The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Just when Xiang Liang led his troops to break through Yaoguan and advance all the way to Lantian.

At the same time, on the other side of the battlefield, Li Ze also led an army and successfully broke through the defense line in the Zhengguo Canal area with lightning speed. He quickly captured the city of Liyang and now he has even arrived at the city of Xishui.

Outside Xishui City, the army set up camp.

Inside a tent, Li Ze was sitting behind a desk.

At this time, a spy hurried over to report the latest military information, saying that Xiang Liang's army was currently stationed in Lantian, not far from here, to rest.

After hearing the news, Li Ze's face instantly turned gloomy, and the hateful past involuntarily emerged in his mind - the death of his beloved father Li Xin.

I remember that year, in the tragic battle in Taimu County, my father Li Xin lost the battle and was ultimately defeated due to a momentary negligence.

However, what made Li Ze even more heartbroken was that it was Xiang Liang who issued the order to execute Li Xin, and it was carried out by Xiang Yu personally.

The poor famous general Li Xin died tragically at the hands of the enemy, with his head and body separated.

Whenever he recalled this scene, Li Ze felt as if his heart was being mercilessly pierced by thousands of sharp blades, causing unbearable pain.

At this moment, endless grief and indignation surged into his heart like a tide. Li Ze felt an unusual tightness in his chest, and a raging anger was surging in his chest.

He couldn't help but clench his fists tightly. Because he used too much force, his nails dug deep into his palms. Bright red blood slowly flowed down his fingertips, but he didn't feel any pain at all.

Suddenly, Li Ze seemed to be unable to suppress his inner emotions any longer and shouted loudly outside the tent: "Li De!"

Li De responded and entered the tent. He glanced at the blood on Li Ze's palm, his heart tightening. He quickly bowed and said, "Major General, what are your orders?"

A fierce look flashed in Li Ze's eyes. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence: "Brother De, Xiang Liang is now in Lantian. Take advantage of the chaotic situation now and gather a group of elite troops, lurk over there, and wait for an opportunity to kill him."

Li De looked up at Li Ze, his eyes filled with worry. He gently advised, "Young General, no! The armies are closing in on Xianyang and the country is about to be saved. If Xiang Liang dies now, everyone will suspect you. And didn't you promise Master Fusu?"

Li Ze frowned upon hearing this, and clenched his hands even tighter, his joints crackling. He knew what Li De said made sense, but the hatred for his father's murder burned in his heart like a raging fire, making it impossible for him to calm down.

"Brother De, how can I feel at peace if I don't avenge my father's murder?" Li Ze's voice was low and firm, as if expressing his inner pain.

Li De slumped to his knees, his forehead pressed against the ground. He spoke earnestly, "Young General, the greater good is paramount. If we let personal vendettas ruin our plans, we would not only betray Prince Fusu's trust, but would also be a disservice to the people of Great Qin. Before he left, Prince Fusu said that the stability of the realm was paramount."

Li Ze struggled internally. He knew Li De was doing this for his own good, and for the future of Daqin. But the hatred was like a venomous snake, constantly gnawing at his soul.

He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. After a while, he opened his eyes, looked at Li De, and said, "Brother De, please get up. I know you're doing this for my own good, but I simply can't let go of this hatred."

Li De stood up and looked at Li Ze, his eyes full of helplessness and worry. He knew that Li Ze's decision could not be changed, so he could only silently pray that everything would go well.

Li Ze was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "Brother De, I have made up my mind. But I won't act rashly."

Li De was slightly stunned and looked up at him.

Li Ze continued, "First, send someone to closely monitor Xiang Liang's movements and look for the right opportunity. If there's a chance to take revenge without implicating the entire army, we'll take action."

Seeing this, Li De knew that it was useless to persuade him further, so he had to agree.

So, Li Ze carefully selected several top spies to go to Lantian.

