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

Zhao Huan stepped forward and checked his breath; he was still breathing.

He poured some water from his water pouch and carefully fed it to the man. Then he took out a piece of dry food from his pocket, broke it into pieces, soaked it in water, and fed it to him little by little.

After a long while, Zhang Liang slowly woke up.

He opened his eyes and saw Zhao Huan. He struggled to get up and pay his respects, but he had no strength at all.

"Thank you... thank you so much for saving my life," Zhang Liang said weakly.

"It was nothing, don't mention it." Zhao Huan handed him the remaining dry rations and water pouch. "You look like you're starving. Eat something to fill your stomach."

Zhang Liang didn't stand on ceremony and took the food, wolfing it down.

Seeing that he had almost finished eating, Zhao Huan finally spoke and asked, "Judging from your attire, you don't seem to be an ordinary person. How did you end up in such a state?"

After Zhang Liang finished eating and regained some strength, he gave Zhao Huan a wry smile and bowed deeply.

"My name is Zhang Liang, son of Zhang Ping, a former official of the State of Han. I hope you will forgive my rudeness."

"Zhang Liang?"

Zhao Huan's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes instantly lit up.

Zhang Zifang, one of the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty? The strategist who devised plans within the tent and won battles a thousand miles away?

He carefully examined the young man before him, who, though down on his luck, possessed an air of scholarly refinement. Judging by his age and his status as a "former official of the State of Han," it matched the historical records.

No way, what a coincidence.

I just went home and found an SSR-level top strategist on the roadside.

This luck is just too incredible!

Zhao Huan was overjoyed inside, but he remained outwardly calm and feigned surprise.

"Oh! So you are Zhang Kaidi's descendant, the son of Han Xiang Zhang Ping. My apologies, my apologies."

He quickly started making plans in his mind.

Zhang Liang, this is an absolutely invaluable treasure.

He was the most active anti-Qin figure in history, someone who was determined to fight the Qin Dynasty to the bitter end.

How could I, the self-proclaimed number one rebel leader who is "determined to rebel," let such a talent slip by?

If Liu Bang could use it, why can't I, Zhao Huan, use it?

Moreover, I have a much greater advantage than Liu Bang!

My dad is rich, I have knowledge that is two thousand years ahead of this era, and a bunch of good things left by the system. Most importantly, I know the course of history!

Thinking this through, Zhao Huan cut to the chase, "Master Zifang, my name is Zhao Huan. It is fate that we have met here. To be frank, I harbor ambitions to overthrow the tyrannical Qin dynasty. Would you be willing to lend me a hand?"

Zhang Liang had just caught his breath when he heard these words and almost choked.

His eyes instantly became wary, and he stared intently at Zhao Huan.

Who is this person? How did he know what I was thinking? He came up here and immediately declared he wanted to rebel? Is he a spy for the Qin regime, or...?

"My benefactor is too kind," Zhang Liang said calmly. "I am but a commoner; how could I possibly overthrow the tyrannical Qin Dynasty?"

Zhao Huan smiled calmly, shrugged, and indicated that he meant no harm.

"Master Zifang, there's no need to panic. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have saved you just now. Wouldn't it have been easier to let you starve to death right here by the roadside?"

"The reason I spoke frankly to you, sir, is twofold: first, because I admire your family's five generations of loyal ministers serving the state of Han; and second, because I see that even in your current predicament, you have not lost your lofty aspirations."

"Presumably, your current predicament is also related to the cause of overthrowing the Qin Dynasty?"

Zhang Liang remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. After thinking for a moment, he decided to take a gamble and tentatively asked.

"Judging from your tone, my benefactor, could you also be a former official of the six states, with a blood feud with Qin Shi Huang?"

"No," Zhao Huan shook his head, answering decisively.

"I have no enmity with Ying Zheng."

This answer stunned Zhang Liang.

No grudge? If you have no grudge, why are you rebelling?

Zhao Huan smiled at his questioning look and continued.

