Chapter 119: Dissociation, the strategists show off their skills to each other
The sky was clear and blue, but above the earth, there was a solemn and stern scene. The well-equipped bronze armor and the majestic elite soldiers seemed to have stirred up the wind and clouds, and the murderous aura was rising to the sky.
Han Cheng and Zhao Yong looked at the muscular soldiers of Wei State and drooled with envy. "Marquis Wei, your soldiers are truly the strongest army in the world!"
The only two countries that actually came to the Six Nations Alliance were Han and Zhao, while the other three countries sent their princes, which clearly showed that they did not trust the character of Wei Houqing.
Wei Houqing was furious and cursed, "How dare Qi and Qin humiliate me like this? Now they have such ulterior motives in the alliance meeting. Can they work together to attack Chu?"
Weicheng thought this was very reasonable. This was how alliances worked. It was natural for them to argue with each other, so he suggested: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Qin and the Duke of Qi are short-sighted. Are you a wise ruler or a good leader in making alliances?
We should take the lead in showing our sincerity to eliminate the discord within the alliance, so that the purpose of forming alliances can be achieved. The most important thing now is to defeat the State of Chu.
I suggest that Wei, Qin and Qi exchange their princes as hostages, which will surely dispel the vigilance of Qin and Qi."
A proton is not simply a hostage, but a weapon to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, so mutual hostage-taking is a high-level political commitment.
Wei Houqing's eyes lit up, and he could not wait to pretend to sigh and said, "I love my sons, how can I bear to let them be in danger?
But as children of royal families, they have enjoyed all the wealth and glory. How can they sit comfortably in the palace now?
This is incorrect. Let's do as you said and let the young master be the hostage. Tell all the soldiers that I will use the hostage in exchange for the stability of the alliance, so that the soldiers can fight with peace of mind."
The morale of the Wei army was naturally boosted upon hearing this. Wei proposed mutual hostages to show its sincerity, and Qin and Qi naturally agreed. So Wei exchanged princes as hostages with Qin and Qi respectively, and the Heng Alliance seemed to become more stable.
The bitter and bloody wind from the north crossed mountains and rivers and finally arrived in Yingdu.
The State of Chu finally received the news of the alliance of the six nations. The entire city of Ying seemed to have encountered frost and froze in an instant. The birds flying high let out mournful howls, which sounded like a funeral song, and was in line with the current mood of the people of Chu.
The high-ranking nobles of Chu, such as Ling Yin and Sima, came to the palace one after another.
The magnificent palace could not conceal the chilly atmosphere, the beautiful maids could not change the gloomy faces of the King and his ministers of Chu, and the alliance of the six nations reminded everyone of some not-so-good memories.
The King of Chu's face was so dark that he almost died. He asked in a deep voice: "The six countries are attacking Chu in an alliance. Do you think Chu can resist?"
No one spoke because the King of Chu was not asking them, and it was not a question.
If Qin and Wei attacked, Chu would naturally have to meet the enemy, and the outcome was unknown. If Qin, Wei and Wu attacked, Chu could also defend the city, but with the strength of the six countries, it would be a dream to resist.
The King of Chu paused, looked around at everyone and said, "If we had not offended Qin too much in the plains of Shu, Chu would have even conquered Wu and would have been free of worries. How could there be the disaster of the six countries attacking Chu now?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Yin Gong Zi Yu said, "Your Majesty, the six countries joined forces to attack Chu because Chu was too powerful. They were afraid that Chu would attack them, so they took the initiative. This is not something Chu can decide."
Nowadays, the Sima in Chu State is from the Xiang clan. With the passing of Xiang Cheng, there is no longer anyone in the Xiang clan who can coordinate the overall situation, but there are still many excellent commanders.
Sima Xiangyin bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to keep Hanjiang and Nanyang, you must withdraw the garrison in the Shu Plain. The Qin army is not weak, but it was defeated by the Wei army. We must be cautious.
The troops between Huai and Si and the State of Wu must also be withdrawn first, otherwise the coalition forces of Qin, Wei, Qi and Wu will cut off their retreat and our army may be completely wiped out.
The six kingdoms are attacking Chu with great force, but without the support of Luo Kingdom, I don't believe they can really unite as one. If they can find a person with unparalleled eloquence, perhaps they can break up the alliance.
Your Majesty, as long as you give the order, the Xiang family is willing to lead the Chu country's men to die for you on the battlefield, but please forgive me for not being sure of victory."
He knelt on one knee on the ground, and the King of Chu's eyes lit up when he heard it. He caught the flash of inspiration, and hurriedly walked down to help Xiang Yin up, patted Xiang Yin's shoulder vigorously, and laughed: "Xiang Qing.
You are right. I can guess that the reason why Qin and Wu joined Chu's alliance was because Chu pressed them too hard.
However, I am completely puzzled as to why Han, Zhao and Qi joined in the strategy of alliance.
