Time flies, and a year and a half has passed quickly. The war between Qin and Baiyue ended half a year ago. In the war against Baiyue, although Kuina did not know ninjutsu or superpowers, nor did she have the power of a Devil Fruit, she relied on her swordsmanship and the physical fitness of people from the One Piece world, which was far superior to that of people in this world. In addition, she possessed the immortality ability of the Impure World Reincarnation, and she managed to kill so many people that they were terrified of Baiyue. With Kuina as the spearhead of the Qin army, the Qin army was unstoppable wherever it went.
Although the people of Baiyue tried every possible method to deal with Kuina, they failed to kill or imprison her despite various schemes, tricks, and curses. Instead, they only gave Kuina more experience in dealing with such schemes. Ultimately, faced with this immortal powerhouse and 300,000 Qin troops, the people of Baiyue had no choice but to submit to Qin and either assimilate or leave Baiyue. Kuina also gained fame in the war against Baiyue, becoming known as the Immortal General.
Throughout the year, Guina controlled the display of her strength. In the battles, the situation that Wang Han had worried about did not occur. She was not approached by the planet's will, and her relationship with Fusu did not reach the level that Ying Zheng had expected. This was because Guina knew that she and Wang Han were in the same situation. Apart from each other, everyone else was just a brief passerby in their lives.
However, after the Baiyue War ended, Wang Han still allowed Gu Yina to continue her training in the officialdom for another six months, so that she could learn more. With the support of Wang Han and Ying Zheng, no one dared to plot against Gu Yina. However, under Wang Han's secret guidance, Gu Yina managed to outmaneuver Li Si. In the end, Ying Zheng, remembering the many contributions he had made to the Qin Dynasty, allowed him to return to his hometown to retire.
After outmaneuvering Li Si, Wang Han also brought Guina back to his side.
Although Guina's appearance remains unchanged, she has grown a lot in her heart. Although she still doesn't talk much, she is no longer the little girl who would just silently follow Wang Han.
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On the other side, Liu Bang and Lü Zhi, guided by Wang Han's enhanced shadow clone, also made considerable progress. Not only had both of them mastered ninjutsu to the point of being able to use wide-range A-rank ninjutsu, but their desperate efforts as the spearheads in the war against the Xiongnu had also led to the breaching of the Xiongnu royal court. They began the pursuit and elimination of the remaining Xiongnu forces. Wang Han estimated that once the Xiongnu were wiped out and their strength increased, they would attract the attention of the planet's will, and that would be about the time for them to be sent to their deaths.
As for the master-disciple relationship, Wang Han never accepted them as disciples in the first place; it was merely their wishful thinking. Wang Han never claimed they were his disciples, nor did he ever clarify this. Wang Han knew their character well, so he only taught them things with his own agenda, without much interaction or even regular contact. They called him "master" only for the sake of wealth and power, outwardly showing utmost respect, but in reality, they were all pursuing their own agendas. If there were enough opportunities to defeat Wang Han and sufficient benefits, they would also turn against him. The three of them were merely using each other. Wang Han wouldn't disrupt his plan to support the Qin Dynasty because of these two; he would still scheme against them without hesitation.
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A month later, the Xiongnu on the grasslands and in the Gobi Desert were finally completely wiped out, and Meng Tian finally led his troops back, marking the end of the war against the Xiongnu.
On the day Meng Tian returned to the capital in triumph, amidst the ministers' initial astonishment followed by a look of realization, Wang Han led Gu Yina and Ying Zheng into the court. Ying Zheng sat on the dragon throne, while Wang Han took a seat on a side table, with Gu Yina standing quietly behind him.
"The Baiyue and the Xiongnu have always been a major headache for our ancestors. For years, they have harassed the borders of our Great Qin and plundered our people. Since the founding of Great Qin, countless people have suffered at the hands of these two forces. To fight against the Xiongnu and the Baiyue, countless heroes of our ancestors shed their blood and sacrificed their lives." After the ministers paid their respects, Ying Zheng said, "Now, following the Baiyue, the Xiongnu have finally been wiped out by our Great Qin. The people of Great Qin will no longer be harassed by the Baiyue and the Xiongnu. The long-cherished wish of our ancestors has finally been fulfilled."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations! Your Majesty has fulfilled the long-cherished wish of our Qin ancestors and eliminated the threats from the Baiyue and Xiongnu for the people of Qin." Upon hearing this, the ministers immediately offered their congratulations.
Ying Zheng continued, "In this campaign to quell the Xiongnu, the soldiers on the expedition risked their lives and made great contributions. They should all be rewarded according to their merits. Among them, Mr. Wang Han and his disciples have provided the most and the greatest help to Qin, and they deserve to be remembered by the people of Qin forever."
"Thank you for your great kindness, Immortal!" the ministers said in unison.
Ying Zheng continued, "Meng Tian, your campaign against the Xiongnu has been extremely successful. You are hereby awarded ten thousand gold pieces and a thousand fine horses..."
After bestowing honors upon Meng Tian, Ying Zheng continued, "Liu Bang and Lü Zhi, you two have distinguished yourselves in this campaign against the Xiongnu and made outstanding contributions. I hereby appoint you as General of the Southern Expedition and General of the Western Expedition, respectively, granting you first-class titles and each a fief of ten thousand households. I hope that you will continue to make even greater contributions to the Qin Dynasty in the future."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Master." Upon hearing this, the two could not hide their excitement and immediately kowtowed to express their gratitude.
Seeing the two men kowtow in gratitude, Ying Zheng and Wang Han exchanged a glance, confirming their understanding. Ying Zheng continued, "Although the Xiongnu and Baiyue have been completely defeated by our Great Qin, there are still many more enemies eyeing our Great Qin. In the future, we will need the two of you to contribute your efforts."
"Your subject is willing to dedicate himself to the Great Qin until his dying breath," Liu Bang and his companion said, overjoyed.
"Liu Bang, Lü Zhi," Wang Han said, "you have completed my third trial. I will teach you for another three months. After three months, I will give you the final trial. If you pass, I will grant you both the ability to live forever."
"Thank you, Master." Upon hearing this, the two were completely excited. The words "immortality" and the official titles and ranks bestowed upon them by Ying Zheng had clouded their judgment. They had the illusion that as long as they continued, they could become emperors and ascend to immortality.
“Come with me.” Wang Han nodded and sent the two into the Divine Might Space. Then he said to Ying Zheng, “Ying Zheng, you will be in charge of preparing the materials for the Terracotta Army. Can you prepare 300,000 pieces of materials in three months?”
"Now that the Qin state is much stronger, you can rest assured, sir," Ying Zheng said with a smile and a nod. He did not suspect Wang Han's ill intentions, because if Wang Han really wanted the throne, he would not have gone to such lengths. If he wanted to harm the Qin state, he would not have helped the Qin state in this way.
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