The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 241: Qin's army reforms, the king of Qin who doesn't want to be dug out of his mausoleum by his second son

The famous general Duke Bei did not die on the battlefield, but died in Xianyang, Qin State, for which he fought all his life.

He did not die in battle at the hands of the enemy, but at the hands of the civil servants he despised the most.

At the Caotan execution ground, on the day when Duke Bie was to be executed, Crown Prince Zheng went there in person to fight for the person.

Qin Xiang Lu Buwei asked three questions:
Is there a king's order?

Do you want to break the law?

Who is more powerful, the king or the prince?

Prince Zheng's face turned pale and he could no longer speak. He watched helplessly as Bian Gong's head fell to the ground.

The blood spurted three feet high.

It is bright red.

The people watching the execution cheered loudly and were very excited.

They knew that Duke Biao was a high-ranking official, and they also knew that Duke Biao died for violating Qin law.

In Qin, the nobles were the same as them.

Anyone who violates Qin law will be punished.

Nearly two hundred years ago, Shang Yang established the prestige of Qin law by moving trees to establish credibility and executing seven hundred nobles at the Caotan execution ground.

Today, Lu Buwei used the head of Qin's old general Biao Gong to tell the Qin people.

Anyone who violates Qin law will be punished.

Nobles and common people are treated equally.

Lu Buwei looked at the deer head rolling on the ground with its eyes wide open.

He was a little disappointed that the Master Cheng Jiao he was waiting for did not show up.

Could it be that Master Chengjiao has forgotten the great plan they had agreed upon?

Princes, generals and prime ministers would rather have their own kind.

Biao Gong's head was still rolling, and Lu Buwei's eyes moved with it.

Although Prince Chengjiao did not appear, Crown Prince Zheng did.

Prince Zheng stepped in and failed to save Duke Bie's life, which contributed to Lu Buwei's fame.

The king is about to die and the prince is young.

If Lu Buwei doesn't look after the State of Qin, who will?

Bie Gong stopped looking, and Lu Buwei's eyes also stopped looking.

Listening to the cheers of the people, Lu Buwei felt a little relieved.

The emperor breaks the law and is guilty of the same crime as the common people.

This sentence should not be an empty talk...

"Master, these people are so ignorant and annoying." The ten-year-old Gan Luo suddenly spoke up with a look of disgust on his face.

Lu Buwei paused for a moment, and then continued:

"Oh? What do you mean?"

The young man said with a contemptuous tone:

"They had no idea what had happened, or what crime Biao Gong had committed.

"They cheered because Bie Gong was more noble than them, and it had nothing to do with any other reason.

"Today, Lord Bie died, and they cheered.

"Someday, if a man more noble than Bie Gong dies, they will still cheer."

Lu Buwei originally wanted to scold him.

As the words came to my lips, my mind suddenly moved.

Biao Gong was almost reaching the pinnacle of military power, and there was no other general in the court who had a higher status than him.

The so-called person who is more noble than Bie Gong, apart from the king, is not him, the prime minister who is the head of the civil officials?
Lu Buwei lowered his head and looked at his little retainer.

He noticed that Gan Luo never raised his head to look at him, as if he was intentionally avoiding his sight, so he was sure that this sentence was indeed meaningful:
"It seems that I underestimated you.

"You are reminding me to recognize my position. Like Duke Biao, I am a minister, not a king.

“And do not be deceived by the appearance of the people.

"Today, Duke Biao died, and the people of Xianyang cheered. Tomorrow, when I, Lü Buwei, die, they will cheer as well.

"Right?"

Gan Luo looked up, his young face full of panic:

"Luo was just saying it casually. How dare I think of teaching my master a lesson? My master misunderstood!"

The boy's performance reminded Lu Buwei of Prince Chengjiao again.

The Second Young Master is much better than Gan Luo at taking advantage of his age.

Lü Buwei pointed at Gan Luo's eyes:

"The panic is not only reflected in the face, but also in the eyes."