Would Han and Zhao really agree to Wei's proposal of forming an alliance just because they belong to the same Three Jin States?
As you said, resisting the alliance of the six countries is a big deal, but disintegrating the alliance of the six countries is the key to the survival of the State of Chu.
Xiang Qing, please lead the soldiers of Chu to fight against the armies of the six countries to delay time. "
After saying this, he looked around at the officials of the State of Chu in the hall and said loudly: "My lords, among the guests here, is there anyone with unparalleled eloquence? Can he take on the important task of being an envoy for me and the State of Chu?"
Most of the diplomats who came out of the Luo State Academy went to the Three Jin States, and some went to Qi with the Legalists of Qi, but not many came to Chu.
The main reason was that the aristocratic system of the Chu State was too harsh. The hereditary aristocracy system that had long been abolished in the Wei State was deeply rooted in the Chu State.
Xiong Yue, the Lord of Yangwu, stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, among my guests there is a man named Xia Chenyan, who is known for his quick wit and is capable of taking on important tasks. He can serve as an envoy for you."
So the King of Chu quickly ordered someone to summon Xia Chenyan. Xia Chenyan was a scholar who looked a little down and out, but just by looking at him one could make people trust him. He was a very charming person.
The King of Chu then asked, "You are the virtuous man recommended by Lord Yangwu. I want to know how you will save the State of Chu."
Xia Chenyan knelt in front of everyone and said with a smile: "Chu has an army of 500,000, but the soldiers of the six countries are more than a million.
Therefore, we need to reduce the number of troops in the six states. Among the six states, Qi is the weakest. I will go to Qi and ask it to withdraw its troops."
In fact, Chu still had enough time. It was certainly impossible for it to simply prepare for a war with the six countries in just one or two months. From preparing plans to negotiating the attack, if someone deliberately dragged their feet and was slow, it would even take two to three years to prepare.
The war among the various states in the past was said to have lasted only five years, but in fact, it was just the final conflict that had occurred over the past two hundred years. The mobilization, preparation, and strategic goals of both sides had long been completed, and all that was missing was the fuse, so the war was so fast and fierce.
This alliance of six nations was essentially a war for hegemony between Wei and Chu, mixed with Wu's war to defend its country. The rest of the nations were forced to get involved.
Xia Chenyan did not go directly to Qi State, but first sent people to Yan State to bribe the favorite ministers of the Marquis of Yan. Then he learned about the fact that the prime minister of Yan State had dissuaded the Marquis of Yan.
This made Xia Chenyan burst into laughter, and he said to Yang Wujun: "My plan worked."
So Xia Chenyan took the gift from the King of Chu and went directly to the State of Yan. The Marquis of Yan was very surprised at the appearance of the envoy from Chu.
It has always been a transparent person among the various countries. Among the major countries on the border, only Yan State has not been able to deal with the barbarians on the border. This led to the fact that during the war between the Xia states, Yan State had to struggle to resist the Hu people in the north.
"Emissary from Chu, why did you come to Yan?"
Xia Chenyan ordered his men to present the gift from the King of Chu to the Marquis of Yan and said, “Marquis of Yan, when the king paid tribute to the emperor, he thought of you.
The king said, "Among all the countries in the Xia Dynasty, Yan is the only country with the surname Ji that was granted by King Su. If we cannot make friends with Yan, we will not be able to stand proudly in the world."
This is a treasure given to you by the king. Another one was given to the emperor in Luoyi. I hope you like it."
Since the split of Jin State and the retreat of Luo State, the Marquis of Yan has always been quite complacent as the oldest state with the surname Ji. Xia Chenyan understood his temperament and said this.
Hearing Xia Chenyan's compliments and seeing the treasures sent by the King of Chu, the Marquis of Yan was very proud and laughed loudly, "Your Excellency, the Marquis of Chu is really too polite. Who in the world doesn't know how powerful the State of Chu is?"
The two sides chatted for a while, and Xia Chenyan pretended to smile and said, "Lord Yan, after I arrived in Jicheng, I saw merchants from Qi bringing a large amount of grain to Jicheng. Some people from Yan said that the price of grain in Qi is very high.
Yan has two thousand miles of territory. Why don't you cut down giant trees in the northern forests in exchange for food from Qi?
This will surely reduce the price of food.”
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Yan laughed and said, "Your Excellency, the growth of the giant tree is too slow, can it be exchanged for a lot of food?
My minister said that Yan State has 2,000 li of land. If we can grow food on this land, we will no longer need to go to Qi State to exchange for food. "
Xia Chenyan was surprised and asked: "Lord Yan, who gave you this idea? Please kill him immediately!"
As soon as these words came out, the face of the Marquis of Yan suddenly became serious, and the atmosphere at the banquet even became a little colder. The favorite minister who received the bribe from Xia Chenyan immediately said, "Your Excellency, what do you mean by this? Would the minister of the monarch speak nonsense?"
