Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 204

Many people may think that King Huai of Chu was 'stupid,' but the 'cunning' of the Qin people may not necessarily be clever.

The name "tyrannical Qin" did not spread among the six states overnight, nor could it be washed away overnight.

"Later, with the help of Huang Xie, the Left Minister of Chu, he disguised himself as an envoy of Chu and was able to escape back. Huang Xie was then enfeoffed as Lord Chunshen."

"The process of King Kaolie's escape back to the State of Chu is summarized in only a sentence or two in historical records, but the struggles involved must have been extremely dangerous."

Xinghun pondered for a moment and said, "If we use the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions as a backup plan to prevent being captured, then there is indeed a possibility that the Azure Dragon Bronze Box of Chu is still in the hands of Lord Changping of Qin."

"This conclusion is drawn by combining the current rebellion of Lord Changping with the fact that he has always been thinking of Chu."

"It's possible, but it's only a possibility," Yan Fei added after a moment of silence.

“If the item is truly in Lord Changping’s hands, then obtaining it will actually become more difficult.” The Moon Goddess frowned slightly. Lord Changping and Chen Ying City are currently very prominent in the world.

"The Qin army has just suffered a defeat, so there's no need to rush things," Lu Wei said with a light laugh. "Let's search the Chu King's palace carefully for a few more days. If we find nothing, we can then turn our attention to Lord Changping."

"Have you always been so confident in your grasp of time?" Xinghun asked curiously.

"Now the three of you can honestly hold a common goal, all because of my role. Do you still need to doubt that?" Hall Master Lu stood tall and proud, showing no concern for his own confidence.

------

The matter concerning the Sun, Moon, and Stars is going to be troublesome, and whether Lu Wei participates or not won't have a significant impact, so naturally he won't participate.

Leaving the Yin-Yang School's stronghold, this place can be a safe haven. If you encounter troublesome enemies in Shouchun City, running here will definitely be fine.

Lu returned to Yunmeng Market, intending to visit the music and dance hall to see if he could find anything interesting. However, as he passed a tavern, the familiar sound of a zither caught his attention.

"This is... Yan Qu." The hall master, who grew up in Yan, easily identified the nationality of the piece and made an accurate guess about the identity of the player.

Lu Wei can now be considered a side musician, although his level is not high, he still knows a little about music.

The tavern was packed with people. Judging from the music, the musician in the tavern was a first-rate player. Very few people could be praised like that. In addition, he knew about the existence of the Mohist school in Shouchun. This person could only be Gao Jianli.

Such a high-profile approach is unlike Gao Jianli's style. Does the Mohist school have some special plan?

He made some wild guesses, but there were still too few clues. Unable to find the answer, Lu Wei didn't go into the tavern to join the fun. Instead, he continued walking towards his goal without stopping.

Zhang Han is currently in the city. Gao Jianli's high-profile behavior makes his identity easy to guess, and the Shadow Guards are probably already lurking nearby.

He had met Zhang Han before in another tavern, and the other party was still unaware of his identity. But if they met in different places, things could get complicated.

Let the Mo family and the Shadow Guards fight each other ahead of time. I haven't been able to contact Tian Guang yet, but if I go to that music and dance hall a few more times, he will definitely be able to find me.

The moment Lu Wei entered the music and dance hall, he immediately saw Yu Ziqi, who had changed back into Shu clothing. This guy always seemed to be in this hall; could he be using the guise of a mission to come here and enjoy himself?

However, it has nothing to do with him, and Yu Ziqi doesn't have many more years to enjoy peace.

Regarding Mount Shu, during the few days that Master Lu and the Yin-Yang School met, they also inquired with the Moon Goddess. The result was that the Yin-Yang School was ready for war against Mount Shu, and the King of Qin had also been persuaded by Lord Yunzhong.

Once the dragon skeleton of the mirage is completed and its basic structure is finished, the time when the Fusang Divine Tree on Mount Shu is needed will naturally be the time of Mount Shu's destruction.

Yun Zhongjun is in charge of this matter in the Yin-Yang School, but just in case, Dongjun Yanfei will probably also make a trip.

The Grand Elder of Shu Mountain is quite capable. Even though the Qin army can sweep across Shu, it's possible that the Grand Elder might secretly tamper with some things.

This is something we absolutely must guard against!

Chapter 228 Ying Zheng's Choice

Yu Ziqi also saw Lu the musician. After nodding to each other and watching another round of music and dance performances, they went to the top floor of the music and dance hall again.

"Brother Lu, I'm preparing to return to Mount Shu."

Shu Mountain costumes are filled with mystery and a certain wildness. Perhaps it's because Shu Mountain is very hot? Shu clothing, for both men and women, exposes a lot of skin; apart from a few necessary areas to cover, the rest of the body can be described as casual.

