Chapter 93: Ten Years Eradicated Six Kingdoms, Unified the World

Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

He silently watched the barrage, then silently took another sip of tea.

Wei Zheng beside him wore a blank expression, but the corner of his mouth seemed to move.

Li Shimin set down his teacup and said calmly, "I think the First Emperor's actions were indeed commendable; accepting counsel is the way of a wise ruler."

Wei Zheng clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is enlightened. I also think Your Majesty truly should study well."

Li Shimin: "……"

Fang Xuanling beside them quickly lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

At that moment, the screen transformed into a massive map of the Warring States.

The flags of Han, Zhao, Wei, Chu, Yan, and Qi vanished one after another in gray ash, while the Qin Black Banner burned like black flame, sweeping across the eight realms invincibly.

The barrage boiled over completely:

"Ten years! He just used ten years! Warring States chicken‑eating finals directly lock‑head?"

"Wang Jian: Boss, conquering Chu requires six hundred thousand men. Ying Zheng: Give it! After the destruction, remember to issue an invoice."

"Qi: We agreed to resist Qin together, why did you all surrender first? #TeammateReportCenter"

"Brother Zheng: Stop the noise, I'm unifying weights and measures; later I'll change your script too."

"Han Fei: I joined Qin to preserve Han, not to hand over heads!"

Qin Dynasty, Xianyang Palace.

Ying Zheng's gaze fell on the words "ten years," and a ripple finally appeared in his eyes.

Ten years.

Indeed, from the annihilation of Han in 230 BC to the conquest of Qi in 221 BC, he truly took only ten years.

During those ten years, he strategized, dispatched troops, and reviewed 120 jin of memorials daily, never resting until the task was finished.

What he wanted was to gather the world, fractured for five hundred years, entirely into his own grasp.

"Chicken‑eating finals?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly, "What exactly is this 'chicken‑eating'?"

Zhao Gao leaned in cautiously, "Your Majesty, perhaps it is… some kind of competition?"

"What about 'lock‑head'?"

Zhao Gao broke out in cold sweat, "This… I also do not understand…"

Ying Zheng ceased further questioning, his gaze landing on Wang Jian's barrage, his eyebrows twitching,

"Wang Jian asked for six hundred thousand men, and I indeed gave them. That old scoundrel, before each campaign, always haggles with me for fields and land, fearing I suspect his treachery."

He snorted coldly, yet there was no anger in his tone,

"Wang Jian may be slick, but his warfare is godlike; I trust him."

On the light screen, Wang Jian's "issue an invoice" barrage received countless likes, shining the brightest.

Wang Jian himself stood in the hall at that moment, his aged face flushing slightly.

He glanced covertly at Ying Zheng on the throne and thought:

How does this later‑age immortal even know this? But what does 'issue an invoice' mean? A reimbursement voucher?

When Qi's barrage floated by, Ying Zheng sneered,

"Teammate report? That useless Qi king, only clings to Qin for peace, watches the five kingdoms be destroyed, and finally surrenders obediently."

"He thinks surrender can preserve his life? I will starve him to death among the pine and cypress of the common land, to serve as a warning!"

His tone was flat, as if speaking of something inconsequential.

Li Si felt a chill in his heart.

Unifying weights and measures, unifying script—these are the national policies Your Majesty is implementing.

He glanced at the screen; this immortal seemed to approve of His Majesty's achievements.

Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood before the hall, watching the annihilation scenes on the screen, his eyes blazing.

"Ten years! Ten years to unify the world!"

He slapped his thigh hard, "Back then we fought the Yuan Dynasty for how many years? This Qin First Emperor truly has two tricks!"

Liu Bowen beside him twirled his mustache and said, "Your Majesty, the First Emperor could rally the vigor of six generations, not merely a single man's achievement."

"But he could coordinate the whole realm, swallowing the eight wilderness in ten years; his heroic strategy is indeed rare."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then furrowed his brows,

"But what exactly is 'chicken‑eating'? Why can't I understand this later‑age phrase?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao whispered beside him,

"Father, I guess 'chicken‑eating' might be a later‑age game, a metaphor for battling for supremacy?"

"A game?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glared, "Conquering the world is a game? These later‑age people speak so out of tune!"

At that moment, the light screen suddenly turned dark.

Xu Fu led a fleet, raised sails, and headed east into the misty, boundless sea.

Qin Shi Huang, in Xianyang Palace, received the alchemist's offered pill, a crimson sphere like blood.

The images interwove, light and shadow shifting.

