People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 542, Iron Eagle Warriors

"You're welcome, you're welcome. It's all for the sake of Qin. You've come to my aid, and I should be the one thanking you."

"Hehehe, it's all for the sake of Qin. There are still people waiting for me over there, so I'll take my leave now."

"Please go ahead."

Xiong Qi bowed slightly, picked up his wine glass, and walked towards his seat. After turning around, the smile on his face disappeared, and a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.

"What does this mean? Is he sending me to host the farmers because he's genuinely too busy, or is there another purpose behind it?"

Xiong Qi's gaze darkened slightly as he pondered the true purpose behind Xu Qing's words.

Tian Guang was fully aware that he had sent Tian Mi to Xu Qing's side under the condition that she would be allowed to enter Qin as a farmer.

According to his and Tian Guang's plan, they would feign discord with the Confucianists and incite conflict between the Confucianists and the agriculturalists, thereby delaying their entry into Qin. After all, in Qin's eyes, the Confucianists were of far greater priority than the agriculturalists.

Ultimately, the peasants had no intention of entering Qin; they merely wanted to place a spy next to Xu Qing.

But now Xu Qing is entrusting him with the task of receiving farmers coming to Qin, which makes Xiong Qi wonder if Xu Qing knows something and is trying to test him with this task.
As for whether Xu Qing knew about his relationship with the peasant family, Xiong Qi felt that he probably didn't, otherwise it wouldn't have been a test.

"It seems we'll have to use Tian Mi to find out what Xu Qing's purpose is."

Xiong Qi gripped his wine glass tightly, temporarily suppressing his other thoughts, while his wariness of Xu Qing increased.

"You want to place Tian Mi by my side, but you don't want the peasants to actually enter Qin. You want to get all the good things, don't you? What do you, Lord Changping Xiong Qi, think of this open scheme?"

Xu Qing watched Xiong Qi's departing figure, a smile flashing in his eyes as he toyed with the wine glass in his hand, thinking to himself.

His original plan was to first sideline Tian Guang, bring the peasants under his control, and then bring the peasants into Qin.

However, since Xiong Qi has taken the initiative to come close to him, he shouldn't blame Xiong Qi for digging a pit for him.

After the banquet, he told Ying Zheng that he was handing over the matter of sending the Farmers to Qin to Xiong Qi, who would then be primarily responsible for it. Even if Xiong Qi was unwilling to send the Farmers to Qin, he would have to reluctantly allow them to send a group of disciples skilled in farming.

After all, Xiong Qi still harbors the idea of ​​strengthening himself by relying on the Qin state, and power is indispensable to achieving this.

The policy of "Hundred Schools Entering Qin" was a national policy of the Qin state. If a peasant family was not allowed to enter Qin before the Spring Ploughing Ceremony, it would be considered a violation of the Qin state's national policy.

He could then arrange for someone to publicly impeach Xiong Qi in court under the pretext of undermining national policy, thereby reducing Xiong Qi's power and the influence of the Chu imperial relatives, and also inciting conflict between the Chu imperial relatives and other factions.

The peasants' entry into Qin benefited the state, and he, as the one who negotiated the agreement, also made a great contribution. If the peasants still refused to enter Qin, Xiong Qi's power diminished, the Chu state's powerful relatives suffered suppression, and he remained perfectly hidden.

He won't lose money either way; in fact, he'll make a profit.

"What will you choose, Mr. Changping?"

"It seems Xiong Qi should activate Tian Mi as a spy. Tonight, I'll indulge in some of her talents. Since she's a spy, she should be properly placed."

Xu Qing poured himself a glass of wine and slowly began to savor it. Even this ordinary wine tasted sweet when something good was happening.

After Xiong Qi returned to his position, he continued to socialize and respond to those who came to congratulate him. Meng Ao drank with a group of generals, while Xu Qing was alone again.

Although no one greeted Xu Qing anymore, there were quite a few people secretly watching his every move.

In an inconspicuous corner of the banquet, four ministers who had previously visited Lü Buwei to expose Lao Ai's smuggling activities with Qin's local military nobles were whispering among themselves. All four had been Lü Buwei's retainers; now, one was an advisor, one was the chief justice, one was the vice minister of the court, and the last was the chief official in charge of grain.

Although only one of the four is a Nine Minister, the other three also hold important positions, second only to the Nine Ministers in status.

"First it was the Supreme General, then Lord Changping, shouldn't we also go and greet Lord Zhaoming?"

The Chief Justice looked at Xu Qing and said in a low voice.

The three people around him looked at each other, their eyes flashing with conflict, but they all shook their heads.

"Now is not the time. What if Lord Zhaoming is inclined to the Qin royal family? Moreover, Marquis Wenxin is still alive. If we go to greet him now, wouldn't it seem like we are too eager to change sides?"

The official in charge of the Imperial Household, standing in the middle, spoke in a low voice, while gesturing for the other three to look towards the location of the imperial family members.

Out of the corner of their eyes, the three of them saw that several members of the royal family, led by Lord Jingyang, were also looking at them.

"Makes sense."

The other three people withdrew their gazes and agreed with the words of the official in charge of grain management.

Although Xu Qing was also a scholar from one of the six states, and the Imperial Academy he was in charge of was a gathering place for scholars, from this perspective, Xu Qing could be considered to belong to the faction of these scholars from the six states.

However, Xu Qing was also very close to the Qin royal family. Before Lao Ai was eliminated, Xu Qing was often mentioned by the royal family, as if he were their own close friend.

