I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 254 Rebellion against Qin and Destruction of Chu?

At this moment, another name caught the attention of the King of Qin—Han Xin. According to Jia Yang, this man was a great general with numerous military achievements, and was eventually enfeoffed as a king of a different surname. This clearly demonstrated his extraordinary military talent. Thinking of this, the King of Qin couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "It seems Liu Bang truly possesses the talent of an emperor! Presumably, in the beginning, to win over the people and recruit talented individuals, he promised Han Xin and others the honor of being kings. But after securing his throne, he meticulously plotted to eliminate these kings of different surnames. Such methods are truly brilliant!"

However, when the King of Qin realized that Liu Bang was his enemy, a strong sense of crisis surged into his heart. He knew that defeating such a cunning and resourceful opponent would be no easy task. But the King of Qin was not intimidated by this; instead, it fueled his fighting spirit even more, and he was determined to fight Liu Bang to the death and determine the victor.

The King of Qin did not respond to Ying Wuyou immediately. He narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing thoughtfully into the distance. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, "Jiayang, let me ask you, what specific plans and schemes do you have for the future?"

Ying Wuyou replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that by the spring of next year, we can devote all our efforts to the construction of the degraded areas and the mining of various mineral resources. In addition, regarding the Xiongnu, I think Your Majesty should further strengthen the border defenses."

The King of Qin nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Ying Wuyou's words, and then asked, "So, my son, do you have any good strategies to deal with the Xiongnu?"

Ying Wuyou pondered for a moment, then proceeded to explain methodically: "Father, you are wise. The Xiongnu are currently divided into many tribes, but just like our Central Plains, they will eventually unify. Once the Xiongnu achieve unification, they will inevitably become a major threat to our Great Qin. Therefore, I am considering sending several eloquent individuals to the Xiongnu territory to employ diplomacy and strategy, sowing discord among the various tribes; or secretly supporting our own forces to counterbalance the Xiongnu. In short, we must not stand idly by and watch the Xiongnu achieve unification smoothly."

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin showed an expression of appreciation. After pondering for a moment, he asked Ying Wuyou again, "In your opinion, who should be entrusted with such an important task?"

Ying Wuyou thought for a moment and said, "Among the talents I have recruited this time, there are two who are particularly outstanding. One is named Lu Jia, and the other is named Liu Qi. These two are fellow townsmen and close friends, both of whom are famous for their eloquence and wisdom, which far surpasses that of ordinary people. They have a deep understanding and insight into the situation of various vassal states. Sending these two to the Xiongnu would be the best choice."

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin narrowed his eyes slightly and asked with great interest, "Oh? Are these two really that capable?"

Ying Wuyou sighed inwardly: "Indeed! Lu Jia, single-handedly on his mission to Nanyue, successfully persuaded Zhao Tuo, who had already proclaimed himself king, to accept the Han dynasty's investiture with just his silver tongue. This shows that Lu Jia's eloquence was truly exceptional! Not only that, he also authored a book called *Xin Yu*, which meticulously summarizes the lessons learned from the Qin dynasty's demise and the Han dynasty's rise. He was truly a rare talent."

However, she did not say these words aloud, but only replied with a smile: "Yes, that is indeed the case. When I sent Sun Yi to find and persuade Lu Jia, I happened to find him arguing fiercely with Liu Qi about the topic of 'Heaven and Man'. That debate was truly wonderful and amazing. The two sides went back and forth, neither giving an inch, their words were sharp as knives, and their views were novel and unique. Everyone listened with rapt attention, completely absorbed in it."

After hearing Ying Wuyou's thoughts and then her words, the King of Qin nodded slightly in agreement and said, "Hmm, indeed very good. In that case, let's send these two people there."

Upon hearing King Qin's words, Ying Wuyou's face immediately lit up with a joyful smile. He quickly cupped his hands in a salute and respectfully replied, "Thank you, Father, for your trust and support!"

At this point, the King of Qin asked with great interest, "Then tell me, besides these two, who else have you recruited as capable individuals?"

Faced with the King of Qin's question, Ying Wuyou thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, I have also recruited a man named Cao Can. He is from the same hometown as Xiao He, whom I mentioned earlier. As far as I know, Cao Can is resolute, decisive, and brave, and he has extraordinary talent, especially in military affairs."

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin perked up and asked, "Oh? I wonder what kind of outstanding military talent Cao Shen possesses?"

At this moment, Ying Wuyou secretly pondered: "Cao Shen is a veteran of countless battles, having achieved remarkable feats in the rebellion against Qin and the conquest of Chu. He led his army to conquer two vassal states and seize as many as 122 counties. After Liu Bang successfully established his capital in Chang'an, when rewards were distributed based on merit, Cao Shen was ranked second due to his outstanding achievements and was granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang. Later, when Xiao He stepped down as Prime Minister, Cao Shen succeeded him as Prime Minister."

However, on the surface he just laughed it off and said, "Haha, I have only heard about it, and I don't really know the details."

Upon hearing Ying Wuyou's innermost thoughts, the King of Qin was completely stunned, his face almost betraying extreme surprise. He forced his eyes shut to avoid revealing his true feelings. He never imagined that the man named Cao Can was so formidable! Such outstanding achievements would place him among the best even within the powerful Qin Empire! What's even more remarkable is that this man not only didn't threaten the monarch's position due to his excessive merits, but was also capable of serving as prime minister. This demonstrates that he is not only accomplished in the military field, but must also possess extraordinary talents in many other areas.

Just then, the King of Qin suddenly noticed a phrase that puzzled him—"overthrow Qin and destroy Chu." "Overthrowing Qin is not difficult to understand, but what exactly does 'destroy Chu' mean?" the King of Qin pondered to himself. "Jiayang clearly told me before that I had successfully unified the six states! If that's the case, then why did the state of Chu suddenly appear? Could it be that Chu was eventually restored?" Thinking of this, the King of Qin felt as if his head was filled with a tangled mess, and his thoughts became increasingly chaotic.

After a moment of silence, the King of Qin turned to Ying Wuyou beside him and said, "Jiayang, why don't you come with me to the pavilion ahead and sit for a while? I need to calm down and think about these matters carefully."

Upon hearing this, Ying Wuyou quickly nodded and replied, "Yes, sir."

So the two walked together towards a pavilion not far away. Soon after, a eunuch hurried over and quickly laid two soft cushions on the stone benches in the pavilion. Once everything was ready, the King of Qin and Ying Wuyou slowly took their seats. Then, the King of Qin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to try to sort out the tangled threads in his mind.