I will not be king in the Spring and Autumn Period

Chapter 33 The Purpose of Diplomacy

The person Li Ran was going to see was none other than the doctor of the state of Jin—Yang Tong Li, also known as Doctor Shu Xiang.

When he was in the State of Lu before, he had promised Yang Tongue that he would definitely visit him when he came to the State of Jin in the future.

Since he really came to Jin State this time with Marquis Lu, it would be a bit unreasonable not to visit.And he also needs Yang Tongue to help him in this Pingqiu meeting to help him complete his plan.

When he came to Yang Tong Li's house, after being notified, Li Ran saw Yang Tong Li smoothly.

"My nephew has come from afar, I'm sorry to welcome you from afar, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Come, take your seat quickly!"

Yang Tongue was overjoyed to see Li Ran coming to visit, and even came to greet him in person.

"Hey, who is this?"

Turning his gaze, he saw Ji Le beside him.

"Oh, this is the concubine of Zheng Guoji's family, Jiyue."

"Oh! It turned out to be the daughter of Zheng Guoji's first sacrifice to Zijia! Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Jixian, whose name is Zijia, is the suzerain of the Ji clan in Zheng State and the father of Jiyue.

Speaking of Zheng Guoji's family, he is indeed a rather peculiar nobleman.In other words, the ancestors of the Ji family were in business for generations in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and when Zheng Wugong moved eastward with King Ping of Zhou, the ancestors of the Ji family used their advantages in business and logistics to frequently travel between Zongzhou and Chengzhou, and they were in Nanzheng for Zheng Wugong. Establishing a country by enclosing land and creating a foundation for the state of Zheng can be said to have made great contributions.

After the death of Duke Wu, Duke Zhuang of Zheng came to the throne, and with the help of Jishi, the State of Zheng dominated the Central Plains.Before Duke Huan of Qi made his debut, Duke Zhuang Zheng was the real talker in the Central Plains!The Shouqing Jizhong has held the power of Zheng Guo for decades. After three generations, it can be said to be very prosperous.

However, after Zheng Zhuanggong, due to the strong rise of Chu State in the south, he frequently harassed Zheng State.As a result, the merchants of Zheng State were so disturbed that they had to flee north one after another, so the commercial civilization of Zheng State declined greatly.And the Ji clan, as a family that has been doing business for generations, gradually lost the right to speak in the court of Zheng Guo.

Now, 200 years have passed, and thanks to the alliance of eliminating soldiers decades ago, the north and the south have ceased fighting and exchanged profits.Jicheng, the feudal city of Zheng Guoji's family, is also located on the north-south commercial route.

Therefore, members of the Ji clan, that is, the grandfather generation of Ji Le, took this opportunity to revive Zheng Guo's business and trade.He made a lot of money, and through various business transactions, he became the hottest wealthy family in Zheng Guo and even the world.In both political and business circles, it has a very important right to speak.

Even Zheng Guo's "Qimu" Shangqing had to sell Jishi's thin noodles.And his heirs can marry into the family of Uncle Sunbao of Lu State. Although it is only a concubine of Uncle Sunbao, it also shows how strong his family is.

As a diplomat of the state of Jin, Yang Tongxue naturally knew something about such a Ji family, so when Li Ran said the name of Ji Le, he immediately guessed the origin of Ji Le.

"Oh? The doctor actually knows my father?"

Ji Le asked innocently.

Sheep Tongue Hearing the sound smiled, and immediately said:
"No one in the world knows the name of the Sacrificial Clan? After the military alliance was eliminated, the north and the south communicated, and the east and west connected. The caravans of the three kingdoms of Qi, Chu, and Jin all needed to rest and turn around in Zheng Guoji City. Your Ji Clan is seeking to benefit from it. Taking all the conveniences of merchants from all over the world, it is probably not an exaggeration to say that you are rich and invincible."

"I heard that now the son is born in the state of Zheng and is in charge of government, and he often consults with your father. It can be seen that your father's ability is by no means inferior to that of the ancestors."

It has to be said that Yang Tongue’s understanding of the current situation and history of various countries is shocking.

Zheng Guoji has been silent for many years, and it has only been a dozen years since he recovered his vitality and emerged.But Yang Tongue is like a few treasures to Jishi's family history, which is really admirable.

