Chapter 51: BlazBlue Alliance
Blazwing.
This is not a famous city in Qi State, but Lu Xiaobai chose this place because the name has a good meaning. Qi State is about to spread its wings and soar to dominate the world.
It doesn’t matter that you are not famous now. Qi Yan was also unknown in the beginning. However, Duke Wen of Luo convened a coalition of loyal princes in Qi Yan and finally achieved great success. Didn’t he still leave his name in history?
The State of Qi had already built a high loess platform here, which was higher than the regulations for the alliance meetings of the princes ordered by the king, and all the necessary items for the alliance had been prepared.
This was Qi's first alliance, and more than a dozen princes were invited. It is still unknown how many princes will respond to the invitation and come.
Lu Xiaobai's expression was full of anxiety, while Guan Zhong's expression was very calm.
"Ah Zhong, aren't you worried that no other princes will come to the alliance?
Although we have just defeated Laiyi State and caused a great shock among the Xia states, Qi State has been experiencing political turmoil for decades and has no prestige among the states.
What if no one comes, wouldn’t Qi become a joke?
If I had my uncle's prestige, the princes would certainly follow my lead, and I wouldn't have to worry."
Guan Zhong naturally understood Lu Xiaobai's worries. He was a member of the royal family of Luo State and was even more familiar with the prestige of the Luo family. He sipped the wine carefully and comforted him, "Your Majesty, you don't have to belittle yourself.
Luo Hou's prestige was not earned by himself, but was accumulated by the unswerving determination of successive Luo Hous over the past four hundred years.
Besides, although Luo Hou’s prestige is high, it is not necessarily a good thing.
The Luo Hous of all generations have been trapped in the shackles of reputation, and their every move is watched by countless people.
He is not an ordinary person, but has become a symbol.
It already has a fixed image in the hearts of people all over the world, even though the world has changed over thousands of years.
Luo Hou must be like that, and can only be like that.
Is this something that can be accomplished by human power? Perhaps it was God's will that gave Luoguo a mission.
Therefore, although Marquis Luo had unparalleled prestige, he was also placed on a pedestal. Otherwise, with the strength of the Luo State, it would have been able to annex those small countries long ago.
But Luo State could not do it because it was against etiquette.
Once he breaks that barrier, four hundred years of reputation will collapse, and everyone will feel uncomfortable in the unfamiliar Luo country. "
This was the first time Xiao Bai heard such a statement, and he was very curious, "So, my uncle has the ability but he doesn't want to be the overlord, but instead leaves this matter to me?"
Guan Zhong smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right.
So no matter what other princes, Marquis Luo will definitely send someone.
Moreover, I predict that it should be Prince Xi, and Marquis Luo will not come here to steal your limelight."
Lu Xiaobai patted his knees and said, "If my uncle comes, it won't matter if I give up the position of leader.
If you don't come, I will unite the princes for my uncle and help the Chinese people. This has always been the long-cherished wish of the Su Wang lineage."
In fact, Guan Zhong was still confident in his heart. Not to mention other countries, Handan, Xing and Ju would definitely come this time.
As for Wei, Song, Zheng and Qu, they would not come if they did not want to. Qi just needed some vassal states to demonstrate its military power.
As the two were talking, they heard the guards come to report that the Luo State's convoy had arrived. Guan Zhong and Lu Xiaobai had never expected that the Luo State would come directly to the meeting place without submitting any documents first.
The two men smiled at each other. It seemed that Luo State was indeed very supportive of Qi's dominance without any hesitation. So Lu Xiaobai hurriedly took Guan Zhong out to greet them.
When Luo Xi walked into the meeting place, he saw the magnificent rammed earth platform. The yellow soil had been watered and was very compact, so there was no dust when walking on it.
He couldn't help but nodded with satisfaction. It seemed that Qi had put a lot of effort into this alliance. Then he saw Lu Xiaobai and Guan Zhong running towards him.
