If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1166 Power Strategies and the Way of the King

After discussing it for a while, the princes and nobles were able to confirm one thing: the old woman sweeping the floor that Prince Gao encountered in the armory was indeed a "special NPC".

Not every prince was martial, but under the oppressive power of "Emperor Huhai," every prince had no choice but to consider practicing martial arts for self-defense.

At least after mastering martial arts, it will be easier to escape the capital.

In fact, there were a few young masters who became "lone bandits" by virtue of their superhuman skills: they secretly escaped from Xianyang and lived as bandits in the wilderness until the incident ended.

After all, the first stage of the "Wise King Test" is called "Battle Royale in the Capital".

They had all been to the armory, but none of them saw the old woman sweeping the floor deliver the secret manual.

Although they guessed that Grand Tutor Yu had given the prince preferential treatment, they did not feel particularly resentful or jealous.

“But the ‘Sunflower Manual’ requires self-castration! I castrated myself more than fifty times, and was a eunuch for decades.” Prince Gao’s face was full of painful memories of the past.

The princes calmed down.

"Second brother, how did you get 85 points?" Ying Zhou looked at Jiang Lu, suspecting that Grand Tutor Yu had given his second brother an even bigger cheat code.

After all, even just thinking about having his chickens cut off more than fifty times would cause him phantom pain.

But Prince Gao has mastered his divine skills and killed three super bosses, Hu Hai, Li Si, and Zhao Gao, but he only got 65 points. He needs to score 20 points higher than 65. How can he do that?

Jiang Lü asked curiously, "Why are you only thinking about killing Bismarck with your own strength? Don't we have an elder brother?"

It would have been better if he hadn't said "elder brother Fusu," because as soon as he did, all the princes and nobles showed negative emotions such as resentment, disdain, and anger.

"You mean with the help of my elder brother? Don't be ridiculous, my elder brother is a good-for-nothing, completely useless," Ying Wu shouted.

The others nodded in agreement. "Yes, our eldest brother is too cowardly! I've traveled through time four hundred times, and at least eighty of those times I tried to contact him in advance. Several times I even sneaked out of the capital to see him at the Northern Army."

But my older brother wouldn't listen to advice and insisted on committing suicide.

With his death, both 'General Meng from Another World' and I met a tragic end.

Jiang Lü fully understood his brothers' feelings, and he had complained about his "eldest brother" countless times.

“A person can only rely on themselves. This is our test, and we cannot rely on our elder brother. In reality, our elder brother is not as timid as Ren Nuo. The Grand Tutor deliberately lowered our elder brother's heroic spirit to test us.”

My elder brother Fusu is still alive and wants to be the King of Zhao!
Even if he doubted his older brother in real life, it wouldn't matter, Jiang Lu still had to say a few words to save face for him.

He then explained how he used his advantage as a time traveler with foresight and other precognitive abilities, along with talk of "dreams," to persuade the Meng family army to join forces with him.

Once the capital is captured, all the other princes will be dead, leaving him as the sole emperor.

The Meng brothers were loyal to the Qin Dynasty, and although they missed the eldest prince, they were still worthy of the new emperor's complete trust.

With the help of the Meng brothers, he at least managed to kill Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.

"What? Second Brother even quelled the rebellion of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang?" The princes were shocked.

"No wonder you got 85 points. Your Majesty, you should be the head of all the princes! With you as emperor, our Great Qin has a chance to save the world."

Jiang Lü waved his hand and said bitterly, "My brothers think too highly of me, and underestimate the heroes of the world."

Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were not the main force in this turmoil at all.

After I beheaded Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, I was also very proud of myself, thinking that I could restore the destiny of the Qin Dynasty.

He was soon dealt a heavy blow when a man named 'Pluto' beheaded him on the banks of the Yellow River.

His 500,000-strong army was trapped on the banks of the Yellow River and all drowned, causing the river to become blocked.

