The Warring States Period: Guiguzi's Bureau

Chapter 1 The Unpredictable Alliance of Princes

In 344 BC, in March, the back garden of the Qin Palace was full of spring, with a hundred flowers blooming and birds singing.On Fang Lawn, several peacocks that the King of Shu paid tribute to last year are playing.In order to win the heart of the female peacock not far away, two male peacocks in estrus ran, sang, and opened their tails on the lawn, trying their best to show their masculine charm.

On the Spring Appreciation Pavilion a hundred steps away, Qin Xiaogong and Daliang Zao Gongsun Yang (that is, Shang Yang) sat opposite each other, seemingly turning a blind eye to these spring scenes.Qin Xiaogong had a gloomy face, and his eyes fell on the sandalwood biography on the case.The call was sent by Wei Huihou half a month ago, and the call asked him to go to Mengjin (now northeast of Mengjin County, Luoyang, Henan) before the time of Shenshi on Dingwei Day to meet the Emperor Zhou.

After a long period of silence, Gongsun Yang raised his head and pleaded, "Your Majesty, all the ministers who should be prepared have been prepared, and five thousand soldiers are ready to go. There are still three days left. If you leave immediately, hurry up on the way." , there is still time!"

Qin Xiaogong's eyes were still firmly fixed on the biography, as if he wanted to see through the wooden trunks that were written in black and strung together with gold threads.

Gongsun Yang pleaded again: "Your Majesty, why don't you let the minister accompany His Highness for a walk?"

Qin Xiaogong still didn't speak, and his eyes didn't move away from the biography.

Gongsun Yang let out a long sigh, then lowered his head again.

Qin Xiaogong finally raised his head and fixed his eyes on Gongsun Yang: "Hmph, what is the Mengjin Dynasty king? When did he ever have King Zhou in his Wei Yan (yīng) eyes? He is using ulterior motives to order the world!"

Gongsun Yang responded: "Ordering the world is the second priority. Picking quarrels and attacking me is his heart! Your Majesty, over the years, I have reformed and strived to become stronger, and the power of the country is growing. Wei Hou is restless, and he has long been thinking about me. Right now He is ready for everything, all he needs is an excuse. For this alliance, Your Majesty must go!"

Qin Xiaogong was a little surprised: "Oh, Aiqing said that Wei Yu (that is, Wei Huihou) made an alliance with the intention of killing me?"

"My minister found out that in the past few months, Wei Hou has frequently mobilized troops and horses in the name of escort, and moved [-] military soldiers stationed in Daliang to defend Xiaoshan, Hangu, Hexi Shaoliang, Linjin Pass, Yinjin and other places. There was also a large increase in troops, and the customs and defenses were very strict. Not to mention, many craftsmen were recruited from Shaoliang, Anyi, etc., and they rushed to make siege equipment day and night!"

Qin Xiaogong sneered: "If he dares to come, let him come!"

Gongsun Yang said anxiously: "Your Majesty—"

After a longer and more unbearable silence, Qin Xiaogong looked up at Gongsun Yang, and sighed softly: "Well, even if the widows go to the meeting, Wei Yu really wants to find the thorn, but can't find it?"

"If Your Majesty doesn't go, there's no need to look for this thorn!"

"If the princes of all countries don't go, but only the widows go, wouldn't they become the laughing stock of the world?"

"Your Majesty, if it doesn't work out as I expected, the princes of various countries might have arrived long ago!"

"Why is Aiqing so sure?"

"Because Wei Houxun's excuse is really good. Celebrating the [-]th anniversary of King Wu's oath to defeat Zhou and meeting King Zhou sounds grand, and there is no reason for the princes of all countries not to go!"

"Oh?" Qin Xiaogong didn't seem to believe it, "Tell me, which princes will go?"

"Needless to mention Zhongshan and the small countries of Sishang, but just a few big countries, the country of Yan is the weakest, and Duke Yan dare not not go. Zhao, Han and Wei belong to the three Jin Dynasties, and they live next to Wei. Marquis Zhao and Marquis Han I will not go. Wei and Qi haven’t had any enemies in recent years, and Duke Qi can’t be guilty of falling out with Wei Yu on this matter. As for whether the King of Chu will give him face, I can’t say for sure!”

Qin Xiaogong pondered for a while, and frowned: "Aiqing is saying that even Duke Qi may go?"

"Ah."

Qin Xiaogong fell into deep thought again.Gongsun Yang's gaze never left Xiaogong, waiting for his final decision.

Qin Xiaogong slowly raised his head, his expression was resolute, and he almost paused every word: "Gongsun Aiqing, 18 years ago, in order to restore Hexi, the first king fought with Wei Yu for three months, and was killed by an arrow (death). I made a solemn oath before the spirit, not to avenge the previous king, not to insult Hexi, and I vowed not to step into Wei territory! For 18 years, I have done this. This time, I don’t want to make an exception! Go to court, let them go to court."

Qin Xiaogong got up slowly, without saying goodbye to Gongsun Yang, he walked away along the corridor.Looking at his back that was fading away, Gongsun Yang's eyes were astonished.

A hundred miles northeast of Luoyang, the terrain is suddenly flat.The river roaring down from Linjin Pass flows to this place, it is very strong but also softened by eight points.The banks of the river also doubled in width, looking from a distance like a string of ribbon-shaped lakes.In this ribbon-shaped lake, the rushing river finally calmed down, forming a natural ferry, which is called Mengjin.

According to Zhou History records, in the late spring of 1044 BC, King Wu Jifa led his people out of Hangu to the east, and set up an altar on a high slope not far from Mengjin to worship the heavens. Eight hundred princes gathered and vowed to defeat Zhou.After the swearing-in, the Zhou people crossed the river from here. Two years later, King Zhou was defeated in Muye.

A full 700 years later, that is, in 344 BC, also in this late spring, the always quiet Mengjin wilderness was noisy again.Teams of chariots and horses came one after another, stopped in front of the extremely famous loess slope two miles away from the ferry, and pitched tents around the high slope, forming a series of gates.

There are fourteen gates in total, ranging in size and arranged in a patchwork order.There are long poles erected on each gate, and the flags of each family are floating on it, red, orange, yellow, green, black, white, and blue, in a variety of colors.

In the afternoon of Ding Wei, when Shen Shi was approaching, the spring breeze blew gently, and the flags of different colors swayed from side to side, making people's eyes dazzled, and it was difficult to distinguish the font size on the flags.

In front of the gate of the "Chu" flag is a natural lawn.On the lawn, Prince Tian Pijiang of Qi State and Prince Xiong Huai of Chu State, who were dressed luxuriously and had a heroic posture, each drew their bows and arrows, glanced at the target, and shot three arrows in a row.The soldiers who reported the target rushed over with their arrow targets.

Three sharp arrows are inserted into the bull's-eyes of the two archery targets.Tian Bijiang and Xiong Huai looked at each other's target and smiled.

There was a slow clap of applause behind him.

Both of them were startled, they turned around and saw Han Zhaohou, who was nearly fifty years old, was standing ten paces away.Han Zhaohou was short and stocky, dressed in a leather uniform, with a sword hanging from his waist, and with a secret smile on his face, he slapped three more times without haste.

Tian Bijiang and Xiong Huai looked at each other, took a step forward, and said, "Your junior has seen Marquis Han!"

Han Zhaohou returned the salute, walked over, took the target from the soldier's hand, and praised it while examining it: "Good arrow skills! Since ancient times, heroes have been born in youth, and now seeing the two highnesses, I know that this statement is true!"

South Korea, Wei and Zhao belonged to the state of Jin, known as the Three Jins in history.For decades, the strength of the Wei State has not diminished. Han and Zhao are both affiliated to the Wei State, and only the Marquis of Wei is the leader.After Han Zhaohou succeeded to the throne, he began to plot changes.Soon after Gongsun Yang went to Qin Dynasty, Han Zhaohou adopted Zheng Renshen to apply for the Buhai reform, and Korea became stronger and stronger day by day.Five years ago, there was a border conflict between Han and Chu. Han Xiang Shen Buhui led an army of [-] to fight against Chu for six months. Chu attacked and occupied Yiyang in Han. Shen Buhui led his army to bypass Fangcheng and attack Wancheng in Chu. The two sides took each other's iron-making land, and the battle was a tie.A few months later, under the mediation of Wei Huihou, Wei, Chu, and Han were at the Shangcai Summit. Chu returned Yiyang to Han, and South Korea returned Wancheng to Chu. The two countries shook hands and made peace.

This time Wei Huihou convened the meeting of Mengjin, Chu and Zhou were tied as kings, so he could not come, but Chu Wei Wang wanted to spy on the trend of the Central Plains, and secondly wanted to experience the crown prince, and by the way to give Wei a face, he accepted Wei Hou's invitation. So Prince Huai came to support.

Because of the previous holidays, and because of the relationship between Han and Wei, Han Zhaohou's appearance at this moment has a special charm.Xiong Huai, Crown Prince of Chu State, glanced at Tian Bijiang, and said in a nonchalant way: "Thank you Hanhou for your commendation!"

Sure enough, Han Zhaohou put the arrow target on the ground, his tone was very slow, and there was something in his words: "I heard that His Royal Highness Ying Si can lead a bow of five stones and piercing Yang with a hundred steps. If you are here today, the three of you will be a match!"

Tian Bijiang was young and energetic, and said with a long smile, "Han Hou is talking about that prodigal son of Duke Qin? Bijiang heard that when Gongsun Yang first carried out the reform, it was that brother who took the lead in resisting the law, and he was cut off. Not to mention the humiliation, even his teachers Gongsun Jia and Grand Tutor Yingqian were implicated, tattooed on his face and tortured his nose, and became a joke of the world!"

Xiong Huai continued contemptuously: "It's not that the prodigal brother won't come, but he probably won't dare to come!"

Seeing his arrogant tone, Han Zhaohou was unhappy, and responded with a smile: "Well, not only did your Highness dare to come, but he never missed the time limit set by the Marquis of Wei. I really admire you! By the way, Yingdu (the county town of Chu State, It is more than 3000 miles away from here in the north of Jingzhou, Hubei today, and His Highness must have had a lot of hard work on this journey!"

Xiong Huai sneered: "If you go back to Marquis Han, Xiong Huai is relaxed and happy all the way to the mountains and rivers! In terms of hard work, how can Xiong Huai catch up with you, Marquis Han? I heard that Marquis Han set off on a starry night after receiving a message from Marquis Wei. , arrived in less than three days after a journey of thousands of miles!"

Han Zhaohou laughed a few times: "Hahaha, good eloquence! The King of Chu has His Royal Highness, and he is indeed a successor! To tell you the truth, the widow and the King of Chu have been friends for many years. At the Cai meeting, the widow bet with the King of Chu. The king of Chu was careless for a moment, and lost a jar of old wine to the widow, saying that it would be a gift when we meet next time. The widow did not want to come to this meeting in Mengjin, but when I thought that the king of Chu might come to pay back the jar that I owed Old wine, two old legs are not listening."

Xiong Huai also laughed a few times, confronting him tit for tat: "What Han Hou said is very true. When the younger generation was leaving, the father did indeed take out a jar of old wine, and with the younger generation's hand, he asked that the Wei Hou called a meeting of Mengjin, and the other princes It is very hard to say whether to go or not, but Han Hou must go. You have nothing to do when you go to Mengjin this time, you just need to pass this altar of old wine to him. Please also tell Han Hou that this wine was made by the widow himself Brewing, if he knows the true taste of it, he must taste it carefully!"

Han Zhaohou was stunned for a moment, glanced at Tian Bijiang, then at the dozen or so courtyards arranged far and near, and laughed at himself: "Hehehe, from today's perspective, Wei Yu's face is really too big, and no one from all countries, big or small, can't get rid of it! In any case, to be able to drink the personal brew of the King of Chu this time is a worthwhile trip for me!"

Xiong Huai looked at the sun that was setting in the west, and said with a smile: "Han Hou is afraid that it is too early to say. According to Wei Hou's biography, the princes must arrive before Shen Shi today. Looking at the sun like this, Shen Shi should also arrive. Xiong Huai Huai's eyes are not looking good, why didn't he see Qin's behavior?"

Tian Bijiang picked up without losing the opportunity: "Yes, yes, Bijiang also wants to ask Marquis Han for advice. Since Marquis Wei has such face, how dare Duke Qin not come?"

