The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Half a day later, Meng Yi led his personal cavalry from Hangu Pass to Lantian County, where Xiang Liang's troops were stationed.

As soon as Meng Yi stood at the camp gate, a guard hurried to the commander's tent to report.

Another guard quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "General Meng Yi, you are here."

Meng Yi nodded slightly and looked at the neatly arranged camp. From time to time, the sound of soldiers' training could be heard.

Soon, Xiang Liang hurried over with Fan Zeng, Xiang Zhuang and others.

Meng Yi looked at the figures of the few people, quickly dismounted, stepped forward to salute, and shouted in a loud voice, "Master."

Xiang Liang smiled, his eyes full of kindness as he said, "Yier, I was just talking about you with Brother Fan. He said you are truly a hero born in your youth. He regretted that he should have rushed to take you in as his apprentice."

After hearing this, Meng Yi hurriedly bowed to Fan Zeng and said, "Mr. Fan, you are so kind. I have always admired your talent."

Fan Zeng stroked his beard and laughed, his laughter revealing his admiration for Meng Yi.

Xiang Liang then said, "Come on, let's go inside and talk."

As he spoke, he led everyone into the tent.

After entering the tent, both sides took their seats as host and guest.

Xiang Liang ordered his men to bring wine, and the tent was immediately filled with the rich aroma of wine.

Xiang Liang raised his wine glass and said to Meng Yi with a smile, "Yier, is there something important you want to discuss with me?"

Meng Yi responded, "Master, now all the rebellions in Shandong have been quelled, especially my eldest brother. He defeated Wang Li's army of 130,000 with an army of 50,000 and captured Wang Li alive. This battle is famous throughout the world." His words were full of pride.

Xiang Liang nodded slightly, his eyes showing satisfaction, "Yu'er's bravery is indeed extraordinary."

Meng Yi continued, "Now, apart from the bandits fleeing everywhere, only Xianyang remains. The world is about to be pacified, but Master, you must be wary of Li Ze in the future."

Xiang Liang also knew that Li Ze had a grudge against him, but he did not take it to heart. After all, the overall situation was more important.

Xiang Zhuang, standing by, clenched his fists and said, "Uncle, if Li Ze dares to attack me, I will make sure he never returns."

Xiang Liang shook his head, "Zhuang'er, don't be impulsive."

Fan Zeng then spoke up, "Friend Meng Yi, Li Ze is a cautious person, and he and Brother Xiang have a paternal grudge. Although he is not to be feared, we must be on guard against him."

Meng Yi nodded in agreement. "Mr. Fan is absolutely right. Li Ze is deeply trusted by Master Fusu, so I came here to remind Master to make early plans."

Meng Yi explained, "Master, Mr. Fan, you may not know that it was Li Ze who risked his life to travel a thousand miles south from Shaqiu City to deliver the late emperor's will to Prince Fusu. He also secretly escorted Prince Fusu's family and Princess Huayang from Xianyang to his side. His father, Li Xin, also rescued Prince Fusu several times. According to reliable sources, Li Ze has ordered his men to secretly spy on the situation at your residence several times. However, nothing was done about it."

Fan Zeng said to Xiang Liang, "Brother Xiang, this matter cannot be underestimated. The information brought by friend Meng Yi is crucial."

Xiang Liang frowned, and after a moment's contemplation, he said, "Since this is the case, we must be on guard. However, the recapture of Xianyang is imminent. If we engage in internal conflict with them now, I'm afraid we won't be able to explain ourselves to Prince Fusu!"

Xiang Zhuang couldn't help but say, "Uncle, just passively defending is too frustrating. How about I lead a small team to launch a surprise attack and catch him off guard?"

Xiang Liang scolded him, "Zhuang'er, don't be reckless. Since Li Ze dared to send people to spy, he must have taken precautions. Now, we should prioritize the overall situation."

Meng Yi responded, "Master, you're right. I think we should send people to secretly guard and closely monitor Li Ze's movements, while at the same time advancing to Xianyang as planned. After we capture Xianyang, we can then return to deal with Li Ze's situation. If Li Ze takes action then, Master can justify it and it won't cause dissatisfaction for Prince Fusu."

