Chapter 348

What about the Maurya Empire over there in India?

And there's Egypt and so on!

Such vast territories!

How many convicts would that require!

Does the Great Qin have so many people?

If management is inadequate, it will directly trigger an uprising!

The Yuan Dynasty is the best example!

They conquered such huge lands, but because they had few people and poor management, they destroyed themselves in less than a hundred years!

However... no matter what, these are matters for the future!

For now, attack first!

First, completely exterminate the Xiongnu!

At that moment, the great army continued forward!

They marched for another three days!

This place is still six hundred li from the Great Snow Mountain!

Just then, suddenly, the scouts responsible for reconnaissance rushed over: "An army has appeared fifty li away!"

"An army?"

Wang Jian and Han Xin were stunned: "Where did this army come from?"

"Li Yuanba, go check it out!"

Wang Jian directly called out to Li Yuanba!

Moments later, a black lightning bolt sped past!

In less than half a shi, he returned, bowed to Wang Jian and Han Xin, and said: "It is the army of Fan Kuai and Lu Wan! They are retreating backward!"

"Retreating backward?"

"What is going on?"

Wang Jian's eyebrows knitted tightly!

Han Xin, Ying Su, and the others frowned as well!

And not long after, the armies of Fan Kuai and Lu Wan returned!

The moment they saw Ying Su, they knelt directly, and Fan Kuai, furious, shouted:

"Those sons of bitches have defected again!"

"Xiaoyao Zi and the others?"

Zhou Yafu was very surprised!

Fan Kuai roared: "If not them, then who?"

"Dogs can't change their habit of eating shit; we should have killed them all back then!"

He spoke in anger.

Wang Jian frowned severely!

Han Xin then hurriedly asked:

"What are the casualties?"

Lu Wan reported:

"The casualties are not great!"

"Less than a hundred people, that's all!"

"This is only because Fan Kuai went out to urinate at night and discovered it early; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

He recounted the detailed events of that night!

After everyone heard this, Han Xin immediately requested orders to lead Li Yuanba and kill them all, to avoid leaving trouble behind.

Wang Jian also nodded and confessed to Ying Su, admitting he should not have been so clever and used them in the first place.

He should have killed them directly!

But Ying Su waved his hand: "It is fine!"

While speaking, he looked toward Zhang Liang: "Mr. Zifang, what is your view on this matter?"

Zhang Liang said: "Although these people have defected time and again, this time their defection must have a reason!"

"If I guess, they were ambushed while killing Xiongnu soldiers, and Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu threatened them into doing this!"

"Moreover, their target was certainly not the soldiers!"

"Killing the soldiers was probably just to show loyalty or something!"

"Their true target should be Li Yuanba, Li Cunxiao, or perhaps Han Xin, Wang Jian, or even Your Majesty!"

"Therefore, if Your Majesty wishes to deal with them, it is best not to launch an offensive!"

"Because launching an offensive might lead you into a trap they have set in advance!"

"Wait quietly; when they grow impatient, they will come to us themselves!"

"But if they do come forward actively, I hope Your Majesty will not kill them, nor impose any punishment on them!"

"Hmm?"

Once these words were spoken, Han Xin, Wang Jian, and the others all failed to understand!

Even Ying Su did not understand what Zhang Liang was thinking!

Zhang Liang said: "These Zong Sect forces and Jianghu forces, though they appear to uphold justice, are unstable factors for any nation; they are one of the sources that destroy national stability and remain a hidden danger for any country!"

"Could it be... that Your Majesty does not wish to eliminate them all in one stroke?"

The moment those words left his lips, Ying Su's eyes lit up brightly!

In the blink of an eye, he shouted:

"Issue an edict to inform them: for what they have done, I will hold no grudge. If they wish to leave, they may do so now. For those who leave now, I shall treat it as if nothing happened. Furthermore, I grant Lu Wan's request: settle their rewards according to the military merit system!"

"Anyone may take a Xiongnu's right ear to Xianyang to claim military merit!"

"Likewise, anyone who kills Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu, Fan Zeng, or Seeing Xiang Yu may claim the title of Marquis within the Great Qin passes!"

"Li Yuanba, ride swiftly back to Xianyang and tell Li Si: for anyone coming to claim military merit, pay them in full!"

As he spoke those words, in that very instant, Wang Jian, Han Xin, and the others felt their heads buzzing!

Zhang Liang's forehead was streaming with cold sweat; after a moment, he hurriedly bowed before Ying Su:

"Your Majesty... how sage!"

"How sage!"

"How sage!"

"How sage!"

In that instant, everyone bowed down, unable to restrain themselves as they shouted toward Ying Su!

There was no other way; it was too poisonous!

It was truly too poisonous!

If Zhang Liang's strategy was itself a poisonous scheme!

then this edict from Ying Su was poison upon poison!

They dared not imagine what reaction the group of experts from the Central Plains, led by Xiaoyaozi, would have upon hearing this edict!

Even harder to imagine was how ecstatic and joyful that group would be when they foolishly returned to Xianyang to claim their military merit.

Regardless, returning to assassinate Ying Su was impossible; killing Qin Army soldiers was even more impossible!

There was no need for it!

Su has already forgiven them; who would be crazy enough to engage in such filthy tricks!

Indeed... they might even switch sides again, returning to assassinate Chanyu Modu Chanyu Chanyu Modu, Fan Zeng, and the others!

After all! It was the military merit system!

The military merit system!

In the era of the seven states vying for supremacy, the military merit system was the foundation of the Qin Army's strength!

Although during the later war of unification, Lu Buwei abolished the military merit system, replacing the head-count merit-recording technique with the territory-conquest merit-recording technique!

Yet, the military merit system still remained deeply ingrained in people's hearts!

Moreover, the head-count military merit system was truly something that excited all Qin Army soldiers!

If one truly slaughtered several hundred or even a thousand, one could return directly to claim a noble title!