Han Zhaohou glanced over Pijiang and landed on Xiong Huai: "Young man, if Mr. Qin doesn't come, maybe he doesn't like your old bar!"

Xiong Huai replied: "What Hanhou said is very true. I heard that Qin Gong can't drink, unlike Hanhou, you have a lot. As long as someone gives you a drink, you will leave before dawn!"

Tian Bijiang laughed loudly, and echoed: "Yes, yes, since Marquis Han has such a large capacity, someone will give him wine tonight, so Marquis Han can show his skills!"

Han Zhaohou let out a long sigh: "Oh, my lords, my widow—let's put it this way, it's useless to be young and energetic. Tonight's wine, whether it is strong or not strong, must be drunk. Both of you Be optimistic, if it is as expected, Qin Gong, who is too strong to drink, may be punished!"

The two princes were taken aback for a moment: "Wine fine?"

Han Zhaohou turned his head, his eyes slowly fell on Wei Guoxing's shaft, and he nodded affirmatively.

Among a row of fourteen gates, there are two in the middle. One is the gate of the Son of Heaven, facing south, with a red flag flying in front of it, with a big "Zhou" character embroidered with blue thread on it.On the right side of it is the Xingyuan of the State of Wei, which is juxtaposed with the Xingyuan of the Son of Heaven, the same size and specification, and a big "Wei" character is embroidered with red thread on the blue flag.Looking from a distance, two flags are floating side by side, one with blue characters on a red background and the other with red characters on a green background.

Wei Guo Xingyuan was surprisingly quiet, even the air seemed to freeze.

Xiangguo Baigui, the senior doctor Chen Zhen, and the senior general's son An (áng) sat in front of the table, motionless, as if they were three clay sculptures.

Sitting upright at the main seat, Wei Huihou's eyes were slightly closed, his expression was relieved, his right hand was slightly clenched into a fist, and the knuckles of his middle finger touched several sides rhythmically, like knocking, but there was no sound.

After knocking a few times, Huihou opened his eyes suddenly, raised his head slowly, and shot his eyes like a torch to a beautifully decorated water leak placed on the left side.The leaker was waiting by the leaker, his eyes fixed on the scale of the leaker without blinking.

Everyone's gazes also shot in unison.

In this deathly silence, the "click" sound of the water leak was particularly ear-piercing.

The water line below the hourglass finally rose to a mark.After another tick, the leaker sang loudly: "Ding Wei's application time is here—"

Wei Huihou raised his head slightly, his slightly obese face seemed to be smiling but not smiling, his sharp eyes moved from several sides, swept towards Bai Gui and Gongzi An in turn, and landed on Chen Zhen.

Chen Zhen caught a glimpse of it, and played at the right time: "The application time has come, just as your majesty expected, Duke Qin disobeyed his order!"

Wei Huihou twitched his cheeks slightly, and nodded slightly: "My dear friends, you have seen this. It's not that I want to fight this black eagle, but that it has long wings and wants to fly!"

Young Master Ang suddenly stood up and took a step forward: "Qi Zou Junfu, my son invites you to march west, and vows to wring its wings off and serve you wine!"

Wei Huihou slowly shifted his gaze to Bai Gui: "Old Aiqing, what do you think?"

The old minister Bai Gui glanced sideways at the young master, and frowned slightly: "Your Majesty, the state of Qin has undergone ten years of reforms, and its national power has grown rapidly. I think that the urgent task at the moment is not to conquer, but to meet the emperor. This is a century-old event, and the world's princes gather, and if there is a slight mistake, it may plant the root of disaster and become unmanageable!"

Wei Huihou nodded again and again: "Well, what Lao Aiqing said is very true!" Turning to Young Master Ang, "An'er, you heard me, everything should not only consider the overall situation, but also consider the long-term, don't force it at will!"

Young Master Ang rolled his eyes at Bai Gui, and replied in a low voice: "Father Jun taught me the lesson!"

Wei Huihou turned his gaze to Chen Zhen: "Chen Aiqing, is everything ready for the court meeting?"

Chen Zhenlang said in a loud voice: "Report to Your Majesty, everything is ready! According to the arrangement of the court, in another hour, that is, at dusk, when the emperor gives a banquet, your Majesty should also prepare it!"

Wei Huihou nodded: "Well, this is a big event, so we can't go wrong!" After thinking for a while, "Chen Aiqing, since you are the master of ceremonies, the widow and the emperor of Zhou, um, and the princes of the world, you have to obey your arrangements. Serve carefully. go!"

Hearing that Your Majesty deliberately ranked "The Widow" before "Tianzi Zhou", Bai Gui's heart tightened, and he clasped his fists and played: "Your Majesty——"

Wei Huihou seemed to have guessed what he wanted to say, and waved his hand: "Old Aiqing, the grand ceremony will be held tomorrow, please go through it again, and don't make mistakes!"

Seeing that Huatou was blocked, Bai Gui had no choice but to swallow the advice that had reached his throat, and replied in a hoarse voice: "My minister obeys the order!"

Bai Gui resigned, his wrinkled old face became more and more gloomy, and he walked quickly along the path back to his tent, and his doorman Gongsun Yan greeted him.Bai Gui whispered for a while, and Gongsun Yan walked out of the camp quickly.

In order to guard against the Wei people, Qin Xiaogong had followed Gongsun Yang's plan as early as the early years of the reform and reorganization, and moved the capital from Liyang to Xianyang to the west. The moat, which is about ten feet deep, draws water from the Wei River for environmental sanitation, and protects the palace city as if it is a golden soup.

In the evening, the atmosphere in the Hall of Yiqing was stagnant.Qin Xiaogong sat on the dragon chair on the main seat, and Prince Yingsi, Grand Tutor Yingqian, Shangdafu Jingjian, and Guowei Cheying sat on both sides.Everyone's faces were solemn, and their eyes were all on the doctor Jingjian.

Jing Jian's voice was low: "Your Majesty, I have found out that the twelve princes of the Central Plains responded to Wei Hou and went to the Mengjin Dynasty! All the countries in Shandong, big and small, except for Qi and Chu who are the princes, are all headed by the kings!"

Obviously, on Mengjin's side, apart from the somewhat discrepancy between Qi and Chu, the other situations really fulfilled Gongsun Yang's judgment.Qin Xiaogong seemed to have suddenly realized the seriousness of this problem, frowning, and slowly closed his eyes.

Yingqian, who had his nose punished by Daliang's Gongsun Yang, raised his head slightly, turned his eyes to Yingsi, and buzzed, "Si'er, Uncle Gong doesn't understand, why don't we go to the Mengjin meeting?"

Ying Si, who also had old resentment towards Gongsun Yang, understood it, and immediately replied: "I don't know about this matter when I return to Uncle Gongsun. Maybe Daliang Zao has other ideas."

Ying Qian let out a snort from his nostrils, and looked at Duke Xiao: "It's not that I'm complaining, Brother Jun shouldn't have listened to Gongsun Yang in everything! In the Mengjin meeting, all the countries were nominally courting the Son of Zhou, but in fact it was the Marquis of Wei. Who is Marquis Wei? Even big countries like Qi and Chu dare not offend easily. What does he know about Gongsun Yang? He dares not to go if he can’t say it! Now it’s good. , why don’t you take the opportunity to swallow us up?”

Jing Jian glanced at Che Ying, as if about to say something, stopped again.

Qin Xiaogong slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Yingqian and Yingsi, seemed to blame himself, but also seemed to answer Yingqian: "This matter is not the fault of Daliang! It is the widow who is thinking about Hexi's hatred. I can't get rid of my anger for a while. It sure caused trouble!"

After Xiaogong explained it this way, Yingqian knew that he had made a slip of the tongue and kept his head silent.Everyone was silent.

Qin Xiaogong raised his head: "Da Liang made him—where are people?"

Jing Jian cupped his hands and replied: "Report to Your Majesty, Daliang Zao went to Zhongnan Mountain to inspect the barracks two days ago!"

Qin Xiaogong was a little surprised: "Zhong Nanshan inspected the military camp?" After a moment of contemplation, he let out a long breath, "Please come back quickly!"

"Wei Chen obeys!"

It was just getting dark, and the candles and candles were all lit outside the palace of the emperor, and the elegant music was played, and it was peaceful.At this moment, Young Master An led a thousand soldiers to run over and spread out along the outside of the gate, leaving only a passage full of spears and halberds at the gate.

This sudden move made the emperor's banquet, which was originally beaming, suddenly horrifying.The twelve princes waiting for an audience about an arrow away from the Xingyuan Gate of the Son of Heaven all looked at each other with angry faces.Xiong Huai and Tian Bijiang looked at each other, and were about to walk away, Chen Zhen waved his hand towards the band, and sang loudly: "The emperor gave a banquet, His Highness Chu and His Highness Qi are here!"

All the musicians played the Son of Heaven Welcome Music.Xiong Huai and Tian Bijiang were slightly taken aback when they heard their names, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk towards the gate of Tianzi.

Then, Chen Zhen called out one by one: "Marquis Zhao is here! Marquis Han is here! Duke Yan is here... Duke Wei is here!"

The princes whose names were called by Chen Zhen all had sullen faces, and walked into the Jimen in the order they were called.

Dressed in a dragon robe, King Zhou Xian, with a thin figure and a slightly pale complexion, sat in the main seat, with a smile on his face, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that his smile was forced.

According to the order Chen Zhen called, the princes kowtowed three times and bowed nine times to the emperor of Zhou in turn, and performed the great ceremony of seeing him, and the emperor of Zhou also gave him a seat one by one.The last one to meet was Wei Chenggong with fluttering black beard.

Wei Chenggong took a few steps forward, and after prostrating three times and prostrating nine times, he said in a loud voice, "The 23rd grandson of the minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Ji Ji, quickly kowtowed to His Majesty the Son of Heaven!"

King Zhou Xian said with the same forced smile and the same forced gesture: "Ai Qing, please stand up!"

Wei Chenggong thanked him, got up and walked to the last position.According to historical records, when countries meet with the emperor, they should strictly follow the order of their blood relationship with the Zhou family and the order of titles, and they should not be reversed at all.The Kingdom of Wei was the fief of Uncle Kang, the younger brother of King Wu of Zhou. He was closely related to the Zhou family by blood, so it should be ranked first, or at least alongside Duke Lu and Duke Yan.However, Chen Zhen's list of seats this time is completely determined by the strength of the country and its strength, completely ignoring the rules of the Zhou family.Wei Chenggong, who was closer to the Zhou family, was ranked last because of his weakest national strength.This can also be regarded as a characteristic of the Warring States Period, and no big country has any objections, so Duke Wei Cheng naturally dared not show his grandeur.

There is only one vacant seat in the whole banquet, which is the accompanying seat next to Emperor Zhou.The princes present knew that this was specially reserved for Wei Hou.As the host, Marquis Wei, who was supposed to be the first to arrive, showed up late, and his intentions were self-evident.

About a dozen steps away, where the Tianzi musicians were originally seated, stood two rows of military soldiers standing upright, and the murderous aura exuding from their armor made people shudder.At the front of the two rows of military soldiers, stood majestically and majestically, Prince An, the top general of the State of Wei.This chilling air is exactly the reflection of the welcome music that the Tianzi Orchestra outside the gate is still playing.

Seeing that everyone was seated, Chen Zhen waved his hand, and the welcome music played again.Chen Zhen sang loudly without losing the opportunity: "Wei Hou is here——"

All the soldiers retreated to the two sides with a swipe, and a road about three steps wide flashed in the middle.Wei Huihou stepped forward vigorously, striding towards the Emperor Zhou in the midst of the welcome music, knelt down, only kowtowed, and said loudly: "Wei Kowtow pays homage to Your Majesty!"

King Zhou Xian's heart sank, but he said in his mouth: "Ai Qing, please get up!"

Wei Huihou couldn't get up, but still knocked on the ground.King Zhou Xian's complexion changed slightly, and he repeated "Aiqing, please get up", Wei Huihou still didn't move, just knocked on the ground.King Zhou Xian glanced at the princes, but no one paid attention to him, all eyes seemed to be on Wei Huihou.King Zhou Xian hesitated for a while, so he got up and walked down, and helped Wei Huihou up with his own hands.

Seeing this scene, all the princes looked at each other with different expressions.

