Chapter 66: A Major Victory Before Returning the Troops, Sweeping Across the Beyond-the-Frontier Steppes!

"Zhao Zheng! I will marry no one but you!"

The voice echoed across the open wilderness. In the end, the only response she received was her own echo.

Then, she drew a deep breath, stopped looking in that direction, and turned abruptly, walking step by step toward the city of Chencang.

Her figure appeared incomparably desolate in the morning light.

This hopeless affection would be buried deep within her heart, transforming into the source of her strength to guard this land.

Just as Di Ning's figure vanished into the distance, under the shadow of a few ancient trees nearby, two figures stood tall upon their horses, gazing at the direction where she had disappeared.

These two men were none other than Zhao Zheng and Ying Qian.

Ying Qian raised an eyebrow, casting a teasing glance at Zhao Zheng beside him. "You brat, you certainly have quite the popularity..."

Zhao Zheng said helplessly, "Spare me, Big Brother. Stop with the sarcasm."

Ying Qian refused to let up. "Seriously, Di Ning is a good girl..."

"Since we are on the topic, it is about time you got married, isn't it? Why don't you just take her in as well?"

Ying Qian's gaze fell upon Zhao Zheng.

In this era, it was completely normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines, and those with a bit of real power were surrounded by flocks of them.

Take Du Zhi, for instance. He had three things he did not know.

First, he did not know how much money he possessed. Second, he did not know how many sons he had. Third, he did not know how many wives he had.

Zhao Zheng, however, replied with absolute certainty, "Forget it... I am a purist when it comes to love."

"Pure love? Give me a break. If you are into pure love, then there are no good men left in this world."

Ying Qian retorted in annoyance,

"How long have you even been in the State of Qin? My precious sister's soul has already been completely hooked by you—the kind where even three oxen couldn't drag her back."

"And I won't even mention the Dirong tribes!"

"After just a few meetings, you managed to make the princess of the Dirong follow you with unwavering devotion."

Zhao Zheng felt utterly helpless. What did this prove? It only proved that he possessed great charm, didn't it?

However, as far as matters of the heart were concerned, he felt that having Ying Shu was quite enough.

After all, Wang Xu had said that having too many women would not bode well for him.

The army did not return in triumph to Yueyang. Instead, under Zhao Zheng's leadership, the troops swung northward, marched out of Lintao, and swept across the Yiqu tribes beyond the frontiers.

This campaign wiped out a small Yiqu tribe and captured countless cattle, horses, and sheep, though the Qin army suffered two thousand casualties.

By the time the army returned to the imperial court, it was already the bitter depth of winter, but officials led by Ying Quliang still went outside the city gates to welcome them.

"Sir, this military feat has completely secured our western borders!"

Unable to conceal his excitement, Ying Quliang personally held the reins of Zhao Zheng's horse.

"Sir, a brilliant battle! You've finally beaten those stubborn rascals into submission."

Meng Yun clapped and cheered. When he had been stationed in the west, he was constantly driven into passive defense by the Western Rong tribes, completely unable to fight back.

Zhao Zheng's victory had practically vented his spleen for him.

Zhao Zheng shook his head. "You are mistaken. The west is still not secure."

"Why?" The officials in the court were all taken aback.

Zhao Zheng was about to explain when he saw Wei Yang step forward and say,

"Because the Yiqu remain in the northwest, and what the Great General has pacified are merely the southwest and a few key geographical locations in Longxi."

Indeed, the Yiqu were the true threat.

Even if the fifty thousand troops sent by Yiqu to raid Chencang and Mount Qishan had been completely annihilated, it would only have scratched their surface.

As for the small Yiqu tribe swept away by Zhao Zheng, the damage inflicted was even less than that caused by the destruction of those fifty thousand men.

One could easily imagine how formidable the power of the Yiqu truly was.

Ying Quliang furrowed his brow slightly. How could he not know the danger posed by the Yiqu?

Throughout the year that Zhao Zheng spent stabilizing the west, the Yiqu had given him no end of trouble.

"We cannot fight them right now... Given our national strength, it would be extremely, extremely difficult to wipe out the Yiqu."

Zhao Zheng shook his head helplessly.