"The doctor is absurd. How can my father have such abilities. It is even more shameful to compare with the ancestors."

On the one hand, Ji Le's answer was modest, but on the other hand, Ji Le never expected that the famous doctor Shu Xiang would praise his father so much and compare him to his ancestor Ji Zhong.

But as her child, she couldn't feel it at all.The most intuitive feeling her father gave her is always to lose this face and look fierce.

"Hehe, don't be overly modest. Since the young lady can come here with my nephew today, she must have a very close relationship with my nephew. The old man is a straight person, so I can say whatever I have to say. Please forgive me, young lady."

"By the way, nephew came here today for the purpose of the alliance?"

Changing the subject, Yang Tongu looked at Li Ran.

Li Ran was still immersed in the glorious history of Zheng Guoji's family, when he suddenly woke up when he heard the sound of sheep's tongue, he said immediately:

"Yes, the doctor is very discerning, and the later students admire it."

"This meeting in Pingqiu, Wansheng has a merciless request. I wonder if the doctor will consider it."

He also knew that he didn't have much friendship with Yang Tong Li, so this request could only be considered first by Yang Tong Li.

Just listen to the sheep's tongue:

"Oh? Nephew, but it doesn't matter."

Hearing this, Li Ran immediately expressed what was in his heart...

This speech is extremely long, but in Li Ran's mouth, it is very organized.After speaking, Yang Tongue fell into deep thought.

Even Ji Le at the side frowned, his face full of puzzlement.

After a while, Yang Tongue looked at Li Ran suspiciously and asked:

"My nephew really wants to act like this?"

Li Ran sighed:

"Other than that, there is no other way. The Pingqiu meeting is the best opportunity for the widow. Once you miss it, it will be very difficult to defeat the Ji clan in the future. If you can't regain power from the Ji clan , the widowed monarch is no different from a puppet, and the public office is hopeless, and the rituals of Zhou will be abolished!"

In the end, Li Ran bit down on the four words "Zhou Ri is abolished".

Because from the time Yang Tong Li went to Qufu to observe the ceremony, he could see that Yang Tong Li was a person who paid great attention to Zhou etiquette.

Help Luhou, and the revival of Zhouli is expected.

If he doesn't help, Zhou Li will be even more hopeless.

What is Zhouli?It is the order of the world!The Son of Heaven checks and balances the princes, the princes checks and balances the high officials, the high officials checks and balances the housekeepers, and the big clan checks and balances the small clan...

Li Ran was betting that Yang Tongue would definitely help him for the "Renaissance of Ritual and Music".

……

The Marquis of Lu came to visit the state of Jin, but he couldn't see the Marquis of Jin at the moment. At this time, the Marquis of Jin, along with Zhao Wu and other senior officials, had already set off for Pingqiu to participate in the alliance.Therefore, when the Marquis of Lu came to Jiang, the person in power of the Jin State who came to greet him was Han Qi, the assistant of the Chinese army.

Even in terms of this identity, they are actually not equal.

After Li Ran came out from the Yangtong Mansion, he got another message. It turned out that it was Han Qi who invited Li Ran to "Dengjintai" for a talk.On the other side, Ji Sunsu accompanied Lu Hou and had already set off there.

Han Qi's banquet was held on behalf of the monarch of the state of Jin, and he held a regular ceremony at the "Dengjin Terrace" in Jiangcheng to show the friendship between the two countries.

(Enjoy the gift: it means the ceremony where the envoys present gifts to the monarch of the court)
Li Ran knew that no matter what ideas everyone had in their hearts, this cutscene still had to go through.

During the meeting, Han Qi and Marquis Lu had a friendly exchange and analysis on the relationship between Jin and Lu and the situation in the world.They also expressed their sincere wishes, with a polite look, those who didn't know thought it was just an ordinary visit.

Li Ran always thought that Han Qi was an old man in his seventies and eighties, but when he saw Han Qi, he realized that Han Qi was only in his forties at most. In good condition, compared to Ji Sunsu's white beard and hair, Han Qi's slightly rough appearance is more like a powerful minister.

Once the two were compared, Ji Sunsu immediately paled in comparison.

