Li Si vowed to serve Ying Zheng, and Ying Zheng was naturally very happy, but on the other hand, Ying Zheng would not completely trust Li Si, who he had just met, and would need more testing.
The more talented or capable a person is, the more fearful he is, and this is especially true for emperors and courtiers. But Ying Zheng's defense will not be revealed easily.
"Sir, please give me some more advice, what do you think?" Ying Zheng said sincerely.
"Your Majesty, should we continue chatting about the next thing, or discuss the issue of royal power?" Li Si asked leisurely.
"The royal power matter is not urgent for the moment. It needs to be dealt with slowly. We can discuss it slowly in the future." Ying Zheng said, "I would like to know what other opinions you have on the affairs of the world."
This was beyond Li Si's surprise. He originally thought that Ying Zheng would be particularly concerned about the ownership of the royal power, but unexpectedly, Ying Zheng seized on this issue to get to the bottom of it.
"Your Majesty, since Shang Yang's reform, Qin's national power has steadily increased and has become the strongest among the seven countries. It has reached a situation where the six countries need to unite to fight against each other." Li Si analyzed.
Ying Zheng smiled and said: "Cooperation is just a way for small countries to seek protection from big countries. If Qin goes to war with a powerful country like Chu or Zhao, even if they don't join forces, Qin may not be able to occupy much territory." Cheap."
"Then your Majesty, does your Majesty know why the Qin State is always in a state of equilibrium and unable to open up the situation in its wars with the Six Kingdoms?" Li Si asked.
"This problem has troubled the Qin Dynasty for a long time. Even Bai Qi, the God of War at that time, only captured some cities, but never defeated any country instantly. I have also thought about the reason carefully, but I can't figure it out." Ying Zheng said.
"The men of the Qin Dynasty were brave and good at fighting, and there were ever-victorious generals like Bai Qi before, who were extremely powerful." Li Si said, "But the victorious generals did not destroy any country. The reason is just a word difference."
"Which word is it?" Ying Zheng asked.
"Fight or perish."
"How do you say this?" Ying Zheng raised his eyebrows and asked again.
"The princes have killed each other, but since the three families were divided into the Jin Dynasty, except for the occasional small country being annexed by a powerful country, there has never been a precedent of a powerful country being destroyed. Does the king know the reason?" Li Si still looked calm.
"I believe that countries check and balance each other. Once a country is in crisis, it will ask other countries for help, and reinforcements often save it from danger. Even if the reinforcements are still defeated, the country still has protons, princesses, etc. as bargaining chips for peace talks, and finally cedes some cities. It will be fine if we pay some money. Therefore, after war and peace, peace and war, even if we cannot win, there are many ways to protect ourselves. Da Qin is not invincible, and these few people will naturally understand these methods." Ying Zheng expressed his opinion.
"So, wars between countries can only be called battles to compete for interests, but not wars to subjugate the country and the nation. If we don't realize this, even if we fight for hundreds of years, we will still be in this situation." Li Si said.
This is the difference between having a retreat and having no retreat.
"Sir, what do you think should be changed?" Ying Zheng is always eager to know the answer.
"The common people will tell you their opinions." Li Si cleared his throat and said, "War depends not only on the strength of the army, but also on many factors that affect the outcome of the war. As the saying goes, before the army moves, food and grass go first. This shows the importance of military rations to an army and a war. Years of continuous wars have made the national treasury reserves of various countries insufficient, and they cannot afford long-term attrition wars. Therefore, the current wars of various countries are basically short-term. The one who determines the winner.”
Ying Zheng nodded seriously and said: "Indeed, for hundreds of years, there have been few wars between countries that lasted for a long time. Most of them retreated if they couldn't win. As time went by, no one could afford it."
Li Si smiled and added: "So, the real competition in war is national power. If the national power reserve is insufficient, of course it can only carry out a short battle. But can a country be destroyed in a short time? It is obviously impossible. If you really want to fight In a country-destroying war, one must have sufficient food reserves and be prepared for a protracted war. If there is insufficient food and grass, the war will still be meaningless. In fact, cutting land or paying tribute are not the ultimate goal of a country-destroying war. But sufficient Food reserves cannot be achieved overnight. Instead of frequently going to war with various countries, it is better to recharge your batteries and destroy their countries with one blow."
Ying Zheng was stunned for a moment, as if he was deep in thought, and then he laughed happily: "Sir, what you said is really good. The wars between countries now are really not enough to hurt their bones. Either they don't fight, or they will be destroyed if they fight." Its country.”
"Secondly, the prerequisite for destroying a country is to capture its cities and passes, not positional warfare in the wild." Li Si said, "As for the current weapons and siege equipment, not only are they ineffective, but they will also increase the number of soldiers to attack the city. The casualty rate at that time, so developing better ordnance is the prerequisite for gaining advantage and victory in siege warfare."
"The casualty rate of sergeants is the highest when attacking a city. If we can reduce the casualties of sergeants and quickly conquer the city, that would be great." Ying Zheng said with a smile.
"Furthermore, chariots, war horses, and transport vehicles must also be sophisticated, sufficient in number, and their performance must be improved," Li Si said.
"Everything you said makes sense." Ying Zheng asked, "I wonder if there is a book about what you just said?"
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment." After saying that, Li Si stood up and walked out of the study.
