Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

“They lack the cultural heritage of the Central Plains, the unity of the six states, and the knowledge of military strategy. It is not difficult for them to divide these tribes.”

"Simply make these Baiyue people become enemies with each other, use the weapons you provide to attack each other, capture people from other tribes and sell them to you in exchange for more weapons and goods from the Central Plains."

"In this way, you can use minimal effort to obtain a continuous supply of labor to help you plant sugarcane and extract sugar. You only need to provide basic food and clothing, and all the profits will be yours."

"Furthermore, since that area is outside the Central Plains, the First Emperor wouldn't be paying attention to it. After a few years of development, he could bring the region completely under his control."

"Even if we use this as a foundation, it's not impossible to recruit soldiers, build a country, and become a king. However, this method is full of all vices, but it is utterly immoral."

He didn't take it too seriously, just thinking it was bragging, and got more and more excited as he talked.

However, she didn't notice at all that Ji Liang's almond-shaped eyes lit up slightly. In an instant, she felt as if a door to a new world was slowly opening in her mind.

Chapter Fifty-Four should be considered a friendship between Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya.

In Zhao Di, in a secluded courtyard.

"Green Pearl, do you think... Mr. Ji Liang might be in trouble?"

A look of worry appeared on Xiong Xin's delicate face.

Green Pearl wore a long linen dress, and although her clothes were simple, they could not hide the heroic spirit emanating from her brows as a guard of the Chu royal family.

She bit her lip lightly and said, "With Mr. Ji Liang's abilities, those lackeys of Great Xia will definitely not be able to catch her."

Although she said that, you could tell from her worried tone that she didn't have much confidence in herself.

As per the plan Ji Liang had agreed upon for them, they were to wait here for the time being.

After the assassination of the Empress Dowager is successful, a great earthquake will occur throughout the world, plunging the Great Xia Dynasty into chaos, and the remnants of the six kingdoms in various regions will rise up one after another.

Ji Liang will then help them introduce a great talent, who will then raise the royal banner, act as the leader of the alliance, and command all the heroes of the world to join forces, overthrow the rule of the tyrannical Xia dynasty, and restore the former six kingdoms.

However, the plan failed.

The Xia army, which had been prepared in advance, used substitutes as bait to lure the remnants of the six kingdoms into a trap.

Now, not only have the people from the six kingdoms who went to assassinate him fallen under the iron cavalry of the Great Xia, but even Ji Liang's fate is unknown.

It's been several days past the agreed time, and this looks like things are going to turn out badly.

Now that even Mr. Ji Liang, whom they have always admired, has failed, what will become of them in the future?

The thought that even though Chu had only three households left, it would surely destroy Xia, and that all her years of perseverance would be in vain, made Green Pearl feel quite downcast.

"Your Highness Xiong Xin, I'm back."

Just when the two were about to give up hope, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Then a slender figure dressed in a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) came into view.

Who else could it be but Ji Liang?

But she seemed a little different from usual at this moment.

Her jet-black hair was pulled up high and adorned with an exquisite jade hairpin. Her fair and slender hands brushed away the loose strands of hair and tucked them behind her delicate ears, revealing her snow-white collarbone.

Those almond-shaped eyes that glanced over unintentionally carried a gentle, alluring charm that left everyone mesmerized. The lingering mature elegance between her brows was exceptionally captivating.

If she previously gave the impression of a dignified and virtuous young lady from a prestigious family, then now she gives the impression of a dignified and virtuous woman with an intellectual and mature charm.

It's truly amazing.

Xiong Xin's clear black and white eyes widened for a moment, then a look of surprise appeared on his small face: "Mr. Ji Liang, are you alright? I was so worried when I heard that the lackeys of Da Xia were looking for you everywhere."

"I underestimated the First Emperor. If it weren't for good luck, I might have really fallen into her hands."

After Ji Liang finished speaking, a hint of relief flashed in her almond-shaped eyes.

