Ying Zheng: It's Time to Conquer the World!

Meanwhile, Xianyang.

The capital of the Great Qin Empire, the beating heart of the world.

Unlike the bleakness of the northern border steeped in wind, sand, and blood, this was the apex of power and the embodiment of order. Tall and imposing city walls spanned like mountain ranges, and carriages and horses moved like dragons along the wide, straight imperial roads. Palaces stretched endlessly with flying eaves and interlocking brackets, exuding a stern and aloof majesty that looked down upon all living beings amidst the morning mist.

Xianyang Palace, Zhangtai Hall.

Inside the hall, a huge bronze sand table occupied the center. Mountains, rivers, cities, and strategic passes compressed the entire territory of the realm into a square inch with heart-pounding precision.

A young man wearing a dark dragon robe and a crown with twelve strings of pearls stood with his hands clasped behind his back in front of the sand table.

He was tall, with a posture as straight and firm as a sword. His features were handsome yet stern, and his deep eyes seemed to contain the starry cosmos. He simply stood quietly without speaking, but the supreme pressure of a monarch's descent radiating from within him froze the air throughout the grand hall.

He was the sole master of this land: the King of Qin, Ying Zheng.

His gaze moved slowly across the sand table. From the Qin lands in the far west to Qi and Lu in the east, from Yan and Zhao in the north to Chu and Yue in the south. His look was not like he was viewing a map, but rather as if he were examining a game of chess about to be gathered into his palm.

He had been playing this game for far too long.

Since Shang Yang's Reforms and across six generations of monarchs, the sharp sword of Great Qin, honed for over a hundred years, had long since gleamed brightly, waiting only to be drawn.

Now, the time had come.

"Great King."

A shrill voice came from outside the hall.

Zhao Gao, Director of the Chariot Office, walked in silently with quick, short steps. Lowering his head and bowing, he raised a scroll of bamboo slips high above his head with both hands.

"An eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch from High General Meng Wu of the northern border."

Ying Zheng did not turn his head, his gaze still locked onto the sand table as he uttered a single, flat word.

"Read."

"Understood."

Zhao Gao unrolled the bamboo slip, cleared his throat, and began to read in a tone devoid of emotion: "Your subject Meng Wu reports: The Right Wise King's forces of the Xiongnu invaded the border. In the battle of Eagle Beak Cliff, our army achieved a great victory. Among them, Chieftain Wei Zhe of the Tiger and Wolf Army, with a force of one hundred men, set an ambush at Hundred Beast Slope, completely annihilating three thousand elite cavalry of the Xiongnu Royal Guard and beheading their commanding officer, the 'Eagle of the Steppe', Vulture..."

Hearing this, even Zhao Gao could not help but let a trace of astonishment creep into his voice.

Ying Zheng's brows finally twitched slightly.

Defeating three thousand with a hundred? And completely annihilating them?

Such a battle record was indeed somewhat earth-shattering.

Zhao Gao continued to read: "...Before this battle, Wei Zhe had newly entered the New Recruit Camp. Because of a provocation by veteran soldiers, he single-handedly defeated six battle-hardened veterans inside a tent. Later, at the drill ground, he publicly defeated Chief Instructor Shi Meng, establishing his prestige throughout the entire camp..."

Hearing this, the corners of Ying Zheng's mouth finally curved into a faint arc that others could hardly perceive.

"Interesting."

He finally spoke, his voice low and rich with magnetism.

What interested him was not the glorious achievement of defeating three thousand with a hundred, but the preceding episode of how a new recruit used the most direct and brutal fists to beat a group of untamed and unruly veteran soldiers into total submission.

This world was like a gigantic military camp. Those old nobles of the Six States were simply unruly veteran soldiers. To make them obey, merely speaking of reason was useless.

One had to use fists—fists harder than theirs—to beat them into fear, beat them into submission, and beat them until they knelt on the ground, never daring to harbor any rebellious thoughts again.

This kid named Wei Zhe understood this logic very well.

"This boy is a talent," Ying Zheng evaluated faintly, then asked, "How long has he been enlisted?"

Zhao Gao hastily replied, "Replying to the Great King, according to the report, from his enlistment to the battle of Hundred Beast Slope, it has been less than a month."

Less than a month.

From a boy in a blacksmith's shop to a battle-hardened fierce general renowned across the northern border who beheaded the enemy chieftain.

A trace of genuine appreciation flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes.

He liked such people. Like a freshly unsheathed sword, sharp and direct, ignorant of the twists and turns of the imperial court, knowing only the most effective way to achieve a goal.

"Wei Zhe..." He murmured the name softly, remembering it.

"Pass down the order." Ying Zheng turned around, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Gao. "Summon High General Wang Jian, Commandant Li Si, and Wei Liao to enter the palace to discuss matters."

"Understood."

Zhao Gao bowed and withdrew.

Soon, three senior officials wearing different official robes but possessing similarly extraordinary demeanors stepped into the grand hall.

Leading them was High General Wang Jian. Over fifty years old with white hair and beard, his posture remained as straight as a pine tree. His eyes flashed brilliantly with every blink, brimming with the composure and sharpness tempered by long years of warfare.

Immediately following him was Commandant Li Si. Dressed in a black legal robe with a lean face and deep eyes, he exuded the strictness and masterful confidence characteristic of Legalism.

The final person was Wei Liao. He was a strategist in commoner clothes with a thin build and plain appearance. Yet, able to rank among the top ministers and stand shoulder to shoulder with Wang Jian and Li Si, the military strategies hidden within his belly were naturally unfathomable.

