Chapter 116 Chu State: Why me again?
While the royal family of Luo State was indulging in the study of craftsmanship, the never-ending struggle between the nations began to gather strength again.
There was a festive atmosphere in the Wei court. The Wei army had won a great victory over the Qin army, which made Wei Houqing feel quite proud.
Then he laughed loudly and said, "My lords, Qin has been defeated. Not only the Yaohan Pass, but also the west of Yaohan is in the hands of Wei. This is an achievement that Jin achieved when it was at its peak.
Twenty years ago, the State of Qin was strong, and I had to compromise in front of the Duke of Qin. It was not until today that I finally fulfilled my great wish.
It’s a pity that he passed away, otherwise I would really like to see what a wonderful expression he had on his face.
This is all thanks to all of you talented people, especially the Prime Minister. You are a treasure bestowed upon me by Heaven.
If I don't reward you greatly, it would be disrespectful to Haotian.
I will grant you the richest fief in Wei State as a small reward for your contribution."
The eyes of the important officials of Wei State in the hall lit up. The diplomats and legalists did not talk to you about ideals. What they wanted were money, fame, status and benefits, so Wei Houqing gave them generously.
After all the ministers were satisfied with their rewards, Wei Houqing asked, "My lords, what should we do in the next war against Chu?"
Wei Xiang, who was the first among all the ministers to be rewarded, said: "Your Majesty, Chu is very different from Qin.
Qin was strong outside but weak inside. It had been in political chaos since twenty years ago. Wei had grown rapidly in strength, but Qin had remained stagnant and was in constant conflict with Chu in the land of Bashu. In addition, the Wuzu army was the most powerful army in the world.
Wei is strong and Qin is weak. Is there any reason why Qin can be invincible?
However, the State of Chu had a bad reputation among the nations since Xiong Dun defeated the six armies of King Li. By the time of King You, the State of Chu had become a powerful country in the world.
For more than 500 years, almost all of the major wars between Zhou and Chu were between Chu and the Central Plains, so we must be careful when facing Chu. "
Wei Houqing nodded involuntarily. The countries in the Central Plains were wary of the State of Chu because it was too strong. Except for Qi and Jin at their peak, no one in the world could compete with it.
After the war among the Xia states, Chu became recognized as the world's largest country. Wei was split from Jin, so people's imagination of Chu inevitably tends to focus on the original Jin.
"But although Chu was strong, it had many enemies. It fought with Qin in Bashu, wanted to destroy Wu in the southeast, and wanted to annex the royal land in the north.
After the death of Prime Minister Xiang Ci, the Duke of Chu alone could not control those nobles who kept wanting to expand outward. This was the opportunity given by God for the State of Wei to defeat the State of Chu.
The State of Chu became the most powerful country in the world, which made the people of Chu become arrogant. Isn't this a sign of impending failure?
I also ask the king to send envoys to contact Qin, Wu, Qi, and Han and Zhao. If the six countries unite to attack Chu, they will surely be able to defeat Chu."
Wei Houqing asked in confusion: "Prime Minister, Han and Zhao are allies. Wu is facing the danger of Chu's destruction, so these three countries will naturally come at any time.
However, Qin had just been defeated by Wei, and many Qin people were beheaded. There was a blood feud between them. Would Qin agree to attack Chu together with Wei?
The State of Qi was in a slump twenty years ago and has been hiding in the country for all these years. Does it dare to attack the State of Chu?
This is not in line with common sense. Are you serious about what you said?"
The prime minister laughed and said, "Your Majesty, the hatred between Qin and Wei is like two people quarreling, their blood boils, and they fight each other.
However, the hatred between Qin and Chu resulted in continuous fighting for twenty years.
Can small hatred cover up big hatred?
As for the State of Qi, the reforms in recent years have been quite effective and cannot be viewed in the same way as they were twenty years ago.
Weicheng is a man of good words. If he were sent as an envoy to various countries, this matter would surely be accomplished."
Weicheng was born in Wei. Originally, Wei State had disappeared with the demise of Jin State. However, in order to prove his legitimacy as the successor to Jin State, Wei Houqing found the descendants of Wei State and made him the King of Wei.
"Wei Qing, did you hear what the Prime Minister said?"
Weicheng bowed his hands and saluted from his seat, and said confidently: "Your Majesty, Cheng will not fail in his mission!"
The court of Qin State is completely different from that of Wei State. As for Wei Houqing, the current Qin monarch and his ministers cannot even bear to hear his name. It seems that since meeting this man, Qin State has never had any good things happen to it. It has been failing continuously, and the once prosperous Qin State has become what it is today, even in a somewhat exhausted state.
"Your Majesty, upon hearing the news of our army's defeat, the State of Chu has once again sent reinforcements to the plains of Shu. If this continues, we will temporarily lose the plains of Shu.
If Chu can completely control it and transport food to Yingdu along the Yangtze River, Chu will become stronger and stronger. "
Although the pass leading to Guannei from Shuzhong was controlled by Qin, and it was unlikely that Chu could break through Qin from here, the Shu Plain was not the barren land it was hundreds of years ago, but a land of abundance that could produce large amounts of grain.
