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

"In the eighth year of Duke Xiao of Qin, Qin fought against Wei at Yuanli, beheading seven thousand and capturing Shaoliang."

……

"In the seventh year of King Huiwen of Qin, the armies of Han, Zhao, Wei, Yan and Qi jointly attacked Qin. Qin sent General Ji to fight against them at Xiuwu, where 82,000 were beheaded."

……

"In the 47th year of King Zhaoxiang, Changping surrendered to Qin. Qin then tricked and buried them all alive, leaving 240 of the youngest to return to Zhao. In total, 450,000 people were beheaded and captured, and the people of Zhao suffered a great loss."

……

"In these 110 years, a total of 1.6 million enemies were killed."

"During the reign of Duke Xiao, there was only one killing, with 7,000 people killed; during the reign of King Huiwen, there were five killings, with a total of 297,000 people killed; during the reign of King Wu of Qin, there was one killing, with 60,000 people killed; and during the reign of King Zhaoxiang, there were a total of fourteen killings, with a total of 1,253,000 people killed."

"Your Majesty, do you know why?"

Ying Zheng couldn't help but be shocked. He didn't notice anything unusual on ordinary days, but as the events were listed one by one, it was hard not to be moved.

"Say!"

Lü Buwei said, "The laws of Shang Yang made our Qin Dynasty strong and prosperous, to the point that the soldiers and civilians all loved war and were happy to hear of war."

"However, a century has passed. During the war, soldiers in the army killed their comrades in order to seize heads. Some even killed innocent people to claim credit for their kills in order to increase the number of heads taken, so that the old, weak and women were not spared."

"Now the six states of Shandong are hostile to our Great Qin. Has Your Majesty heard that the people of the six states would rather die in the East Sea than serve the people of Qin?"

"Therefore, I believe that beheading and rewarding merit can be used to defend against enemies, but not to conquer territory. If we conquer territory, wherever Great Qin goes, those who surrender will die, and those who fight will live. Countless Qin states have been defeated because of this."

"The motivation that once drove us to defend our homeland has now become an obstacle to the unification of the seven kingdoms by the Great Qin. Your Majesty must not fail to consider this."

Ying Zheng knew almost nothing about this; he only knew that the Qin army was powerful, but he was unaware of its cruelty and hidden dangers.

"...How does Uncle Zhong plan to use righteous troops to change Lord Shang's strategy?"

Lü Buwei smiled, still not giving a direct answer, and instead discussed 'righteous troops' again.

"Now that the Zhou dynasty has perished and the emperor has been eliminated, there is nothing worse than having no emperor. Without an emperor, the strong will prevail over the weak, the many will oppress the few, and the people will fight each other without rest. This is the state of the world today."

"Who are the righteous soldiers?"

"First, to unify the world is my duty, and this is the great righteousness."

"Secondly, when entering enemy territory, keep your promise to the people; this is the essence of trust and righteousness."

"Therefore, to change Shang Yang's plan of first bestowing titles, we must first change the first merit to meritorious service."

Ying Zheng asked, "What is righteous merit?"

Lü Buwei said, “Righteousness means what is right and proper. Righteous merit is merit that is right and proper.”

"It is not limited to beheading as a merit. Capturing prisoners, turning people into defectors, persuading them to surrender, offering grain, and clearing names are all merits that benefit the army and the country and can be awarded titles."

Ying Zheng pondered for a long time.

"Extremely complicated."

From his own perspective, he always believed that Shang Yang's legal system was the right path and he did not want to change it.

But Zhongfu has already said that if the Qin state really wants to expand eastward and unify the seven states, it must reform its system.

Lü Buwei said, “A country is large and its affairs are numerous and complex. We should discuss each matter individually. The theory of prioritizing merit is simple and effective, but it cannot last long.”

Ying Zheng took a light breath and said, "In that case, the attack on Zhao will be postponed until Zhongfu reforms the system and its effects are seen."

"good!"

Lü Buwei stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I take my leave."

Ying Zheng suddenly asked, "Uncle, have you heard of Cao Ze's 'On the Six States' from Handan?"

A few days ago, he heard a treatise on military strategy from Gai Nie, titled "On the Six States," which was quite refreshing.

Lü Buwei paused, then laughed and said, "Your words are sharp but empty. How can a century-old problem be solved with just one discussion?"

"Even if the six states were to try to put out the fire with water instead of adding fuel to the fire, they still wouldn't be able to stop the fire from spreading like wildfire."