Since the assassination attempt failed, the local government has sent people to search everywhere, turning almost the entire Zhao region upside down. It is said that many merchants who came to do business were arrested and questioned because they were unfamiliar faces.

The last place she escaped to was Bai Su's place, where she escaped the Xia army's search thanks to Bai Su's protection.

Otherwise, she would probably have already been captured by the Xia army and sent to Xianyang to await the First Emperor's judgment.

Green Pearl couldn't help but ask, "Where has Mr. Ji Liang been all these days?"

"I went to Handan City and stayed with Young Master Bai for a while. I got some good things from him, which gave me some ideas for my future plans."

Ji Liang recalled Bai Su's gift of the sugar extraction method and the map to Nan Yue, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

Now, the remnants of the six kingdoms are helpless against the Empress Dowager, who commands a million-strong army. How could they possibly be unable to deal with a group of uncivilized southern Yue tribes?

"So, Mr. Ji Liang, you've been visiting the great talent these past few days. No wonder you've been back so late."

"Yes, look at Mr. Ji Liang, his steps are unsteady, he walks with a limp, it's obvious he's been traveling back and forth a lot these days."

"I've heard that this talented person often has a rather eccentric personality and likes to make others work like slaves as a test."

"First, King Wen of Zhou pulled the chariot for Taigong, and later, the Duke of Zhou spat out his food to personally welcome him. Judging from Ji Liang's appearance, he must have been through a lot of trouble."

Listening to the whispered conversation between the two, Ji Liang gently bit her lip.

Beneath her skirt, her shapely, long legs were unnaturally clenched together, and the waves of pain in her lower abdomen caused a blush to rise on her fair cheeks.

She was indeed put through a lot that day; in a sense, she was treated like a beast of burden.

However, it was completely different from what the two women had imagined—the scene of undergoing trials by a master and engaging in lofty discussions with him.

Ji Liang bit her lip lightly, enduring the waves of pain in her lower abdomen, and asked in a casual tone, "Has there been any movement outside the city these past two days?"

After pondering for a while, Green Pearl said, "There's been no movement. The troops of Great Xia searched the city and, finding no suspicious persons, lifted the city gates. Now we can leave."

Xiong Xin blinked his clear, black-and-white eyes: "Mr. Ji Liang, shall we leave now?"

Ji Liang nodded: "It's too dangerous to stay here any longer. It's time to head to Chu and make the next plan."

After all, she now has a lucrative business that makes a fortune every day, and with Xiong Xin's influence in the Chu region as the grandson of King Huai of Chu, she should be able to gather a considerable force.

Although they are not on the same level as Zheng Jie at all, if they were to go to the wild lands of Nan Yue, they would be considered a considerable force, enough for her to do many things.

For example, they recruited soldiers and horses, accumulated strength, and secretly contacted the remnants of the six states in various parts of the Central Plains, waiting for the opportunity when the world changed drastically and the divine artifact changed hands.

"Then... Mr. Ji Liang, shall we set off now?" Xiong Xin blinked his clear black and white eyes and asked curiously.

Ji Liang blushed slightly and said shyly, "Well... after my failed assassination attempt on the First Emperor, I was accidentally injured and have some difficulty moving around. Let's set off a few days later."

In the past, if she had obtained such a powerful weapon, she would naturally have immediately begun preparations to overthrow the Great Xia Dynasty.

However, her body was simply not up to the task of continuing the bumpy journey.

Green Pearl glanced at the white cloth on Ji Liang's leg, but didn't suspect anything.

Xiong Xin blinked her clear eyes, and after listening to Ji Liang explain the benefits of sugar refining, her face flushed with excitement.

She couldn't help but ask, "This young master Bai is so generous, actually giving such a valuable prescription to Mr. Ji Liang. May I ask what kind of relationship you have with him?"

"friendship?"

Ji Liang was taken aback for a moment, then blushed slightly and said, "I would say we were like friends of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya."

