Chapter 211: One Generation of Miscellaneous Schools, One Generation of Legalists, and One Generation of Confucianists

After hearing this, Ying Zheng decisively began to try to control the Soldier Demon God. However, the difficulty of driving the Soldier Demon God was far beyond the mecha model forged by Gongshu Chou, so it was somewhat difficult for Ying Zheng to control the Soldier Demon God.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to try to establish a spiritual connection with the Demon God of War.

He felt a powerful force coming from the body of the Demon God of War, as if a giant dragon was swimming inside his body.

He concentrated hard, trying to control the power.

Gradually, he felt that the connection between himself and the Demon God of War was becoming closer and closer.

He tried to make the Soldier Demon God move his feet, but to his surprise, the Soldier Demon God began to move his hands and feet at the same time under his control.

His tall body looked clumsy and funny. He put his feet together, raised his hands flat, and jumped forward two steps.

Although these two leaps were short, they shook the entire Xianyang city.

Ying Zheng also realized that there was a problem with his control.

He frowned and hurriedly adjusted his mental state.

He strives to establish a deeper connection with the Soldier Demon God, trying to get to the root of the problem.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and tried to control the Soldier Demon God again.

This time, the Soldier Demon God began to move forward normally under his control.

Ying Zheng was delighted, he knew that he had initially mastered the skills to control the Demon God of War. He continued to control the Demon God of War to move forward.

When the Soldier Demon God walked to an open area, Ying Zheng decided to test its power.

He controlled the Soldier Demon to punch, and saw the huge fist slamming hard on the ground.

With a loud bang, cracks appeared on the smooth road surface.

Amid the flying dust, Ying Zheng saw the power of the Demon God of War and he was extremely excited.

However, in addition to his excitement, Ying Zheng also realized a problem - these cracks would require him to spend money and effort to repair them.

But he quickly put this thought behind him, because at this moment he was completely attracted by the power of the Demon God of War.

He continued to control the Soldier Demon to perform various difficult moves.

The Demon God of War sometimes punched as fast as the wind and sometimes kicked as fast as thunder.

Each movement was accompanied by a loud noise and a cloud of dust.

Ying Zheng had a lot of fun playing with it, as if he had found a brand new toy.

However, controlling the Demon God of War requires a lot of effort, and soon Ying Zheng was unable to control him.

Gongsun Ce naturally took over the control of the God of War and slowly walked back to the outside of Xianyang city.

Gongsun Ce controlled the military demon god and sat cross-legged outside the city of Xianyang, and then returned to the Xianyang Palace with Ying Zheng.

As for Guiguzi, his injuries had healed before approaching Xianyang, so Guiguzi continued his travels.

Perhaps Guiguzi still has not given up the idea of ​​following the path of the first Guiguzi to advance to the realm of unity between man and nature.

Gongsun Ce could only respect him. After all, apart from Guiguzi, among the four people who had reached the state of half-step unity between man and nature, only Xunzi had a clear understanding.

In the Zhangtai Palace, Ying Zheng began to tell Gongsun Ce about the subsequent ideas for conquering the State of Wei.

"Mr. Gongsun, please look." Ying Zheng picked up the wooden stick beside him and began to point at the map of the seven countries. "Our army has already conquered Han and Zhao, and we are just waiting to conquer Wei. The land of the Three Jins in the past is now in our hands.

However, my army is so powerful at the moment that it has caused the Yan and Chu states to be in a desperate situation. Therefore, I want to send Wang Ben to attack the Wei state first.

At the same time, he sent Mr. Gai Nie, Mr. Wei Zhuang and Meng Tian southward to fight against the State of Chu. They did not seek to capture cities or territories, but to defend properly so as not to be attacked from both sides.

General Wang Jian continued to march north to attack the State of Yan to prevent it from sending troops.

General Yang Duanhe stayed in Zhao to complete the migration.

General Li Mu and General Huan Xi went to Yanmen Pass to prevent the Xiongnu from moving south, and at the same time, to capture as many Xiongnu as possible..."

Gongsun Ce listened to Ying Zheng's arrangements and felt that there was nothing wrong with it. However, based on Gongsun Ce's understanding of Ying Zheng, it seemed that Ying Zheng was weighed down with something at the moment.

"A Zheng, besides official business, do you have any personal questions for me?"

Ying Zheng paused in his high-sounding speech, and then changed to a somewhat helpless tone.