After hearing this, Xiang Liang nodded in approval and said, "Yier, what you said is absolutely right."

Fan Zeng also stroked his beard and said, "This way, we can stabilize the current situation and avoid unnecessary trouble. It's a win-win situation."

Xiang Zhuang also unclenched his fist and said, "Brother Meng Yi is indeed very thoughtful."

Xiang Liang immediately ordered people to monitor Li Ze's troops.

Afterwards, everyone discussed the specific details of the march to Xianyang, including the allocation of troops, transportation of food and fodder, and other matters.

After everything was agreed upon, Meng Yi said goodbye and headed for Wugong County.

Xiang Liang and others personally escorted him to the camp gate.

Meng Yi mounted his horse and left with his personal cavalry.

Looking at Meng Yi's receding back, Xiang Liang felt a mix of emotions in his heart. He admired his disciple, but also felt a little worried about the future direction of the situation.

At this moment in Wugong County, the military base was bustling with people and extremely noisy.

Chunyu Yue, Fu Sheng and other Confucian scholars were sitting around Prince Fusu, all of them looked excited and spoke passionately.

They either waved their arms or clenched their fists, and talked incessantly about the hardships and sufferings of the people's lives, as well as the Confucian concept of governing the country with benevolence.

Every word was full of passion, as if he wanted to pour out all the thoughts that had been pent up in his heart for a long time.

Prince Fusu listened attentively to everyone's speeches, sometimes nodding slightly to show his agreement, and sometimes frowning and falling into deep thought.

Obviously, these views on the suffering of the people and the strategies for governing the country aroused Fusu's great interest, and made him begin to think deeply about how to better govern the country and benefit the people.

Meanwhile, Meng Tian, ​​standing by, had a look of helplessness on his face that was hard to conceal. He silently watched the scene before him, his mind swirling with thoughts.

Since the death of the First Emperor, the situation has become turbulent, with the six kingdoms rebelling one after another, and the Qin Empire is in turmoil. After experiencing this series of changes, Meng Tian could not help but have some doubts about the harsh criminal laws that the Qin Dynasty has always adhered to.

Faced with the future direction of Qin's national policy, Meng Tian was perplexed. Should he continue to adhere to the Legalist school's strict legal system, maintaining his rule through harsh punishments? Or should he adopt the Confucian ideals of benevolence and justice to influence the people? Or should he follow the Taoist principle of inaction and allow society to develop naturally? This question repeatedly swirled in his mind, yet he could never come up with a clear answer.

On the other side, Sima Yan stood there with a face full of resentment, looking at Meng Tian from time to time, with raging anger flashing in his eyes.

Afterwards, Sima Yan walked up to Meng Tian with a look of rage on his face and said indignantly, "General, look at those Confucian scholars! They are so shameless! They surround you all day long, chattering about how great Confucianism is, as if Confucianism is the only thing that can save the world."

After hearing this, Meng Tian gently patted Sima Yan's shoulder and said soothingly, "You and I are both military generals. It's difficult for us to clearly articulate how to govern such a vast country and ensure the people live a stable and prosperous life. However, my intuition suggests that the governance strategy implemented by the late emperor may still have some flaws and shortcomings in some aspects."

Sima Yan frowned upon hearing this and said worriedly, "That being said, General, we can't just sit there and watch those Confucian scholars chattering in your ear like this without restraint, right? If this continues for a long time, it will inevitably interfere with your judgment and decision-making ability!"

Then, he sighed deeply, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Alas... If the young general were here at this moment, he might be able to come up with a plan to deal with it."

When Meng Tian heard this, his heart suddenly moved, and he thought to himself: "That's right, Brother Yi has always been very smart and clever. Maybe he can really find a good solution to the current dilemma."

At this moment, a soldier's urgent voice suddenly came from outside the tent: "Report to the General! Zhao Gao has sent an envoy, claiming to negotiate with the prince!"