Actually, it was not that they could not fight, but rather that the State of Qin faced pressure from two fronts: the Yiqu and the six eastern states eyeing them like tigers eyeing their prey.

To sweep away the Yiqu would require mobilizing the entire nation's military force, which would inevitably leave the east completely hollowed out, creating a dangerous situation the moment the six states chose to invade.

Conversely, sending out a limited force would not completely annihilate the Yiqu even if they were defeated.

The Yiqu territory was far too vast in depth, incomparable to the southwestern Rong tribes.

This was precisely why Ying Ji possessed the capability to take on all six states single-handedly, yet still had to wait until the King of Yiqu was lured and murdered by Queen Dowager Xuan, leaving the Yiqu leaderless, before finally subduing them.

The Yiqu were the truly terrifying enemy.

Ying Quliang understood this point profoundly as well, which was why he had always maintained a stance of passive defense against the Yiqu, never once issuing an order to launch an active assault.

Even if you did attack, you wouldn't even be able to find them—it would be like trying to fetch water with a bamboo basket, ending in complete emptiness!

Inside the Yueyang Palace, Zhao Zheng looked at Ying Quliang in speechlessness.

He had originally intended to return to his residence to rest, but was forcefully dragged over by Ying Quliang to discuss state affairs.

Also present were Wei Yang and Bai Ying, while Meng Yun had run off to drink wine with Ying Qian.

Zhao Zheng took the initiative to speak first, "What the ruler wishes to ask about is undoubtedly the strategy for dealing with the Yiqu."

"He who understands me is the sir." Ying Quliang nodded in satisfaction.

The matter of the Yiqu was of paramount importance; otherwise, he would never have forcefully detained Zhao Zheng.

Wei Yang stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "My suggestion is that we maintain passive defense in the west and prioritize our ambitions in the east."

Wei Yang's strategy focused primarily on the State of Qin's internal reforms and dealing with the eastern feudal lords, hoping to avoid major upheavals on the northwestern border.

Therefore, stabilizing the western defense line to secure a favorable environment for domestic reforms was the top priority.

This fit the saying: to repel external threats, one must first pacify the interior.

Ying Quliang looked toward Zhao Zheng. After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Zheng said, "The Left Official is right. My current recommendation is also to place our focus on the east and on internal reforms."

"However, we cannot allow the Yiqu to develop in peace. If their strength grows, it will do us no good."

Upon hearing this, the officials nodded in agreement; what Zhao Zheng said made complete sense.

After pondering for a moment, Bai Ying said, "If that is the case, we could make use of the Rong tribes surrounding the Yiqu, supplying them with weapons and letting them fight the Yiqu."

Hiss... So the concept of proxy wars was something even the ancestors had played to death already?

Hearing Bai Ying's words, Zhao Zheng was reminded of the proxy wars of later generations.

"How about we lure the King of Yiqu over and assassinate him?" A trace of ruthlessness flashed through Wei Yang's gaze.

Zhao Zheng's expression stiffened. Why were these people each more ruthless than the last?

Luring and killing the King of Yiqu was a good method, but it was not suitable for the State of Qin during Ying Quliang's era.

Even if they managed to lure and kill the King of Yiqu, what good would it do? They still wouldn't be able to directly dispatch troops to sweep across the Yiqu territory.

With this in mind, Zhao Zheng spoke up, "I believe we can combine the proposals of the Senior Official and the Left Official."

Combine them?

The others looked at Zhao Zheng in confusion. These two methods were completely different; how could they possibly be combined?

Zhao Zheng explained, "The policy of division proposed by the Senior Official is precisely the policy I intend to continue. Of course, what I want is not just to provoke tribal warfare around the Yiqu."

"What I want to provoke are their internal conflicts as well."

Internal conflicts?

Wei Yang frowned slightly. "Great General, internal conflicts might not be so easy to instigate, would they?"

Zhao Zheng nodded. "Of course, internal conflicts are certainly not easy to stir up."

"Speaking of this, I must mention the incident where the Yiqu thrust deeply into Chencang and Xiqi."

At this point, Zhao Zheng recounted the problems he had previously discovered in Chencang along with the results of his investigation.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the men turned exceptionally solemn. As figures sitting at the very peak of power in the State of Qin, how could they possibly fail to grasp the severity of Zhao Zheng's words?