Ignoring Gan Luo's expression, Lu Buwei shifted his gaze to the people around the execution ground who were shouting excitedly:
“Without appearance, there is no essence; appearance is the essence.

"If you walk too much on the night road, you will eventually become a ghost."

Gan Luo, who was seen through, looked humble and said:
"Luo doesn't understand what the master means."

Lu Buwei raised the corner of his mouth and said:
“They dared to cheer the death of the nobles.

“After cheering more, you get used to it.

"When they get used to the death of nobles, there will be no difference between them and the nobles."

Gan Luo smiled bitterly and advised:

"In Luo's eyes, both Lord Biao and the common people are insignificant.

“Luo thought that the master should consider the prince.

"Today's crown prince will be tomorrow's King of Qin.

"Although my lord holds the title of Prime Minister of the State among the civil officials, and his rank is the highest among the ministers, he is a marquis of Che, Wen, and Xin.

"But isn't the Prime Minister a minister of Qin? Isn't the Marquis Wenxin a duke of Qin?

"My Lord, you shouldn't let down the Crown Prince and the future King of Qin.

"In the Qin State, apart from the strict ruler who was born in the royal family, which powerful official could escape unscathed?"

The ten-year-old boy talked eloquently, saying things that were inconsistent with his age.

There are two child prodigies in Xianyang.

One is Prince Chengjiao, and the other is the son of the Gan family.

Lu Buwei touched Gan Luo's head and said nothing.

He went from being a merchant whose status was lower than that of the common people in the Qin State to becoming the prime minister of the Qin State and then the Marquis Wenxin of the Qin State.

It's not about becoming a noble, but about making sure there is no distinction between the noble and the humble in this world, so that everyone can have a chance to succeed.

He is used to buying low and selling high, and he has had enough of it.

Soon, new military regulations appeared:

[1. Five people form a team, and the team is a unit. When fighting on the battlefield, they supervise and testify against each other.]

[One of the five people killed an innocent person and took credit for it, and no one reported it.]

[After being found out, the five people were punished together, and all their previous military merits were confiscated. If they had no military merits, they would be forced to perform labor service.]

[2. To take the enemy's head, you must behead him from the throat down.]

[If there is no Adam's apple, then it means that the person is a good person, and all military merits will be confiscated. If there are no military merits, they will be required to perform corvée labor. ]

【3. The leaders of the meritorious service must be publicly displayed for three days.】

[If no one reports it during the three days, it will be valid, otherwise it will be invalid. ]

[At the same time, if the secret report is found to be false, the reporter will receive a generous reward.]

[If it is a false report, the reporter's military merit will go to the person being reported.]

[4. Record the number of deaths on the battlefield.]

[The number of people reported was even greater than the number of deaths. The commander was beheaded, and the deputy commander was dismissed from his post and title and returned to civilian life.]

【…】

Before the body of Duke Bi was cold, a series of new military regulations were released, and all the Qin generals were furious.

This new military regulation is clearly aimed at them.

With so many restrictions, how can they lead an army? How can they fight a war?
Yang Duanhe, Fan Yuqi, Huan Xi... these generals who were in their prime were in great rage.

But the four dukes, led by military generals, were slow to act.

Bie Gong's head fell to the ground and he wanted to move but couldn't.

The other three, Meng Ao, Wang Ling and Wang He, did not move at all.

The silence of the fourth duke, no, the third duke, reduced the Qin general's rage by half.

Military generals are reckless, not stupid.

Qin was in turmoil both internally and externally. After the coalition forces of the five nations recovered all the lost territory of Zhao and Han, they headed west to attack Qin.

You want to run away after taking advantage of someone? How can such a good thing happen?

Although Hangu Pass was the eastern gateway of Qin State, the eastern edge of Qin State's territory was not Hangu Pass, but the Yellow River.

The vast area of ​​land east of the Yellow River belonged to Qin.

As the Qin army withdrew to the interior on a large scale, the Qin land outside Hangu Pass was almost undefended and presented to the coalition forces of the five countries.

