Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 102

That very night, in addition to the Li brothers, fifteen other chivalrous men were recruited.

After these people are sent out, even more talented people can be recruited and brought under the master's control!

This unexpected turn of events not only delighted Master Lu, but also made him reconsider his plans for the Wei Kingdom.

He originally planned to recruit Lord Xinling's retainers and have them continue to infiltrate Daliang City, doing things like the Ji Ran family of Yan State, gathering intelligence and winning over the hearts of the people, so that they could adapt to changing circumstances at critical moments in the future.

Meanwhile, the Drunken Dream Pavilion is also a place for gathering intelligence. In the future, it can also 'attract' Mi Lian, the eldest daughter of Lord Changping. With her, Lu Wei can gain some of the Chu Kingdom's reputation!

That's all. After all, the Wei Kingdom has nothing to do with the Gonggong Hall; it's within the sphere of influence of Situ Wanli's Siyue Hall. If he wants to make any further in-depth plans, he'll have to wait until he seizes the position of Xia Kui.

But now, with the addition of Li Shiqi, the Li Shang brothers, and these wandering knights, Gonggongtang can immediately establish a formal branch in Wei and get a share of the local market.

"I need to appoint a trusted confidant to lead the Wei forces..."

With smiles on his face, he raised his cups to the Li brothers and wandering knights at the same table. The hall master planned to send a letter to Daze Mountain as soon as he returned to the inn to summon Lu Ye to Wei.

Lu Wei knew he couldn't stay idle and would definitely be traveling around every year. The branch that Wei was about to establish would be composed of two forces: the wandering knights led by the Li family and the remnants of Xinling's forces led by Zhang Er.

The supreme command cannot be handed over to any one party; one must choose one of one of one's four subordinates to take charge in one's own name.

And now, amidst the mountain rain and falling leaves:

Ashan has always been in charge of Yan affairs. Even though Luqiu Pavilion in Ji City has shrunk, he cannot stop. He still needs to travel to other cities in Yan to continue to consolidate his control over the people of Yan.

Ayu is in the State of Zhao, which is related to Lord Wu'an, Li Mu. Now that the State of Qin has conquered the State of Han, it will soon attack the State of Zhao. It is definitely not possible to let him leave Zhao and come to Wei at this time.

Amu is the most important; he must stay in Daze Mountain to study mechanical arts, there's no question about that.

Ah-Ye's duty has always been to teach and nurture the adopted orphans, teaching them basic skills that can be applied in various fields.

Several years have passed, and the first two batches of orphans are ready to be used. The only remaining option is to select suitable individuals from among them to train future generations; the situation in Wei truly requires Lu Ye to oversee it.

With this arrangement, the four younger brothers will be stationed in Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei respectively. Han is too small to be considered, and the area within Hangu Pass of Qin is even less of a concern. That leaves only Chu, a territory that the Master has yet to venture into.

Unfortunately, there are still too few trusted confidants worthy of being entrusted with important tasks. Lü Qing, Lü Chen, and the Yan brothers are also busy protecting the Gonggong Hall headquarters. Even if the Li brothers are capable, they still need several years to mature and solidify their abilities...

If one can cultivate trusted confidants in the Gonggong Halls of the five kingdoms, then in the future, a single call to arms will be echoed throughout the land. What need will the Hall Master have to worry about accomplishing great things?

After the banquet with the wandering knights, Lu Wei led the Li brothers back to the inn and introduced them to Ziwu.

Ziwu's eyes lit up, and he was about to duel with Li Shang.

With the other two watching, he was defeated after about seventy moves, but instead of being angry, he was delighted and laughed as he invited Li Shang to discuss sword techniques.

Master Lu has sharp eyes. He could see that Li Shang had a chance to win at the fifty-fourth move, but he was very intelligent and did not make a move immediately. He then held back for the second time at the sixty-first move, and only took a step forward to subdue Zi Wu on the third move.

While drinking at the tavern, Lu Wei only exchanged a few casual blows with Li Shiqi, using chopsticks as swords. Because he wanted to intimidate his subordinates at first sight and because the head of the hall had won too quickly, Lu Wei only had a rough assessment of this brother of Li Shiqi.

After comparing it with Ziwu, he finally understood the strength of Li Shang in detail, and he was even more delighted.

Having appeased the Li brothers for the time being, Lu Wei went to the Snow Maiden Pavilion again that evening to inquire about how the matter at the Drunken Dream Pavilion had gone.

Since he was going to take Xiaoyan to Xinling Temple again the next day, he didn't bother to go back to the inn tonight.

