The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

Deng Ying had no choice but to slowly leave the hall, his worries growing heavier.

Just then, he saw Zhao Gao walking by with a group of attendants in the distance.

Zhao Gao's eyes were cold and full of sarcasm. He glanced at Deng Ying, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, as if mocking Deng Ying's arrogance.

A surge of anger surged in Deng Ying's heart. He clenched his fists tightly, then turned and left silently, leaving behind a lonely and determined back.

Jiang Huang, who was standing next to Zhao Gao, said angrily, "Sir, Deng Ying is so arrogant and conceited! He actually dared to be so rude to you. I am willing to take some men to teach this ignorant guy a lesson!" After that, he rolled up his sleeves and prepared for action.

However, Zhao Gao calmly waved his hand, signaling Jiang Huang to remain calm. He said in a deep voice, "Don't be impulsive. Let him go for now. He's just a grasshopper in autumn, he won't be able to jump for many more days. The Imperial Guards are still under the control of Your Majesty. If we act rashly, we may cause unnecessary trouble and accidents. The most urgent thing is to find a way to seize the military power of the Imperial Guards."

After a moment's thought, Zhao Gao suddenly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, did the messenger sent outside the city to contact Prince Fusu bring back any news?"

Jiang Huang hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, answering, "In reply to your Excellency, I have not yet received any reply from Master Fusu."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao frowned slightly and muttered to himself, "What on earth is Fusu up to? Could it be that at this critical moment, he's still hesitating?"

There was a hint of dissatisfaction and worry in his words.

Then, Zhao Gao took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and slowly walked towards Changle Palace.

Zhao Gao entered the Changle Palace alone, bowed respectfully, and then said to Hu Hai, who was sitting on the dragon throne, with a flattering look on his face: "Your Majesty, I have come specially to pay my respects to you!"

At this time, Hu Hai was lazily leaning on the dragon throne. He glanced at Zhao Gao nonchalantly and asked, "Oh? Teacher, what brings you to see me this time?"

There was a strong sense of fatigue in Hu Hai's voice, and it was obvious that he was not very concerned about Zhao Gao's sudden visit.

When Zhao Gao heard Hu Hai's cold response, he did not show any displeasure or panic.

On the contrary, a smile appeared on Zhao Gao's face. He said, "Your Majesty, the situation is critical. Although we have withdrawn our forces from the area surrounding Xianyang, and there are still over 40,000 defenders in the city, Meng Tian's army is advancing with such force that our current forces alone are far from sufficient to withstand their attack! In my humble opinion, the Imperial Guards, which have been lying idle in the palace, should be placed under my unified command. I will defend Xianyang to the death and will not allow the enemy even the slightest opportunity to exploit the situation!"

However, after hearing what Zhao Gao said, Hu Hai's expression suddenly changed. He snorted coldly and said, "Hmph! The Imperial Guards are my support. How can I hand them over to others so rashly? Let's not talk about this matter again!"

Hu Hai's sudden scolding made Zhao Gao tremble involuntarily, and a feeling of nervousness and uneasiness suddenly surged in his heart.

When Zhao Gao heard this, he knew that there was no way Hu Hai would hand over the military power to him so easily.

So he hurriedly said earnestly: "Your Majesty, the situation is critical now. The enemy is coming with great force. The existing forces in the city may not be able to resist the invasion. I dare to ask Your Majesty to issue an imperial edict to summon all the able-bodied young men in Xianyang to help defend the city."

After hearing what Zhao Gao said, Hu Hai stared at Zhao Gao's face with a fierce gaze. Suddenly, he asked in a stern voice, "Zhao Gao, what exactly are you trying to do? Are you harboring ulterior motives and plotting rebellion?"

Zhao Gao was frightened by Hu Hai's sudden questioning and trembled all over, and his face turned pale in an instant.

He quickly knelt on his knees, kowtowed repeatedly, and tearfully defended himself, "Your Majesty, please be discerning! My loyalty to Your Majesty is evident to the sun and moon, and even Heaven itself bears witness to it! Your Majesty and I share a common destiny. If Your Majesty were to encounter any misfortune, how could I, an old minister, remain unscathed? I hope Your Majesty will not listen to slanderous words and misunderstand my sincere heart!"

Hu Hai's face was as gloomy as water. He stared quietly at Zhao Gao, who was crying in front of him. After a long silence, he said, "Forget it. In this case, I will allow you to recruit young and strong men." However, from his slightly low tone, one could still vaguely detect a hint of helplessness.

Seeing that Hu Hai had agreed, Zhao Gao couldn't help but feel secretly happy, and a barely perceptible look of pride quickly crossed his face.

Then he kowtowed again to express his gratitude, then slowly stood up, bowed respectfully to Hu Hai, and then turned and left Changle Palace.

Hu Hai remained standing, staring blankly at Zhao Gao's figure as he walked further and further away until he disappeared, muttering to himself, "It seems that in the end, the people of the world still chose Fusu... Hehehe..."

Along with this self-deprecating sneer, Hu Hai's expression became more lonely and depressed.

After Zhao Gao entered the mansion with a gloomy face, he walked straight to the center of the lobby without saying a word, and then sat down heavily.

Not long after, I heard a burst of hurried footsteps coming from afar.

It turned out that Zhao Cheng and Jiang Huang rushed over after hearing the news.

Zhao Gao raised his head, glanced at the two men in front of him, and slowly said, "You two, immediately go to the city and recruit all the young and strong men to help defend the city, no matter how many there are."

Hearing this, Zhao Cheng couldn't help but frown and said worriedly, "Brother, I'm afraid this isn't a good idea! We don't have enough food and military pay right now. If we forcibly conscript the people, I'm afraid it will cause a civil uprising!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao snorted coldly, then raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said with a sneer, "Humph, what we want is a civil uprising! If we can't seize the military power of the Imperial Guards, our next plan will be impossible to implement."

Jiang Huang's eyes darted around, immediately grasping the profound meaning behind Zhao Gao's words. He quickly responded, "Your Excellency is truly wise and resourceful! If there's unrest in the city, we can take advantage of it and fish in troubled waters to triumph."

However, Zhao Cheng felt uneasy in his heart and said again: "But, big brother, if His Majesty knew about this and investigated it, the consequences would be unimaginable..."

Zhao Gao interrupted him impatiently, waving his hand and saying, "Your Majesty is struggling to protect himself right now, so why would you care about these things? Once a popular uprising breaks out, we can use the excuse that the Imperial Guards are useless to forcibly seize their command."

Suddenly, in Xianyang City, when Zhao Gao and others issued the conscription order, people gathered in the streets and alleys, talking and complaining.