I am not a seventh-generation descendant of Lord Wu'an from the Qin Dynasty.

"Afterwards, the king ascended the throne, and Lord Xinling led a coalition of five states to attack Qin, with their troops pressing against Hangu Pass."

"Wenxinhou feared that the Qin state would lose three kings in succession and that the morale of the army would be unstable. Therefore, he pretended to be ordered by the king to find Bai Zhong, a member of the Bai clan, and enfeoff him in Taiyuan. The Qin people were thus at peace."

Li Si knelt down with a thud, bowed his head and bowed again, his words filled with sorrow.

"Li Si did not want to dig up old stories of the former king, but rather that Lord Wu'an died unjustly, and the people of Qin pitied him."

"If Your Majesty desires to ascend the throne, the hearts of the Qin people, both soldiers and civilians, are all tied to the heir of the Bai family. How can you not be aware of this?"

"After receiving the letter, Si sent it to Sichuan overnight, and Qingruo came out upon hearing the news..."

Li Si paused for a moment, then said, "Bai Qizi's wife is newly pregnant, and they will soon be going to Xianyang together."

"To Xianyang together?" King Zheng of Qin's brow relaxed suddenly. He felt both the discomfort of having his privacy exposed and a barely perceptible secret joy.

"Li Si, the Shanglin Garden is still lacking a chief administrator. If there's nothing urgent at Prime Minister Lü's residence, let him take on the role as well!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Si lowered his head, a hint of joy flashing across his lips; he knew he had gambled correctly again.

Once this matter comes to light, whether Lü Buwei likes it or not, Li Si, as a close advisor to the King of Qin and a middleman connecting the Prime Minister's office and the Xianyang Palace, will undoubtedly become an important minister in the Prime Minister's office.

The position of Attendant-in-Ordinary is too low!

Bai Qizi, Li Si has already built the ladder to heaven for you; you should now step into Xianyang City amidst a profusion of flowers.

I just don't know if you, carrying the legacy of the Bai family's heir, can bear this heavy burden!

……

Deep in the Taihang Mountains.

Two groups of Qin generals, clad in gleaming black armor, clashed head-on.

"Wang Wei? Why did you leave your post and abandon your defense zone instead of leading the Qin troops to suppress the bandits?"

"Meng Tian, ​​stop pretending to be confused!"

Wang Wei jumped off his warhorse, cracked his whip, and charged straight at them angrily.

"The old man sent a message saying that the bandits in the Taihang Mountains are worth at most four fifth-rank Grand Masters."

"Bai Qizi has rendered great service by offering strategic advice and has also helped Prime Minister Li You recruit 8,000 new residents from Tian County. If you, Meng Tian, ​​are not in a hurry, why did you send your Qin family's personal guards into the mountains?!"

Meng Tian pursed his lips, then said knowingly, "You want to join forces to quickly take over the private estate of Han Wangsun in Beishan?"

"If you weren't, why would you need to transfer your personal guards?"

Wang Wei held up five fingers, and Meng Tian did the same.

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"With the combined efforts of our two families, Wang Meng and I, we can gather 100 personal guards and 400 new recruits, making a total of 500 elite troops."

"Taking advantage of the army's high morale, we should press on and charge straight for Eagle Ridge in the northern Taihang Mountains to eliminate the last private army stronghold under the name of the Crown Prince of Han."

"At that time, I would appreciate it if Young General Wang Wei would put in a good word for you under the command of General Wang Yi."

"Ha?" Wang Wei sneered. "You, Meng Tian, ​​are always spouting nonsense. The Shanglin Garden is about to open; if the Meng family doesn't send you, who is worthy to go?!"

Meng Tian looked helpless and said, "I have a younger brother named Meng Yi, who is decisive and brave, and can serve the king's orders."

"Your father thinks that General Meng Ao wouldn't make a mistake on important matters."

Wang Wei shook his head and said, "This is the King vying for power with Prime Minister Lü; each family must send its most capable eldest son!"

"Meng Yi is just a little brat. Let whoever wants to acknowledge him do so; Wang Wei only acknowledges you, Meng Tian."

Meng Tian appeared moved, but was speechless inside.

The power struggle between the king and his ministers, the infighting among the eldest sons—is this something that can be openly discussed? It's just an excuse; why are you still clinging to it?

But Meng Tian also knew that Wang Wei was just a bit outspoken and had no bad intentions.

As the saying goes, the eldest son plays with the eldest son, and the concubines play with the concubines; he was simply protecting his own camp.

If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much.

Meng Tian and Wang Wei chatted for a few more minutes, but they couldn't find anything in common.

The two decided to join forces and travel under cover of darkness.

The mountain was high and the dew was heavy, and the two were also wearing thick, suffocating black Qin armor, so they lost all interest in talking.

Only during brief rests would Wang Wei and Meng Tian talk about their only common topic.

Wang Wei asked curiously, "Is that Bai Qizi truly the posthumous grandson of Qi, the granddaughter-in-law of Lord Wu'an?"

"It's hard to say," Meng Tian said cautiously. "According to my grandfather's letter, the midwife, Bai, examined the fetus several times. The baby's belly was large and round, suggesting it might be twins."

"But as you know, this is an old story from years ago. Back then, the Qin people were very secretive about it. We, the younger generation, should refrain from making wild guesses."

"Alright. Let's talk about military strategy then."

Wang Wei: "My caravan encountered bandits coming down the mountain six times, and we captured 2,200 bandits. What about you?"

