Chapter 216: Obey or you will be king, disobey or you will die
Luo Ling rode in a carriage to Lingnan and arrived at the location of the southern expedition army. Faced with Luo's sudden appearance, the top leaders of the southern expedition army were extremely surprised and hurriedly reported to Zhao Tuo.
There was never a person that Luo wanted to see that he could not meet, and Zhao Tuo was no exception. He quickly put on his clothes and went out to meet Luo Ling.
At the same time, I secretly wondered why Luo Ling came here. Was he trying to recruit me?
Zhao Tuo had a general idea of what was happening in the Central Plains. In fact, Hu Hai had already sent him a letter asking him to lead his troops back.
But he was very hesitant, as he originally thought that Prince Fusu would succeed to the throne.
It’s not that he is loyal to Prince Fusu, but because Fusu’s succession to the throne means that the succession will be smooth.
Now that this young boy Hu Hai has succeeded to the throne, it means that something unexpected must have happened in the country.
He didn't want to go back and get involved in this mess. While he was struggling, news of a massive rebellion broke out in the Central Plains, which made Zhao Tuo even more hesitant.
If Luo Ling wanted to surrender him, he would be unwilling to do so. Although Lingnan was remote, he was the leader of millions of people here. His words could decide life and death, so who could give up?
There was a hint of pride on Zhao Tuo's face, which showed that he was not afraid of Luo. No matter what Luo said next, he would keep the initiative in his own hands.
However, as a general of the Qin Dynasty, he treated Luo with courtesy when he saw him and did not arrest him directly, which is very telling.
The two of them arrived in the city, and everyone stared at Luo Ling with sparkling eyes. Zhao Tuo opened his tiger eyes and said loudly: "I heard that there was chaos in the Central Plains. It was Qin that destroyed Zhou, and Luo was the one who destroyed Qin. I think Luo must have been behind it, right?
You came here alone, are you so confident that you can escape unscathed?"
Luo Ling smiled, as if a spring breeze was blowing on his face, and said with a smile: "When our ancestor Duke Wen met the military leader Xiong Dun, and our ancestor Duke Xuan met the traitor Shen Gan, they both went alone into the midst of thousands of troops. What is there to be afraid of?
Are you going to kill me here?
Your Majesty, please put aside such thoughts."
Luo Ling had a smile on his face, but there was a sharpness in his words. "You, Zhao Tuo, want to force me with life and death, but you don't even look at who is in front of you. When has the Luo family ever been afraid of death? And King Su is above us, do you think you can kill me?"
Zhao Tuo paused when he heard this, and everyone was in an uproar, but there was nothing to refute. Zhao Tuo said unwillingly: "Lord Ziling, as you have seen along the way, my soldiers have been able to capture cities and strongholds without any obstacles.
The tribes of South Vietnam surrendered immediately when they saw this, and no one dared to resist.
Such an army has 500,000 soldiers. There are 500,000 such strong soldiers in the Qin Dynasty. Have you ever seen an army stronger than this?"
Zhao Tuo took Luo Ling to the camp, and along the way they were in awe of their soldiers and armor. The army left in Lingnan was indeed elite troops who had seen blood, but five hundred thousand was just bragging.
Although soldiers and civilians are now integrated, the truly most elite troops of 30,000 to 50,000 armored soldiers are considered a top-tier force, and 500,000 includes logistics and other aspects.
However, hundreds of thousands of people represent a huge potential for war. Even if some soldiers are lost temporarily, they can be quickly replenished. This is why Luo Ling came here.
So he smiled and asked: "General, is the strength of an army determined by the number of people and the sharpness of weapons?
You must have heard about Chen Sheng's uprising. He was just a farmer, leading hundreds of people, using wood as weapons and cloth as armor. He had no wise men to help him plan, and no brave general like you to rely on. However, he captured cities and strongholds along the way. The Qin soldiers had strong cities and sharp swords, but they could not stop them.
Now chaos is gradually rising in the country. The rebel army has seized weapons from various counties. They have swords, armor, equipment, bows and crossbows. Can the Qin soldiers still resist?
Let alone an army of 500,000 or 1 million, even if the Qin people exhausted all their strength, failure would probably be the only outcome. "
Zhao Tuo snorted, "If that's the case, I wonder why Lord Ziling came to Lingnan to see me today?"
Zhao Tuo thought to himself, since I am such a waste, and you still come here to see me, I want to hear what you have to say.
Luo Ling said solemnly: "You have made great contributions to the Chinese nation by conquering Nanyue. The Luo family appreciates and praises your achievements, so I came here to save your life."
Everyone burst into laughter, and Zhao Tuo asked, "Lord Ziling, are you a strategist?
"I have 500,000 soldiers at my side. If the First Emperor were still alive, my life and death might be in the hands of others, but is there anyone who can harm me now?"
Luo Ling looked at Zhao Tuo coldly without saying anything.
I watched him laugh out loud, watched his laughter fade away, watched his face become solemn.
