From the beginning of the game of power, I became the protagonist

But this is a fantasy martial arts world with all kinds of magical skills and countless rich resources, enough to make a person immortal for a hundred years, and even look exactly the same as when he was young.

However, even with the best resources in the entire empire, Ying Zheng still grew old, inevitably old.

There is no way. There are too many troubles, especially in the past six months, when unpleasant things have happened one after another.

First, the Mirage Treasure Ship, which was regarded as his life, was stolen by the Yin-Yang family. Although Ying Zheng had ordered a reconstruction, it would take countless time and resources, and there would be no results in the short term.

What's more, the purge against the remnants of the Yin-Yang School more than half a year ago wiped out countless middle and low-level officials in the empire. Although Ying Zheng urgently transferred a large number of people to take over their positions, it still brought some terrible consequences, that is, many newcomers were completely unable to adapt to the working environment.

After all, many jobs require years of accumulated experience to be competent. It is not the case that anyone can do a good job right from the start.

For example, the task of recruiting laborers from all over the country is now a mess, because the newly appointed officials have no understanding of the local situation and are even clueless about how many laborers can be recruited from their jurisdiction.

As a result, the local gentry and powerful people joined hands to deceive their superiors and hide most of the working-age people in the mountains, leaving the new officials with no one to recruit.

Those gentry and powerful people had all read the "farming and warfare" theory spread by Yan Dan, and knew that a head-on fight would be a dead end, so they all adopted a non-violent and non-cooperative attitude.

They would rather spend food for free to feed those working-age people, let them hide in the mountains for a long time and never come out, than give the Qin Dynasty any possibility of conscription.

In short, whenever officials come to ask, just say it's a natural disaster or man-made disaster, and the farmers have all fled on their own. If you have the ability, go look for them in the mountains. If you find them, I lose.

What? You want to target the gentry and powerful people?

No problem, I'll hide in the mountains then. You can deal with the taxes set by the court this year on your own.

What? You're sending the Qin army to search the mountain?

Welcome, welcome. Then we will lead the Qin army to wander around all over the mountains and plains just like the Mohists did in the past.

We are the local bosses and are very familiar with the surrounding environment; but you are all outsiders. Once you enter the mountains, you will be at a loss. You will waste food and money but gain nothing, and you will not get any merit or title.

Do you know why imperial power did not extend to the countryside in ancient times?

Because at the grassroots level, these gentry and powerful people are the real local emperors.

As long as they don't cooperate, no matter how powerful you are, it will be useless. They have plenty of ways to make you swallow your anger.

If it was only one or two places, Ying Zheng could have ignored it.

However, due to the prevalence of the "farming and warfare" doctrine and the impact of the huge turmoil half a year ago, about 70% of the entire Qin State has now become this terrible state.

It can be said that except for the Guanzhong area where the old Qin people gathered, which can still barely maintain stability, the areas where the other six countries once existed are basically in a state of chaos.

They are not engaging in any confrontation, but simply practicing non-violent non-cooperation, which will infinitely increase the cost of governing your country, making it impossible for you to accomplish anything. The price you pay is far greater than the benefits.

Everyone is waiting, waiting for the death of Emperor Ying Zheng of Qin, waiting for the collapse of the "farming and warfare" system. That will be the time for these people to bare their fangs and strike back at the Qin Dynasty.

Chapter 75: King meets king, the two geniuses finally meet

"Delusion!"

He threw away another memorial about the failure of conscripting civilians. Filled with indignation, Ying Zheng couldn't help coughing violently. He quickly reached out to open a small box in front of him, took out a pill and put it in his mouth.

I will not die! I will live forever! I will forever hold you, the traitors, in high sway!

What does it matter if the mirage is lost! What does it matter if Mars is in the heart! I am the Son of Heaven! It is the destiny of heaven! I can sweep across the six kingdoms and unify the world! I am not afraid of you evil spirits and monsters running around!

Sooner or later, I will tear all of you traitors into pieces! Kill them all without a single mortal left!

Just wait!

After finally stopping coughing, the exhausted Ying Zheng forced himself to cheer up and reached out to take another bamboo slip. Even though his arms were so numb that he was almost numb, he continued to review them.

"Hi.".

Suddenly, a long sigh was heard in the empty and silent hall, waking up Ying Zheng who was concentrating on government affairs.

What's going on? Who's sighing?

Ying Zheng did not think this was an accident. You have to know where this place is. It is in front of the emperor and where Emperor Qin Shi Huang works and governs the country.