Chapter Fifty-Five: How About We Make a Bet?

Recently, a foreign envoy has arrived, saying he wishes to travel to Xianyang to visit His Majesty the Emperor.

Empress Zheng was overjoyed and immediately ordered officials along the route to treat the foreign envoys with utmost care and ensure their safe passage to Xianyang.

After all, this is a great opportunity to promote ourselves to the whole world.

The Great Xia Dynasty had only unified the world for a few years when foreign states took the initiative to come and pay homage, accomplishing something that the former six kingdoms had not been able to do.

Doesn't this further prove that the Great Xia Dynasty was ordained by Heaven and is legitimate?

Therefore, there were many more soldiers patrolling along the way than before, for fear that the assassination attempt by the remnants of the six kingdoms would happen again some time ago.

Bai Su sat in the tavern, took a refreshing sip of wine, and looked curiously toward the city gate.

At this time, it seems that only the Xiongnu, Donghu, and Yuezhi are capable of sending envoys to the Central Plains.

It's unlikely that the Xiongnu and the Xia Dynasty had a feud.

After all, Zhengjie had dispatched 300,000 troops to drive the Xiongnu out of the Ordos region. Such a great enmity had just been formed, and it hadn't been long before, so how could the Xiongnu possibly send an envoy to pay their respects?

As for the Donghu.

The Donghu were also a powerful force on the grasslands, on par with the Xiongnu. They rose to prominence in the Liaodong region and fought with the Yan state for hundreds of years.

After Zhengjie unified the country, she drove the Donghu people thousands of miles away. In order to completely solve the problem of the northern border troubles, she connected the Great Wall of Yan and Zhao and built a Great Wall that spanned thousands of miles.

The Donghu and the Central Plains were mortal enemies, so it was impossible for them to send envoys to the Central Plains.

So it seems that there is only one remaining foreign tribe in the surrounding area: the Yuezhi tribe.

As for why they came, Bai Su could roughly guess.

It seems that the Xiongnu were beginning to rise in power, and the Yuezhi were no match for them, so they wanted to come to the Central Plains to ask for reinforcements.

Sometimes history is full of such amazing coincidences.

At the same time, a powerful woman named Zheng Jie appeared in the Central Plains, sweeping across the six kingdoms and unifying the nine provinces.

At the same time, a powerful leader emerged among the nomadic peoples of the grasslands, a figure who could be described as a once-in-a-century talent: Modu Chanyu.

Under Modu's leadership, the Xiongnu defeated their formidable enemy, the Donghu, and unified the various tribes of the steppe. They then began to shift their expansionist focus to the Yuezhi, who were located at the entrance to the Hexi Corridor.

Because of the sudden death of Zhengjie at that time, the Central Plains fell apart and was in a period of warlordism, so there was no energy to deal with the affairs beyond the Great Wall.

So the Xiongnu took the opportunity to defeat the Yuezhi, and even cut off the head of the Yuezhi king, which was made into a drinking vessel and stored in the Xiongnu king's tent.

The remnants of the Yuezhi were pursued and killed by the Xiongnu, and fled westward.

The remnants of the Yuezhi fled to India, and relying on the formidable military strength inherent in the East Asian monsters, they slowly established the Kushan Empire over a period of more than a hundred years.

Meanwhile, the Xiongnu occupied the entire grasslands, Liaodong, the Hetao region, and the Western Regions, growing into a behemoth that oppressed the Han Dynasty for over a century, leaving it breathless.

Later, Emperor Wu of Han attempted to send envoys to invite the Yuezhi tribe to join forces against the Xiongnu.

The timeline has now subtly shifted.

Not only is Zhengjie alive and well, but the court is also very stable, and there has been no major chaos in the Central Plains.

Therefore, it is understandable that the Yuezhi tribe wanted to come to the Central Plains for help in dealing with the Xiongnu.

"What are you thinking about?" A clear voice came from beside me.