Then he said leisurely: "You have an army of 500,000 under your command, and you have the ability to change the world and rebuild the world. Ling wants to ask you, where do you want to go? Your choice will determine your life or death."
Zhao Tuo said solemnly: "Why would you ask such a question?
I am a general of the Qin Dynasty. Shouldn't I be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor?
Now the rebels in Shandong are like tiny sparks of fire, igniting across the world. All I can do is lead the army back to the Central Plains and fight for the country and ancestral temple of the Qin Dynasty."
Luo Ling is a monster obsessed with power struggles. To this extent, his ability to read people's expressions is basically at the level of a lie detector.
After all, in a top-level power struggle, you can't let your own people stab you in the back. Zhao Tuo pretended to be a loyal minister, but Luo Ling could see the weakness and hesitation in his heart at a glance.
Luo Ling actually sang a poem that the Qin people only used at funerals. Zhao Tuo's face changed color. Everyone wanted to attack but was stopped by Zhao Tuo because at the moment when he had the murderous intention, he seemed to see ten big men staring at him.
After Luo Ling finished singing, he sighed, "Alas, I feel sad for you. It seems that you are going to die. When you die, I will definitely erect a stone tablet for you to record your great military achievements in South Vietnam."
"Lord Ziling, why do you want to humiliate me like this? Is it because of your noble status? If you can't give me an explanation, today will be the end of blood spilling five steps!"
Although his words are sharp, he lacks courage. He appears to be fierce but is actually weak. It is nothing more than this.
Luo Ling stood tall and said loudly: "What do you mean by humiliation?
If I enter the city today, I will kick you off your horse and step on your face. That would be a humiliation.
I came here to say I would save you, do you really think I was just saying it casually?
With the help of King Su, the Great Qin will surely perish. How can you, a small Qin general, survive when the nest is overturned?
When the First Emperor passed away, Hu Hai succeeded to the throne. All the people in the world were against him. You led your troops north, and all your subordinates were Chu people. The world was in chaos, and the Qin law collapsed. If Xiang Shi made a call, the Chu people under your command would betray you.
The tyrannical Qin Dynasty was overthrown and the new dynasty was established. Do you think you can survive?
Five hundred thousand people? Five million people will also turn you into ashes!
If you hadn't made great contributions in conquering the barbarians of South Vietnam, do you think I would have bothered to save your life?"
Luo Ling glared at everyone, his hair moving without wind, the holy marks becoming brighter, he was awe-inspiring and filled with murderous intent, and everyone was horrified.
Zhao Tuo was still stubborn even though Luo Ling spoke kindly. Luo Ling responded with harsh words, and Zhao Tuo's attitude changed instantly. Luo Ling said that all his subordinates were Chu people, which directly hit the nail on the head. He didn't dare to go back because all his subordinates were Chu people, and he was worried about betrayal.
As for staying in Nanyue and establishing himself as king, he did have this thought, but he knew that as long as the Central Plains was unified, he would not be able to hold on. Luo Ling's words made it very clear that once the new dynasty was established, he, a general of the previous dynasty, would just have to wait for death.
So he said in a gentle voice: "Sit down, Lord Ziling. Tuo didn't mean that. Please save Tuo's life. How dare I not obey whatever you say?"
Seeing this, Luo Ling said in a slightly slower tone: "If you rise up and join the Shandong kings in fighting against Qin, it will be the best choice."
Luo Ling knew that Zhao Tuo would not agree, but he still had to say it.
As expected, Zhao Tuo shook his head and said, "I should obey you, but I am stationed in Lingnan, where there are many barbarians who do not obey the king. I failed to complete the order of the First Emperor and betrayed him. This is not what a loyal minister should do."
Luo Ling said: "In this case, General, you should stay in Lingnan. Lingnan is isolated. As long as the canals and roads are controlled, it will not be connected to the outside world.
You are doing the work of the Xia monarch here to subdue the people. When the Lord of Destiny of the Central Plains appears and rules the world, you will serve as a barrier and millions of people will come to you.
For such a great achievement, is there any other way to reward you besides making you a king?
If you obey me, you can be crowned king and pass on the title to your descendants. If you do not obey me, I can tell you clearly that Lingnan is an inseparable part of the Chinese nation and the future emperor must occupy Lingnan. You will surely die in this land full of miasma and snakes, insects, rats and ants."
Zhao Tuo did not care about Luo Ling's intimidation. He was overjoyed when he heard it, because he had got the political commitment he wanted from the Luo family.
He will establish his own territorial sovereignty here and will not be liquidated in the future. This is what Luo said. Luo's promises have always been trustworthy, because if Luo breaks his promise, he will fight to the death.
Similarly, if anyone dares to break their promise to the Luo family, they will hunt him down to the ends of the earth. No matter whether you are sincere or not, the Luo family will execute your words. Anyone who does not keep his promise will be wiped out.
