Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 171

The remnants of the Yan state still need to be wiped out, and the territories of Yan and Zhao need to be digested. As long as the rebellion in Han is dealt with in time, the Qin army should not be able to carry out any major operations next year.

This will be the calm before the storm, and also the beginning of a new chapter for Project Azure Dragon...

Chapter 191 Discussion on the Destruction of Wei

Lu Wei frowned, while Xiao Yan'er, sitting opposite him, hesitated before picking up a black piece and placing it in a remote spot on the chessboard that was irrelevant to the overall situation.

After placing her piece, Ji Yan cautiously glanced at the Hall Master, feeling somewhat uneasy.

'It seems, perhaps, maybe, that we've made it too obvious?'

She tucked her hands into her sleeves and waited quietly for the sect leader to make his move.

The Snow Maiden and Lu Ni, who were watching from the sidelines and were holding Xiao Qian'er, were both talented women. They knew a little about music, chess, calligraphy and painting, so they could naturally tell that Xiao Yan'er had given up two pieces, which probably allowed Hall Master Lu to regain the upper hand in the game.

Nine-year-old Xiaoyan was ultimately not as clever as Zhang Liang. While Zhang Liang could contemplate deeply and fight fiercely with her, the little girl panicked after only giving him a two-piece handicap.

In this respect, she is even less capable than herself.

Pretending not to know, he continued playing the game and finally, the sect leader achieved a three-game winning streak against Ji Yan for the day. He calmly got up and instructed the little girl to keep trying.

However, in his heart, Lu Wei had already made up his mind to never play chess with Ji Yan again.

The reason for playing chess with the little girl was that all the affairs in the hall had been resolved ahead of schedule in the last month of the year, so Hall Master Lu had some spare time to play around in the backyard.

At first, he could easily defeat Xiaoyan in the game of Go: the little girl learned a wide variety of things, but there was no one in the backyard to play Go with her.

As Xue Nu's belly gradually became more prominent, her mother, Lu Ni, was clearly more accustomed to teaching her swordsmanship. As for Duanmu, who occasionally came over to play, she was undoubtedly the busiest person among them, being a physician.

Lu Wei and Ji Yan play two to three games a day, just for fun. Sometimes it's quite enjoyable to play against novices who are even worse than themselves.

But as the little girl lost more and more and began to study the chess scores more seriously, it became much more difficult for him to win.

Now, Lu Wei, who usually never touches the pieces outside the chessboard, has exhausted his experience and is no longer able to beat Ji Yan.

However, from now on, as long as the Master no longer plays chess with Zhang Liang or Xiao Yan'er, he will always maintain a perfect record of victory against these two in Go.

Faced with Lu Wei's instruction to "keep trying," Ji Yan jumped off the chair, bowed respectfully, and accepted the criticism.

Deep down, she felt like she was comforting a child...

Just then, Duanmu Rong arrived carrying a box of pastries, thus ending the conversation about the chess game.

Little Fairy Doctor has been researching medicinal cuisine lately, emphasizing nourishing the body through food. Therefore, although she can't stay in the backyard for long, she can still come over to check on things from time to time.

After instructing Xiao Yan'er to put the chess pieces away, Master Lu led the women to sit down on the other side to have a meal and chat.

As soon as he sat down, Xiao Qian'er struggled and babbled, wanting Lu Wei to hold him. Although he was almost a year old and spent most of his time with the girls, he always had a special impression of his father.

Duanmu Rong took out a portion of warm food specially for infants and young children from a separate food box and handed it to Master Lu to feed.

Although Lu Wei usually doesn't do these kinds of trivial things, he won't delegate them to others if he has the time.

Several cold snowfalls have occurred in Daze Mountain these past few days, and the temperature outside is very low. Last time the Moon Goddess came, she expended considerable effort to plant a special Yin-Yang technique in Xiao Qian'er, giving him much better resistance than children his age. However, he is still young and cannot stay outside for too long.

After arranging the chess pieces, Xiao Yan'er came to the group and overheard Lu Wei's suggestion to go to Mirror Lake for two months after the New Year.

"According to the report from the disciples of Jinghu, the main building of the branch there has taken shape. Amu will go to the Jinghu branch's workshop after the New Year to inspect it. I also want to go and take a look. Let's all go together. Jinghu Water Town and Dazeshan scenery are two different experiences."

Visiting the Jinghu branch to check on the disciples was part of the planned mission. There were no important matters to attend to in Dazeshan next year, so taking close friends and family to a new place was a way to change the environment and add some fun.

Duanmu Rong was the host of Mirror Lake, and Lu Wei often discussed matters related to Mirror Lake with her. Out of respect for her and Physician Nian Duan, the disciples of the Farmer Clan did not search for them at the Mirror Lake Medical Clinic on the island in the center of Mirror Lake, and thus did not touch any items inside the clinic.

She would wait until the head of the hall personally led her there before deciding how to renovate the medical estate.

Bringing one person is the same as bringing a group. If we're going to travel with Amu's main force, adding a few more carriages to the group won't be a problem.

