Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

It turns out that this was a meticulously planned trap from beginning to end, designed to lure the enemy in and then deliver a fatal blow!

Qin Chuan was certain that Mi Qi would rebel!

So, taking advantage of the situation, they used Li Xin's 200,000-strong army as bait, deliberately feigning weakness to lure Mi Qi and Xiang Yan into thinking that the opportunity had arrived, and thus launched an attack, leaving the fortified city and advantageous terrain!

The real killing move, however, was that Wang Jian and his hidden army of 100,000 had already been secretly moved to their designated positions, waiting only for the rebel army and the main force of the Chu army to be exposed before delivering a fatal blow!

Wang Jian's military tactics were as steady as Mount Tai and as ruthless as thunder!

The timing and angle he chose were terrifyingly precise!

Mi Qi's rebel army was caught off guard, and their flank was instantly torn apart by Wang Jian's army!

Xiang Yan's main Chu army was also thrown into disarray by this sudden attack.

Li Xin and Meng Tian seized the opportunity and fought back by breaking through from the inside out!

Under the combined attack from both inside and outside, the Chu army and Mi Qi's rebel army suffered a great defeat!

Corpses lay strewn across the fields, and blood flowed like rivers!

The last remaining fighting force of the Chu state was almost completely wiped out in this battle!

Lord Changping, Mi Qi, was captured alive by the Qin army amidst the chaos and sent to the Xianyang prison.

In the dark and damp prison cell, Changping Jun Mi Qi, who once held a high position, was dressed in prison clothes, looking emaciated, but his eyes still held an unyielding spirit.

The heavy iron gate opened, and Ying Zheng and Qin Chuan walked in side by side.

Ying Zheng's face was cold, but his eyes burned with the fury of an emperor betrayed.

"Mi Qi!" Ying Zheng's voice was as cold as ice. "I have treated you well and entrusted you with important responsibilities, yet you dare to rebel!"

"Hahaha! You've treated me well? Ying Zheng! Your Qin state has swallowed up the world and destroyed my ancestral temples and altars! I, Mi Qi, was born a Chu man and will die a Chu soul! How can I kneel before my enemy?!"

Mi Qi raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Ying Zheng and Qin Chuan, and let out a hoarse and maniacal laugh:

"Though I have been defeated and captured today, the people of the world who oppose Qin will rise up one after another! For every Mi Qi killed, there will be thousands upon thousands more Mi Qi rising up! The tyranny of Qin will not last long! You will all be destroyed!"

His words were filled with hysterical hatred and curses.

Ying Zheng was furious and was about to lash out.

Qin Chuan gently raised his hand, took a step forward, and calmly looked at the frenzied Mi Qi. His voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the deathly silence of the cell:

"Thousands upon thousands of Mi Qi? Are you referring to those accomplices who helped you implement the 'Azure Dragon Plan', Lord Changping? Like Tian Guang, the leader of the Farmer's School? Or Ji Dan, the Mohist Master who faked his death and is now hiding in the Mohist Mechanical City?"

Mi Qi's maniacal laughter abruptly stopped as if he had been grabbed by the neck!

The color drained from his face instantly, and his pupils dilated to their limit with extreme terror!

His body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, like a leaf turning in the wind!

"You...you...how could you..."

Mi Qi's voice was like a broken bellows, filled with unbelievable fear.

This is their most core and secretive plan, which they have been planning and scheming for many years, considering it their last hope!

Apart from a few core participants, no outsiders knew about it!

How could Ying Chuan in front of him possibly know?!

And they even know everything about the two most crucial figures, Tian Guang and Ji Dan?!

Qin Chuan looked at Mi Qi's terrified expression, as if he had seen a ghost, and a cold, all-controlling smile curled at the corner of his lips:

"Rest assured, Lord Changping. I will make good use of your 'Azure Dragon Plan' for you. Those 'anti-Qin heroes' who are hiding their true colors, those sparks of hope that you have placed so much in, I will lure them out one by one and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop!"

"Do not--!!!"

Mi Qi let out a shrill, desperate roar!

His last belief, his last trump card, his last hope were utterly shattered and trampled underfoot by Qin Chuan with a mere flick of his wrist!

He seemed to see his life's work, the great cause of restoring the country for which he had given everything, becoming the sharpest noose in the hands of the enemy, dragging all his comrades and all his hopes into an abyss of no return!

