Chapter 134: The throne is given to you, I will live in Luo country and wait for death

The king and his ministers of Han knew that they could not stop the armies of Wei and Zhao by staying on the plains, so on the one hand they set up defense lines in Han to block Wei and Zhao, and on the other hand they took a large number of Han people to Zheng.

When the Marquis of Han learned that the people of Qi and Qin were attacking the Huai and Si lands of Wei, he was angry at first, then said bitterly: "Qi must want to consume the strength of the Three Jins.

But the good thing is that although Qi did offend Wei, at least Qi would still stand on the side of Han, and the danger of national destruction could be resolved.

Now we have to hold on for a year, two years, or even longer, until the Qi army arrives."

The Marquis of Han hated Qi very much, but there was nothing he could do. Wei was unwilling to withdraw its troops, and Han was unlikely to cede land, so the two sides could only fight with all their might.

Fortunately, after gaining control of Zheng, South Korea's strategic depth has been greatly enhanced, otherwise it would be worried that it would not survive until the day when Qi came.

Above the Huai River and Si River, the nobles of Qi State happily harvested the cities of Wei State. "We captured those that we could capture, and if we couldn't, we cut off their way out of the city and trapped them to death in the city. We told the generals in the city that those who surrendered first would not be killed."

The most taboo thing in a siege is to launch a fierce attack right at the beginning, as this will instead unite the defenders in the city. As the saying goes, if you defend the city for too long, you will lose. Why do the defenders always come out of the city to attack the camp?

Because the biggest problem faced by the defenders is the fickleness of the people's hearts. The so-called solid fortress is always breached from the inside. Once a city is besieged for a long time, there will definitely be people in the city who want to surrender the city in exchange for wealth and honor.

The Qi army had ruled the Huai and Si areas for many years and was very familiar with the flow of the mountains, rivers and streams there. When Wei and Qi went out of the city to fight in the field, they did not gain the upper hand.

On the contrary, due to logistical problems and the small number of Wei Wuzu here, they were defeated by the Qi people.

Qi won victory after victory on the Huai-Si battlefield, and large tracts of land that had been lost returned to Qi. Qi nobles cheered, "We have restored Duke Huan's hegemony."

When he was in high spirits, he didn't know that the three countries of Zhao, Wei and Han hated him to death. Qin was silently helping Qi and then attracted the anger towards Qi.

…

The war between the Chu and Wu states lasted intermittently for hundreds of years, and both sides almost destroyed each other, but in the end the situation in the world had not reached that point yet, so they continued to confront each other.

However, it is very appropriate to describe the two sides as a feud. In the struggle between the two sides, the most glorious time for the State of Wu was naturally during the time of Qingji and Sun Wu. After that, the State of Wu never produced a monarch with outstanding talents, so it gradually declined.

Wei's defeat of Chu changed the power balance between Wei and Chu, and between Qin and Chu, but did not change the power balance between Chu and Wu.

The State of Wu was still going to be suppressed by the State of Chu. In the past, Mozi prevented the State of Wu from attacking the State of Chu because Mozi successfully made the State of Wu realize that attacking the State of Chu would not benefit the State of Wu and it would be impossible for the State of Wu to capture the cities of Chu. It would only cause the people of Wu to die in vain.

By now, Mohism had completely become the most prominent school of thought in the world. Don't look at the Legalist leaders who carried out reforms in various countries, calling the wind and rain and being extremely powerful.

In fact, the Mohist school was no less powerful. Not only did it have a huge influence among the various nations, it also had a large following among the lower classes of people. Those people who were so poor that they had no place to stand joined the Mohist society one after another.

Although the Mohist school split, the leaders of each school still had great authority. With a single call, thousands of people would follow.

Ever since the war broke out between the states of Wu and Chu, the great Mohist leader of the State of Song, who had been active in Wangji, Luogong and the State of Song, led his followers to the State of Wu to help defend the city.

Gusu City.

There are still numerous small lakes, verdant and vast, and large tracts of land suitable for farming, densely distributed around the capital. The foundation of Wu's hegemony is what Chu has always wanted to occupy.

This place is still relatively prosperous, as the war between Wu and Chu has not yet reached here. However, rows of armored soldiers are walking on the avenue, and large ships and vehicles loaded with grain are constantly leaving the city.

The solemn atmosphere in the air proves that the prosperity on the surface is just the snow covering the crater, which may be destroyed at any time.

In the Wu Palace, the faces of the Wu king and his ministers were filled with gloom. Wu had suffered an unprecedented catastrophe, and the country could collapse at any time.

The Mohists were indeed experts in defending cities, and their various equipment and tactics greatly slowed down the advance of the State of Chu, but this could not stop the State of Wu from being defeated.

The difference in national strength is decisive. Moreover, in this world, it is not only the Mohists who are playing with mechanical arts. The Gongshu clan also has a legacy among various countries.

The tools for defending cities are being updated, and the tools for attacking cities are also constantly being updated. In the end, the war becomes a competition of comprehensive national strength.

The Marquis of Wu was a middle-aged man. His face did not have the heroic spirit of his ancestor Qingji. He had dark sockets under his eyes and looked very bad. It was obvious that he had lost his appetite for several days and was worried all day long.

Seeing that all the ministers in the hall were silent, the Marquis of Wu asked with a trembling face, "My lords, if I surrender to the Marquis of Chu,

No, King of Chu, I acknowledge your title as king, remove the title of vassal, and serve the State of Chu in the name of the Lord of Wu.

Just as the King of Wei served the State of Jin and the State of Wei, and the King of Song served the State of Chu, would the State of Chu let the State of Wu go?"