Zhao Tuo said happily: "What Lord Ziling said, I will keep in mind. Five hundred thousand people worked day and night to open up Nanyue. The spirit of the King Su is in heaven, and the glory of the Chinese people will last for thousands of years!"
As soon as these last two sentences were spoken, the atmosphere in the entire hall changed. Everyone looked at Zhao Tuo with some strangeness. As a Qin person, you have changed your faith to King Su?
I didn't expect that you, a general promoted by the First Emperor himself, would forget about the First Emperor so quickly. But think about the ministers trusted by the First Emperor. Although each of them is very capable, it seems that none of them is truly loyal to him.
Everyone was afraid of the First Emperor, did things in a submissive manner, and vied with each other to please him, but no one loved him. Once he died, they all threw his will and ambitions aside and started planning for themselves.
"The spirit of the Su King is in heaven, and the glory of the Xia people will last for thousands of years."
I don’t know what they are thinking in their hearts, but their bodies are very honest. What is there worth lingering about in Qin?
As soon as Zhao Tuo took the lead, they immediately turned against them. The Luo family made it clear that everyone could survive and Zhao Tuo could even be crowned king, so it would not be a problem for them to get some fiefdom under Zhao Tuo.
Think about the past, Wang Jian had made such great contributions, but was only given the title of marquis.
After the Qin Dynasty unified the country, Zhao Tuo and Meng Tian, despite their great contributions, were not even granted the title of marquis.
The world belongs to the emperor alone. If that is the case, now that we have all rebelled, let's see if you, the emperor, can govern the world alone.
Luo looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The hearts of the heroes in the world can be seen from this. Everyone is waiting to be divided into lands and be granted titles. Those who are too independent will not be able to get the world.
Zhao Tuo led the entire Southern Expedition Corps' senior leaders to see Luo Ling off. Luo Ling held his hand and said, "General, Nanyue is now in your hands. Ling is heading north to gather heroes. Within five years, the tyrannical Qin will surely fall. Wherever the Mandate of Heaven falls, it will be revealed on the day when the tyrannical Qin collapses. But no matter what, Ling will keep his promise and bring you the golden seal of the king."
Zhao Tuo said with tears in his eyes: "Alas, if Lord Ziling had not come, I would have been beheaded at some point. If I could become rich and powerful in the future, I would never forget your kindness today. It's a pity that you have a great cause and cannot stay in Nanyue for long. I cannot serve you. This is my fault."
The two held hands with tears in their eyes. They were about to part, and they were full of affection. Everyone shed tears. Luo Ling got on the carriage, and the atmosphere of parting was swept away. The south had been settled, the world had been in turmoil, the heroes of Shandong had risen up, and the magic weapon had arrived.
Tyrannical Qin, please die!
My First Emperor, your dream of lasting eternity will end in the second generation!
————
Ling entered Lingnan and met Zhao Tuo. At that time, Zhao Tuo led 500,000 Qin soldiers and was quite arrogant. Ling said to Zhao Tuo: "You lead so many Qin soldiers, where are you going?"
Zhao Tuo said: "As a general of Qin, I should serve the king and lead the troops back to revitalize our country."
Ling was cautious and clever by nature, able to read people's minds. He detected that his words were not true, so he sang the Qin funeral song to him, saying that Hua Tuo was about to die.
Hua Tuo was furious and said, "What have I done wrong? You have insulted me to such an extent! Please explain it to me. If you cannot, I will splatter blood for five steps!"
Ling rebuked him sternly, saying: "I have insulted you by trampling on your head, but you do not know the destiny and are talking nonsense about heading north.
When the First Emperor died, the Second Emperor came to power, and the whole world attacked him. Your subordinates were all Chu people, so you led your troops back. When the whole world called for your help, fifteen or sixteen people rebelled. When the Qin Dynasty was destroyed and the new dynasty was established, you will die!"
Ling's words cut his bones, and Hua Tuo was worried day and night. He said, "What do you think? As long as you have something to say that does not violate morality, Hua Tuo will follow it."
Ling said: "You can lead the army to the north and join the other kings in the uprising. If you can destroy Qin, you will be honored with honor."
Zhao Tuo said: "No, I was ordered to defend Nanyue. It is not right for a minister to betray his master before his mission is accomplished."
Ling said: "I know what you are worried about. Please listen to me. Nanyue is closed and the tunnels are blocked. Even if there are millions of people, they cannot cross. You can establish yourself and build the country of the Xia Dynasty. You can live in peace and wait for the new king to rule the world. You will be a vassal. How can you repay your great achievements without the throne of a king?"
If you obey, you will be king. If you don’t obey, you will die. You should think carefully. "
Tuo agreed, and Ling returned. Later Tuo became king and gave Ling countless gold, silver and beautiful jades, saying: "I am where I am today, firstly because of the grace of the emperor, and secondly because of Ling's words." - "Records of the Grand Historian: The Family of Duke Zhao of Luo"
I lost a thousand-word manuscript. I'm so annoyed.
(End of this chapter)
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