"At this time," the corner of Li Si's mouth hooked into a cold arc, "We can secretly order a high general to lead a surprise force out of Nanyang, bypass the Zhao Army defense line, and with the speed of a thunderclap that leaves no time to cover one's ears, stab straight into the heartland of the Han State! The Han State is feeble, and its interior has long been infiltrated by our Rwang. It can be captured in a single day or night! By the time the Zhao State reacts, the Han State will already be meat in the pocket of our Great Qin!"
What a Li Si!
What a poisonous scheme!
After hearing this, Wang Jian and Wei Liao both could not help but gasp.
Once this scheme came out, it could not only easily wipe out the Han State, but also take advantage of the momentum to consume the national power of the Zhao State, leaving it running about in exhaustion and laying foreshadowing for attacking the Zhao State in the future. Two birds with one stone, extremely sinister and vicious!
In the eyes of Ying Zheng, a gleam of approval also burst forth.
What he needed was a vicious strategist like Li Si, who could provide the most sinister and effective stratagems for his hegemony!
"Good! It shall be as the Commandery Governor's stratagem dictates!"
Ying Zheng made the final decision!
"Wang Jian, hear my command!"
"This general is here!"
"Lead twenty thousand main forces, array your troops at Jingxing, and put on the posture of fighting to the death with Li Mu for Us! The bigger the momentum, the better!"
"This general obeys the command!"
"Li Si!"
"This subject is here!"
"You are responsible for dispatching an envoy to the Yan State to persuade the King of Yan. Then order the Rwang to cooperate with all their might and create chaos within the Han State!"
"This subject obeys the decree!"
Ying Zheng's gaze finally swept around the hall, seemingly searching for the most suitable candidate to execute this thunderous blow.
The command was issued, but the most crucial link—the candidate for the general to execute this thunderous blow—had not yet been determined.
Inside the hall, a brief silence fell.
"Great King," Censor-in-chief Feng Quji, standing beside Li Si, stepped out of the ranks and memorialized, "A surprise attack on the Han State is a matter of great importance. The main general must be an experienced, steady, and composed person. This subject recommends Neishi Teng; he has long guarded Nanyang and is familiar with the terrain. With him leading the troops, it will surely be foolproof."
Neishi Teng truly was a safe candidate.
Yet Ying Zheng slowly shook his head.
Steady also meant conventional and rigid. What he wanted was not steadiness, but earth-shattering impact! It was a blitzkrieg so fast that even the six states could not react in time!
He needed a younger, hungrier, and more aggressive wild wolf.
His gaze fell upon the sand table, specifically at the position representing the northern frontier.
A name once again surfaced in his mind.
That youth who had dared to use his fists to establish authority in the New Recruit Camp within less than a month of enlisting, who had dared to defeat three thousand with a hundred, and who had dared to behead the enemy chieftain amidst ten thousand troops.
That interesting kid named Wei Zhe.
But... he was too young, and his seniority was too shallow. To directly appoint him as the main general would probably make it hard to convince the masses, and the resistance in the imperial court would also be too great.
Ying Zheng's gaze flickered as a more suitable candidate appeared in his mind.
"Transmit Our decree," Ying Zheng's voice broke the silence, "Order Prefect of Shang Commandery Meng Tian to head south immediately and reach Nanyang to reorganize the troops. For this subjugation of Han, Meng Tian shall serve as commander, leading fifty thousand troops to set out on an auspicious day!"
Meng Tian!
As soon as this name was uttered, the eyes of Wang Jian and Wei Liao both revealed looks of understanding.
Meng Tian was the grandson of the famous general Meng Ao and the son of Meng Wu, a tiger son of a military family who had already displayed extraordinary military talent at a young age. His combat style was fierce and bold, and he excelled at cavalry surprise attacks. For him to execute this raiding mission was indeed the most suitable choice.
Feng Quji opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed the words back. The Meng family's loyalty and battle achievements were beyond reproach.
Just when everyone thought this matter was settled, Ying Zheng made an unexpected move.
He took the bamboo slip of the battle report recording the great victory at Hundred Beast Slope from the hands of Zhao Gao, and casually handed it to Wang Jian beside him.
"High General, take a look at this too."
Wang Jian was somewhat surprised, but still respectfully took it.
He unfurled the bamboo slip and scanned it ten lines at a time. With his status and experience, ordinary battle reports could no longer move him.
Before long, however, the expression on his calm and unrippled face changed.
From calmness to slight surprise, and then to gravity.
When he read "With the force of a hundred, set an ambush at Hundred Beast Slope, completely annihilating three thousand elite cavalry of the Xiongnu Royal Guard," his eagle-like sharp eyes suddenly narrowed.
When he read "Beheaded their main general, 'Eagle of the Steppe' Vulture," the fingers holding the bamboo slip involuntarily exerted a bit of force.