Alas, Pluto was merely a subordinate of another traitor, Robin.

Robin is not the strongest thief king.

Ying Wu asked in surprise, "Who are Pluto and Robin? I've never even heard of them."

In the world I transmigrated to, Xianyang was captured by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, along with a group of rebels.

"In the world I've experienced, it was also the rebels led by Chen Sheng who seized the capital," the other "failed" princes echoed.

"I only know that Robin was a wandering knight, and Pluto was a brilliant strategist. I don't know who they are exactly. Oh, right, there's someone called 'Gandhi,' who is known as the greatest general in the world, even stronger than Robin."

But I didn't even see Gandhi, and I couldn't even beat Pluto.

Jiang Lü sighed, then looked at Prince Gao and asked, "After you killed Bismarck, did you become emperor? Did you face Chen Sheng and his followers?"
If you can personally kill Bismarck, you should be able to kill Chen Sheng.

Only after killing Chen Sheng did they have a chance to meet Pluto and the others.

The prince said with embarrassment, "I have become a eunuch emperor, and I have also organized 50,000 volunteers to castrate themselves and cultivate the Lotus Sutra, preparing to fight the rebels to the death."

But my atrocities angered the people of Guanzhong, leading to my untimely death before I could even begin my campaign.

He was killed halfway there by fifty 'Lotus Army' soldiers who had reached a minor level of mastery of divine skills, and never had the chance to demonstrate the true power of the 50,000 'Lotus Army'.

—Third Brother is so ruthless and perverted! Not only did he castrate himself, but he also created a Lotus Army of 50,000.

Fifty thousand Qin people in Guanzhong have all become eunuchs? No wonder they rebelled. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't be able to tolerate it either!

Having served as a eunuch for decades, is Third Brother perhaps as perverted as Hu Hai?
The princes were inwardly full of complaints.

Jiang Lü glanced deeply at Prince Gao and sighed inwardly: Even a gentle and refined old man could commit the heinous act of castrating 50,000 Qin warriors. It is clear that my third brother has also learned the principle that "those in power should be ruthless and heartless" during his time travel.

—Grand Tutor Yu is right. We've been raising him in Xianyang for so long that he's become useless.

Regardless of the final outcome of this "Examination of Wise Kings," the lessons and experiences we have gained are our most valuable takeaway.

The princes chatted for a while longer when suddenly a voice appeared in their minds.

"The first round of the Wise King Examination has concluded. Your scores of less than 60 indicate that your determination and wisdom are insufficient to serve as the 'ruler of a nation'."

During the second round of assessment, your status will be downgraded by one level.

The lower the score, the lower the starting point.

The lowest rank one can attain is that of a county magistrate.

Since you cannot be the rulers, why don't you form a group and become the assistants of the other princes?

They can be freely combined.

Now that the team members are confirmed, we'll immediately begin the second round of challenges: 'I'll be a feudal lord in the Central Plains.'

Jiang Lü glanced at his two younger brothers and announced loudly, "We are ready."

In the next instant, the three brothers, along with their son and several close relatives, a total of twenty-five people, disappeared without a trace.

Prince Gao also traveled through time with his son and a younger brother.

"My brothers, I intend to enfeoff princes to guard the four directions and assist me in suppressing the Central Plains."

When Jiang Lü opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar palace, where Emperor Huhai was speaking on the dragon throne.

"Second brother, is that you?"

While he was still quietly observing his surroundings, Ying Wu, who was next to him, took the initiative to whisper something to him.

Jiang Lü was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed happily, "We time-traveled together?"

"Hehe, they must have come to Gou Niu in a group, it's Hu Hai!"

Upon catching a glimpse of Emperor Huhai on the throne, Ying Wu recalled his past experiences of dying hundreds of times in the Eight Desolations World and ultimately being forced to eat excrement to escape.

