Chapter 72: Xianyang

  In the rain, Wang Meng swayed with the ox cart, thinking that he had become a poor and humble child to the prime minister of Qin. It can be said that it is a very successful life, the only regret is that his lifespan is short, and he did not lay a good foundation for the newly born Qin, eliminating the poison.

  Wang Meng did not want to be revived, and continuing to sleep in the underworld was also a pleasant thing. However, he could not bear Jian's repeated requests, as Jian had shown him kindness, and Wang Meng could not repay it. Moreover, although the two were nominally ruler and subject, they could also be said to be friends. Therefore, after his revival, Jian treated him as a friend and let his sons and nephews address Wang Meng as "Zhongfu" (a term of respect for an elder).

  Fu Jian revived, did not think he had the ability to rebuild the Former Qin. He revived only to exterminate the Xianbei Murong and Qiang Yao clans, to avenge himself and his murdered relatives.

  He originally led his troops to Jincheng, intending to assist the Qin army in capturing Jincheng and thereby gain merit to attach himself to Qin. Unexpectedly, the Qin army, which was roughly equal in strength to the Liang army, captured Jincheng overnight and captured Zhang Chonghua.

  This was an unthinkable thing for Fu Jian, whose military strength was stronger than Zhang Chonghua's, and he was willing to provoke Zhang Chonghua. So he was very interested in the Qin army that conquered Jincheng, and sent his good friend Wang Meng to investigate, and released the information that he had a mind to rely on the Great Qin.

  Wang Meng highly agreed with Fu Jian's idea at this time. The fact that Qian Qin was able to attack Jincheng in just one month showed that Qian Qin already had the potential to dominate the northwest. Adding to Qian Qin's foundation, sweeping across the world again is not impossible. It's best to rely on the state of Qin as soon as possible.

  On the ox cart, Wang Meng had already seen Gong Sun Ce and his party waiting at the city gate. When they were fifty meters apart, Wang Meng got off the cart and walked towards Gong Sun Ce on foot.

  "General Gongsun Zan of the Great Qin Empire has arrived. He has met you before, sir." Gongsun Zan had a good impression of Wang Meng's actions in braving the rain to come see him.

  "General Gongsun has been polite, but Wang Meng is just a humble commoner and shouldn't be addressed as 'sir'." Wang Meng saw behind General Gongsun the majestic Ma Chao; to his left, a young man of extraordinary bravery; and to his right, a youth holding an umbrella for General Gongsun, with ordinary features, pale complexion, but eyes full of wisdom. Seeing the gathering of talents under General Gongsun's command, he couldn't help but feel that his friend Fu Jian was wise to attach himself to the great Qin dynasty.

  This Gong Sun Ce is so heroic under his command, and he himself may be even more outstanding. Gong Sun Ce is just a descendant of the military family who relies on the Great Qin, and in just over a month, he can sit in the position of General Hengye, which shows how prosperous the Great Qin is! If you don't rely on it now, it will be too late later.

  The most luxurious place in the city is naturally Zhang Chonghua's palace, but Gongsun Zan is not yet satisfied. After entering the city, except for searching the palace, he sealed it off and set up a banquet for Wang Meng in the newly built Grand Governor's Mansion. As for whether the owner of the Grand Governor's Mansion, Song Xian, agreed or not, that was Song Xian's business, what did it have to do with Gongsun Zan?

  After the two sides had exchanged pleasantries, Wang Meng stated his purpose. Gong Sun Ce and others were very surprised to hear that Fu Jian, who had once unified the Northern Divine State, would actually rely on the Great Qin?

  How important Wang Meng is to Fu Jian, everyone who heard Chu Mengmeng's introduction naturally knows. The Wang Meng in front of them has been verified by Zhang Chonghua as the real body, not a fake. Fu Jian will not use Wang Meng's life to play tricks, so what Wang Meng said just now should be true!

  This put Gongsun Zan in a difficult position, as Fu Jian was not surrendering. If he had surrendered, Gongsun Zan would have been able to handle the situation, but since Fu Jian was asking for allegiance, this was something that Gongsun Zan could not decide on his own.

  "I won't deceive you, sir. This matter must be reported to the King of Qin and await a decision from Xianyang. Although I have been authorized to lead the expedition against the northwest region on my own, I only have the power to accept surrenders, but not to handle such major affairs. Moreover, Fu Jian is also a powerful leader in his own right, and only the one from Xianyang can converse with him without humiliating him."

  "It was Wang Mou who was anxious, and what Gongsun General said was indeed true." Wang Meng also knew that Fu Jian's dependence on the Great Qin was a matter of greater urgency for Gongsun Ce than for him and Fu Jian.

