The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Meng Tian, ​​who was far away in the north, felt heavy-hearted after receiving the imperial edict.

He tightly grasped the imperial edict in his hand, his brows furrowed, as if he could feel the heavy burden from the thin paper.

Meng Yi anxiously warned, "Brother, this is a forged imperial edict! His Majesty has clearly passed away, and this edict is suspected of being a sweeping decree. Therefore, we must not go to Xianyang!"

After hearing what Meng Yi said, Meng Tian slowly shook his head, his eyes firm and resolute.

"Although your majesty has passed away, the imperial edict has been issued and people all over the world only respect it. If we disobey the imperial edict, we will give the traitor a handle. Then we will be unjust and unjust, and how can we be worthy of the Qin Empire?" His voice was low and powerful, as if conveying an unshakable determination to Meng Yi.

Meng Yi stamped his feet anxiously, his face pale and beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. "Brother, you are foolish! Zhao Gao and his men are wickedly ambitious. Now that the emperor is gone, they will surely eliminate the loyal ministers and wise generals in the court. We will be walking into a trap if we go!"

Meng Tian looked into the distance, which was the direction of Xianyang, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.

"My mind is made up. We command a large force, and Zhao Gao may be wary. If Prince Fusu goes, I will protect him. I believe that as long as we uphold justice and expose the treacherous plots, the Qin Dynasty will be able to overcome this difficult time."

Meng Yi stood there, looking at Meng Tian with a determined face, his heart full of helplessness, and finally he could only sigh softly.

Meng Yi then slowly walked over to Meng Tian's side. He gently patted his broad shoulder and said firmly, "Brother, since you have made up your mind, how can I stand aside? No matter how difficult and dangerous the road ahead, I am willing to go to Xianyang with you. As the saying goes, 'Brothers united are stronger than iron.'"

Hearing Meng Yi's words, Meng Tian slowly turned his head and his eyes fell on Meng Yi.

He saw the determination and support in Meng Yi's eyes, and couldn't help feeling moved.

However, he couldn't help but jokingly said, "Brother Yi, I don't see you read much on a normal day, so how come you can always speak in such elegant language? It's really impressive!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Yi's face immediately lit up with a smug smile. He chuckled and replied, "Brother, this is all thanks to our parents! They gave you the courage and strength to gallop across the battlefield and slay countless enemies. They also endowed me with some literary talent. While I'm not a learned scholar, I can still occasionally offer a brilliant remark! Isn't this exactly what the old saying goes: literature and martial arts complement each other!"

In this tense atmosphere, Meng Tian and Meng Yi appeared particularly determined.

Let’s talk about the other side.

Since Wang Li took office as the captain of the guard of the northern army, as the leader of the new generation of the Wang family, he has quickly attracted generals at all levels to come and join him with his unique advantages and outstanding talents.

Among them, General Bai Lin of the Rear Army was one of the many who surrendered.

You must know that the 300,000 troops in the northern border were originally stationed in the two strategic locations of Jiuyuan and Yunzhong.

Now, with the special permission of the First Emperor and the tacit approval of General Meng Tian, ​​Wang Li naturally took over the 80,000 troops stationed in Yunzhong.

At this moment, in the tent.

Wang Li sat upright in the main seat, and beside him sat generals Su Jiao, She Jian, Bai Lin and others.

Everyone's faces were solemn and the atmosphere was a little depressing, simply because what they were discussing at the moment was extremely important - it was about the imperial edict sent from Xianyang.

It turned out that the First Emperor was suddenly critically ill and ordered Wang Li to return to Xianyang as soon as possible.

Faced with such a sudden change, all the generals felt the seriousness of the situation and secretly wondered what kind of situation they would face when they returned to Beijing.

"The king's order cannot be disobeyed. Going to Xianyang is imperative! However, the situation in Xianyang city is complicated and treacherous. We must be extremely careful and cautious on this trip." Wang Li said solemnly with a frown on his face.

