"Um?!"

Li Balang and Zhang Ke were both stunned on the spot, knowing full well the plans of the emperor and his minister.

The wicked man desires to bear a bad reputation because he is already infamous and doesn't mind having even more bad reputation.

Ying Zheng, however, could not bear to see his virtuous ministers take the lead in battle, so he decided to step in as the king to weather the storm and ensure the safety of his wicked husband.

"A harmonious relationship between ruler and subject is truly rare!"

Throughout history, such a close and trusting relationship between rulers and ministers has been rare, though not entirely unheard of. It is even more difficult to find one like that between Qin Shi Huang and his wicked husband.

"Why don't you two try to persuade your elder brother?" Cheng Jiao looked at the two men.

Li Balang and Zhang Ke exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter, leaving Cheng Jiao somewhat bewildered.

What are you laughing at?

"Ahem... Lord Chang'an, you may not know this!" Li Balang coughed a few times, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "This plan was my idea, the Grand Commandant expanded upon it, and Zhang Ke perfected it..."

Cheng Jiao was stunned, his head feeling as if it had been hit by a sledgehammer, and he pointed at Li Balang, stammering, "You...you...you," unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

After a long while, once the chaotic emotions in his heart had calmed down a bit, he took a deep breath and looked somewhat helpless. "The three of you should really stay together."

These words left Li Ba and his companion somewhat bewildered. "As advisors to the Grand Commandant, how can we not stand by his side and offer our strategies?!"

Cheng Jiao scoffed and shook his head, saying, "With the three of you together, how can there be any peace in the world? Each one of you is more ruthless than the last. I'm really afraid that one day everyone in this world will be killed."

"Lord Chang'an, you are mistaken!" Li Balang said solemnly, "Although the three of us have our own thoughts, we are all doing it for the sake of the Qin Dynasty. Otherwise, how could we have so many good strategies and plans?"

Zhang Ke nodded in agreement: "That's right, Lord Chang'an. Those who achieve great things don't concern themselves with trifles. What's the death of a few people?"

"How many people have died in the wars over the past few centuries? Our plan to die is far less than a fraction of that."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiao couldn't help but chuckle. He waved his hand, indicating that he would not say anything more, and turned around to leave with the words, "You also know that it will take hundreds of years, but what you are about to do will only take a moment."

Several more days have passed.

The torrential rain continued relentlessly. While things remained relatively peaceful within the city, the people in the mountain villages outside the city were finding it increasingly difficult to cope.

Due to continuous heavy rain, the mountains and land were eroded and soaked, resulting in numerous landslides and mudslides. The land became muddy and impassable, many houses were destroyed, crops were flooded, and livestock were also not spared.

This has caused countless people to be displaced, leaving widespread suffering and an urgent need for rescue.

However, due to the continuous torrential rain, many roads leading to the mountain village were destroyed, making rescue efforts somewhat difficult. These homeless people had no choice but to head towards the nearest city, hoping to find a place to stay.

Because of the early preparations, local officials opened the city gates to let these refugees into the city, gathered them in the prepared refuge areas, and opened the granaries to distribute food.

Upon seeing this, the people of the city readily offered their help, donating clothes and supplies to help these disaster victims overcome their difficulties. Despite the limited resources within the city, officials and citizens worked together to cope with this sudden disaster, and the hearts of the people were united at this moment.

Ying Zheng, who was stationed in Xianyang, was also busy. He and Meng Can were working day and night to coordinate and allocate more supplies to the severely affected areas, and ordered the troops to be on martial law to prevent anyone from causing trouble.

Fortunately, this time Ying Zheng did not resort to the method of paying taxes and bestowing titles to deal with the disaster. Given the current abundance of the national treasury, it can temporarily hold on.

Because of prior preparations, Wu Shiluo secretly acquired a large amount of grain from merchants from various countries several months ago, so he is not worried about the disaster victims going hungry for the time being.

Nowadays, all the officials in the court admire the wicked husband to the point of prostration, and in private chatter they all praise him for being able to kill the scoundrel and understand destiny.

at the same time.

In the past few days, King Ying Zheng's royal decree has spread throughout the land.

Yan, Chu, and Qi remained on the sidelines, merely offering words of condemnation and disdain for Zhao's collusion with foreign tribes, without taking any concrete action.

The Qin state's successive conquests of Han and Wei had already terrified them. With this first step eastward expansion, Qin was poised to sweep across the world one day.

Even though the Zhao state had overstepped the rules, they were even less willing to see the Qin state become stronger. Everyone knew that the Qin state had never given up its ambition to expand eastward and unify the six kingdoms.

If Zhao can use this to suppress Qin's momentum, it will be a good thing for them as well.

In a one-on-one fight, even the most powerful state of Chu wouldn't dare say it could defeat Qin.

As for Ying Zheng, who dared to declare war on the State of Zhao despite suffering disaster, the three kings had great respect for Ying Zheng, who was still young.

When the news reached the State of Zhao, it immediately caused a great uproar.

Some people angrily denounced Zhao Yan for conspiring with a tiger, transgressing the law, and disgracing his ancestors.

Some people supported Zhao Yan's decision, cursing the Qin state for its wolfish ambitions and ruthless actions. They believed that only by taking this opportunity to severely cripple the Qin state could they secure peace in the future.

Of course, whether they supported or opposed it, few people chose to leave their homeland to avoid the war. With Qin in such dire straits, their harsh words were best taken with a grain of salt.

Little did they know, Ying Zheng had indeed given them a chance, but they didn't cherish it!

......

Inside Anyi City.

The atmosphere in the front hall was somewhat somber. Evil Husband, Cheng Jiao, and the others sat there, all expressionless and silent.

"Report—!"

"Reporting to the Grand Commandant, the reservoir in Anyi is about to overflow!"

"Report—!"

"Xiaoping Lake has started to overflow..."

"Report—!"

"......."

Loud shouts echoed throughout the general's mansion, and people left in droves.

Cheng Jiao sighed, looked up at the wicked husband, and said in a very heavy tone, "Brother, whether to release him or not is entirely up to you."

Even now, he still hopes that the wicked man will be more cautious, for once the order is given, the ground will be littered with withered bones.

The wicked man calmly raised his cup and drank it down, then slammed the cup down on the table. A cold, stern smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Issue my order, Grand Commandant, to immediately release the waters and flood Zhao!"

"Here you go!"

Li Balang and Zhang Ke stood up at the same time and strode away from the front hall.

On the other side.

The Three Kings, stationed in Qi County, stood on the city wall, gazing at the small river outside the city that had become turbulent.

When they first arrived here, the river was just babbling, but now it has become so turbulent, which shows how much rainfall has been received.

"The flood has already begun; it will surely inundate the area within three days!"

Guo Kai's voice came from behind him. His shoes, with their upturned toes, were covered in mud, and the hem of his robe was soaked by the rain.

The three kings turned to look at Guo Kai and said in unison, "Then shall we march into Hedong County in three days?!"

"That's only right!" Guo Kai sneered, his eyes filled with murderous intent.