Xia Chenyan said quickly: "Lord Yan, when I was on my way to Yan, I passed by Shangqiu and saw a man from Song climbing up a fruit tree to look for something. So I asked him, 'Man from Song, what are you doing on that tree?'
The man from Song said, "I was very hungry and wanted to eat fish, so I came to the tree to look for fish."
The Song people looked for fish in the trees, but of course they couldn't find any, so they went home hungry.
The land of Yan State is vast, but not suitable for farming. Your ministers advised you to grow crops in Yan State. Isn't that like catching fish in a tree?
I don't know what your minister is thinking, but your tone is so trusting of him, but you got such a result. You are a benevolent monarch, and I am really worried about you. "
The standard rhetoric of a strategist is to always stand in the perspective of the person being persuaded, then change the concepts and use the selfishness and ego of human nature to achieve one's own goals.
The Marquis of Yan immediately asked his favorite minister, "Is the land of Yan not suitable for farming?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Ji immediately said, "Yes, my lord. With the same area of land, the output of Yan State is less than one-third of that of Qi and Luo State, and most of the land in Yan State cannot be cultivated."
The Duke of Yan's face had turned completely cold. He had originally wanted to attack the State of Qi, but was persuaded by the Prime Minister.
But now he suddenly found out that the prime minister had deceived him. He could not suppress his anger at all and roared, "Traitor prime minister! You must have accepted bribes from Qi!
Otherwise, I would have conquered Qi and be sitting in Linzi City by now."
Xia Chenyan almost laughed out loud. There was no need for him to direct his firepower towards Qi. The king of Yan was really smart.
At this time, we only need to add fuel to the fire. Xia Chenyan heard this and said, "The relationship between Yan and Qi is like that between Chu and Wu.
Initially, Wu conquered the capital of Chu but failed to destroy it. Today, Wu is in danger of extinction.
Qi has fertile land and a large population. The longer time goes on, the stronger it will become. When Qi is strong enough to destroy Yan, it will definitely head north to seize Yan's land. What should Yan do then?
Your Prime Minister, because of the bribes of the Qi people, brought Yan into a dangerous situation. When Qi attacked Chu, took back the Huai and Si lands, and developed for another 20 years, and restored the hegemony of Duke Huan of Qi...
well!
I feel sad for you and the State of Yan. Isn't it unfair for a benevolent and wise monarch like you to end up like this?"
In just a few words, the fact that the prime minister accepted bribes from the people of Qi was confirmed. Regardless of whether he took it or not, the Marquis of Yan believed that he did.
"hateful!"
Inspired by Xia Chenyan's words "benevolent and wise", the Duke of Yan believed that his decision was correct and that Yan must go to war with Qi as soon as possible.
The Duke of Yan thought about the six kingdoms joining forces to attack Chu, and thought about how the six kingdoms actually ignored Yan. He decided to let the other kingdoms see the strength of Yan's soldiers.
Having fought against the Hu people for many years, the soldiers of Yan State were very elite, but the national strength was weak only because of its small population.
"Your Excellency, please report to the Marquis of Chu that Yan is willing to form an alliance with Chu to disrupt the alliance of the six countries.
When Qi raises its army and marches south, Yan will attack Qi, and the Qi army will be thrown into chaos. This is what I can do."
The chaos in the Qi army would disrupt the Huaisi camps of both Qin and Wei at the same time, because Qin and Wei would not sit idly by and watch the Qi army return to the empty Huaisi. Who knows whether Qi would take the opportunity to seize the city.
Xia Chenyan was shocked and said, "Lord Yan, you are not only kind, but also a natural commander. You were able to come up with the strategy of besieging Qi to save Chu in such a short time. You are worthy of being a general."
As soon as Xia Chenyan left Yan State, he rushed to Han State without stopping. Qi State and Han State were the two weakest links in the strategy of "lianheng" and were the weaknesses that could be broken.
————
The Duke of Yan wanted to attack Qi, but the Prime Minister of Yan advised him against it, saying, "It is unwise to attack Qi. Yan is two thousand miles in area, and it is a prosperous country with abundant grain. Qi will surely decline."
The Duke of Yan followed his advice and stopped attacking Qi.
Xia Chenyan was sent to Yan and saw that Qi had grain in Yan at a very high price. He said, "Yan has huge trees. If we exchange them for grain, we will have abundant grain."
The Duke of Yan said, "There are few trees, so we cannot change them for long. We should open up land and plant crops to make the country prosperous."
Xia Chen said: "Yan is a land of bitter cold, and growing grain to make a prosperous country is like trying to catch fish by climbing a tree."
The Duke of Yan was furious and suspected that the Prime Minister had accepted bribes from Qi. He killed the Prime Minister in Ji and planned to attack Qi again.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