"Ah Xue and Qian'er are probably not suited for a bumpy ride."

Duanmu Rong had no objections to her own itinerary; she only frowned as she looked at Xue Nu with a worried expression. As for Lu Qian, he was actually fine, but he brought it up incidentally.

"With such a beautiful and highly skilled healer like Sister Rong by my side, I'll be fine~" Xue Nu said with a smile when she heard Duanmu Rong's concern. She had already seen all the scenery of Daze Mountain, and she was happier than anyone else to be able to visit Mirror Lake, which was said to be as vast as the sea.

Besides, we're all going together this time, so we won't be lonely.

After Xue Nu expressed her opinion, Xiao Qian'er must have been looking forward to it, and Lu Wei answered his question on his behalf.

Lu Ni and Ji Yan never go against the majority, or to put it simply, they never go against the Hall Master's opinion, so this matter was settled decisively.

After tasting the new medicinal cuisine, Duanmu Rong carefully inquired about everyone's feelings, took their pulses, and noted down some details that needed improvement in terms of taste.

Little Fairy Doctor still needed to consult her master Nian Duan about the trip to Jinghu Medical Manor after the New Year, so she packed up her food box and left quickly. The chess game in the backyard was no longer going to happen, and since the head of the hall had nothing to do there, he simply held Little Qian'er and watched for a while as Ji Yan caught and raised small fish and crabs in the stream before going to the front yard.

Lu Qing has returned from Chun Gu Town in Wei State, but Uncle Qing took the initiative to hand over the New Year's Eve hosting duties to A Shan. However, A Shan, who is much more mature than when he was young, declined the offer several times. In the end, the Hall Master decided that the two of them would coordinate the arrangements together: Uncle Qing would be the main manager, and Lu Shan would be the assistant manager.

Lu Qing had worked diligently in Gonggong Hall for many years, and at the prime of his life, he should have been full of energy.

However, as Gonggongtang grew larger and larger, he began to think about retiring: although Ashan's rank had always been below his own, he was still surnamed Lu, and nominally, his fourth brother was the brother of the hall master.

Ah Shan is only twenty-five or twenty-six years old now. In another five years, Lü Qing is indeed worried about the power division in the Gonggong Hall.

He himself was over forty, and would be almost fifty in five years, so he could easily call himself an old man. His son, Lü Chen, was about the same age as Lu Shan, but they belonged to different planes: one was playing around with his disciples at the grassroots level, while the other was in charge of overseeing everyone in the main hall.

Therefore, Lü Qing was naturally unwilling to have a conflict with A Shan. In the future, only Lu Shan could inherit the position of chief steward in the hall, so it was better to get along well with him now. In this way, after he retired in the future, with the friendship he had cultivated, Chief Steward Shan would naturally take care of his son Lü Chen.

In addition, he has several younger daughters, who are definitely not a good match for the Hall Master. However, the four brothers of Shanyu Muye have the same situation as their eldest brother: they only have concubines and no wives.

Uncle Qing, with his extensive experience, had his own ideas about arranging this marriage within the family.

The primary issue in arranging a marriage alliance is that Lu Wei's opinion must be taken into account: unity among subordinates is a good thing, but too much unity could very well backfire.

According to Lü Qing's plan, he hoped, and could only hope, have a marriage partner among Shan Yu Mu Ye. Lü Qing's favorite candidate was either A Shan or A Yu.

During the festive New Year period, it's best to test the waters with the head of the household...

Because of the joint planning for the New Year, Ah Shan frequently visited Lü Qing's residence at the end of the year to discuss matters. As expected, through a specially arranged arrangement, Ah Shan, the steward, encountered Lü Qing's youngest daughter...

All of this was reported to the head of the hall by the internal spies that Ah Yu had previously organized the very next day.

Ah Yu is indeed skilled at organizing spies, but the fact that the information was reported so easily shows that Lü Qing had no intention of hiding it from him, and may even have deliberately leaked it to him.

Lu Wei casually tossed the intelligence aside and paid it no mind. It was normal for his subordinates to have more and more thoughts as his power grew. The key was whether he, as the leader, had the ability to control the situation.

With only 30,000 men, all of whom were personally selected by Master Lu from the martial arts world, if he couldn't control them, he could forget about conquering the world in the future.

If you want to form a community of shared interests, then so be it. When it comes to personally dealing with someone, Master Lu never shows any mercy or cares about their status.

He even dared to covet the mirages of the Yin-Yang School and the elixirs of King Qin Shi Huang, let alone the increasingly talented and replaceable subordinates within the hall.

------

In an atmosphere of impending doom and impending storm, the Mo Family Mechanized City had the worst New Year.

The Grand Master died; he was swallowed by quicksand.

The Mohists invested so much in the Yan state, yet now not only has it all come to nothing, but even the Mo Mei, the symbol of the Mohist leader, has disappeared without a trace.

Moreover, after the deaths of Six-Fingered Black Knight and Yan Dan, the Mo family lost its fighting force capable of competing with the top masters of other martial arts forces.

