Eastward Expansion Strategy

The lingering echo of the closing palace doors hummed in the dead silence, like countless tiny venomous bees buzzing against his eardrums. The ice-cold jade ring in Cheng Xi's fingers felt like it was about to embed itself into his flesh. Ying Zheng's final, half-spoken sentence was like an ice pick dipped in poison, driving the chill of the deep palace directly into his bones.

"What can blow in isn't just the earth's miasma."

He slowly raised his hand, the jade ring emitting a cold, lustrous sheen in the dim light. This wasn't a toy; it was a death warrant. Ying Zheng had seen through the "extraordinary" facade he wore. This test was a scrutiny, a wariness, the instinctive assessment of a future emperor towards any potential threat. He needed value, value enough to make this young dragon temporarily retract its claws.

[Passive Perception Module continuously running... Faint gaze intensity stable... Directional analysis: Southwest and upward... Altitude: Unknown... Attribute inclination: Chaotic Neutral... Warning! Energy below 0.05%, module will be forced to shut down...]

The system's cold prompts echoed intermittently in his mind, weak and anxiety-inducing. Southwest and upward... southwest of Xianyang Palace? Cheng Xi's gaze subconsciously drifted in that direction, the thick palace walls obscuring all sight. Was it a cultivator hidden within the deep palace? Or... a glance cast by the ethereal Heavenly Dao? Was this "gaze" of Chaotic Neutral origin friend or foe?

He forced himself to regain his focus. The immediate priority was survival, to survive in this man-eating Qin palace and find a way to restore the system's energy. Ying Zheng's "wind" had already begun to blow; he had to build the first dam.

"Lord Chang'an," Zhao Gao's voice, slippery as a snake, sounded again from outside the door, laced with just the right amount of deference, "The King summons you to Zhangtai Palace for an audience."

Zhangtai Palace. The place where King Zhuangxiang of Qin handled state affairs. Cheng Xi's mind raced. Was it Ying Zheng? No, although Ying Zheng was valued by King Zhuangxiang, he hadn't officially taken the throne yet. The summons could only be from King Zhuangxiang himself. Why summon a nine-year-old prince so suddenly? Was it related to the Nine-Linked Rings from last night? Or... had Lu Buwei's hand already reached out impatiently?

He suppressed the turmoil in his thoughts and put on the expression befitting a nine-year-old prince, a hint of trepidation mixed with forced composure. "I understand. I will change my clothes."

Zhangtai Palace was more magnificent and solemn than the side hall where Cheng Xi resided. Huge bronze pillars carved with coiling dragons supported the high, vaulted ceiling. The scent of sinking-wood incense permeated the hall, mingled with the ink smell of bamboo slips and an indescribable, heavy pressure that belonged to power. King Zhuangxiang of Qin, Ying Zichu, sat regally on the dais, his face pale from illness, but his eyes remained sharp. Lu Buwei, clad in a black ceremonial robe, stood at the head of the first position below the steps, his wide sleeves flowing, his demeanor graceful, a gentle smile on his face, his eyes as unfathomable as a deep, cold well. Ying Zheng stood beside King Zhuangxiang, his black robes like ink, his expression ashen, his gaze locking onto Cheng Xi the moment he stepped through the palace doors.

"Your subject, Cheng Xi, pays respects to my royal brother." Cheng Xi followed all the proper etiquette, his small body appearing exceptionally frail in the vast hall. He could clearly feel the convergence of several gazes: King Zhuangxiang's scrutinizing majesty, Lu Buwei's seemingly gentle yet chillingly probing look, and Ying Zheng's silent, unfathomable consideration beneath his composed exterior.

"Rise." King Zhuangxiang's voice was hoarse, lacking some strength, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "Cheng Xi, I heard that yesterday you solved the Nine-Linked Rings presented by the envoy from Chu with remarkable skill, completing it in moments. At such a young age, your mind is sharp and agile. This is truly a blessing for our Ying Qin."

"My royal brother flatters me," Cheng Xi lowered his head, his voice carrying the clear tone of a child and an appropriate level of apprehension. "Your subject merely... found the jade rings very beautiful and fiddled with them randomly, luckily managing to solve it."

"Luck?" Lu Buwei's gentle voice chimed in, carrying a senior's approving chuckle as he stepped forward. His gaze fell upon Cheng Xi, carrying a tangible weight, as if trying to see through the child entirely. "Lord Chang'an is too modest. Those Nine-Linked Rings were crafted by a skilled artisan of Chu over several years, with interlocking links and hidden mechanisms. Even I, upon first seeing them, would need considerable time and effort to deduce them. For Lord Chang'an to solve it in an instant is a gift of wisdom from heaven."