In such an important place, which servant would dare to make a noise in person? Aren't they afraid of being pushed out and chopped off in a rage by Ying Zheng?

Something's wrong! Someone else came in!

Ying Zheng had experienced many ups and downs in his life, so he reacted immediately when he saw this. His left hand instantly slid under the table, and at the same time he looked up in the direction where the voice came from.

At the entrance of the hall in the distance, a figure covered in a black robe had appeared. He was wearing a silver-white hideous mask on his face and was looking at Ying Zheng from afar.

You know, it seems that there is only Ying Zheng in this spacious hall, but in fact, there are countless secret guards and attendants hiding in the dark around. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a dragnet. But now all these people are silent, and it is obvious that they have been wiped out.

There is probably only one person in the world who can eliminate all the people in the hall silently, and dressed like this.

"The 'Ghost Face' master of Mohism?" Ying Zheng asked calmly.

"It's me." Chen Hui responded calmly.

"Since you are here, why don't you come forward?" Ying Zheng continued to ask.

"Because I dare not." Chen Hui smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty, press the trigger now. As soon as I step forward, the surrounding gates will be immediately sealed by a foot-thick iron wall. The roof of the hall will also spray out kerosene, burning everything inside. Only your Majesty's position will sink into the ground at the last moment, ensuring your own safety."

That’s right, this is the mechanism installed in this hall. In fact, since Chen Hui entered the Qin Palace, he has discovered countless such mechanisms and traps that leave no room for survival. They are even more terrifying than a solid wall of steel.

If it weren't for the Iron Blood computer that could scan it out, even Chen Hui would have been exposed long ago. It would be impossible for him to walk in front of Ying Zheng without making any noise.

I can only say that it is no wonder that no one has ever been able to assassinate Ying Zheng. It is because the mechanisms of this world are too terrifying. Unless a truly innate strong man appears, even Chen Hui and Donghuang Taiyi cannot get close to him.

Seeing Chen Hui describe the entire layout of the hall in just a few words, Ying Zheng was extremely surprised. He snorted coldly with icy eyes, "The craftsmen who built the hall should have all been buried alive with the dead. How do you know so much? Even Gongshu Chou probably doesn't know this."

"Your Majesty, could you please remove your hand from the button first?" Chen Hui said with a faint smile, "I'm a little scared of you being ready to activate the mechanism at any time."

"." Ying Zheng was silent for a moment after hearing this, then he slowly took his left hand out from under the table. Anyway, the person coming was still very far away from him, so there was no need to be so tense.

Chen Hui smiled slightly upon seeing this, and immediately operated the Iron Blood Computer on his wrist, projecting the entire structure of the hall in front of Ying Zheng, revealing every detail.

"I see." Ying Zheng suppressed his shock, nodded, and exclaimed, "Such a rare thing exists in the world. No wonder you, my lord, were able to enter my palace as if it were no one's business."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words." Chen Hui nodded slowly and said, "I was just lucky."

"Then may I ask what your Excellency plans to do next?" Ying Zheng asked calmly, "Continue to withstand the traps of this palace and see if you can kill me?"

"I'm not here to kill Your Majesty." Chen Hui smiled calmly and said, "After all...Mars is in the heart, and Your Majesty's time is up. It doesn't matter whether you kill him or not."

"Asshole!" Ying Zheng slammed the table and shouted angrily, "What Mars in the Heart?! I am the Supreme Ruler! How can I be controlled by a mere celestial phenomenon?! This is all nonsense!"

"Mandated by Heaven, may you live long and prosper." Chen Hui remained unmoved by the words and continued leisurely, "These are the eight words Your Majesty inscribed on the Imperial Seal."

"When you're on top, you claim it's destiny. When you're facing setbacks, you say all that destiny is bullshit. Being so fickle and two-faced is not what a real man does."

"you!"

It had been a long time since someone had slapped him in the face like this. Ying Zheng didn't know how to respond for a moment and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"Your Majesty, I am not here to kill you today." Chen Hui ignored Ying Zheng's frustration and emphasized again, "Otherwise, with my martial arts skills and my complete knowledge of the hall's layout, Your Majesty would not have known what happened the moment the head fell, let alone the opportunity to activate the button."

"Your Majesty, please believe that I can do it."

Ying Zheng's chest heaved violently for a moment before he uttered a few words through gritted teeth: "Then what are you doing here today?"

"I just came to see His Majesty and ask for something." Chen Hui said calmly, "Of course, the main purpose is to see His Majesty. After all, His Majesty is also an emperor who swept across the world and unified the world. It would be a pity if I couldn't meet His Majesty before he died."

