Chapter 455: Today, Heaven and Earth bless you. This is your best chance.
In Yanmen County, inside the county magistrate's mansion, Meng Tian had a complicated expression on his face.
Gaoque City was not too close to Yanmen, but not too far either, and Ying Chengjiao had not sealed off the city. So no matter what happened in Gaoque City, Meng Tian would know about it in one day.
"Huhua, Xiongnu, Qin people, all are treated equally.
"Tian has killed so many people that the Xiongnu people hate the Qin army to the core. The Xiongnu and the Qin army cannot coexist. How can the situation be completely reversed in just one month?"
Meng Tian received intelligence and learned that Ying Chengjiao had captured Prince Maodun alive.
He also learned that the Huns in Gaoque City did not recognize Maodun, but only their leader Ying Jianglu.
Earlier, his spy in the desert reported:
The Huns from many small and medium-sized tribes had a greatly changed view of the Taotie Army, and many tribes were looking forward to being recruited by the Taotie Army and migrated to Gaoque City.
Some tribes even found the right direction and could not wait for the Taotie army to arrive, so they took the initiative to move south to seek refuge in Gaoque City.
Gaoque City has become a paradise in the hearts of many Huns.
When life is not guaranteed, there is no loyalty in the desert where the strong prey on the weak.
They will support whoever can let them live in peace and let them eat meat once every ten days or half a month.
The killings committed by Meng Tian did not stop the enthusiasm of the Huns. Instead, they became a catalyst under the guidance of the Lu caravan.
"Meng Tian is a butcher. What does that have to do with Ying Jianglu, the leader of the Taotie tribe and the third son of the Qin State?"
"The Third Prince Ying Jianglu personally killed the black-armored Qin army for the Xiongnu. Doesn't this prove his attitude towards the Xiongnu?"
"Except for the difference in appearance, I suspect that the Third Young Master Ying Jianglu is a Xiongnu. He has nothing to say about the Xiongnu!"
"Yes, yes, yes. Look, he even renamed the Qin army he brought out from Guanzhong the Taotie Tribe."
"Except for the Third Prince, which Qin person can do this? Who can treat the Xiongnu people so well?"
Although both were in charge of the Black Armor Qin Army, Meng Tian killed everyone without leaving any alive, while Ying Jianglu treated everyone equally.
With such a comparison, the differences were immediately apparent, and the Huns' favorable impression of Ying Jianglu, Gaoque City, and the Taotie tribe soared.
In order to increase credibility, Ying Chengjiao also asked the Chamber of Commerce to bring the Huns from Gaoque City into the desert to do business.
The reason is that we don't know what you Huns need in winter, so you go and buy it yourselves.
The Huns who walked out of Gaoque City told the Huns in the desert that the rumors were not only true, but even somewhat restrained.
"Ying Chengjiao, the military commander of Gaoque City, is a great man who is as powerful as the Chanyu in fighting. He has recognized two of our Xiongnu women as his sisters."
"When a sister-in-law got married, General Ying Chengjiao gave a sheep to every ten women! Those women dreamed of becoming General Ying's sister!"
"If it weren't for buying winter supplies, I wouldn't have come back. Gaoque is a hundred times more comfortable than here. Take out all the best wool and we'll buy it and make the warmest fur coat for the chief."
Meng Tian smiled bitterly.
What about going deep into the enemy's territory alone, what about bringing the mother along, all those seemingly absurd actions before turned out to be a trick.
The 50,000 Taotie troops strolled into the desert and then returned to Gaoque City to set up camp. They did not fight, so there was no problem with bringing their female relatives with them. All of them were deceived by Chang'an Jun.
"As for hiding one's shortcomings, there is no one in the world who can match him, even the Marquis of Wucheng is far inferior to him.
“Tian should have thought of this earlier. He didn’t care about the stigma he had been carrying in Xianyang for ten years.
"How could Chang'an Jun, who could come up with Liuli to cause chaos in the six kingdoms and invade the desert to subdue the Huns, be such a fool?"
Meng Tian felt a burning pain on his face, which was even more painful than the slap he received from his father before.
"If it happens again..."
Meng Tian thought of Ying Chengjiao's stubbornness, autocratic approach, his refusal to listen to advice, and his insistence on taking his mother to war, so he slammed the table with his fist.
"How sinister and treacherous! How truly sinister and treacherous!"
If it happens again, he will make the same mistake again. This guy is so ruthless!
After complaining to himself for a while, Meng Tian looked towards the northwest, as if he saw Gaoque City, which was not majestic at all and could not even be called a city in the Central Plains.
“With Li You and my father, this may be a bad thing for the prince, but it is a good thing for my Meng family.
"At this moment, the only two people who can inherit the throne are these two..."
Meng Tian released a pigeon, which flapped its wings and flew towards the east with a piece of letter paper tied to its feet.
Every day, Meng Tian would write down the intelligence he had obtained on paper and then pass it on to the First Emperor who was thousands of miles away.
His statements are always objective descriptions without any personal emotions.