Among the various schools of thought, the Confucian school had Fu Nian, the Agricultural school had Lu Wei, the Daoist school had Chi Songzi and Xiaoyaozi, and the School of Diplomacy had Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang. These individuals represented the external face of their respective schools.

However, not only were most of the Mohist disciples forbidden from going out to fight for justice, but the strongest among their leaders was actually the still-developing Gao Jianli...

Although the true legacy of the Mohist school includes not only the Mohist knights but also mechanical arts, the latter cannot be easily demonstrated. The role of top Mohist knights is crucial for spreading the school's doctrines.

"Send a message to Xiao Gao, telling him and Kuang Xiu to come back as soon as possible."

At the Mohist leadership meeting, Master Ban said in a deep voice:

"Although the Grand Master said before parting ways that he would pass the Mo Mei lineage to the next chosen successor, the accident was too sudden. What if the Grand Master didn't have time to make arrangements... The Mo family cannot be without a Grand Master."

"If there is still no news of Mo Mei in the martial arts world after a month, we must hold the Heavenly Mandate and select a new leader as soon as possible."

No one objected to Master Ban's proposal.

After nodding in agreement, Master Xu left the decision-making room directly.

Big Hammer was originally a general in the Yan army with a fiery temper, but he had no status in the Mo family and understood that the responsibility for the once glorious Mo family becoming what it is today was mostly due to the Yan state, so he could only remain silent.

At this moment, Dao Zhi lost his sense of humor. While playing with the Instant Flying Wheel in his hand, he used the scheming he usually used for stealing to consider the life and death of the Mo family.

Gao Jianli and Kuang Xiu were not in the Mechanical City, but their letters from Chu said that they were doing well and that their contact with Chu had yielded some results.

In a recent letter sent back from Sanghai City, Butcher Ding mentioned that Zhang Liang, the third leader of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, expressed sympathy for the Mohists.

If a Grand Master were to be chosen from among the current leaders of the Mohist school, the most senior would undoubtedly be Master Ban. However, Master Ban is neither capable nor suited to go out and negotiate with other forces. Being distracted by his mechanical arts could easily lead him to neglect one aspect for another, and ultimately lose both.

The same principle applies to Master Xu; he was a swordsmith, while Robber Zhi, in order to become a master, would have to shed his thieving nature, which was impossible.

After eliminating these veterans, the only one left who could truly be considered a leader was... Gao Jianli...

Xiao Gao's willingness to take responsibility and his initiative to go to Chu at least prove that he is capable of taking action.

In terms of strength, Xiao Gao, wielding the Water Cold Sword, is the strongest among them.

If the mysterious man in black robes hadn't somehow managed to infiltrate the Mechanized City wielding the Ink Eyebrow and skillfully pass the tests within the Mo Clan's forbidden area, the Grand Master Gao Jianli would most likely have become a reality...

...

The military plan to capture Jicheng within a year was successfully achieved. In the final battle, Li Xin, who had made great contributions by contacting Liusha, was received and rewarded by King Zheng of Qin with the head of Yan Dan.

In addition, after the meeting, Li Xin also became the commander of a special military operation: Qin was about to attack Wei, the central state of the world. Wei and Chu were adjacent, and in order to prevent Chu from having any ulterior motives while Qin was attacking Wei, Wang Jian suggested sending troops to attack Chu on a small scale first and seize the area where Chu and Wei were adjacent.

In this way, the Wei region will also become an isolated island.

Moreover, if they take the main road from Xianyang to attack Wei directly, they will run into the defensive line against Qin that the Wei army has been building for over a hundred years. However, if they take the newly occupied Chu territory, they can bypass the obstacles and take Daliang City directly!

King Wei had only recently ascended the throne, and so had the King of Chu. Wang Jian's idea of ​​passing through Chu territory sounded risky, but the old general was known for his prudence.

He calculated that Chu would neither dare nor be able to launch a major attack on Qin. Even if Chu did launch a major attack on Qin, the plan to destroy Wei could be changed to a plan to annihilate Chu's main force!

After King Zheng of Qin presented General Wang Jian's proposal to his ministers for discussion, it was approved.

The old general himself certainly wasn't worth going into battle for such a trivial matter, and Wang Ben, as the main general in the campaign to destroy Wei, was also not suitable to take command prematurely. This small-scale attack on Chu thus fell to Li Xin, who had made great contributions in Yan.

Li Xin was overjoyed. After accepting the mission, he assured the King of Qin that he would lead the vanguard for General Wang Ben!

These past few years have been a time of great success for Li Xin. He has distinguished himself in the conquests of Zhao and Yan, and his upcoming small-scale attack on Chu is also expected to proceed smoothly.

Such a fierce general, in the eyes of Lord Changping, who participated in the discussions on destroying Wei, might very well be someone he could use.

Chapter 192 The Master of the Mohist School

After the fall of the Yan state, the quicksand did not fall silent as Lu Wei had predicted.