"To have served as a subject to my utmost, I have no regrets in this life!"
The wicked man's words were not flattery of Ying Zheng, but rather a genuine expression of his feelings.
Throughout history, how many ministers have earned the complete trust of their rulers? Let alone such a bizarre and precognitive event!
At least he enjoyed absolute trust from Ying Zheng and never felt the helplessness of being a subject who was powerless to realize his ambitions.
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng's face flashed with a hint of mockery. "Good to know. If you followed any other ruler with your temperament, you wouldn't have enough heads to kill!"
Upon hearing this, the wicked man burst into laughter, understanding Ying Zheng's unspoken meaning. Under other rulers, his outspoken nature could indeed have led to his death.
He muttered to himself, "I came here specifically for you. If it weren't for you, I'd be perfectly content being a country bumpkin!"
"What?!" Ying Zheng was puzzled; he really couldn't hear what this guy was muttering.
The wicked man quickly shook his head and laughed, "As the saying goes, a fine horse is easy to find, but a discerning eye is rare. When we chose Your Majesty, we were sure of this."
"Hahaha...."
The atmosphere eased slightly as the two chatted and laughed.
At this moment, the wicked man put away his smile and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I have ordered Yang Duanhe to set up an intelligence agency. In the future, it can act as our eyes and ears to understand and control the affairs of the world, so as to prevent us from deceiving the emperor and running rampant in one region."
"Intelligence agency?"
Ying Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then a fiery glint flashed in his eyes. "This is a brilliant move. You are in full charge of this matter. You must ensure that it is established and implemented as soon as possible, and that spies are planted throughout the land."
The wicked husband was somewhat puzzled as to why Ying Zheng was suddenly so excited, but he did not ask.
......
Seven or eight more days passed.
The continuous heavy rains in the three commanderies of Longxi, Neishi, and Hanzhong in the Qin state caused the water level of the Wei River to rise sharply, which in turn greatly threatened Anyi in Hedong Commandery, Luoyang in Sanchuan Commandery, and the middle reaches of the Inner River.
Inside the imperial court.
Meng Can, who returned three days ago, had a leaden face and was extremely solemn. "Your Majesty, when we returned, the water level continued to rise like a runaway horse. The Han and Wei regions downstream will also be ravaged by floods!"
"I propose!" Li Si stepped forward, his cold voice like a chilling wind: "The most urgent task is to ensure the safety of our Qin territory. As for the disasters in Han and Wei... we must abandon them if necessary."
Upon hearing this, Pan Ning, Le Ye, Bao Yuan, and others who had surrendered from Han and Wei turned deathly pale. Although they had submitted to Qin, they were still ultimately subjects of Han and Wei.
My hometown is right there!
If what Li Si said is true, wouldn't our homeland be turned into a hellish realm?
At this moment, they all turned their gazes to the wicked husband, their eyes filled with pleading. Unable to refute Li Si, they placed their only hope on him.
"Li Si, what utter nonsense are you spouting?!"
The wicked man's eyes instantly sharpened like swords as he glared fiercely at Li Si. "Since the territories of Han and Wei have been incorporated into the territory of my Qin state, they are now Qin lands."
"The people of both countries are also the people of my Qin state!"
"Your idea is extremely dangerous!"
Upon hearing the wicked husband speak, Bao Yuan and the others felt relieved and filled with gratitude.
The wicked man stepped out of the queue and came to the center of the hall. He said in a deep voice, "I have said these words countless times. The seven kingdoms are originally of the same origin. Now that they are divided among warlords, it is nothing more than a conflict between brothers."
"Those who attempt to divide should not be spared death; they should be killed without hesitation."
"But if you all govern with this kind of biased thinking, you might as well just kill all the people of the six kingdoms to avoid future divisions."
His meaning was crystal clear: the court officials present were all powerful ministers, and their words and actions affected the lives and fortunes of countless people!
If they govern with this philosophy of differential treatment, the people of the six states are not fools. If they continue to be treated differently, they will eventually rise up in rebellion.
By then, as the wheels of history turn ever on, the saying will inevitably come out again: "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"
Li Si remained silent, raising his head to face the wicked husband, his heart filled with grievances.
You wicked husband, a ruthless killer, yet now you feign benevolence and righteousness? Do you intend to monopolize all the good and evil in this world?
At this moment, Li Si's dissatisfaction with that wicked husband surged like a tidal wave, and his eyes turned as cold as ice. "Grand Commandant, according to you, wouldn't our Great Qin have to empty its entire fortune to provide disaster relief?"
"Once the Wei River overflows, it will be like a flood bursting its banks, affecting several countries!"
"Others only need to govern the people of one prefecture to ensure the safety of their empire, but what about my Great Qin?"
"Six prefectures, involving dozens of cities, even if you bring back mountains of gold and silver, how can you bear such a heavy burden?"
Initially, the wicked husband suggested shifting the disaster to the states of Han and Wei, seizing some land to share the burden of the flood. Unexpectedly, this action resulted in the complete annihilation of those states, turning their enemy into their own territory.
And this flood happened precisely on the Wei River, which has a long history and many tributaries.
It flows through the states of Han and Wei, and splits at Luoyang. One branch flows directly to the state of Qi, joins the Yellow River, and rushes into the sea; the other branch flows through Daliang, merges into the Huai River, and flows east into the sea.
Upon careful consideration, even the states of Qi and Chu could not escape this calamity; only Yan and Zhao were able to escape it.
However, the State of Chu was already powerful, so this impact was negligible. The State of Qi had long been located near the Yellow River and had put a lot of effort into river management, so the Wei River, which flowed into the Yellow River, was not a threat.
Needless to say, the states of Yan and Zhao were far apart, and the people there were too busy watching the spectacle to care.
As one side gains and the other loses, only the Qin state suffered a great misfortune. Even if it survived the flood, it would take at least several years to recover.
"You always talk about great things, why are you being so petty now?" Li Si continued to speak to himself, completely unaware of the change in everyone's expressions.
The reason I made this suggestion was not because I hadn't considered the wicked husband, but precisely because I had considered his selfish nature and thought he would definitely agree with my proposal.
What he thought was a sure thing was rejected by his old acquaintance, his wicked husband, which made him extremely resentful of him.
After the fall of Han and Wei, his senior brother Han Fei was placed under house arrest in Xianyang by the king, who made no attempt to hide his admiration for him and wanted to entrust him with important responsibilities.
In addition, Han Fei enjoys extremely high prestige among the people of Korea. If he chooses to become an official in the future, with the support of the original Korean people, his rise in rank will definitely be faster than his own.
He and Han Fei had often clashed when they were students of Xunzi. This made him extremely anxious and eager to showcase his talents so as not to be overshadowed by Han Fei in the future.
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