Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 202

This Confucian leader considered himself a neutral person from Qi and was cautious in his words and actions regarding this war.

“That’s right. According to Zifang’s understanding, this Lord Changping is originally from Chu!” Zhang Liang replied softly, “He is the son of King Kaolie of Chu.”

The intricate web of kinship among the powerful and influential makes it difficult to understand many matters if one is not within that circle. Fu Nian's understanding of the powerful and influential was far inferior to Zhang Liang's.

“If something like this breaks out, the war will continue for several more years.” Fu Nian was taken aback. He nodded to show that he understood, but then suddenly shook his head: “But this has nothing to do with my Little Sage Village. How did Zifang think that it could affect Confucianism?”

"Senior brother, do you think a unified Qin state or the original situation of seven states coexisting was more beneficial to the development of Confucianism?"

Zhang Liang asked in a deep voice.

“Zifang.” Fu Nian’s face was already serious, but after Zhang Liang asked the question, his face became even more somber. He sternly rebuked, “Confucians cannot choose the greater good for the sake of temporary personal gain. What we have always pursued is a world where the ruler is wise, the ministers are respectful, and the people live in peace and prosperity.”

"You're standing at the wrong angle!"

"..." Zhang Liang's faint smile vanished, his entire body tensing. He understood his senior brother's admonition; originally, his own wish was for the people to live in peace and happiness, but...

The "Zhang" in Zhang Liang's name belongs to the state of Han...

He was Korean, and his family had served as ministers to Korea for generations. The national and personal grievances were far more complex than the grand principles taught in books... Rationally, he should uphold righteousness like his senior, but at only twenty-something, he was ultimately too immature...

"Brother Zifang understands his mistake..."

"To practice these five virtues in the world is true benevolence: respect, tolerance, trustworthiness, diligence, and kindness." Fu Nian shoved the scroll of Chu war reports back into Zhang Liang's hands, his tone returning to his usual unhurried manner: "Zifang is so preoccupied with matters of national and personal vendettas that he has lost his reason."

“The wisdom of the sages should not be forgotten. Zifang, copy the entire Analects twice, once for me and once for yourself.”

“The meaning of carving is profound. In order to enhance memory, bamboo slips and carving knives are used to copy.”

Having said that, Fu Nian turned and left.

Zhang Liang was initially excited about Chu's great victory and wanted to personally go to Shouchun to contribute his strength. However, after being reprimanded, he gave a wry smile and did not mention his request to go out again.

'I did lose my composure, but thanks to my senior brother's admonition, I still need to cultivate this kind of temperament...'

------

Before news of Li Xin's defeat even reached Xiaoshengxianzhuang, the Qin state was already in an uproar.

Compared to something else, the loss of troops was actually not a big deal in this battle.

Even if the entire army of 200,000 were wiped out, the Qin state could still afford it.

However, from the selection of the commander-in-chief to the appointment of Lord Changping to reassure the people, everything in this battle was personally chosen by King Zheng of Qin...

The king's prestige suffered a heavy blow in this battle, which makes it all the more important.

The atmosphere in the entire Xianyang Palace was extremely oppressive. Zhao Gao sent six newly-formed sword slaves to search the Changping Jun residence, only to find it deserted. They discovered a secret passage leading to a residential house in the city.

Changping Jun's wife and daughters have already escaped.

There were quite a few treasures in the mansion, but most of them were gifts from the King of Qin in the past. Confiscating them would only make the situation seem more ridiculous.

Reporting such a result naturally drew another round of furious rage...

Those who were related to Lord Changping and could have fled have all fled, but there were still some who could not: for example, Lord Changping's sister and his son Fusu.

Furthermore, someone has to take responsibility for this defeat.

Although the battle was lost because of Lord Changping, once Lord Changping is involved, an unavoidable question arises: who trusted him so much to send him to Chenying to seize power...?

Therefore, in this battle, Lord Changping became a taboo subject.

Lord Changping's crimes against Qin are unforgivable, but the blame for this defeat cannot be entirely placed on him.

As the commander-in-chief of the army attacking Chu, Li Xin had to shoulder the responsibility.

The reason for this defeat was that Li Xin boasted that he only needed 200,000 men to destroy Chu!

Of course, Ying Zheng also knew that Li Xin had only committed the crimes that could be openly stated, and that executing him in this way was too unfair.