Zhou Tianzi took Wei Huihou's hand to his seat, and the two sat down at the same time.Welcome to Yale.Chen Zhen clapped his hands, Gongsun Yan and another wine waiter stepped into the hall, and poured wine in order.

Seeing that the wine had been poured, Wei Huihou coughed forcefully on purpose, and all the princes looked up.

Wei Huihou, who was nearly fifty years old, was tall and strong like a bull, with a square face that was not angry but majestic.In his superior position, King Zhou Xian, who was ten years younger than him, looked like a weak scholar, and the stiff smile on his face could hardly conceal the fear deep in his heart.

Wei Huihou coughed again, glanced at the two rows of soldiers not far behind the princes, his face darkened deliberately, and asked loudly: "Chen Zhen, what's the matter with these warriors?"

Chen Zhen kowtowed: "Your Majesty, it is the general who is worried about the safety of the emperor, so he came here to escort him!"

Wei Huihou shouted sharply: "Where is the general?"

The young master said loudly: "The end is here!"

Wei Huihou's voice was stern: "The emperor will give you a banquet tonight, and the monarch and his ministers will have a good time. If you make these warriors stand here, wouldn't it be a disastrous sight? Don't step down!"

"The last will obey!"

Young Master Ang turned around, waved his hands, and withdrew with all the warriors.

Wei Huihou sat up straight, glanced at the twelve princes, smiled slightly, cupped his fists in apology and said: "The current situation is chaotic, and all the princes are rich and precious, and His Majesty the Emperor is here in person. Therefore, the punishment is stricter. I don’t want them to be overly cautious, but it will surprise you all!”

The twelve princes looked at each other, everyone understood, so no one said anything.

Wei Huihou clasped his fists again to salute: "Thanks to everyone who thinks highly of Wei Yan, and traveled thousands of miles to visit Mengjin, Wei Feng appreciates it!"

Seeing this, the twelve princes had no choice but to return the salute.The real host, King Zhou Xian, was put aside with an extremely embarrassing expression.

Wei Huihou just pretended not to see him, raised his wine cup and said, "All the princes gathered in Mengjin, and the world returned to its heart. This is indeed a great event in the past century. Congratulations! On this auspicious day and night, Wei Yuquan borrowed the emperor's wine to express his thanks to all the princes!"

After speaking, Wei Huihou raised his neck and drank.

Everyone looked at each other in surprise.Prince Chu Xiong Huai coughed loudly, and then cleared his throat several times.Zhao Suhou and Yan Wengong also coughed a few times, and there was a sudden noise in the seat.

Tian Bijiang turned his head to Han Zhaohou, and asked in a low voice: "Pijiang is the first king, and he doesn't know the etiquette. Excuse me, Hanhou, should this person drink the wine today?"

Han Zhaohou shook his head slightly, and said softly: "According to the usual practice, when the emperor gives a banquet, the first one should be held by the emperor to respect the sky, the second one should offer sacrifices to the land, and the third one should drink with us!"

Tian Bijiang nodded and said, "Thank you Hanhou for pointing it out! Pijiang knew that there was a saying that the guest took over the master when he was three years old, and he didn't know what it meant until today!"

Han Zhaohou was waiting to answer when Wei Huihou's sharp eyes swept over him.Han Zhaohou's mouth moved slightly, but he didn't dare to say anything.Wei Huihou looked past the princes, and shot at Wei Chenggong who was sitting at the bottom.Wei Chenggong shuddered, picked up the wine jue with trembling hands, and drank it first.Wei Huihou nodded in satisfaction, and swept towards the monarchs of Song, Yiqu, Lu, Zhongshan, Tao, Chen and other small countries one by one, and everyone drank their wines one by one.

When Wei Huihou glanced at Yan Wengong, who was over sixty years old, Wengong thought for a while, picked up the wine jue, turned his eyes to Xian Wang, nodded slightly at him, kowtowed the jue three times on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.Without waiting for Wei Huihou's eyes to sweep over, Zhao Suhou and Han Zhaohou each picked up the wine jue, following the example of Yan Wengong, looked at King Zhou Xian from all over, tapped the jue three times on several cases, and then drank.The princes of Qi and Chu who sat on the two sides, neither looking at the emperor nor Wei Huihou, looked at each other with a smile, Duanjue congratulated each other in the air, and each drank.

Among the whole audience, only King Zhou Xian did not have Duan Jue, and stayed behind like a piece of wood.

Wei Huihou's eyes quickly turned to King Xian.King Zhou Xian turned all kinds of bitterness into a dry smile, raised the title to his lips, smacked lightly, and placed the title on the table.

The two bartenders hurried forward to refill all the barbeques, stepped aside, and stood there waiting.

Wei Huihou smiled with satisfaction, clasped his fists and said, "Wei Yu, thank you for your kindness! Wei Yu still has a few gossips, and I hope you will listen to them!"

The audience was silent, all eyes were on Wei Huihou.

Wei Huihou coughed lightly, and said loudly: "My lords, 700 years ago, right here, on the mound not far in front, King Wu of Zhou met all eight hundred princes in the world and vowed to defeat him. Think about why King Wu of Zhou How can he be able to form an alliance with eight hundred princes? Because he has virtue and talent! There is an ancient teaching that only those who have both virtue and talent in the world will win. King Zhou lost his virtue and lacked talent, so he lost the world. The world! Lords and lords, today we revisit the old place, and look back on the events of the past, can we not feel emotional?"

This remark is equivalent to publicly announcing that Emperor Zhou has no virtue or talent, and anyone can replace him.Therefore, as soon as Wei Huihou's words fell to the ground, Zhou Xianwang suddenly felt blushing, hooked his head down, and quietly wiped his tears with the skirt of his clothes.

Han Zhaohou lightly touched Tian Bijiang who was sitting next to him, and said darkly, "Do you understand? Wei Hou has both talent and virtue, and the world should belong to him!"

Tian Bijiang glanced at Wei Huihou, snorted coldly, and turned his face away.Xiong Huai looked straight at Wei Huihou with piercing eyes, and asked loudly, "Excuse me, Marquis Wei, who has both virtue and ability?"

Wei Huihou turned his gaze to Xiong Huai, and smiled slightly: "There is someone, but it's not Xiong Huai, the prince of Chu!"

Xiong Huai said coldly: "So, this person should be you, Marquis Wei!"

Wei Huihou let out a long laugh: "Hahahaha, those who have both ability and virtue can prosper the king's career and rule the world. Wei Yu's talent is shallow and his morals are weak, so why should he take on this important task! Besides, even if Wei Yu really has this ability, it's not good at all. Brag yourself!"

As a feudal lord, he actually talked about the king's career in front of the emperor, thanks to him being able to speak out.Everyone was looking at each other, Wei Huihou changed the topic: "However, there is really such a person in the world. He thinks he is highly respected and talented!"

The princes were startled suddenly, and turned to Wei Huihou in unison.Xiong Huai asked loudly, "Excuse me, Marquis Wei, who is this person?"

Wei Huihou put away his smile and paused every word: "Duke Qin wins Quliang!"

Everyone looked at each other again.Han Zhaohou touched Tian Bijiang again: "Did you see it? I went around and around, and finally got to the point!"

Wei Huihou narrowed his face, and his voice became more and more serious: "Today, the princes are kings, the world is returning to their hearts, the monarch guards the monarchy, and the ministers guard the ministers' guidelines. What is this? This is contempt for the world! This is no emperor! This is against the bottom! This is against the law of heaven!"

Wei Huihou buckled so many big hats in a row, and his voice became louder and his face became more and more angry, which was unexpected by all the princes present.Wei Chenggong, who is known for his timidity and fear of getting into trouble, seemed to be unable to bear his series of thunderous questions, his hands trembled, and he knocked over the wine bar that had just been filled on the table, and the wine spilled all over his body.

Zhao Suhou, who was sitting beside him, reached out to pick up the wine jue calmly, and straightened the table.Gongsun Yan hurried forward and refilled it.

Yan Gong, Lu Gong and others sat upright, their eyes were slightly closed, as if they didn't hear or see anything.

The monarchs of several small countries looked at Wei Huihou uneasily, for fear that the wrath of thunder would fall on their heads.Tian Bijiang shot at Wei Chenggong contemptuously, and let out a snort from his nostrils.

However, Wei Huihou was very satisfied with Wei Chenggong's quick response, and looked closely at him: "May I ask Wei Gong, Qin Gong has ulterior motives and risked the world's displeasure, should the world punish him?"

Wei Chenggong, who was still in shock, couldn't bear this question, and immediately said incoherently: "Ji Su no-no-yes-"

Wei Huihou smiled slightly, with a kind attitude: "Wei Gong, what exactly do you want to say?"

Wei Chenggong became more and more flustered: "I-I-is-is-"

Wei Huihou's eyes left Wei Chenggong very satisfied, and swept everyone one by one. Seeing that no one stood out, he nodded, and his eyes fell on Zhou Tianzi: "Qin Gong has no majesty, which is against ethics. Wei Gong thinks that Qin Gong is an impostor. The world is so bad that its crime should be punished, what does your Majesty think?"

King Zhou Xian, who was originally in a state of confusion, suddenly asked this question, and became even more panic-stricken, looking around: "This—"

Wei Huihou's voice was stern, and his eyes were like swords: "Duke Qin was born with a disobedient heart early on. Humans and gods were all angry. Wei recognized that he should be punished for his crime. What does your majesty think?"

King Zhou Xian became more and more panicked, with sweat dripping from his forehead, he wiped the skirt of his clothes several times, and said in a murmur, "Ai——Ai Qingyi—what do you think?"

Wei Huihou increased his tone, leaned forward, and looked straight at King Xian: "Wei Yu is asking His Majesty!"

Ever since he ascended the throne, King Zhou Xian had never seen his subjects speak to him like this. In desperation, he was stunned, and even his tongue seemed to be frozen in his mouth. punish!"

Hearing this, Wei Huihou finally seemed to think of his minister, and slowly left his seat, straightened his clothes, walked to the front of Zhou Tianzi, and kowtowed to the ground: "Your Majesty is holy! Wei Yu is willing to lead the army of justice, choose a day to attack Qin, and uphold the way of heaven. Please give your Majesty permission!"

King Zhou Xian looked around again, but seeing no one answered, he had no choice but to respond: "Just——just follow Aiqing's play!"

Wei Huihou said loudly, "Wei Fu leads the decree!"

Wei Huihou got up, walked to the position next to the emperor again, sat down, glanced around, and said slowly: "Young princes, Wei Wei was ordered by the emperor to punish the army and punish the Qin thieves. Contribute, if you have the money, pay. The specific amount will be coordinated by the senior official of our state, Chen Zhen. Wei Wei will not say more, I hope that after the alliance ceremony, everyone will raise food, money and soldiers according to the agreement, and punish the wrongdoers together. Qin!"

The princes looked at each other in blank dismay, no one responded, but no one objected either.

Wei Huihou changed into a smiling face as if by magic: "Come on, come on, the moon is full tonight, everyone should drink to your heart's content! Go to the doctor, and serve you with singing and dancing!"

Chen Zhenzhi said triumphantly, "This humble minister has received the decree!"

Chen Zhen waved his hand, the music played, and maikos entered the arena. The dancer was "Da Wu" composed by Zhou Gong after King Wu's triumphant return from defeating Zhou.This song and dance mainly expresses the great achievements of King Wu in overcoming the Zhou Dynasty, and it is played in all court ceremonies.This is a routine repertoire, which is understandable in the first place, but there is still something unusual about this day, that is, all the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty armed with spears and halberds were all decorated with Wei soldiers, while the soldiers of King Shang Zhou wore Qin clothes.Obviously, Wei Huihou had planned to attack Qin by taking the opportunity for a long time.

The emperor's banquet suddenly turned into an oath to defeat Qin, which was something no one expected.Although the flames of war did not burn on his own head, Wei Huihou's domineering behavior made the princes feel uneasy.The original six-piece "Da Wu" had just danced to the second piece, and Tian Bijiang pulled Xiong Huai to leave the table first.Seeing this, the other princes also resigned one after another.Wei Huihou seemed to have expected this ending, sent off the princes very politely, and turned back to his own place.

Gongsun Yan escaped, hurried back to Xiangguo's tent, and relayed the details of the banquet to Bai Gui.Bai Gui frowned while listening, and said loudly: "I'm really dizzy, your lord is self-destructing the Great Wall!"

