I started on a deserted island and encountered Ying Zheng, who insisted I was an immortal.

The moment she finished speaking, Zhang Ying swayed.

He let out a long hiccup, then sprawled out on the makeshift bed made of wooden planks, and fell silent.

Before long, even snores filled the entire cave.

Outside the cave, thunder rumbled and torrential rain poured down.

Inside the cave, Ying Zheng, Meng Yi, and Wang Ben stood silently in place.

The only sounds in the air were the crackling of the charcoal fire, the patter of the rain, and Zhang Ying's contented snoring.

a long time.

Ying Zheng walked back to the stone table, picked up the wooden chopsticks he had broken, and pulled out the splinter that was stuck in his palm.

Blood seeped out, but he didn't care at all.

"I was wrong about Zhao Gao."

His voice was low, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were confessing to the only two confidants beside him.

"I spared his life for two reasons. First, he was a distant relative of the imperial family and had served diligently for many years. Second, it was to check the power of the Meng family in the court. The Meng family had made great contributions, and I did not want to see a situation where one family held absolute power."

He threw the blood-stained broken chopsticks into the brazier and watched them be consumed by the flames.

"I never imagined that this would sow the seeds of such disaster for the Qin Dynasty."

Meng Yi stepped forward, his wide sleeves brushing the ground, and bowed deeply to Ying Zheng.

"Your Majesty, the past cannot be undone. To acknowledge one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue. Your Majesty is the greatest emperor of all time. Who dares to accept Your Majesty's apology, and who can bear such a burden?"

Ying Zheng raised his hand, stopping him from saying anything more.

"Only today do I realize what it means to be a frog in a well with a limited view of the sky."

He sat down again, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

"If the world is truly as you say, with Rome, the Mauryan Empire, and countless powerful nations, then haven't I wasted these past few decades?"

"The so-called Baiyue and Xiongnu, the remnants of the Six Kingdoms, are nothing but a minor ailment compared to those true empires, not worth mentioning."

He raised his head, and his face, illuminated by the firelight, showed no trace of dejection.

"Sir, you are right. The people of the six states are also the people of Qin."

"In the future, when I want to expand my territory and conquer thousands of miles to the west, I will need them to charge into battle, and I will also need them to farm and work to provide a continuous supply of food for the army."

"They are the foundation of our Great Qin."

His words completely overturned the order he had established.

"I'm not even fifty yet, I won't die."

Ying Zheng turned to Wang Ben, his voice suddenly rising.

"Lord Tongwu! Can your sword still drink blood?!"

Wang Ben shuddered, his dark face turning bright red. He had waited far too long for this day.

After the unification of the six kingdoms, his killing sword was sheathed and gradually fell into obscurity.

"His Majesty!"

Wang Ben knelt on one knee, his voice booming like a bell.

"My sword, polished day and night, remains as sharp as ever! I await Your Majesty's command, ready to expand the Qin territory at any moment, even at the cost of ten thousand lives!"

"good!"

Ying Zheng laughed loudly, his laughter so boisterous that it made the cave resonate.

"If Alexander the Great had encountered my elite Qin warriors during his eastern expedition a hundred years ago, he would have never returned!"

"Now that I have unified the six kingdoms, I have the divine food of potatoes and sweet potatoes to relieve the worry of food supplies, the powerful tools of the curved plow and seed drill to promote agriculture, and the extraordinary help of a young scholar."

He suddenly stood up, opened his arms as if to embrace the whole world.

"Alexander's eastern expedition covered only ten thousand miles, while I intend to conquer thirty thousand miles to the west!"

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, all is Qin territory!"

Wang Ben trembled with excitement. He raised his head and looked at the imposing man before him, as if he were seeing again the invincible King of Qin who had led them to conquer the world.

No, he is even more ambitious than the King of Qin back then.

Ying Zheng then turned to Meng Yi.

"Minister Meng, can your Meng clan still command the iron cavalry for me and conquer all directions?"

Meng Yi remained silent.

He prostrated himself before Ying Zheng, his forehead striking the cold stone ground heavily.

"The Meng family, generation after generation, has been the sword of Qin and the shield of His Majesty."

A choked voice is the highest form of loyalty.

Ying Zheng helped the two up and led them to the cave entrance.

He gazed at the torrential rain outside, which seemed to wash the entire world clean, and felt a surge of emotions within him.

Being stranded on this island is not a calamity, but the will of Heaven.

It was fate that brought him to this young man, opening a door to a new world for him.

This young man knows far too much.

Perhaps the answers to many of the problems facing the Qin Dynasty can be found in him.

......

After the rain, the morning sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves at the entrance of the cave, casting dappled patterns on the ground.

Zhang Ying yawned and got out of bed.

He walked to the stone wall of the cave, picked up a piece of burnt charcoal, and drew another vertical line on the wall.

It's been a full twenty-seven days.

He stared at the row of markings, speechless.

In a typical wilderness survival story, shouldn't it all start with a glamorous beginning like a flight attendant or a school beauty?

How come when it came to him, they became three brainless old men who were just extras?

After spending time with them, I found that apart from being a bit slow-witted, the three of them didn't have any bad intentions.

"How can you say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields..."

A song that sounded like ghosts wailing and wolves howling came from outside the cave.

It was Wang Ben.

Zhang Ying carried out a ceramic cup filled with water infused with mint leaves, preparing to brush her teeth.

The voice was loud, but it was just the same two sentences over and over again, which gave people a headache.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Zhang Ying took a mouthful of water, gargled, and spat it onto the ground.

"Hey Lao Wang, can't you come up with something new? Learn from Lao Meng, use your brain more."

Wang Ben's singing stopped abruptly, his dark face turning slightly red.

He really only knows these two phrases.

Seeing his embarrassed look, Zhang Ying had a sudden thought.

He recalled some miscellaneous books he had read before. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Qin state was despised by the other states in the Central Plains and was called "Barbarian Qin".

Besides being good at fighting, Qin was indeed weak in terms of culture. None of its famous civil officials and strategists, such as Shang Yang, Zhang Yi, and Li Si, were natives of Qin.

"Alright, look at your pathetic state, I'll teach you a few new phrases."

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Yi, who was about to brush his teeth, stopped.

He ran quickly back into the cave, picked up a willow twig pen and linen paper, and solemnly prepared to record.

Zhang Ying cleared her throat and began to recite.

"The King of Qin swept across the six kingdoms; how majestic was his tiger-like gaze!"

"With a wave of his sword, he dispels the floating clouds, and all the feudal lords come from the west."

"His clear judgment is divinely inspired, and his strategic vision surpasses that of all others."

"The troops are withdrawn to cast bronze statues; the Hangu Pass opens to the east!"

As soon as Ying Zheng stepped out of the cave, he heard these lines of poetry and froze.

Domineering.

This poem is so powerful!

It not only depicts the might of the Qin Dynasty sweeping across the six kingdoms, but also highlights his own great talent and ambition.

As expected of a disciple of the immortals, his casual words surpass thousands of articles in the mortal world.

"Excellent! Excellent poem!"

Ying Zheng clapped his hands in praise.

Wang Ben and Meng Yi also clapped and cheered, their faces beaming with smiles.

Zhang Ying glanced at Wang Ben and said irritably, "Good my ass, did you even understand what I meant when you said 'good'?"

Wang Ben stiffened his neck and replied, forcing a smile, "I understand! Of course I understand!"

Zhang Ying was secretly delighted.

He only recited the first half of the poem.