The King of Qin said coquettishly, "Although you are ill..."
Let alone Ying Zheng, even Banban himself had never seen someone so eloquent and occasionally glib. "Such a flexible and adaptable person..."
Xiao Heng was practically licking Ying Zheng's boots.
"That's interesting," Ying Zheng said, shaking his head after a long pause.
In this era, there weren't so many rules; people who liked each other could be together, and they didn't care about each other's background. Xiao Heng took a liking to Ji Changyue and followed her shamelessly.
Ying Zhao raised his hand, "I also met this person when I visited my grandmother last time."
“His mother told him that she had been married before and would remain faithful to her late husband. She would never and could never remarry. She also said that she and her late husband had a son, and that she was much older than him.”
Ying Zheng asked, "What did he say?"
Ying Zhao scratched his cheek. "This person said, it's alright, older people are more caring."
Ying Zheng: "..." Speechless.
Banban covered her mouth and chuckled, then heard her son say, "Then his mother slapped him, and he said, 'You really know how to care for people.'"
"So this is what it means to be caring?"
"Don't you dare learn that," Banban quickly and explicitly forbade it.
Ying Zhao pouted, "I know that's not what I meant, I just wanted to know how Mother would explain it." (This was a common way of teasing her.)
"???" She gave a forced smile and pinched his cheek hard.
"As young as a needle, yet as cunning as a lotus root."
"That's because I'm obedient, Mother."
"How come you've been so obedient?"
“My mother always told me to be more careful, and I always have been.”
"...?"
Even Ying Zheng couldn't help but smile this time. He glanced at his son, coughed twice, and pretended not to hear what he said.
He was too late to finish his act. In just one glance, his wife pounced on him, determined to strangle him to death. "If the roots aren't straight, how can the seedlings grow red!"
Ying Zheng put his arm around her and defended himself, "Cousin, you have to admit that Zhao'er learned all this from you. You're always the best at arguing and you always have so many reasons that I can't argue with you."
Banban refused to admit it.
After returning to the Qin Palace, winter arrived.
After the new year, in early spring, Ying Zheng officially began discussing with his ministers the matter of launching an attack on Chu.
Changwenjun Mi Dian grew up in Qin from a young age and was not particularly intelligent. Therefore, he had no feelings for Chu and had witnessed Qin conquering several states without massacring them. As a result, he had no particular feelings about attacking Chu and considered it insignificant.
Wang Wan repeatedly inquired about his affairs, asking Lord Changping, Mi Qi, what his views were on the State of Chu.
How do you see it?
Mi Qi has now been exiled to Yingchen, the former territory of Chu. What else can be said about him?
“My brother knows that the king has high hopes for him and that he will return in the future.” Although Mi Dian was not smart, he could still see that Wang Wan suspected that Mi Qi would rebel against Qin. So he defended his brother, saying, “My brother’s heart is only for Qin.”
As they were talking, King Ying Zheng of Qin entered through a side door, accompanied by his queen. The ministers were already used to the queen's involvement in politics, although some had initially said it was against etiquette.
Then the King of Qin retorted, "The rites and laws were advocated by the Zhou emperor and abolished by Shang Yang long ago. What is your intention in bringing up the so-called rites and laws now?"
Furthermore, the Book of Rites clearly states that husband and wife are one, and the queen is the concubine.
The ministers remained silent.
What else is there to say?
The Qin Dynasty belongs to you and your husband, so we really have no right to interfere.
Moreover, the king and queen have a close relationship and are inseparable wherever they go, which is not a bad thing.
The ministers quickly managed to appease themselves.
Today's discussion concerns the question of how many troops to deploy.
Wang Jian said, "Your Majesty, I believe we need 600,000."
Six hundred thousand, six hundred thousand is equivalent to the entire military force of the Qin state. If all of them were sent out and held by Wang Jian alone, how could King Ying Zheng of Qin sit still?
Therefore, he remained silent for a brief moment.
Seeing Ying Zheng's hesitation and doubt, Li Xin immediately stepped forward and confidently said, "Your Majesty, I believe that only 200,000 men are needed to destroy Chu!"