His tone shifted, still gentle, but with a subtle guiding undertone. "Our Great Qin now needs such wisdom. The King worries about state affairs, especially the 'Eastward Expansion Strategy.' Beyond Hangu Pass, the six states surround us like wolves eyeing a tiger. How do we break the deadlock, how do we advance eastward? The court is abuzz with discussions. Since Lord Chang'an possesses such a keen mind, perhaps you could... share your 'random' thoughts?"

Here it comes! Cheng Xi's internal alarm bells rang. Lu Buwei, that old fox! He was praising him only to set him up! Forcing a connection between his skill in solving the Nine-Linked Rings and crucial state affairs like national strategy. A nine-year-old child presuming to discuss national policy – anything he said would be wrong! If he spoke well, he'd be seen as a prodigy; if he spoke poorly, he'd be deemed dull. He intended to use King Zhuangxiang's authority to completely crush him, this potential threat to Ying Zheng's position, either as an ignorant child or someone who uttered dangerous nonsense!

The air in the hall seemed to freeze. King Zhuangxiang's gaze held scrutiny and a weary expectation. Ying Zheng's eyes grew deeper, like a hunter patiently waiting for prey to fall into a trap. The smile on Lu Buwei's face was so gentle it sent a chill down one's spine.

Cold sweat quietly soaked through Cheng Xi's inner garment. He couldn't retreat, couldn't remain silent. Ying Zheng's "wind" had not subsided, and Lu Buwei's knife was already at his throat. He needed value, value enough to move King Zhuangxiang, make Ying Zheng re-evaluate, and make Lu Buwei hesitate!

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to ignore the gaze that felt like it was piercing his soul and the invisible pressure in the hall. He raised his head, his face striving to maintain a child's innocence, but his eyes desperately gathered the seriousness befitting a "clever prince."

"Does Prime Minister Lu mean... how to go out hunting?" He deliberately used childish vocabulary, his gaze sweeping over the large sheepskin map hanging on the side of the hall. On that rough map, the courses of mountains and rivers, the locations of passes and cities, were filled with primitive errors and vagueness from the perspective of modern geography, yet they represented the pinnacle of strategic vision of this era.

He took small steps to the map, his small finger pointing to the brown area representing Qin's territory, then to the colorful patches representing the six states east of the pass.

"Your subject doesn't understand grand principles," his voice carried a child's clarity, as he tried to mimic the "casual fiddling" tone from yesterday when solving the Nine-Linked Rings. "I just look at this map and think... our Qin is like a tiger lying in its den."

He pointed to the majestic Hangu Pass. "This big gate (Hangu Pass) is tall and thick, very safe. But..." His finger slid down along the course of the Yellow River, landing on the vast green area representing the plains. "If the tiger always stays in its den, those wild boars (Han, Wei), wild sheep (Zhao), and wild deer (Chu)... they graze and drink right at the tiger's doorstep, occupying all the good spots. When the tiger gets hungry and wants to go out to catch something to eat, but..."

His finger pointed back to Hangu Pass. "Every time it can only squeeze through this big gate, and it's so strenuous and noisy. Those wild boars, sheep, and deer hear it from afar and all run away, or... they gather together and use their sharp horns (Vertical Alliance) to butt the tiger!"

This almost childish analogy, however, made King Zhuangxiang lean forward slightly, and even the smile on Lu Buwei's face froze for a moment. Ying Zheng's eyes became sharply focused like needles, locked onto the small figure in front of the map.

"So your subject thought," Cheng Xi's finger traced the Yellow River's course eastward, finally landing on the vast plain where the Yellow River and the Luo River converged. He forcefully tapped that fertile land, later known as the "Sanchuan Commandery," his voice still carrying a child's "innocence." "Could we... quietly open a small door next to it? It doesn't need to be big, just enough for the tiger to sneak out."

His finger drew a clear line on the map. "Follow this great river (Yellow River), and wherever it flows, we quietly build roads. While building roads, we can also... hmm, like digging small ditches in the yard to water flowers, dig some larger and deeper ditches (early form of Zheng Guo Canal?), diverting the great river's water to those dry lands (Guanzhong Plain), making them moist and able to grow lots of grain."

His finger pointed again to the Sanchuan region, his voice tinged with the "excitement" of a child discovering a secret. "Then, the tiger won't have to squeeze through that tall, thick big gate every time! It can sneak out through this small door next to it and suddenly pounce on the nearest wild boar (Han) or wild sheep (Wei)! When the other wild boars, sheep, and deer hear the commotion and come to help..."