"Ying Wu, Jiang Lü, what are you saying?" Emperor Huhai glared at them angrily. "I'm speaking from up here, and you're whispering amongst yourselves! And what's with that look? Guards, throw them out!"

The guards rushed in and beat the brothers out.

Instead of dragging them, he struck them hard with the scabbard of his sword.

After giving them a good beating, Hu Hai ignored them completely.

They suffered in Xianyang for three whole years before Chen Sheng and Wu Guang entered Guanzhong and chopped up their entire family.

During their second time travel, they finally faced reality and calmed down.

"Jiang Lü, I wish to appoint you as the King of Chu, with your capital at Pengcheng. Do you have any objections?" "Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree."

This time, after receiving the title of king, Jiang Lü, along with his brothers, nephews, advisors, and retainers, left Xingyang in a grand procession and headed for Sishui County.

"I have experience dealing with Chen Sheng. We must not let those rebels like Chen Sheng gain momentum."

If a large number of counties surrender without a fight, we are finished.

"As long as we hold every county and prefectural city, even if they fall, we must fight to the last man, making the rebels suffer and bleed!"

On the eve of arriving in Pengcheng, Jiang Lü was full of confidence and enthusiasm, and made a strategic and tactical mobilization.

He did indeed grow stronger through the multiple iterations of the first level.

Upon arriving in Pengcheng, he used political maneuvering to easily replace the prefects of several counties and the magistrates of important towns with his own brothers, nephews, and trusted followers.

Of course, there were those who were unwilling to lose their power, but they were all ruthlessly suppressed and killed by him.

In chaotic times, only by demonstrating strength can one safeguard one's rights.

Then Chen Sheng killed his brother Ying Wu.

Following his instructions, Ying Wu devoted the entire city's resources to repairing city defenses and training the army after taking office.

They used all the resources in the city to strengthen their military, but Chen Sheng still managed to breach the city and behead them.

Even knowing that he was "traveling through reincarnation," Jiang Lu still suffered unbearable pain.

Because he understood that if he became the King of Chu in reality, Ying Wu would also die.

Those in power must be ruthless!
He comforted himself and continued to fight against the rebels.

Within six months, his relatives and retainers died tragically one after another; six months after becoming the King of Chu, Pengcheng fell, and he himself died for his country.

"I'm not reconciled!"

After their third, fourth, fifth, and tenth time travels, they realized something was wrong.

“Brother, defending the city to the death is useless! The rebels will massacre the city. Once one city is massacred, the people under our command will not obey us in the counties behind it, even if we fight to the death,” said Ying Shusun, the third brother of Jiang Lü.

"Yes, Father, only the first city listened to us and resisted resolutely. After that, they were all afraid, or rather, they were looking forward to Chen Sheng's arrival."

"The whole city is our enemy, how can we defend against the rebels?" said Ying Tongdao, the son of Jiang Lü.

"Shall we try field combat?" Jiang Lü asked hesitantly.

Based on his experience and intuition, he felt that field operations would be even less effective.

Sure enough, just half a month later, his head was chopped off by an unknown junior officer and hung on a bamboo pole.

By the twentieth time travel, Jiang Lu was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"I still remember the contents of the Lotus Sutra. Why don't we complete the great task that Prince Gao failed to finish!" he said through gritted teeth.

“But we can’t castrate ourselves to cultivate the Lotus Sutra in real life, can we?” his son asked hesitantly.

"Let's get through this first."

—If the Qin Dynasty is truly doomed, we will all die without a burial place. What difference does it make whether we castrate ourselves or not?

"Brothers, don't be discouraged! Prince Gao is right, the Lotus Sutra is truly miraculous!"

You don't need too much internal strength, or rather, internal strength can be developed quickly, as long as you have enough experience and temperament.

He repeated it fifty times before grasping the essence of the Lotus Sutra; our martial arts talent should be stronger than his.”

