three hundred and sixty years, this already decrepit and aged empire was not yet at the point of collapse.In the eyes of ordinary people, the court was corrupt, officials were greedy, and their own li...Chapter 1539: My Suggestion, Where is the Fault

In the silence, Zhou Changshou bowed and said, "Your Highness, those who seek great achievements should not be confined by petty details. Throughout history, countless emperors had their hands stained with blood. Even if their descendants spread tales of their glory and greatness, they cannot wash away the sins they themselves created."

"It was precisely the founding emperor of this dynasty who, facing the remnants of the previous dynasty stubbornly holding onto Qinghe City for three long years, was unable to capture it. In the end, what method did he use to break through the city Your Highness, do you know"

Hearing this, Wu Qingscang and Wu Banshan looked at Zhou Zhangshou with eyes as if he were a lunatic.

Even three hundred years later, the name "Qinghe City" remains a forbidden topic for the Qin Empire.

Many commoners are completely unaware of this matter. Even the city itself has been erased, not existing in any records. However, as high-ranking officials of the imperial court, those present naturally have access to some secrets unknown to ordinary people.

It can be said that this matter is one of the biggest blemishes on the founding emperor's reign. Even in his later years, the emperor would often have people imprisoned for bringing it up.

Li Chen said expressionlessly, "Of course I know. Within Qinghe City, there is a river called Qinghe that runs through the entire city. The people depend on this river for their livelihood. After a long siege, someone suggested to Taizu that he poison the Qinghe River. Taizu adopted this suggestion."

“In the end, the 300-mile long Qing River was left with dead fish and shrimp overnight. Their bloated bellies turned white, floating on the river surface, forming a spectacle of a hundred miles of white river that was unparalleled in the world. Within the city, seven or eight out of every ten of the three hundred thousand inhabitants died from the poison. The survivors were all suffering agonizingly from diseases.”

When the imperial army entered Qinghe City, it was like a hellish landscape. At that time, Bai Li Xiuqi, the founding general who led the attack, hanged himself at the gate of Qinghe City after this incident. He left behind a suicide note stating that he was innocent to the country and the Taizu Emperor, but guilty to the people and the 300,000 souls of Qinghe City.

Li Chen's words did not fluctuate much in emotion, let alone vividly described. But just these simple and rough sentences outlined an extremely cruel scene before everyone.

The scene depicted showed hundreds of thousands of innocent people who had been brutally killed, along with a ghost town devoid of any living souls.

Zhou Changshou took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Your Highness, as I've said before, if you want to accomplish great things, you must not be confined by minor details."

"In your eyes, the lives of hundreds of thousands of commoners are just a trifle" Wu Banshan couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Changshou said calmly, "It depends on what you're comparing it to. If you compare it to ordinary things, even one life is a major event. But if you compare it to the entire country and the millions of people in the Qin Dynasty, then hundreds of thousands of conscripts are just a small matter."

Wu Ban Shan's brows furrowed, though he was full of resentment, he was speechless by Zhou Chang Shou's words.

He wanted to retort, but he couldn't find a reason to.

"All of us soldiers, we kill without mercy. We have the blood of countless enemy soldiers on our hands. But that was on the battlefield, fighting for our country. In terms of cruelty, you scholars are far worse!"

Zhou Changshou looked at Wu Ban Shan and said coldly, "General Wu, I would like to ask, are the enemy troops human Are the people of the enemy country, people"

Wu Ban Shan subconsciously replied, "Of course."

"Since we are all commoners, all human beings, the only difference is the country we were born in and our differing beliefs. Just because of the conflict between nations, General Wu can kill without any psychological burden. Then, if we are fighting for our country, what's wrong with my suggestion"knowledge the imperial court's orders.Li Chen's eyes darkened as he said, "Order the Liaodong army to set off immediately and march quickly to Yueya Pass."Su Zhen's heart trembled. "But the main gener...