Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 239

Qi Guan's meaning was simple: the peasant family had 100,000 disciples, and the state of Qi only needed to select 20,000 from them to form an army. The peasant family would bear the cost of the army's food and pay, and they would march north to Pinglu to jointly resist the possible attack of the tyrannical Qin.

Farmers would never agree to such an outrageous demand, but they needed to refuse in a gentler way.

The peasant family's home, Daze Mountain, was ultimately dependent on the State of Qi. Although the peasant family could ignore the conscription officer given the future situation of the State of Qi, that could only be used as a last resort.

Lu Wei's tentative way of refusing was also very simple: the farmers could give the soldiers' pay and provisions to the Qi officials who came to recruit soldiers as a reward, and the other recruiting officials would surely have a way to solve the problem themselves.

Then he saw the recruiting officer looking very troubled, haggling over a quota of 5,000 people.

Lord Xia Kui is not afraid of the other party negotiating the price, but is only worried about the other party's cold refusal: the current attitude of the conscription officer means that he is making things difficult for the farmers, not that he is acting in a higher position.

It would be much easier to deal with the individual actions of these officials. It is possible that the King of Qi mentioned farmers when he issued the order, but he certainly did not make any specific demands.

If the conscription officer is open to trade, it means that in addition to bribing him, farmers can also negotiate with him to make a small fortune.

War is cruel, but for another group of people it can also bring immense wealth.

By entrusting the negotiations to the experienced Zhu family, Lu Wei no longer needed to worry about the peasant family's identity in this war.

People with insight can see the general trend of the world today, but the attitudes of various factions in the martial arts world are more complicated.

Although Lord Xia Kui's own farmhouse had broken the plan and eliminated the Luo Wang infiltration ahead of schedule, he had also sent Zhou Wen directly to a position where Zhao Gao trusted him enough, and had also dealt with the Qi state's conscription order, thus achieving a relatively stable external environment.

Inside, the competition for the position of leader between Wu Kuang and Chen Ping within the Kuiwei Hall was still ongoing. More than a decade ago, Wu Kuang was the head steward of the Kuiwei Hall, and together with Chen Sheng, he developed the Kuiwei Hall to a level where it could compete with the Lieshan Hall. However, his former confidants had long since been dealt with by Tian Mi.

The current middle management of Kuiwei Hall are all newly promoted in the last ten years or so. Wu Kuang doesn't know any of them. The older members of Kuiwei Hall who know him are not in key positions, so their help to Wu Kuang is very limited.

It wouldn't be difficult for Chen Ping to suppress such an opponent: he only needed to quietly spread the grudge between Tian Mi and Wu Kuang, and these disciples promoted by Tian Mi would naturally understand who to choose to forgive and forget and keep the structure of Kuiwei Hall as unchanged as possible.

Tian Mi herself has been imprisoned for some time. This woman could be killed with a single, effortless sword strike. However, as a leader-level figure infiltrated into the Farmer's Clan by the Luo Wang organization, she knows a lot of important information, including evidence of Luo Wang's deep-rooted and hidden agents within the Farmer's Clan. Even if she doesn't know it, it doesn't matter; she will find out after interrogation!

Regarding the batch of sinful flowers she planted, Lu Wei originally intended to destroy them all, but at Duanmu Rong's suggestion, he only destroyed most of them, and handed over the remaining small part to Physician Nian Duan's clinic.

They have certain medicinal value, but their use must be cautious. Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong understand this much better than he, a layman.

In Lieshan Hall, Ayu is already leading people to investigate. The former Lieshan Hall manager, Wu Chen, has fled, and a large number of Lieshan Hall's high-ranking members have also fled Daze Mountain. This undoubtedly proves the extent to which Lieshan Hall has been infiltrated by Luo Wang. Now, the new leader of the heroes wants to send people to investigate this matter. Tian Shi, who has not yet completely severed ties with Luo Wang, cannot stop them.

