Chapter 55 Luo Xiu's death, Earth-level items
Two or three years passed after "Luo Yu" was written, and Luo Xiu's aging began to accelerate, until one winter he suddenly fell ill. He often could only be awake for a few moments throughout the day, and his condition became increasingly serious.
Everyone knew that the king might not survive this cold winter.
This is the natural depletion of the body's blood and essence, not poisoning or a strange disease. Even the yellow-grade item, the medicine talisman, is useless.
When Lu Xiaobai heard the news that Luo Xiu was old and dying and might not survive the cold winter, he was drinking and having fun.
The new palace of Qi was built tall and magnificent, and the government affairs were handed over to Guan Zhong. When Lü Xiaobai had nothing to do, he stayed in the palace, drinking fine wine, singing with beauties, and was very happy.
In recent years, Qi's national strength has become increasingly stronger, especially his help to Wei in restoring its country has brought his prestige to a new peak.
Among all the countries now, only the princes of Jin and other places have not come to the alliance, but Lu Xiaobai believes that it is only a matter of time.
He had Guan Zhong's assistance, and no one in the world could compete with him.
Just when I was at the peak of my life and full of ambition, I heard this shocking news.
"Is your uncle seriously ill?"
Lu Xiaobai was a little bit unbelievable, "Hasn't my uncle always been in good health? I remember..."
He recalled in a daze that the last time he saw his uncle was at a birthday party several years ago. He touched his gradually growing white hair and suddenly realized that his uncle was really very old.
"Prepare the car immediately. I am going to Luo Country. Ah Zhong, Madam, you will accompany me."
Lu Xiaobai's voice instantly became tearful. In this world, his parents gave birth to him and his uncle raised him.
For decades, whether in Luo State or when he returned to Qi State, Luo Xiu treated him with the utmost kindness and justice. Even if he was his biological father, he would not be any better than him.
Lu Xiaobai is a sentimental person, how could he not be sad?
Lu Xiaobai, along with his wife Xiyi and Guan Zhong, hurried to Luo State.
Luo Xiu was in unexpectedly good spirits today and could even drink a bowl of porridge. Luo Xi brought Lu Xiaobai to Luo Xiu's bed.
There were many people in the palace, and they all made way for Lu Xiaobai, looking at Luo Xiu and sobbing quietly.
Seeing the somewhat thin figure, Lu Xiaobai threw himself on the bed and started crying.
At this moment, he was not the overlord of the Central Plains who gathered the princes and whipped the world, but just a child.
He recalled the scene of his uncle in his prime more than 20 years ago, when he raised him and sent him back to the country to inherit the throne.
He has spared no effort in supporting him over the years, and until now, no one in the world dares to challenge him, and even the emperor has to send envoys to acknowledge his overlordship.
"Uncle, Xiaobai is here to see you."
Luo Xiu had been waiting for Lu Xiaobai for a long time. He stretched out his hand tremblingly and held Lu Xiaobai's hand.
Lu Xiaobai looked down and saw that due to not eating enough for many days, his hand had become very skinny and there was almost no flesh visible.
But in Lu Xiaobai's hand, it was very steady and made him feel very warm, as if he had returned to decades ago when his mother sent him to Luo State and his uncle held his hand like this.
He has always had two and a half people to rely on in his heart, one is his uncle, one is Guan Zhong, and the other is his wife Xiyi. Now one of them is going to leave him.
He became more and more sad, but he did not cry loudly, because he was worried that the noise would affect his uncle. He could only restrain his body from trembling slightly, and big tears fell silently, showing how sad he was at the moment.
"Xiaobai, how are you recently? You are such a big kid, but you are still crying in front of your uncle." Luo Xiu's face became more and more radiant, as if he had recovered, but everyone's faces became paler.
A last glimmer of light!
Lu Xiaobai choked up and said, "Uncle, Qi is doing well, the other states are doing well, and the royal family is doing well. I remember what you said, and I will never forget to respect the king and repel the barbarians."
Luo Xiu touched Lu Xiaobai's face and said with a smile: "If my sister knew that you, Xiaobai, have achieved what you have today, I'm afraid she would be happy to sing "Deer Calling".
Whenever she was happy, she would sing "Deer Calling". Among us brothers and sisters, her singing voice was the most moving. "
Then he hummed softly, "The deer calls, eating apples in the wild."
Ji Zhao stood behind everyone without saying anything. Luo Xiu was an extraordinary person.
He did not say any profound truths to Lu Xiaobai before he died, because he had already said a lot during the years that Lu Xiaobai lived in Luo State.
He just sang a song, but Lu Xiaobai was already overwhelmed with sadness, as if he had returned to the days when he was a child hiding in his mother's arms.