"Lü Buwei, when he was in his fiefdom, he often met with envoys from the other four countries. I intend to take him to Shu to prevent him from meeting with the envoys from the four countries.

But, knowing him, I'm afraid he'll take it as a warning. He'll think I mean that as long as you commit suicide, your family won't be in trouble."

Gongsun Ce glanced at Ying Zheng, thought for a moment, and gave an answer that surprised Ying Zheng: "Then let Fusu go to announce the decree, how about that?"

Ying Zheng nodded slightly and said, "Sir, your suggestion is brilliant. I hope Lu Buwei will not misinterpret my meaning."

"Lü Buwei was disheartened at the moment. Even if he had not misunderstood A Zheng's intentions, he might have chosen to live a miserable life because he could not accept the fall from the peak."

Ying Zheng remained silent; he had complicated feelings towards Lu Buwei.

Lu Buwei was indeed good to him in the early days and taught him seriously how to govern, but Lu Buwei was in power for too long and lost himself in it.

"Mr. Gongsun, when do you think it would be best to issue the imperial edict?"

"The New Year's Day is the best. However, how are A Zheng's preparations for Changping Jun's matter?"

"Lord Changping!" Ying Zheng's eyes gradually became dangerous. "Of course, we have been prepared. If he behaves abnormally, Luowang and the Shadow Secret Guards will capture him immediately."

Perhaps Gongsun Ce was used to killing people and destroying their hearts, so Ying Zheng was also somewhat involved.

Changping Jun was still feeling proud of himself at this moment. He thought that his men had gradually infiltrated the Qin State. He would give the Qin State a big gift when the Qin army attacked Chu, and then he could naturally become the King of Chu.

The education of Changping Jun and Changwen Jun is a mystery. As hostages, Ying Zheng and Yan Dan suffered a lot in Zhao State. It is understandable that they were eager to return to their country.

However, because of the Queen Mother Huayang, or the Chu forces, Lord Changping and Lord Changwen were treated very well in Qin.

When they were minors, their treatment was almost the same as that of Cheng Jiao, the favored prince. After they came of age, they directly entered the court as officials, with a high starting point, not to mention that they both had titles.

If they quietly returned to Chu, then anything they did, even declaring themselves king or rebelling against Qin, would be justified.

However, secretly sucking the blood of Qin and rebelling against Qin is somewhat unacceptable.

Even if Gongsun Ce sometimes doesn't act like a human being, he still feels that these two people are somewhat hypocritical.

Moreover, the talents of the seven countries were in a state of circulation at that time. It was reasonable for people from any of the seven countries to go to other countries to serve as officials.

"That's fine, but Changping Jun's wife and daughter might give him a big gift."

Ying Zheng looked at Gongsun Ce, who seemed to be smiling, and felt that his arrangement was still somewhat merciful.

Changping Jun's wife had the same willpower as an ordinary person, and Gongsun Ce easily hypnotized her after just meeting her once.

When Changping Jun was about to take action, he was stabbed in the back by his wife. Gongsun Ce was looking forward to it, wondering how Changping Jun would react then.

After the negotiation, Gongsun Ce took Xiao Li back to the Taiwei Mansion.

At this time, the printing of Nian Duan's medical skills had been simply completed. Due to insufficient amount of bamboo paper, only ninety-six copies were printed.

Originally, the amount of bamboo paper was enough to print a hundred books on medical skills, but due to the addition of Gongshu Chou's "The Art of Tyrannical Machinery", Master Ban's "The Art of Non-aggression Machinery" and Gongsun Ce's "No Matter What You Do with Sex", the amount of bamboo paper was insufficient.

Gongsun Ce was sitting in the front hall, watching Honglian smilingly handing him a copy of "Sex and Sex", and he just found it funny.

Gongsun Ce took Honglian into his arms and scratched the tip of Honglian's nose.

"Little Red Flower has grown up and knows how to read books?"

Honglian's little nose twitched and she snorted coldly.

"Humph, this is a gift from me, why don't you thank me quickly?"

Gongsun Ce looked at Honglian, who had regained her former liveliness and cheerfulness, and smiled as he hugged her tighter.

"Then tonight..."

"There can only be me!"

"You've really made it. Your skills have improved so much that you even dare to challenge me in a one-on-one fight!"

"I will beg for mercy!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Gongsun Ce felt that he was about to laugh, but the little red flower was too cute.