Meng Tian was loyal to the prince and was a member of the prince's party because the First Emperor wanted him to be a member of the prince's party and the First Emperor was the object of his loyalty.
At this moment, the First Emperor was at Mount Tai.
Mount Tai is the most majestic mountain in China, unmatched by any other mountain.
According to legend, Emperor Fuxi once offered sacrifices to heaven and prayed to the earth on Mount Tai, and Huangdi, the leader of the Five Emperors, often visited immortals on Mount Tai.
It is known from historical records that as early as the ancient times, Mount Tai was the settlement of important tribes. During the reigns of Yao and Shun, Mount Tai was the first place to be visited when touring the four directions.
After the Zhou Dynasty was founded, a famous mountain was designated as the guardian mountain of each of the nine provinces in the world. Among them, Mount Tai was the guardian mountain of Yanzhou.
And now, because the Qin Empire's ancestral tribe Ying Qin originated from Mount Tai, the First Emperor has further elevated Mount Tai's status and designated it as the first mountain.
An important part of this eastern tour was to come to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, following the example of the ancient sage kings.
Fengshan.
An altar was built on Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and repay heaven’s merits, so it was called Feng.
The land on the small hill at the foot of Mount Tai was cleared to repay the earth's merits, so it was called Zen.
On the top of Mount Tai, the First Emperor wore a black crown with a black bird headdress and a Tongtian crown with a jingling white jade bead curtain on his head.
Half a step behind him, Li Si, the left prime minister of the Qin Empire who was the best calligrapher, faced a stone tablet, holding his sword, holding his breath, waiting to put pen to paper.
During this eastern tour, there was not a single assassination attempt that could harm the First Emperor, but there were countless scholars like Mao Sui who recommended themselves.
So the First Emperor selected the best candidates and the number of doctors in the Qin Empire increased dramatically, now reaching 117.
Among these 117 people, there are students of Confucianism, students of Legalism, students of famous scholars...
At this moment, all the 117 doctors were standing behind the First Emperor, with solemn expressions, as if listening to an oracle.
The First Emperor raised his head toward the sky, then looked down at the earth, but he was reluctant to recite the sacrificial text aloud for the heaven and earth to hear.
Zhou Qingchen, the Confucian doctor who was chosen to calculate the time, showed a flash of hesitation on his face, but it disappeared in an instant.
He stepped forward, and walked to one meter behind the First Emperor. He stopped under the stern gaze of Zhang Han, the doctor-in-chief, and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too low, and extremely humble:
"Your Majesty, now is an auspicious time to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth."
"I understand."
"I'll take my leave."
There is a mountain breeze on the mountain peak, which is cold but not biting.
The First Emperor, who was standing on the mountain top, looked at the vast sea of clouds which was not as high as the mountain top. He stretched out his hand to block the sunlight and could hear the chirping of birds in the distance.
Feng Chang, one of the Nine Ministers in charge of the ancestral temple sacrificial rituals, had sweat on his forehead.
Today and at this moment, it was jointly selected by a group of Yin-Yang doctors, dream doctors, immortal doctors and others.
The Fengshan ceremony is being held at this moment, which will please heaven and earth and will be most beneficial to the Qin Empire.
If you don't speak up, the auspicious time will be missed, and the effect of the Fengshan ceremony will be greatly reduced. It is even hard to say whether the heaven and earth will be happy.
Your Majesty, have you forgotten the sacrificial text?
Feng Chang held up his left sleeve and was about to step forward.
He had a scroll of bamboo slips in his sleeve, which contained the sacrificial text that should be recited at the moment.
Fengchang was a little annoyed at this moment, both at the First Emperor and even more at himself, because the sacrificial text was not long, only 172 words, so he believed it when the First Emperor said he had memorized it.
If I had known this, I would have let Your Majesty read the sacrificial text...
"The emperor takes the throne, makes laws, and the ministers make corrections..."
The voice of the First Emperor rang out before Fengchang raised his foot.
Feng Chang breathed a sigh of relief and felt at ease.
These twelve words are exactly the first twelve words on the sacrificial text.
Li Si also breathed a sigh of relief, held his breath, and made a sword flower with his hand, ready to strike the stone tablet with his sword.
He had memorized this sacrificial text long ago, but since the First Emperor did not read it, he could not write it.
"… Life is so boring."
Feng Chang's eyes widened.
These are not words I wrote!
The Qin sword in Li Si's hand was about to fall on the stone tablet, but it suddenly turned and scratched the ground, causing Li Si to almost dodge.
Your Majesty...did you pronounce it wrong?
These four words do not appear in the sacrificial text at all. The next four words after the twelfth word are “初合天下” (first unified the world)!
All the newly admitted doctors and the accompanying civil officials were stunned for a moment, and then looked at Feng Chang, whose eyes were as big as bullfrogs, with extremely unfriendly eyes.
Fengshan is a ceremony to show one’s merits to heaven and earth.
This is the most important event, how dare you write about how boring it is in the memorial? Are you a traitor planted by the six countries?
