Chapter 48: Decision
What is the world's genius?
King Su and Duke Wen of Luo are both people who are gradually being deified. The most recent one is Duke Xuan of Luo, who single-handedly saved the world from falling and is still being praised today.
What kind of people are the sage kings and wise ministers recorded in history books?
A man of great talent like Duke Wen of Luo and a wise man like Duke Xuan of Luo who could turn the tide when the situation was already bad only existed in stories, but no one had ever seen them.
But now, the people of Qi have seen it.
"Zhong Xiang's ability is like the bright moon in the sky. We cannot even compare with the stars." This was the unanimous praise from the ministers of Qi.
"Only after seeing the ability of the Prime Minister can I understand what King Su said, that the ancient sages were able to understand the changes of heaven and man, and it was not an empty statement."
During the past five years, such praise filled every corner of Qi State. Even a child in Linzi City knew of Guan Zhong's ability.
All this was due to the prosperity of Qi State at that time.
Five years ago, Guan Zhong became the prime minister of Qi. He launched a series of reforms within Qi. In just a few years, Qi became rich and strong under his governance.
A minor defeat three years ago did not cause even the slightest ripple.
No one picked up lost items on the streets, and no one locked their doors at night. The treasury was full, and the country was in great peace.
In the past, we all thought it was just something from a book, but when it appeared in reality, the shock to everyone was beyond words.
In the Qi Palace, another year's tax report was submitted. Lu Xiaobai looked at the ever-increasing numbers and couldn't help but smile happily.
"Ah Zhong, in my life, my parents gave birth to me, my uncle raised me, and you are the one who made me who I am."
Guan Zhong respectfully sat in the second seat and said with a smile: "The king is a man favored by heaven.
My current achievements have nothing to do with me.
On the contrary, the reason I have gained a little fame is because of your trust."
Guan Zhong had always been like this, and Lu Xiaobai had long been accustomed to it. He asked, "Ah Zhong, when you first took charge of the country five years ago, you said to respect the king and repel the barbarians. Is it time now?"
Hearing Lü Xiaobai asking about politics, Guan Zhong sat up and said solemnly, "Sir, it is time to expel the barbarians, but it is not yet time to honor the king."
Guan Zhong's words confused Lu Xiaobai, and he asked, "Aren't respecting the king and expelling the barbarians the same thing?
Do you want Qi to be the only one to fight against the barbarians? The barbarians are rampant all over the world, how can Qi be able to wipe them out? "
Lu Xiaobai has always been optimistic, but he didn't think that Qi could be so strong.
The Qin State and the Western Rong have been fighting for nearly a hundred years, and the winner is still unknown. The Chu State has been a powerful country since the Xiongnu period, and is still fighting the Southern Barbarians.
If these barbarians were so weak, the ancestors of Qi would have wiped them out long ago. They would not have survived until now.
Guan Zhong shook his head and smiled, "Don't worry, my lord. I will tell you right away.
Ever since King Su wrote "The Kingly Way", among all the Chinese people, only one kind of prestige has been the most convincing, and that is to repel the barbarians.
Why was Luo State so prestigious among the princes?
Was it because of the Zhou royal family's trust? The princes and the royal family were already at odds with each other, so how could they respect Luo State because of the royal family?
The real reason was that every time the State of Luo respected a king, it would gather the strength of various countries in Xia and help the weak vassal states, which won them great prestige.
The State of Luo cares a lot about the achievements of the princes in expelling the barbarians!
It is extremely important that even though Xiong Dun usurped the throne and proclaimed himself king, he was spared by Duke Wen of Luo because of his contribution in eliminating the southern barbarians.
The State of Chu had been regarded as a barbarian for two hundred years. Could it be included in the Chinese kingdom just by marrying a queen?
It would have been fine if Crown Prince Dao had ascended the throne, but it was King Xi who eventually became the emperor.
The State of Chu is recognized now because a hundred years ago, Luo Gongzi Yan served in the State of Chu.
The Luo Marquis of all generations never considered noble bloodline, but only two things: one was respecting the king and paying homage, and the other was the merit in expelling the barbarians.
If you want to dominate the various states, you must get the approval of Luo Hou.
If you want to be recognized by Lord Luo, you must have made great contributions in expelling the barbarians.
Moreover, Qi’s power among the nations is not strong enough, and many princes still view Qi with the same eyes as during the time of Lu Wujiu.
After five years of reform, a country with thousands of chariots needs a brilliant victory to announce the power of Qi to the entire world. "
The existence of Luo State made the term "Zhu Xia" engraved into the genes of the princes earlier as Zhou rituals developed.
After three hundred years of development, a unified cultural circle of the Xia Dynasty has emerged.
All diplomatic etiquette between countries must be known, and all major events occurring between countries will be reported to other vassal states.
Even in history books, there are foreign historians recording the history of their own country.
