Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Wang Ben looked down at the pile of sand, then at the topographical map that was beginning to take shape, and then at the words he had just blurted out. His Adam's apple bobbed repeatedly.

"It's not light." He shook his head honestly, his voice a little hoarse, "It's not light at all."

It's more than just not light.

Six pairs of eyes shone brightly as they stared at him in awe. Wang Jian forgot to blink, Meng Wu forgot to close his mouth, and Zhang Han and Meng Tian squatted until their legs went numb, still clinging to the edge of the table, unwilling to look away.

This is simply heavy enough to hold the weight of the entire world!

Zhou Wenqing smiled calmly, slowly picked up his teacup and took a sip.

It was worth the half-month I spent researching Xianyang beforehand, studying its mountains, rivers, passes, and palaces, figuring out its locations, directions, and how to get there. I practiced with a bag of sand eight hundred times before finally achieving this smooth and effortless result.

He put down his teacup and gently exhaled.

Comfortable!

"Alright, stop standing there." He said to Wang Ben, who was still looking amazed and seemingly in a trance, "Why aren't you putting it away? Are you waiting for your father to put it away for you?"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Wang Ben snapped out of his daze and jumped up with a start.

Amidst the lingering gazes of the others, he began to carefully collect the small flags, pottery balls, and the like.

Then, he was stumped by the pile of sand. He held his hands in the air and gestured for a long time, trying to lift up "Xianyang", "Lishan" and "Hangu Pass" intact, as if it were not a pile of sand, but some sacred and inviolable place of state.

Zhou Wenqing: "..."

He sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

"Just roll up the map and pour the sand into the bag."

Wang Ben was stunned. He looked up at Zhou Wenqing, then looked down at "Xianyang," his face full of conflict.

Zhou Wenqing looked at his appearance and felt both annoyed and amused.

This guy is usually quite clever, so why is his brain suddenly not working properly right now?

He added irritably, "If I can't find sand in my study, do you think you can't find it outside?!"

That bag of sand was specifically for—cough!—to be used as a demonstration. Once you step outside that door… guess why the sandpit is called a sandpit?

Wang Ben finally snapped out of his daze from the "immersive sand table simulation," blinked, scratched the back of his head with a slightly embarrassed look, chuckled twice, and quickly packed his things away, remembering to be careful not to get the study dirty.

Now, the gifts from the "nephews" have all been received, and they are all holding them in their arms, reluctant to let go. Only the two generals have empty hands and are filled with envy.

Wang Jian snorted sourly from the side and muttered under his breath, "When I went to the battlefield back then, I didn't get this kind of treatment, but I still won the battle..."

Meng Wu immediately chimed in: "So even with your beard all white, you still haven't managed to get a telescope."

"Hey! What makes you any better?!"

Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Zhou Wenqing leisurely put down his teacup:

"The study is an important place."

Four words were enough to silence the two old generals.

"Zicheng," General Meng Wu said, somewhat reluctantly turning his gaze away from his son's bow and arrow, still unwilling to give up, and pressed on with the question:

"These...they're all divine weapons! Is it possible to make more, even if they're of slightly lower quality?"

He took half a step forward, and a picture was already in his mind:

If each of the army's elite scouts could be equipped with a telescope...

Let's form another new cavalry archer battalion of a thousand men...

We could see the enemy clearly from ten miles away. We could even count how many tents the enemy general had in his camp. While they were still there, bewildered and looking around for us, whoosh! A rain of arrows was already falling on our heads!

What a great victory!

He became more and more excited as he thought about it, his eyes shining brightly.

General Wang Jian, standing nearby, clearly had the same thought in mind. He could almost picture the enemy's defeat before his eyes, and his mouth was practically stretched to his ears with a grin.

Two burly generals stared at you with smiles, as if they were eyeing the flesh of Tang Sanzang (a legendary monk in Chinese mythology), and that feeling...

Zhou Wenqing felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end and couldn't help but cough.

"The two generals..."

"Hmm? Mr. Zhou, please feel free to ask if you need anything."

The two spoke in unison, their attitude incredibly attentive, their eyes incredibly eager, as if they were about to light incense and worship Zhou Wenqing as a sacred object to make wishes.

Seeing their comical appearance, Zhou Wenqing found it amusing, but as he laughed, a sense of melancholy rose in his heart.

In fact, what made these two generals so humble and eagerly anticipate this victory was not just a single battle.

Having fought bloody battles for decades, who among them lacked the confidence and fighting spirit to win a decisive victory?

But swords and blades have no eyes. If only we could use the advantage of these weapons to bring back a few more of the brothers who have risked their lives with us...

He sat up straight, his expression becoming serious, and said:

"Generals, it is not that I am shirking responsibility, but the construction is so complex that it is difficult to complete in a short time. I can only rely on you all to make good use of this item and strive to maximize its effectiveness!"

Wang Jian and Meng Wu exchanged a glance, their eagerness fading and replaced by solemnity. They nodded slightly in agreement, though a hint of regret inevitably lingered in their hearts.

Zhou Wenqing abruptly changed the subject, his expression becoming increasingly solemn:

"However, Wenqing dares to guarantee that during this campaign against Zhao, supplies and provisions will arrive from the rear in a steady stream, so that none of you will have any worries about the rear."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the two faces, speaking each word deliberately:

"Perhaps... the day Handan falls will be the day your long-cherished wish is fulfilled. When we conquer Wei and attack Qi, Wenqing will surely present you with all the divine weapons and treasures."

After he finished speaking, he added, his tone softening slightly: "On the day of your triumphant return, Wenqing will personally host a welcome banquet for you two."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jian clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "Alright! It's a deal!"

Meng Wu laughed heartily and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "It's a deal!"

"Uncle Zhou, don't forget about us!" Meng Tian chimed in, not to be outdone.

"Yes, yes, Uncle Zhou!" Wang Ben echoed, his eyes darting around. "Uncle Zhou, don't forget to throw us a celebration banquet with fruit wine!"

"You're so good at picking things!" Wang Jian chuckled and slapped his son on the back of the head, but then looked at Zhou Wenqing with the same expectant look in his eyes, as if to say: This request isn't too much to ask, is it?

Looking at the identical expressions in the eyes of the old man and the young man, Zhou Wenqing couldn't help but laugh out loud. He waved his hand, exuding a heroic air:

"Alright, alright, that's easy! We'll use fruit wine, plenty of it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in cheers.

"Uncle Zhou is awesome! Uncle Zhou is so magnanimous!"

"Hahaha! Very well, even if it's just for Zicheng's victory celebration, I will win this battle decisively!"

"And me! My Meng family must not fall behind!"

The atmosphere in the study gradually warmed up again.

Zhou Wenqing leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the crowd who were either cheering and celebrating or rubbing their hands together in anticipation, a smile slowly spreading across his lips.

He turned his head and looked out the window.

The clouds on the horizon hung low, and dusk was slowly creeping in.

He had done everything he could in the preparations for the battle, but he didn't know what the King and Mr. Wei Liao were up to...

How well did those Zhao envoys manage to fool them?