The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Chapter 287 Arrogant Hu Hai

In the Xianyang Palace, Hu Hai heard that Wang Li and Zhang Han had easily wiped out the rebel army of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, and easily defeated the coalition forces of Wei, Zhao and Qi, killed King Tian Dan of Qi, forced King Wei Ju of Wei to death, and defeated Xiang Liang, and his heart began to swell again.

In the main hall of the Afang Palace, Hu Hai, with a smug smile on his face, said to Zhao Gao beside him, "Teacher, look at these two, Wang Li and Zhang Han, they are truly capable generals! Those petty thieves causing trouble in Shandong are no match for them!"

Although Hu Hai was wary of Zhao Gao in his heart, he was confident that he could control Zhao Gao and would never trust Zhao Gao like the First Emperor did.

After all, Zhao Gao was good at dealing with people and talking, which was exactly what Hu Hai wanted.

Zhao Gao smiled flatteringly, "Your Majesty is wise! Wang Li and Zhang Han are indeed extremely brave. Thanks to your majesty's ability to judge people, these two men have been deeply favored by the emperor and have been able to overcome difficulties for your majesty. This is their blessing!"

Hu Hai laughed heartily and continued, "Now that the rebellion has been quelled, I will lead my troops north to attack Fusu and Meng Tian!"

Zhao Gao quickly echoed, "Your Majesty is wise! Fusu and Meng Tian dared to rebel and deserve death! Your Majesty will lead the army in person and will surely achieve victory!"

Hu Hai nodded with satisfaction, and then began to hide in the harem all day long, indulging in wine and women, rarely going to court, and leaving the government affairs to Zhao Gao, Feng Quji, and Yao Jia.

In the court, a large number of officials who hated and feared Zhao Gao all defected to Yao Jia and Feng Quji.

Zhao Gao naturally knew this well, but now that his two subordinates, Zhao Ben and Zhao Cheng, controlled the Northern Army and the Lieutenant's Office respectively, Zhao Gao's ambition suddenly swelled.

However, although Chen Sheng, Wu Guang, Wei Ju and Tian Dan were destroyed, there were more and more uprising armies in the world.

This means that although King Chen Sheng of Chu is dead, more Chu people will stand up. The old King of Wei and King of Qi are dead, and new Kings of Wei and Qi will stand up. Not to mention that Zhang Er and Chen Yu have already established Zhao Xie as King of Zhao in Zhao, and the Yan people in Yan have also supported Han Guang as King of Yan.

Faced with this situation, the left prime minister Yao Jia, the right prime minister Feng Quji, the imperial physician Tu You and others may have done so for their own benefit or they may have been unwilling to see the Qin Empire torn apart.

Several of them then jointly advised Hu Hai, "Right now, bandits are rising up in various places in Guandong. The imperial court has sent troops to suppress them, and although many have been killed, many remain. The bandits are caused by the heavy labor and heavy taxes of border defense. Therefore, we request that Your Majesty suspend the construction of the Afang Palace and reduce border defense military service and corvee labor."

When Hu Hai heard this, he was furious, but after looking at the people, he saw that one was his confidant Tu You, another was the Feng family who held heavy troops and maintained the operation of the court, and the last one was Yao Jia, whom he used to check and balance Zhao Gao and Feng Quji. In the end, he suppressed his anger.

Hu Hai took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice calm, and said in a deep voice: "How could our great Qin be afraid of these ant-like thieves? The Afang Palace is a display of our majesty, how can we stop construction?"

Yao Jia, Feng Quji, and the others prostrated themselves and pleaded, "Your Majesty, bandits are rampant and the people are suffering. If we continue to build the Afang Palace, it will probably trigger another civil uprising!"

Seeing this, Zhao Gao took the opportunity to fan the flames and said, "Your Majesty is wise. These people are clearly exaggerating. Could it be that they are colluding with the rebels?"

Hu Hai glanced at Zhao Gao and said, "Teacher, please don't talk nonsense. I believe that you are doing this for me and for the sake of the Qin State."

Zhao Gao heard this and an awkward smile appeared on his face. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Your Majesty, you are wise."