If a monarch wants to kill a historian because the historian records his shortcomings, then historians from other countries will also record his shortcomings. This is mutual identity recognition.
The hegemony of Qi State lies in making all the princes in this circle recognize that he is the leader, who has strength and prestige and can settle disputes for everyone.
Lu Xiaobai understood and said excitedly: "I understand what Ah Zhong said.
Now all the countries in the Xia Dynasty are suffering from the invasion of foreigners.
If Qi can gain the upper hand in the war with the barbarians, it will let other countries know how powerful Qi is now.
In this way, inviting all the countries to form an alliance will surely be a win-win situation, and my uncle will be able to legitimately crown me as the hegemon."
Using the name of kingly way to practice hegemonic way in reality, this is the path that Guan Zhong chose for the State of Qi, and it is also what Luo Xiu hoped to see.
"Laiyi!
It is truly hateful. Ever since our ancestors founded the country, the Laiyi have been invading us constantly, and wars have continued for three hundred years.
One hundred years ago, they took advantage of the weakness of Zhou and joined other barbarians to invade the Central Plains. If our country is strong and cannot wipe out these barbarians who refuse to obey the king, then we must not have the destiny to dominate!"
The king and his minister formulated a war plan against Lai Yi, and the entire Qi State was immediately mobilized. Troops were dispatched from the villages and towns that were divided into special war areas by Guan Zhong.
These people are usually organized for training, and their combat effectiveness is much stronger than the temporary conscripted peasant soldiers and slave soldiers in the past.
Moreover, Qi had a large population and a large number of military forces.
Qi was a big country. According to Zhou Li, it was able to have three armies, which meant 37,500 people. In fact, the military figures of many countries were very inflated.
Qi's army naturally far exceeded this number, but now the royal family is in decline, there are many barbarians, and all countries generally far exceed the regulations.
The regular army of Qi State led a total of 100,000 troops for this expedition. Of course, there were not that many elite soldiers among these people. For example, there were only a few thousand elite soldiers like the Luo State's brave warriors who were fully dedicated to their work.
But the other 90,000 were definitely not the kind of army that would collapse at the first blow. These people were all soldiers who had received military training. This was the strategy of integrating soldiers and civilians in Guan Zhong's reform.
The huge amount of food and fodder needed for an army of 100,000 would take some time to mobilize even with Qi's current wealth.
As for chariots, there is no need to say more. Qi is now a country with thousands of chariots, but even though it is also a country with thousands of chariots, there are differences.
For example, the State of Qi had thousands of chariots, while the State of Song had only a thousand chariots. If one broke down during a war, there probably wouldn't even be any spare ones.
Because this was Qi's first battle before the other states, Guan Zhong was very cautious and considered all aspects. The preliminary preparations alone took a full three months.
Faced with the mobilization of an army of more than 100,000, only a fool would lead the army into battle within a few days. That is not called fighting, that is called committing suicide.
After Doctor An Ning lost to the State of Qu last time, he felt ashamed and stopped leading the troops himself, but instead took on the task of transporting food and fodder.
The leader of the Qi army this time was named Zhang Qi, who was personally selected by Guan Zhong to be the Grand Marshal of Qi. Guan Zhong accompanied the army as the Prime Minister.
Zhang Qi was born into the royal family of the Yan State. She was a Yan noble who followed Xi Yi after she was promoted to the Lady of Qi State according to custom.
Over the years, he has gained Lu Xiaobai's trust.
He was extremely brave and had strategy, so Guan Zhong valued him very much. This time, when he was conquering Laiyi, he specially appointed him as a general.
Outside Linzi City, Lu Xiaobai personally saw Guan Zhong and Zhang Qi off, and the three of them each held a glass of wine.
"Mr. Zhang, I will hand over the 100,000 men of Qi to you. When you return victorious, I will reward you."
Zhang Qi held the wine and said, "Your Majesty, I was originally just an idle member of the royal family in Yan State. I followed my wife to Qi State and lived a carefree life.
I never thought that I would gain your trust and be able to lead a large army just by making a few insignificant contributions.
I know that this is all due to your favor towards my wife and your trust in Prime Minister, which has benefited me.
King Su said that if one receives favors from others but does not repay them, he is not worthy of being a human being.
Now I finally have the chance to go to the battlefield and repay your kindness.
I am willing to pay any price, even if I cannot go to heaven to meet Haotian and Su Wang after my death, I must conquer Laiyi Kingdom for you.
Your Majesty, please accept my greeting! "
As he said this, he choked up and knelt on one knee in front of Lu Xiaobai.
In this era, even kneeling on one knee was a very important etiquette. Lu Xiaobai quickly helped Zhang Qi up and said emotionally, "Okay, Mr. Zhang, I will be waiting for good news from you and the Prime Minister in Linzi City."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