In addition, their exposed skin was dyed a shade darker and their faces were painted with special patterns, making the Shu people's ethnic identity stand out from the people of the Central Plains.

"It's almost the end of the year, and Shushan has its own sacrificial activities every year for the New Year. I have to go back to participate."

After explaining the reason, Yu Ziqi sincerely invited Lu Wei: "Brother Lu, if you are interested, would you be interested in coming back to Mount Shu with me?"

"Can outsiders participate in the sacrificial rites at Mount Shu?" Lu Wei asked with a smile.

"Shushan doesn't welcome enemies, but it never rejects friends either." Yu Ziqi continued, "The dances and music of Shushan might just help Brother Lu create new inspiration for his music."

With the Qin-Chu war concluded and the year drawing to a close, it's understandable that Yu Ziqi wants to return. Master Lu had planned a trip to Mount Shu, but he certainly doesn't have time to visit now.

The affairs of Chu were more important than Mount Shu, so Lu Yueshi had no choice but to decline Yu Ziqi's invitation with an apologetic expression: "I'm sorry, Brother Yu, I still have to wait for a friend in Shouchun. His whereabouts are unknown, but he will definitely come to Shouchun."

"I'm sorry I can't accompany you on this trip to Mount Shu."

"I see," Yu Ziqi nodded without changing his expression, "Since Brother Lu has other matters to attend to, I cannot insist."

"I can only wish Brother Lu a speedy reunion with his friends!"

He loudly clasped his hands in a fist salute, and Lu Wei returned the salute, saying, "Until we meet again!"

Yu Ziqi was not optimistic about whether they would meet again. Shu Mountain was almost completely isolated from the Central Plains, and he might not leave Shu again after returning this time.

Even after leaving Sichuan, the world is vast, and it is incredibly difficult to meet old friends again in the sea of ​​people.

However, he still smiled and replied, "Until we meet again!"

"If Brother Lu ever comes to Mount Shu in the future, just mention my name, Yu Ziqi, if you encounter any trouble within the Mount Shu territory!"

The two parted ways. Yu Ziqi was more somber, while Lu Wei turned around and put on a gentle smile, continuing to lean against the railing and look down at the street below.

According to my own schedule, I would have to wait until after Qin unified the country to make time to visit Mount Shu.

That was the peak of the collusion between the various schools of thought and the anti-Qin forces in different states. Perhaps his disappearance could be coordinated with the peasant plan.

Additionally, at that time, instructions could be sent to the Sun, Moon, and Stars to persuade the First Emperor to launch an attack on Mount Shu ahead of schedule.

Let the Qin army and Yun Zhongjun do all the bad things, while I, the savior, only try to win over the hearts of the Shu people.

...

Tian Guang arrived faster than Lu Wei had anticipated.

On the very night he left the Yin Yang School's stronghold, someone knocked on the door of Lu Wei's inn room.

The newcomer removed his human skin mask, revealing his true face—that of the former leader of the knights who had disappeared in the Great Swamp Mountains.

"I thought you would continue to hide it." Lu Wei looked at the other person's waist; the Hidden Sun Sword was not with him.

"The plan required us to continue to keep it a secret, but since I can't hide it from you anyway, I'll just be honest with you."

Tian Guang entered the room and went straight to the point with Lu Wei: "How many disciples from outside Daze Mountain can you mobilize to quietly arrive in Shouchun within a month?"

Should we mobilize disciples from outside of Dazeshan?

Lu Wei seemed to be deep in thought. The southward migration of thousands of Gonggong Hall disciples in previous years must have been known to this former leader of the knights. However, Jinghu was located in a remote area, and Tian Guang did not have time to personally track them down, nor did he have any reason to track down his own disciples. Therefore, he would not have known about the existence of Jing County.

In theory, Tian Guang believed he could mobilize over a thousand disciples to Shouchun. Gathering over a thousand people was no small matter.

The presence of these people would alert local officials wherever they went, and given the current high level of attention in Shouchun, even if these thousand-plus people were not from Qi, but merely transferred within Chu, their presence would still be exposed.

"I need to know what you're doing."

Lu Wei stared at the other person without answering, instead asking for the reason. He, not Tian Guang, was now the true leader of the peasant faction.

“The Net has a plan.” Tian Guang knew this clearly, so he didn’t feel offended. It would be worrying if Lu Wei continued to blindly obey his orders… although when he was truly the leader of the chivalrous forces, Lu Wei only obeyed orders as appropriate…

The former leader of the martial arts world said in a deep voice, "In the towns and villages surrounding Shouchun, the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) has already gathered more than sixty assassins..."

