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

Inside the Qilin Hall, the eunuchs had already prepared a hot pot again.

This time, before Ying Zheng could even speak, Marquis Tongwu Wang Jian rubbed his hands together and shamelessly approached.

"Your Majesty, this...this smells incredibly delicious. This old minister has spent his life on the battlefield, and has tasted all sorts of delicacies, but I have never smelled such an overwhelming aroma. I wonder if this old minister would have the honor of tasting it?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ben, who was standing next to him, blushed and wished he could disappear into the ground.

How come my father's skin has become so thick after he gained immortality? This is His Majesty's imperial meal!

Seeing Wang Jian's greedy expression, Ying Zheng knew that Wang Jian was expressing his closeness to him in this way. Instead of being angry, he laughed.

"Haha, if Marquis Tongwu wants to eat, then let's eat together."

Wang Jian set a precedent, and Li Si, Feng Quji, Meng Tian, ​​Meng Yi, and others followed suit, all expressing their desire to "broaden their horizons."

They had long heard the Meng brothers, Meng Tian and Meng Yi, boast about how delicious the hot pot was, and their mouths were already watering.

"Sit down, everyone, sit down." Ying Zheng was in a great mood and waved his hand.

Soon, a large table was set up, and the emperor and his ministers sat around it, their mouths watering as they looked at the bubbling red soup in the pot.

Ying Zheng personally demonstrated by dipping a slice of mutton in a special sauce of sesame oil and garlic made by Zhao Huan, and then putting it in his mouth.

"Mmm, that's the taste!"

Seeing this, everyone else also started using chopsticks.

"Hiss... Ha... That's spicy!" Meng Tian gasped for breath from the spiciness, but the more he ate, the more addicted he became.

"This thing...this thing is truly magical! It's so delicious that I'll keep eating it again and again!" Li Si said, sweat beading on his forehead as he ate.

Wang Jian ate with shining eyes, praising it repeatedly: "Delicious! Delicious! This tastes even better than drinking strong liquor! Your Majesty, if this divine food could be used by the border troops, the soldiers would have no fear of the bitter cold in winter!"

"What Your Majesty says is quite right." Ying Zheng nodded, very satisfied with Wang Jian's keen insight.

Only Fusu was still immersed in the bloody scene just now, and had no appetite. He just sat there silently, watching everyone else eat heartily.

Ying Zheng glanced at him, picked up a piece of blanched potato slice and put it into his bowl.

"Eat."

Fusu stiffened, raised his head, and looked at his father.

Ying Zheng's tone was calm: "Do you know why your father wanted you to see this, and why he wanted you to sit here with them?"

Fusu shook his head.

Ying Zheng's gaze swept over everyone present.

Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and Wang Li, three generations of the family, were the pillars of the Qin Dynasty's military achievements.

Meng Tian and Meng Yi, brothers, were the core of military power in the Qin Dynasty.

Li Si and Feng Quji were the central figures in the Qin Dynasty's political administration.

"Fusu, remember this," Ying Zheng's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, "they are the people you should be close to from now on! They are the pillars of our Qin Dynasty, sharing its fate!"

"As for those Confucian scholars who only talk about benevolence and righteousness, spouting rites and ancestral rules, they are nothing but parasites on the empire! What they care about is never the strength of the Qin Dynasty, nor the lives of the people, but their own little bit of voice and ridiculous rules!"

"Have you understood what's happening today? Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself! Tolerance of corrupt officials is betrayal of the country!"

"Father..." Fusu's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't get the words out.

He knew his father was right, but his own beliefs prevented him from fully agreeing with such a cruel approach.

Ying Zheng sighed as he looked at his conflicted expression.

It seems that unless we send him to Huan'er, we can't change him completely.

Hearing Ying Zheng's admonition to Fusu, everyone present felt a chill.

They understood that His Majesty was not only giving a warning to the eldest son, but also making his stance clear to them, the core ministers.

Wang Jian stood up, picked up his wine bowl, and addressed Ying Zheng and Fusu in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is wise! I, Wang Jian, and my entire Wang clan are born of Qin and will die as ghosts of Qin! In this life and the next, we will follow Your Majesty's lead without question! We will continue to assist the new ruler in the same way. If we harbor any disloyalty, may we be struck down by heaven and earth!"

"We, your subjects, swear to serve Your Majesty to the death! To serve the Great Qin!"

Li Si, Feng Quji, Meng Tian, ​​and others immediately stood up and expressed their opinions in unison.

While the political landscape of Xianyang was in flux, Zhao Family Village in Lantian remained peaceful and tranquil.

Zhao Huan lived a leisurely life, while Bai Qi, who was forced to stay in the village as the "security captain," experienced a complete upheaval in his thinking.

At first, Bai Qi was holding back a lot of energy.

Since they were outmatched by Zhao Huan in terms of military strength, they decided to regain their footing through military strategy.

Having fought on the battlefield for decades and slaughtered millions of enemies, am I really inferior to a country boy?

Therefore, Bai Qi began to consciously "test" Zhao Huan.

That day, the two sat under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, and Bai Qi casually brought up the Battle of Changping.

"In the Battle of Changping, Zhao Kuo's theoretical knowledge of warfare was certainly the main reason. However, if the Zhao army had not chosen to hold their ground but instead sent troops to harass our supply lines, the outcome would have been uncertain."

I want to hear Zhao Huan's insights, and then, as an elder, give him some guidance so that he understands the cruelty and complexity of war, and that it cannot be won by brute force alone.

To everyone's surprise, Zhao Huan simply pursed his lips after hearing this.

"Old Bai, your thinking is too outdated. Why does war always have to be a head-on confrontation?"

"Oh?" Bai Qi raised an eyebrow. "Then, in your opinion, what should be done?"

Zhao Huan picked up a twig and drew a circle on the ground to represent the main force of the Qin army, and then drew many small crosses around it to represent the Zhao army.

"Look, the enemy is powerful and we are few in number, so let's not fight them to the death. If they come, we'll run away; if they set up camp, we'll harass them and keep them from sleeping; if they get tired, we'll concentrate our superior forces, hit them once, and then run away, never lingering in battle; if they chase, we'll retreat back into the mountains and they won't be able to find us."

Zhao Huan put the sixteen-character mantra of guerrilla warfare, which would later become a great man, into the simplest and most plain language.

"When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue."

Bai Qi didn't take these sixteen words seriously at first, but the more he pondered them, the brighter his eyes became.

This...this is practically a tactic tailor-made for the weaker side!

Simple and direct, yet incredibly effective.

Countless scenarios of applying this tactic flashed through my mind instantly. If only the six kingdoms of that time had known this method…

Bai Qi dared not think any further, only feeling a chill run down his spine.

He looked at Zhao Huan, and his expression completely changed.

What exactly is going on in this kid's head?

From that day on, Bai Qi never mentioned the word "test" again, but instead humbly discussed military strategy with Zhao Huan.

Zhao Huan's use of terms like "blitzkrieg," "infiltration and division," and "key strikes"—all previously unheard-of terms and tactical ideas—opened new doors for Bai Qi.

This god of war's understanding of war was completely overturned and then reshaped.

Bai Qi's gaze toward Zhao Huan had shifted from initial resentment to curiosity, as he now intended to drain Zhao Huan dry.