He raised his head, looked at Ying Zheng, and a trace of undisguised astonishment tainted his voice.
"Great King, this battle report... is it accurate?"
"Meng Wu wrote it in his own hand, eight-hundred-li expedited. Do you think there could be any falsehood?" Ying Zheng retorted.
Wang Jian fell silent.
It was not that he did not believe it, but that he dared not believe it.
Defeating three thousand with a hundred, and even annihilating them completely!
He had spent a lifelong military career fighting countless fierce battles, and deeply understood what this meant. This was no longer within the realm of tactics and courage; this must inevitably have also included a limit-grasping of the combat opportunity, precise calculations of human hearts, and... a trace of near-monstrous luck.
"This kid... is extraordinary." Wang Jian slowly spat out three words; this was the highest evaluation he could give.
"More than just extraordinary." A trace of playfulness carried in Ying Zheng's tone. "What interests Us is not how many Xiongnu he killed, but these things he did after entering the camp."
"Defeated six veteran soldiers by himself, defeated the chief instructor on the drill ground, and beat a group of military ruffians into docile sheep with the most brutal fists. Then he bought people's hearts with money and meat, establishing majesty through military law and collective responsibility. Imparting grace and might simultaneously, combining toughness and softness..."
Ying Zheng walked up to the sand table, his fingers lightly tapping the cold bronze surface.
"Look, isn't this world like a giant military camp? Those old aristocrats of the six states are just those unruly old military ruffians. If Us wishes to unify the world, Us needs a blade sharp enough to prune away those unmanageable rotten flesh for Us."
His gaze burned as he looked at Wang Jian.
"This kid named Wei Zhe is a good blade. On him, there is something that Neishi Teng does not have, and even Meng Tian does not entirely possess."
"That is the 'variable'."
"He is like a stone thrown into the chessboard, not following conventions or old rules, yet always able to stir up the greatest ripples. Us believes he has the potential to become a 'Ten Thousand Commander'."
Ten Thousand Commander!
When these three words were uttered from Ying Zheng's mouth, how heavy was their weight!
Wang Jian's heart shook violently. He lowered his head once more to look at the name on the bamboo slip: Wei Zhe.
"This kid, what is his background?" As Commander of the Three Armies, Wang Jian naturally paid extra attention to potential military talents.
Zhao Gao, who stood waiting at the side, immediately bowed and replied, "Reporting to the High General, this person's household registration before enlisting belonged to Shangcai."
"Shangcai?"
Wang Jian's brows twitched slightly, and he subconsciously glanced at Li Si beside him.
"Isn't that... the fief of the Commandery Governor?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere inside the grand hall instantly became somewhat subtle.
Li Si's face, which always wore the smile of someone holding victory in his grasp, stiffened for a single moment. His deep pupils narrowed slightly, and a flash of sharp light vanished in an instant.
Yet he quickly recovered his composure and smiled, cupping his hands toward Wang Jian.
"The High General has a good memory. Shangcai is indeed this subject's fief. However, this subject is stationed in Xianyang year-round, and truly has no impression of a mere blacksmith within the fief."
His tone was airtight, as if it truly were just a coincidence.
Ying Zheng took all of this in, yet did not point it out.
He loved this kind of uncontrollable variable.
"Transmit Our second secret decree!" Ying Zheng's voice rang out once more, carrying an irresistible majesty.
"Order Chieftain Wei Zhe of the northern frontier Tiger and Wolf Army to lead the three thousand troops under his command to set out immediately and rendezvous with Meng Tian's division. For this subjugation of Han, the Tiger and Wolf Army shall serve as the vanguard, exempt from Meng Tian's command, and may make discretionary decisions on the spot!"
"Us wants this sharp blade of his to be the very first to pierce into the heart of the Han State!"
As soon as this decree was issued, the entire gathering was shocked!
A newly formed thousand-man unit, whose main general was still a newcomer with less than two months of service, was actually endowed with such great autonomy! In the Great Qin army, this was unprecedented favor, and also an unprecedented test!
Wang Jian opened his mouth, wanting to offer remonstrance, but seeing Ying Zheng's unquestionable eyes, he ultimately chose silence.
The Great King was gambling.
Gambling that this youth named Wei Zhe could bring him a heaven-sent surprise.
"This subject and others obey the decree!"
Following the three heavyweight ministers receiving their orders, the precision and terrifying war machine of Great Qin, after lying dormant for several years, finally roared deafeningly in accordance with Ying Zheng's will.
Half a month later.
The northern frontier, Tiger and Wolf Army camp.
For the soldiers stationed on the border, that meeting in Xianyang Palace that decided the fate of the world felt as distant as another world.
Yet the breath of war had already quietly descended in another way.
These past half-months, the training intensity of the Tiger and Wolf Army not only did not decrease, but instead entered a state of near-madness. Only the content of the drills had undergone tremendous changes.
Before you continue