Gongsun Yan said anxiously: "My lord, is there any rescue now?"

Bai Gui pondered for a long time, and finally shook his head and sighed: "This old man has long known that things will go this way! Three months ago, when Chen Zhen mentioned the Mengjin Dynasty king, I muttered in my heart. I don't want Your Majesty to not only listen to everything, but also It seems that he has made up his mind. Alas, in the past few years, since Chen Zhen became a senior doctor, Your Majesty has thought more and more."

"This person has ulterior motives, my lord, you have to be careful! Gongsun Yan heard that he has been eyeing your seat!"

Bai Gui sneered: "Hmph, it's still too early for him to become Xiangguo! Let's go, I'm going to meet you now!"

In the Xingyuan of the State of Wei, Wei Huihou's personal servant and eunuch Biren waited on Huihou to take off his fur coat, and just helped him to sit down, when the senior official Chen Zhen and the senior general's son An also came in and kowtowed to the ground.

Wei Huihou was clearly in high spirits, and helped them up with his own hands: "Chen Aiqing, An'er, please get up quickly, the widow is about to summon you!"

The two sat down, and Chen Zhen said: "Just now, your majesty's aura is like a rainbow, and the power shakes the princes! On the other hand, the King of Zhou, who is obedient and trembling, how can he have the air of an emperor?"

"Alas," Wei Huihou sighed softly on purpose, "Your widow is also on the verge of death, so I have no choice but to let it go!"

"Your Majesty, according to this minister, it seems that the kingly spirit of the Great Zhou Dynasty has been exhausted!"

Wei Huihou pondered for a while: "Love Qing, don't talk nonsense. Can the princes discuss the matter of defeating Qin?"

"The people of Qin violated the power of heaven, and all the princes said that they should be punished!"

There was a sneer at the corner of Wei Huihou's mouth: "Huh, where do they want to attack, they just want to fish in troubled waters! To tell you the truth, Aiqing, this meeting in Mengjin, what I think in my heart is to find a way to deal with Duke Qin, and at the same time Set up a rule for the world. I don’t want to find out about it, but Duke Qin sent it to the door himself!”

"Your Majesty is wise! The people of Qin are getting stronger and stronger, and they have become a serious problem. Today is a golden opportunity, your Majesty will make a decisive decision, and there is nothing that the world's wise master can do!"

Wei Huihou nodded: "Well, what Aiqing said is very true. Qin Gong used Gongsun Martingale to reform the system, punished and punished harshly, and heard that there were complaints and the people were in dire straits. Even if the widow allowed him, God would not agree!" An'er, if you are in command to defeat Qin, how sure are you?"

Young Master Ying took a step forward: "Qi Zuo Jun Father, the sons and ministers only need [-] elite soldiers, promise to smash the city gate of Xianyang, and let Ying Quliang (that is, Qin Xiaogong) and Gongsun Yang kneel down and accept the punishment!"

Wei Huihou glanced at Young Master An with satisfaction: "Well, you are indeed the son of a widow!"

Biren walked in: "Your Majesty, Xiangguo asks to see you!"

"Xuan!"

Gongsun Yan was stopped by the sergeant outside the gate, Bai Gui walked into the tent alone, knelt down and kowtowed: "I kowtow to your lord!"

Wei Huihou looked at him with concern: "Old Aiqing, it's already late at night, you should rest, why are you in such a hurry?"

Bai Gui bowed again: "I heard that the emperor wants to attack Qin, and I secretly think it is impossible!"

Wei Huihou said in surprise, "Oh, why not?"

"Your Majesty, the Qin of today is not the Qin of yesterday. Gongsun Yang has reformed for ten years, Qin's warehouses are full, and the military revolution is sharp. It is too early to take it lightly. Your Majesty decides to conquer, and both sides will suffer!"

Young Master An snorted through his nostrils and interrupted Bai Gui: "What both sides are hurting? Old Xiangguo, do the math with your fingers. In the past 60 years, there have been more than 60 battles between Qin and Wei. How many times have the Qin people won? Seven hundred miles in Hexi It is Qin land, have the people of Qin ever stood firm here in the past [-] years?"

Bai Gui ignored Young Master An, "Your Majesty, please listen to this old minister, it is absolutely impossible to defeat Qin!"

Wei Huihou frowned slightly: "According to Lao Aiqing, what can be done?"

"Your Majesty, the career of a king and hegemony lies first in the basics! The foundation of the country lies in talents for governance, agriculture and business for politics, not the benefits of military revolution. In the past, Marquis Wen recruited talents and sought fundamentals and pragmatism, so that the great Wei Xiong ruled the Central Plains Decades. Times have changed, and today is not what it used to be. Qi started from Tian Yinqi (that is, King Qi Wei), and made great efforts to govern, and hurriedly caught up; Qin started from Yingqu Liang, reformed and reformed, changing with each passing day, and the emperor can't see it!

Wei Huihou looked sullen: "Do you want to tell the widow that the widow is neither as good as Duke Qi nor Duke Qin?"

Bai Gui kowtowed again and again: "Old—the old minister has no such intentions—"

Wei Huihou let out a snort from his nostrils, and said slowly: "It seems that you are really old, Aiqing!"

Bai Gui burst into tears: "Your Majesty—"

Wei Huihou scolded: "Old Prime Minister, it's not that you are outnumbered. You are talented in governing the country and the people, but you just can't see the general trend of the world, let alone take care of the affairs of the countries. It seems that Mengjin has nothing to do with you. Now, you should go to Daliang to repair the big ditch. Whether the big ditch can be completed on schedule is not only related to agriculture, but also related to business, which is what you just said to be pragmatic!"

Bai Gui burst into tears and said, "Your Majesty—"

Wei Huihou raised his hand impatiently: "Go! Let's go immediately at tomorrow's hour!"

Bai Gui nodded again, and said sadly: "The old minister resigns——"

Bai Gui withdrew with heavy steps.

Seeing Bai Gui's trembling figure gradually disappearing outside the gate, Wei Huihou snorted, turned to Chen Zhen and Young Master An and said, "A pedantic view! Focus on the basics? What is the basic? Invincible, attacking Invincibility is the foundation! If there were no offensive plans by Wu Qi① and Leyang②, and if there were no invincible iron cavalry and soldiers, how could the former king conquer the nations? How did the great Wei dominate the world so far? Wei Ying obeys orders!"

Young Master Ang stood up abruptly: "My son is here!"

"Confess Wei Ang as the General of Conquering the West, Long Jia as the Deputy General, and Wei Shen as the Supervising Army. He will lead 12 soldiers, [-] chariots, and [-] cavalry. On a certain day, the troops will go out of Hexi and take Xianyang directly!"

"My son takes orders!"

Wei Huihou turned to Chen Zhen: "Chen Aiqing!"

Chen Zhen stood up and responded, "My minister is here!"

"Over the nations, do you have any arrangements?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe that Han and Zhao can each send [-] soldiers, and other countries, depending on their financial resources, can each bear part of the army's food and supplies!"

"Okay!" Huihou nodded, "The most important thing for the nations is to participate, not rely on them. Did you know that Zhaohou and Hanhou said that on the day of Qin's surrender, all the land that Zhao and Han got belonged to them! Han, Han As long as Zhao sends troops, the widow can't let them go to waste!"

"The humble minister leads the decree! Your majesty is clearly rewarded and punished, which is really the luck of the world!"

"Arrange detailed work, and explore the movements of Qin's monarch and ministers in detail!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

In a valley surrounded by mountains in the middle of Zhongnan Mountain, eight hundred miles away, there is a military tent.Facing the gate is a huge military training ground, and Gongsun Yang, the founder of Daliang, is standing on the viewing platform, watching a stunt show with all his attention.

Seeing that Duke Xiao insisted on not going to the Mengjin meeting, Gongsun Yang's first reaction was to inspect the three armies.So far, Gongsun Yang’s reform has been going on for more than ten years. In the past few years, the focus was on the rich country. In the past two years, he has begun to strengthen the army. He has specially selected [-] young and strong men to form a new army and scattered them deep in this mountain. The secret teaching warfare of the new method of strengthening the army written by myself.

On the arena, a soldier without any armor was jumping left and right nimbly, holding a shield in one hand and a sharp knife that could pierce cowhide used by Western Rongdi in the other. He was practicing attack and defense with a soldier in heavy armor .After a while, the heavily armored soldier was out of breath, full of flaws and "wounds", while the unarmored soldier was unscathed.

Gongsun Yang was stunned, and asked, "What kind of trick is this?"

The commander standing beside him replied: "If Hui Daliang made it, it's called throwing away the helmet and removing the armor, and it's specially used to deal with the soldiers of Wei State!"

Gongsun Yang nodded again and again: "Well, it is quite creative to use no armor to have armor. Tell me, what is the reason?"

"Wei military soldiers are covered with armor, which is more than enough protection, but not flexible enough. At the end of the day, the general carefully calculated the load of the big Wei military soldiers. The total armor, shields, swords and spears of ordinary soldiers add up to at least [-] catties. Up and down. With a load of eighty catties, and a thick and hard armor, it is not conducive to long-distance running, and it is not conducive to fighting in the mountains. If I lose my helmet and remove my armor and go into battle lightly, I will choose the mountains and forests to play hide-and-seek with the soldiers of the Wei Dynasty , will win!"

"Well, this method is very good! What treasure do you have?"

The commander clapped his hands together, and after a while, a soldier in full armor came onto the stage, holding a shield in one hand and a wooden club the size of a human head in the other.The soldiers moved from side to side, with shields covering left and right, and there was a dull thumping sound where the blow was struck.

Gongsun Yang looked at it for a while, but was still puzzled, and turned to the commander-in-chief: "What's so famous here?"

"Hui Daliang Zao, this is called Chuizi Bing, it is the last general who specially deal with the armored chariots of Wei State!"

Gongsun Yang was very surprised: "Oh, how to deal with it?"

"Wei's iron cavalry is covered in heavy armor, and ordinary weapons can't hurt them at all. I have tried this thing, as long as it hits the horse's head, it can stun the horse, make the horse go crazy, or kill the horse. Lost War horses, aren’t the iron cavalry of the Wei State just to be beaten?”

Gongsun Yang pondered for a long time, then nodded again and again: "Yes, that's right! Young man, what's your name?"

"Sima is wrong!"

"Sima Cuo, from now on, you are not the Commander-in-Chief, but the Commander-in-Chief Zuo Shu!"

Zuo Shuchang was the position appointed by Qin Xiaogong himself at the beginning of Gongsun Yang's reform.He was promoted from commander-in-chief to commander-in-law Zuo in one fell swoop, and even surpassed four ranks. Sima Cuo was dumbfounded. After a long time, he finally came to his senses. He knelt down and kowtowed: "The last general thanked Daliang for his support!"

"Master Zuo Shuchang, I will give you [-] infantry first, and you will train them yourself. However, you can't completely throw away your armor. You can call craftsmen to develop light armor. Remember, on the battlefield, our soldiers are few If one dies, the enemy's corpse will increase by one!"

Sima Cuo said loudly: "The last general obeys orders!"

"There is also this army knife, which cannot be used immediately. To improve it, we must try to pierce through the armor of the soldiers of Wei State in one fell swoop. Think about it, Sima Cuo, your opponent is only one, and that is the soldiers and cavalry of the Great Wei State !"

Sima Cuo responded: "The last general obeys orders!"

"I heard that there is a cold spring nearby, do you know where it is?"

Sima mistakenly pointed to a mountain peak in front of the guide: "Cross that mountain peak!"

"Go, walk with me there!"

Sima Cuo immediately selected a few soldiers, changed into civilian clothes, and accompanied Gongsun Yang to Hanquan.After about two hours, they crossed a mountain pass and turned into a deep valley.

It really is a wonderful place!The peaks and ridges are emerald, the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant, and several thatched cottages are hidden among the green pines and cypresses, which is very pleasant.Next to the thatched cottage are several ancient catalpa trees, although they are only thick and thin, they are said to be hundreds of years old.

Sima Cuo pointed to a few huts in the distant mountain depression and said: "Hanquan is in front of the hut. I heard that there is a strange old man living in the hut. He is a hermit named Hanquanzi!"

Gongsun Yang nodded and said, "Understood, you should wait here!"