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng immediately believed him. Wang Jian was slightly surprised and quickly stated that an attack on Chu would require at least 600,000 troops, but Ying Zheng rejected his suggestion.
Unexpectedly, Wang Jian resigned due to illness just two days later.
Ying Zheng was very unhappy and found Banban and said, "I think he's just angry with me and thinks I don't listen to him."
Banban advised, "The General has worked hard for the Qin Dynasty for many years. Your cousin rejected his opinion, and he may be hurt, feeling that you do not trust him."
Ying Zheng's rebellious spirit kicked in. "Could it be that besides him, there is no one else in Qin that can be used, and we can only rely on him for everything?" He wanted to cultivate more talented generals, which he felt was perfectly reasonable.
Li Xin and Meng Tian have already led their troops out to formally attack Chu.
Li Si thought to himself that the King of Qin was unwilling to rely on veteran generals forever. If he did not promote new people now, what would happen when Wang Jian passed away? It was normal for him to think this way.
Wang Jian was angry, so his decision to leave was a wise one.
In this way, he won't feel embarrassed regardless of whether Li Xin wins or loses.
Attacking the State of Chu was a nerve-wracking matter, and even Banban was constantly on edge, concerned about national affairs.
Two months later, the first battle report was sent back.
Li Xin and Meng Tian led 200,000 Qin troops to attack Chu with great success, capturing several cities in succession.
This relieved both Banban and Ying Zheng. However, before they could fully relax, another half month later, the second battle report came back bad news.
War can break out in the blink of an eye, and changes can happen very quickly.
Just as Li Xin and Meng Tian split their forces into two groups, Xiang Yan of Chu suddenly launched a surprise attack, catching them off guard. It turned out that Xiang Yan had been following the Qin army all along, waiting for an opportunity.
This surprise attack lasted for three days and three nights without stopping, and finally Li Xin's army was defeated. They stormed into two camps and killed countless Qin soldiers.
The Qin army suffered a major defeat.
That night, Ying Zheng nearly ripped out his own hair, and his whole demeanor was terrifyingly gloomy.
The next day, he shamelessly drove himself to find Wang Jian.
Banban wanted to follow him, but he refused because the journey was too long and he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Banban comforted him, "Oh dear, you're much better than King Zhaoxiang. King Zhaoxiang even killed Bai Qi, yet you not only didn't hold a grudge against Wang Jian, but you even humbled yourself to beg for peace. General Wang Jian will definitely come back with you."
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng was both pleased and displeased.
Banban understood why he acted this way. He was happy that she praised his magnanimity, but unhappy that she was putting down his idol.
She pretended not to notice and said, "If Wang Jian refuses, just pretend to be pitiful." She thought he was quite good at pretending to be pitiful.
It must be said, Ying Zheng was quite skilled at driving; his driving technique was rather impressive.
The reason is somewhat shameful: when he was in Handan, he was humiliated by other hostages and served as a charioteer for the crown prince and princes of Zhao.
With her husband gone, she has a lot to worry about in the palace, not only in the inner palace but also in the court.
Someone reported that Lord Changping, who was left to guard the former territory of Chu, had disappeared without a trace.
When the news came back, Banban's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition arose.
Although some people had questioned whether Mi Qi would betray Qin, Banban had never really thought about it. She only agreed with Wang Wan that Mi Qi should be avoided in the matter of attacking Chu.
Firstly, Mi Qi grew up in the Qin state from a young age. Although he had half of the blood of the Chu royal family, he never mentioned it over the years.
Secondly, his love for his people was genuine. I still remember when the Zheng Guo Canal was being built, Mi Qi felt sorry for the common people of Qin who were working hard, and he frequently gave Ying Zheng his opinions. Later, he and Ying Zheng were even more in sync on the issue of expelling guests, and each of them came up with their own ideas to eliminate the remaining power of Lü Buwei in the court.
He was the Prime Minister of Qin...
Xing Shu was already taking her first unsteady steps, and Ban Ban held her little hand, feeling extremely anxious.