"Brother!" Lu Xiaobai hadn't seen Luo Xi for many years and felt quite close to him. For a moment he even had the feeling of returning to Luo Country. He was about to bow down and salute Luo Xi, but was supported by Luo Xi instead.
"Marquis Qi, you can't do that!" Luo Xi said sternly, "You are the Marquis Qi appointed by the Emperor, and I am only the Crown Prince of Luo. How can a superior bow to a subordinate first?
When King Su was ordered to serve as regent and assist King Kang, he only dared to accept King Kang's bow once, and then bowed to King Kang three times.
You bow to me first, this is against etiquette, Marquis Qi, Prince Xi of Luo State greets you!"
As he spoke, he bowed to Lu Xiaobai. Everyone who saw this scene couldn't help but feel a good impression of Luo Xi. She was worthy of being the descendant of King Su.
Luo Xi's action was naturally not just out of courtesy, but also to send a signal to everyone that Luo State strongly supports Qi State.
The Luo family was an important part of the sanctity of the Zhou state, which was what Qi needed.
Lu Xiaobai didn't want to accept the bow at first, but Guan Zhong pulled his sleeve from behind, and Lu Xiaobai, who always obeyed Guan Zhong's words, accepted Luo Xi's bow.
Then he immediately turned around to thank him, and the two of them walked in hand in hand.
After entering the meeting place, Lu Xiaobai said happily: "Brother, I am very happy that you can come. I am no longer panicked.
Previously, the countries had not yet sent their documents, so I don’t know how many countries will be able to come, but with Luo Country here, it’s worth more than tens of millions.”
Luo Xi smiled and said, "Qi has always been a powerful country in the East, especially after defeating Lai Yi and expanding its territory by a thousand miles, shocking all the Xia countries. In the past fifty years, it has conquered all the Xia countries. Is there any other vassal state that can have such power?"
With Luo Xi's arrival, responses from other princes gradually came. Handan, Xing, Ju, Cai and Chen all agreed to come to the alliance.
Song was in the midst of civil strife so no one came. Yan was fighting the Shanrong. Qu did not come either because of a previous war with Qi. Some small vassal states that were dependent on Qu and Song also did not come.
As for the slightly larger countries such as Wei and Zheng, they were still watching. They were all princes of the Ji clan and were once considered big countries. They were unwilling to submit to Qi.
This is because Qi had a special status among the princes of different surnames. If Chu and Qin dared to invite them to an alliance, they would probably humiliate them directly.
The scale of this alliance was not really large, and it was even smaller than the Qi Yan Alliance organized by Luo Wengong and others two hundred years ago. Faced with this situation, Lu Xiaobai felt a little embarrassed and wanted to back out.
"Brother, Ah Zhong, there are so few countries participating in the alliance. The leader of the alliance is not as good as the princes who are under the command of the king. What is the meaning of this alliance?
Should we hold the meeting at another time?"
Luo Xi advised solemnly: "Xiao Bai, some time ago you said that we should respect the king and expel the barbarians, but now it's just that a few countries that don't understand the reality have not arrived.
As the saying goes, three people make a crowd. Now five countries are willing to come. If you change the time of the alliance now, you will lose credibility among the countries that are willing to come to the alliance.
When the next alliance comes, they may not come, which will have a great impact on your prestige.
You can't be impatient in accumulating prestige. You have only been the king for five years. If you defeat Lai Yi, then Handan, Xing, Ju, Cai and Chen will be willing to obey you.
This is already a very good result.
Since the establishment of Zhou Dynasty, except for serving the king, it has always been the emperor who held alliances with the princes.
If you can convene an alliance with other countries as a vassal this time, it will be an achievement worthy of being recorded in history books.
In the future, when you respect the king and repel the barbarians and your power grows stronger, I am afraid that all the princes in the world will follow you.
The high prestige of Luo State was gained by honoring the king for three hundred years. If Qi State could honor the king for another hundred years, perhaps it would be another Luo State?"