Just when the Qin king and his ministers were in a state of panic, Weicheng came to Qin. Facing the Wei ministers who had just defeated Qin not long ago, the Qin king and his ministers glared at them angrily.
Although they knew it was impossible, many Qin officials still had murderous intentions in their hearts. One Qin noble shouted, "Wei official! Tell me your intentions.
If it was Wei Houqing who sent you to humiliate the State of Qin, then today both of you and I would have died in this hall at the same time.
The Qin State will never be humiliated! "
Weicheng had expected this situation, but he was not afraid.
To learn the art of diplomacy is to go deep into the enemy's country and face all kinds of monarchs and ministers. If you are afraid of death, you will accomplish nothing.
He smiled gracefully and said, "Lord Qin, perhaps there are some misunderstandings between Qin and Wei, which have caused your important officials to misunderstand the foreign officials.
There was no hatred between Qin and Wei. Wei was a country that knew etiquette. How could it humiliate Qin for no reason?
Cheng came here on the orders of the king for the stability of Qin."
Wei Cheng lied with his eyes open, which made the king and ministers of Qin State laugh. Qin Bo sneered and said, “There is no hatred for the lives of tens of thousands of Qin people. Wei Houqing always surprises the world.
You said you came here for the sake of Qin. I'm sure all the officials in the palace are very curious. Please tell me. "
"Lord Qin, when I was traveling in Han, I saw a butcher. He had an argument with someone, and when they got angry, they started fighting. Both of them had bruises on their faces and had to stay in bed for several months before they recovered.
Later, I saw the butcher fighting with another butcher over meat. Without saying a word, both of them held sharp knives in their hands, leaving bloody marks from time to time.
Who do you think the butcher hates more?"
Qin Bo said: "Of course it's another butcher."
Weicheng smiled and said, "This is the truth between the three countries of Qin, Wei and Chu. Although there were quarrels between Qin and Wei and a war broke out before, it was just a struggle of wills. Can Wei enter Guanzhong? Can Qin enter Guandong?
However, the Chu and Qin states were fighting over the Shu Plain, which meant they were going to cut off the Qin people's granary. If they lost this plain, who would feed the Qin population?
Guanzhong has suffered frequent natural disasters in recent years. If the Shu plain is lost, will the Qin people starve to death on the Wei River?
This makes me worried about your country!"
Weicheng's words made the faces of the Qin monarch and his ministers look uncertain. Weicheng added: "The Chu State will never be able to change its barbarian nature.
What did Qi and Jin do when they became the hegemons of the world? They maintained peace among the various states.
However, Chu became the largest country, but it bullied Qin in the west, oppressed the royal family in the north, and attempted to tear up the peace agreement and destroy Wu in the east.
King Su once said that if one's virtue does not match his position, heaven will bring disaster upon him.
The monarch is willing to obey the will of heaven and attack the State of Chu. Qin is one of the most important states in the Xia Dynasty. Without your participation, the will of heaven cannot be reflected.
If we can win, then all that Chu has usurped on the plains of Shu will surely be given to Qin by Heaven.”
Wei Houqing certainly did not want Qin to obtain the entire Shu Plain, but now the most important thing was to strike Chu. He would first beat Chu half to death and then let Chu go to the Shu Plain to bleed Qin.
Neither Qin nor Chu can give up the Shu Plain, which will become a meat grinder for the two countries. As long as Wei controls and utilizes it properly, it can continue to cut meat from Qin and Chu.
Thinking of the importance of the Shu Plain and the increasingly unstoppable strength of the Chu State, Qin Bo immediately said: "You are right. The Qin State should obey the will of heaven and unite with the Wei State to attack the Chu State.
Please return to the capital and report to the Marquis of Wei that Qin will send the Xianyang Army to the plains of Shu to contain the main force of the Chu Army."
Although it decided to form an alliance with Wei again, the reputation of Wei Houqing's fickleness made Qin dare not go out of Hangu Pass to make peace with Wei. If Wei Houqing stabbed Qin again and the entire Qin army was destroyed, it would be a crisis of national destruction.
At the same time, Wei began to contact Han and Zhao, which were also part of the Three Jins. Compared with the strength of Wei after the reform, Han and Zhao, which were also part of the Three Jins, were relatively weak.
Han had a relatively small territory and had always been at a disadvantage among the Three Jins. So on the one hand, it formed an alliance with Wei, and on the other hand, it united with Zhao, and also kept swaying towards the royal family with a larger territory.
The State of Zhao was far stronger than the State of Han in terms of both territory and population. If it were not for the enclave occupied by the State of Qin, the land of Zhao could be described as a beautiful place with mountains and rivers.
Wei State had no intention of helping in this regard. It was obvious that it wanted to let Qin and Zhao check and balance each other in order to maintain its position as the leader of the Three Jins.
Facing Wei's request for joint military action, Han Cheng and Zhao Yong thought together, "Wei wants to dominate the world.
After all, the Three Jins are one, and a strong Wei is better than a strong Chu, but Wei must promise enough benefits, and Han and Zhao cannot send troops in vain. "
Faced with the demands of Han and Zhao, Wei Houqing agreed to all of them after making slight modifications. Thus, the three countries of Zhao, Wei and Han formed an alliance again after facing the State of Qin.
I started to love Chu again~
(End of this chapter)
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