The five-nation coalition was unstoppable and won victory after victory.

They fought all the way from the Yellow River to Hangu Pass and occupied all the Qin territory outside Hangu Pass.

These Qin territories were not conquered in a day, but in a month.

During this month, information about the loss of cities and territories was continuously sent to Xianyang and appeared on Lu Buwei's desk.

Lu Buwei watched it happen but did nothing.

The generals, who had calmed down a little, became restless again, clamoring to go to the battlefield and demanding to see the emperor one after another.

It was said that Lu Buwei was a spy for the State of Wei, who came specifically to harm the State of Qin.

Lu Buwei was assassinated every day.

In just four days, as many as twenty-six of Lu Buwei's retainers died.

But the number of people may not sound large, but this is in Xianyang, the capital of Qin State, not in some remote wilderness.

Moreover, the government and the family of Qin were integrated, and Lu Buwei, the prime minister, slept in the prime minister's residence at night.

The Prime Minister's Mansion on Zhangtai Street is one of the safest places in Qin State besides the Imperial Palace.

It is safer than the four Qin palaces in the east, south, west and north.

But even so, there were still assassins who broke into the palace day and night to assassinate people, which shows how rampant the Qin generals were.

There is only the principle of being a thief for a thousand days, but there is no principle of guarding against a thief for a thousand days.

On the 11th, Lu Buwei was injured.

On the 12th, Prince Chu of Qin, who had not been seen for a long time and was rumored to be seriously ill and about to die, convened a grand court meeting.

Central Palace, Xin Palace, and Front Palace.

Prime Minister Lu Buwei attended the meeting injured and sat at the front. The bloodstained white bandage on his chest was very conspicuous.

The Qin prince Chu, with a ruddy face and in great spirits, was wearing a black bird crown and sitting on the throne, furious:
"If the Prime Minister could be stabbed by an assassin today, will I be assassinated by an assassin tomorrow? Ah!"

Prince Chu of Qin stood up suddenly, his hair standing on end with rage, and glared at the generals below the stage and roared:

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! Investigate to the bottom!"

He turned his gaze to the court official and shouted:

"Huayang doesn't fly!"

The Tingwei stood up, bowed his head and replied:
"The minister is here."

"I give you seven days to resolve this matter! No matter who is behind these assassins, once they are found out, they will be punished according to Qin law!"

Huayang Bufei was shocked. Not losing color was his greatest effort.

According to Qin law, anyone who kills someone must be put to death, and anyone who instructs someone to kill someone must be put to death even more!

The old chief justice immediately felt that the gazes of the generals behind him were about to burn him. His lips moved but he dared not respond, and his eyes kept glancing at the sister of the Queen Mother of Qin.

Queen Mother Huayang Mi Buming lowered her eyebrows and eyes, willingly following the shadow of Prince Qin Chu, and echoed:
"This matter involves the king's safety, so the punishment should be severe."

All the generals in the court changed their expressions.

If the death penalty is further severed, wouldn’t it be clan punishment?

There are Qin generals who are not afraid of death.

A Qin general who is not afraid of his entire family dying with him...is he a human being?

The sister has spoken, and the king is staring at her.

The old court judge had sweat on his forehead, not knowing what sin he had committed to get himself into such muddy waters for no reason.

Bending over and lowering his head, he responded helplessly with “Yes”.

"Marquis Wenxin." Qin Wang Zichu lowered his voice and said, "This case is caused by you. Would you like to work with the court judge?"

Lu Buwei stood up and responded, expressing his gratitude.

Qin Wang Zichu said "hmm" and pulled up his eldest son:

"Without Marquis Wenxin, there would be no me.

"Without me, there would be no prince.

"Your Highness may address Marquis Wenxin as your father."

Prince Zheng looked normal, but his breathing was a little rapid.

He clenched his fists behind his back and called softly:

"Father Zhong."

A single word of address shattered the court.

The crown prince calls his minister his father.