Tian Hu's Chi You Hall is the next hall that Lu Wei wants to take down, but there is no rush to act immediately. First, leave a gathering place for the Tian family. Tian Hu is not difficult to deal with, and the Tian family can be wiped out in one fell swoop later.

Ji Yan is in charge of the Four Mountains Hall, and everything is going smoothly. The youngest head of the Farmer's Hall in history was originally Lu Wei, who succeeded Gonggong Hall. He was seventeen years old at the time, but now it will be Xiao Yan'er's turn.

Lu Wei of the Shennong Hall of the Zhu family is not going to make any moves in the short term. The Zhu family still has a great role to play, and it is not advisable to hastily seize power in the Shennong Hall. In any case, the Zhu family is not young anymore, so let's keep him as a substitute for the Six Sages Tomb.

Despite Duanmu Rong's repeated requests to stay at the clinic, Physician Nian Duan finally agreed to become the head of Gonggong Hall. The matter was handled swiftly, with no one in the entire farmhouse objecting. Even students who had previously been taught by Nian Duan from outside Daze Mountain rushed to seek refuge after hearing about it.

Rural medical capabilities have been further enhanced, combining the medical skills of doctors with the farmers' expertise in medicinal herbs, creating a powerful alliance.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the relationship between the medical school headquarters and the farmers was further strengthened.

This unique status of the Hundred Schools of Thought dictates that it has never taken sides in the world, but now it will inevitably lean towards the agricultural school.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the six hall masters of the Farmer's Clan will be replaced by Nian Duan, Zhu Jia, Tian Meng, Tian Hu, Tian Mi, and Situ Wanli, instead of the original Lu Wei, Zhu Jia, Tian Meng, Tian Hu, Chen Ping, and Ji Yan.

In the future, Tian Hu can be replaced by Dian Qing.

Aside from Nian Duan and the unchanging Zhu family, the reputations of the other four hall masters may not be as good as before in the short term, but in the long run, the martial arts world will realize the strength of the new Farmer's Clan.

Besides the peasant families, the Confucian school of Xiaoshengxianzhuang is officially recruiting a large number of third-generation disciples. The proportion of nobles in this new generation of disciples may be slightly larger than usual, and the overall composition of the disciples is more biased towards the local Qi state.

Confucianism is certainly a worldly doctrine, but under Qin rule, it was unlikely that Confucianism would be truly valued and employed. Fu Nian devoted himself to teaching, observing world changes and preparing to revise Confucianism to better suit the times.

In Taoism, the Heavenly Sect remains mysterious and profound, while the Human Sect, represented by Xiaoyaozi, is active all over the world.

However, the new Heavenly Sword Tournament is only a few years away. Having already lost three rounds in a row, can he win back the Snowfall title for the Human Sect in the fourth round...?

The Yin-Yang School's Mirage Project underwent a new round of revisions to its blueprints. Although the construction of the Sanghai site encountered some minor obstacles, it did not affect the expected progress.

Inside the Yin-Yang headquarters in Xianyang, outside the residence of the Eastern Emperor, the three—Sun, Moon, and Star—had been waiting for some time.

Finally, after another fifteen minutes, the giant door opened...

Chapter 274 Xiaoyan's Wild Ambition

The character who emerged from the secret chamber of Donghuang Taiyi, the leader of the Yin-Yang School, was a short, round old man named Chu Nan Gong.

The name of this wise man from Chu has been passed down for decades. No one knows his origins or teachers, but in general, the knowledge that Chu Nan Gong taught to others leaned more towards Taoism and military strategy.

Especially in the field of military strategy, many people received his guidance: the most recent one was Long Ju, who led the Tenglong Legion to flee north after the fall of the Chu state.

Of course, this was done discreetly.

However, Chu Nan Gong's reputation was built up decades ago, and he has not made many public appearances in the last ten years or so.

Even though he was hailed as a "divine figure," Chu Nan Gong still had a certain degree of recognition of his identity as a Chu person: this can be seen from the fact that after the fall of Chu, he shouted the slogan "Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin," and quietly nurtured Han Xin and Zhongli Mo, and then guided Long Ju.