Finally it froze on a sand‑shaped palace.

On the bed, the First Emperor closed his eyes and lay down, his visage withered, silent.

Zhao Gao and Li Si's figures were conspiring outside the palace gate; in a dark corner, the altered edict was quietly sealed with a seal.

The barrage erupted instantly, wails and snark flew together:

【"Xu Fu: Boss, there is an immortal mountain in the East Sea. Ying Zheng: Pay up! Later Xu Fu became Japan's first emperor…"】

"Li Si, wake up! The rule‑of‑law character setting has collapsed! Teaming with Zhao Gao is worse than following Fu Su!"

"Hu Hai: The SSR card pool my father hoarded, I dismantled it all in three years #SpendthriftSimulator"

"Meng Tian: Your Majesty! The Great Wall construction plans are still in my hands… (dead)"

"Fu Su: Father, if you order me to kill myself I will; am I stupid?"】

Great Qin, Xianyang Palace.

The surroundings suddenly fell into silence.

On the throne, Ying Zheng's face turned a sheet of iron‑blue.

His body leaned slightly forward, staring fixedly at the closed‑eyed version of himself on the screen, fingers curled on the armrest, veins bulging.

"I… collapse upon the sand dunes?"

His voice was hoarse, tinged with disbelief.

The dream of immortality shattered; he had long prepared.

He didn't fully trust the alchemist's elixir, but as long as it could add a few years and make Great Qin's foundation steadier, he was willing to try.

But—

Zhao Gao, Li Si! Alter the edict!

Hu Hai ascended, Fu Su committed suicide, Meng Tian was killed, and Great Qin perished in three years!

Each character was like a knife, stabbing hard into his heart.

He snapped his head around, looking at Li Si and Zhao Gao kneeling in the hall.

Li Si trembled all over, crawling on the ground, his voice quivering:

"Your… Your Majesty! I have no second thoughts, I swear to Heaven, these… these words of later generations must be slander, defamation!"

Zhao Gao was even more terrified, his face ashen, collapsing on the ground, teeth chattering, unable to utter a single word.

Ying Zheng said nothing.

He simply stared at them quietly, his gaze as if looking at two corpses.

After a long while, he slowly withdrew his gaze and looked back at the screen.

The barrage kept going:

【"That Xu Fu fellow took my money and ran to Japan?" he sneered, "Where is Japan?"】

Li Si, trembling, looked up: "Your Majesty, perhaps… perhaps an island nation beyond the East Sea…"

Ying Zheng's eyes flashed coldly: "When I uncover the truth, I will annihilate its nine families."】

Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin watched the scene, his expression complicated.

He sighed lightly: "The First Emperor was a hero all his life, yet his later days were bleak, his realm fell to ruin after him, how lamentable."

Wei Zheng clasped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this is exactly what I often say: the heir is the nation's foundation, must be handled with care."

"The First Emperor did not appoint a crown prince; only before his death did he order Fu Su back to Xianyang, and in that haste he gave treacherous officials a chance to act."

Li Shimin nodded: "A father knows his son better than anyone. If the First Emperor had known Hu Hai was so unfit, he would not have left such a disaster."

He looked at the barrage on the screen showing "Fu Su committed suicide", shaking his head and sighing:

"Fu Su was benevolent but overly pedantic. The father's command was heavy, yet one must discern truth from falsehood. A forged edict led him to surrender, truly regrettable."

Changsun Wujie said: "Your Majesty, if Fu Su had not killed himself and Meng Tian had not died, Great Qin might have endured."

Li Shimin was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "Perhaps. But the First Emperor's county system, unified script, standardized wheels, already laid the foundation for later generations."

"Though Great Qin perished, its institutions remain, that is the First Emperor's immortal achievement."

The screen flickered rapidly.

Dazeh Village, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose in rebellion, beacon fires spreading across the land.

Liu Bang led his army into Xianyang, accepting the surrender of Qin King Ying.

The Chu–Han struggle, steel spears and iron horses, finally at Weiyang Palace, the Han banner fluttered in the wind.

The barrage entered a philosophical moment:

【"Qin Shi Huang: I patched (the county system), didn't expect my son to uninstall the antivirus (Fu Su)."】

"Liu Bang: Thanks to the old iron for the imperial gift pack, just rename it and it's called the Han Dynasty."

"Xiang Yu: I burned the Epang Palace! Liu Bang: I inherited the plans hidden by Chancellor Xiao He~"

"Xiao He: Upon entering Xianyang, first seal the treasury documents, this is basic procedure, everyone learn it."】