Chapter 58: Each Has Its Own Plans
Liu Ji took a basin of water and mixed in with the crowd, splashing water intermittently. If the wheat was really burned, he could still fight hard, but now this was obviously a smokescreen. Putting out the fire was secondary. The important thing was to see if he could take advantage of the opportunity to stand out and get some credit.
Apparently, his concerns were justified. Not long after, an official came to invite him over. "The general wants you to come over and identify their faces. Are they those people?"
Liu Ji followed with a smile, muttering in his heart: I think recognizing faces is not the purpose, the key is to see if there is anyone missed.
Qin's laws were so strict that even failing to report a neighbor's crime would result in collective punishment. So how could they be afraid of misidentifying someone? When it came to treason, they would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one go.
He pulled Old Fan closer, "Sir, this is my fellow villager. He's very strong, maybe he can help you."
The official was in a hurry, and they had also figured out Lao Fan's background in the past few months. He was just an ordinary dog butcher in Pei County. Although he was a humble person, he had no connection with the rebels.
"Hurry up, don't waste time, the general is still waiting."
…
When Liu Ji arrived there, I saw rows of men with their hands tied and forced to kneel on the ground.
They heard footsteps and looked up. A familiar face came into view.
"Liu Ji." One of them roared out the name with gritted teeth.
"Traitor! How dare you betray us!"
Liu Ji immediately stepped back to prove his innocence: "Don't talk nonsense, I didn't do it! I'm a minor official of the Qin Dynasty. What relationship do I have with you rebels?"
"Bah! You just can't bear to see me having a good time, and you want to take the opportunity to drag me down with you!"
A soldier in black armor came over to stop their meaningless quarrel and cast a murderous gaze on Liu Ji: "Are they the ones?"
Liu Ji quickly shut his mouth and walked between the rows of men, ignoring their hateful and resentful looks.
What good is it to follow you? You're just hindering my chances of getting promoted, getting rich, and having a good life.
After he had looked at them all, he turned and saluted: "Your Excellency still needs a few more."
"Really?" A calm and majestic male voice came from behind the screen wall.
Liu Ji subconsciously looked up and saw a middle-aged man walking out with the gait of a dragon and a tiger. His posture was as tall and straight as a pine tree, his aura was as majestic as the scorching sun, and the gleam in his eyes showed his wisdom.
He has the agility of a brave general and the shrewdness of a commander.
Tongwu Hou, Wang Ben.
"I, Liu Ji, pay my respects to the Marquis of Tongwu."
Wang Ben glanced at him and casually ordered him to find the remaining people.
Liu Ji followed the official out of the house and into the darkness.
When he came back again, everyone in the hall had disappeared, and only the teeth-grinding screams echoed in his ears.
He secretly rubbed the goose bumps on his hands, took a step aside, and gave way to the escorting officer.
"Everyone is here now. Can I leave now?"
He had almost finished showing off his face, but what followed was not something he could listen to. There were some things he had to know, but there were others he could only turn a deaf and blind eye to.
The more you know, the faster you die.
Fortunately, Wang Ben did not want to kill him to silence him, so he waved his hand and let him go.
Just a warning as they stepped out of the door, "Shut your mouth."
Liu Ji replied sensibly, "I was busy putting out fires tonight and didn't see anything else."
…
Wang Ben was lying in the rocking chair that he had moved from home, with the screams of the remnants of the Six Kingdoms being tortured echoing in his ears. He raised the corner of his mouth and even had the leisure to ask his personal guards to fill a pot of wine for him.
"General, Doctor Xia said you are not allowed to drink alcohol during your convalescence. His Majesty has already ordered that you are not allowed to drink alcohol this month."
Wang Ben glared at him, and the guard's neck shrank, but he did not let go of the wine jug.
"Okay, you've got guts. When I get home in a few days, I'll practice with you myself." Without even looking at his drooping face, she shouted, "You bunch of bastards, are you ready to give in?"
After a while, the guards came in and reported: "General, another one is dead."
"Have you recruited yet?"
The guards sighed, "The best fighters all died on the battlefield. After the extinction of the six kingdoms, this wave of people is in poor health. They died in just a few blows."