Outside the study, Zhao Gao was waiting outside the door, holding a package in his hand that Li Si had given to him before entering.
He really wanted to hear what was being discussed inside, but he couldn't hear it, and he was also full of curiosity about Li Si, otherwise he would not recommend Li Si to Ying Zheng.
"Have you finished talking to the king, sir?" Zhao Gao asked when he saw Li Si coming out.
"Not yet, I'm here to get something and give it to the king." Li Si took the package from Zhao Gao.
"Your Majesty?" Zhao Gao was a little surprised, "Could it be that Sir has decided to serve the King?"
Only those who are ministers will call Ying Zheng the king.
"It's not effectiveness." Li Si said with a smile, "It's service."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, for getting such a talented person." Zhao Gao looked in the direction of Ying Zheng, bowed his hands, and then looked at Li Sidao, "I hope you can give me more advice in the future."
"To each other, each other." Li Si also handed over his hands, fearing that Ying Zheng would wait too long, so he turned around and entered the study without saying too much to Zhao Gao.
"This person is certainly not someone to be taken lightly. Should I win over him, or should I be wary?" Zhao Gao made a mental calculation.
After entering the door, Li Si returned to his seat, opened the package, and took out two tablets from inside. They seemed to be heavy, and the number of words was probably not small.
"These are two books written by the grassroots. One is called "The Strategy of Warring the Six Kingdoms" and the other is called "The Strategy of Destroying the Six Kingdoms." Li Si pointed at each with his hand and said, "The grassroots will send one of them to you. Your Majesty, please choose one."
"Is there any need to choose?" Ying Zheng picked up the "Policy to Destroy Six Countries" without hesitation, "Everything you said just now shocked me. How could I not know the huge difference between war and destruction?"
"The common people know that the king will definitely choose this "Policy to Destroy the Six Kingdoms". In fact, the common people's analysis of fighting the Six Kingdoms and destroying the Six Kingdoms just now also hopes that the king will firmly determine to destroy the Six Kingdoms." Li Si said, "If it weren't for the king's ambition, With the ambition of the world, ordinary people will not talk about destroying the Six Kingdoms, let alone come up with the "Strategy to Destroy the Six Kingdoms", and will only give the King the "Strategy to War the Six Kingdoms"."
"I understand." Ying Zheng said, "Good things are of course precious and should not be given away easily. How about giving these two books to me?"
"Your Majesty, with this book "The Strategy of Destroying the Six Kingdoms", the "The Strategy of Warring the Six Kingdoms" is not worth mentioning." Li Si said tactfully, "What's more, this book has other uses."
"Oh? Is there another use?" Ying Zheng asked, "Sir, do you know that if your books are very useful in actual combat, once they fall into the hands of the Six Kingdoms, they will also be a trouble for Qin."
"Haha, the king is overly worried." Li Si smiled, "The common people are indeed going to be sent out, but they will never fall into the hands of the Six Nations."
"To whom?" Ying Zheng was a little curious.
"Prime Minister Lu Buwei," Li Si said.
"Father Zhong? Why him?" Ying Zheng asked in surprise.
"The common people believe that serving the king requires a legitimate and secure identity. Otherwise, it will easily arouse suspicion from others, especially Lu Xiangbang." Li Si said, "And Lu Xiangbang is the best candidate to give the common people this identity. The common people I will go to see Lu Xiangbang and be a guest in his mansion. This book "Strategy for Warring the Six Kingdoms" is the best meeting gift. Firstly, it proves to him the talent and learning of the grassroots. Secondly, it guides him how to fight the Six Kingdoms and hide the unification of the king. The plan of the world. Moreover, if nothing else happens, Lu Xiangbang will arrange for ordinary people to come and study with the king."
"Lu Xiangbang is my father-in-law. He has always taught me how to study. Why is my husband so sure that he will come instead?" Ying Zheng asked.
"There are three reasons." Li Si said, "First, the king is now an adult. Hearing that Lu Xiangbang would postpone the king's crown ceremony, he was afraid that the king would mention it all day long, so he would reduce the frequency of their meetings. Second, the king is an adult. After that, students should be accompanied when studying, not professors. It would be against etiquette if the candidate is not changed. Thirdly, Lu Xiangbang’s "Lü’s Spring and Autumn Annals" written by his disciples is already in the closing stage, and he himself is also busy with everything. If you are busy with government affairs, you will naturally choose someone else."
"It turns out that my husband has a plan. If I can get along with him day and night, I will be extremely happy." Ying Zheng said with a smile, "If the person he recommends is not my husband, I will make another request."
"That's good. Your Majesty, the common people will retire first. Once things are settled, the common people will always serve the king."
"Mr. Youlao, I am waiting for your good news."
"Common people, please retire." Li Si stepped back, greeted Zhao Gao, and left the palace.
Li Si came out of the palace and came to Prime Minister Lu's Mansion.
As expected by Li Si, after presenting the "Strategy of the Six Kingdoms", Li Si handed Lu Buwei a painted silk. Lu Buwei's heart tightened after seeing it, and then he smiled and arranged for Li Si to enter the Lu Mansion and become a guest guest.
Li Si also used the example of the rat in the toilet and the rat in the hamster, which won Lu Buwei's favor, so Lu Buwei arranged for Li Si to replace him and accompany Ying Zheng to study.
On that painting was a black token, and Li Si's plan had only just begun.
