The Xiongnu, the royal court.

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty!"

The chieftains of the various Xiongnu tribes gathered together and bowed in unison to the young man sitting in the high seat.

This young man was Zhemuha, the third son of the previous Xiongnu king. He stood out among his nine brothers and killed them all. He was ruthless and cunning, and his methods were extremely cruel.

Zhemuha's gloomy gaze swept over the tribal chiefs, a surge of pride rising in his heart, and a boundless sense of pride churning within him.

"Please, everyone, no need for formalities!"

Zhemuha waved his hand and waited for everyone to stand up before continuing, "My father died in the Central Plains, which is one of the greatest enemies. The Qin state has used cruel and ruthless methods in our territory without cause, which has caused the deaths of countless people, and this is an irreconcilable enmity."

"The King is right, this grudge must be avenged, and the Qin Kingdom must be destroyed!" Speaking of this matter, all the tribal chiefs present were filled with righteous indignation, their eyes filled with boundless hatred.

Zhemuha nodded in satisfaction, then said in a deep voice, "Now that the Qin state is powerful, I have received intelligence that it destroyed the Kucha, which was originally a subordinate state of my tribe, and also destroyed Loulan, the strongest of the thirty-six tribes in the Western Regions. It set up a market in Kucha and made a fortune."

"If this continues, how will we, the Xiongnu, ever avenge our great humiliation?!"

Zhemuha's voice was filled with unwavering determination: "I have decided to gather the elite troops from all tribes and divide our forces into two routes to attack the Yuezhi and Donghu, strengthen our Xiongnu, and avenge this humiliation!" His words were like sharp swords, piercing the hearts of everyone present and stirring up a strong fighting spirit.

It must be said that Zhemuha was no ordinary person. He not only knew Qin's affairs in the Western Regions like the back of his hand, but also sent people to find out the current situation of the Yuezhi and Donghu.

The three tribes were originally divided with the Yuezhi being the strongest and the Donghu the weakest, but now the Yuezhi has suffered the greatest losses. This is a case of the saying "the taller the tree, the more the wind blows."

Unlike the Xiongnu, after the death of the Yuezhi king, the royal family's wealth was divided up, and the various tribes were not willing to submit to each other. The chieftains of the major tribes fought each other to the death for the throne, which greatly reduced their strength.

This gave Zhemuha an opportunity. The Xiongnu's struggle for the throne had not escalated into armed conflict, and with the balance of power shifting, it was the perfect opportunity to seize the Yuezhi.

The Donghu people were few in number and had a large territory, half of which was deep mountains and forests, and the other half was fertile grasslands. Attacking them was only to seize as much pasture as possible.

The tribal chiefs' eyes lit up and they all nodded in agreement, their eyes gleaming with a desire for revenge and a thirst for territorial expansion.

For those who live on the grasslands, territory equals real wealth, as it can support more cattle and sheep. With more cattle and sheep, the tribe's population will surely flourish.

"Your Majesty is wise!" An elder chieftain stepped forward, his voice filled with respect and loyalty. "We are willing to follow Your Majesty, and we will never retreat, even if we fight to the last man!"

Zhemuha nodded in satisfaction. He knew that as long as this matter was accomplished, his throne would be secure, and his prestige among the tribes would surpass that of his father.

He stood up, his gaze sharp as he swept over the faces of each tribal chief, and then announced loudly: "Then let us prepare for war! I am willing to work with you all to build a prosperous Xiongnu, avenge that blood feud, and take control of the Central Plains!"

At this moment, this golden opportunity also brought his ambition to its peak.

At his command, the entire royal court immediately sprang into action, the sounds of war drums, horses' hooves, and warriors' shouts mingling together, foreshadowing an impending storm.

......

Meanwhile, just as the Xiongnu were splitting their forces to fight the Yuezhi and Donghu, Efu and Huan Yi finally arrived in Xianyang.

The two spent more than a month on their journey, stopping frequently along the way and inspecting the reconstruction work in places such as Longxi County.

"Report—!"

"Your Majesty, the Grand Commandant and General Huan Yi have returned and entered the palace!"

Upon receiving the news, the guards outside the palace rushed into the hall to report, directly interrupting the court assembly.

"You're back?!"

"Finally back! It took so long to get back?!"

Ying Zheng and his officials' eyes lit up, and they all showed excitement. They had been waiting for this wicked husband for a long time.

Ying Zheng stood up, signaled the officials to be quiet, and then said to the imperial guards, "Quickly invite the Grand Commandant and General Huan Yi into the hall." The imperial guards obeyed and left. Before long, the wicked man and Huan Yi appeared in the hall.

Under the watchful eyes of Ying Zheng and the officials, the two walked to the center of the hall and bowed in unison.

"Your subject, the wicked man, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"Huan Yi greets Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng couldn't help but smile, his gaze fixed on his long-unseen wicked husband. "Hahaha, very good, very good, no need for formalities. The return of the Grand Commandant and the Supreme General truly makes me happy!"

Seeing his excitement, the officials thought to themselves: "He really has two faces, one in public and one in private. You're always sharpening your knife, but once you see her, you forget everything else."

After the two bowed, the wicked man spoke first: "Your Majesty, we were on a tour of Longxi County and other places, which is why we were delayed for a while. Please forgive us."

"It's alright, it's good that you're back. It's good to go and see!" Ying Zheng didn't take it seriously at all, waving his hand dismissively. "Go ahead and take a look!"

The wicked man was puzzled by what he heard. He subconsciously turned his head to scan the officials and saw his old acquaintance, Tai Xuan, in the front row. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"This humble official pays his respects to the Grand Commandant!"

Tai-hyun grinned, cupped her hands in a respectful bow, and greeted her wicked husband.

"Alright, so you've been transferred to Xianyang? Do your job well from now on, and don't do anything stupid again." The wicked husband chuckled and made a teasing remark.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Tai Xuan's face as he chuckled awkwardly, "Don't worry, Grand Commandant, it won't happen again!"

This matter has almost become a source of anxiety for him. In the two weeks since he arrived in Xianyang, his superstitious practices have spread, making him a laughingstock among his colleagues and the people of Xianyang.

Now that her husband has brought up the old issue again, she's so embarrassed she doesn't know what to say.

Seeing this, Ying Zheng laughed, breaking the awkward atmosphere, and then turned to Huan Yi and asked, "Huan Yi, is your body still able to handle this trip? I grant you permission to rest at home for half a month."

Huan Yi replied solemnly, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern. I am indeed quite tired. One cannot deny the effects of aging. I can no longer carry the Qin sword into battle as I once did, and I even get out of breath after walking a little further."

These words caused a shadow of sadness to flash across Ying Zheng's eyes. He subconsciously looked at the old generals Meng Ao, Wang Jian, and others, saying, "How can you say such things, General? Qin cannot do without you and all of you generals."

These heartfelt words warmed the hearts of Huan Yi, Wang Ben, Meng Ao, and other veteran generals. Meng Ao even stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as we live, we will serve Your Majesty faithfully... cough cough..."