Previously, Xu Qing's actions served as a lubricant between the two sides, but when they were about to break off relations, Xu Qing, the centrist, became a fence-sitter. A clear supporter was needed; otherwise, no one dared to get close to him. "Lord Jingyang, shouldn't we go and greet Lord Zhaoming? He has helped us a lot before and is a staunch supporter of the King; he should stand with our royal family."

A member of the royal family asked in a low voice.

The others were also eager to go and greet Xu Qing, since in the eyes of their clan, Xu Qing was second only to Ying Zheng and the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan.

"Lord Zhaoming is a member of the King of Qin's faction, but who here isn't a member of the King of Qin's faction?"

Lord Jingyang glanced at the person who spoke and said with a hint of disappointment.

Those who are not part of the Qin King's faction are all waiting to die with Lao Ai in the Imperial Court. Who among those standing at this victory banquet dares to say they are not part of the Qin King's faction?
The others fell silent upon hearing this, suppressing their own thoughts.

"The situation is unclear, so we should not take any action for now. Our top priority is to wait until Lao Ai is executed, seize this opportunity to bring down Lü Buwei in one fell swoop, and expel these outsiders, the scholars from the six states, from Qin," Lord Jingyang said in a low voice.

"I'll wait to understand."

"If only you were a member of the royal family of Qin, or even if you weren't, being a Qin citizen would be just as good."

Looking at Xu Qing drinking alone, Lord Jingyang's eyes flashed with an indescribable sense of loss, and he gritted his teeth and said in a low voice.

Although he was a member of the Qin royal family, he admitted that the Qin royal family was indeed of mixed quality and lacked a leader as brilliant and capable as the eldest prince, Gongzi Qian, or Ying Ji, the strategist of Qin.

"What a pity, what a pity."

After expressing his feelings, Lord Jingyang withdrew his gaze and led the others back to their seats.

Although everyone at the banquet had their own thoughts, the celebration banquet still ended in a lively manner. Xu Qing, who had drunk quite a bit, left the palace with the help of the eunuchs and got into a carriage to head towards his residence.

Inside the carriage, a slightly drunk Xu Qing opened his eyes, looked at the person sitting opposite him, and stretched his neck slightly.

"Zhen Gang, what brings you here? Does Marquis Wenxin have something to tell you?" Xu Qing asked.

"Your Majesty, are you truly drunk?"

Zhen Gang looked Xu Qing up and down, who was drunk, and asked with some surprise.

"How many times in life can one get drunk? Let's drink and be drunk today, for only after a few drunken dreams do we realize how long life is," Xu Qing said with a smile.

Listening to Xu Qing's words, Zhen Gang couldn't tell whether Xu Qing was really drunk or pretending to be drunk, but it seemed that it wouldn't affect his business.

"Your Majesty, Marquis Wenxin asked me to tell you that the assassin sent to kill Ji Dan on the day of Lao Ai's rebellion is dead, and Ji Dan himself escaped in the chaos. Afterwards, Marquis Wenxin sent Wangliang to hunt down Ji Dan, but the assassin who went with him only brought back the Wangliang Sword. Ji Dan was rescued by an unknown master."

Zhen Gang looked at Xu Qing and briefly explained what had happened.

"Ji Dan ran away?"

Xu Qing's drunkenness vanished instantly, and he sat up straight, speaking with a serious expression.

"Yes, I have failed in my duty. Please punish me," Zhen Gang said, bowing.

"It has nothing to do with you. Who killed the assassin who went to the hostage residence? Has the Luo Wang (a secret police organization) found anything?" Xu Qing shook his head and said.

Ji Dan's escape cannot be blamed on Zhen Gang. At that time, he and other top-tier assassins were either protecting Queen Mi and Yan Lingji, dealing with those who followed Lao Ai in the Luo Wang organization, or monitoring the officials in Xianyang.

Compared to Ji Dan, a hostage, Queen Mi, the traitor, and the officials were more important to Lü Buwei.

“They are the people who attacked Queen Mi. Their identities cannot be confirmed, but the sword they are carrying is the unique sword of the Iron Eagle Warriors,” Zhen Gang said.

"Iron Eagle Warriors? How could it be them?"

Xu Qing looked surprised; this name should have disappeared long ago.

When Shang Yang and Duke Xiao of Qin successfully implemented their reforms, they trained a new army on the Wei River. This new army recruited martial arts masters from the Qin state and formed a special force of one hundred men.

These people were not only highly skilled in swordsmanship, but also proficient in various weapons and skilled in archery and horsemanship.

Shang Yang led the new army to emerge in the great battle to recover Hexi. It was precisely because of these people that the Qin army was able to defeat the Wei Wuzu at its peak, and thus was hailed as an elite force by the world.

Later, Sima Cuo, a famous general of Qin, used this name to create the Iron Eagle Warriors, aiming to surpass the Wei Wu Zu in infantry combat and the Zhao Qi cavalry and Xiongnu Hu cavalry in mounted combat. The selection method for the Iron Eagle Warriors was extremely strict, and it can be said that they were a special force that combined the Wei Wu Zu, Qi martial arts cavalry, and Zhao cavalry.

During the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the Qin state grew stronger and its territory expanded. The number of Iron Eagle Warriors also gradually increased, eventually becoming the most elite special forces unit in the Qin state today, the Qin Warriors.

And the name Iron Eagle Warriors has become history.

(End of this chapter)