"Alas, each generation is worse than the previous one."
Wang Ben tutted his mouth in disdain, "Pick out a few strong ones and leave a few alive."
"Yes." The guard took the order and left.
He walked a few steps to the makeshift torture chamber next door, looked at the bloody mass hanging on the Xingtai, and asked, "Have you confessed?"
Upon hearing this, the bloody mess immediately shook the execution rack violently: "@##￥%￥&%*%￥..."
Although I couldn't understand what he was saying, I could tell he was very excited.
"What did he say?" asked the guard who had just come in.
"I don't know. I don't understand." The guard sitting opposite and writing the testimony answered.
"It sounds like Chu language." The guard who was roasting torture instruments nearby heard it.
"Chu language?" The guards carrying out the execution were furious. "This traitor must be cursing our general!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man on the execution rack opposite him opened his eyes wide and shook the rack violently.
"Hehe, he still dares to continue scolding me. I like this kind of tough guy."
"Stop playing," another person stopped him, "Your Majesty is still waiting to see the results, don't waste time."
"These scums who stole the food still have the nerve to call our Majesty a tyrant. I think they are the truly cruel ones." The royal guard angrily lashed out a few more times with the whip before stopping.
…
"Have they captured everyone?"
In Zhangtai Palace, Ying Zheng put aside the memorial that was delivered overnight.
The one who reported the news was one of Wang Ben's personal guards. "General, you have already captured the remnants of the six kingdoms through your insider information, but there may still be some that have slipped through the net. General, please postpone your journey."
"I'm already aware of this." Ying Zheng didn't say whether he agreed or not, but the guards thought that based on their Majesty's past stubbornness, they had to go on this trip.
…
The immortal seeds are ripe, and His Majesty the Emperor is about to visit Hualin Garden.
The news quickly spread throughout Xianyang.
The speed of spread was faster and wider than before when Wang Ben went to Hualingyuan.
It seemed as if everyone was omniscient and knew the whereabouts of His Majesty the Emperor.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was information released deliberately.
But the news is true.
The opportunity is real.
Even the time was very clear: he would set out from the palace at sunset three days later.
"A good variety that can grow in winter? Is this news true?"
Compared to His Majesty's travel, the people in Xianyang City were more concerned about the food issue. They spread the news to each other and sought confirmation from each other.
"Even His Majesty has to go and see it in person, it must be true." They couldn't believe it but held on to a faint hope.
"This is the immortal seed brought by the goddess! It can even grow in the sky, so it can grow freely underground." This person sounded like he had some inside information.
The waiter nearby heard this and came over to listen. "My second uncle's third uncle's cousin's granddaughter's son's neighbor's second uncle was a good farmer, but he was drafted away before winter last year. I didn't even see him during the Chinese New Year. I heard he went to plant immortal seeds."
The roadside stalls were bustling with activity, a rare gathering of people from all over the country. They were just merchants stopping by to rest, but upon hearing this, they couldn't help but come over and ask, "What is this immortal seed you're talking about? Is it the new grain that's just been harvested in Xianyang?"
The others looked at him and said, "Dude, that accent doesn't sound like ours."
The businessman was quite generous and said frankly, "I just travelled a lot to earn some money for my family. I heard that we have a lot of good things here recently, so I wanted to come and look for some."
If it was done secretly, it might arouse vigilance, but being so generous and open will make people not take it seriously.
The others at the stall told him about the winter wheat.
"Oh, if this could be accomplished, it would be a great thing, a great merit."
"That's right. After the autumn harvest, the fields are left unused with nothing to plant. If ordinary crops couldn't survive the winter, I'd really like to sow a few more seeds there so that I can at least get a harvest next year."
"If you ask me, this immortal's arrival is truly a blessing. There's no need for corvée labor after the autumn harvest this year."
"Corvée labor has been reduced, and food has become more plentiful. Where have we ever seen such good times before?" someone said, excitedly slamming the table. "I've heard from the elders that once Your Majesty unifies the world, we'll have a good life. And sure enough, good times are here!"
