The Great Qin Dynasty: The egg of the Black Bird was revered as a national guardian beast.

Li Si's voice echoed in the hall for a long time.

The First Emperor remained seated, motionless, but everyone else turned their attention to Li Si.

Li Si ignored the stares of those around him.

He raised his hand: "Your subject would like to explain its benefits."

Narrowing his eyes, the First Emperor raised his hand and waved: "Granted."

"This has two advantages: one is long-term, and the other is immediate."

Li Si took a deep breath: "Longxi, west of the northern lands, is inhabited by the Yuezhi, Rong, and Qiang people."

"Water and grass are suitable for animal husbandry, which brings abundance to the world."

"If we can conquer it, we will not need to spend money and grain to purchase a large number of livestock from beyond the Great Wall, which is a long-term benefit."

The Qin Dynasty promoted agriculture and had tens of thousands of chariots and cavalry.

This created a huge demand for livestock such as cattle and horses, which was far from enough to be raised in the Central Plains alone, so it was necessary to supplement the supply from beyond the Great Wall.

But then, Li Si added.

"The people of the various tribes are fierce and brave. Even children can ride horses and shoot birds and rats with bows. As they grow up, they can shoot foxes and rabbits."

"Every autumn and winter, these Rong and Di tribes would cross the border, raid the border counties, burn, kill, and loot, becoming a scourge to Qin!"

"Now that the world is unified, in my view, Your Majesty is not only the ruler of the nine provinces, but also the ruler of the barbarian tribes in all directions!"

"Our Great Qin army is strong and well-equipped; there is no need to retreat. We can expand outwards, advance westward, and subjugate the barbarians!"

"It can avenge the suffering of plunder, eliminate the threat of barbarians, seize their pastures, and plunder their livestock; this is an immediate benefit."

After speaking, Li Si suddenly lowered his head: "These are just some of my humble opinions; I hope Your Majesty will consider them!"

Then, the hall fell silent.

The others stared blankly at Li Si, never expecting that he would so strongly support the western expedition.

The First Emperor smiled and asked.

What do you all think of the Prime Minister's words?

The others exchanged glances, realizing that the First Emperor was determined to launch a western expedition, and they were powerless to change it.

He raised his hand: "What the Prime Minister says is absolutely right. We, your subjects, second that opinion."

If it were in his earlier years, the First Emperor would certainly not have done this.

But now, the First Emperor is anxious. His increasingly frail body makes it impossible for him not to be anxious.

He wanted to launch a western expedition, and not just a western expedition.

He also wanted to sweep away the barbarians from all directions, but time seemed to be running out.

He was not reconciled.

But there was nothing he could do, the ghost urged him on in his ear.

Even so, he will not be discouraged. He will raise his head and, without hesitation, do what he wants to do and what he needs to do!

Until the very last moment of his life!

Therefore, westward expansion was inevitable, and a westward expedition was inevitable!

After they had all expressed their opinions, the First Emperor tapped the table, looked at them, and asked.

"Gentlemen, who do you think should be the general for the western expedition?"

The First Emperor's words had barely fallen when

Meng Yi then raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, Marquis Wang Ben of Tongwu should be appointed as general."

But the First Emperor has not yet made a statement.

Wang Ben, sitting to the side, shook his head repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, I am getting old and fear that I am no longer able to lead the army and thus jeopardize the western expedition. I beg Your Majesty to select a more capable general."

The First Emperor laughed.

"Your father, Wang Jian, has requested leave from court, saying he is too old. General, you are only over fifty. How can you say you are old?"

But then his smile vanished, and he said something else.

"Since the general is unwilling, then I will choose another general."

After speaking, the First Emperor closed his eyes, as if he were pondering or perhaps resting.

After a long while, he seemed to remember something.

He asked, "Where is Marquis Li Xin of Longxi currently serving?"

"Li Xin?"

Li Si and the others were somewhat surprised.

Why did the First Emperor suddenly remember this defeated general who had been demoted?

In the nineteenth year of King Zheng of Qin's reign, he and Wang Jian jointly attacked Zhao.

He led troops to Taiyuan and Yunzhong, and together with Wang Jian's army, besieged the Zhao army and conquered the Zhao state in one fell swoop, making outstanding contributions!

In the war to destroy Yan, he used lightly armed cavalry to launch a surprise attack and defeat Prince Dan of Yan, and later terrified King Xi of Yan.

At that time, Li Xin enjoyed the deep trust of the First Emperor.

During the first campaign against Chu, he actually replaced Wang Jian and led an army of 200,000 men all by himself.

At that time, he was not yet thirty years old.

Unfortunately, in his first campaign against Chu, he initially defeated the Chu army, but Changping Jun rebelled in the rear, leading to a major defeat.