  "This matter cannot be delayed, if not now then send someone to Xianyang immediately!" Gong Sun Ce was also afraid of the night being long and having many dreams, so he immediately dispatched Guo Liang with 50 tons of gold and silver, loaded onto a full 200 cow carts, hiding gold and silver inside and covering them with rice outside. On that afternoon when the rain got smaller, they set off with over a thousand riders.

  Wang Meng and Fu Jian exchanged several letters, then expressed his intention to follow Guo Liang to Xianyang. Fu Jian's eldest son, Fu Pi, also accompanied him on the journey. Due to the importance of this matter, in addition to Guo Liang's 500 Flying Bear Soldiers, Du Zheng, Zhuge Shuang and Jiang Peng, three generals with their troops, also went to Xianyang.

  Zhang Chonghua said he also wanted to go, but Gongsun Zan did not dare let him leave, and only made him write a letter of surrender, which was handed over to Guo Liang to take to Xianyang. At the same time, there was also a letter persuading Song Xian to surrender, hoping that Dong Zhuo's speed would not be too fast, and if the letter arrived when Song Xian only had his head left, everything would be too late.

  Song Pei is alive and surrendered to the Qin army, his good friend Ma Cheng also became a general of the Qin army. When the time comes, think of a way to get him under his own command, he must be taught well. Let him extinguish those unnecessary thoughts, and follow himself to conquer the world.

  At night, Gongsun Zan ascended the city tower and gazed out at the camp of the Former Qin army outside the city. The countless tents and torches stretched on endlessly, making him feel very uneasy.

  "Master, what's on your mind?" Chu Mengmeng had taken the Wustone Powder at night and was now accompanying Gong Sun Ce for a walk to dispel the medicinal properties from his body.

  "It's really worrying! The 30,000-strong vanguard of the Former Qin army is still arriving, and according to Wang Meng, there are as many as 70,000 more troops following closely behind. If something goes wrong, I don't know how we'll handle it." Gong Sun Ce was extremely anxious in his heart, this matter was a great achievement, even greater than capturing Jin City and taking Zhang Chonghua prisoner.

  He is now a Zuo Cheng, the twelfth level of the twenty-level military merit title system of the Great Qin. He has entered the ranks of high-ranking military officers. His military position is that of a Horizontal Field General, a miscellaneous general, not comparable to the famous generals like Dong Zhuo's Ping Xi General.

  "My lord worries too much, Fu Jian's intention to rely on the Great Qin is quite firm. He sent his eldest son Fu Pi to Xianyang as a hostage and also sent his second son Fu Hui to your tent to listen to orders, which can be seen from his heart." Chu Mengmeng could also understand Gong Sun Ce's mood at this time.

  A hungry wolf had just caught its prey and was badly injured, resting. Then a strong wolf came over and said it wanted to follow the leader of the hungry wolves and sleep next to them. How could the injured wolf possibly rest easy?

  "By the way, what do you think about this time's promotion from Xianyang? Will my official rank be promoted by one level or two levels?" Gong Sun Ce had to switch to a different topic, replacing it with a concern that he currently cared more about.

  Chu Mengmeng took a deep breath of the cool air and said, "It's hard to say, but logically speaking, with such great merit, it's very possible to be promoted two ranks at once and become Yougeng. It depends on whether Xianyang has any intention of suppressing our lord. After all, one more rank above Yougeng is Shangshao, which can enter Xianyang as a high-ranking official."

  "Shang Yang was once the Da Liang Zhuo, and later became the Prime Minister of Qin. Being a Xiao Liang Zhuo is not that great, I reckon even if I return to Xianyang, it's unlikely I'll be promoted to Xiao Liang Zhuo."

  "In fact, Master doesn't have to be like this. Ah Meng thinks that Master might be granted a title this time." Chu Mengmeng's calm tone was filled with deep joy.

  Enfeoffed as a lord, he would have his own fiefdom. At that time, the Xiangyang army would have a place to take root, unlike now, like duckweed drifting along with the current of the river.

  "It's also true that Qin Wu Wang is going to ascend to the throne, and even if he wants to grant me a title, it would be at least one level higher. If I were granted the Right Protector this time, wouldn't I directly become a Junior Noble? This time, he only promoted me by one rank, so I can only make up for it from other places. The Great Qin currently has nothing but land, and the only thing that can be bestowed upon me is also land. I hope to get a good place."