However, this promising young Qin general could no longer serve as the commander of an army.

"Where is General Wang Jian?!" In the chaotic government hall, King Zheng of Qin's face was ashen. The name of Lord Changping could no longer be mentioned, and Li Xin was listed as a typical example of error. Therefore, Wang Jian, who was once his counterpart, needed to be the one who was correct.

"Your Majesty, General Wang has resigned from his post and returned to his hometown."

Ying Zheng couldn't possibly be unaware that Wang Jian had returned home, but at this juncture, he needed an outsider to inform him: "Li Xin's arrogance has caused our Great Qin to suffer heavy losses. I must personally go to Pinyang to invite the old general to resume command..."

"Let's attack Chu again!"

...

Since eight years ago, when Zhao Wu'an Jun Li Mu defeated Fan Yuqi and annihilated 100,000 Qin troops, the six states of Shandong have not won a single battle against the Qin army.

In just a few years, the Qin army successively destroyed Han and Zhao, and defeated Yan and Wei, becoming invincible.

Now, Xiang Yan has actually colluded with Changping Jun, the Right Chancellor of Qin, and defeated Li Xin, who performed admirably in the conquest of Zhao and the destruction of Jicheng Yan. More important than the results of the war is that he has revitalized the morale of the people!

After Li Mu disappeared, the world gained another Chu general capable of defeating the Qin general! King Fu Chu of Chu was overjoyed and immediately conferred upon Xiang Yan the title of 'Lord Wu'an'!

However, Xiang Yan was fond of bestowing titles, and Fu Chu, who was also a son of King Kaolie, clearly had not figured out how to deal with Changping Jun.

Lord Changping had anticipated the current King of Chu's troubles, and he volunteered to continue guarding Chenying, which had returned to Chu territory, and to fight against Qin for Chu.

Even if he returned to Shouchun, Xiong Qi didn't have enough trusted confidants to use, so he might as well continue to cultivate the territory he already controlled.

Since Fu Chu could not offer a formal reward, he generously sent out a large amount of jewelry as a reward, because with Qin as an external enemy, Chu would not be able to start internal strife in the short term.

It seems that the people and the powerful in Chu are now united in their efforts to resist Qin, and the situation is very favorable.

But what they would face next was Wang Jian and the 600,000-strong Qin army that had returned with renewed force...

At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) on a certain night, Shouchun City, which was not part of the Yunmeng Market, had largely fallen silent.

A ghostly figure darted left and right, cautiously surveying the surroundings before silently pushing open the door of a house and slipping inside.

Whoosh, as the night breeze gently blew by, four figures appeared on the rooftop opposite the house, their gazes fixed on the ordinary dwelling.

Judging from their height, it's easy to confirm that one of them is Xinghun, the Left Protector of the Yin-Yang School, and the identities of the other three are also clear.

"This is the Mo family's stronghold in Shouchun. I wonder if the Mo family's 'new leader' is here at this moment."

“He won’t be inside.” Yan Fei, now free, answered with certainty: “I know the location of the Mechanized City, but such a stronghold is useless to me.”

"Then let's continue to the palace." Master Lu took the lead and retreated, followed closely by the three members of the Yin Yang School, Sun, Moon and Star.

'The waters aren't muddy enough yet; at least, the Net's trail hasn't been exposed within the city...'

Lu Wei, who had been assigned to Chu by Tian Guang, frowned slightly as he pondered...

Chapter 226 Tian Guang's New Plan

The 'Sun-Covering Sword' had been lying in wait in Shouchun City for many days... After his meeting with Li Xin, Tian Guang, who had briefly joined forces with the real Sun-Covering Sword, had already anticipated the news of the Qin army's defeat from the front lines.

He was a high-ranking participant in Changping Jun's plan. During the Xinzheng Rebellion, in order to prevent the possible irrational behavior of the Quicksand, he was also a reserve force that Changping Jun summoned to Han in advance.

But he never expected to get his hands on the dark red Sun-Covering Sword with its golden hilt before he went to Xinzheng.

Because in some ways, cooperating with Yan Ri could allow his farm plan to move to the second stage... so he chose to cooperate without hesitation.

As a farmer, Tian Guang had to work tirelessly for Changping Jun and Yan Dan's Azure Dragon Plan, but as a substitute for Yan Ri, he could act boldly according to his own will.