The Snow Maiden vaguely sensed that the Hall Master was in a good mood and high spirits today, and she didn't bring Lu Wei any bad news:

"That Hua Ying is very independent, but she comes from a powerful family and lacks experience, so her management of Zui Meng Lou is very rough."

"She's very direct and impulsive in her speech. Lu Ni and I taught her some new things, so it's only right that she got half of the management rights."

“I have chosen a musician as the representative of the altar, named Tao. She will be able to safeguard our Gonggong Hall’s half of the power.”

"Hmm, not bad." He gently stroked the Snow Maiden's delicate face, thinking that once Lu Ye arrived, he would also entrust the management of Peach Princess and others to him. Then, Hall Master Lu would continue his meticulous work, filling the room with a riot of spring colors...

------

The fall of Xinzheng was inevitable from the very beginning.

Standing on the high cliff, Wei Zhuang gazed at the city ablaze with flames, remaining motionless and silent.

Behind him are the elite troops that Quicksand has gathered in South Korea over the years:

White Phoenix, Red Lotus, Azure Wolf King, Peerless Ghost, Hidden Bat, Black Qilin...

From another perspective, the members of Quicksand who were still alive at this point in time were the elite.

"Zifang left ahead of schedule..."

Honglian stepped forward, her pupils reflecting the burning city, her expression unreadable. She was once a pampered princess, but now all that remained was a bloodthirsty viper named Chilian.

He said he was going to the State of Qi and to the city of Sanghai.

“That’s Confucian territory, the location of Little Sage Village.”

Wei Zhuang wasn't surprised by Zhang Liang's choice; Qi was one of the few remaining safe places after the fall of Han. Judging from the Qin king's plans, Qi was likely to be his last target.

"Zhang Liang was a smart man. He understood that the power to seek revenge was not yet sufficient, and the timing was not right."

Wei Zhuang turned around, looking at the few subordinates in front of him. He stood the Shark Tooth axe upright on the ground with a loud clang, drawing the attention of everyone who was lost in thought to him.

"Next, we need to seize power."

"You may not know anything else, but as long as you know how to kill, that's enough."

At this point, Quicksand was reduced to merely a killer organization...

After Han Fei and Zhang Liang left, this path, like the burning city of Xinzheng, was destined!

...

In the majestic city of Xianyang, Qin State, stands the Changping Lord's Mansion.

Xiong Qi, the Right Chancellor, is writing a letter. He is one of the most powerful and accomplished ministers who has helped His Highness the King of Qin to rule the Qin state.

He cared more about the fall of Korea than the captured King An of Han himself.

After writing the last word, Xiong Qi put down the pen with his left hand, leaving no proof. He rolled up the cloth, put it into a small box with a mechanism, and handed it to a bodyguard to be sent to the Yan Kingdom.

"South Korea is gone, but Xinzheng's value has not completely disappeared."

"General Wei Zhuang of Han is missing, but his talented subordinates are still alive. The fallen state of Han still has forces worth using."

Lord Changping's gaze was calm, his thin, red lips curved into a smile, and his complexion looked excellent. This was befitting of the Qin Prime Minister, who was overjoyed by the victory at the front.

There wasn't a single fool in the royal court. He had to be even more skilled at disguise than them all to fool the supreme King of Qin... and then, in the future, present him with a gift!

"Go and try to find this disciple of Guigu and get in touch with him."

The steady voice had barely faded when another assassin silently withdrew, mounted a swift horse, and rode away from Xianyang, heading east...

Chapter 125 The Assassination Plan for Qin

The day South Korea officially declared its demise was only a few days later than the day the other six countries considered it their demise.

In the city of Daliang, Wei, feeling the urgency of time, brought Xiao Yan'er to the Xinling Temple for the second time.

Having finished his business in Daliang, he didn't plan to go to Chu, but instead wanted to return to Zhao. With Wei Bao's death so many years earlier than expected, Li Mu in Zhao, under his deliberate manipulation, would only be more easily targeted by the King of Zhao than in the original timeline.

Moreover, next year Qin will begin its conquest of its second target country. Before the battles commence, Qin spies will undoubtedly launch their operations. Guo Kai's character is not trustworthy; who knows what price this greedy Zhao minister will demand from Li Mu and the Zhao state?

Having made so many preparations to acquire Li Mu, and even put forward Zhao Yi as the person in charge, I am determined to have this Lord Zhao Wu'an, no matter what, even if it means stealing him!

"What does Hall Master Lu mean?"

Zhang Er looked at Lu Wei, whose eyes had suddenly slanted upwards, and couldn't help but ask.

They were still in the secret chamber of the building near the Xinling Temple, and the number of people meeting was still three.

