"Take him to the imperial prison and await his fate!"

At Ying Zheng's command, two guards stepped forward, ignoring Zhang Heng's cries, and took him away.

Then Ying Zheng dismissed Xia Wuqie, his gaze turning cold.

Wang Jian cupped his hands and said, “Miao Jiang is a small country, a tiny area with only tens of thousands of people, yet it has repeatedly provoked Great Qin and even attempted to harm the prince and His Majesty. We must not let it go easily.”

This concerns the face of the Great Qin!

It is also about the majesty of the Qin Dynasty!

The might of Qin cannot be challenged!

Ying Zheng remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Free and easy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiaoyao appeared in the hall and bowed, saying, "This old man greets Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng looked up at the old monk in his tattered robes and asked, "How long do you think it will take to conquer Miao territory?"

Xiaoyao's gaze darkened slightly, and he fell silent, as if deep in thought.

After a moment, he turned the prayer beads and said, "Forgive my bluntness, but if we send troops this time, Great Qin will surely suffer heavy losses!"

Wang Jian frowned. "Heavy losses? The Miao people number only 30,000. With a single order from Your Majesty, this old minister will lead an army of 100,000 to press on their borders and surely crush them!"

How could the damage be so severe?

With an army of 100,000, still the imperial cavalry, their fighting prowess was renowned far and wide.

Above, Ying Zheng also looked somewhat puzzled.

Attacking Miao territory was always just a matter of a single thought.

After all, such small countries had very limited military strength. In front of Qin, they were like ants compared to behemoths.

However, if there is no reason, the Qin Dynasty has no need to go to such lengths and damage its own strength.

Xiaoyao explained, "If we only consider pure combat strength, then Miao Jiang is naturally no match for us."

"The Imperial Iron Cavalry is incredibly powerful. Let alone 100,000, even 20,000 would be more than enough to crush the Miao region!"

He then changed the subject, saying, "But Miao Jiang is no ordinary opponent. They are very skilled at using poison and Gu poison. Your Majesty witnessed the strength of the Miao Jiang witch last time."

"If we rashly send troops, the Qin army will surely be in danger."

Ying Zheng's expression changed slightly. "Indeed, we need to consider this carefully."

The poisons from Miao areas are indeed terrifying.

Last time, several members of the Black Ice Guard were instantly melted by Bai Xixue's poison, leaving almost no trace. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they vanished into thin air.

Even with Black Ice Guard's formidable fighting force, they were utterly helpless against that poison, let alone ordinary soldiers.

Although they were all highly skilled and elite soldiers, they were still just ordinary people.

Realizing that it was not as simple as he had imagined, Wang Jian frowned deeply and fell silent.

He has ways to deal with physical damage; as long as his soldiers are strong enough, he can simply overwhelm them.

But in Miao territory, the damage comes from magic.

After pondering for a while, Xiaoyao said again, "However, although the Miao region is poisonous, it is not without feasible methods."

Ying Zheng's expression shifted slightly as he looked at Xiaoyao and said, "Speak."

Xiaoyao held the Buddhist prayer beads and said, "I can draw talismans on the soldiers' armor and leave spiritual power in them. In this way, they can resist poison and venom to a certain extent and have the strength to fight."

"Even so, I cannot guarantee complete defense; there will likely be casualties on this expedition..."

Ying Zheng's gaze darkened slightly. "War always results in casualties! I'll have to trouble you!"

Xiaoyao was always alone, and drawing talismans on tens of thousands of suits of armor was an extremely tiring task.

Xiaoyao bowed slightly, "This old man obeys the decree!"

He vanished in a flash.

Ying Zheng looked at Wang Jian, "We'll discuss the Miao region matter after we've finished with the Free and Easy Talisman!"

Wang Jian cupped his hands in greeting, "Yes, sir!"

Then, as if remembering something, Ying Zheng asked, "How are the preparations for dealing with the Xiongnu going?"

Wang Jian cupped his hands and said, "Everything is ready. General Meng Tian is on standby. As long as we ensure sufficient food supplies, we can send out troops!"

Ying Zheng's gaze deepened. "Very well! When the millet ripens, I will send Meng Tian to lead the troops!"

Wang Jian cupped his hands in greeting, "Yes, sir!"

Ying Zheng's eyes shifted slightly, as if he were pondering something. "If the Xiongnu settle down, will Meng Tian return?"

Fusu was the same.

Upon seeing Ying Zheng's gaze, Wang Jian's expression shifted slightly.

He knew very well that Ying Zheng missed more than just Meng Tian.

More likely, it should be the eldest son, Fusu, who followed Meng Tian to the border.

······

As always, Gai Nie carried his lunchbox to the top of the mountain and sat down on the grass not far from Xiao Huhai.

"Come and eat!"

He called out.

But after waiting for a long time, there was no response.

Gai Nie stood up and looked at Xiao Huhai with a puzzled expression. He saw Xiao Huhai standing among the bamboo grove, his eyes closed, as if he was comprehending something.

A gust of wind blew by, and the bamboo forest made a rustling sound.

Xiao Huhai stood there calmly, seemingly unaffected by the outside world.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and the branch in his hand slashed down diagonally.

A faint glint of sword light flashed by.

Gai Nie was taken aback. He saw Xiao Hu Hai cut the bamboo branch, leaving a clean cut in the middle before it fell to the ground.

Little Hu Hai gripped the branch tightly and chopped it down three more times.

The next instant, the three bamboo stalks fell to the ground.

Seeing the scene before him, Xiao Huhai came to his senses, his eyes filled with joy.

He looked at Gai Nie, "Master, I did it! I did it!"

Seeing this, Gai Nie was stunned. "It's only been three days..."

Looking back, he had spent seven days in the bamboo forest, pondering and even managed to grasp a trace of the sword's will.

But this kid actually only took three days, and he even managed to cut down four bamboo stalks in one go.

Gai Nie's eyes turned strange. "Looks like I've taken in a monster disciple!"

This level of skill cannot be described as mere genius.