Meng Tian held up his thumb and forefinger, a smug smile creeping onto his face. "Eight times! I dispatched two caravans, one in front and one behind. They captured 2,800 bandits."

"Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier if you had a good idea?" Wang Wei said angrily. "So, I'm the only one who's going to obediently follow the plan? You two are both cunning!"

Meng Tian shrugged, his face also showing helplessness.

Using the same strategy, Wang Wei dutifully led his troops to follow the caravan, launching six separate operations to diligently suppress and capture three thousand bandits.

Before the battle, Meng Tian devised a plan. He sent two caravans, one large and one small, to advance along different routes. They worked day and night, and even with both suppression and capture, they could only manage to kill 3,500 men.

But Bai Qizi, it is said, used his superb archery skills to intimidate the bandit leader, forcing this group of brainless bandits to join forces and set up an ambush.

Lure the enemy with grain, fifty thousand led to five thousand, and the merchant camp was able to hold out for half a day without being destroyed, and four thousand eight thousand were defeated in one battle.

Afterwards, they again used military force to coerce and conscript men to lead the way into the mountains to clear out the enemy.

Watching Li Tian of Xianyang, who knew nothing about military affairs, capture eight thousand thieves in a snowballing manner, while the two of them worked themselves to the bone and only managed to capture around five thousand thieves.

They all led a thousand new recruits, used the same strategy of suppressing bandits with a caravan, and were the three military rookies in their first battle.

The two were evenly matched and could encourage each other, but what about Li Tian, ​​who came from the same family as Li Si, the prime minister's cousin...?

Enraged, Wang Wei cursed, "Without Bai Qizi, Li Tian is nothing but a damn bird! Not even as good as a bird!"

Meng Tian deeply agreed.

As far as he knew, that guy had been in the mountains for three months and hadn't even stained his sword with blood. Can you believe it?

According to the military law of the Qin Dynasty, officers without a record of killing enemies would be beheaded in public.

But those battle achievements... If Li Tian were to be executed because of this, what would they be? Useless?!

It's all because he has Bai Qi to assist him.

For several days in a row.

The two generals of Meng and Wang led 500 soldiers, trekking through mountains and rivers for days on end. When they were tired, they would curse the damned Li Tian.

And you know what? A good scolding made me feel refreshed, and even relieved a lot of the fatigue from the journey.

Lone Eagle Ridge is visible in the distance.

The two generals of the Meng Kingdom led their troops to hide in the mountain valley. They emerged at dusk and made their way to the fortified wall, which was fifteen feet high.

Above, a large Korean-style banner fluttered in the wind.

Meng Tian and Wang Wei exchanged a glance and waved in unison.

As if in competition, the two bodyguards rushed out in unison, three of them holding ropes, twisting and turning them to firmly attach the ends of the ropes to the stockade wall.

The six guards moved swiftly and quickly, scaling the stockade wall and disappearing into the darkness.

Before long, sporadic clanging sounds rang out from the city wall, and the gate of the stockade slowly opened in front of them.

Wang Wei drew his sword and stood up.

"kill!"

"Capture and kill the bandit leader of this stronghold, and you will be promoted to the rank of 2500 commander! Your merit will be rewarded with four ranks of nobility, without further promotion!"

Upon hearing this, the fifty royal guards around him all had tears in their eyes, gritted their teeth, and charged straight ahead.

Meng Tian didn't compete with him, but slowed down and followed closely behind with his spear.

"Follow me! We'll share the spoils!"

"kill!"

"Charge! Capture the bandit leader, you'll be promoted to five hundred commanders, a four-rank merit, and your title will remain unchanged!"

Compared to the taciturn guards of the two families, the Qin soldiers' new recruits were somewhat hot-blooded.

The campaign to suppress bandits in the Taihang Mountains is coming to an end, after which the search for any remaining bandits will be conducted throughout the mountains and plains.

If we can't achieve one or two great feats of beheading today, we might not have the chance tomorrow.

Soon, flames shot into the sky from the bandit stronghold on Lone Eagle Ridge, and shouts of battle erupted.

Wang Wei was exceptionally brave and skilled in martial arts. He charged forward with his sword and swept his giant shield, and no one in his path could withstand his attack.

Meng Tian commanded skillfully, his long spear pointing at the Qin soldiers' guards as they drew their bows and crossbows, piercing through the enemy ranks.

The two generals charged into the enemy ranks with incredible speed, reaching the bandit camp's central stronghold in less than half a quarter of an hour.

But at this moment, Wang Wei looked at the bandit stronghold built against the mountain, about three zhang high, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Damn it, the thieves have an inner stronghold! Meng Tian, ​​hurry..."

Before the words were finished, a campfire suddenly blazed up on the inner wall of the bandit stronghold, and the sounds of swords and spears clashing filled the air.

In an instant, a muscular, dark-faced man raised a white-haired old man aloft and shouted.

"Under General Li Tian's command, Li Kui, acting as commander of the Hundredth Army, slew the bandit leader Flying Eagle in battle. Great Qin, a thousand victories!"

Beneath the inner wall of the bandit stronghold, the bandits, terrified, cried out in unison, "The stronghold chief is dead!"

The Qin soldiers, their blood boiling, roared in unison, "Great Qin, may you be victorious!"

Wang Wei and Meng Tian exchanged a wry smile, and a thought flashed through their minds simultaneously.

"Wait, why are Li Tian's hundred generals still here? No, wait, it's Bai Qizi!"

"Bai Qizi, is he truly a master strategist?"