Cheng Xi's small hand clenched suddenly, making a "grabbing" motion. A child's sly smile appeared on his face. "The tiger will have already dragged that fat, clumsy wild boar back to its den! Once it's full and stronger, it can go out hunting again and catch even bigger prey!"

The childish words echoed in the hall. There were no classical allusions, no grand pronouncements, only a child's straightforward "tiger hunting" and "digging small ditches." However, the finger that traced the map along the Yellow River towards Sanchuan, the idea of "opening a small door," "diverting water to fertilize land," and "sudden attack on the nearest enemy," struck like silent thunder, shattering the stagnant air in the hall!

King Zhuangxiang's clouded eyes suddenly shot out a sharp glint, and he leaned forward involuntarily. The smile on Lu Buwei's face completely vanished, replaced by a deep scrutiny and disbelief. He stared intently at the spot Cheng Xi's finger had pointed to on the map—that crucial throat area controlling Hangu and overlooking the Central Plains!

Ying Zheng's breathing hitched almost imperceptibly the moment Cheng Xi clenched his fist in a "grabbing" motion. His gaze towards Cheng Xi was no longer purely scrutinizing; it was filled with a complex, fervent intensity like discovering a peerless raw jade, and... a colder sense of apprehension!

"Nonsense!" A suppressed roar of anger suddenly broke the dead silence. An old minister in general's armor, his face flushed red, stepped out from the ranks. It was the imperial clan elder, Ying Xi. He glared at Cheng Xi. "State and military affairs, how can they be compared to wild beasts by a mere child! And you dare speak of opening a 'small door'? Hangu Pass, the natural barrier, is the foundation of our Great Qin! If we divide our forces on other routes and the six states exploit the opportunity to invade, shaking the foundation of the state, can you bear the responsibility?!"

This reprimand was like cold water poured down, instantly diluting the shock caused by Cheng Xi's words. Many ministers in the hall nodded, their gazes towards Cheng Xi regaining their contempt and dismissiveness. Yes, a nine-year-old child, briefly clever at solving a toy, now presumed to discuss national policy without knowing his limits!

A flicker of imperceptible relief and mockery crossed Lu Buwei's eyes. Just as he was about to speak, to definitively label this as a child's ramblings and dismiss it lightly.

"Uncle, your words are mistaken."

A clear, steady voice, yet carrying undeniable power, rang out.

Ying Zheng stepped forward from beside King Zhuangxiang, his black robes like ink, his gaze calmly sweeping over Ying Xi, finally resting on Cheng Xi, whose face had turned slightly pale, as if frightened. His voice was not loud, but it clearly surpassed all the murmurs.

"Although Lord Chang'an is young, and his words are crude, yet..." He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the clear Yellow River waterway on the map, and the mountains and fertile lands that had been pointed out. He spoke word by word, like ice beads falling on a jade plate:

"When a fierce tiger escapes its cage, how can it be confined to a single door?"

He did not directly affirm Cheng Xi, but that rhetorical question struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer! Especially the last sentence, "confined to a single door," which subtly pointed out the biggest constraint of Qin's current eastward expansion strategy!

King Zhuangxiang's eyes shone even brighter, and he suddenly slammed the imperial desk. "Zheng'er speaks the truth!" His gaze fixed intently on Cheng Xi, the weariness in his eyes seemingly dispelled by a strange brilliance. "Cheng Xi! Elaborate on your 'digging small ditches' and 'opening small doors' strategy! I want to hear it!"

The gentle smile on Lu Buwei's face completely froze, like a rigid mask. He cast a deep glance at the child figure in front of the map, who seemed to shrink back slightly, startled by King Zhuangxiang's roar. He then glanced at the young man beside him, clad in black robes and radiating an imposing aura. The fingers beneath his wide sleeves slowly clenched.

Cheng Xi lowered his head, feigning fright from King Zhuangxiang's roar, but his heart pounded wildly in his chest. The first brick of the dam, it seemed... had been laid?

However, the moment his mind relaxed slightly--

[Warning! Passive Perception Module has detected abnormal fluctuations! Gaze source intensity surging! Direction: Directly in front and above! Attribute inclination: Chaotic → Order! Analyzing... Zzzz... Warning! Encountered high-dimensional occlusion!...]

An unprecedented, cold, and vast will, like an invisible iceberg, descended with a roar! The target was aimed directly at--

The King Zhuangxiang of Qin on the dais, his expression agitated!