"I don't know if there are many of these immortal seeds. If there are, we can share a handful or two. If we save them for a few more years, our descendants will be able to eat the wheat planted in winter and harvest grain twice a year."
The group of people were so busy that they didn't notice the two silent men in cloaks sitting in the stall next to them.
The two men listened quietly without saying a word, and even when they paid, they just put a few coins under his bowl.
The two followed the crowd into an alley. When no one was around, the taller one whispered, "Master, our people haven't evacuated yet. Do you still want to go to the party today?"
The master's originally clear voice became a little deeper than usual. "Go, if you can't succeed this time, there will be no better chance in the future."
According to the various actions of the Qin State after it unified the world, the people of the six states worked harder than under the rule of the original kings. They complained and thought: It would be better to follow the original king. Although life was hard at that time, it would not be impossible to survive.
But now it’s different, the tyrant has changed!
Once the news of this batch of grain spread, coupled with the reduced labor service, life became better, and no one was willing to follow them to recover the six kingdoms.
This is their last chance to revive the Six Nations.
We can’t wait any longer!
The two followed the hidden signs and entered an inconspicuous courtyard.
When they arrived, there was a commotion inside.
"This news is too clear. Should we take action?"
"I'm afraid they've set a trap, waiting for us to fall into it. Do they think we're fools?"
"None of the people we stationed in Hualin Garden have come out, and there's not even any news. Whether they've turned against us or have all been detained, it's not good news."
"I think we should forget about it this time. We must find a good opportunity to strike immediately, otherwise once the tyrant is prepared, success will be even more difficult."
Some opposed it, while others supported it. "The tyrant is just like that turtle, hiding in the palace and refusing to come out. During the last autumn hunt, he was surrounded by three layers of people, and we couldn't find a chance. The palace is heavily guarded, and we can't get in. We can only wait for him to leave before we take action."
"The tyrant has faced so many assassination attempts that he's become extremely cautious and won't leave the palace easily. If he misses this opportunity, there's no guarantee he'll be able to survive the next one."
"When we all grow old, the next generation of people who grow up under the Qin State may not have the same heart as us."
What they didn't say was—
It is not known whether the immortal introduced by the tyrant is real or fake, but the things he took out are all real.
Those things are so useful that even they can't help but be tempted, not to mention those civilians who are stupid and don't know how to be faithful.
"I think this is the best time."
A clear, young voice slowly rang out, breaking the temporary silence. "Ying Zheng chose to go to Hualin Garden in a few days. He must have felt that the people of the six kingdoms had been captured by Wang Ben. This is when his guard is at its lowest."
Everyone looked at each other for a long time before someone raised an objection.
"There's an immortal in the Qin Dynasty. What if that immortal wants to protect Ying Zheng? Can we, with our manpower, defeat that immortal?"
The young man chuckled, his eyes flickering over the man who had just spoken. "If that's what you said, then there's no need for us to gather here. We can't defeat an immortal anyway."
He clearly didn't say anything specifically, but he made the other person cover his face in shame.
"If that immortal really existed, and if he really helped the Qin State, why didn't he show any miracles?"
Foolish men and women are superstitious about gods and ghosts. As long as the immortals show their miracles, they will definitely worship them directly. Why should the Qin king and his ministers work so hard and worry about the unsettled world?
The young man spoke softly and slowly, yet with a reassuring confidence: "Much of our information comes from Qin officials. Even they have betrayed Qin and become our spies. This shows that the tyrant is unpopular."
"From Xianyang Palace to Hualin Garden, we have troops all along the way, and the terrain is perfect for an ambush. We can use our unintentional tactics to achieve our intended goal. Why should we worry about not being able to kill the tyrant?"
He made the final decision, "I have the right time, place and people. How can I give up?"
Everyone no longer hesitated and raised their swords and weapons. They didn't dare to shout and attract the patrolling guards, so they could only slap their weapons vigorously to vent their excitement.
"This time I will enforce justice on behalf of Heaven and avenge the destruction of the six nations!"
"Sacrifice the tyrant's head to the spirit of our king in heaven!"
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