Because the identities of the two parties are inconsistent, this meeting will not be recorded in history, and no one will pay attention to it, as if it never happened.

But for Li Ran, this meeting has far-reaching significance.

Because from this meeting, he can basically determine what kind of person Han Qi is.And this is the most important thing in all diplomatic processes.

……

In the post.

After Lu Hou came back, he immediately communicated with Li Ran and asked Li Ran what he thought of the meeting with Han Qi today.

"The meeting between Junhou and Doctor Qing is a bit out of courtesy. But it is also very worthwhile."

Li Ran replied without thinking.

Lu Hou was surprised when he heard the sound.

Just listen to Li Ran continue to say:
"The meeting in Pingqiu is coming soon, do you know why Han Qi took this opportunity to meet us alone?"

In Li Ran's mind, Lu Hou's pilgrimage to the Jin State was originally only part of his plan. Whether there is a meeting in Pingqiu, this trip to the Jin State is a must.

But just when we met the Pingqiu League, the matter of Lu Hou's pilgrimage to Jin Hou became insignificant under its influence.

Han Qi is the real initiator of the Pingqiu Association, and the importance attached to this alliance is naturally unmatched by others.

But even under such circumstances, Han Qi still arranged a time to have a private meeting with Lu Hou.

You must know that the monarchs of other vassal states have already arrived in Pingqiu one after another at this time, but Han Qi still chose not to leave, delaying until now, just to finish receiving the monarch of Lu and his party before setting off.Han Qi seems to be dealing with the issue of Lu State a little differently from other vassal states.

Why?
"Could it be because of Ji's sacrifice to heaven?"

Luhou looked thoughtful, obviously not sure about this answer.

Maybe it's just to celebrate the new king?Or maybe he wanted to give Ji Sunsu a chance to repair their relationship?By the way, how about getting some more benefits from the Ji family?
It is especially important to know the relationship between this kind of power minister and power minister in today's era.

Unexpectedly, Li Ran shook his head, his face was full of faint smiles.

"That's just one of them."

"Oh? What about the second one?"

When Lu Hou heard this, he was indeed a little puzzled.

He didn't know why Han Qi would meet with him alone.

Li Ran turned his gaze to Jiyue beside him.

"When we destroyed Ji's sacrifice to heaven, we borrowed the power of Zheng Guoji's family. If I expected it right, Han Qi chose to meet with Junhou this time because he thought that Junhou had a relationship with Zheng Guoji's family. A lot."

What benefits can the State of Lu do to Han?You can figure it out with your toes.

The state of Lu was sandwiched between Qi and Jin, and its geographical location was already very embarrassing. Moreover, with the exploitation and oligopoly of the Ji family and the Meng family, the people's livelihood in the Lu state was not difficult, and the commerce and trade were not developed.

In other words, what good can Luhou do for Han Qi?Basically no.

What about Ji Shi?In fact, it is also pitiful.

But what Lu State couldn't give him, Zheng Guoji could.

These days, being rich is also a kingly way.

Ji Le arrived in Jiang one month ahead of schedule, and the Ji family of Zheng Guo had helped Uncle Sun Bao before.All this made Han Qi think that Marquis Lu had a very close relationship with the Ji family of Zheng State, so he paid special attention to the mission of the State of Lu, and even met with Marquis Lu in person, just going through the motions.

And this cutscene is not for others to see, but for Zheng Guoji.

He just wanted Zheng Guoji to know that he was also very friendly to Marquis Lu.

The benefits Zheng Guoji can bring to Han Qi are the most personal.Moreover, this is far beyond the Ji family of Lu State.After all, these days, who doesn't have a family business that needs to be managed up and down?
"Yeah? It turned out to be because of me?"

Ji Le stuck out her tongue, only then did she realize that her identity was so valuable.

Li Ran smiled and continued:

"Han Qi is a man who likes justice on the outside, but desires on the inside."

"He knows that Junhou can't give him the benefits he wants, but Jishi can, so he specially asked us to bring Jile girl with him, in order to build a good relationship with Zheng Guojishi."

"Yesterday, Ji Le and I went to see Yang Tongue, and his evaluation of Han Qi was the same. Not only that, but he also told me another story."

(End of this chapter)