Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 180

Whether the State of Chu would even exist after the war is questionable. Even if it did, how could it possibly afford to pay the money it couldn't even pay before the war, given the country's current state of reconstruction?

"This matter..." Zhu Jia raised his hand and scratched his head, his face now masked with worry: "I can write to Master Lu Wei, but he most likely won't agree."

"Overthrowing the Qin is a righteous cause pursued by all virtuous and righteous people under heaven. I'm sure Master Lu Wei will seriously consider it." Suppressing his inner turmoil, Xiang Yan, unable to provide material satisfaction, could only add a moral coercion that even he himself didn't believe.

Given Xiang Yan's scheme, the horses certainly cannot be given to the State of Chu. Even if they were paid, the Hall Master would not allow the Gonggong Hall to be exposed to the enemy, the State of Qin, at this moment.

In fact, Lu Wei, who was at Jinghu Medical Village, had received a letter from Xiang Bo, which was forwarded from Daze Mountain, a few days earlier. The letter briefly mentioned the matter of horses, but Xiang Bo made a more pragmatic request to purchase grain.

At the end of the letter, Xiang Bo also mentioned that he had secretly helped Lu Tangzhu get the position of magistrate of Fan County.

In the spirit of reciprocity, selling grain is an option to consider.

Moreover, the grain being sold is not from Dazeshan, but from newly planted grain in a large number of farmlands opened up in Jing County this year.

Farming is the traditional occupation of farmers.

The land near Jinghu Lake is flat and spacious, with no shortage of water and excellent sunlight. It also has advanced composting technology to supplement soil fertility. Thanks to the hard work of the government's oxen day and night, the grain yield this year is very gratifying.

The lord is a kind and honest man. When he is wealthy, he is always happy to share a portion of his wealth with his valuable friends.

As for the letter from the Zhu family requesting a loan of horses from the Xiang family, Lu Wei glanced at it and casually tossed it to Xiao Qian'er to play with.

He had just visited the Snow Woman and her daughter, Little Crane, and was in a fairly good mood. He couldn't leave anything unpleasant on himself that might spoil the rest of the day's fun.

In the courtyard, Ji Yan easily exchanged the bamboo scroll filled with writing from Xiao Qian'er in front of Lu Wei by using the few small fish she had recently raised.

After reading it carefully, she stood nimbly beside Master Lu, holding the bamboo slips: "War is about to break out in the State of Chu. Will the Shennong Hall's involvement in the hostility between nations bring danger to our farming family?"

"Perhaps, Xiaoyan'er, how do you think the situation will develop?" Lu Wei casually asked, testing her.

"Ayan doesn't know." Ji Yan stared at the Devouring Sea Sword at the waist of the Hall Master and said crisply, "But Hall Master is the next leader of the Farmer's Clan. The Farmer's Clan's things belong to Hall Master. Hall Master must already have a way to protect the Farmer's Clan!"

"You spend all your time at Mirror Lake Medical Clinic. Where did you learn these flattering words from?"

Lu Wei chuckled softly upon hearing this, glanced down at Xiao Yan'er, and ruffled her hair.

“Ayan really thinks so sincerely!” Ji Yan remained standing, neither dodging nor flinching, letting her hair be ruffled: “There are many principles in books, but they are all dead. The teachings of the Hall Master are no less valuable than the words of those sages!”

"You really want to put it into practice?"

"Yes!" Xiao Yan'er boldly raised her head and met Lu Wei's gaze. Staying in the medical manor was really boring. Even though she had made a second crane friend after Xiao Bai's death, animals are still just animals.

“Then starting tomorrow, you can row to Jing County by yourself.”

Ji Yan did indeed obediently read through Han Feizi's works and several Confucian classics. She believed that witnessing the construction process of Jing County would surely bring her some insights.

Lu Wei had always had high expectations for Ji Yan.

He took out a two-star pearl grass that he had prepared long ago from his bosom and handed it to Xiao Yan'er. The little girl was delighted and tied it to her wrist.

Most of the people in Jing County are disciples of farmers. Although Ji Yan is young, he is very strong and will not encounter any danger within Jing County.

As for whether she would run away, Lu Wei was confident in her intelligence.

Chapter 202 The Role of the Shennong Decree

"You are Wei Zhuang, the master of the quicksand."

In the ruins of the old palace in Xinzheng City, which was engulfed in flames, broken pillars lay scattered haphazardly, and unevenly sized stones were randomly scattered on the bluestone pavement.