After Gongsun Yang finished speaking, he strolled towards the thatched cottage.When he approached an ancient catalpa nearby, an old man with white beard greeted him out of the cottage.Gongsun Yang took a step forward and bowed deeply: "Excuse me, old man, is there a cold spring here that the villagers talk about?"

The white-bearded old man bowed back and pointed to a place: "Guests, please take a look!"

Gongsun Yang looked around, and a hundred steps away, a stream of clear spring water flowed out.

"Excuse me, old man, why is it called the cold spring?"

The white-bearded old man smiled slightly, pointed to the spring water and said, "This spring is cold like ice in summer, so it is called a cold spring. Drinking it often can cure all diseases and make you live forever."

Gongsun Yang said with a smile: "The old man of the strange way is married here!"

The white-bearded old man shook his head slightly: "It is Guan Yinzi who is making friends here, not an old man!"

"Guan Yinzi?" Gongsun Yang was taken aback, "But the Guan Yinzi who forced Lao Dan to write "Tao De" in Hangu?"

The white-bearded old man nodded slightly: "Yes. Three days after the old man rode a green ox to the west of the pass, Guan Yinzi suddenly realized everything in the world, hung the pass seal, and chased him westward. Unfortunately, it was too late, and he couldn't find it anymore. Lao Dan was nowhere to be seen. Guan Yinzi was so regretful that he traveled all over Zhongnan Mountain for several years, but he could not see Lao Tzu again. He knew that Lao Tzu didn’t want to see him, so he sighed several times and formed a grass here. Lu, stay here for a long time."

"From what you said, the old man is Guan Yinzi's student?"

The white-bearded old man nodded and said: "Guan Yinzi took in two apprentices in his later years, one is the old man, and the other is the senior brother Wang Xu. Three years after the death of the benefactor, the senior brother went out to travel to the mountains and lived in Ghost Valley of Yunmeng Mountain. Guiguzi. I can't let go of my former teacher's old house, so I stayed here, and I was called Hanquanzi by my immortal friends!"

Gongsun Yang bowed down and kowtowed: "Senior Hanquanzi, please be respected by Wansheng!"

Han Quanzi lifted him up: "The guest's body is noble, how can this old man bear it?"

Gongsun Yang stood up, startled for a moment, and said casually: "The late student is only a scholar, how can the senior say he is honored?"

Han Quanzi smiled slightly: "The visitor's heaven is full and extraordinary, and he is by no means an idle person! It's just that the visitor's eyebrows are full of blackness, and it seems that there is something important to worry about!"

Gongsun Yang said in shock: "Sure enough, I can't hide my senior's insight about what's on my mind lately. It's just—"

"Can guests talk to the old thatched cottage?"

Gongsun Yang and Han Quanzi walked into the thatched cottage, and saw several people who looked like disciples sitting on the floor, each in meditation.Han Quanzi led him through two rooms and into the back hall, where the guests and hosts were seated.A young disciple came in, poured some tea and left.

Gongsun Yang clarified his identity, and briefly stated to Han Quanzi about the Mengjin court meeting. At the end, he said: "Weihou initiated the Mengjin meeting with the intention of seeking Qin. Late-born Lizhu went to the meeting and repeatedly persuaded him, but the king just didn't listen. If it doesn't happen as expected by the late students, the Marquis of Wei will attack me in the near future. Although the strength of the Qin State can be fought at the moment, it is not sure to win. If this is the end, it is tantamount to burning jade and stone. Hexi is a good opportunity, but Yumin is a catastrophe, because the battlefield is in Qin territory. In recent days, Wansheng has been feeling depressed. Hearing that the water of this spring can refresh his mind, he came here because of the name, and he does not want to meet seniors here!"

Gongsun Yang talked like this for a long time, Han Quanzi always had a smile on his face, his expression seemed to be listening but not listening.Gongsun Yang suddenly realized that he had talked too much, and hurriedly stopped: "I am too late to be talented, I beg my senior to enlighten me!"

Han Quanzi still had a smile on his face, and shouted out: "Sheren!"

The young disciple who had just made tea walked in, bowed and looked at Han Quanzi.

"Go get a basin of spring water, the guests should wake up!"

A disciple named Sheren walked out quickly, and after a while, came in with a pottery pot, which was half full of spring water.

Han Quanzi pointed to the clay pot: "Da Liang Zao, please wake up!"

Gongsun Yang was stunned for a moment, but the words had come to an end, he couldn't say anything more, so he stepped forward and put his hand into the basin.As soon as I put my hands into the basin, I really felt a refreshing coolness.Gongsun Yang took a deep breath, scooped up several handfuls of spring water on the top of his head and face, and shouted, "Quick! Quick!"

Han Quanzi smiled and asked, "Is the God of Great Liang awakened?"

Gongsun Yang felt that there was something in Han Quanzi's words, so he pondered for a while and asked softly, "Whether you are awake or not, is there any sign?"

"If God wakes up, Daliang Zao will be able to recall the five thousand words of Lao Dan's "Tao De"!"

Gongsun Yang thought about it for a while, but couldn't understand it. He raised his head and asked, "The five thousand words of "Tao De" are familiar by heart in late life. Even if you don't drink this spring, you can recite it by heart."

Han Quanzi still smiled and nodded: "Please recite No. 30 six paragraphs!"

Gongsun Yang blurted out: "If you want to hide it, you must expand it; if you want to weaken it, you must strengthen it; if you want to destroy it, you must strengthen it; if you want to take it, you must give it. This is called micro-" "

Before the word "Ming" could be uttered, Gongsun Yang was enlightened, suddenly realized, and kowtowed to the ground: "Thank you, senior, for your guidance!"

Han Quanzi didn't answer, just pointed to the tea on the stone table, and said with a smile: "Made by Daliang, please use tea!"

The two sipped tea for a while, Gongsun Yang had something on his mind and didn't dare to stop, so he took his leave and went down the mountain.As soon as he arrived at the barracks, there was indeed a fast horse waiting there, saying that Duke Qin had summoned him to return to Xianyang quickly.

The mountain road was very difficult to walk, although Gongsun Yang and his party did not stop, it was already dark on the second day when they returned to Xianyang.Gongsun Yang jumped off his horse in front of the palace and quickly climbed up the steps. The courtiers waiting at the gate of the palace immediately greeted him: "Da Liangzao, hurry up, Your Majesty has been waiting for you in the Palace of Yiqing for a long time!"

Gongsun Yang nodded slightly, and followed the courtiers into the room.When the two came to the Hall of Yiqing, the courtier went in and said, "Your Majesty, please see Daliang!"

Qin Xiaogong said anxiously: "Please!"

Gongsun Yang came in and kowtowed to the ground: "My humble minister Gongsun Yang kowtows to the king!"

"My love is free!"

"Thank you sir!"

Gongsun Yang got up, walked slowly to his seat, sat on the ground, and looked around, seeing Prince Yingsi, Grand Tutor Yingqian, Shang Dafu Jingjian, Guowei Cheying and other important officials were all sitting upright, with serious expressions on their faces. .It seems that they have been waiting for a long time.

Qin Xiaogong didn't raise his head, but he spoke to Gongsun Yang: "Sure enough, as Ai Qing expected, Wei Hou used the name of widows not to go to the Mengjin Dynasty, and wanted to raise an army!" Without waiting for Gongsun Yang to answer, he looked up. Xiang Jingjian, "Jing Aiqing, tell me about the situation!"

Jing Jian, the senior doctor, continued: "According to my investigation, the Marquis of Wei wants to send troops in three routes. The middle route consists of 12 soldiers of the Great Wei, [-] chariots, and [-] cavalry. An army of [-] generals departed from Hangu Pass; a general of Long Jia sent [-] troops and cavalry [-] troops and departed from Hexi. On the left were [-] Koreans, and when the troops left Yiyang, the chief general was Tang Qiu, the commander of Yiyang; on the right were two Zhao people. Wan, when the troops leave Jinyang, the commander will command Zhao Bao for Jinyang."

Not to mention the soldiers of Han and Zhao, just 12 military soldiers are enough to make people look pale.None of the people present spoke a word, and the huge pressure made the atmosphere extraordinarily dignified.

Duke Xiao raised his head slowly: "My dear friends, do you have a good strategy to defeat the enemy?"

Yingqian slammed his fist on the table with a "dong", and roared: "The shame of the Wei people in Hexi has not yet been cleared, and today they bully you again, you really think the old Qin people are cowards! "

Ying Si was even more excited, and suddenly stood up: "Father, my son is not talented, I would like to lead [-] dead soldiers to vanguard the enemy!"

Qin Xiaogong glanced at him, and Ying Si sat down panting heavily.

Xiaogong slowly turned his gaze to Guowei: "What does General Che think?"

Che Ying clasped his hands and said: "Water comes to cover, soldiers come to block. Although Marquis Wei promotes the three-way army, Han and Zhao may not really send troops. As long as we resist the middle road, we will have a chance of victory!"

Xiaogong nodded slightly: "Well, let's go on!"

"The military soldiers of the Great Wei are well-equipped and fierce. They are good at field battles. Fighting hard is not good for me. But the people of Wei are far away from the country, and the food and grass are not sustainable. On the other hand, we have a full warehouse and a strong will. As long as we hold on to the city, within three years, we will be able to It can drag the people of Wei down!"

Duke Xiao turned to Jing Jian: "What do you think Jing Aiqing thinks?"

Jing Jian replied: "I agree with what General Che said. Excluding the defenses in the cities, we have less than [-] soldiers in the field, and our military equipment and experience are far inferior to those of the Wei soldiers, so we can't fight recklessly. The enemy is strong now. Weak, if I fortify the walls and clear the fields, defend the forts to the death, and play tricks, I may drag the people of Wei down!"

Duke Xiao's brows eased slightly, his eyes opened wide, he coughed heavily, and said dignifiedly: "My dear friends, I have worked hard to cure ten cold and heat, for what? It is only for one thing - the shame of Xuehexi! 60 years ago, the Wei people dominated my Hexi, captured my subjects, and bullied me to this day! What is 60 years? It’s a Jiazi! It’s a reincarnation! 60 years have come, and I can’t bear it anymore!”

Ying Qian, Ying Si, Che Ying, and Jing Jian said in unison: "Your Majesty, we will fight to the death against the Wei people and regain Hexi!"

Xiaogong waved his hand: "Everyone who loves you, I will make a decisive battle with Qin with the power of Qin!"

For more than ten years, it was the first time for Qin Xiaogong to make a straightforward decision in the face of major events.On the way back from Zhongnan Mountain, Gongsun Yang had already thought up a good strategy to defend against the enemy, but Qin Xiaogong didn't ask him a word, obviously thinking deep down in his heart that the time was ripe for a decisive battle with Wei.And this is what Gongsun Yang is deeply worried about.When the enemy is in front of us, if the king's heart is impetuous, the country will be in danger.

At this time, Gongsun Yang, who had closed his eyes slightly and never said a word, suddenly opened his eyes, looked up at Qin Xiaogong, and said softly, "Your Majesty—"

Xiao Gong seemed to have noticed the existence of Gongsun Yang at this moment. He glanced at him, and his tone was not without enthusiasm: "Ai Qing needn't say too much. The previous widows did not listen to Ai Qing's words in order to show off for a while, and they really regretted it. Lovely Qing also You know, even if the widows rush to Mengjin, the Marquis of Wei will not tolerate the widows. Qin and Wei are like fire and water, either you die, or I die, and sooner or later there will be an end! The seven hundred miles in Hexi was originally created by the ancestor Mu Gong with a knife and a gun Yes, but 60 years ago, it was reduced to the land of Wei, and the old Qin people all regarded it as a national humiliation. The widow has worked hard for more than ten years, in order to avenge this great enmity. The widow has made a poisonous oath on the day of enthronement, and Hexi will not take it back for a day. The widow will not rest in peace for a day!" Turning to look at Che Ying, "General Che, how to deploy defenses, I will leave it to you. I will give you as much as you need in terms of people and wealth. Others, Taifu is in charge of grain and grass, and the doctor Si Bangjiao, Crown Prince Si Dingyao, Daliang Zao—"

Qin Xiaogong was stunned suddenly, staring at Gongsun Yang in surprise.Gongsun Yang got up slowly, left the seat, walked straight in front of him, and kowtowed to the ground, his voice was soft but heavy: "Da Liang Zao begs your majesty to take back your order!"