However, this very person, after the fall of Chu, shamelessly came to the capital of Qin and attempted to join the Yin-Yang School. It is unknown what his intentions were.

According to the Moon Goddess, this short old man also visited Li Si, a trusted minister of the King of Qin, in Xianyang.

For Li Si, it didn't matter if Chu Nan Gong couldn't do anything, he could afford to support him, so he was naturally happy to accept him.

Subsequently, Chu Nan Gong went to the Yin Yang School, requesting to join and to meet their leader, Dong Huang.

After Donghuang agreed to meet him, they talked for a long time in a secret room.

Even though the sun, moon, and stars often see the Eastern Emperor, they have never been able to conduct such a secret investigation for as long as Chu Nan Gong did today.

"cough cough..."

Chu Nan Gong coughed violently as he walked past the three men, leaning on his cane. From any angle, he looked like an ordinary old man.

"Lord Chu Nan?" After his figure disappeared, Xinghun smiled and said, "This seems to be a variable."

“Variables often represent uncertainty, and uncertainty means that it can be good or bad.” The pupils under the veil of the moon goddess lowered slightly. Chu Nan Gong, this variable, is within the controllable range and can even be regarded as a constant, which is completely different from the previous variable.

"I can't see through this Chu Nan Gong, but judging from his age and frail appearance, his actual combat strength isn't very high. No matter how much he schemes, it shouldn't affect our plans." Dong Jun didn't act as a riddle-maker like her two companions; she only analyzed the impact of Chu Nan Gong joining the Yin Yang School from the most practical perspective.

This can also be applied to the supreme Donghuang. Although we do not know Donghuang's true age, he is certainly no longer in his prime. No matter how high his mastery of Yin-Yang arts is, the burden of his body means that his physical form will be fragile.

As any person in power ages, they will inevitably face the covetousness of younger, stronger individuals...

Especially when some of the decisions made by this person in power have drawn criticism from those below.

...

Shouchun, a city in the Chu region, quickly returned to peace after the war.

Although the city was far less bustling than before due to the restrictions of Qin law, it was, after all, the capital of the former Chu state. Even though Qin's ability to govern the more distant regions was weaker, the former Chu state had the precedent of the "precious jade" of Chen Ying, so the management of this city was particularly strict.

The once bustling Yunmen Market has completely lost its night market. It is said that this is only temporary, but no one knows how long it will last.

Zhang Han and his Shadow Guards' infiltration was nearing its end. During their surveillance of Shouchun, Zhang Han uncovered a spy who was secretly spreading information about "Bear Heart." Unfortunately, just as he was about to take action against him, the spy committed suicide by poisoning himself.

Such fiercely loyal assassins must have been raised by a high-ranking noble family, and no trace of the deceased's identity could be found.

Recently, rumors have circulated that Xiong Xin was taken to the Three Jin regions by members of the Xiang clan and fled there. Zhang Han, through analysis, deduced that this was most likely a false rumor intended to mislead the public.

However, since the matter was of great importance, even if they could guess that it was fake, they still had to send people to investigate in detail, even though this was a huge drain on the limited manpower of the Shadow Guard.

Due to the threat of war, many houses in Shouchun City were vacant. The impoverished young Han Xin originally hoped to find shelter in these empty houses.

But as time went by, those vacant houses slowly began to have new owners, and he could no longer wander in Shouchun. He had no choice but to pack his small bag and prepare to wander outside and observe the world.

Although Han Xin was young, he always believed that he could achieve great things in the future, and the key to achieving great things was to have enough experience.

Chu Nan Gong's teachings opened his eyes, and now he needs to fill those eyes with knowledge.

On the other hand, his childhood friend Zhongli Mo has decided to join the army to realize his ideals.

Although Zhongli Mo was from Chu, the intensity of the Qin-Chu war did not instill any hatred in him towards the Qin state. He had also learned some military strategy from Nan Gong, and if he wanted to put it into practice, he could only join the Qin army.