  On September 27th at noon, the various regions within Xianyang City had been divided up and construction of houses began inside the city. Countless slaves toiled under the lash of overseers and the watchful eyes of Qin soldiers. Bricks that had been fired outside the city were brought in on carts and used to build walls inside the city.

  "They're so pitiful." Wu Ying'er gazed at a young man rolling around and wailing under the overseer's whip, begging for mercy.

  "This world has always been this way, it's just that in the past only the soul was tormented, now both the soul and body are being tormented together." Wu Ying'er replied, not to Xu Dun, but to an exceptionally tall and sturdy young man.

  Next to him was a young man with a broken armor, holding an iron spear in his right hand and leading Wu Ying'er with his left. He only nodded at the robust young man's answer. Wu Ying'er also knew that what the young man said seemed to make some sense, so she remained silent and observed the construction of Xianyang City.

  "Now we have to consider the issue of our belly, Qin Jun gave us a free identity but didn't give us work. I really envy those who got the legacy of the military family, as soon as they arrive at the government office, they can be reused. Unlike us, these heavenly soldiers who merged with the war soul, only given an identity as a soldier, nothing else!" The tall and sturdy young man continued to complain.

  He, like Xu Duan, was valued by a cowherd who did not want to come to the world and muddy the water, rewarded him with a battle soul, and let him travel all over the place. He hoped that he could break through the shackles of the heavenly soldiers and become a new god general.

  He is from Hebei, and Hebei is in a state of great turmoil at this time. The chaos is so intense that it's hard for him to breathe, and the situation is changing so rapidly that he can't keep up with it. Various forces are coming and going, making it impossible for him to determine which side has more potential. So he crossed the Yellow River in search of a stable force to rely on. As for breaking through the Heavenly Army, in his opinion, it's not as important as filling his own belly.

  Xu Dun just smiled at his rant and didn't say a word. He had gotten used to it, even if he hadn't, he would have to get used to it, because the tall and strong young man appeared when he and Wu Ying'er were in their most critical moment, driving away the chaotic army that surrounded them.

  "We need to solve the problem of where to live first, we can survive a day with an empty stomach. If we can't find a place to stay tonight, I think we'll freeze to death." Wu Ying'er also felt hungry and looked at Xu Dun pitifully, while Xu Dun's face was black-lined.

  "It's even more infuriating that they only let us enter the city, but not leave it. Otherwise, we could just find a random village outside and spend the night there, with plenty of food to spare!" The tall young man's rant struck a chord deep within Xu Dun and his companion.

  At this time, Gongsun Ce's cousin Gongsun En was leading twenty heavenly soldiers disguised as household servants, pushing five carts loaded with rice and grains past Wu Ying'er and the other two.

  They were amazed. From entering Xianyang in the morning until now, what they saw were either slave supervisors or patrolling Qin soldiers. This was the first time they had seen people acting freely, and these people were heavenly soldiers!

  This gave Xu Duan and Gao Zhuang a sudden sense of belonging, and they hastily stopped Gong Sun.

  "What's going on?" Gong Sun En saw that these three people were strangers, he had been in Xianyang for a while, from Qin Wu Wang Ying Dang to the surrounding neighbors, he had seen them all, so he was sure that these three people must have just arrived in Xianyang.

  Seeing the three of them covered in dust, their clothes and armor tattered, he thought they must be the newly arrived successors to the throne. He found it strange that despite being successors, regardless of what they had inherited, the imperial court would assign tasks or official positions based on their abilities. At the very least, each person should have a mansion, so why weren't they resting in their own mansions instead of wandering around the streets?

  "In Xiawu Chang, this is sworn brother Xu Dun and younger sister. We just arrived in Xianyang, unfamiliar with the place, seeing you as a fellow modern person, I'd like to ask you some questions." The tall young man, Wu Chang, asked Gong Sun En.

  Seeing the three men being so polite, Gong Sun En was also very excited. Although he now has a great reputation in Xianyang, it all comes from his cousin Gong Sun Ce, and he has nothing to do with him.

  Moreover, he was just a heavenly soldier and not a divine general. Many inheritors showed superficial respect for him, but in reality, they looked down on him.

  Suddenly being treated with genuine politeness by three suspected successors, Gong Sun En was greatly pleased. It can be imagined that those who did not obtain the inheritance at this time had a very low status.

  "My name is Gong Sun-en, and I'm somewhat familiar with the upper and lower reaches of Xianyang. The three of you have questions, feel free to ask me!" Gong Sun-en patted his chest armor, making a clattering sound.

  Gongsun En was very straightforward and showed no signs of deceit, which made the three people from Wuchang feel a great sense of trust.