"You also think that I am the greatest emperor of all time?" Ying Zheng was very surprised when he heard this, because the anti-Qin traitors would only say that he was cruel and inhumane, and would never say such words of praise.

"Of course." Chen Hui nodded matter-of-factly. "Using the 'farming and warfare' method to forge a million-strong army, ending the 500-year history of war during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, standardizing the written language, weights and measures, and changing the feudal system to a prefecture-county system—all of these are truly epoch-making feats. It's no exaggeration to call him the greatest emperor of all time."

"Asshole!" Ying Zheng was furious at the words, and suddenly picked up the bamboo slips on the table and threw them at Chen Hui, shouting in anger, "Since you know that I am the greatest emperor of all time, why do you still rebel against me?"

Chapter 76: King Meets King: Qin Shi Huang Conversations with Hongwu Emperor

Watching the bamboo scroll that began to fall helplessly a few dozen steps in front of him, Chen Hui reached out and gently sucked it into his hand before it hit the ground. He shook his head and sighed, "Because human nature is greedy, desires are insatiable."

"After the unification of the empire, the 'farming and warfare' system is on the verge of collapse. What you can't get by pledging loyalty to Your Majesty, you can get by destroying Your Majesty. Is this reason enough?"

"You." It was the first time that Ying Zheng heard someone state the reasons for opposing him so nakedly and darkly, and he didn't know how to respond.

"Actually, this isn't difficult to understand," Chen Hui said calmly. "After all, for over a hundred years, the Great Qin relied on human greed to continuously absorb countless talents from the six kingdoms through the 'farming and warfare' system, allowing them to in turn help the Qin destroy their own motherland."

"The cause of yesterday is the result of today. When the Qin State can provide wealth and glory, the heroes of the world will help the Qin State. If the Qin State cannot provide wealth and glory, the heroes of the world will turn around and destroy the Qin State."

"When a whale falls, all things come to life; destroying the Qin State can help countless people gain fame and fortune, and make them nobles for generations to come. This is a very cost-effective deal."

"After all, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies in this world, only permanent interests."

"Only interests are eternal."

"Only interests are eternal...?" Ying Zheng chewed over these words carefully, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal. After a long moment, he looked at Chen Hui with a complex gaze and said, "It seems that the person who originally wrote about the pros and cons of 'farming warfare' was not the incompetent Yan Dan, but rather you, Master 'Ghost Face'."

"Who are you? Why can you see so clearly?"

"Can I come up and sit down and talk?" Chen Hui asked instead of answering, "It's very troublesome to talk standing so far away."

"Come up." Ying Zheng was now completely convinced that Chen Hui was not here to kill him, so he stopped being on guard and nodded, allowing him to come closer.

Chen Hui nodded when he heard this, and immediately walked over, put the bamboo slips in his hand back on the table, and then sat down face to face with Ying Zheng.

At this distance, it would be useless for Ying Zheng to activate the mechanism, because Chen Hui would sink into the ground with him. It can be said that he is completely defenseless.

"If I tell Your Majesty that I was once a founding emperor who conquered the world and ascended to the throne, I wonder whether Your Majesty would believe me or not."

Chen Hui looked at Ying Zheng's suddenly furrowed brows and said in a leisurely and deep voice, "Perhaps it happened in another world. One day, I suddenly awakened my wisdom and recalled my past life experiences."

"In that world, there are also various schools of thought, but there is no Great Qin or the Six Kingdoms. There is only the Great Yuan Dynasty established by a foreign race. I am a third-generation disciple of a martial arts sect. One day."

Next, Chen Hui briefly and concisely told Emperor Qin Ying Zheng how he unified the world in the world of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, after concealing some key information.

During this process, someone discovered that something was wrong and summoned the warriors in front of the palace to protect the emperor, but Ying Zheng, who was listening attentively, stopped him and drove him away.

"And so, I have ruled the country for over forty years, vanquishing the Mongols in the north and the Baiyue in the south. I have unified the people with Confucianism and cultivated science and technology to enlighten the people. I have also opened up the seas to trade with all nations, earning countless silver and silver to enrich the treasury, ensuring that the people of the world have ample food and clothing, and forcing the barbarians to pay tribute." Chen Hui concluded calmly, "My reign title in my previous life was 'Hongwu'. I am the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty—Hongwu the Great!"

Yes, Zhu Yuanzhang was dead, but Chen Hui was still the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. After all, Chen Hui did not want such a tough dynasty that refused to marry princesses or pay tribute to disappear in the long river of history.