Luo Xi's words made Lu Xiaobai's heart surge, so he gave up the idea of changing the time for the alliance meeting. When the kings of the five countries arrived, the alliance meeting would officially begin.
The State of Luo did not participate in the alliance, but only served as a witness, announcing to the world that it supported Qi's behavior of respecting the king and expelling the barbarians.
This can be regarded as a gesture of goodwill towards the royal family, and a warning to the various states that although the Luo Kingdom no longer serves as the emperor's minister, it is still very concerned about the survival of the royal family. They still need to be careful when doing things for the royal family, otherwise the Luo Kingdom will not let them off easily.
Guan Zhong echoed, "Your Majesty, the reason why Yan State did not come is that it is busy with the war. The Marquis of Yan sent a letter to express his apology to our country and expressed his willingness to accept you as the leader of the alliance. This is understandable.
As for the states of Qu, Zheng, Wei, and Song, who are not coming, we will start with Qu after the meeting is over. We will attack them for disrespecting the royal family, and we can also avenge you for what happened in Changye three years ago."
The princes of the six countries gathered in Cang Yi.
Duke Lü Xiaobai of Qi sat in the main seat, with Luo Xi on his right and Guan Zhong on his left. He said to the kings of the five countries, "I inherited the throne five years ago. The day before yesterday, I crushed the Lai Yi people, swept away the great trouble that had plagued Qi for three hundred years, and accepted 500,000 Yi people into Qi.
King Su once said that the King of Xia conquered the people and changed them into Xia people. This must be the purpose of the great cause of the kingly way.
I cannot bear to see the various countries of Xia being harassed by barbarians, and am willing to lend a helping hand. Therefore, I have gathered here with you today to obey the emperor's orders and save the various countries from life and death.
During the time of King Yi and Duke Xuan of Luo, the four barbarians invaded, and all the nations in the world rose up in arms together, thus preserving the country.
Now that the royal family is in decline, we should elect a leader among the princes, reunite the Chinese people, and let the leader be respected and command the world!"
The monarchs of the five countries had already anticipated what Lu Xiaobai would say when they arrived. They also saw Prince Xi of Luo sitting on the right side of Marquis Qi with his eyes slightly closed and not saying a word, which was already an attitude of tacit agreement.
The men looked at each other for a few seconds, and the Marquis of Handan said, "The State of Qi was granted during the reign of King Wu.
In the whole world, only Luo State and Qi State are as old as each other. Although I am also a marquis, there are also different ranks among marquises.
Qi is high, and Handan is low.
Over the past three hundred years, the number of marriages between the royal family of Qi and the royal family has become unrecorded, and their bloodline is extremely noble.
Some time ago, the State of Qi exterminated the State of Laiyi, which was the strongest barbarian force in the East, which was enough to show the strength of the State of Qi.
Whether in terms of title, bloodline, or strength, Qi is the strongest. If the leader is not you, Marquis of Qi, I'm sure no one else will be able to convince the public.
At least I won’t accept it.”
The Marquis of Xing and the Marquis of Han immediately followed up and said, "Marquis of Han is absolutely right. The leader of the alliance should be you, Marquis of Qi."
The other three kingdoms’ lords naturally agreed, and Luo Xi saw that the time was right, so he opened his eyes and said, “Today is truly a grand event.
The Duke of Qi can receive unanimous praise from so many princes, so he must be a man of virtue. The various states of China need people like you in order to keep moving forward.
When I came here, my father once said that if there are great and wise princes in the alliance, Luo State must participate in this alliance.
Now I am very pleased. Since King Xi, the Xia states have been in decline, and a great sage has finally emerged among the princes of various countries.
I'm sure that the ancestor Su Wang would be pleased to see the grand occasion of Zhuxia."
With just a few words, Luo Xi elevated Lu Xiaobai to an extremely high position. This was a huge investment, and he was determined to make Lu Xiaobai the dominant force.
Lu Xiaobai himself felt a little embarrassed, but Guan Zhong was very excited, even though he did not expect that Luo Hou would put in so much effort.