However, before that, dealing with the tasks of the Net at certain necessary moments was a constraint, both for him and for the real Sun-Covering.

Fortunately, Yan Ri has accomplished two feats in the past year: capturing Tian Guang and discovering clues about Changping Jun. These are enough to keep him busy for a long time.

To betray certain secrets of his old identity for the sake of his new one, his reputation as a "heroic figure" has been completely shattered.

Although Li Xin was only given two seemingly insignificant pieces of information—that the Mohists were helping Chu and that there was something amiss in Chenying City—it did not affect Lord Changping's overall situation. However, betrayal is still betrayal.

There's no need to find excuses for what's done. Tian Guang betrayed the country for personal gain, and he will give Changping Jun, who has supported farmers for more than ten years, an explanation for that in the future.

He personally killed Tian Zang and Tian Du in Daze Mountain for no other reason than that these two would only be obstacles for farmers who did not have their own families.

Moreover, since they are his confidants and know too many of his secrets, killing them might as well help Lu and Zhou's plans.

The living have their uses, and the dead have theirs.

As for our decades-long relationship... when faced with something important, feelings can be very important, or they can be worthless.

Tian Guang had not informed Lu Wei and Zhou Wen of his and Yan Ri's plan at all. This was partly because the incident was sudden, and partly so that after his 'death,' the two of them could boldly act according to their plan.

After all, once he becomes "Sunshade No. 2", he will no longer be the chivalrous leader he once was, and Tian Guang will soon have a lot of innocent blood on his hands.

Among them, Zhou Wen was probably the one who suffered the most. Because of the plan, when he was found by the real Yan Ri, he had no chance to pass on the information. Therefore, Zhou Wen's betrayal of Tian Guang that night can be understood as a real betrayal under Yan Ri's surveillance.

Even though this betrayal was planned in advance.

Wu Kuang, who was outside the Tomb of the Six Sages, knew his location; in fact, he himself betrayed his own whereabouts.

Later, Zhou Wen's sneak attack from behind during the rainy night was truly aimed at killing Tian Guang.

Zhou Wen was unaware that Tian Guang and Yan Ri were colluding, and Yan Ri was also unaware that Zhou Wen was not a traitor who kept changing his mind, but rather that the peasants had another plan.

The plan could have been more moderate. Tian Guang, with his skillful manipulation and social maneuvering, deliberately created an information asymmetry between the two sides, and at the cost of serious injury to himself, he concealed each other's secrets.

His trust in Yan Ri was equally limited.

...

The summons to the Luowang organization in Shouchun City was personally issued by Zhao Gao, and even the real Yan Ri didn't know what it was about or how many people were participating.

However, given his identity as Yan Ri, he will definitely lead and execute the final phase of the operation.

However, it's unlikely that Luo Wang will have many targets to focus on.

It was either for the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions of the Chu Kingdom, or for the secret treasures stored in the Chu Kingdom.

Many of the world's most famous swords originated from Chu, especially after the state of Yue was destroyed by Chu.

The Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) is now widely recruiting wandering swordsmen from all over the land and searching even more extensively for famous swords. The Chu Kingdom's treasure trove, which previously housed these renowned swords, can undoubtedly satisfy the growing and intense demands of the Luo Wang's subordinates.

According to Yanri and Tian Guang's speculation, the secret of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions is indeed significant, but the State of Chu is too conspicuous a target, and the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions in the open would attract too much attention.

The Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) ultimately served Qin and were essentially its slaves. Even if they obtained the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, if the slightest news leaked out, their leader Zhao Gao would have to hand over the spoils without the Qin king even needing to speak.

Therefore, compared to the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, seizing the secret treasure trove of the Chu Kingdom might be more covert and have a higher success rate.

But no matter how many people are in Operation Luo Wang, they can only take away the famous swords and some valuable treasures they need. The more common wealth in the treasury... is better used by our farmers than left for the Qin army to take away!

My family is poor, so I deserve to receive those money-grubbing things.

Tian Guang had heard about the news that several thousand disciples of Gonggong Hall had gone south to Chu a few years ago. Although he did not know where these people were now, since they were in Chu, it would not be too difficult to transfer them to Shouchun.

Let the assassins from the Luo Wang organization fight and plunder the first batch of items, and then let Lu Xiaozi lead his men to move the rest of the treasure vault!