People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Sister Yafei will be furious.

Cao Ze smiled as he looked at the saddened Li Ji.

"Let's go together. The Qin army has probably already surrounded Puyang City. You'll be easily captured if you go alone."

"With me and your Jingni sister, you'll be safe and sound."

Li Ji pursed her lips, and her gaze towards Cao Ze became more affectionate.

She has always had feelings for Cao Ze.

Thinking back to the time she spent drinking with Cao Ze at Feixue Pavilion, she suddenly felt that even if she died in Puyang this time, she wouldn't have many regrets.

The three rode two horses and sped towards Puyang City.

Even before they got close, they could already feel the chilling aura of the Qin army.

This is the Qin state's most elite and largest elite force—the Black Iron Armor Army!

Chapter 207 Missiles, Interceptor Missiles, Distilled Spirits

The sky was clear and the breeze was gentle.

As May approaches, the weather in Xianyang is becoming increasingly warm and pleasant.

Lü Buwei and Ying Zheng sat facing each other again in the study of Zhangtai Palace to discuss state affairs.

Since the last debate between "rule of law" and "rule of state by law," such private discussions on politics and the state have become rare.

“Uncle, judging by the time, General Meng should have already arrived outside Puyang City.”

Lü Buwei said, "Your Majesty is right. A few days ago, General Meng sent a battle report that we will attack the city today."

He paused for a moment after saying this.

Another purpose of this battle was to test his theory of "righteous army," and to stop judging military merit solely by the number of heads taken.

However, Shang Yang's laws had been deeply rooted in Qin for a century, and it was almost impossible to change them overnight. The only way was to proceed gradually, changing the stereotypical image of the Qin army held by the people of the other states, so that they would no longer resist to the death.

Ying Zheng smiled and then asked, "Uncle said he has something to ask of me today. May I ask what it is?"

Lü Buwei pondered for a moment and said, “Your Majesty, the ‘Lüshi Chunqiu’ that I have compiled has been completed. I would like to request Your Majesty to begin its implementation in Xianyang.”

Ying Zheng frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "I believe this book still needs to be revised."

He had already read through "Lüshi Chunqiu" several times, but at first he didn't understand the underlying reasons.

But after Lü Buwei explained it to him many times, he discovered that the book, on the surface, was to help the monarch govern the country, but in reality, it was to persuade the monarch to relinquish power to his ministers.

He was very wary of this.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, there have been hundreds of states, large and small, and countless monarchs were powerless against the rule of their ministers.

The most typical example is the state of Jin, which eventually fell into three parts.

He was considering whether to increase the number of prime ministers to disperse their power and thus strengthen the weight of the royal authority.

Thinking of Cao Ze's book "Centralization of Power," Ying Zheng felt a strong urge to read it.

He felt that Cao Ze must have a relatively complete plan, otherwise he wouldn't have been so incisive in pointing out the monarch's helplessness and such hidden dangers.

Lu Buwei was taken aback when he didn't expect Ying Zheng to oppose even this request.

When we think of his proposal to "rule the country according to law," Ying Zheng advocated "ruling the country by law."

When Ying Zheng thought that he proposed that harsh laws and severe punishments should be abolished, he believed that abolishing harsh laws and severe punishments would not be conducive to the stability of the Qin state. He believed that strict legislation was necessary, and at most, law enforcement should be chosen.

Thinking of these scenes, Lü Buwei sighed slightly.

At this moment, he seemed to truly understand Ying Zheng, a monarch who was extremely sensitive and concerned about power. Anyone who attempted to change him would be viewed with suspicion, as an opponent, or even an enemy.

Lü Buwei walked out of Zhangtai Palace and left the royal palace.

He glanced back at the Qin Palace with its gates wide open and suddenly felt that he should seriously consider Yan Ri.

Consider this royal prince who once also had the right to inherit the throne of Qin—Ying Lao.

Old Zheng led the horse-drawn carriage over.

"Prime Minister Lü, has the King agreed?"

Lü Buwei shook his head. "No, he doesn't seem to want to help me."

If Ying Zheng had personally promoted the "Lüshi Chunqiu" to him, he could have more easily strengthened his alliance with the officials by changing their minds.

In the words of Cao Ze in "Centralization of Power," it is the civil service group.

Thinking of Cao Ze, Lü Buwei felt a toothache. He seriously believed that it was because of Cao Ze that Ying Zheng was now more wary of him and no longer called him "Uncle" as much.