Since the establishment of the Qin State, even Shang Yang, who held all the power, and Yan Yang, who was not suspected by the Qin Emperor, had never had such an honor.

Ignoring the emotions of his ministers, Prince Chu of Qin sat his eldest son down and sat on a straw mat himself:

"When other nations come to attack, who is willing to fight for the country?"

Except for the three ministers Meng Ao, Wang Ling and Wang He, all the generals were brave and enthusiastic, and they wished they could grow wings and fly to the front line the next moment.

Especially the generals who sent assassins on the night when Lu Buwei was injured were even more active.

They didn't believe that the king would really execute all of them for assassinating the prime minister.

But they believed that the king would execute someone as a warning to others.

And among those who hurt Xiangbang, the most likely one is that one.

The court was noisy for a long time.

Prince Chu of Qin raised his hands and slowly pressed them down.

The sound suddenly stopped, as if the pause button of the rock music being played had been pressed.

"Mr. Meng, are you willing to share my worries?" Prince Chu of Qin appointed his general.

Meng Ao stood up, bowed his head respectfully, and replied:

"It's my luck."

The veteran spoke calmly, but his heart was in a mess.

When the king was about to die, Duke Bie died, so the king appointed him to go to war.

These three things are connected together and refer to two people - Crown Prince Zheng and Prince Chengjiao.

Among the four dukes, besides Duke Bie, Meng Ao was the second person who treated Prince Cheng Jiao differently.

The general that Ji Yaoyao moved most frequently to save her son was Meng Ao.

In terms of military achievements, it is difficult to tell who is better between Meng Ao and Bie Gong.

But as for later generations, Meng Wu, the son of Meng Ao, was the leading young military general of Qin State when the previous king was still alive.

Biao Gong was more powerful than Meng Ao, but the Meng family was superior to the Biao family.

"Good." Qin Prince Chu laughed heartily: "Meng Gong will be the general, Qin Xi and Meng Wu will assist him, we will go east through Hangu Pass and strengthen our Great Qin!"

Meng Wu was guarding Hangu Pass and was not in Xianyang, so Meng Ao agreed to the surrender on behalf of his son.

Qin Qi frowned when his name was called. Knowing that King Zichu of Qin was going to die, he didn't know why his brother was so crazy.

When it comes to fighting, how can Qin Qi rank among the top in the Qin State?
Qin Qi stood up, looked at Qin Wang Zichu suspiciously, and lowered his head to respond.

Most of the time, he would not refuse Qin Wang Zichu.

Because King Qin Chu is his younger brother, they are a family.

The Qin royal family is born to stand on the side of the King of Qin.

"Your Majesty! I am willing to follow you!" A man suddenly stood up with a hoarse voice.

He was the only person wearing a mask among the court attendants - Bai Wuxia, the grandson of Bai Qi.

Qin Wang Zichu was silent for a moment, and said coldly:
"No!"

[If she dies, Cheng Jiao will dig me out of the mausoleum...]
Bai Wuxia looked at the king in disbelief, her pretty face behind the mask full of astonishment.

She followed Qin Zichu since he was still the crown prince, and was always encouraged by him to become the first female general of Qin.

Why would the king, who originally wanted her to go to the battlefield, refuse to let her fight?
Two quarters later, the court meeting ended.

As soon as Prince Chu of Qin, who had not been seen for a long time, showed up, the Qin State began to move.

Shi Cang, the internal historian of Zhisu, sorted out the grain and grass, Meng Ao went to the Lantian camp to gather soldiers, and Huayang Bufei had a headache looking at the bamboo slips that recorded the assassination of Xiangbang...

In the Lantian camp, Meng Ao took the tiger talisman sent by the king from Prime Minister Lu Buwei, and the muscles on his face twitched unnaturally.

This tiger talisman can only mobilize 10,000 people.

"Ten thousand men..." The old general clenched the tiger talisman, looked at Lü Buwei, and said hoarsely, "After Duke Biao left, it's my turn, right?"

(End of this chapter)