This time, Ji Yan was brought in, while Chen Yu was sent to guard the gate outside.

Xiao Yan'er realized that she should keep quiet and not say a word at this moment, so she had been sitting obediently next to her brother, the hall master, ever since entering the secret room, maintaining her so-called 'dignity'.

“Brother Zhang Er, you all consider yourselves still retainers of Lord Xinling, and you all want to do something more to repay his kindness…”

"Now that the bloodline of Xinling has entered my Farmer's Clan, why don't you all also join my Farmer's Clan?"

"Yes, Brother Hall Master is right!"

Before Zhang Er could react, Xiao Yan'er seized the opportunity and quickly chimed in with her own unhurried, imitative childlike voice.

Lu Wei is the head of the Farmer's Clan. In recent years, the number of Farmer's Clan disciples has expanded, and his status in the martial arts world is undeniable.

Ji Yan is the only bloodline of Lord Xinling. No matter how much Zhang Er looks down on her because she is just a child, he must still show respect to Xiao Yan out of respect for Lord Xinling's past kindness.

Under this dual pressure, Zhang Er carefully chose his words. He knew he couldn't openly refuse the request, so he changed the subject, trying to give himself more time to think: "We, the retainers of Xinling, are willing to die to protect the bloodline of Xinling. The Farmer's Clan is a major sect in the martial arts world, with hundreds of thousands of disciples..."

Before Zhang Er could finish speaking, Ji Yan suddenly stood up from the bench, making herself appear taller than her petite frame.

She used some of her internal energy from her Rejuvenation Technique to slam her hand on the table with a stern face, making a loud thud, interrupting Zhang Er's thoughts:

"Zhang Er, I now order you to act entirely according to your elder brother, the Hall Master's, orders. Are you willing to accept Ji Yan's instructions?"

"..." Looking at the 'Yan Wuji' jade pendant dangling from Ji Yan's small body, Zhang Er sighed inwardly and raised his hand to clench his fist:

"Zhang Er obeys the young master's command..."

In this world, when nobles and powerful officials employ retainers, those retainers can leave at any time without feeling any guilt if they feel disrespected.

However, the retainers of Lord Xinling who remained near the Xinling Temple were different. Those who wanted to leave had already departed in the first year after Lord Xinling's death. Those who have remained until now are all people of unwavering will.

Given Xiao Yan'er's status and current age, if she were to give Zhang Er a strict order, with Lu Wei and the Nong family as his backing, he wouldn't be able to refuse...

What might have required a lengthy negotiation involving verbal sparring and coercion was resolved effortlessly thanks to Ji Yan's forceful attention-grabbing.

Back in the courtyard of the attic, the master lingered for once and personally taught Xiao Yan'er a set of purple sword techniques that he had just obtained from the daily treasure chest, as a reward for her proactive performance that day.

Meanwhile, towards Xinling Temple, Zhang Er also informed a trusted member of his retainers who knew of Ji Yan's existence about the negotiation process, which elicited varying reactions.

Some accepted it quietly, while others angrily declared that they would only protect Ji Yan for ten years to repay Lord Xinling's kindness before leaving...

Regardless, none of them refused to join the Farmer's Clan immediately. And once these people joined, Lu Wei's plan would be accomplished; as for future developments, the Hall Master would have his own methods.

In the following days, Master Lu began to set up the initial framework for the Gonggong Hall's Wei Kingdom branch, which would make it easier for him to manage after A Ye's arrival.

Ziwu still spent his days wandering around with other wandering knights, but this time, unlike before, he was accompanied by Li Shang.

On the other hand, Li Shiqi, the elder brother, did not waste his eloquence. He followed Mei San Niang to persuade the disciples of the Armored Sect, and the results were remarkable!

In the past few days, fifty-five disciples from the Armored Sect have agreed to join the Farmer's School. These people could form several small squads of Wei Warriors. Mei San Niang originally did not think highly of poor and pedantic scholars like Li Shiqi, but only now did she admire the Hall Master's arrangement.

"Chen Sheng escaped from the death row and took away the giant sword that was offered as a sacrifice in front of Wei Bao's memorial hall, which made Wei Jiu furious."

While sparring with Lu Wei, Zi Wu habitually recounted gossip about Daliang City: "The royal palace is also furious, but the soldiers sent out to capture Chen Sheng have all returned empty-handed. It seems that Chen Sheng has fled to the State of Chu."

"But Wei Jiu's worries don't stop there. His sister recently forcibly took a commoner and somehow managed to persuade Princess Ji Wei to elope with him... Hall Master, why don't you guess who this forcibly taken commoner is?"