Feng Chang felt stung by the thousands of gazes he received and sweat broke out on his back.
I was screaming in my heart, "This is not written by me," but my mouth was tightly closed.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, he alone had to bear the responsibility for this mistake. How could the First Emperor make a mistake when he was performing the Fengshan ceremony?
Fengchang now only hopes that his Majesty will recite "Everyone is submissive" and return to the right track.
The left prime minister who wrote the inscription is very smart and will definitely know that Your Majesty has read it wrong, and he will correct it when writing the inscription.
However……
"Wang Chan."
The First Emperor turned around, found Guiguzi from the dense crowd behind him, and called out to him.
Feng Chang's body went limp, his vision went dark, and he almost fell to the ground.
How come they are still chatting? Fengshan! Such disrespect for heaven and earth will bring disaster to the Qin Dynasty!
Li Si secretly thanked his lucky star for stopping so quickly.
Your Majesty did not read it wrong.
When all the ministers stared at the First Emperor with wide eyes, looking at him in disbelief and speechlessness.
Guiguzi, who had four moles on his head, did not hesitate for a moment. As if he had known that the First Emperor was going to call him, he responded loudly:
"I am here."
"What are my achievements?"
"You unified the country and created a great era that China had never seen before. The Qin Dynasty also had the largest territory in history. Your Majesty's achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors, and are the greatest in ancient and modern times!"
The First Emperor laughed heartily, very happy, and looked at Zhou Qingchen who had just stood up.
"Zhou Qingchen, tell me what you think."
Before Zhou Qingchen could come to his senses, his mouth started moving like a muscle reaction.
"The four seas have united, and the whole world is in submission. Your Majesty's achievements cannot be recorded on bamboo slips, and your Majesty's virtues cannot be contained even by the sky and the earth. The reason why people live is because of the life given by Your Majesty..."
Zhou Qingchen kept talking, and his words became more and more outrageous.
The Qin Shi Huang, who was always thick-skinned, felt his face getting hot and coughed loudly twice.
"Okay."
Zhou Qingchen shut up at the right time, his mind still a little confused, as if he had not yet recovered from the shock of Emperor Qin Shihuang turning around to chat right after he started his Fengshan ceremony.
The First Emperor faced his ministers, all of whom had expressions of fear, worry, and astonishment.
"I was able to unify the country because of the efforts of my civil officials to come up with strategies, the bravery of my military commanders, and the concerted efforts of the people of Qin who were willing to march east.
"Heaven and earth? Oh, they didn't contribute a bit when I conquered the six kingdoms, so why do I need to tell them today?"
Feng Chang felt numb from his toes to his head, as if he had been struck by thunder from heaven. He could no longer stand and collapsed to the ground.
He raised his head, his face showing anxiety, despair and pleading.
"Your Majesty! No! No! Please pray to heaven and earth to forgive your words and not bring punishment upon the Qin State!"
The First Emperor glanced at Zhang Han.
Zhang Han nodded imperceptibly and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Fengchang has been suffering from a heart attack due to overwork. Hurry and take him away to the imperial physician for treatment."
Two Qin soldiers appeared out of nowhere, came to Feng Chang, and helped Feng Chang down the mountain.
Feng Chang, who had already become limp, somehow found strength from somewhere and struggled desperately, forcing back two highly skilled Shadow Guards in an instant.
He struggled to pounce on the First Emperor, looking frightened and crazy.
"Ying Zheng! You are disrespectful to heaven and earth! You will bring disaster to the Qin State! You will destroy the Qin State and the ancestral temple!"
Before he could take three steps, two Shadow Secret Guards, feeling ashamed of their slight negligence, grabbed his arms and dragged him down the mountain.
Feng Chang was still shouting wildly as he was dragged away.
"The Qin State is finished! The Qin State is finished!"
This voice rang out on the top of Mount Tai and spread from the Qin State's capital mountain to all directions. Everyone on the top of the mountain turned pale and felt scared. No one dared to look at the First Emperor's face, as they thought he must be furious.
This guy has really caused us so much trouble!
They cursed Feng Chang in their hearts.
If you disrespect heaven and earth, you will die at some point, but at least you won’t die immediately.
But if you disrespect the First Emperor, you will die immediately.
The heaven and earth are indeed scary, but not as scary as the current First Emperor.
But the First Emperor was not angry. He always disliked hiding his emotions and spoke in a calm voice.
"Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, which country does not respect heaven and earth? But where are they now? I, who do not respect heaven and earth, have destroyed their countries, demolished their ancestral temples, and destroyed their altars. What else can they do except cry like cowards?
"I have been on a tour to the east and have passed through Han, Chu, and Qi. I came to their territory and asked them to kill me, but they couldn't even kill me in front of my eyes. I am really disappointed.
"Among you doctors, there must be someone who has joined forces with the remnants of the six kingdoms to overthrow the Qin Dynasty. Do you dare to stand up and stab me? Today, the heaven and earth are blessing you. This is your best chance."
All the ministers bowed their heads, but no one responded.