Tens of thousands of troops were annihilated!

From then on, Li Xin lost the trust of the people. Although he later pacified Yan and Qi, he could not hide the failure of that year.

"Your Majesty," Li Si raised his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Marquis Li Xin of Longxi is currently serving as the Commandant of Longxi Commandery."

"Longxi..."

The First Emperor tapped the table, then chuckled.

"Since it's a western expedition, who is more suitable to be the commander of Longxi Commandery, a general known for his chariot and cavalry skills?"

The First Emperor slammed his hand on the table and made his decision.

Li Xin betrayed his trust back then, so he will give him another chance and let him lead the troops on the western expedition.

Let's see if we can avenge our previous humiliation or suffer another one!

.........

The wind is picking up in Longxi.

An envoy from Xianyang, carrying an imperial tally, arrived in Longxi County, causing a stir.

After all, Longxi is a border garrison responsible for guarding against the threat of the Western Rong, and it has been a long time since any envoys have come here.

"Where is the Marquis of Longxi? Receive the imperial edict!"

The messenger, holding a tally and a fine piece of cloth in his right hand, addressed the soldiers before him.

There was a brief commotion.

A garrison soldier stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, the Commandant has gone to inspect the outposts on the Great Wall."

The envoy nodded and then waved his hand.

"Go and spread the word!"

"Yes." The soldier clasped his hands and then left to summon Li Xin.

At this moment, on the Great Wall.

"The trees outside the Great Wall must be felled on schedule."

During his inspection of the Great Wall today, Li Xin reprimanded a squad leader at a beacon tower, saying, "He must not allow it to extend beyond one li (approximately 500 meters)."

Around the beacon tower,

We must create an open space.

In this way, no enemy can attack without being detected.

The officials following behind Li Xin nodded.

Many of them had known Li Xin since their youth, and they had even ridden out of the Great Wall together to fight the Rong people.

However, ever since Li Xin's failed campaign against Chu, he has been demoted!

His personality has changed drastically, making him seem like a complete stranger.

In the past, he was sunny and carefree, and he liked to do things in unconventional ways.

But now, he is taciturn, methodically arranging official duties, enforcing public order, and regularly patrolling the Great Wall.

"The Commandant!"

Just as Li Xin finished reprimanding the squad leader and was about to lead his men to patrol elsewhere, a garrison soldier ran over.

"What is it?"

Li Xin turned around and asked.

The garrison soldier clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Commander, His Majesty's envoy has arrived and summons you to receive the imperial edict!"

Li Xin was taken aback, but then became excited.

He knew about the strategy for the western expedition, and now an envoy had brought the First Emperor's edict.

Could it be...? Could it be...?

He wasn't sure either, since he hadn't seen the imperial edict yet.

Immediately, the soldier was instructed to lead the way to meet the envoy and receive the imperial edict.

The soldiers suddenly dispersed, making way for a path.

Li Xin, dressed in the official robes of a prefectural commandant, stepped out from the crowd and approached the messenger holding the imperial tally.

Then he knelt down on one knee: "Li Xin is here!"

The messenger nodded, then spread out the cloth in his hand.

"King Li of Zhou was tyrannical, and some of the feudal lords rebelled against him. The Western Rong rebelled against the royal family and exterminated the clan of Da Luo of Quanqiu. Da Luo was a branch of the Qin clan."

"When King Xuan of Zhou ascended the throne, he appointed Qin Zhong as a high official. Qin Zhong went to the western border and was ordered to kill the Rong tribes. Thus, Qin and the Rong became sworn enemies."

"Now, I, in my humble state, have raised an army to quell the tyranny and rebellion. Thanks to the blessings of our ancestral temples, the six kings have all submitted to their crimes, and the world is at peace!"

"However, the Rong troubles in Longxi have not been quelled, and beyond the Great Wall lies the land of Rong and Qiang. I wish to avenge the spirits of my ancestors and thus send troops to conquer the Rong!"

"An imperial edict appointed Li Xin, the Marquis of Longxi, as general."

"Let them prosper in the western lands, and let the barbarians dare not disobey Qin!"

After reading the imperial edict, the envoy rolled it up, lowered his eyes, and looked at Li Xin.

"General, receive the imperial edict."

Li Xin lowered his head, but held his hands up.

Although he was demoted to Longxi and forced to live among the wind and sand, he never forgot his desire to avenge his previous humiliation.

But the six kingdoms have already been destroyed!

He has lost the chance to avenge his defeat in the Central Plains.

But now that His Majesty has decided to launch a western expedition, this is his last and only chance.

This time, he was determined to avenge his previous defeat!