38: Chapter 38: We overestimated Fusu; Zhang Liang appears unexpectedly!

The young man possessed a noble air that ordinary people could not cultivate, showing that his background was far from ordinary.

"We overestimated Fusu."

Standing beside the young man in cotton clothes was a middle-aged man dressed in black, wearing a black gauze hat with a veil that concealed his face.

He held a long black sword in his arms.

His right fingers were tapping against the black sword.

Shockingly, he actually had six fingers.

He was none other than the famous Six-Fingered Black Knight of the martial world.

He was also the current Mohist Giant of the Mohists; his sword, Momei, was pitch-black like ink, with no edge or point, flat like a ruler.

After the Mohist base was destroyed by the Qin Army, besides Elder Mo and others who surrendered to Great Qin, the Mohist Giant, Six-Fingered Black Knight, fled the base with the remaining Mohist Disciples.

While in hiding, the Six-Fingered Black Knight encountered a large group of anti-Qin righteous warriors.

Most of these people were from the regions of Yan and Zhao.

They possessed a resilient and fearless character, along with a chivalrous spirit of sacrificing themselves to protect their homes and defend their dignity.

Upon learning the Six-Fingered Black Knight's identity, they all honored him as their leader.

The Mohist principles of 'Universal Love' and 'Non-aggression' had a widespread influence on the Yanzhao Righteous Warriors, and the Six-Fingered Black Knight became their spiritual mentor.

The young man in cotton clothes was the strategist for these anti-Qin warriors; with his knowledge, vision, and intellect, he held an extremely high status among them.

The Six-Fingered Black Knight also admired the young man's abilities.

The young man likewise held the Six-Fingered Black Knight in high regard, and the two became close comrades-in-arms.

They were dedicated to overthrowing the Tyrannical Qin.

The Six-Fingered Black Knight said disdainfully, "Young Master Fusu has always had a reputation for benevolence. I originally thought that if Fusu took power, he could stabilize the world."

"Looking at it now, Young Master Fusu does indeed have a reputation for kindness, but his ability to govern the world is far too lacking."

The nominal emperor of the Great Qin Empire was currently Hu Hai, but both the Six-Fingered Black Knight and the young man knew that the Parliament established by Zhao Fusu held control over the government.

Hu Hai, as emperor, had no executive power, no military power, no legislative power, and no judicial power; he only had the power to cooperate.

Hu Hai was merely a mascot without any real authority.

As the head of the Parliament, Zhao Fusu was the true person in power within the Great Qin Empire.

To overthrow the Great Qin Empire, they had to bring down Zhao Fusu.

Holding a scroll of taigongs art of war, the young man in cotton clothes said, "Under Fusu's administration, grain prices in Qin have reached astronomical levels. The common people can only gnaw on tree bark and eat Guanyin Clay; life is unbearable."

"Even if Fusu abolished corvée labor and provided three meals a day for those serving, most of the common people are starving and still have to pay the Poll Tax. The people will only become increasingly dissatisfied with Fusu."

"When the time comes, we will contact righteous warriors from all over to rise up together. A single spark can start a prairie fire, forcing the Qin Army to run themselves ragged. We can then strike them at our leisure when they are exhausted."

"As the Qin Army suffers continuous setbacks in battle, the lives of the Qin people will become even harder, and they will further abandon Fusu. The royal families of the six kingdoms can take the opportunity to restore their states and break free from Qin rule."

"With the world's anti-Qin warriors united as one, we will surely be able to capture Hangu Pass, march Inside the Pass, and overthrow the Tyrannical Qin."

The young man's expression was incredibly fervent.

His voice rose as he said, "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."

"No matter how brave the Qin Army is, once they lose the support of the people, they will only head toward decline."

"Good, very good."

The Six-Fingered Black Knight looked at the young man with admiration.

This person had a vision far beyond ordinary people, and his strategic brilliance was peerless in this era.

He was none other than the Sage of Strategy, Zhang Liang.

He was born into the nobility of the Han State; both his grandfather and father had served as Prime Ministers of Han.

After Qin destroyed the Han State, Zhang Liang harbored national and family hatred, vowing to assassinate Qin Shi Huang.

In 218 BC, Qin Shi Huang went on an eastern inspection tour.

Upon hearing the news, Zhang Liang traveled east to see Lord Canghai, found a strongman, and had a heavy iron hammer weighing 120 jin forged for him.

After investigation, Zhang Liang chose Bolangsha, a place through which the eastern tour must pass, as the site for the assassination.

When Qin Shi Huang's convoy passed through Bolangsha, the strongman threw the iron hammer with all his might at Qin Shi Huang's carriage. Unfortunately, he hit the secondary carriage by mistake, and Qin Shi Huang escaped unharmed.

Six years had passed since the assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang. In these six years, Zhang Liang had grown from the hot-blooded youth of back then into the steady young man he was today.

Throughout these years, he never forgot his goal of destroying the Qin state.

He traveled far and wide, recruiting Yanzhao Righteous Warriors, and now had a core group of over three hundred people.

These people were all desperados with fierce combat capabilities, each able to take on ten opponents.

The Mohist Disciples brought by the Six-Fingered Black Knight would be considered anti-government terrorists in modern society.

After being brainwashed by the Mohist Giant, they denied all government authority; only the words of the Mohist Giant were considered right.

Everything was centered around the Mohist Giant.

The Mohist Giant was greater than the heavens.

Even the Son of Heaven only dared to say he was the son of the heavens.

The Mohist Giant dared to say that even the heavens must kneel and submit before him.

The words spoken by the Mohist Giant were ironclad laws that could not be questioned and had to be followed.

If the Mohist Giant ordered them to kill, they would kill without the slightest doubt.

If the Mohist Giant ordered them to oppose Qin, they would oppose Qin without hesitation.

Therefore, in the eyes of the ruling class, the Mohist Disciples were all cultists.

This was also the reason why the Mohist Disciples were being hunted by Zheng Geer.

Those Mohists who focused on technology, like Elder Mo's group who hadn't been brainwashed by the Mohist Giant, were incorporated by Zheng Geer and joined the Forging Workshop.

This was why Elder Mo told Zhao Fusu that while the Mohists were destroyed, the Mohist techniques were passed down and became the 'Qin Mohists'.

The Qin Mohist lineage was primarily composed of Elder Mo and his people.

The Mohist Disciples who escaped the Qin Army's pursuit were all highly skilled in martial arts and specialized in killing.

There were over two hundred of them.

Their combat abilities were not inferior to the Yanzhao Righteous Warriors recruited by Zhang Liang.

The two groups combined for over five hundred people, each of whom was the elite of the elite and the backbone of the backbone.

Once war broke out, these people could become squad leaders and quickly assemble a force of over ten thousand!

At Ying Zheng's manor, a Shadow Guard hurriedly entered.

Ying Zheng was currently wielding a steel saber.

His tall frame moved with the steel saber, and waves of murderous intent surged forth, giving off an immense sense of pressure.

He had a sharp, long face with regular features, a high bridge to his nose, and a pair of bright, piercing eyes. His slender eyebrows and straight nose gave him an air of fortitude and wisdom.

"Your Majesty."

After calling out, the Shadow Guard waited to the side for the First Emperor to finish his saber practice.

"What is it?"

The First Emperor asked.

"Your Majesty,"

the Shadow Guard replied, "the grain prices in Xianyang and the various counties Inside the Pass have risen to three thousand coins per dan!"

"How much?"

The First Emperor was shocked to hear this.

Three thousand coins for One Dan of grain!

He remembered that grain prices used to be thirty coins per dan. How had they increased a hundredfold!