Chapter 67: Wei Yang and Bai Ying Form a United Front?

Infiltration...
The enemy has practically reached our doorstep, and our own people are still as blind as bats?
"That certainly is a problem. Do any of you have a brilliant strategy?" Ying Quliang swept his gaze across the gathering.
Wei Yang's mind raced furiously until he managed to force out, "I suggest a thorough investigation."
Ying Zheng looked at Wei Yang. "An investigation is necessary, but I would like to ask the Chief Minister where we should even begin?"
"This..."
Wei Yang was momentarily at a loss for words. He certainly couldn't suggest investigating everyone from top to bottom, could he?
With so many people in the State of Qin, when on earth would such an investigation ever finish?
A flash of inspiration struck, and Wei Yang tentatively proposed, "Train a specialized group of people solely responsible for handling investigations?"
Ying Zheng nodded. "Simply investigating cases won't be enough, though. We must also have them gather secrets from the other six states."
"To put it bluntly, this team will specialize in playing dirty. They can gather intelligence, carry out covert assassinations of enemy high-ranking officials, and fan the flames of discord within enemy imperial courts when necessary."
Once established, this organization would act as a sharp blade hidden in the shadows, clearing the obstacles for Qin's eastward expansion through alternative means.
The formation of this agency would remedy Qin's current shortcomings in intelligence.
With intelligence, they could secure the initiative.
For instance, Ying Si's venture to Longmen to claim the title of king was built entirely upon the foundation of acquired intelligence.
The others readily agreed that Ying Zheng's reasoning was sound, but deciding who should build and command this intelligence network was of paramount importance.
The members of such an organization would have to be top-tier elites, picked from thousands.
Ying Quliang's gaze landed on Ying Zheng. "Since the gentleman proposed this idea, the responsibility should fall upon him."
Ying Zheng stiffened at these words. Come on, brother, are you really planning to work me to the bone like a beast?
One must understand that building an intelligence network was no less demanding than raising an army of a million men.
He immediately tried to pass the buck, looking toward Wei Yang and Bai Ying. "My lord, I suggest that the Senior Minister and the Chief Minister would be better suited to take charge of this matter..."
Before Ying Zheng could even finish his sentence, Bai Ying stepped forward, cupping his fists. "My lord, my abilities are meager. This task must never be entrusted to me!"
Wei Yang chimed in as well, "My lord, I only understand internal affairs. I truly cannot comprehend these shady, unseen maneuvers!"
"Since the Grand General brought up the subject, it should be handed over to the Grand General!"
Joking aside, whoever wanted to exhaust themselves with such grueling work could do it themselves.
This was the one and only time that Wei Yang and Bai Ying stood completely united. Save your own skin and let the other fellow take the fall; let whoever fancied this bitter chore handle it.
Ying Zheng's mouth twitched. Is that how you two are going to play it?

Ying Quliang looked at Ying Zheng and said, "Sir, the people of Qin right now..."
Before Ying Quliang could finish, Ying Zheng said helplessly, "Fine, my lord, I agree. I will handle this matter."
Ying Quliang nodded in satisfaction. He had simply been waiting for him to take the bait.
Ying Zheng turned to more pressing matters. "How have the other six states been recently?"
Having been away from Qin for so long, Ying Zheng was completely unaware of the current situation in the eastern six states.
Bai Ying shook his head. "It's not very peaceful. The State of Zhao has continuously had designs on swallowing up Zhongshan, while the State of Qi is widely recruiting talent and is undoubtedly plotting something malicious."
"Han, Zhao, and Wei are bickering every other day. Oh, and a while back, the State of Chu received a severe beating from the State of Wei."
"As for the State of Yan, it seems to be constantly taking beatings from the northern nomadic tribes."
The State of Zhao certainly couldn't bite off the State of Zhongshan right now, but Zhongshan's demise was only a matter of time.
Qi's recruitment of talent to accumulate strength was most likely preparation to deal Wei a heavy blow.
Currently, all the states wanted to challenge Wei's hegemony. One might say that Wei was single-handedly holding off four powerful nations: Qi, Chu, Zhao, and Han.
Bai Ying paused before continuing, "Ah, there is some good news as well. The Wei capital of Daliang was flooded, though unfortunately, the disaster was contained by someone named Bai Gui."
*Him?* Bai Gui, revered by later generations as the Sage of Commerce and comparable in ability to Fan Li?
Ying Zheng was momentarily stunned, though history recorded very few details about him.
After Gongshu Cuo's death, Bai Gui succeeded him as the Chancellor of Wei, continuing in the role until the politics of Wei deteriorated beyond endurance in his later years, prompting him in indignation to abandon politics for commerce.