A few days later, the spy responsible for gathering intelligence hurried back to the camp and reported to Li Ze that Xiang Liang seemed to have noticed that the surrounding situation was a bit unusual, and his defense measures became more and more strict.

At the same time, another shocking news came - a large number of troops from the counties near Xianyang were gathering towards Xianyang City.

Upon hearing this news, Li Ze immediately became suspicious. He frowned and muttered to himself, "The young master will arrive in Xianyang in two days. Could it be that these troop movements are specifically targeting the young master?"

At this moment, Li Ze realized that if Prince Fusu met with an accident in this incident, the Qin Empire, which was about to achieve the great cause of unification, would once again fall into even more serious chaos and turmoil.

Thinking of this, Li Ze couldn't help but clench his fists tightly, and began to weigh the pros and cons repeatedly in his heart.

After some careful consideration, Li Ze sighed deeply and turned around to say, "Let's put aside the pursuit of Xiang Liang for now. The most urgent task right now is to rush to Xianyang and ensure the safety of the young master. As for the revenge for my father's murder, I'll have to find another opportunity to avenge him later."

After hearing this, Li De showed a look of relief on his face, and quickly bowed and replied, "Young General, you have great foresight. This decision is indeed a wise one!"

After saying that, Li De immediately turned around and left quickly, hurriedly arranging matters related to the march.

Li Zeze still stood there quietly, gazing into the distance, his eyes still revealing a hint of unwillingness, thinking to himself: "Xiang Yu, Xiang Liang, just wait for me, sooner or later I will settle this account with you, don't even think about escaping!"

On the other side, Meng Yi rode his horse with Li Ziwei and his 5,000 cavalrymen, heading towards Xianyang.

Along the way, everything is shocking and full of withering.

Wherever they passed, there were barren fields, dilapidated houses, and wandering refugees.

Especially in Wei and Han, the situation was horrific. The people were pale and thin, half-naked, and their eyes revealed despair and helplessness.

Meng Yi pulled the reins and looked at the scene in front of him, feeling a surge of grief and indignation in his heart.

He turned to Li Ziwei and said, "Ziwei, look at this world. The people are suffering. As soldiers, how can we sit back and watch?"

Li Ziwei tightly grasped the Qin Sword in his hand and responded, "General, we will go all out to put an end to this chaotic world as soon as possible!"

After talking with the people, everyone learned that Han Xin had led a large army and successfully wiped out the rebel forces that were rampant in Wei and Han.

Now, they are tirelessly pursuing the remnants of the bandits who are fleeing everywhere.

At the same time, Kuai Che was not idle either. He arranged the officials of various counties to perform their duties. On the one hand, they tried their best to maintain the most basic social order; on the other hand, they actively organized forces to restore production to make up for the huge losses caused by the war.

When Meng Yi heard the news, his heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally relaxed a little and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

However, amidst his joy, he couldn't help but ponder, "It's true that most of these rebels were forced into homelessness by the ruthless war. But they absolutely shouldn't oppress the good, bring disaster to the locals, and exploit the common people. Those in power are acting out of selfish desire, completely disregarding human life. This war should end..."

Suddenly, scenes from movies and TV shows flooded Meng Yi's mind. "Throughout China's millennia-long history, it seems as though heroes and great men have always dominated everything. Like Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor Taizu of Song, Emperor Wu of Han, and perhaps Genghis Khan. But what about ordinary people? After thousands of years of vicissitudes, who has ever truly cared about their whereabouts?"

Thinking of this, Meng Yi's mood became heavier.

"Yes! Where are the common people? Aren't they living right before our eyes? They are as hardworking as oxen, as simple as unpolished jade, and as capable as steel. All they want is to live a good life."

As a good young man of the new era born under the red flag, Meng Yi once again realized the meaning of serving the people as the great man once said.

Meng Yi collected his thoughts, left behind 4,000 cavalrymen, and sent them under Kuai Che's command.