Starting with ten elixirs of immortality, I led the First Emperor to rebel against the Qin Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huan immediately frowned.

He thought to himself, "Why does my cheap old man always want to kill people when there's a problem?"

"Father, is there even a need to think about this?" Zhao Huan said without hesitation, "Of course we can't kill them!"

"Oh?" A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Ying Zheng's eyes; this was somewhat different from the answer he had expected. He had thought that, given Zhao Huan's personality, he would simply say, "Kill them all."

Li Si, Meng Tian, ​​and Meng Yi were also taken aback. They couldn't kill him? That was the same answer as Prince Fusu! Could it be that this wise man also believed in the Confucian principles of benevolence and forgiveness?

"Why can't we kill them?" Ying Zheng pressed. "They almost took my life."

"Father, think about it. Although these people are complete frauds when it comes to refining the elixir of immortality, you have to admit that in our Great Qin, they are the only group of people who know a little about chemistry and metallurgy." Zhao Huan moved a small stool closer to Ying Zheng and said mysteriously.

"Chemistry? Metallurgy?" Ying Zheng, Li Si, and the others were completely bewildered. What new terms were these?

"Oh, it's the knowledge of tinkering with those bottles and jars, knowing what things will explode when mixed together, what ores can be smelted into copper, and what ores can be smelted into iron."

Zhao Huan explained in a language they could understand.

"Father, have you forgotten our grand cause? What are we going to do? We're going to rebel!"

"puff--"

Meng Yi, who had just taken a sip of tea, spat it out, choking and turning his face red as he coughed violently.

Li Si's hand trembled, and the teacup almost fell to the ground. He stared wide-eyed at Zhao Huan in disbelief.

Rebellion?!

He actually dared to say so bluntly in front of His Majesty... that he wanted to rebel?!

Moreover, judging from His Majesty's expression, he showed no anger whatsoever, as if he already knew.

Li Si felt his worldview crumbling. "I must not be fully awake. This kid's gone mad! His Majesty... His Majesty is going mad with him too."

Meng Tian glared fiercely at his brother who had lost his composure, his heart also churning with turmoil.

Although he had already experienced it once, hearing the word "rebellion" so easily uttered by Zhao Huan again still made his heart ache.

Zhao Huan ignored the reactions of the two new "country bumpkins" and continued speaking to Ying Zheng: "Father, what does rebellion rely on? It's people, money, and food, but most importantly, it's weapons! Weapons that are more powerful than others'!"

"Those alchemists, though they can't concoct elixirs of immortality, have one invaluable use!" Zhao Huan continued, "They can help us create something that can destroy the world!"

Ying Zheng's heart began to race; he knew the real issue was about to be addressed.

"What is it?"

Zhao Huan's lips curled into a smile, and he uttered two words:

"gunpowder!"

"gunpowder?"

Ying Zheng, Li Si, Meng Tian, ​​and Meng Yi all stared intently at Zhao Huan, repeating the completely unfamiliar term on their lips.

What is this? It sounds like it's related to fire. Could it be a new arson weapon?

"Yes, gunpowder!" Zhao Huan nodded and explained to the four of them.

Gunpowder is a black powder. Just a tiny spark can unleash tremendous power in an instant! This power can blast boulders to dust, level mountains, and cause even the strongest city walls to crumble!

Silence fell over the courtyard.

Ying Zheng and the other three were dumbfounded and speechless, as Zhao Huan's words were truly astonishing.

Split mountains and crack rocks? Level high mountains? Collapse city walls?

This...this is no longer the power of an ordinary person.

Li Si felt his breath catch in his throat. As the Prime Minister of Qin, he knew all too well the brutality of siege warfare.

Every siege of a fortified city required the sacrifice of countless soldiers, their corpses used to fill the moat, their blood and flesh used to wear down the enemy's defensive equipment. The sieges could last from a few months to several years, leaving the battlefield strewn with corpses and rivers of blood.

But now, this boy in front of me says that there is something that can easily destroy the city walls?

If this is true... then the nature of warfare will be completely changed! The Qin army will be invincible, and no fortified city will be able to stop them!

The brothers Meng Tian and Meng Yi were trembling with excitement. As military generals, they understood better than anyone what this meant. It meant that in the future, they would no longer have to rely on their men to risk their lives in battle!

Ying Zheng's heart was in turmoil. He thought even further ahead.

If we possessed this thing called "gunpowder," why would we need to build the Great Wall to attack the Xiongnu in the north? We could just blow their royal court to smithereens! And when we conquered the Baiyue in the south, why would we need to worry about miasma and treacherous terrain? We could just blast our way through, turning natural barriers into thoroughfares!

If the remnants of the six kingdoms dare to cause trouble, we will uproot their fortified villages!

This stuff is even more valuable than the elixir of immortality! The elixir of immortality can only grant immortality to a select few, but gunpowder can ensure the eternal stability of the Qin Dynasty!

"Huan'er, is this thing... truly so miraculous?" Ying Zheng's voice trembled.

"Of course!" Zhao Huan patted his chest to assure him, "I heard my 'system' teacher say that this thing is far more powerful than I described! He called it a 'dimensional reduction attack'!"

"Dimensional reduction attack?" is yet another new term.

"In other words, when we have gunpowder, fighting those enemies who are still using swords, spears, and halberds is like an adult bullying a newborn baby—they're simply not in the same league," Zhao Huan explained.

Ying Zheng and his three companions listened with great fascination, as if they could already see the magnificent scene of the Qin cavalry sweeping across the land with the help of gunpowder, pacifying the world.

"Then... how is this gunpowder made?" Li Si couldn't help but ask anxiously, almost forgetting his identity as "Butler Li".

Zhao Huan shook his head, a hint of regret on his face: "I don't know the specific formula either. My teacher only mentioned it briefly, saying that it is mainly made of three things: sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal."

"Sulfur, saltpeter, charcoal?" Ying Zheng murmured these three names to himself. These things seemed to be quite common in the alchemists' furnaces.

"Yes," Zhao Huan nodded. "But the proportions of these three ingredients are crucial. A fraction more or less will drastically change the effect. Moreover, the production process is very dangerous; one wrong move and you could blow yourself into the air. That's why I said those alchemists shouldn't be killed."

"They've been dealing with these things for years, and they're the most likely people in this era to figure out the right formula. Father, hand them over to me, and I'll provide them with ideas so they can experiment repeatedly. If we succeed even once, our 'rebellion' will be 90% complete!" Zhao Huan's tone was full of confidence.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart. He glanced at Li Si, who was also looking at him, both of them filled with shock and ecstasy.

Your Majesty, may Heaven bless the Great Qin!

This is more than just a stroke of luck; it's practically handing over the future of the entire world to the Qin Dynasty!

"Good! Good! Good!" Ying Zheng said three times. "Huan'er, I'm entrusting this matter entirely to you! Just tell your father what manpower or materials you need!"