At this time, Xiao Li was standing aside, feeling somewhat redundant. She shouldn't be here, she should be under the car.

"Who is she? Don't tell me she's a new sister."

Gongsun Ce stretched out his hand to Xiao Li. Xiao Li walked closer to Gongsun Ce and handed his left hand to Gongsun Ce. Then Gongsun Ce placed Xiao Li's hand on Honglian's hand.

"So cold!"

Honglian let out a cry of surprise. She found that Xiaoli's body temperature was very low. It was already autumn and the weather was a bit cool, but Xiaoli was not a living person, so her body temperature was normal.

She cannot retain heat. When she is indoors, the temperature is the indoor temperature, and when she is outdoors, the temperature is the outdoor temperature. She is like a thermometer.

"Xiao Li is not a living person. She doesn't have the same temperature as a human."

Honglian was somewhat puzzled when she heard Gongsun Ce's words. She asked in confusion, "Then where did Xiao Li come from?"

Gongsun Ce took out the Goddess's Tears from his arms and waved them gently in front of Honglian's eyes.

"This is where she comes from. She comes from the power and will of the Queen Mother of the Nine Heavens, but she does not belong to her. She is my little maid."

"Yes, my master."

Xiao Li's timely answer made Honglian frown.

"Tell me, do you want to play something special?"

Gongsun Ce tilted his head, looking at the somewhat dirty Honglian, and suddenly felt helpless.

"How long have you been here? What have you learned?"

"Ouch." Honglian blushed suddenly, she admitted that she was the one who said it, "It was Sister Zi Nu who said it. She said she saw it in a book, someone ate ice cubes and then... someone would pull out the teeth of a poisonous snake and then... someone..."

Honglian could only stammer at the end of her speech. Gongsun Ce's mouth twitched as he listened. No wonder people say that what modern people play with are what the ancients left behind. It is indeed ahead of their time.

But it did give Gongsun Ce some inspiration. Xiao Li's body temperature did have a meaning, and the "thermometer" was a good thing. At night, Gongsun Ce smiled and looked at Hong Lian, who was a little at a loss.

"You chose this person, Little Red Flower, so don't ask for mercy."

"I won't beg for mercy. The worst that can happen is I'll pass out."

There was no conversation that night. Gongsun Ce tidied up Honglian's messy hair. This was the result of showing off one's strength.

Faint → wake up → faint → wake up…

If Honglian had not refused outside help, he might not have wanted to wake up until now. After all, it was already noon.

In the blink of an eye, more than a month has passed.

Xianyang in November is already covered in silver. Snowflakes are falling like goose feathers, adding a bit of solemnity to Xianyang.

The people of Xianyang and even the five countries knew that after the next autumn harvest, the Qin army would set out again.

However, except for a few people in Xianyang, no one knew that the next target of the Qin army would be Wei, because Yan was weak and Qi was rich.

What a war needs most are three things: food, manpower and wealth.

But then again, you should pick the softest persimmon to squeeze.

So in the eyes of the King of Yan, the King of Wei and the King of Chu, Qin's next target would be either Qi or Yan.

However, King Jian of Qi was clear that Qi was not the next target. The reason was not only the letter from Qin, but also the analysis of the future victory.

It can only be said that treacherous ministers only care about immediate interests, and both Guo Kai and Hou Sheng do things for money.

Gongsun Ce and Fusu sat in a bronze chariot, the wheels rolling slowly on the thick snow, leaving deep ruts.

Fusu's purpose was to go to Lu Buwei's fiefdom to announce the imperial edict.

Gongsun Ce and Ying Zheng both knew Lu Buwei's character well, and he tended to judge others by his own standards.

In Lu Buwei's view, the envoys of the four countries frequently contacted him, and he knew too many secrets of the Qin State. Ying Zheng would definitely find a way to hint him to commit suicide to apologize.

Therefore, the content of the edict is not important. Even if the content of this edict is to promote Lu Buwei, he will think that it is a posthumous title and a settlement fee.

What’s important is the person who read the edict. Fusu is Ying Zheng’s eldest son, but he is more than just the eldest son.

When Ying Zheng had Fusu, he was only in his teens, which seemed normal to ancient people, but to modern people, it was just a child having a child.

When Fusu was born, Ying Zheng was still a puppet. When it was time for Fusu to have a proper teacher, Ying Zheng was already in power.

In other words, Fusu was the son of Ying Zheng when he was on his entrepreneurial journey. For an emperor, the eldest son in the entrepreneurial period has a special status.