"Your subjects pay respects to the Great King!" The three bowed in unison.

"Rise, three beloved ministers."

Ying Zheng's gaze swept across the faces of the three one by one before falling back onto the huge sand table.

"Have the provisions been fully prepared?" He asked, his voice not loud, yet carrying an unquestionable majesty.

Li Si stepped forward and bowed in response. "Replying to the Great King, since last year, the grain from Bashu and Guanzhong has been completely transported to Nanyang, Sanchuan, and other places. Provisions are piled up like mountains, enough for fifty thousand—fifty hundred thousand troops of Great Qin to campaign for over three years!"

"And the military funds?"

"The national treasury is bountiful with countless gold and iron, ready to be drawn upon at any time."

"What about weapons, armor, crossbows, and carriages?"

Wei Liao stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Replying to the Great King, within the armories, a million newly forged long spears, five hundred thousand powerful crossbows, and three hundred thousand sets of various armors. One thousand war chariots and one hundred thousand warhorses have all been fully prepared, awaiting only the Great King's command!"

"And the troop strength?" Ying Zheng asked last.

High General Wang Jian finally spoke, his voice resounding like an unsheathed sword filled with the clanging of metal: "Replying to the Great King! The armored soldiers of our Great Qin have already exceeded one million! Among them, the elites who can be mobilized at any time to attack the Six States exceed six hundred thousand! Our military edge is razor-sharp, and our morale is like a rainbow!"

Listening to his ministers' replies, the repressed ambition of many years in Ying Zheng's chest swelled like a volcano about to erupt, no longer able to be contained!

"Since Duke Xiao, our Great Qin has inherited the surplus might of six generations, wielding a long whip to drive across the universe."

His voice echoed throughout the grand hall, filled with the profound weight of history and the passionate fervor of forging the future.

"Today, the Six States of Shandong are weak and exhausted. Han is the frailest; Zhao, since Changping, has lost all its elite forces, and even with Li Mu, it is a single pillar unable to prop up a collapsing roof; Wei, situated in a land of battle on all sides, has long been unable to care for itself; Chu, though vast and rich in resources, suffers from endless internal strife with monarch and subjects estranged; Yan occupies a remote corner and possesses the weakest strength; Qi contentedly rots by the East China Sea without preparing for war, long since a decayed corpse in a tomb!"

"The grand trend of the world has entirely returned to Great Qin!"

He suddenly raised his head, and those deep eyes burst with astonishing brilliance, as if they would swallow the entire world whole!

"Beloved ministers!" He shouted aloud, "I believe the time has come to sweep away the six directions, unify the world, and accomplish the feat in a single battle!"

"Boom!"

These words exploded like a thunderclap in the hearts of Wang Jian, Li Si, and Wei Liao!

They had waited for these words for far too long as well!

The three exchanged glances, seeing the fanaticism and excitement in each other's eyes. They stepped forward simultaneously, knelt on one knee, and shook the universe with their voices.

"Your subjects are willing to lay down our lives for the Great King! We will assist the Great King in sweeping the Six States and unifying the world!"

"Good!"

Ying Zheng looked up and laughed aloud, his laughter filled with the arrogance of looking down upon the world!

He abruptly drew the Son of Heaven's Sword from his waist. That ancient bronze sword, passed down for hundreds of years, flashed with a chilling, cold light under the hall's lamps.

"Clang—!"

Where the sword point directed, it landed straight upon the sand table at the location representing Xinzheng, the capital of the Han State!

"A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet! Unifying the world shall begin with the weakest Han State!"

His voice was resolute and decisive!

"High General Wang Jian!"

"The general is here!" Wang Jian raised his head abruptly, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"I command you to mobilize all the troops of Guanzhong and conquer the Han State! Are you willing to go?"

"This general requests the commission!" Wang Jian did not hesitate in the slightest, cupping his fists heavily. "With just one hundred thousand elite troops, this general guarantees that within three months, the head of the King of Han shall be presented before the Great King!"

At that moment, Li Si, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up.

"Great King, this subject believes that directly attacking Han is not the superior strategy."

Ying Zheng's gaze turned to him. "Oh? Does the Commandant have any brilliant insights?"

Li Si stood up, walked to the sand table, pointed toward the Zhao State north of Han, and said in a deep voice, "Great King, though Han is weak, it borders our Great Qin, Zhao, and Wei. If our massive army attacks Han, Zhao and Wei will certainly not sit idly by. Especially Zhao, where Li Mu still lives and its border army's combat strength remains intact. If he sends troops to rescue them, our army will inevitably fall into the plight of a two-front war, dragging out the campaign, which is disadvantageous to us."

"Then according to your view, what should be done?"

A cunning, fox-like gleam flashed in Li Si's eyes.

"This subject has a stratagem named 'Borrow the Path to Conquer Guo', but in reality it is 'Repair the Plank Road in the Open While Sneaking Through Chencang'."

He pointed toward the Yan State in the north. "We can first dispatch envoys to Yan, stating our willingness to assist Yan in jointly attacking Zhao to avenge past grievances. Then command High General Wang Jian to deploy troops around Jingxing, where our Great Qin borders Zhao, creating the momentum of a massive offensive against Zhao."

"Zhao and Yan are mortal enemies, and they also regard our Great Qin as a thorn in their side. With our massive army pressing hard on their borders, the King of Zhao and Li Mu will surely concentrate all their energy on the northern front to guard against our forces. By then, the entire southern front of Zhao will inevitably be left empty."