Because the entire city was burning, the intense heat expanding in the air was visible to the naked eye.

Sitting on a fallen pillar, Wei Zhuang braced himself with his Shark Tooth Sword. On either side of him stood Bai Feng, who was keeping watch on the surroundings from a high vantage point, and Chi Lian, who was playing with a small red snake in her hand.

The Prime Minister of Qin arrived alone to meet the dangerous group of assassins from Han, without bringing a single soldier with him.

The city of Xinzheng was breached for the second time, another masterpiece of the quicksand.

It was through the blood of our homeland and those fools that this face-to-face encounter was created.

"You surprised me when we first met."

Wei Zhuang remained seated, his deep voice ringing out.

The Changping Lord before me was dressed in official robes, with a dignified face, but his entire appearance, from head to toe, was too ordinary.

Especially the eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul. If a person's eyes don't have anything special about them, then he is unlikely to be a remarkable person.

However, Lord Changping's gaze was no different from that of ordinary nobles, subtly carrying the arrogance and condescension of an aristocrat.

But this person, whether it is his public identity as the Prime Minister of Qin or his identity as the creator of the Azure Dragon Project, should not be so ordinary.

This is a truly dangerous character who is adept at hiding and whose reach extends far and wide!

"The quicksand's mission is complete. The agreed-upon reward is right there in the appointed place."

As a top-tier noble from any perspective, Xiong Qi had learned some martial arts, but only to the level of etiquette. Any one of the three Quicksand members present could kill him instantly.

Whether he was a meter closer or a meter farther from the quicksand was of little significance to him, so Xiong Qi chose to take two steps closer to Wei Zhuang:

"The next choice for Liu Sha is either to participate in the final battle in Chu, or to live a miserable life in the deep mountains and forests of Han."

"No matter which choice you make, there will be a place for you in the future."

The closer you get, the more intense the heat becomes, along with a hidden, suffocating killing intent that makes it hard to breathe.

"The agreement from Jicheng to Xinzheng has been reached, but the next step in the Quicksand's plan is not up to you." Wei Zhuang looked at the 'weak' figure and finally stood up:

"Quicksand has its own path."

"The path through quicksand must conform to the path of the world." Lord Changping stopped two zhang away: "Qin and anti-Qin, everyone is destined to make a choice."

"The later the game goes, the more likely the neutral side will be attacked by both sides simultaneously. If Quicksand wants to survive as you wish, it must make the right choice at the right time."

"So the most correct choice is to help Chu?" Wei Zhuang countered. "You should know better than anyone how powerful Qin is."

"The Qin state is powerful, and the other six states and the various schools of thought can hardly contend with it. This is a fact." Lord Changping nodded slightly without fear: "However, the Quicksand still chose to help the Azure Dragon Project in Xinzheng."

"This is a deal."

“Every transaction involves profit. The Quicksand wants war, and the Ghost Valley School is also suited for war. You and your senior brother Gai Nie, although you act in very different ways, are fundamentally the same kind of people.”

Changping-jun didn't elaborate further, but when he mentioned the name 'Gai Nie,' the master of the quicksand's gaze became noticeably dangerous.

Changping turned and strode away.

Chi Lian glanced at Wei Zhuang's actions instinctively, but seeing that he made no comment, she let the Right Chancellor of Qin leave...

A giant white bird soared across the sky, and the quicksand abandoned its homeland capital for the second time.

The rebellion in Xinzheng is drawing to a close. With the violence over, the subsequent work of pacifying the city remains a significant undertaking, as this ravaged city must be rebuilt once again.

In stark contrast to the devastating fire in Xinzheng, in the picturesque Jinghu water town, Lu Wei, dressed in a straw raincoat and bamboo hat, sat calmly on the Yizhuang Wharf, holding a fishing rod.

The air is filled with the scent of autumn rain on rice paddies, and the sounds of river stones and the night beach echo.

The autumn rain, as fine as smoke and mist, kept falling incessantly. The temperature dropped, and it wasn't a good time for fishing.

But precisely because of this, he can justifiably claim that he can't catch any fish.

Beside the fish basket next to the hall master, a metal token ticked as raindrops struck it, its sound matching the rhythm of Lu Wei's thoughts.

This is the Shennong Token that Tian Guang gave him in Jicheng a few years ago.