But once on the battlefield, Jiang Lü was dumbfounded: the enemy had deployed a military formation, and although his "Lotus Army" was strong individually, they did not know how to form a military formation and were brutally killed by Chen Sheng and his generals.

He single-handedly annihilated a 2,000-strong military formation before dying from exhaustion.

Chen Sheng did not cut off his head, but instead pulled off his pants, carried his corpse around, and displayed it in various places.

"This is the King of Chu of the Ying clan, hahahaha~~~"

The people of the entire Chu Kingdom were all laughing at the Qin Dynasty and mocking the "eunuch king of Chu".

The soul of Jianglu, adrift in mid-air, was filled with shame and indignation, wishing to die.

"We have gone down the wrong path." After the crushing defeat and the extreme humiliation, Jiang Lü began to reflect, "Grand Tutor Yu is right. We do not understand the will of Heaven, nor do we know the destiny of Heaven. We are not capable enough."

If the Qin Dynasty relied entirely on itself to deal with the rebels, it would surely perish.

We need 'Grand Tutor Yu'.

“Grand Tutor Ke Yu won’t help us with back channels, and achievements obtained through back channels are meaningless,” Ying Wu said.

Jiang Lü said, "I don't want Grand Tutor Yu to help us get in through the back door."

We need to find the right direction, a viable path.

Grand Tutor Yu can guide us.

Or rather, the Grand Tutor has already pointed out the clear path.

Ying Shusun's heart stirred, and he tentatively asked, "Grand Tutor Yu has already formulated a 'Ten-Year Benevolent Governance Plan,' but we have never implemented it in the past."

Ying Wu exclaimed, "What we're doing is far more difficult and arduous than benevolent governance. But martial arts are useless; can benevolent governance alone withstand Chen Sheng and Wu Guang?"

Jiang Lü said, "Let's give it a try. Anyway, we definitely can't break this deadlock on our own."

This is a fact that no one can refute.

Then, after traveling through time again, they only practiced benevolent governance.

Jiang Lü didn't even resort to political maneuvering to replace the prefect and magistrate with his own people; there was no need for it.

Of course, he would send trusted confidants to strictly supervise Chu officials to ensure that the court's policies were effectively implemented.

As before, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang launched an uprising.

As before, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang conquered cities and territories with great success. No, they were successful at first, but things became increasingly difficult later on.

Jiang Lü was surprised to find that even officials who were not his confidants were willing to die for the Qin Dynasty.

Before Chen Sheng's army approached Pengcheng, many common people and gentry came to the palace to urge the "King of Chu" to leave quickly.

Some village elders even entered Chen Sheng's camp and advised him to drive away the "King of Chu" and not to kill the "virtuous men and villages".

A warm current welled up in Jiang Lu's heart, and he felt a kind of emotion and feeling he had never experienced before.

"It would be worth dying for a country like this!"

Previously, his belief was simply to preserve the Qin dynasty's rule, which seemed somewhat unrealistic.

He considered himself steadfast, but this belief of his never generated the powerful energy to make him stronger.

Now he suddenly had a different belief: I must repay their kindness.

He chose to open the city gates and surrender, allowing Chen Sheng to strangle him.

"I only beg the general not to massacre the city, and not to harm the people in the city."

He faced death with equanimity, making only one request.

Although Chen Sheng killed him, he dared not desecrate his body and buried him with the honors due to a king.

“We’ve been wrong all along; the Grand Tutor has always been right. Alas, after all this trouble, we’ve only confirmed the correct answer that should have been confirmed long ago,” Jiang Lü sighed.

"Are you unwilling to accept this? Do you want to continue traveling through time?" a voice asked in his mind.

Jiang Lü remained silent for a moment, then said with a resolute expression, "I am not resigned to this, I still want to travel through time."

Previously, I only practiced the benevolent rule of the Grand Tutor, but I did not truly bring my benevolence and righteousness to the people of Chu.

I need to learn how to treat them kindly.

(End of this chapter)