Han Xin did not want to interfere with his friend's decision. His only concern was that although the war in Chu had basically subsided, a large number of Qin soldiers were still coming from the north and heading south through Shouchun.

This might be a prelude to taking action against the Baiyue people, who have consistently refused to submit...

Han Xin had never been to Baiyue in person, but he had heard about the environment of Baiyue from Nan Gong, who said that fighting in such mountainous and forested areas required extreme caution.

If my friend joins the Qin army at this time, he might be taken to the Baiyue region...

There are choices when it comes to joining the army: city guards are soldiers, and those on the front lines are also soldiers. The former is a completely different world in terms of safety compared to the latter.

But he couldn't make the choice for Zhongli Mo, so he could only tell her to "be careful" before shouldering his pack and bidding farewell to the Chu region, heading north towards the Three Jin states...

Along the way, Han Xin could see more soldiers heading south, and most of these people were from the six states: surrendered soldiers and able-bodied laborers from the six states.

A small portion of Qin's native soldiers followed Wang Ben to attack the remnants of Yan, while the majority remained in Qin territory, led by Meng Tian and Ren Xiao, preparing to attack Qi the following year.

In this way, Han Xin could roughly calculate that Qin was fighting on three fronts: the remnants of Yan in the north, Qi in the central region, and Baiyue in the south.

The fact that Qin could afford to fight on multiple fronts demonstrates its extraordinary national strength, but such actions probably crossed the line into excessive militarism.

The problem is not the short-term consequences of military expansion, but the fact that with such a mindset, even if the Qin state completely unified the country, it would be difficult for the world to be truly stable.

There are historical examples of countries that won big but ended up in the graveyard...

"This ship could sink, and I can't make a decision lightly."

Muttering to himself, Han Xin voluntarily jumped from the main road to the muddy side to make way for the army marching south from the north, letting the mud splatter from his feet soil his trousers without stopping his march outside the main road...

------

At the Siyue Hall in Daze Mountain, while Situ Wanli's funeral was being held, rumors about Situ Wanli's crimes were slowly brewing.

Ji Yan sat upright and composed in the position of the head of the Four Mountains Hall. Even though she was not yet the head of the hall, Zhang Er, who was reporting the news, and Mi Lian, who was standing aside in a daze, did not feel that there was anything wrong with it.

With a serious expression, Xiao Yan'er stared intently at each piece of information in the Four Mountains Hall, gaining a deeper understanding of how the Four Mountains Hall was in a worse situation than she had imagined.

The current Siyue Hall is a commercial establishment entirely supported by casinos and brothels, and its reputation is not very good in the eyes of upright people.

The name "Siyue" in Siyue Hall originally referred to the four sages of ancient times. This person was a great-grandson of Gonggong and served as a minister to Yao, Shun, and Yu. He recommended Shun to Yao and later recommended Yu to Shun, making him a minister who served two generations of emperors.

Siyue Hall belongs to the string music lineage in the lineage of the Six Sages of the Farmer Family. It is in charge of music theory, and its unique skill is acupressure finger techniques.

However, the Zhu family is now the number one acupoint master among farmers, while Situ Wanli has not learned much of the secret techniques of the hall.

Ji Yan believed that Situ Wanli's business strategy was correct. The other branches of the Farmer's Family were better at farming, and the Four Mountains Hall could make up for the shortcomings of the other branches of the Farmer's Family by opening up trade routes.

However, Situ Wanli should not have focused on running casinos and brothels. Although these two businesses are highly profitable, how could he do them openly? The Farmer's Family is a reputable and respectable family.

There's nothing wrong with splitting it off secretly as a branch to make money, while the main business of the main hall is used as a supplement to the other five halls. Focusing on being an auxiliary hall is not a bad thing.

"How far have the evidence against Situ Wanli been spread?"

Putting down the notebook, Ji Yan stared coldly at Zhang Er and asked.

"The dissemination work has only just begun. For now, we'll start by investigating the huge losses caused by Situ Wanli's flawed decision-making in Daliang City," Zhang Er replied earnestly to his young master, his expression unchanged.