Ying Zheng clapped his hands and laughed, "That's true too."

"I will trouble you, my uncle, to work hard and come up with specific rules for changing the system of granting titles in the army. I will announce it to all the officials in the court on a chosen day."

"good!"

Lü Buwei walked out of Zhangtai Palace in a good mood, now he could legitimately intervene in the army.

Whether they can gain military power and military support depends on the Wang family's attitude.

As one of the biggest beneficiaries of the granting of titles to the first prince, if the royal family directly chooses to support it, it goes without saying that the royal family will be a member of the royal family.

He didn't need to think too much; he could just focus on grooming Ying Zheng into the Qin King he envisioned.

Cao Ze was unaware that his "Discourse on the Six States" had already been deemed useless by Lü Buwei.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

Because the understanding Princess Yafei left Xue Nu alone with him.

……

Chapter 80: What a fulfilling day!

Cao Ze kept having doubts.

In the dead of night, a lone man and a lone woman.

They were all forced to drink some wine by Ya Fei.

What's even more ingenious is that, under the pretense of saving fuel, Ya Fei simply turned off the lights in the room.

This is just to get him to cause trouble.

It would be an injustice if he didn't do something.

then……

While rubbing Xue Nu's aching calves, Cao Ze said, "You, Sister Ya Fei, are being unfair! You won't even light a lamp for her."

The snow woman had little strength left from dancing continuously.

But it's not to the point of causing calf pain.

However, Cao Ze believes that stretching after exercise can help relieve and relax the body.

If possible, we can take a bath together later and get a back scrub, which would be more comfortable and relaxing.

The Snow Woman was speechless for a moment.

She was certain that this guy had no good intentions.

For example, at the beginning, when Cao Ze was off guard, she stepped on his face with her foot while he was massaging her calves.

Before he could even feel smug, he heard Cao Ze ask seriously, "Do you want him to show off?"

Startled, the snow woman shuddered and quickly withdrew her foot.

As a result, she can only let Cao Ze massage her legs and feet.

"Sister Yafei is just..."

Xue Nu didn't know how to say it. She couldn't very well say that Ya Fei wanted to bring them together, could she?

"Well, Sister Yafei just thinks the moon is very big and bright tonight, so there's no need to turn on the lights."

The clever Snow Woman successfully made up for her beloved Sister Ya Fei.

However, the moonlight tonight is indeed very good; through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the room does not feel dark at all.

Cao Ze gazed intently at the snow maiden under the moonlight.

Very holy.

But her little face was flushed, and she really wanted him to take a bite.

It must be soft, tender, and bouncy.

The Snow Woman wiggled her foot in Cao Ze's hand and said coyly, "Why are you looking at me like that? Keep squeezing..."

Cao Ze chuckled.

Gently stroking the snow woman's smooth instep, its lines were exquisite.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that the Snow Woman's feet are small and delicate, with a graceful air, and the instep is so high that there is almost no transition between the instep and the calf.

Just now, I inadvertently brushed against the soles of the Snow Woman's feet and could clearly feel that there was a slight emptiness there, enough to place a red date.

It was hard for him not to recall that just now, the Snow Woman had used such a pair of flawless, fair and delicate little feet to dance gracefully in the room, a sight to behold.

The snow woman felt a tingling, itchy sensation, which made her very uncomfortable. Her ten toes kept curling and opening restlessly.

On a whim, Cao Ze mustered his courage and lifted the Snow Maiden's tiny feet with one hand, bringing them to his eyes, wanting to experience their beauty up close.

"..."

The Snow Woman was startled by Cao Ze's actions and immediately pulled her foot back.

What are you doing!

Faced with the Snow Maiden's complaints, Cao Ze chuckled and leisurely praised, "Her delicate jade feet tread like lotus blossoms, just like Chang'e descending from the heavens. So endearing, it evokes memories of her dancing butterflies in the past."

"It's so beautiful, it's hard not to be moved."

Suddenly, the snow woman felt a burning sensation under her feet.

"Do you... have some kind of fetish...?"

The snow woman asked anxiously.

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "Originally there wasn't, but now because of you, there is. Do you want to take responsibility?"

Xue Nu rolled her eyes at Cao Ze. "You're the one with bad intentions, and you want me to take responsibility! Why don't you dare ask Sister Ya Fei for responsibility?"

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "I'm just afraid that if she agrees, it will put you in a difficult position."

The Snow Maiden chuckled, mocking Cao Ze without restraint.

"You? If you can marry Sister Yafei, I'll be your concubine!"