Therefore, Fusu's arrival was a hint for Lu Buwei.

There was no need to send Fusu to monitor his death. Anyone could go, because Fusu did not have much experience in the underworld.

With Lu Buwei's wealth, he could obtain any drug that could make him fake his death, and he could implement any method that could make him fake his death.

Therefore, if one wants to ensure that Lu Buwei is dead, letting Wei Liao and others go is the most appropriate choice.

Gongsun Ce's trip was to have an in-depth academic exchange with the former prime minister of Qin.

In addition, Gongsun Ce also had a gift for Lu Buwei.

After meeting with Lu Buwei, Gongsun Ce will continue to go to the State of Chu. In addition to meeting with Nian Duan, he also wants to hold the person in charge of the Luowang branch of the State of Chu accountable.

It's such a dereliction of duty that we haven't been able to find a black jade Qilin after spending so much time on it.

The carriage moved forward in the wind and snow, but the atmosphere inside the carriage was extremely solemn.

Fusu held the imperial edict in his hand, but he was full of trepidation. He knew that although Lu Buwei had resigned long ago, his influence in the court could not be underestimated.

Ying Zheng's decree this time was for Lu Buwei to go to Bashu to spend his remaining years in peace. Logically, he should have just read it out, but Fusu was still a little nervous about facing Lu Buwei directly.

After all, Lu Buwei once held great power in the court. If it were not for the Lao Ai incident, even if Ying Zheng came to power, it would take time to eliminate Lu Buwei's influence in the court.

Gongsun Ce had a calm expression on his face. He was just a little curious about Lu Buwei's talent and knowledge.

The eclectic school has always been derogatorily called a "trash can". The reason is very simple. The eclectic school's doctrine focuses on inclusiveness and annexation, regardless of the content.

Simply put, eclecticism is an incomplete human encyclopedia. In the books of eclecticism, one can see the ideas of most theories.

However, Lü Buwei wanted to write "Lüshi Chunqiu". In addition to leaving something for future generations and enhancing Lü Buwei's reputation, he also wanted to guide Ying Zheng in governing the country.

Lu Buwei really hoped that Ying Zheng could continue to adopt his philosophy of governing the country.

But Ying Zheng was a pragmatist, and his ideas tended towards the Legalists, especially Han Fei's centralized ideology.

Therefore, no matter how well the book "Lüshi Chunqiu" was written, it was impossible for Qin Shihuang to govern the country based on this book.

In addition to the issue of power, the conflict between Ying Zheng and Lu Buwei also included a conflict of ideas on governing the country.

Gongsun Ce noticed Fusu's nervousness, so he comforted him, "Don't be nervous, Lü Buwei is no longer the prime minister, just treat him as an ordinary old man.

However, you also need to pay attention to one thing. Lu Buwei is now nervous. Don't let him think that A Zheng wants him to commit suicide.

So be sincere and explain to him what A Zheng is thinking. Otherwise, you can only see how he understands you. Even if he commits suicide after you leave, it is just because he has a problem with his understanding. Don’t put pressure on yourself.”

Fusu nodded, but children have short memories. He had not seen Lu Buwei for quite some time and had somewhat forgotten what Lu Buwei looked and sounded like.

"Mr. Gongsun, Prime Minister Lu...what kind of person is Lu Buwei?"

"If he hadn't fallen in love with power, and hadn't been with your ancestors..."

Having said this, Gongsun Ce paused. Fusu was not clear about the affairs between Lu Buwei and Zhao Ji, and Gongsun Ce didn't know whether he should continue to talk about it, so Gongsun Ce chose to pass it over.

"Then Lü Buwei should be a famous and wise prime minister. When future generations mention the prime minister or the father of the king, in addition to Taigong Wang, they will also mention Lü Buwei.

Because Lü Buwei did make great contributions to the development of the Qin State, this move by him can be regarded as a loss of integrity in his later years. "

Fusu nodded. To him, Lu Buwei was indeed a distant name.

After a month of travel, the bronze chariot finally arrived at Lu Buwei's fiefdom.

At this time, Lu Buwei was no longer as high-spirited and energetic as he was in Xianyang.

At this moment, Lu Buwei looked not in good spirits, and his hair was a little messy. It can be imagined that he never tied his hair up when he was in his fiefdom.

Whether one's hair is tied up or not reflects a person's mental state. Judging from Lu Buwei's mental state at this time, he looked haggard and in agony.

