remembered by His Majesty."

Zhou Wen snapped out of his daze, knelt down, bowed his head, and answered respectfully.

From his youth to his current middle age, aside from a period of youthful exuberance and his grandfather's protection that allowed him to enjoy a carefree life, he has spent the rest of his life as an undercover agent...