Ying Zhao looked lost and dejected. "Mother, is my great-uncle not coming back?"
Banban didn't want to lie to him, but she couldn't be too direct either, so she mumbled, "I can't say for sure, I don't know either. I hope he goes home."
A few days later, Ying Zheng and Wang Jian returned together. The two were as close as brothers, and it is said that they slept in the same quilt at night and even hugged each other and cried.
Banban: "..."
Why did he always offer himself to his ministers to get close to them? Or was it that she didn't understand men's feelings?
Afterwards, Ying Zheng remarked to his cousin, "Cousin, it really works to play the victim."
Throughout history, acting cute has worked on most people, let alone a king.
Banban asked, "How did you pretend to be pitiful?"
"It's nothing. I just said that I didn't use the general's strategy, and Li Xin indeed humiliated the Qin army. Now I hear that the Chu army is advancing westward day by day and wants to attack the Qin state."
"Even though the general is ill, is he really willing to abandon me?"
After saying that, Ying Zheng said with certainty, "He is faking illness."
Speechless.
He's faking it, and you're pretty faking it too!
They're both equally bad, so let's not argue about who's better.
"Wang Jian continued to refuse, insisting that he was ill and confused and hoped that I would choose another capable general."
Ying Zheng tugged at Wang Jian's sleeve, indicating that he should stop talking and come back with him.
Wang Jian, of course, couldn't withstand the pressure. He turned his head and made a gesture, saying, "Your Majesty has no choice but to use me. I can only do so with 600,000 men."
Ying Zheng immediately agreed: "I came here to listen to the General."
Wang Jian then returned.
Before setting off, Wang Jian made a request to Ying Zheng, asking him to bestow upon him a great deal of gold, fertile land, beautiful houses, and gardens. The amount he asked for was so large that it was an outrageous demand.
Banban was speechless with astonishment. "This is too much! Why not just give him the entire Xianyang Palace?"
Ying Zheng shook his head and said, "He was just trying to put my mind at ease. The 600,000-strong army represents the full strength of the Qin state. If he were to lead the army back to attack Xianyang, I would be powerless to resist. He naturally knows my concerns, which is why I initially refused him."
"He's clever; this move is meant to tarnish his own reputation."
“If you know what you're doing, then I’m not worried,” Banban said, bringing up the matter of Lord Changping, Mi Qi.
Ying Zheng had known all along, and at this moment he didn't even frown. "So be it, so be it, I expected it."
“Mi Qi was a good minister and a good person. He couldn’t bear to see the common people suffer. After arriving in Chu, he saw many people struggling to make ends meet. It’s not surprising that he was turned against him.”
Banban was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "Since you saw through Mi Qi's character so early on, why did you transfer him to the old territory of Chu?" Isn't this like putting a sheep in a wolf's den?
“Because he’s not resolute.” Ying leaned closer to her, a faint nonchalance in his eyes. “I hoped he would be resolute, but unfortunately he wavered.”
"Unifying the world and annexing other states, how can there be a war without bloodshed? He has to care for everyone, how can he achieve great things?"
"It was his choice, so let him go. Our fate is over."
Wang Jian led an army of 600,000 to launch a new attack on Chu.
Banban was eating chestnuts inside, pondering the name Xiang Yan... What was his relationship with Xiang Yu? Could he be Xiang Yu's father? Or grandfather?
Wang Jian wanted to destroy Chu, and Xiang Yan was doomed. Xiang Yu, seeking revenge for his family, massacred surrendered soldiers, slaughtered entire cities, burned down the Xianyang Palace, and tortured Prince Ziying of Qin.
If her guess is correct, the logic is complete...
There's also Liu Bang, but we don't know where he is right now, or if he's even born yet. He's eating chestnuts with great interest.
Putting Xiang Yu aside, Liu Bang was good; it's still important to keep talented people in your grasp.
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Author's note: I don't know if I can add an extra chapter. I'm going out now. I'll check the time when I get back. If there isn't one, I'll post it in the comments section.
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