One had to admit that the State of Wei was indeed formidable. Even while suffering domestic floods, it still managed to give the four states a severe beating. Under similar circumstances, any other state would have long since been crippled by the coalition.
"Not chaotic enough; we must fan the flames," Ying Zheng thought aloud.
*Fan the flames?* The others had no idea what scheme Ying Zheng was cooking up.
Ying Zheng slowly elaborated, "We must show a degree of sincerity to demonstrate that Qin has no intention of plotting against Wei, allowing Wei to focus its efforts on dealing with the four eastern states while we take the opportunity to develop in peace."
"Sincerity? Could it be that we must cede territory?" Bai Ying furrowed his brow.
Ying Zheng shook his head. "Cede territory? No, no, no. Even if we offered to cede territory right now, Wei wouldn't dare accept it; instead, they would assume we are showing weakness."
"Rather than ceding territory, it would be better to provoke a war between Han and Wei while we sit on the sidelines and watch the fire burn from across the river."
The men looked at each other in bewilderment, failing to grasp Ying Zheng's strategy.
Ying Zheng patiently explained, "If the State of Wei dispatches troops against Han, it will have to mobilize its forces from Shaoliang and the Hexi region."
"What does Wei fear most? It fears that we will take advantage of its vulnerability and launch a sneak attack on its homeland of Shaoliang."
Hearing this, Bai Ying looked somewhat puzzled. "But why don't we seize this opportunity to capture Shaoliang and recover Hexi in one stroke? This is a rare opportunity!"
Ying Zheng shook his head. "Conquering Shaoliang may seem like the best move on the surface, but currently it does not align with our priority policy of development and reform."
"Once we capture Shaoliang, we will inevitably resume full-scale war with the State of Wei. Consequently, the entire country will have to throw its weight behind the war effort, stalling our reforms. Given our current national strength—even with a steady supply of grain and troops from the west—we cannot outlast the powerful State of Wei."
Wei Yang expressed his support. "On this point, I agree with the Grand General. The State of Qin cannot afford to become embroiled in any wars right now."
"I originally intended to fully implement the legal reforms next year, but because the Grand General pacified the Western Rong, troop recruitment in certain regions was disrupted, forcing us to pause the prelude to the reforms."
"At this rate, the reforms will have to be pushed back another two years."
*Pushed back two years?* Ying Zheng frowned. The current year was 358 BC, meaning two years later would be 356 BC.
Historically, Shang Yang's first wave of reforms took place precisely in that year.
Ying Zheng's original idea had been to pacify the western frontier himself and allow Qin to step into reforms ahead of schedule, but he never expected that, after all twists and turns, he would end right back at the starting point.
Or perhaps, were some things simply irreversible?
Wei Yang picked up on Ying Zheng's train of thought. "Therefore, we merely need to maintain neutrality while Han and Wei fight. That way, the State of Han will believe we harbor no ill intentions toward them."
"Not only will they abandon their previous policies hostile to Qin, but they may even seek friendly relations with us."
Ying Zheng nodded. "Precisely. The Chief Minister's assessment is entirely correct. While Wei holds off the pressure from the east, we must seize the time to 'dig deep, store grain everywhere, and build up our forces.'"
Bai Ying frowned slightly. "However, stirring up conflict between the two states won't be so easy, will it?"
A wicked smile crept up the corner of Ying Zheng's mouth. "Of course it wouldn't work if someone else tried it, but who am I? I am Guigu Zi, the man who stirs the winds and clouds of the entire world!"
The corners of the mouths of Ying Quliang and the other two twitched. *Stirring the winds and clouds of the world?* To put it ungracefully, he was simply a troublemaker stirring the pot of filth.
This fellow Ying Zheng truly left no place peaceful wherever he went.
Calling him a chaos-monger was no exaggeration at all.
With the plan finalized, Bai Ying and Wei Yang took their leave. Ying Zheng and Ying Quliang chatted for a while longer before also departing.
"My lord, take good care of your health!"
As he took his leave, Ying Zheng noticed that Ying Quliang, whom he hadn't seen for merely a year, had already grown quite a few strands of white hair.
A year ago, Ying Quliang had still been laughing and joking with him, vowing to achieve great hegemony.
Not only Ying Quliang, but Bai Ying, Meng Yun, and Wei Yang—those once high-spirited youths—had also grown weathered.
It was clear that life for the State of Qin was truly difficult nowadays!
Ying Quliang, however, smiled with carefree detachment. "Quliang is no longer a youth, yet the gentleman remains as dashing as ever!"