It seems that Luo Hou had been planning this matter when he sent Xiaobai back to the country.
He quickly pulled Lu Xiaobai's sleeve, and Lu Xiaobai woke up as if from a dream, and said quickly: "Xiaobai is just a rookie, and has only achieved a little success, so I don't deserve such high praise.
Now that the alliance has just been established, we are going to let all the other states see what the loyal ministers do, and punish the disloyal ministers and drive out the barbarians. "
So several people stood on the rammed earth platform, dripped the cow's blood into the altar, and together they swore an oath of blood to Haotian and Su Wang.
"The most supreme Haotian, the most holy and noble Su Wang.
The descendants of the Xia people pray to you and look forward to your blessing.
We swear an oath before you to jointly obey the emperor's orders and safeguard the orthodoxy of the Chinese nation."
[The beginning of hegemony politics, your family has made an indelible historical contribution, you have obtained the only yellow-level item - the ability to use your fingers as if they were your own arms.]
[Yellow Rank Unique: As if using one's own arm to control one's own fingers (I can lead more troops, not less): The user gains the ability to command a corps of more than 200,000 troops on the front battlefield.]
Is there only one item at the Yellow level?
Then Ji Zhao became silent when he saw the effect. This card left him speechless. The number of 200,000 was very interesting.
The results of the BlazBlue Alliance were notified to all countries as per convention.
The alliance of eight countries included Qi, which had just defeated Laiyi, and the prestigious Luo.
This was a considerable gathering of forces, and it quickly elicited responses from many countries.
Especially the King of Qu, who had offended Qi three years ago, was in a state of panic all day long.
However, although Lu Xiaobai wanted to deal with him immediately, it was not easy to carry the banner of respecting the king and expelling the barbarians. Handan, Xing and Yan had always been invaded by the Di people. Now was the time for him as the leader to show his value.
Luo Xi returned to the country and explained the process and results of the alliance to Luo Xiu in detail. He commented: "Father, the princes did not react particularly strongly to Xiao Bai's attempt to dominate. On the contrary, they were more concerned about whether he could fulfill his promise to drive out the barbarians and uphold justice."
These are things that other people will not pay attention to, but Luo Guo has always been paying attention to this information.
After hearing this, Luo Xiu sighed and said, "This proves that our judgment is correct. The vassal states have gradually begun to ignore the emperor in their subconscious. They care more about the construction of a new order.
If something happens again that completely destroys the patriarchal system and the ritual and music system, the royal family may not even be able to sit on the throne. That will be the time when our ancestors said the building will collapse. "
Luo Xi paused and said, "Father, it would be bad if Jin State did not come to participate in the alliance.
After all, our goal is to let the position of hegemony flow between Qi and Jin. If these two princes do not submit to each other, won't the princes of the Central Plains have two centers?"
If Luo Xi's words were to spread, it would probably cause an uproar immediately. On the surface, it seemed that Luo State was actually trying to manipulate the position of overlord.
In fact, they didn't know Luo Xiu's helplessness. Now in the entire China, there are only three superpowers: Qi, Jin, and Chu. The Qin State in the west has potential and is also gaining momentum, but it is still in the second-rate stage.
Luo State did not discriminate against Chu State, but the fundamental interests of Chu State and the royal family were different. Could Chu State be satisfied with being just a hegemon?
Looking back at history, there was only a brief twenty-year honeymoon period during the reign of Duke Xuan, and that was because the circumstances at that time were special and he was able to control the State of Chu.
Now times have changed. The political capital accumulated by Duke Xuan for the royal family has been wiped out, and the financial resources are no longer the same, not to mention the military. How can there be a strong army without money?
Now the Chu and Qin states are both integrating their internal affairs and will definitely enter the Central Plains in the future.
Among all the countries, only Qi and Jin had the ability to control them, so Luo had no choice but to choose these two countries, even at the cost of sacrificing the royal authority.
