The wicked husband chuckled, got up, and opened the study window. The dampness brought by the downpour rushed in, mixed with a fresh earthy fragrance that invigorated the senses.

Looking up at the sky filled with rolling dark clouds, he suddenly said, "You know that once the Yellow River overflows, it's out of control. Why not take this opportunity to manage it?"

A hint of doubt flashed across Li Balang's face. "What do you mean by that, Grand Commandant?"

The wicked man looked up at the sky and said, "Sooner or later, the world will fall under the rule of my Qin state. By blocking the water and storing it up, and then releasing it, the huge volume of water can carry away the silt accumulated in the riverbed, saving us a tremendous amount of effort for at least ten years."

"But if that's the case... the State of Qi will surely suffer a catastrophic disaster!" Li Ba's heart pounded with fear. The wicked man spoke so lightly, yet he didn't know how many people would lose their lives because of this.

The Zhao state allied with foreign tribes to attack the Qin state, which was unjust and immoral. He felt at ease carrying out this vicious plan, but the Qi state had not provoked him, so why did he resort to such a cruel act?

The wicked man spoke firmly, his eyes piercing, “When the Yellow River floods, we can take the opportunity to weaken and destroy Qi. It’s quick, easy, and we won’t have to bear any bad consequences. It’s a win-win situation, so why can’t we do it?”

After hearing this, Li Balang nodded thoughtfully, "That's true. The Qi royal family will bear the consequences of the rampant corruption, and our Qin state will save time and effort after taking over."

“But we must be careful about this!” Li Balang continued, “If the news leaks out, Qi will definitely take precautions, and may even unite with other countries to oppose Qin.”

The wicked man smiled slightly, "Don't worry, so what if it's leaked? I'm governing on my own land, what business is it of your Qi state? Even if it's rampant... that's not my fault."

Li Balang nodded, but still had doubts. "Even so, this matter is no small thing. If it is not handled properly, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"We can't conquer Qi only to turn it into a vast, dead wasteland; wouldn't that be a terrible waste?"

"I've thought it all through!" the wicked man said confidently. "Who's in charge of South Korea now? Quickly send a message to him, and draw as many people as possible from the Korean population to build high dikes and stop the flow!"

Li Balang clasped his hands in a salute and said, “The current governor of Han State is Sun Zheng, the former governor of Shang County. Before you summoned me here, he temporarily assisted me. He is a talented man.”

"Then quickly send a message to him!" The wicked man had no information about this person in his memory. After all, it was a long time ago, and many people did not leave their names in the long river of history.

Li Balang nodded, and before he could leave, Zhang Erhe's voice came from outside the door, "Grand Commandant, Zhang Ke has arrived."

Upon hearing this, the wicked man's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "Don't rush off. Meet this Zhang Ke and see if he really has any skills."

Li Balang nodded slightly and sat back down.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and Zhang Ke stepped into the study, greeting, "This humble commoner, Zhang Ke, pays his respects to Your Excellency, Grand Commandant."

"No need for formalities, please take a seat!"

Zhang Ke cupped his hands in greeting again and sat down directly opposite Li Balang, facing Li Balang's probing gaze with composure.

"Erhe, no one is allowed near the study!"

"Here you go!"

Zhang Erhe closed the door from the outside and personally guarded the door to the study.

The wicked man looked up at Zhang Ke and asked, "I see you have an extraordinary bearing. Who is your teacher?"

"I have no teacher, I have only studied various classics!" Zhang Ke said modestly, but without the slightest hint of humility.

This magnanimity was greatly admired by the wicked husband and Li Balang!

The wicked man, having developed a desire to investigate, pondered for a moment and then recounted his plan with Li Balang, regardless of Li Balang's subtle winks.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ke frowned, his surprised gaze lingering between Li Balang and the wicked husband.

"Speak freely, this Grand Commandant is not a petty person!" The wicked man, fearing he would be afraid to speak, immediately reassured him.

"No!" Zhang Ke shook his head with a wry smile. "It's not that I'm afraid of being held accountable by the Grand Commandant, but I'm just too shocked by such methods."

Li Balang suddenly asked, "What do you think is wrong?!"

Even the wicked husband thought so, after all, such ruthless methods were something most people wouldn't even dare to imagine!

Who could have predicted that Zhang Ke would shake his head, "How can the greater good of the world compare to the affairs of the state? Qin has the ambition to conquer the world, but before the great cause is accomplished, other countries are irreconcilable enemies."

"When a nation is in turmoil, millions die. Such methods, though ruthless, are also understandable."

These words left the two of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

Well, here comes another tough nut to crack.

Just as the two were surprised, Zhang Ke spoke up, "Grand Commandant, this plan is good, but there are two points that cannot be ignored. If these are not resolved, the great undertaking will be difficult to achieve."

"Tell me about it!" Li Balang, as the initiator of the plan, was immediately tempted to compete when he heard him say that.

Zhang Ke cleared his throat. "The water diversion plan is good, but how should we divert it? The rain is pouring down and going on for a long time. Relying on manpower is too slow. With this amount of rainfall, we won't have much time at all."

Li Balang's expression froze for a moment. He had never really considered this matter, always thinking that with a large number of people, there was nothing that couldn't be done.

However, judging from the amount of rainfall, they will only have about half a month at most.

Building a dam in half a month, braving torrential rain, is nothing short of a pipe dream. It's likely that any work completed would be soaked by the rain, rendering all the effort futile.

"Then do you have any good ideas?" The wicked man asked immediately when he saw Li Balang falling into self-doubt.

Zhang Ke smiled confidently, looked up at the sand table beside him, got up and came to it, and started working on it.

This aroused the curiosity of Li Balang and the wicked husband, who immediately got up and came closer.

A moment later, mountains and rivers far surpassing Li Balang's lines were fabricated. "This lord has chosen a good location. If it were a normal day, building a dam in the rain would be a waste of time."

"Why not divert water into the lake to store it? When it overflows, we can open a channel to release the water. This would be much more time-saving and labor-saving than this gentleman's suggestion."

As he spoke, he drew circles with his finger to represent the lakes and reservoirs that could be used.

Li Balang fell into deep thought, constantly assessing the feasibility of Zhang Ke's proposal. Suddenly, he asked, "How can you be so certain of the location of these lakes and reservoirs, and how can you be sure they can be used?"

Seeing Li Balang's doubts, Zhang Ke immediately smiled and said, "I have thoroughly studied various classics, followed the example of the sages in traveling the world, and because I love the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers, I have memorized these places deeply."

The wicked man didn't question his explanation, which is similar to how later generations enjoy traveling. Besides, does that mean the ancients were forbidden from enjoying travel?

"Grand Commandant, if you don't believe me, you can immediately send someone to investigate!" Zhang Ke said with a cupped hand and a smile.

The wicked man shook his head upon hearing this. "Why wouldn't you believe me? Your plan is indeed more convenient and less strenuous. What do you think, Eight Liang?"