Chapter 150 The Common Man Is Not Guilty

In Huayang Palace, a burst of laughter resounded.

"So, Lu Buwei not only lost a thousand gold, but the boy hasn't come yet."

Lord Changping nodded, and Queen Mother Huayang waved her sleeves and sat down.

"Lu Buwei has set up the stage, but the protagonist just doesn't come. This play is getting more and more interesting."

Zhao Shuang's late arrival is good news for Mr. Changping.

The longer time passes, the less effective Lu Buwei's tricks will be, and the relationship between Cheng Yu and him will also ease.

"Can Zhao Shuang withstand it?"

Queen Mother Huayang turned her head and smiled on her face.

"The key is not whether he can withstand it, but why he should withstand it?"

"What does the Queen Mother mean?"

"Zhao Shuang is your son-in-law, but apart from the title of son-in-law, what else can you give him? Why should he help you?"

"So, if Zhao Shuang doesn't come to Xianyang, he has other plans?"

The smile on Queen Mother Huayang's face faded and she became a little serious.

"The situation in Guanzhong has become increasingly confusing recently. How many private soldiers do you and Lord Chang Wen have under your command?"

In times of turmoil, the most fundamental thing is the troops in hand. Lord Changping and Lord Changwen both had their own territories, and they could place ministers and raise private soldiers, and it was legal.

Lord Changping did not hide anything and told the truth.

"There are one thousand in my territory, five hundred in Lord Chang Wen's territory, plus Fan Yuqi's army in the Lantian camp, it's about more than thirty thousand."

Raising private soldiers is extremely expensive. If it were not for rebellion, no one would maintain a high number of private soldiers in peacetime.

"Fan Yuqi has only been a general for a short period of time, so the army at Lantian camp may not be reliable. Let's do this. You and Lord Chang Wen will expand the troops in your territory. You will expand it to four thousand, Lord Chang Wen will expand it to two thousand, plus The five thousand forbidden troops in my palace are a force that can stand on its own in critical moments."

"I understand."

Prime Minister's Mansion.

"Injured by a mythical beast, disturbed by the soul, unable to calm down?"

Lu Buwei smiled. He had heard this reason for pretending to be sick many times. This was the first time he heard such a novel one.

Putting down the letter in his hand, Lu Buwei raised his head.

"It seems that Lord Hanyang is not so easy to please."

"Xiangbang, on the grounds that he disrespects the king, we will seize his fief and deprive him of his title."

Lao Ai said. From Yongcheng to this point, Lao Ai was under Lu Buwei, and he still seemed very humble at this moment.

"I just suggested to make him king, now I take it back. Do you want everyone to see my joke?"

"My subordinates dare not!"

Lao Ai hurriedly knelt down and knocked on the ground with her head, not daring to say a word.

Lu Buwei waved his hand, and Wei Zhuang took out a map and spread it on the table.

This is a map of the land of Yongchu, which is Zhao Shuang's current fiefdom.

"When Bai Qi attacked Chu, the Chu State ceded Shangyong and the land north of the Han River. The clans and families who followed Bai Qi's attack on Chu thrived in the land of Yongchu. After so many years, the truth has not been noticed There is such a powerful force here.”

Lu Buwei came to power in the Qin State after Bai Qi was given death. Therefore, Lu Buwei was not as clear as the Empress Dowager Huayang about many things before that.

"Back then, Chu State ceded the land of Shangyong and Han Rivers in order to seek peace. But the next year, Bai Qi attacked Chu again, penetrated the Chu defense line, and captured the five cities of Yan and Deng. These ceded lands, in addition to becoming Beyond the line of march, it was quickly forgotten.”

Wei Zhuang is also very familiar with this war. After all, Guigu’s teaching is very comprehensive.

Because of Bai Qi's military prowess, the entire Jianghan region, where Chu State rose to prominence, was captured by the Qin army. At that time, everyone's eyes were on the prosperous and prosperous Jianghan Plain area.

There were dozens of cities and millions of acres of farmland, so naturally no one would pay attention to the situation in those ravines.

Lu Buwei looked at Wei Zhuang and nodded slightly.

"Those who are good at fighting are also good at hiding their troops. According to the population reported from the local area, Zhao Shuang has at least a thousand troops. But considering that this group of aristocrats always conceals their population, this number must be at least two to three times higher."

Lu Buwei is the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty. If he really notices something, he can collect quite detailed information.

"The Prime Minister did not expect that there is such a force under his nose. Now that the land north of the Han River has been awarded to him, the number of troops that Zhao Shuang can use is at least five thousand."

When Lu Buwei said this, he felt a sense of fear in his heart.

"In this case, why did the Prime Minister still ask for a fiefdom for him? There are fierce disputes in the court, and it seems not worth it for Zhao Shuang."

Lao Ai raised his head, and Lu Buwei asked Feng Jun to prepare Luo Wang. He just wanted to use Zhao Shuang's excuse to attack Chang Ping Jun and the Queen Mother Huayang behind him.

But this goal has not been achieved now, and it is not cost-effective compared to the previous efforts.

Lu Buwei raised his head from the map and looked at Lao Ai.

"The truth is that I won't give it to you. Aren't these Zhao Shuang's? I'm going to ask the emperor, so this force will be in the open. Otherwise, he will be in the dark."

Lu Buwei smiled and waved.

"You go to Taiyuan now. Remember, you must complete the errands assigned to you by the Queen Mother."

"promise!"

Lao Ai stood up and turned around, with a trace of resentment on her face.

Wei Zhuang glanced at Lao Ai's retreating back, his face thoughtful.

"Xiangbang, Lao Ai has a narrow-minded nature and a brave spirit. Why do you want to humiliate him? He will inevitably have resentment in his heart."

"As long as I don't humiliate him, won't he have any resentment towards me in his heart?"

Lu Buwei leaned back and smiled slightly.

"The more resentment he has in his heart, the better he can complete his mission."

Wei Zhuang saw this, and Lu Buwei seemed even more enigmatic.

Zhaojiacun.

There were two thousand pieces of gold and three hundred pairs of armor placed in the house, and there were fifty war horses outside the house.

"Your Majesty, this is my master's wish."

Zhao Shuang smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said.

"In that case, thank you Lord Chang'an for me."

"My master said that he and your Majesty are one family, and the relationship between them cannot be compared to that of outsiders."

"Tell Mr. Chang'an that I understand. Please rest assured."

Yan Lingji asked after Zhao Shuang sent the person in front of him away.

"What does he mean by giving away things and money at the same time?"

"Of course you want to win over me!"

Zhao Shuang didn't seem to care at all.

"You first accepted Lu Buwei's money, and now you've accepted Cheng Xi's money. Are they hostile?"

"Now that Lantian Camp has been under the jurisdiction of Fan Yuqi, there is no hindrance from Chang'an Lord's fiefdom to here. If I add the five thousand troops on hand, Chang'an Lord can gather a hundred thousand troops in Guanzhong in half a month."

"You mean he wants to rebel?"

Zhao Shuang smiled with deep meaning in his words.

"He may not want to rebel, but he already has the ability to rebel."