Chapter 303: Return to Qin

"Not surprising that the Agricultural School has an abundance of medicinal herbs," thought Daniel Davis as he left Puyang City. He had taken advantage of his time in the city to purchase a large quantity of rare medicinal herbs from various pharmacies. These herbs were intended for alchemical purposes. While it was the legendary Shennong who had discovered the properties of herbs, making the Agricultural School proficient in alchemy, their skills in this area paled in comparison to those of the Yin-Yang School and Daoist School.

Whether it was basic vitality-enhancing pills like Blood Qi Pills or more advanced ones like True Man Pills that significantly increased one's internal energy, the Agricultural School's offerings were inferior. However, they had one advantage: their vast numbers. With so many practitioners, the school boasted a considerable number of experts.

This only further emphasized the importance of resources in martial training, akin to how the strength of the Four Seas in the One Piece world paled in comparison to the Grand Line.

"Their response was quick, but unfortunately, it was too late." As a crucial stronghold for the Agricultural School, Puyang City was heavily guarded. Such a large-scale purchase of medicinal herbs could not have gone unnoticed by the school's surveillance network. However, by the time they had mobilized, Daniel was already gone. For anyone else, it would have been nearly impossible to escape with such a large haul of herbs under the watchful eyes of the Agricultural School, but for Daniel, it was a trivial matter.

After Daniel's departure, the poor disciples of the Agricultural School were left searching the city aimlessly, like headless chickens.

---

Capital of Chu, Shouchun.

"The royal palace here is truly magnificent. Although I haven't seen the royal palace in the capital of Qi, I imagine it must be similarly grand. Interestingly, the Xianyang Palace in Qin is the most modest of them all."

Since arriving in this world, Daniel had visited numerous royal palaces, including those in Han, Qin, Zhao, Yan, and now Chu. Among them, the Xianyang Palace was slightly larger than Han's palace but far less ornate. Compared to the palaces in Zhao, Yan, and Chu, it was both smaller in area and more modestly decorated. The palace in Chu, in particular, was the largest he had seen so far.

Though Daniel hadn't seen the palace in Qi, he guessed it must be equally luxurious, considering the current king's reputation for opulence and Qi's wealth.

The Epang Palace of the Qin Dynasty had been criticized for centuries, a clear example of how history is written by the victors. The notion of impartial historians is laughable. Daniel wasn't defending Qin Shi Huang, but the truth was that building a new palace for a unified empire was a perfectly normal thing. After all, he couldn't continue to reside in the outdated Xianyang Palace.

Qin Shi Huang's mistake was that he rushed things, launching several large-scale projects simultaneously. In this, he was somewhat like Sui Yangdi Yang Guang, an emperor who shared Qin Shi Huang's vision but ended up destroying his own country, leaving the benefits for his successors.

Without Qin Shi Huang's unification, standardization of writing, and other reforms, later dynasties wouldn't have had it so easy.

As for the claims of Qin Shi Huang's brutality, Daniel found them laughable. While some of Qin Shi Huang's actions might seem harsh from a modern perspective, they were normal for his time. The concepts of collective punishment and guilt by association were not unique to Qin. It's just that some people choose to turn a blind eye to these facts, a behavior that has persisted throughout history and into the modern era.

This line of thought led Daniel to recall the last emperor of the Shang Dynasty, Di Xin, who was similarly vilified. Di Xin was accused of being licentious, yet he had only two children, while another historical figure, often lauded for "acting in Heaven's will," had nearly a hundred. So who was really the licentious one?

With Di Xin's fall, the Zhou Dynasty was established, and for the first time, the world saw the replacement of a human king with a "Son of Heaven."

---

In a bustling tavern in Chu, Daniel was surprised to overhear discussions about Qu Yuan and Song Yu. While Song Yu was no longer hailed as the most handsome man in the world due to his age, he remained a famous figure.

"Qu Yuan and Zongzi—I didn't realize Qu Yuan was also of royal descent," Daniel mused. Qu Yuan was a renowned figure in later generations, but many, like Daniel, were unaware of his noble origins. He was a descendant of the Chu royal family, and Song Yu was his disciple.