Su Jiao, standing by, frowned upon hearing this and said worriedly, "The situation at court right now is incredibly turbulent and unpredictable! I heard that the Left Prime Minister, Li Si, has been demoted to a commoner, and even the Chief Censor, Meng Yi, is wanted. I'm afraid there's something fishy going on with your order to Xianyang. There might be some conspiracy or trap waiting for us!"

After hearing this, Shejian nodded in agreement, "Yes, Commander Su is absolutely right! Many of the soldiers in the army are loyal to you, general, and are willing to follow you to the death. In my opinion, why don't you, general, use the unstable situation on the border as an excuse to stay here for the time being and wait and see what happens?"

Wang Li slowly shook his head, his eyes firm and resolute. He said in a deep voice, "As a general of the Great Qin, I am loyal to the emperor and I am paid by him. His orders are like the will of heaven. How can I disobey them? Moreover, even if I command an army of 80,000, if I openly disobey his orders, it would be tantamount to rebellion and treason! Doing so would not only fail to ensure the stability of the Great Qin, but would also plunge the country into civil strife. The consequences would be disastrous!"

Bai Lin, who had been silent the entire time, stood up, bowed, and said, "General, your understanding of justice is truly admirable! However, as Commandant Su and Commandant She have said, this trip to Xianyang is indeed fraught with danger. Therefore, we should be prepared and make all the necessary arrangements in advance just in case."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, expressing their agreement with Bai Lin's opinion.

Afterwards, Wang Li acted decisively and quickly arranged all military affairs, with Bai Lin in charge and Shejian assisting.

Su Jiao selected a team of loyal and reliable followers. After everything was ready, he led this small group of people and set off on the road to Xianyang.

a few days later.

In the early morning, just as the sky was beginning to turn pale, Wang Li had already arrived outside Xianyang. He pulled the reins, and the horse beneath him neighed before coming to a steady halt.

Wang Li looked at the towering city wall from afar, feeling a lot of emotions in his heart.

After much deliberation, Wang Li finally decided to enter the city. He ordered his deputy general, Su Jiao, to lead the personal guard back to the Wang family residence in Xianyang, while he himself went to the palace to meet the emperor.

After arranging everything, Wang Li rode his horse alone and galloped towards the palace.

At this time, the streets of Xianyang City were bustling with people coming and going.

The people in the city were either hurrying on their way or strolling leisurely, and all kinds of shouts and hawking sounds echoed in the streets and alleys.

However, this bustling scene did not cause Wang Li's heart to fluctuate in the slightest. At this moment, all he could think about was the upcoming meeting with the emperor.

Soon, Wang Li arrived at the palace gate. He saw that the palace gate was closed and a team of fully armed imperial guards were lined up in an orderly manner, solemn and respectful.

Wang Li dismounted and was about to move forward when he was stopped by the imperial guards.

The leading general had a stern expression on his face. He looked Wang Li up and down and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you? How dare you trespass through the palace?"

Wang Li was furious. How dare a small commander of the imperial guards be so rude to him? But he still replied, "I am Marquis Wang Li, and I have come to see you by your majesty's edict."

The head of the imperial guards asked, "Is there any imperial decree?"

Afterwards, Wang Li pulled out an imperial edict from his pocket and handed it to the other party. The general took the edict and examined it carefully, then whispered a few words to the person behind him before waving his hand to let him pass.

However, before entering, the imperial guards still conducted a strict search and inspection of Wang Li and his personal belongings.

This made Wang Li even angrier. In the past, when he followed his father Wang Ben and grandfather Wang Jian into the palace, the imperial guards were always respectful to them. But now... the Wang family was in decline.

After all the formalities were completed, Wang Li was finally able to enter the palace.

Walking along the broad stone path, through the numerous palaces and pavilions, they finally arrived outside the side hall of Changle Palace. When the guards in front of the palace saw Wang Li coming, they hurried inside to announce him.

After hearing this, Hu Hai in the hall showed joy on his face and said to himself, "He's finally here!"