Overwhelming fear and utter despair surged like a tidal wave, instantly consuming all of Mi Qi's reason.

His eyes rolled back, his body convulsed violently, he made meaningless hoarse noises, and saliva dripped uncontrollably from his mouth. He had fallen into complete madness and collapse.

Looking at the frenzied, beast-like Mi Qi before him, and then at his younger brother Qin Chuan beside him who appeared calm and in complete control, Ying Zheng felt a chill rise in his heart, but also an unprecedented sense of control.

The backbone of the Chu state has been broken, and its last remaining hidden danger has been exposed.

Meanwhile, an invisible, massive net targeting all anti-Qin forces has quietly been unfurled in Qin Chuan's hands.

On the road to unifying the world, the last obstacle of the Qin Dynasty is being cleared away in the most thorough way.

Chapter 60 Unifying China, Conquering the Baiyue, Yan Lingji's Sacrifice

The sudden collapse of the State of Chu was like toppling the last crucial domino, sending tremors through the Central Plains.

The massive Qin army, carrying the overwhelming power of having crushed the mighty Chu, arrayed itself like a dark cloud on the border of Qi. The chilling aura it exuded truly had the oppressive feeling of "dark clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to crush it," and even the air seemed to freeze, weighing heavily on the hearts of everyone in Qi.

However, the once powerful and rivaling state of Qin, the great eastern state of Qi, now resembles a shell with its soul completely hollowed out, merely a shell with a hollow interior, rotten to the core.

In the imperial court, the ministers continued to indulge in wine and women, living a life of debauchery and turning a blind eye to the imminent danger of national subjugation.

Deep within the palace, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments never ceased; behind this scene of peace and prosperity lay an escapism and numbness towards reality.

King Jian of Qi, the last ruler of the State of Qi, had long been corrupted by the powerful prime minister Hou Sheng with a constant stream of money and beautiful women, losing all his fighting spirit and ambition.

His only thought was to live a life of ease and comfort, hoping to enjoy a day more of wealth and status amidst this turbulent situation.

Faced with the Qin army's overwhelming and unstoppable force, the vast state of Qi was caught off guard and could not find a single usable soldier to fight and defend against the powerful enemy!

The entire court was either trembling in fear of the Qin army's overwhelming power, or harboring wishful thinking under the influence of Hou Sheng's claim that "surrendering to Qin is the best policy." Not a single person dared to step forward, speak out passionately, and advocate for a war!

Ultimately, under the combined influence of the Qin army's overwhelming power to destroy everything, and Hou Sheng's sweet talk that "after surrendering to Qin, you can still enjoy wealth and glory," he prevailed.

King Jian of Qi made a decision that astonished and saddened the world—to surrender without a fight!

The city gates of Qi opened without a fight in front of the Qin army, and the banner symbolizing the centuries-old royal power of Qi slowly fell.

Instead, the Qin army's black dragon banner, symbolizing conquest and unification, fluttered in the wind atop the city walls.

King Jian of Qi was forced to leave his ancestral homeland by the Qin army and placed under house arrest in a remote and desolate place. The former king became a prisoner and met a tragic end.

The once powerful state of Qi, which was known as one of the "Two Emperors of the East and West" alongside Qin, thus declared the end of its centuries-long reign in the most humiliating and unwilling way.

As the Qi state's surrender flag slowly fell, the chaotic Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, which had lasted for over five hundred years and were marked by constant warfare and the fragmentation of the country by various states, finally came to a heavy and meaningful end in the long river of history.

The Qin state, a nation that rose step by step from the western border, fought bloody battles for generations and finally had the last laugh, accomplishing an unprecedented great achievement—unifying China!

When the news reached Xianyang, the capital of Qin, the entire city erupted in unprecedented celebration. People flooded the streets, singing and dancing to celebrate this hard-won unification and peace.

However, deep within the Zhangtai Palace, the supreme ruler of Qin, Ying Zheng, was not intoxicated by this unprecedented victory.

He stood alone before the enormous map of the world, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, overlooking the vast land he had unified with his own hands, his heart surging with a heroic ambition that surpassed that of all emperors throughout history.

"I raised a righteous army to punish the tyrannical and rebellious. Thanks to the spirits of my ancestral temple, the six kings all confessed their crimes, and the world was at peace!"