"Jin State has been busy with internal strife in recent years and should not have time to take care of these things. Besides, Xiaobai is the first overlord. There is no precedent for this matter. Let's go with the flow and see how far Xiaobai can go. After all, the path to becoming an overlord depends on oneself.
In the past three hundred years, Luo State has assisted many emperors, but not many of them have achieved anything. If a monarch is incompetent, no matter how much help you give him, it will be useless.
Our ancestor Duke Wen had the ability to rule the world, but he was mediocre under King Li, and it was not until the reign of King Zhao that he rose to prominence.
Luo Xiu's words were truly helpless. Unless the monarch completely let go, no matter how virtuous the ministers were, they could not offset the harm brought about by a foolish monarch.
Not long after, Lu Xiaobai sent the first order to the princes present at the meeting, requesting all countries to send troops to assist the State of Yan in resisting the Shanrong and Donghu.
The State of Yan was one of the great countries with the surname Ji, and it was granted a title early on.
However, its geographical location is not good and its population has never been large, so its presence is not high and its strength is not strong. It can only live a relatively comfortable life by relying on the assistance of Qi and Luo.
When Lü Wujiu became the Marquis of Qi, he stopped providing aid to the State of Yan, which was one of the reasons why Luo Xiu was dissatisfied with him.
Now that Qi was becoming strong again, if it wanted to choose a vassal state to demonstrate Qi's strength, then Yan would be the best target. It just so happened that Yan was fighting against Shanrong and Donghu.
So Lü Xiaobai, as the leader of the princes, called on all the countries to send out troops. "Yan is a suzerain state of the Ji clan granted by King Su. For three hundred years, it has resisted the Shanrong and Donghu in the north and made great military achievements.
We pledged in the Cangyi Alliance to advance and retreat together and protect the Taoist traditions of Zhuxia. Now our ally is in danger. If we don’t go to rescue him, wouldn’t that be a breach of trust with the world?
Haotian and Su Wang have both witnessed our oath. If we break it, won’t Su Wang punish us?
All countries should immediately gather their troops to rescue Yan State, which is in line with morality. "
After receiving the order, all countries responded quickly. The coalition forces of seven countries, led by Qi, marched into Yan State in a mighty force.
The King of Yan received these princes who came from afar with great respect, and said with tears: "I have been a king for twenty years, and today I know that what King Su said about the righteousness of the people is not empty words.
There is a clear distinction between the Xia and the Yi.
"You have helped the State of Yan with your righteousness today. I am so grateful that I burst into tears and have so much to say. I don't know how to express it to you."
Although they were in the State of Yan, Lu Xiaobai was the leader of the princes and still sat in the main seat. Looking at the tearful Yan Hou, he said loudly: "Yan Hou, although you did not come to Cang Yi to form an alliance, you are still in the covenant. Trust and loyalty are the foundation for the existence of the various countries in Xia.
Assisting the State of Yan is to fulfill the promise we made when we formed the alliance. This is what we should do. After we defeat the Shanrong and Donghu, you, Lord Yan, will reward the soldiers of the other states."
While the various countries here were gathering together and preparing to jointly attack the Shanrong, the Luo Kingdom sent three waves of envoys to the three kingdoms in the south.
…
The Cang Yi Alliance is the most representative event in the Spring and Autumn Period, which proves that the decline of the Zhou royal family has reached a very serious degree.
After decades of chaos, the various states in Xia urgently needed a new order to emerge on this land. The Luo family, who no longer assisted the Zhou royal family, was keenly aware of this situation and began to maintain the Zhou dynasty in a way that later generations called "hegemonic politics."
The monarch of Luo State consistently implemented this set of balancing policies, and the Zhou emperor was gradually pushed to the altar and became a symbol. It was not until the development of productivity and changes in the international environment broke the operating logic of this political behavior that Luo State had to abandon this system that had been maintained for hundreds of years. ——"The Operating Logic of Hegemony Politics"
(End of this chapter)
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