As a sacred object of the agricultural community, the Shennong Token is also a bounty notice issued by the Jianghu (martial arts world) every ten years. It is issued by each leader of the martial arts community and commands that no disciple of the agricultural community dare to disobey it.

Meanwhile, other martial arts practitioners can also complete the Shennong Order bounty, and upon completion, they will receive the farmer's sincere gratitude.

The last time Shennong issued a bounty was nine years ago, when Lu Wei had only recently joined the Luqiu Pavilion of the Farmer's Clan and was busy following the Xu family's merchant caravan along the Chu Kingdom's trade routes.

That bounty mission was issued by Tian Guang and only involved Daze Mountain; it had nothing to do with him, a low-ranking disciple of the Farmer's Clan who was away from home.

Now, times have changed. The former disciple of One Star Pearl Grass is now the master of Seven Star Pearl Grass Hall and has also obtained the Shennong Token Mother Token.

He should be the one to announce the Shennong Order bounty next year.

In the workshop of Jing County government, six sub-commands, modeled after the mother command, have been secretly forged and are only missing the inscriptions.

How to arrange this bounty was a question Lu Wei was pondering while fishing.

In the minds of those in the martial arts world, every time the Shennong Decree appeared, it would stir up a bloody storm, because there were indeed a few instances where the Shennong Decree's orders were truly astonishing: such as the siege of Bai Qi.

However, under normal circumstances, the bounties issued once every ten years are mostly ordinary and involve only matters within the farming family.

Lu Wei didn't want to cause too much trouble this time with the Shennong Decree. He just wanted to use the opportunity of the Shennong Decree to help him eliminate dissidents in the Farmer's Village.

Considering that the issuance of the Shennong Decree required Tian Guang's approval and endorsement, the methods for eliminating dissidents could not be too bloody.

This will need to wait until after the New Year when we return to Dazeshan to secretly deliver the written instructions to the other five halls.

To be honest, my initial purpose in coming to Jinghu was simply to inspect the development of Jing County and take a two- or three-month trip.

As a result of this play, autumn arrived.

The continuous autumn rains made the roads muddy, making it very inconvenient to take Duanmu Rong, Lu Ni, Xue Nu, and the others back by carriage. And once the autumn rains stopped, winter would soon be here. Mirror Lake in winter would have a completely different feel, so naturally they decided to stay and enjoy the scenery.

Thus, the return trip was naturally postponed until after the New Year.

This is true leisure and vacation. With Xiao He overseeing the construction of Jing County and Yan Shen supervising, everything is ready. There are no urgent matters in Daze Mountain that require his reply or handling; the Hall Master doesn't need to worry about them too much.

With no distractions and the company of several women at the medical manor, this decadent lifestyle severely dampened Lu Wei's ambition. Fortunately, he only needed to endure a few more difficult months before he could return to Daze Mountain to work seriously.

After fishing for an hour, when the rain stopped completely, Lu Wei casually broke off a branch from a tree on the bank, put it in his fish basket, and returned to the medical village.

He had no chance of catching fish without getting caught, and he had already figured out what to write on the Shennong decree.

------

In the Mohist city, the Mohist school, under the leadership of its new leader, immediately reaffirmed its anti-Qin stance.

The chaos in Xinzheng was a foregone conclusion, and Yan Dan naturally wouldn't invest his precious Mohist disciples in it.

The state of Wei was beyond saving; the state of Yan served as a painful lesson for the Mohists. However, certain powerful figures within it represent a force that could be united when a call to action is issued in the future, thus protecting them.

For example, Lord Ningling, Wei Jiu.

If we abandon the State of Wei, the only state in the world worth the Mohists' dedication, comparable to that of the State of Yan, is the State of Chu.

Over the years, everyone has realized that Qi's capitulationism has become deeply entrenched and irreversible, and maintaining any hope in it is simply a meaningless waste of energy.

Yan Dan himself was one of the inheritors of the Azure Dragon Project, and his investment in the State of Chu with Lord Changping was an agreement.

Among the leaders of the Mohist school, Gao Jianli and Kuang Xiu had some superficial acquaintances with the Xiang clan, so it would not have been difficult for the Mohists to establish contact with the State of Chu.

The Vermilion Bird, a machine-made vehicle, departed from the Machine City, carrying the four members of the Mo family. It flew all the way and landed in a remote place outside Shouchun City, illuminated by the moonlight.