It's easy to say that you want to die for your country, but how difficult is it to do it? It is said that the only difficulty in the history is death, especially for these nobles who have enjoyed hundreds of years of wealth and glory, there are not many hard-headed people.

The officials of Wu State looked at each other, wondering how many of them were secretly colluding with Chu State.

Wu Xiang, who had never been bribed by Chu, immediately stepped out and said angrily: "Your Majesty, please put away this idea. Wu and Chu are enemies for generations. Chu will not let anyone go, but it will never let you go.

Besides, have you forgotten the old story of Kuaiji Jun?"

Lord Kuaiji.

After the State of Wu destroyed the State of Yue in the past, it demoted the king of Yue to the King of Kuaiji. Then after a few generations, the King of Kuaiji's lineage was cut off.

What the Prime Minister of Wu said was to tell the Duke of Wu that if he surrendered now, the State of Chu would definitely retaliate against him later.

Even if I give you a city now, but later demote you to a commoner or even kill you, will anyone still cry for you?

When Wu Hou heard this, his face turned even more pale. "If you surrender, you will die. If you don't surrender, you will also die. So what should we do now?

Are we just going to sit and wait for the Chu army to capture the city of Gusu, and destroy the 700-year-old state of Wu?

Now the Wu Kingdom has no Luo Kingdom to save it!

Prime Minister Wu, you are also a member of the royal family of Wu and a descendant of our ancestors. I will give up the throne of Wu to you.

I am going to seek refuge in Luo State. Wu State is a vassal state of the Ji clan. Given the close relationship between Luo and Wu, Luo State will definitely accept me.

In the past, King Wu gave the throne to King Su. Although King Su did not accept the mandate, he eventually established the Mandate of Heaven for the Zhou Dynasty, which lasted for 800 years or even a thousand years.

Although you and I are far inferior to the two kings, your ability is also better than mine. I will give the throne to you, and perhaps the State of Wu can still have a chance of survival.

Do you think this is a good idea? If you agree, immediately arrange for the palace servants to organize the enthronement ceremony, so that I can escape to Luo State as soon as possible."

The officials of the State of Wu were completely stunned by the display of the Marquis of Wu. They handed over the country to the royal family and fled to the State of Luo to save their lives. How could they do this?

But think about it, this is very practical.

Many of the small princes who separated from the Luo Kingdom in the past went to seek refuge in the Luo Kingdom after the fall of their country and once again became members of the royal family of the Luo Kingdom.

Thinking of this, the eyes of the ministers of Wu State suddenly became a little strange when they looked at the Marquis of Wu. It is normal for us ministers to think about surrender, but you, a king, actually abandon your country.

We are about to surrender, but the king wants to escape?

Prime Minister Wu was so frightened by Marquis Wu's words. Even if Marquis Wu really wanted to run away, he couldn't believe it. Who knew if he would be hacked to death in the hall by five hundred swordsmen as soon as he said the word "willing".

Moreover, the position of the king of Wu was a death warrant. Whoever did it would die. He immediately kowtowed and said, "King, this is absolutely not allowed. The kingship is for the virtuous. How can a minister be in the kingship?"

Who would have thought that the Marquis of Wu would actually step down from his high seat and said in a resolute tone: "Prime Minister Wu, I think you are a man of virtue, so you must not refuse this position."

At a time when the country was about to collapse, such a farce was staged in the Wu Palace. It was really ridiculous.

Seeing the gloomy face of the Marquis of Wu, Prime Minister Wu was even more certain that this was a trap set by the Marquis of Wu. Between life and death, he suddenly came up with an idea and shouted: "Your Majesty, I have a way to save the country of Wu!"

His voice was so loud that it instantly suppressed the noise in the entire hall. Everyone stared at him, and Marquis Wu showed an excited look on his face. He asked, "Prime Minister, can you tell me what the solution is?"

Wu Lian quickly told the solution he had just thought of: "The reason why the Qi people were able to defeat the Wei people in the Huai and Si areas is because that was originally Qi's land, so Qi was familiar with the mountains and rivers there.

However, the land in the south of Wei was once the land of Wu. The people of Qi were not familiar with it, but Wu had a geomancy map. If they sent an envoy to Qi and presented the geomancy map, Qi would be able to conquer Huai and Si in one battle.

The State of Chu would certainly not sit idly by and watch the State of Qi swallow up the entire Huai and Si areas. There would definitely be a war between Qi and Chu.

Although Han also borrowed troops from Qi, it doesn't matter. As long as you are willing to serve Qi as your master and lower yourself to be the king, Qi will certainly send troops to Wu first, and Han can only wait in line. "

Wu Xiang’s meaning was very simple. Qi had a strong military force and the Qin people were there to help.

As long as you, the king, sell out your country more ruthlessly than the Marquis of Han, Qi will definitely help us first. Since you are ready to abandon the throne anyway, you might as well sell your country directly to Qi and get a good price for it.

The Marquis of Wu was convinced instantly, and immediately took the Prime Minister's hand and said, "Prime Minister, you are truly a pillar of Wu. Please send someone who is good at speaking to tell the Duke of Qi that Wu is willing to submit to you."

All the ministers in the hall were stunned. No matter who was collecting or confiscating the money from the State of Chu, they were all speechless because of this incident between the king and his ministers.

————

In the autumn of the fifteenth year, the Chu army attacked us.

The Duke was afraid of fighting, and said, "If I surrender to Chu, can I still obtain the throne?"

They replied: Wu and Chu are hereditary enemies, and if we surrender to them, it will be like the story of the Lord of Kuaiji.

The Duke lamented that his virtue was shallow and wanted to push him to the position of Prime Minister, but he refused.

The Duke again declined, and the Prime Minister again refused. He offered advice to the Duke, and the Duke finally stopped.

(End of this chapter)