Duke Xiao was not without shock: "Gongsun Aiqing?"

Gongsun Yang's tone became more and more firm: "Your Majesty, I believe that, as far as the moment is concerned, we cannot fight Wei decisively!"

It is rare for Gongsun Yang to express his opinion with such a strong affirmative attitude in these years, and everyone was shocked.

Duke Xiao pondered for a while, then slowly asked: "According to Aiqing, what should I do?"

Gongsun Yang paused every word: "Bow your head and ask for peace!"

As soon as Gongsun Yang's words came out, there was an explosion in the arena.Ying Si got angry and asked sharply: "Da Liang Zao, the enemy is in front of you, why do you surrender before fighting?"

Before Ying Si's words fell to the ground, Yingqian buzzed from his nostrils: "Hmph, you don't need to ask him what the intention is, my old eyes have already seen it clearly! If you talk about playing tricks and tricks, no one can tell you. Yes. If you talk about fighting with real swords and guns on the battlefield, this person will only hatch soft eggs!"

Jing Jian's face showed disapproval, and he was about to speak, when Gongsun Yang said slowly, "His Royal Highness, Tai Tuo calm down, let Gongsun Yang say a word!"

Yingqian turned his head to one side, dismissively: "What else can you say, a coward?"

Gongsun Yang ignored him, and only looked at Xiao Gong: "In the past, Sun Wuzi, a military strategist, had a famous saying, 'He who knows what can be fought and what can't be fought wins'. When two armies compete, the defense must be defended, and the attack must be attacked Ke!" His eyes slowly shifted to Che Ying, "As far as the moment is concerned, except for a Luoshui that can be crossed everywhere, I have almost no danger to defend. May I ask General Che, how sure are you that you will defend it for three years?"

No one seems to have thought about this question.

Che Ying hesitated: "Probably [-]% to [-]%!"

Gongsun Yang followed closely: "General Che, is it [-]% or [-]%?"

Che Ying pondered for a while, then murmured, "Fifty percent!"

Gongsun Yangfu turned his attention to Duke Xiao: "Your Majesty, there is only a [-]% chance of winning before the battle. Can we start a war like this?"

Asked by Gongsun Yang, Qin Xiaogong also began to calm down, frowning, and fell into deep thought.

Gongsun Yang continued: "Knowing that you can't fight, but insisting on fighting is the courage of a common man, and you will be defeated! Your lord, a man who establishes the world, only those who can stretch and bend can last long. In the past, Goujian tried his best to have a big plan—"

Yingqian sneered: "Gongsun Yang, you only remember to be brave, but you forgot that Gou Jian had a battle before he died!"

Gongsun Yang turned to Yingqian, smiled slightly, and asked him back, "Does the Taifu really think that Wei Yu is just a generation of Fucha?"

Ying Qian was at a loss for words.Qin Xiaogong's brows became more and more tight, and after a while, he said in an almost inaudible voice: "My dear friends, the matter of defending against the enemy will be discussed tomorrow!"

At night, in Duke Xiao's bedroom, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Duke Qin Xiao didn't feel sleepy at all, pacing back and forth with frowning eyebrows.After a while, there was a burst of footsteps outside the door, and the minister came in, knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, everything you want is ready!"

Xiaogong was slightly taken aback: "Oh, bring it in!"

The courtiers clapped their hands, two eunuchs each held a bundle of straw, and a court lady held a copper plate with a gall in it, and the three entered in a file.

The minister got up and led them to the corner, pointing to the cold floor tiles: "Pave them here!"

The two eunuchs laid out the hay, and the inner minister weighed it for a while, and then hung up the gall with his own hands.

After everything was tidied up, the minister asked the three of them to go out and reported to Duke Xiao: "Your Majesty, everything is in order. The hay used is southern straw, and the bitter gall used is the most bitter buffalo gall in the south. The level of the level is exactly the same as that recorded in the history of Yue."

Duke Xiao waved his hand, and the minister withdrew.

Xiaogong tried to lie on the straw, looking at the gall hanging above his head.Hesitating for a while, he slowly pulled the gall and put it to his lips, then closed his eyes, stretched out his tongue, and licked it lightly.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the tip of his tongue touched the gall, Xiaogong jumped up from the straw with a cry, and shouted: "Come on!"

The minister hurried in.

Xiao Gong with a bitter expression kept shouting: "Water! Water! Water!"

The courtier seemed to have been prepared for a long time, clapped his hands lightly, and the maid who had been waiting at the door walked in quickly carrying a tray, on which there was a bowl of water and a plate of brown sugar.Xiaogong took the water glass, rinsed a few mouthfuls, and stuffed a spoonful of brown sugar into his mouth, finally feeling better.

The minister pointed to the straw and gall: "Your Majesty, why is this old servant taking these away?"

Xiaogong waved his hand and said, "Put it here!"

That night, Duke Xiao couldn't fall asleep any more, he just stared at the gallbladder.The Qin Palace goes to court on a single day and doubles on the next day, not going to court.Just after dawn, Duke Xiao had a little freshen up and had no time to eat, so he asked his inner ministers to drive Daliang to build the mansion.

Gongsun Yang usually has the habit of waking up early, and he got up earlier this day because he also stayed up all night, thinking about how to make Xiaogong change his attitude.

When Qin Xiaogong came in, Gongsun Yang was doing morning exercises in the courtyard, and a sword was danced up and down by him, creating a scene of light and shadow.Duke Xiao looked at it for a while, then blurted out: "Good swordsmanship!"

Hearing the sound, Gongsun Yang hurriedly stopped, seeing that it was Duke Xiao, he was taken aback, immediately threw his sword to the ground, and knocked: "My minister knocks on your lord!"

Qin Xiaogong hurried up and pulled him up: "Aiqing, get up!"

The two entered the mansion and sat down as master and servant. Duke Xiao looked at Gongsun Yang and said slowly, "Aiqing, I tasted it last night."

Gongsun Yang couldn't react all of a sudden, he said in astonishment, "What have you tasted?"

Qin Xiaogong smiled slightly: "It's what King Goujian of Yue once tasted!"

Gongsun Yang was moved in his heart, but said in his mouth: "How does it taste?"

Qin Xiaogong still smiled: "The first half of the night was miserable, but in the second half of the night, I gradually realized that there is sweetness in the bitterness!"

Gongsun Yang stared at Xiao Gong, knowing that his attitude had changed, he felt happy for a while, and said casually: "My lord, the sweetness after suffering is the real sweetness!"

Qin Xiaogong suppressed his smile and said in a heavy tone: "Aiqing, I am lying on a pile of straw without sleep all night, my eyes are looking at gall, and Aiqing's words are echoing in my ears. At dawn, I finally figured it out. Yes Yes, now it seems that Gou Jian's luck is really good, because Fu Chai actually gave him a chance to try his best."

Gongsun Yang responded in a deep voice, not without excitement: "The antelope retreated in order to jump up. Goujian tasted courage in order to cause Fucha to set himself on fire! Your Majesty, the current situation, if you go one step further, everything will be destroyed! Take a step back, and the world will turn around!"

Qin Xiaogong's eyes widened: "You mean the world has turned around?"

"Yes." Gongsun Yang nodded solemnly, "I dare to ask your lord, Qin Guo has worked hard to rule for more than ten years, is it just for the shame of Hexi?"

Qin Xiaogong bowed his head in thought, and after a while, he raised his head to look at Gongsun Yang: "I wish to hear Aiqing's high opinion!"

"Your Majesty, after ten years of reform, our country has rules and regulations, the people have spare power, the treasury has accumulated millet, and the scholars have fighting spirit. If we really go to war with the Wei people, as General Che said, I may have a chance of victory, but I may not necessarily be defeated. Your Majesty If you only want to be quick for a while, I can fight. As for who will die, I really don't know. If your lord is planning for the long-term, I think it is impossible to fight. Once the war starts, I must win in one battle and put the people of Wei Completely rush to the east of the river!"

Qin Xiaogong nodded slightly.

Gongsun Yang continued eloquently: "Your Majesty, as long as we sit on the natural moat of the Yellow River, take Wei and Han in the east, and seek Wuguan in the south, we can become a country with four frontiers. If we advance, we can intimidate Shandong and deter other countries. , safe and sound!"

Qin Xiaogong sighed softly: "What Aiqing said is exactly what I read in my dream!"

Gongsun Yang smiled slightly: "As long as Your Majesty takes a step back, all this will not be a dream!"

Qin Xiaogong's eyes showed surprise.

Gongsun Yang's attitude was firm: "I am convinced that within three years, not only will the national humiliation be avenged, Hexi will be obtained, and the Yellow River will be captured, Qin and Wei will also be strong and weak, and the ups and downs will be determined by the emperor!"

Qin Xiaogong's expression changed from surprise to hesitation, then he shook his head lightly, and smiled wryly: "Aiqing, don't comfort the widow, since you are bowing your head and begging for peace, let's bow your head and ask for peace! The widow has figured it out, and the one who can bow his head will be the one to do it!" He is a true hero. However, I still have one thing to worry about—”

"My minister would like to hear it!"

"Wei Yan has been plotting for a long time, determined to attack me, and now he is on the bowstring, he must do so. Even if the widow is willing to bow his head right now, I'm afraid this person will not!"

Gongsun Yang smiled slightly and said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, as long as the humble minister goes there in person, I think he will not refuse!"

Qin Xiaogong was taken aback, and looked at Gongsun Yang suspiciously for a long time, then shook his head decisively: "Anyone can go, except Aiqing!"

Gongsun Yang slowly suppressed his smile: "Your Majesty?"

Qin Xiaogong's tone softened slightly: "Does Aiqing remember what happened back then? At that time, Uncle Wei Xianggong urged Wei Yu to kill Aiqing, but Wei Yu did not kill him. I heard that he regretted it until now. If Aiqing sent Wei alone, Isn't it just a bird throwing at Luo? Besides, you can't be without a gentleman by your side!"

"Your Majesty, don't worry, Wei Yu didn't kill the minister back then, and he won't kill him today. Besides, the minister is not alone. To tell you the truth, the minister has already found a helper. As long as this person is by his side, great things will happen! "

Qin Xiaogong was very surprised: "Helper? Who is he?"

"Chen Zhen, the senior doctor of the Wei Kingdom!"

Qin Xiaogong quickly shook his head: "The real power of the Wei Kingdom is in Bai Gui's hands, Chen Zhen is just a high-ranking doctor with a vain name, not even a Qing, how can he achieve great things?"

Gongsun Yang smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, this person does not have a high title, but he has great ambitions. He has already set his sights on Bai Gui's appearance, and it is difficult for ordinary officials to catch his eye. Not to mention, this person has two eyes. Obstacles, as long as you aim at fame and fortune, you will be blind."

"Ai Qing is saying that this person is a villain of fame and wealth!"

"A villain works hard, his strength can overwhelm a tripod!"

Qin Xiaogong saw that Gongsun Yang said it so confidently, so he could only nod his head and said: "Aiqing must go, I don't want to say anything. It's just that Wei Guo is no better than Qin Guo, even if I want to help you, I can't do anything!"

"Your Majesty, don't worry, I have my own discretion!"

Qin Xiaogong turned to his courtiers: "How many gold and silver treasures are there in the treasury?"

The minister replied: "Report to your lord, the gold and silver treasures in the treasury are mostly used to buy Xirong war horses and Hansheng iron, and there are not many left!"

Qin Xiaogong frowned slightly: "The widow asked how much do you have?"

The courtier hesitated for a moment: "There are also one hundred yi of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and three boxes of rare treasures, all of which are left by the old slave for your lord's emergency use!"

"As long as the widow has silver, it's fine. The rest of the gold and treasures, as much as there are, are all allocated to Daliang Zao!"

"The old slave leads the order!"

Qin Xiaogong turned to Gongsun Yang: "You have to choose a more capable deputy envoy. Who do you think is suitable?"

"The fifth doctor is sick in the chǔ!"

Qin Xiaogong thought for a while, nodded and said: "Just him!"

Without further ado, Gongsun Yang started preparations immediately, and when it got dark, everything was ready.The next day, the east turned pale, and Gongsun Yang's envoy Wei's motorcade had already left Daliangzao Mansion in mighty strength, heading straight for the east gate.