"Including myself, there are nearly ten of them in Shouchun City. Their operation this time is quite large..."

"Compared to the Luo Wang's operation this time, I'm more curious about what you and that Yan Ri are planning?"

During the pause, the sect leader calmly asked a follow-up question to his previous one.

No matter how elaborate Luo Wang's plans are, they are not as noteworthy as the collusion between Tian Guang and Yan Ri!

------

In contrast to the bustling Shouchun, the Daze Mountain area was surprisingly calm after the Xia Kui was suspected of having an accident and the search for him had been fruitless.

Tian Mi, the leader of the Kuiwei Hall, and her Kuiwei Hall were both at the bottom of the six halls. She saw herself as someone who would seize the opportunity to side with the one who had the upper hand in the infighting among the six halls.

Although the Six Halls seem to be split now, the infighting between them is not so intense. With nothing to do, Tian Mi can only continue to stay in the Kuiwei Hall and play with men.

On the Siyue Hall side, Situ Wanli's gamble in Daliang City was almost a complete waste... a real waste.

Daliang City was flooded for three months, and the people in the city suffered greatly. However, the fighting between the Qin and Wei soldiers was relatively mild compared to that in Ji City and Handan City.

After King Wei surrendered, Daliang City was quickly taken over by the Qin army. The Siyue Hall had no connection with the Qin state, and since most of its disciples were not in the city, all the unattended shops, restaurants and other assets were occupied by the Qin people.

As for the repair and reconstruction project after the flood, Siyuetang also failed to recover anything.

The huge losses have severely damaged Situ Wanli's prestige, and Siyuetang is now preoccupied with dealing with internal issues.

The quietness of the Tian brothers, the fierce tigers of Chiyou Hall and Lieshan Hall, was even more unexpected. However, Tian Hu was actually very restless, but Tian Meng deliberately suppressed him, so Tian Hu could only obediently listen to his brother.

Both of these clans had their base in the State of Qi, and the wars outside had almost no impact on them. Therefore, relatively speaking, the Tian clan's power had increased considerably compared to the other clans with different surnames.

Gonggongtang was well-prepared for war, especially since they had experienced several Qin occupations in Zhao and Yan, making them very experienced. Therefore, their settlement in Wei was not problematic at all. Furthermore, because they withdrew their forces from Daliang City in advance, their losses in the Qin-Wei war were almost negligible. And they had no worries that the Qin-Chu war would not reach Jing County.

Before leaving, Master Lu redistributed power within the hall's decision-making circle: the loyal A Yu was in charge of oversight, Xue Nu Lu Ni was in charge of finances, Li Mu Dian Qing was in charge of managing elite combat disciples, and Lü Qing A Shan was in charge of administrative management.

These people derive their power from themselves, are of upright character and loyalty, and are not afraid of being sidelined if they are away for too long.

The Zhu family of Shennong Hall was the most proactive among all the halls in their search for the leader of the chivalrous sect.

The main force of Shennong Hall is in Chu. The war in Chu caused the Shennong Hall's branch in Shouchun to be unable to be ignored. However, because of the matter of the chivalrous leader, the Zhu family had a more important reason.

However, when the letter from Lord Changping arrived, even if he could skip Shouchun, he had no choice but to go to Chenying.

The code of honor in the martial world kept Zhu Jia grateful to Lord Changping. The Mohists had done Zhu Jia no favors, so he could politely refuse them with a smile. But Lord Changping obviously could not refuse him so easily.

Therefore, Zhu Jia had no choice but to entrust the task of finding the leader of the knights to his disciples, while he himself hurried to Chen Ying.

Upon arriving at Chenying City, one could see that the solid defensive measures were still being reinforced, and the Chu soldiers were working feverishly in the dead of winter to build various fortifications in preparation for the Qin army's attack the following year.

It is said that the King of Qin personally went to the hometown of the veteran general Wang Jian and, after repeated requests, allowed Wang Jian to return to the court as a general, promising him an army of 600,000 to attack Chu the following year!

Six hundred thousand Qin soldiers! Add to that the four hundred thousand Chu troops prepared by the Chu state, and next year's battle will be the ultimate decisive battle that will determine the lives of millions!

The last major battle in the world with such a large force dates back to the Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao more than thirty years ago...

As a 'traitor,' Lord Changping would certainly be deeply hated by the King of Qin, and the Qin army might target Chen Ying as their first objective.

However, neither Xiong Qi nor Xiang Yan expected that although Ying Zheng truly hated him, hated him intensely, the trust he once had would now be ten times greater in hatred.

However, after news of Li Xin's defeat reached Ying Zheng, he immediately rejected Zhao Gao's plan to send six swordsmen to assassinate Lord Changping.