Seeing Lü Buwei's furrowed brows, Old Man Zheng asked with some concern, "Should we temporarily suspend the promotion of the 'Lüshi Chunqiu'?"

"Set aside?"

Lü Buwei snorted, "The young King of Qin has not yet assumed power; he cannot make decisions for me."

At least before Ying Zheng assumed personal rule, he still had the final say in all matters of the Qin state.

With this thought in mind, Lü Buwei said in a deep voice, "Return to the manor. After the battle of Puyang is over, I will personally deliver the letter in Xianyang."

He decided to emulate Shang Yang's "moving a log to establish trust" and make "a single word worth a thousand pieces of gold".

……

Cao Ze and Jing Ni Li Ji arrived outside Puyang City. Using the earthen slope, they could easily see the densely packed black iron-armored soldiers outside Puyang City.

Looking at these Qin soldiers, whose heads were covered with iron helmets and masks, Cao Ze shook his head helplessly.

He believed that Qin's war potential was enough to sweep away any other dynasty in ancient times.

In particular, there are also such advanced technologies as the crossbow and mechanical devices.

Dozens of crossbows, with their metallic texture, flew into Puyang City like rockets.

The Six-Fingered Black Knight personally piloted the pinnacle of Mohist mechanical arts—the Mechanical Vermilion Bird—guided the Mohist disciples within the city to intercept them from mid-air.

Hundreds of mechanical birds flew towards the crossbow bolts, detonating them in mid-air ahead of time.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The fireworks filling the sky made Cao Ze want to complain.

This is... an interceptor missile?

No wonder the Gongshu family later invented the 'split rocket,' an evolved version of the Divine Crossbow called the 'Hundred Battles Divine Crossbow.'

Indeed, war is the primary driving force behind technological progress.

At this moment, it was clear that the Mo family's simple mechanical flying birds were not very accurate in intercepting, and seven or eight divine crossbow bolts still fell into Puyang City, destroying one building after another.

"It seems difficult to enter the city now. Let's wait until tonight."

Cao Ze reassured Li Ji, who looked nervous.

Li Ji nodded with concern.

After nightfall, the Qin army withdrew.

Outside the city, only corpses and smoke remained.

Using the token given to them by Gongsun Yu, Cao Ze and Jing Ni Li Ji entered the city.

After the first day of battle, Gongsun Yu was already somewhat exhausted. Before he could rest, he heard that Cao Ze had entered the city and rushed over.

The moment he saw his granddaughter, Liji, tears streamed down his face.

“Li Ji…”

Li Ji sobbed and shed tears as she intermittently recounted the events of the past two days to Gongsun Yu.

Cao Ze said in a low voice, "Let's go."

Jingni nodded slightly. Seeing Liji and her grandfather reunited, she was suddenly touched by something.

I wonder how Xiaoyan is doing now in Handan.

Inside Handan City, surrounded by Li Wu Zi Nu Nong Yu and Hong Yu Cai Die, Xiao Yan'er danced and cried loudly.

Li Wu stared with dark circles under her eyes, looking so worried she was practically losing her hair.

"Nongyu, please work harder."

Li Wu looked at Nong Yu with hope in her eyes.

After observing for the past few days, she discovered that Xiao Yan'er was the quietest when Nongyu was playing the zither.

She bragged very well, and Cao Ze always praised her, but this little guy didn't buy it at all.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Nongyu's beautiful face.

She never expected that she would be taking care of the child in Handan, and it seems that the results are quite good.

"Okay, I'll play one more piece."

Zi Nu gently stroked her purple hair. It seemed that Nong Yu's zither skills had improved again. If she could play the music that resonated with her heart, it wouldn't be difficult for her to become a master like Kuang Xiu in time.

……

Cao Ze and Jing Ni left the hall and, after making some inquiries, found the Six-Fingered Black Knight, who was directing the Mo family disciples to repair the mechanical flying bird in an open space.

"Master, where is Jing Ke?"

He didn't immediately ask Six-Fingered Black Knight for help; he wanted to build a relationship first.

"He is currently patrolling around the city walls with Wu Yang to prevent the Qin army from sending experts to infiltrate the city."

The Six-Fingered Black Knight stopped repairing the mechanical flying bird.

She looked up at Cao Ze with some surprise.

"You found Li Ji?"

Cao Ze nodded. "Found it. It's with the old general right now."

He was just about to take the opportunity to ask Six-Fingered Black Knight about the Ming Ghost Knot when he heard someone calling him.

"Mr. Cao Ze?"