After pondering for a long time, the wicked man pinched his brow and exhaled a breath of stale air. "Sigh, I've always been a kind person. If only that ugly monster were here. It's really making things difficult for me."

hiss....

The group, who were deep in thought, were suddenly jolted awake, looking at the wicked husband with expressions of utter disgust.

How could he have the nerve to say that?

Despite his young age, he has killed hundreds of thousands of people, and given time, he will surely become the second Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi.

"What brilliant plan have you come up with?" The wicked man asked directly, ignoring everyone's expressions.

Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads with wry smiles. How could there be such a brilliant plan that could cause the northern nomads to suffer heavy losses without losing a single soldier?

If so, the northern nomads would have been wiped out countless times by now, how could they have become a major threat to the Chinese land?

"well...."

The wicked man sighed and slowly said, "I have three plans that should be somewhat effective."

"Oh, what brilliant plan does Your Excellency have?" Everyone looked on with eager interest.

Ying Zheng's eyes showed anticipation. His wicked husband had given him surprises time and again, so this time was unlikely to be any different.

The wicked man cleared his throat, his tone rather annoyed, "One plan: plague."

"Second plan: plunder."

"The three strategies are the slowest to achieve results and the lowest in cost, but the most ruthless in effect, capable of eradicating the root of the problem."

These brief words left everyone completely bewildered. They could understand looting, but could a plague be man-made?

Furthermore, what is this third plan that dares to claim can sever the roots of the Northern Barbarians?

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Everyone shook their heads, feeling that the wicked husband was exaggerating too much.

"So, you've all suffered because you're uncultured." The wicked man shook his head, his face full of pride.

Ultimately, they benefited from the era's advantages. For them, the plague was an incurable disease; contact with it meant certain death, and their survival could only be described as divine favor.

Who knew that the plague was actually an infectious disease caused by bacteria and viruses?

If he wanted to spread a plague across the grasslands, it wouldn't be difficult at all, but it would be less controllable. Although it wouldn't spread to the Central Plains, it would cut off the source of livestock needed by the Qin state.

He really didn't want to use this method unless absolutely necessary, lest it make the grassland dirty and raise the question of whether to keep or leave large tracts of land.

"Gentlemen, the plague may seem uncontrollable to you, but for me, causing it to appear is not difficult. However, this plan is too wicked and may turn the grassland into a wasteland." The wicked man's expression was very solemn and serious.

Seeing this, Ying Zheng teased, "You always like to talk about harming the world and not yourself. It makes me quite curious that someone like you can say such things."

"Let's talk about the third strategy first."

He wasn't sure if his wicked husband had really come up with some heinous plan, so he decided to listen to the third plan first.

"As for the third strategy..."

The wicked man drew out his words, a smile playing on his lips, and slowly said, "We've been buying up large quantities of wolf and fox pelts from the three tribes of the grasslands, and we can even use the goods to offset the price."

"Buying wolf and fox pelts?"

The confusion on everyone's faces deepened, as they felt that this was all completely unrelated.

One minute he's spreading plague, the next he's collecting wolf pelts. Has this wicked husband lost his mind?

"Well, Commandant Wei, if you're tired, go back and rest for a while." Li Si quickly laughed it off, equally speechless at this rambling explanation.

"Let me finish."

The wicked man raised an eyebrow, and the hall fell silent. The faint killing intent emanating from him was like a sword hanging over their necks, making them tremble with fear.

Seeing that everyone was silent, the wicked man nodded with satisfaction before continuing, "I'm sure you all understand the principle of big fish eating small fish, and small fish eating shrimp."

Everyone nodded.

"Rabbits are the most common animals on the grasslands. They are as small as shrimp, and they reproduce very quickly. If it weren't for them, carnivores like wolves would probably have starved to extinction, right?"

Everyone was completely bewildered, and even Ying Zheng was starting to get restless.

"Just say what you want to say, why beat around the bush like this?" Ying Zheng's voice suppressed a hint of anger, wishing he could strangle this brat to death.

"Don't rush, don't rush, it'll be here soon!"

The wicked man picked his nose and then said, "If there were no natural predators like wolves and foxes, the rabbits' reproductive capacity would increase at an exaggerated rate."

"May I ask you all, what does this rabbit eat?"

Everyone looked disgusted, some even too lazy to pay attention to the wicked husband. Only Li Si, the clever one, spoke up and said, "It's in a rabbit's nature to eat grass and dig burrows."

"Clap clap... Not bad, our Minister of Justice is indeed clever."

The wicked man clapped his hands and uttered a compliment that made Li Si blush, "Then let me ask you, Lord Court Minister, what do you rely on to herd horses and sheep?"

Upon hearing this, Li Si wished he could slap himself a few times, cursing himself for being so clever and showing off his mouth.

Feeling the mocking looks from his colleagues, he forced a smile and said, "Of course it's because of the fertile pastures. Isn't that why our Central Plains is so short of cattle, sheep, and horses?"

"You got it right, but there's no reward!"

The wicked man cast an admiring glance at Li Si, "These rabbits eat grass and dig burrows, cutting off the grass roots so they can't graze horses and sheep. In time, they... should understand, right?"

Oh....

A cold laugh rang out.

We really deserve to die!

Why should we have expectations?

Why should we have any expectations for this silly boy?

Everyone present looked at each other speechlessly, feeling as if their clever little brains were being rubbed back and forth on the ground by their wicked husbands.

Even Ying Zheng was somewhat indignant and almost couldn't suppress the urge to raise his hand and slap him across the face.

The wicked man took in everyone's expressions and said angrily, "What do you noble gentlemen know about these things? If you don't believe me, let Meng Can come over and ask him how exaggerated the rabbit's breeding ability is!"

These words also aroused the competitive spirit of Wang Wan and others, who immediately shouted, "Your Majesty, please order the Grand Canal Magistrate to come and ask him a question."

"Go, summon the Grand Canal Magistrate for questioning." Ying Zheng revealed a sinister smile and said coldly, "Boy, if the result is unsatisfactory, you'll regret it today."

This kid went on and on, going around in circles, and this is the result he got? We absolutely can't let him off so easily.

"Young man, showing off your talents is not a good thing."

"Today, we old men will properly curb your arrogance."

The ministers also frequently cast their ill-intentioned glances at the wicked husband, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

“Old folks, you’ll be crying soon enough. You’re uneducated and still trying to talk back, but that’s when you’re in the wrong.” The wicked man was fearless and retorted sharply.