Upon hearing this, "Hongwu Emperor" Ying Zheng took a deep breath. After sitting in silence for a moment, he suddenly folded his hands and bowed to Chen Hui. He said earnestly, "I, the First Emperor of Qin, Ying Zheng, greet His Majesty the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

That’s right, Ying Zheng believed it, he had to believe it, what Chen Hui said was too true.

How he rose from obscurity and how he took advantage of the situation to unify the world, the whole process is logical and well-coordinated, with too many vivid and rich details, which are impossible for outsiders to know except the emperor himself.

Therefore, Ying Zheng, who had fought his way up from a hostage, understood as soon as he heard it that all this must be true, and the person in front of him was indeed an emperor from another world who was no less powerful than himself.

And this is also Chen Hui’s purpose.

If you want to have an equal dialogue with someone like the First Emperor, you must stand at a similar level to him. Otherwise, the supreme power of the emperor who has unified the world for more than ten years is enough to regard any good words as an offense.

Therefore, in response to Ying Zheng's polite treatment, Chen Hui slowly took off the mask on his face, revealing his true face. He also returned the greeting to Ying Zheng and said, "I, Yi Xiaochuan, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, greet His Majesty the First Emperor of Qin."

"Yi Xiaochuan, it's you." Ying Zheng stared intently at the face before him, who had only briefly appeared in the intelligence and then forgotten. He slowly shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Zhao Gao mentioned you to me, but I didn't take it seriously. What a huge mistake."

"You don't need to blame yourself. I wouldn't believe such a ridiculous thing either." Chen Hui had completely put himself on an equal footing with Ying Zheng. He didn't use any honorifics and said bluntly, "I can only say that this is God's will. It was God who sent me here specifically to destroy your Great Qin."

"That's why I can see the shortcomings of the Qin Dynasty at a glance. That's why I know exactly how to make you, Ying Zheng, submit. Because I am also the emperor, I understand the emperor's thoughts and I know the emperor's weaknesses."

"After all, isn't the person who knows the emperor best in the world another emperor?"

"So, you must rebel against me?" Ying Zheng asked Chen Hui with complicated eyes.

"It's not that I have to rebel against you, but the Great Qin Empire is already on the verge of collapse, and I am simply going with the flow." Chen Hui shook his head and said, "Just like if the Yuan court hadn't committed atrocities and caused public outrage, I wouldn't have been able to replace it."

"So it is with the Yuan court, and so it is with the Great Qin."

"... Is the Great Qin really hopeless?" Ying Zheng murmured, as if he was asking Chen Hui, but also as if he was asking himself.

"Ying Zheng, do you really think the Qin Dynasty can be saved?" Chen Hui sighed softly and said, "Don't be superstitious about the so-called "Eternal Emperor". The Eternal Emperor is also a human being, and there are things he can't do. What I couldn't do back then, you, Ying Zheng, can't do either."

"Even the imperial examination system you mentioned earlier can't save the Qin Dynasty?" Ying Zheng said this with his eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of hope in his eyes.

Chapter 77: King meets King Ying Zheng and entrusts his orphan to the care of Princess Ying Yin Man of the Qin Dynasty (Please customize it!)

"The imperial examination system can save the Qin Dynasty." Chen Hui nodded, then shook his head. "But Ying Zheng, do you dare tell those millions of Qin people, who know nothing but swordplay, to study and take the imperial examinations from now on?"

"You will die, Ying Zheng. If you dare to say this, I don't think you'll survive more than a month. You'll be killed by a cup of poisoned wine or a poisoned dagger."

"Don't you know how difficult it is to reform the law?"

"Can't you just help me?" Ying Zheng said almost pleadingly, "I'm willing to share the world with you, and stand shoulder to shoulder with you!"

"When I was conquering the empire, I once said something similar to one of my subjects due to the pressure of the situation. Ying Zheng, do you want to know what happened to him?" Seeing Ying Zheng's face suddenly become silent after hearing this, Chen Hui sighed softly and said, "We can use this kind of nonsense to fool those idiots. Do you actually expect me to believe it?"

"Ying Zheng, I am very disappointed in you."

Seeing Ying Zheng's fists nearly clenched with blood after hearing this, Chen Hui shook his head and said, "Besides, even if I'm not the Son of Heaven from another world, the consequences of helping you Yingjia reform are clearly stated in the history books, right?"

"Ying Zheng, I don't know where Shang Jun is now?"