When the birds are gone, the good bows are put away; when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dogs are cooked. This is a wise saying for every minister.

He stood at the door of his mansion, welcoming the envoy from Xianyang.

Fusu got off the carriage, holding the imperial edict, and saluted to Lu Buwei.

He read out Emperor Ying Zheng's decree aloud, his voice echoing in the wind and snow.

The general meaning is: Lu Buwei worked hard and made great contributions, and he deserved to live out his life in peace, but Lu Buwei's fiefdom was too far away from Xianyang, and Ying Zheng could not see Lu Buwei often.

So Ying Zheng decided to take Lu Buwei to Bashu so that he could see Lu Buwei occasionally and ease his longing.

Lu Buwei's expression gradually changed as the imperial edict was read, from initial calmness to later solemnity, and finally to relief.

Although Lu Buwei still suspected that Ying Zheng wanted him to commit suicide, this imperial edict almost told him clearly that Ying Zheng wanted to monitor him closely.

The arrival of Fusu also proved that Ying Zheng did not want him to die, nor did he want him to escape.

After reading the edict, Fusu told Lu Buwei Ying Zheng's true intentions.

He told Lü Buwei: "Father does not really want to put Prime Minister Lü to death, but hopes that you can go to Bashu, away from the disputes of the seven countries, and enjoy your old age in peace."

After hearing this, Lu Buwei's expression eased a little, but there was still a complex light flashing in his eyes.

This complexity came from Gongsun Ce who was standing aside. He looked at Gongsun Ce and sighed in his heart: That’s great.

Lu Buwei was once a young man full of vigor and vitality. He once held great power in the court and was the most trusted person of the King of Qin.

It’s a pity that the new generation is better than the old one, and Lu Buwei eventually became a traitor in the eyes of others.

Gongsun Ce saw the look in Lu Buwei's eyes and probably guessed what Lu Buwei was thinking.

But Gongsun Ce wanted to tell Lu Buwei that if he hadn't used the power of words and hypnosis to give Ying Zheng psychological hints, Ying Zheng would still trust him, but not to the extent he does now.

Ying Zheng only trusted people he employed and would not employ people he doubted. This did not mean that Ying Zheng did not have unnecessary suspicion towards his subjects.

"Prime Minister Lu, I came here today just to discuss academic matters with you. I hope you will give me some face."

Lü Buwei was stunned for a moment, then he bowed to Gongsun Ce and said, "General Gongsun is willing to discuss learning with an old man like me. I am naturally happy. Please come in and have a chat."

Gongsun Ce and Lu Buwei entered the study, where the fire was blazing and the air was warm.

Even though Lu Buwei had no official position, he still had fiefdom and title, and his living conditions were not bad.

Gongsun Ce was the first to raise his own question: "According to Prime Minister Lu, is human nature good? Or is it evil? Or is it that human nature is nonexistent?"

Lü Buwei smiled slightly, thought for a moment and then answered: "I believe that human nature is good at birth. This is not blindly agreeing with Confucius's words, but my own experience.

All the nephews I have seen in my life are kind, but it is rare to find an adult man with a kind heart.

I believe that human nature is inherently good, but the environment and education one receives after birth will have a profound impact on one’s character…”

Gongsun Ce nodded and shook his head. Lu Buwei's remarks were based on his experience and were well-founded, but Lu Buwei had seen too few children.

Seeing this, Lü Buwei stopped describing and asked Gongsun Ce: "Mr. Gongsun, what do you think?"

"Prime Minister Lu has seen too few young children. Don't you see that he was born with a violent temper and killed his father and mother at a young age just because he was unhappy.

Don't you see, at such a young age, he was full of evil, and attacked the girl next door who was younger than him, and then killed her and dumped her body...

They are very young, but have committed countless sins. It is not that they are evil by nature, but that they are influenced by the words of their family members and the environment, so they are born evil.

When a person is born, he has no nature. Due to the influence of his family and environment, he is born with a certain character. Although it can be improved through subsequent reading and learning, it is difficult to conceal his true nature.

As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles tests a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's true character. That's all. What do you think, Prime Minister Lu?"

Lu Buwei was silent for a moment, then nodded and agreed. He had indeed seen too few children.

People have their own circles, and Lu Buwei was an upper-class figure in circles of different identities. All the children he met had been taught by their parents to be polite to him.

(End of this chapter)