Qu Yuan was a proponent of reforms in Chu, but his faction never gained a foothold. His noble lineage meant little in the face of the entrenched power structures of the Chu state.

Chu truly was a vast and resource-rich land, capable of fielding an army of nearly a million soldiers—far more than Qin. However, this also meant that Chu suffered significant casualties during the unification wars under Qin Shi Huang.

Late at night, in the deep recesses of the Chu royal palace, the drunken Chu king stumbled into his chambers, assisted by a few eunuchs. These eunuchs were all fair-skinned and delicate, indicating that the king was not exactly a paragon of virtue.

"He certainly knows how to indulge himself," Daniel thought as he silently appeared inside the king's chambers. After observing the kings of various states, Daniel wasn't surprised that Qin Shi Huang managed to unify the empire.

In Qin, the king was focused on governance, often working late into the night. While he occasionally indulged in pleasures, his primary focus was state affairs. In contrast, the kings of the other states treated revelry as their main duty, with state governance being an occasional afterthought—completely opposite to Qin Shi Huang.

"Time to wake up." Daniel had no interest in waiting for the Chu king to sober up naturally. With a few flicks of his fingers, he sent a burst of energy to key acupoints on the king's body, shocking him awake.

"Who are you? Guards! Guards!" The king, still disoriented, panicked when he saw the shadowy figure outside the bed curtain and began shouting for help.

"Shut up. If you utter another word, I'll cut out your tongue." Daniel's low voice cut through the air as he thrust a cold, ice-forged sword through the bed curtain, resting it against the king's throat.

Feeling the chill of the blade against his neck, the king finally fell silent. Although his body trembled uncontrollably, he did his best to keep his neck still.

"That's more like it. Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you tonight, but to warn you—your throne is in danger."

"What did you say?" The king, who had been trembling in fear, suddenly snapped to attention. "Who is trying to dethrone me?" For the first time, the king seemed to forget the blade at his throat.

"Have you heard of Changping Jun?" At the mention of Changping Jun, the king's face changed dramatically. "You've been deceived. He hasn't been idle in Qin. According to my sources, Changping Jun has already won over your three main armies. As for the high-ranking officials in your court, how many have already defected to his side? I'm sure you can guess. He's simply waiting for the right opportunity to return to Chu. When that happens, what do you think will become of you, the current king? That's all I have to say. Good luck."

Daniel finished speaking and disappeared without waiting for a response. There was no need to see how the king would react.

For rulers, once suspicion was planted, they would undoubtedly investigate. Daniel's words were merely a catalyst, directing the king's thoughts in a particular direction.

It was similar to how Daniel might have warned Qin Shi Huang to be wary of Changping Jun. Even if the king didn't show it outwardly, he would certainly be more cautious of Changping Jun in private.

"Guards!" After a moment of hesitation, the king called out loudly. The doors to the chamber were immediately thrown open as several fully armored guards rushed in, along with the palace's hidden protectors.

As a king, he naturally had elite guards at his disposal. Even the King of Han had an assassin group under his command, one of whom would later become the Wolf King, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Quicksand.

"Useless! You're all useless! Did you know someone just broke in?" The king shouted angrily as he stepped out from behind the curtain, supported by one of the eunuchs. The guards immediately began searching the chamber for any signs of intrusion.

"Changping Jun… the three armies…" The king's fear quickly gave way to calculated thought. Though he had shown himself to be cowardly in the face of danger, once the immediate threat had passed, his intellect came to the fore.

The king wasn't a fool. After all, he had managed to seize the throne from Changping Jun in the first place. Years of living in luxury had dulled his edge, but now that his throne was under threat, things were different.

While such rulers might be poor at governing, they were often masters of intrigue and manipulation—experts at internal politics but inept at external affairs.

"Summon my most trusted advisors." After a long period of silence, the king finally issued an order, calling his inner circle together.

"The Chu Kingdom might become quite interesting in the future," Daniel mused as he soared through the night sky above the royal palace, using his flying broomstick. By revealing Changping Jun's plot ahead of time, he had set in motion a potential conflict between the current Chu King and the three major military families of Chu. Even if the Chu King couldn't deal a fatal blow to these powerful factions, he could certainly weaken them significantly.