Guan Zhong stood behind the crowd with his head down, and he was also very sad. Although they had different identities and status and did not have much in common, Luo Xiu and he had long regarded each other as close friends.
The two men's high degree of overlap in respecting the king and expelling the barbarians provided great help to Guan Zhong.
Luo Xiu's voice became lower and lower. Lu Xiaobai felt that the strength holding his hand was getting weaker and weaker. He became more and more panicked. A very low voice came intermittently, "Xiaobai, you have to be fine."
The strength in his hands completely dissipated, his rosy face lost its color in an instant, his complexion turned pale, and his chest stopped beating!
Luo Xiu passed away!
Lu Xiaobai couldn't hold back any longer, and tightly grasped Luo Xiu's hand, crying out loudly: "Uncle! Uncle!"
But his tears had dried up, his throat was hoarse, and everyone in the palace burst into tears at the same time.
【Luo Xiu passed away. He was the second son of destiny in the history of the Luo family. Heaven and earth mourned for him. He created the hegemonic politics and opened the era of a hundred schools of thought in later generations. His influence on history is unmatched. Now start to count your life achievements. You have obtained a large number of luck points and you have obtained the earth-level divine item - Peach Blossom Spring.】
[Earth Rank·God·Peach Blossom Spring (Living in the Peach Blossom Spring, one is unaware of the Han Dynasty, let alone the Wei and Jin Dynasties): You can create a different world, the size of a village, and send the direct descendants of the Luo family into it through the entrance. Running this thing requires a lot of luck points every moment. ]
This is the first earth-level item with a god mark that Ji Zhao has obtained. Even Xumi Jie Zi did not have this mark before.
It seems that according to the system's evaluation criteria, Luo Xiu is a more important person than Luo Su.
What Ji Zhao was most concerned about was the effect of this item. It was a bit too powerful. Wouldn’t the task of inheriting this family item be very simple?
Put the legitimate descendants of the family into the Peach Blossom Spring. When they reach the age of marriage, they will come out to find a partner, and then return to the Peach Blossom Spring. In this way, their descendants will continue to multiply. Wouldn't the three thousand year mission be completed directly?
This is a bit like the hidden family in fantasy novels.
Ji Zhao certainly knew that the system would not give him such an item. He looked at the required luck points and realized that he was overthinking.
Once you start using the Peach Blossom Spring item, you cannot stop using it. A lot of luck points are consumed just for its daily operation.
If more people were to be squeezed in, the luck points consumed would be even more enormous. With Ji Zhao's current accumulation, he might not even be able to last a year before his luck points would be exhausted.
Especially when this item can be used, it means that the Luo family is in a low point, so the acquisition of luck points is probably close to zero.
In other words, if this item is used improperly, the luck points may become negative.
Moreover, this item only has one door for entering and exiting. If you want to open a temporary door, you have to spend more luck points.
It can be said that the system has limited the effect of this perverted divine object to the extreme.
It can probably only be used when escaping, or when being chased by some monarch. It is unrealistic to stay in it for a long time.
However, this is indeed the most powerful artifact besides the Heaven-level items that can change the world. It is much stronger than ordinary Earth-level items such as the Heroic Spirit Card.
As long as the Luo family can obtain enough luck points in every era, there will be enough resources to open this space, so that the family inheritance will be guaranteed even in troubled times.
Ji Zhao put away his props and left. Luo Xiu had brought him so many benefits that he was about to fall into a deep sleep.
The death of a Luo Hou in every generation was always a big event, especially this time when Lu Xiaobai strongly requested to carry the coffin for Luo Xiu. Whether it was out of friendship with the Luo State or Lu Xiaobai's prestige as a hegemon, a large number of princes came to the Luo State to attend the funeral.
When Luo State started to prepare for the funeral, the unfortunate Chu State had no idea what had happened in Luo State, and they actually sent troops from Cai State to attack Chen State!
The State of Chen was vulnerable and its capital was captured. The king of Chen fled to the State of Song, hoping to seek the help of Duke Huan of Qi to restore his country for him among the Dukes of Luo.
…
In the State of Chen, the Chu general Xiong Xiqie stood on the city wall of the capital of Chen with high spirits. He was the younger brother of the King of Chu and the commander-in-chief of the three armies of Chu heading north this time.
Under his command, the Chu army captured the capital of Chen State in a lightning speed. The entire Chen State army was defeated and most of them were captured.
"The King of Chen is really fast. If we can catch the Marquis of Chen, I'm sure you will be happy. But there is no rush. We still have the Marquis of Zheng and even the Nine Cauldrons of the Son of Heaven in Luoyi. These are all gifts that can be presented to you."
