Ying Zheng suddenly realized that he had been so preoccupied with the affair with Lao Ai that he had forgotten that the most important thing now was to seize power from Lü Buwei!
"Jian Chen, Mr. Lu, please come with me to the Prime Minister's residence."
In the Prime Minister's residence, Lü Buwei was sitting at his desk writing.
"Prime Minister, the King of Qin has arrived," a retainer said respectfully as he entered.
Lü Buwei put down his brush, straightened his clothes, and hurried to the door to greet him.
"Your subject, Lü Buwei, greets Your Majesty!"
Lu Buwei made a move to kneel down, but Ying Zheng quickly stepped forward to help him up and said with a smile, "Prime Minister, there is no need to kneel. I heard that you are ill, so I came to inquire after your health."
"How is the Prime Minister's health? Is he feeling any better?"
Ying Zheng looked at Lü Buwei, who showed no signs of illness whatsoever.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am much better now. Please come in, Your Majesty!"
After saying this, Lü Buwei gestured for Ying Zheng, Lu Li, and Jian Chen to enter the main hall.
Lu Buwei's gaze fell on Jian Chen. It was through this Lao Ai rebellion that he learned that Ying Zheng actually had a junior grandmaster by his side.
He has held power in the court for so many years and has countless retainers, yet he has never encountered a minor grandmaster. Just who is this Jian Chen?
What alarmed him even more was that he was completely unaware that Ying Zheng had gained such a junior master by his side.
After Lu Li and his group walked into the main hall, they found bamboo slips on the table. Ying Zheng picked them up and looked at them with curiosity.
The words "Lüshi Chunqiu" are written on it.
"Is the book the Prime Minister is writing almost finished?" Ying Zheng asked curiously.
Speaking of this book, Lü Buwei was quite proud. He wrote down all his life's learning, feelings, and insights in this book, Lüshi Chunqiu.
"Yes, it's almost finished."
"Once it is finished, I would like to ask the Prime Minister to send it to me for my perusal."
"must!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Lü Buwei's gaze fell upon Lu Li.
"Mr. Lu? This suppression of the rebellion was entirely due to Mr. Lu's efforts."
Who was Lü Buwei? After Lao Ai was captured and Cheng Jiao was defeated and fled, he guessed that Lu Li must have been behind all of this.
The Guigu lineage truly produces extraordinary talents.
"You flatter me, Prime Minister. I could not have done this without His Majesty's trust."
This is the difference between Lu Li and Lü Buwei. Ever since Lü Buwei became the prime minister and held immense power, he has become arrogant and conceited, sometimes even disregarding Ying Zheng.
But Lu Li was different. He did not take credit for himself and always put Ying Zheng first, which made Ying Zheng very happy.
"Mr. Lu's Black Ice Platform surprised me somewhat, and I am also very curious about the Repeating Crossbow."
He also had informants in Xianyang Palace. When more than a thousand men in black suddenly appeared, it nearly made Lü Buwei's jaw drop.
Moreover, the strange weapons those people carried resembled crossbows, but were too small, and most importantly, they could fire in rapid succession.
This weapon was even capable of being mass-produced, making it a formidable weapon for the Qin army, capable of significantly boosting its overall strength.
"The crossbow's range is not as good as that of a bow and arrow, but its speed and power are several times that of a bow and arrow."
"If it could be equipped in the army, then the army of my Great Qin would be able to reach a new level."
Lu Li didn't reply; repeating crossbows were actually not suitable for use in the military.
Just as Lü Buwei said, the range is too short. If it is used in the army, the crossbow will only be effective when the enemy is already at your doorstep.
Even when faced with a charging spearmen, it wouldn't be very effective.
Only special organizations like the Black Ice Guard, used for assassinations and ambushes, can achieve such unexpected results.
"Your Majesty, I know why you have come today."
Having said that, Lü Buwei stopped pretending and directly confronted Ying Zheng.
"Prime Minister, Master! I am already twenty-two years old this year, do you know that?" Ying Zheng's expression changed as he looked at Lü Buwei and asked sincerely.
Lü Buwei gave a bitter smile. How could he not know? In his heart, Ying Zheng was like his child.
Back in the State of Zhao, he enlightened Ying Zheng, imparting knowledge and skills to him. At that time, Ying Zheng was only four or five years old and was not yet the King of Qin.
Everything has changed now. Ying Zheng is no longer the hostage he once was, nor is he Lü Buwei.
"Of course I know, but I'm just worried!"
"You want to unify the world, but now is not the time!"
"Although Bai Qi defeated the six states, he also defeated the Qin state!"
Lü Buwei was right. During the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Bai Qi emerged out of nowhere and terrified all six states, ultimately leading to the five states attacking Qin.
This indirectly led to a rapid decline in the national strength of Qin. After King Zhaoxiang of Qin died, Ying Zhu only reigned as King of Qin for three days before passing away. Then came Ying Zichu, who enjoyed three years of peace.
Nine years have passed since Ying Zheng ascended the throne, and it has only now been a long time since the Qin state has been able to restore the livelihood of its people.
“Prime Minister, you are mistaken,” Lu Li stepped forward and said.
"Oh?" Lu Buwei looked at Lu Li with a puzzled expression.
"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the Qin state has recovered its national strength. Now, with a strong and well-equipped army, it is the perfect opportunity to conquer the other six states!"
Although the Qin state emptied its treasury, the Zhao and Yan states were severely damaged, especially the Zhao state, which was almost destroyed.
For more than a decade, they haven't recovered.
"As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot! The Qin Dynasty's goal is to unify the world."
Despite Lu Li's impassioned words, Lü Buwei shook his head repeatedly.
"If the six states unite to attack my Qin state, how will you respond? Qin state is currently not in a position to wage war against the six states."
At this moment, Lu Li smiled. A united front? Don't forget that he is a member of the School of Diplomacy, a direct disciple of Guiguzi.
"Has the Prime Minister forgotten where I come from?"
Afterwards, Lu Li repeated his revised version of the theory on taming cranes, which made Lü Buwei's heart tremble.
Theoretically speaking, the interconnected steps Lu Li described do indeed present an opportunity to destroy the six kingdoms.
But we still need to consider the right timing, the right location, and the right people! Now we have the right timing and the right location, the main thing is to consider the right people.
"What Mr. Lu said is true. If Bai Qi were alive, I believe he could have succeeded. But who can shoulder this great responsibility now?"
Ying Zheng then spoke up, saying, "Wang Jian!"
"Wang Jian? The Wang Jian who saved the emperor from a thousand miles away?"
Wang Jian's name has now completely entered the public eye. Although he was somewhat famous before, it was a world of difference compared to now.
"Him? Is he capable?" Lü Buwei was skeptical, even though he had saved the emperor from afar and made a name for himself in the battle.
But attacking the six states and rescuing the emperor are not the same thing.
Ying Zheng, however, said with great confidence: "I believe in him. Before Lord Wu'an became famous, who would have thought he would be known throughout the world?"
While this statement makes sense, it was far too risky for Lü Buwei.
"Has Your Majesty considered that if we fail, the Qin Kingdom will cease to exist?"
To everyone's surprise, Ying Zheng laughed heartily, stood up, and looked at Lü Buwei.
"Prime Minister, I am the King of Qin. Since childhood, I have taken it upon myself to unify the world. If I don't even have this much ambition, how can I talk about sweeping across the six states?"
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