Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone held their breath, no one daring to utter another word.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter was very soft, carrying a hint of desolation and self-mockery born of hardship.

Noble?

How ridiculous those two words are.

He suddenly remembered the days when he was a hostage in Handan when he was a child.

From birth, he lived under the roof of others, at their mercy, suffering cold looks and bullying, living in fear and anxiety every day. Even the peaceful life of an ordinary child from a commoner family was a luxury.

The so-called imperial honor and royal privilege were earned step by step by him through bloodshed and sacrifice for future generations.

But these children, who grew up in comfort, took it for granted as their inherent advantage.

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng's smile faded, and he slowly spoke: "Born noble?"

"When I was young, I was held hostage in Handan and suffered endless humiliation. How could I possibly be considered noble?"

"Your honor today is the result of the bloodshed of countless Qin soldiers on the battlefield, the diligent work of the people, and the blessing I bestow upon you."

"Without national stability and the continuation of the state, you are nothing more than drifting duckweed in a chaotic world, trampled upon by others."

"..."

Finally, the princes and princesses, ashamed and speechless after being reprimanded, took their leave one after another, dejected.

After the noise subsided, only the father and daughter remained facing each other in the main hall.

Ying Yinman never cried or made a fuss, nor did she utter a single word of rebuttal.

She even secretly rejoiced about following Lord Song on his journey to Baiyue for training.

Compared to the monotonous and tiring work of mixing mortar on the construction site every day, traveling to Baiyue would allow me to understand the people's conditions, see the landscape, and learn real practical skills in governing the country from Lord Song. This was a rare opportunity.

She looked up at her father, who sat silently and alone on his high throne, her eyes filled with heartache and worry.

A moment later, the girl knelt beside the emperor, her warm tears silently streaming down her face, soaking her clothes. "I'm sorry, Father."

The man lowered his eyes, his tone losing its previous coldness: "Why are you crying? And why apologize?"

Ying Yinman said sullenly, "Your Majesty, I feel sorry for my younger siblings. They are too young to understand your good intentions."

"Your Majesty knows that you are not mistreating your children, but you do not want us to be delicate idlers trapped within the palace walls. You want us to shoulder the responsibilities of the children of Qin. They do not understand now, but they will understand in the future."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng remained silent for a long time.

He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips gently stroking his eldest daughter's hair, his movements extremely tender.

"I possess a vast empire, and I have never lacked for the finest food and clothing to feed you."

"But my children must not be caged canaries."

"Born into an imperial family and enjoying the highest honors and glory in the world, one should also bear the heaviest responsibilities. Without backbone, vision, and a sense of duty, one will be the first ant to wither in a chaotic world."

Ying Yinman buried her face in his knees, nodded gently, and her tears fell even more fiercely.

She understood that her father's strictness was never a punishment, but rather an all-out effort to pave a path for them to establish themselves.

"Your Majesty, I just feel that you are suffering so much."

Ying Zheng lowered his eyes, his thoughts drifting away.

Is it bitter? Perhaps.

Having been held hostage in a foreign land since childhood, enduring daily torment, she lived as a small, lonely figure trampled upon by others.

The young man returned to his country and took power, but every step he took was fraught with danger, for beneath his feet lay mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Having unified the world in middle age, he still had so much to do, but was bewitched by a sorcerer and forced to take a highly poisonous elixir.

Throughout most of his life, from the hardships of his youth to the reign of emperor, he never had a single day of true peace. Even as he approached the end of his life, what he could not let go of was the vast Qin Dynasty.

"I... have finally overcome my hardships and are now enjoying the fruits of my labor."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ying Yinman cried even harder.

"Father is just a liar!"

Meanwhile, at the Northern Frontier Camp.

In May, the sandstorms subsided slightly during the day on the northern slopes of the Yin Mountains, but it was still cold at night.

Inside the command tent, tallow candles were lit. Meng Tian, ​​draped in a fox fur coat, sat behind a desk with a sheepskin map of the border regions spread out in front of him, marking the defensive lines and outposts of the counties of Yunzhong, Jiuyuan, Shangjun, and Beidi.

Han Xin stood beside the map, pointing to a blank area north of Yinshan Mountain.

"The scouts report that after Touman Chanyu's defeat, his various tribes scattered in the area from the northern foothills of Yinshan Mountain to the Hetao region, and have not yet regrouped."

Han Xin said calmly, "The Left Wise King's forces have retreated towards Gaoque, while the remnants of the Right Guli King's forces are roaming around Zhuoxie Mountain. Communication between the various tribes has been cut off, and they are currently in a state of disarray."

Meng Tian pondered for a moment and said, "The Xiongnu are not like the feudal lords of the Central Plains; they live by following the water and grass, and their camps can be moved at any time. If we want to fight them, we must first know which pasture they are currently in..."

"That's exactly the problem," Lü Ze said.

Just then, Zhou Bo walked in from outside the tent. "News has just arrived. The governor of Yunzhong County reports that recently there have been a few scattered air cavalrymen patrolling about thirty miles outside the Great Wall, as if they were scouting ahead."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian frowned: "Touman is testing the strength of our defenses."

"Not only that," Han Xin continued, "According to past practice, the Xiongnu will begin small-scale raids around May or June..."

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the tent.

Meng Tian tapped his fingers on the table: "We can't wait for him to recover, but it's unrealistic for our army to want to penetrate deep into the grasslands."

The supply lines were too long, making it difficult to keep up with the supply lines, and the cavalry could not catch up with the Xiongnu.

And that is the crux of the problem.

The next moment, Han Xin used sand and gravel to pile up the shape of the Yin Mountains and the location of several passes on the sand table. "Our advantage is not in the number of cavalry. If we want to take the initiative, we have to use the fighting style of the Xiongnu."

"What kind of fighting style?" Meng Tian hurriedly asked.

"Fast, accurate, and ruthless; strike and leave."

"???"

Then, he pointed to a few more locations: "East of the Hetao region, in the direction of Touman Chanyu's royal court, there are several places along the way with abundant water and grass, which are where the Xiongnu people gather in the summer."

"If we can find one of these places, we'll burn its pastures and seize its livestock..."

Meng Tian shook his head: "The problem is how to find it? There are no road signs on the grassland, and our army is easily discovered by scouts if we venture too far."

"When the Left Wise King was defeated last time, Xiang Yu captured several prisoners. If we could interrogate them..."

The rest is self-evident, and everyone present understands perfectly.

The Qin Dynasty's harsh laws and varied punishments were naturally diverse; the Xiongnu probably never experienced anything like that...?

The prisoners: "..."