If the king resorted to the same tactics that the Chu aristocracy had once used against Wu Qi, it could lead to some very intriguing outcomes.

However, Daniel knew that such an extreme course of action was unlikely. The Chu King wasn't foolish enough to provoke such powerful families recklessly. The three great military houses, particularly the Xiang family, were true noble clans with deep roots in Chu. If the king dared to ambush and assassinate their leaders, Chu would be thrown into chaos.

This was one of the key drawbacks of the feudal system. The Tenglong Army and other such forces did not answer to the state but to the families that commanded them, essentially functioning as private armies.

It was the same for the Yinghu Army and the Leibao Army. 

In this context, the Qin Dynasty's military situation was much better than that of other states. Although it still had its share of private armies like the Golden Fire Cavalry under the Meng family and the Hundred Battles Armor-Piercing Soldiers under the Wang family, the central authority was strong enough to maintain a semblance of control.

The issue of private armies had been a persistent problem throughout the Warring States period. Even though Qin had made strides to address it through Shang Yang's reforms, it still faced challenges similar to those in other states.

Wu Qi's reforms in Chu were a perfect example of the difficulties inherent in implementing such changes. Although Wu Qi came from a wealthy background, like Li Si, and had studied under Zengzi, he lacked the connections necessary to achieve lasting success. Unlike Li Si, who benefited from the changing times, Wu Qi's efforts were ultimately undone by the entrenched nobility.

After Wu Qi's patron, the Chu King, died, the Chu aristocracy saw their chance. They ambushed Wu Qi during the late king's funeral, fatally wounding him. In his last act of defiance, Wu Qi pinned the blame on the late king's body, ensuring that the new king would have to avenge the perceived desecration by executing all those involved in the attack, thereby indirectly exacting his revenge.

In this way, Wu Qi managed to settle his score with the Chu nobility, even in death. Few figures in history could claim such a feat.

---

Qin Kingdom, Xianyang.

"Newspapers for sale! Get your latest issue of the Great Qin Times!"

As Daniel entered the bustling streets of Xianyang, he noticed several boys with satchels slung over their shoulders, hawking newspapers along the way. Occasionally, someone from a teahouse or tavern would call one of the boys over to purchase a copy.

"Li Si has been busy," Daniel thought with a nod of approval. After introducing papermaking and movable type printing, Daniel had suggested the creation of newspapers, seeing them as a powerful tool for propaganda in this era. 

In his brief time at the capital, Daniel noticed that the concept had caught on quickly. Qin was already well on its way to becoming a media powerhouse, thanks to Li Si's diligent efforts. 

"One paper, please." Daniel hailed one of the boys and purchased a copy of the Great Qin Times. 

As he scanned through the headlines, Daniel couldn't help but chuckle. "Leave it to Li Si to put Ying Zheng on the front page, again and again, without repeating himself."

The first page was filled with articles extolling Ying Zheng's virtues, praising his wisdom, strength, and leadership. While some might find this excessive, Daniel knew it was an effective way to reinforce the king's authority in the minds of the people.

"Impressive. Li Si understands the importance of propaganda." Beyond the front page, the newspaper also covered other newsworthy topics, such as the construction of the Zhengguo Canal and a list of newly released slaves.

In line with Daniel's suggestion, Ying Zheng had begun to set up exemplary figures as part of his propaganda efforts. Ying Zheng's approach to governance involved rewarding those who served the state well while also making examples of those who defied the law.

Six Doors had become one of Li Si's key projects, effectively functioning as a nationwide intelligence agency. Their reports were now contributing to the newspapers, making sure the common people were aware of the state's power and benevolence.

As Daniel made his way through Xianyang, he noticed a new energy in the air. The people seemed more informed, more engaged with the state's affairs. The streets were busy, the markets bustling with activity. Ying Zheng's policies were taking root, and it showed.

Yet, Daniel knew that even as the state grew stronger, the challenges would only become more complex. The unification of China was just the beginning. The real challenge lay in maintaining that unity and building a lasting empire.

For now, though, Daniel was content to let events unfold. His role as Great Qin's National Preceptor was to guide and advise, not to rule. And with Li Si and Ying Zheng at the helm, he was confident that Qin was in good hands.

But he would always be ready, should his skills be needed once more.

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