What Gongsun Yang didn't expect was that it was Qin Xiaogong standing under the city gate in the morning light.Crown Prince Yingsi, Taifu Yingqian, Shang Dafu Jingjian, Guowei Cheying and other important court officials also stood behind Xiaogong.Apparently, they were already there.

Gongsun Yang stopped the car, took a few steps forward, and hurriedly kowtowed to the ground with his deputy, Chi Liji.Qin Xiaogong helped them up with his own hands.The two looked at each other for a while, and Gongsun Yang cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, stay a while, and my humble servant will say goodbye!"

Qin Xiaogong held the hand of Gongsun Yang: "Gongsun Aiqing, I have no more words. Aiqing's trip is to fight against the army of a country with the strength of one person. The future fate of Qin is all tied to Aiqing alone! "

Gongsun Yang said in a loud voice, "I will not disgrace my mission even if I die!"

Qin Xiaogong beckoned, and the courtier took out an exquisite gift box from the car and placed it in front of Gongsun Yang.Gongsun Yang looked at the box in surprise, and turned his inquiring eyes to Duke Xiao.Duke Xiao glanced at the inner courtier, who opened it, and there were miscellaneous jewelry of different designs and colors inside.

Xiaogong pointed to the box and said slowly: "Aiqing, this piece of jewelry was collected from the wife, concubine, and princess last night by the widow. And that's all!"

Hearing this, the officials present all lowered their heads, covered their sleeves and wept.

Gongsun Yang leaned down again, kowtowed three times, closed the box, got up suddenly, and roared hoarsely at Chili: "Let's go!"

After Gongsun Yang left Xianyang, he traveled eastward all the way.As soon as they passed Luoshui, everyone immediately felt a strange atmosphere.There are several more checkpoints along the way than usual, and the interrogation is even stricter.Seeing the banners of "Qin envoys" and "Gongsun" they carried, all the passers-by looked at this group of envoys Wei with strange or even hostile eyes, which made them feel depressed, and no one seemed willing to speak along the way.

Gongsun Yang is completely different. Not only does he not have such a sense of depression, but he seems to be a different person, and the more he walks, the more energetic he becomes.As soon as he stepped into the territory of Wei State, he opened all the curtains on the car window three times and twice, and his piercing eyes kept scanning the scenery outside the window.When approaching Yinjin, the important town in the west of Hexi, Gongsun Yang poked his head out of the window, looked at the battlements in the distance, and nodded slightly, as if talking to himself.

The deputy envoy Chi Liji who was following behind the carriage thought that Gongsun Yang had something to explain, so he rode his horse to hasten a few steps, leaned up and asked, "What orders does Daliang Zao have?"

Gongsun Yang pointed out the window with a leisurely expression: "Qiliji, do you know where this is?"

"Back to Daliang Zao, we have entered the territory of Wei State, this is Hexi Yinjin!"

Gongsun Yang didn't answer, but still stared out of the window, and suddenly saw a ox cart full of grain parked by the side of the road, and an old man in black and a young man in blue were resting.Gongsun Yang stopped the car, jumped out of the car, walked up to the old man, and bowed deeply: "Excuse me, old man, are you from old Qin?"

The old man took a look at him, looked up at the flag, saw that it was written with a character of Qin, got up to salute, and nodded slightly.

Gongsun Yang pointed to the grain on the cart: "Old man, where do you want to send this cart of grain?"

Before the old man could speak, the young man next to him said, "It's the delivery of military rations, your majesty is going to launch an expedition!"

Gongsun Yang glanced at him and said deliberately: "The world has not been peaceful for a few years, who is your lord going to conquer?"

The young man glanced at his flag, approached Gongsun Yang, and said in a low voice, "You are from Qin! You don't look like a bad person, so let me tell you. I heard that the emperor is going to conquer your Qin country. You have to be careful." , don’t live in the city, it’s better to move into the mountains!”

Gongsun Yang laughed a few times, and turned to the old man: "Excuse me, old man, where is this place?"

Again without waiting for the old man to answer, the young man hastily answered, "This is Yin Jin!"

The old man coughed, rolled his eyes at him, and said slowly, "As for the returnees, 60 years ago, we called this place Ning Qin!"

Gongsun Yang nodded, bowed deeply to the old man, turned around and walked to the side of the car, and said to Chili as he walked, "Did you hear that just now, the old man said that this place is not called Yinjin, but Ningqin!"

As an old Qin native, Xi Liji certainly knew the name, nodded and said, "Yes, I heard from my father when I was young that this place used to be called Ning Qin!"

Gongsun Yang said firmly: "Sixty years ago, it was called Ning Qin. In a few years, it will still be called Ning Qin."

Xi Liji blinked his eyes, and suddenly realized: "Da Liangzao said that we are going to take back the river—" suddenly realized that he had slipped his words, and hurriedly stopped talking, and looked around.

Gongsun Yang smiled slightly, jumped into the car, and the car rattled again.

The palace city of Wei State is located slightly north of the center of Anyi City. It was carefully constructed by the three generations of monarchs Wenhou, Wuhou and Huihou.

On a piece of grass in the back garden of Wei Palace, Wei Huihou lightly moved his footsteps and danced a sword up and down, whistling with wind.Biren waited cautiously, his eyes following Wei Huihou's sword shadow.Wei Huihou's sword danced faster and faster, Biren's eyes seemed to be a little behind, so he stretched out his hand and rubbed it a few times.

Wei Huihou stopped, made a gesture, and retracted his sword.

Biren rubbed his eyes again: "Your Majesty, today's dance is much faster than yesterday's. The old slave's eyesight is dull, and I just saw it!"

Wei Huihou chuckled, put the sword into the sheath, and pretended to be mysterious and said: "Come, I will tell you a secret!"

Piren was flattered and hurried over with his ear.

Huihou paused for a moment: "If you can only see the light of the sword but not the widow, it's time for the three armies to march!"

Piren murmured: "But—the old servant just couldn't see the Lord!"

Wei Huihou was taken aback for a moment, then smiled again: "Really? Speaking of which, it's time for the three armies to go to war!"

"Your Majesty, you really deserve it! General Long has just returned from Hexi, and is waiting to see you in the side hall!"

Wei Huihou said pleasantly: "Hurry up, let him see you in his study!"

Biren agreed and went out to deliver the decree.The two eunuchs who were waiting on the side came up, served Wei Huihou and changed his clothes, and walked to the imperial study.As soon as he sat down, Biren led Hexi County Sheriff Long Jia into the courtyard of the study.Hearing the sound, Wei Huihou hurriedly got up and went out the door.

Seeing this, Long Jia had no choice but to kowtow in the courtyard, and shouted: "The last general Long Jia kowtows to your lord!"

Wei Huihou stepped forward quickly, pulled Long Jia up, looked him up and down with caring eyes, and said slowly: "I haven't seen you for a few months, and Long Aiqing has lost a lot of weight!"

Long Jia looked at Wei Huihou with emotion: "Your Majesty, you have lost weight too!"

"Yes, yes, state affairs and family affairs are all messed up here. It is difficult for us, the monarch and his ministers, to gain weight!"

Long Jia's eyes were moist, and his voice was choked with sobs: "A lowly minister, death is not a pity, and the king has a dragon body, you must take care of yourself!"

Wei Huihou said with a smile: "Take care, take care, we all have to take care, there are still many important things waiting for us in the world! Let's talk in the room!"

The two walked into the study, and the maid made tea.The two sat down, Wei Huihou looked at Long Jia eagerly: "Long Aiqing, I called you back this time, and you don't need to ask me to know why!"

"My minister also begged to see your majesty about this matter!"

"To tell you the truth, Long Aiqing, although I have a certain chance of winning this time, my dear friend knows that I am not reckless. Aiqing has been stationed in Hexi for many years and knows the Qin people well. I sincerely ask you, what is the chance of winning this battle?"

Long Jia hesitated: "It's hard for me to predict!"

Wei Huihou's heart sank: "Unpredictable? Ai Qing said that this battle is not sure!"

"Your Majesty, if the Qin Dynasty was conquered ten years ago, the humble minister would have an [-]% chance of winning; five years ago, it would have been [-]%; now, the humble minister can only have a [-]% chance!"

"Fifty percent?" Wei Huihou was shocked, "This - if you haven't fought for a few years, can the people of Qin become magic soldiers?"

Long Jia's tone was not without worries: "Your Majesty, aside from other things, I will only say one thing. Ten years ago, Qin traded horses for food, and today's Qin trades grain for horses; ten years ago, Qin had land and no one. In today's Qin, there are people who have no land to grow. Your Majesty, you must not lightly attack a country where people have no land to grow!"

Wei Huihou lowered his head and fell into deep thought. After a long time, he raised his head and looked at Long Jia: "Aiqing, if I don't attack Qin, Qin will attack me! Today's Qin is already so good, in another ten years, how will my great Wei be? Saving? Besides, since the longbow has been drawn, it must be fired! The widow has always promised everything, how can I give up halfway?"

"This—" Long Jia had nothing to say.

"What do you think?" Wei Huihou paused for a moment, and then said slowly, "I will give you another [-] elite soldiers, and use the power of the whole country to attack the Qin people, first make them lose the power to fight back, and then seize their mansion. Library for my use!"

Long Jia nodded: "This battle is a foregone conclusion, I should go all out, even if my heart is broken, I will not hesitate!"

Wei Huihou's tone was firm: "Long Aiqing, I don't want your liver and brains, as long as you hold Duke Qin in charge, you will return triumphant!"

"My minister obeys! May I ask when will your majesty send troops?"

"The widow went to the Ancestral Temple yesterday to ask for divination. He said that it is noon on Ding Chou's day, and it is appropriate to march west!"

Long Jia said in surprise, "Ding Chou's day? It's the day after tomorrow!"

"Exactly! At noon on Ding Chou's day, the widow went to the Yuanmen to sacrifice the flag in person, and performed for the general!"

Long Jia got up and kowtowed: "My minister and the soldiers of the three armies are waiting for your majesty!"

Long Jia was about to leave when Biren walked in and said, "Your Majesty, the doctor has an urgent matter to see you!"

"Xuan!"

Chen Zhen came in hastily, and knocked: "Qi Zuo Your Majesty, Qin envoys Gongsun Yang to come to court!"

Wei Huihou was a little surprised: "Gongsun Yang? What is he doing here at this time?"

"It looks like it's a request for peace."

"Seek peace?" Wei Huihou was startled for a moment, then sneered, "Chen Aiqing, go and tell Gongsun Yang that I don't have time to listen to him, and let him save his energy and go home to fight General Long!"

Long Jia hesitated for a moment, stepped forward and said: "Qi Zuo Your Majesty, I thought that it would be better for you to see him at once. Listen to what this Gongsun Yang is saying!"

Wei Huihou pondered for a while, nodded and said: "Okay, since General Long has this remonstrance, the widow has the right to see him! Chen Aiqing, you go and inform Gongsun Yang, let him go to court tomorrow, and see my great Wei Weiyi! If what you say is satisfactory , the widow may keep him alive! If not, the widow will use him as a sacrificial flag!"

In the early morning of the next day, Gongsun Yang rushed to Wei Palace together with Chi Liji with the ceremony of meeting him.At this time, the bell of the Shang Dynasty had already rang twice, and officials above the doctorate of the State of Wei were coming one after another.On the tethering field two arrows away on both sides of the palace gate, people shouted and neighed, and there was a lot of noise.

Because the envoy of Qin was going to be summoned, the Wei Palace, which was originally majestic, was even more unusual this day. There were twice as many soldiers guarding the gate than usual, and there were many guns and halberds, creating a strict atmosphere.

The court bell rang three times, and the civil and military courtiers began to enter the palace gate.Because there was no decree, Gongsun Yang and others could only wait outside the palace gate.In less than a quarter of an hour, the doctor who delivered the decree came out of the palace gate and proclaimed loudly on the steps: "Your Majesty has a decree, Xuanqin sends Gongsun Yang to the palace to have an audience!"

Chi Liji cast his eyes on Gongsun Yang, his expression tense.Gongsun Yang took out a kit bag from his sleeve: "Take this, if something happens, you can open this bag!"

Xi Liji took the kit with both hands: "Your Majesty obeys!"