Ying Zheng's voice, like a resounding bell, was deep and majestic, echoing throughout the entire court, each word carrying an undeniable power:

"If I do not change my title, I cannot acknowledge my achievements and pass them down to future generations! I believe that while the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of antiquity achieved remarkable feats, my own achievements surpass those of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors! From this day forward, I will discard the title 'I, the I ...

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the First Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The courtiers were awestruck by this groundbreaking proclamation. They all knelt down, and their thunderous cheers echoed throughout the palace for a long time.

Ying Zheng's gaze, sharp as a torch, swept over the assembled officials below, and he continued to issue the edicts that would lay the foundation for the empire's eternal existence:

"Abolish the feudal system and implement the prefecture-county system! The empire will be divided into thirty-six prefectures, with counties under each prefecture! Officials will be appointed and dismissed directly by the imperial court and their positions will not be hereditary!"

"Standardize the written language! Standardize the gauge of carts! Standardize ethical conduct! Standardize weights and measures! All these measures are for the purpose of unifying the world, ensuring the smooth implementation of laws and regulations, and eliminating any possibility of division!"

The Qin Empire, a centralized and unprecedented unified empire, was thus born!

The imperial system, the prefecture-county system, and the bureaucratic system, like three incredibly sturdy skeletons, supported the massive body of this newborn empire.

After hundreds of years of war, the land of China finally ushered in a new era.

However, the nascent empire was not able to rest in the warm cradle of peace for long.

The First Emperor's gaze had long since passed beyond the prosperity of the Central Plains and turned to the mysterious and vast land in the south of the empire—the Baiyue!

"The land of Baiyue is rife with miasma and plague, with high mountains and dense forests, and numerous tribes that have always been unruly and defiant against the rule of the king. However, this land guards a vital passage to the South China Sea, is rich in resources, and is crucial to the eternal peace and stability of the southern border of our Great Qin Empire!"

The First Emperor's gaze finally settled on Qin Chuan, who stood among his ministers, his tone filled with trust and expectation:

"Brother Chuan, this southern expedition against Baiyue cannot be done without you! I want the lands of Baiyue to be forever part of the territory of Great Qin and incorporated into the imperial map!"

Qin Chuan knew in his heart that the difficulties and dangers of this battle would far exceed those of the past.

He clearly remembered that in the course of history, the Qin army's conquest of the Baiyue region resulted in heavy losses of soldiers and generals, and a huge expenditure of manpower and resources, with even the commander-in-chief Tu Sui dying on the battlefield.

The miasma, poisonous insects, incredibly complex terrain, and the elusive raids by the Yue people on that land—each of these posed a severe challenge to the Qin army and could have claimed the lives of countless soldiers.

"Your subject obeys the decree!"

Qin Chuan responded without hesitation, his voice deep and resonant.

He understood better than anyone the long-term significance of this land to the empire, and he was more confident than anyone else in conquering it.

He possessed the prestige of a military god accumulated through countless victories, commanded an unstoppable and fierce army that had just swept across the land, and had countless bloody lessons from later generations as a warning, enough to allow him to avoid many deadly traps.

The mighty army set off, heading towards the humid and wild south, embarking on a campaign to conquer the Baiyue!

Qin Chuan changed the strategy of Tu Sui in history, which was eager for quick success and reckless advance.

He adopted a steady and methodical approach, building strong fortifications and unobstructed roads after each advance to ensure the safety and smooth flow of logistical supply lines and to ensure that the army would not run out of food.

At the same time, he respected some of the local tribal customs and adopted a strategy of dividing and winning over the tribes. He appeased and utilized the Yue tribal leaders who were willing to submit, while concentrating his efforts on striking down those who stubbornly resisted.

He strictly ordered his army not to harass the people or kill innocent people indiscriminately. With his strict military discipline and strong strength, he gradually won the respect and understanding of some Yue people.

More importantly, he used his knowledge of Yin-Yang techniques and advanced medicine, which were ahead of his time, to effectively deal with the rampant miasma and poisonous insects in the area, greatly reducing non-combat casualties in the army.

This point has often been the key factor leading to the collapse of armies in past southern expeditions.

In this arduous battle, Yan Ling Ji's assistance was particularly crucial.

Her fire powers not only create a powerful deterrent on the battlefield, burning down enemy fortifications and offensives, but also strike fear into the hearts of the Yue people.

His Baiyue origins and understanding of some Yue customs provided Qin Chuan with valuable intelligence and communication channels, enabling the Qin army to adapt to this unfamiliar land more quickly.