"I know what you're thinking. You think it's absurd that I, not a descendant of the six former states and without any deep-seated hatred for Ying Zheng, keep talking about rebelling, isn't it?"

Zhang Liang didn't speak, but his expression said it all.

Zhao Huan didn't need his reply. He found a clean rock to sit on, patted the spot next to him, and gestured for Zhang Liang to sit down as well.

"Master Zifang, do you hate Ying Zheng?" Zhao Huan suddenly asked.

"Hate!" Zhang Liang said through gritted teeth, "I have a deep-seated hatred for him—the hatred of a nation's destruction and the hatred of a family's murder! This hatred is irreconcilable!"

His grandfather and father were both prime ministers of the State of Han. It can be said that his entire family was closely tied to the fate of the State of Han.

The destruction of his country and the loss of his family were pains he could never erase from his heart.

"I understand." Zhao Huan nodded, his tone calm. "But putting aside personal and national grudges, from an outsider's perspective, do you think Ying Zheng's conquest of the six states and unification of the world was ultimately a merit or a demerit?"

"What merits or demerits can a tyrant have?" Zhang Liang retorted coldly without hesitation.

"Is that so?" Zhao Huan's lips curled into a playful smile. "Then let me ask you, since the decline of the Zhou dynasty and the fragmentation of the empire, from the Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States period, in these five hundred years, the feudal lords fought each other, the people suffered greatly, and corpses littered the fields. How many people died because of the war?"

Zhang Liang's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word.

He didn't know that number, and nobody else did either.

But that was an astronomical figure, a terrifying number.

Zhao Huan looked at him and continued, "Let me ask you again, Ying Zheng swept across the six kingdoms and unified the world. Although he caused countless killings, compared to the five hundred years of continuous warfare, which is more or less?"

Zhang Liang's expression began to turn somewhat unpleasant.

Although he was unwilling to admit it, he knew perfectly well what was going on in his heart.

Although Qin Shi Huang's war of unification was brutal, the number of deaths was indeed far fewer compared to the endless internal strife that had lasted for five hundred years before.

"Qin Shi Huang ended this five-hundred-year period of chaos, reunited the world, and spared the people from the ravages of war. Isn't this an immense achievement?"

"But his oppressive policies are more ferocious than a tiger, and the people suffer unspeakably!" Zhang Liang retorted loudly, his face flushed.

"Tyrannical rule..." Zhao Huan laughed. "Master Zifang, you have lived in Han for a long time, you should know this better than anyone. Let me ask you, was the King of Han a good ruler back then? Weren't Han's laws harsh? Weren't the people of Han living in hardship?"

"I……"

Zhang Liang was speechless once again.

When he had completed his studies, he was full of ambition and determined to assist the monarch and save the country and its people.

But the result?

The proposed strategy for strengthening the nation was treated as a joke by those powerful and wealthy individuals who only knew how to fight for power and profit.

We watched helplessly as South Korea, beset by internal and external troubles, gradually marched towards its demise.

At that time, didn't he also feel that King Han was incompetent, the government was corrupt, and the people were suffering?

Zhao Huan, observing his constantly changing expression, knew that his words had had an effect.

They decided to add fuel to the fire.

"Master Zifang, you are a wise man. You should understand that many things cannot be judged by appearances alone."

"Ying Zheng was a man unlike any other in history. His achievements were unprecedented, and it is very likely that no one will ever surpass him."

"Standardizing the width of carts, unifying the written language, standardizing ethical norms, and unifying weights and measures—which of these measures isn't a great thing that benefits future generations? Although the methods used in their implementation were somewhat forceful and affected the interests of many, wasn't this all to allow this newly unified country to integrate more quickly?"

"He campaigned against the Xiongnu in the north, recovered the Ordos Loop, and built the Great Wall to defend against foreign enemies. He also conquered the Baiyue in the south and opened the Ling Canal to facilitate waterways. Were these not all for the purpose of expanding the living space for our Chinese people and laying the foundation for an everlasting dynasty?"