Then, Hu Hai continued slowly, "Throughout history, the reason people valued possessing the empire was so they could indulge in their desires and enjoy themselves to the fullest. But the most important thing for a monarch is to establish a sound legal system. This way, your subjects won't dare to commit evil, and the monarch can rule the world."

After a pause, Hu Hai continued, "My lords, the late emperor rose from among the feudal lords, swept across the land, and pacified the world. Externally, he repelled the barbarians to secure our borders; internally, he built palaces to showcase the great achievements of our Great Qin. You have all witnessed the late emperor's magnificent achievements. Yet, now, only two years after my accession to the throne, bandits are everywhere, and you, unable to stop them, are even trying to stop the late emperor's actions. In this way, you have failed to repay the late emperor's kindness, and you have failed to serve me with all your loyalty. How can you hold your high positions with dignity?"

Hu Hai sighed deeply and said, "Well, since you all insist so much, let's stop the construction of Afang Palace for now. I have come to this throne after so much hardship, so shouldn't I be able to enjoy myself? Sigh... Let's adjourn the court!"

Although Hu Hai stopped the construction of Afang Palace, he still felt resentful in his heart.

He felt that the Feng family was becoming more and more powerful. Feng Quji's disciples and followers were spread throughout the court and the country, and Feng Jie controlled a large number of troops.

This situation made Hu Hai feel uneasy and uneasy.

After careful consideration, Hu Hai finally made up his mind to weaken the power of the Feng family.

Not long after, an imperial edict was issued in Changle Palace, recruiting beauties from all over the world to enter the palace.

At the same time, in the name of reorganizing the military, Hu Hai withdrew 10,000 people from the Southern Army controlled by Feng Jie to supplement the Northern Army.

Not long after, Hu Hai found an excuse to demote Yao Jia to the position of Chief Censor, and the balance of power in the court was instantly unbalanced.

On the other side, Meng Tian's army marched southward like a raging torrent, unstoppable.

Many counties along the way heard of Fusu's name and surrendered one after another.

When the news reached Xianyang, Hu Hai was shocked and distracted.

Hu Hai paced back and forth in the palace, feeling anxious and restless. His steps seemed a little flustered, as if every step he took was stepping on his uneasy heart.

"What should we do? Fusu is so popular!" Hu Hai said gritting his teeth, his voice revealing a hint of anger and helplessness.

Zhao Gao, standing by, quickly consoled him, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Wang Li and Zhang Han are both powerful generals of the Qin Dynasty. They will definitely be able to hold Guanzhong."

Hu Hai glared at Zhao Gao, the anger in his eyes seemed to be about to burst out, "Then why don't you issue an order and ask them to return to defend quickly!" There was a hint of impatience in his voice.

Feng Quji quickly said, "Your Majesty, this is unacceptable. Rebellions are surging in Shandong. If we do not curb them and transfer both Zhang Han and Wang Li's armies back to Xianyang, I'm afraid they will attack Hangu Pass and threaten Xianyang, just like the rebel Zhou Wen did. Our army will then be attacked from both sides."

After Hu Hai pondered for a moment, he said, "Prime Minister Feng's words make sense. What do you think, my dear minister?"

Feng Quji said, "I believe we should order Zhang Han to lead his 20-man army back to reinforce Guanzhong, while Wang Li's army will continue to suppress the rebellion in Shandong. Sanchuan County Governor Ye Ping has defeated the rebels repeatedly in Xingyang, demonstrating his extraordinary ability. He should lead his troops to reinforce Wang Li. Together, the two of them will be able to crush the rebels in no time."

When Hu Hai heard this, he thought to himself, "This Ye Ping is someone I promoted, so I can trust him a little bit."

Hu Hai then issued an edict ordering Zhang Han to lead his army back to Guanzhong, promoted Ye Ping to the rank of General of the Front, and ordered him to lead the army eastward. He also ordered Feng Jie to lead 50,000 southern troops to garrison Xiaoguan, the northern gateway to Guanzhong.

After learning that Meng Tian was leading his army to the south, the states in Shandong stepped up their offensives, hoping to seize the opportunity to occupy more territory. The rebel forces in Chu and Qi took advantage of the situation to attack the Qin army.