Gongsun Yang turned around, walked up to the steps with his head held high, met the grand ceremony with the messenger, whispered a few times, and waved downwards.Chu Lijiu motioned to the entourage to carry the presents, and stepped up the steps.A group of people walked into the gate of the palace, crossed two inner gates, and then walked to the main hall.The decree officer went in, and after a while, there was a voice of Biren singing: "Xuan Qin's envoy Gongsun Yang has an audience!"

Gongsun Yang walked into the hall alone, and saw Wei Huihou sitting high on the dragon throne from a distance. On the left stood several military generals, including Prince An and Long Jia, and on the right stood several civil servants including Prince Shen, Chen Zhen, and Zhu Wei.

Gongsun Yang kowtowed to the ground and said in a clear voice: "The Qin envoy Gongsun Yang kowtowed to His Majesty, wishing His Majesty the dragon's health and longevity!"

Before Gongsun Yang finished speaking, the whole court was shaken, and they all looked at Marquis Wei with astonishment.Although the etiquette has long since collapsed, the word "Your Majesty" is still very sensitive.

Gongsun Yang's words were beyond Wei Huihou's expectation.After pondering for a while, Wei Huihou Zhen shouted: "Gongsun Yang, do you really not know how to behave, or do you want to be a traitor?"

Gongsun Yang smiled slightly: "Why did Your Majesty say that?"

Wei Huihou sneered: "Gongsun Yang, don't be arrogant. I ask you, the word 'Your Majesty' can only be used to pay homage to the emperor, how can you call it indiscriminately?"

Gongsun Yang said frankly: "Your Majesty, Gongsun Yang is not lying. The Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven. Of course, the Son of Heaven should be the lord of the world who rules the world and orders the princes. In terms of today's world, His Majesty is powerful enough to command the princes, and his virtue is enough to rule the world. , why can't you use the word 'Your Majesty'?"

Wei Huihou was not sure whether Gongsun Yang's words were intentional flattery or for another purpose.However, in any case, this remark sounds heartfelt.Wei Huihou turned his eyes, leaned back slightly, and said slowly: "Well, it seems that you don't know how to be polite, and I don't care about it for the time being. Let's talk, you came here from a long distance, and you didn't just want to call out for this." Your Majesty' go!"

Gongsun Yang already had confidence in his heart, Natou bowed again, and raised his head and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Gongsun Yang was entrusted by Duke Qin, and came here to greet His Majesty. Although Qin's land is barren and its production is not worth mentioning, Duke Qin still entrusts his humble ministers. I offer a little souvenir to His Majesty, and I hope His Majesty will not give it up!"

Wei Huihou said calmly, "Oh, what kind of local specialty is it?"

Gongsun Yang shouted loudly outside the door: "A tribute to His Majesty Jin!"

The accompanying Qin people who were waiting outside the hall heard the sound and walked in, carrying several large gift boxes into the hall. The word "Qin Gong" on the gift boxes caught people's eyes.

Just as the person carrying the gift box left, another ten Qin women came into the hall, knelt on the ground in front of Huihou, and kowtowed in unison: "The women kowtow to Your Majesty, I wish His Majesty a healthy dragon and a long life!"

The entire hall was silent, as if everyone present were confused by Gongsun Yang's series of actions.

Gongsun Yang paused for a moment, and presented the gift list with both hands.Biren took it and placed it in front of Wei Huihou.Gongsun Yang kowtowed: "These daughters of Qin were selected by Qin Gong from the people. Although they are not said to be beautiful, they are also good at singing and dancing. They are knowledgeable and reasonable. I hope your majesty will not abandon them!"

Gongsun Yang waved his hand slightly, and Qin Nv stepped back slowly.

Wei State has not yet sent troops, Qin State has succumbed to this, and this ending is beyond Wei Huihou's expectations.Dazed for a moment, Wei Huihou finally understood, burst out a long laugh, and threw the gift list on the ground with a bang: "I don't lack these things, and I can't take Qin Gong's love. Gongsun Yang, it seems that you have Work hard again and bring them back in their original count. Let your Duke Qin take advantage of such a good thing!"

Gongsun Yang replied: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask Rong Chen to say something! Although these things are meager, they are the Duke of Qin's heart. I have been entrusted by the Duke of Qin, and I have come here to dedicate them to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty refuses to show respect, how can I go back?" Bus to Qin?"

Wei Huihou smiled sinisterly: "I'll tell your Duke Qin, if I knew this earlier, why bother?"

Gongsun Yang pretended to be surprised: "My humble minister is stupid, I hope His Majesty will show it clearly!"

Wei Huihou sneered: "I ask you, what was your Duke Qin doing a month ago?"

Gongsun Yang replied calmly: "Qin Gongzheng is traveling all over Qin, picking tributes for His Majesty everywhere!"

Wei Huihou snapped a few cases: "What a choice of tribute! The widows have already seen that Ying Quliang thought his wings were stiff, and he wanted to fly into the sky!"

Gongsun Yang pretended to be frightened: "Your Majesty is so angry, I don't know why?"

Wei Huihou sneered again: "Since you pretend not to know, I will tell you! The widow initiated the grand meeting of the Mengjin Dynasty, and all the countries in the Central Plains went to it, but your Duke Qin refused to attend because of his pride—— Why?"

Gongsun Yang deliberately breathed out a long breath, smiled easily, and said slowly: "It's strange that Gongsun Yang saw swords, lights, swords and shadows along the way, and cars coming and going. He thought it was hunting everywhere, but his majesty was moved by thunder!"

Young Master Ang sneered: "Da Liangzao, don't wag your tongue here, go back as soon as possible, put on your armor, lead your soldiers, and fight my army to the death!"

Gongsun Yang turned to Prince Ang, cupped his hands and said, "The general is joking. The soldiers of the Great Wei are invincible, and the general is the best general in the world. Gongsun Yang is just a scholar, how dare he follow the general's tricks?"

Young Master Ang sneered again: "You understand! Go back and tell your Duke Qin that the Great Wei Tiejun will sacrifice the flag at noon tomorrow, and let him stretch his head at the head of Xianyang City, and wait!"

Gongsun Yang turned his attention to Wei Huihou: "Could it be that your majesty really wants to attack Qin, and doesn't want to know why Qin Gong didn't go to Mengjin Dynasty?"

Wei Huihou smiled coldly: "Tell me, I don't have any serious problems right now, so you might as well listen!"

"Fang today, the Zhou family is in decline, sitting on a small land, and has no king's name, let alone Qin Gong, among all the heroes in the world, which one sincerely respects the Zhou emperor?"

Wei Huihou said teasingly: "So, it means that the princes of the world should go to Xianyang to see Duke Qin!"

"Your Majesty was joking. The king conquers the world with virtue and strength. Looking at the princes of the world, there is no one who has both virtue and strength than Your Majesty!"

"how do I say this?"

"Since the Marquis of Wen, the Great Wei has widely practiced benevolent government and made great military exploits. For decades, it has dominated the Central Plains and conquered the world. All the countries in the Central Plains have been subdued. In fact, they have already led all the heroes and are the uncrowned kings of the world."

Gongsun Yang stopped talking and looked at Wei Huihou.Although Wei Huihou had no expression on his face, he moved forward a little, obviously listening.Gongsun Yang saw it, coughed lightly, and continued: "Aside from the barbaric Chu in the south, in the countries of the Central Plains, the Zhou family has a name but no reality, and the Wei family has a real name but no name. This is an indisputable fact for all to see!"

Wei Huihou sat up straight, coughed, and took over the conversation: "Gongsun Yang, what you say is purely a villain's opinion! Although the name of the world does not match the reality, the rituals and music are still there, and the emperor of Zhou is still the co-lord of the world. Nominally, I am still a servant of the Zhou family. As a courtier of the Zhou family, I should devote myself to the Zhou family, and do my best for the world to be benevolent, the people to be righteous, and the people to be happy. Apart from this, I have no delusions. What you just said , no matter what the reason is, it has nothing to do with the widow!"

Wei Huihou's confession, especially his use of words such as "in name" and "what makes sense", has actually revealed his heart.Gongsun Yang knew it well, smiled slightly, and said frankly: "Your Majesty's heart of benevolence and righteousness, Gongsun Yang respects but disagrees. Benevolence can be great or small, and righteousness can be thick or thin. Shang Tang can't be benevolent, Xia Jie can't get rid of it; Zhou Wu If there is no righteousness, Shang Zhou will not go. Xia Jie and Shang Zhou will not go for a day, and the world will be restless for a day. If the world is not peaceful, how can there be rituals and music? Besides, the rituals and music of the Zhou Dynasty have been broken by the Spring and Autumn Period. Hundreds of years of wars, rituals Music exists in name only. In today's world, the old system is not governed, and the new system is not established. It is the source of disaster and the first disaster. Because of this, Qin Gong believes that it is for the sake of the benevolence of the world, and the peace and happiness of the common people. The most urgent thing is to get rid of the old and establish the new, so that the name matches the reality, not to go to Mengjin to pay homage to an emperor who has only a name! Your Majesty, at the meeting in Mengjin, the princes will only meet with the emperor of Zhou. Duke Qin disdains to do such a meaningless thing. In other words , if it was not Zhou Tianzi who came to the Mengjin Dynasty, but Your Majesty, how could Duke Qin not go?"

Wei Huihou stepped forward again, lowering his voice: "Duke Qin's intention is——"

Gongsun Yang said loudly: "Duke Qin wishes to honor His Majesty as the Lord of the World, and assist His Majesty in the south with the power of the whole country to honor him!"

As soon as Gongsun Yang's words came out, the whole court was shaken.Wei Huihou's face was expressionless, he leaned back, and a bright light flashed across his eyes.Chen Zhen saw it in his eyes, blinked his eyes a few times, and looked at Young Master Ang who was standing opposite.Young Master Ang frowned, his face showed displeasure, he wanted to speak, but he restrained himself.

The courtiers also looked at each other with different expressions, and finally looked at Wei Huihou in unison.As if juggling a trick, Wei Huihou's expression changed abruptly, he took several shots of several cases, and shouted loudly: "Bold Gongsun Yang, it's nothing more than you bewitching Qin Gong, how dare you run to Anyi, speak nonsense in front of the widow, want to What is your intention to trap the widow in a place of infidelity?"

Man Chao was taken aback again.

Young Master Yang raised his brows and took a step forward to play: "Qi Zuo Jun, my army will go to conquer tomorrow. It so happens that Gongsun Yang came to the court today, and he talked sophistically. He just wanted to delay the time and hinder the progress of our army. My son begged Your father is clearly aware!"

Situ Zhuwei also took a step forward, and said loudly: "I agree with what the general said! The Qin people and I have been grudges for a long time, and we have hated each other. We have long been in the same situation. Fight with me in Hexi. Today, Qin people's national strength has been greatly improved, but Qin Gong showed his weakness and asked for peace, so it can be seen that Gongsun Yang has suspicious intentions!"

Gongzi Ang continued: "What Da Situ said is right! Gongsun Yang is not only a Qin thief, but also has ulterior motives. Please punish me severely!"

The ministers also seemed to understand, and nodded one after another.Young Master Yang cast a wink at Pei Ying, the vanguard who was standing next to Long Jia. Pei Ying understood, took a step forward, knelt down on one leg, and shouted: "The army is about to attack Qin, and the final general invites you to use Gongsun The blood of martingale is sacrificed to my commander-in-chief!"

Except for Long Jia, all the generals took a step forward and said in unison: "I will invite you to kill Gongsun Yang to sacrifice the flag!"

Wei Huihou seemed to be very satisfied with the reaction of the generals. He leaned back slightly, tapped a few faces with his fingers, squinted at Gongsun Yang, and smiled sinisterly at the corner of his mouth: "Gongsun Yang, do you have something to say?"

Gongsun Yang's eyes swept across the ministers one by one, and then his eyes fell on Wei Huihou, bursting into a series of long laughs.

Everyone was shocked.

Wei Huihou said coldly, "Gongsun Yang, what are you laughing at?"

Gongsun Yang suppressed his smile and said proudly: "Gongsun Yang has nothing to say, only a smile!"

Wei Huihou leaned forward slightly, nodded his head, and the corner of his mouth reappeared in a sinister smile: "Okay, since you have nothing to say, don't blame others. Come!"

Two guards stepped forward quickly and grabbed Gongsun Yang respectively.

Wei Huihou paused every word: "Take him down, at noon tomorrow, the gate will sacrifice the flag!"

(End of this chapter)