Xiong Xiqie leaned his hands on the wall bricks, looking towards the direction of Luoyi, imagining the scene of himself leading the Chu army to the city of Luoyi and asking the emperor to hand over the Nine Cauldrons.
Chen's vulnerability made him look down on all the princes in the Central Plains. "Chen is such a large country, but it is so weak. Now that we have occupied Chen, we can turn around and attack Zheng. I heard that Zheng surrendered to Song a few years ago. It is really not as brave as it was during the time of Duke Wu of Zheng.
Mr. Xiang, please pay more attention to the news from Ying State. Our army will be stationed in Yanling, and Ying State is behind Yanling. If there is any unusual movement in Ying State, you must report it immediately. "
The Xiang Qing mentioned by Xiong Xiqie was of the Ji clan, with the given name Ge, and was from the Luo clan of the State of Chu. Luo Yu had passed away, and Xiang had rarely contacted the Luo clan, but instead concentrated on serving in the State of Chu.
Xiang Ge first agreed to investigate Ying State, then asked: "General, should we attack Zheng State directly next?"
Xiong Xiqi's gaze turned towards the capital of Zheng State, Xinzheng, which was built by the people of Zheng after they moved from Haojing.
This is a city with an excellent geographical location. It is located on the east side of the Luoyang Basin. There is a valley between the two mountain ranges of Songshan and Jishan, which allows the army to reach the Luoyi Basin directly, which means that it can raid Luoyi.
The State of Chu had already controlled part of the Nanyang Basin, and the other part was in the hands of the State of Ying. However, the State of Ying was now unable to take care of other things, especially after occupying the State of Chen. Unless the State of Zheng could borrow troops from the States of Song and Wei, it would soon fail.
"Attack Zheng, occupy Xinzheng, and then march straight to the city of Luoyi from the Songji Valley. Our ancestor Duke Wu once asked the Zhou emperor about the importance of the tripod, but was stopped by Duke Wen of Luo. Who can stop Chu this time?
"Once we get the Nine Cauldrons, we will immediately sail down the Yiluo Basin, and the Chu State will surely be famous all over the world!"
Xiong Xiqie smiled and told Xiang Ge about the plan, and Xiang Ge was also very excited. "But General, I heard that the Nine Cauldrons are very large, and it will take tens of thousands of people just to transport them."
Xiong Xi waved his hand and said, "If we take all nine tripods, the Chu State will be attacked by many. My brother said we can just take one."
With the death of Luo Yu, the anti-Chu alliance built by Luo State implemented a complete information blockade on Chu State.
On the surface, the State of Chu was still communicating normally with the Central Plains, but in fact all information that could be controlled had to be controlled.
The kings of Luo State in all dynasties were masters of political tactics and diplomacy, and they were all in charge of Luo State's intelligence organization before taking the throne.
Although everyone in the world thinks that the king of Luo is a gentleman, in fact, each of them is a conspirator with a flexible moral bottom line.
The State of Chu could still vaguely get some news from the Central Plains over the years, but it certainly could not get the detailed and true news.
So the news that Chu State heard was that the King of Song State wrote a letter to force the Marquis of Zheng to kill Kuang's father, which made the Marquis of Zheng very dissatisfied with the Duke of Song.
The Wei State had just been destroyed by the Guifang State a few years ago, and had to rely on the Qi State and the Luo State to restore its country. It was completely vulnerable.
Facing such an opponent, how could Xiong Xiqi not have confidence?
Moreover, everything went smoothly since the war. The Chen army was indeed not strong, and the Chu army had absorbed the Hanyang princesses over the years, especially the soldiers recruited in Xidi, all of whom were brave. The conquest of Huaiyi allowed them to obtain many archers with superb archery skills.
When Zheng received the news that Chen had been conquered and the Chu army was heading towards Zheng and wanted to pass through it to Luoyi, the Duke of Zheng was completely stunned.
"The territory of Chen State is not small. Although the army is not large, it is still powerful. How could it be destroyed so quickly?"
The lands controlled by the vassal states were the cities and surrounding suburbs; if they lost their capital, it was basically assumed that the country had been destroyed.
The capital of Wei State was also conquered by Guifang. When Lu Xiaobai restored the country for him, he moved the capital of Wei State inland, making it safer than before.
The fragility of the State of Chen was so severe that it could not withstand a single blow, which directly frightened the Duke of Zheng. In the past, because he was afraid of the State of Qi, he directly killed the father of the State of Song. He was such a man who looked strong on the outside but was actually weak on the inside. Now, facing the army of the State of Chu, he even wanted to surrender directly. As long as he could save the State of Zheng, it was not impossible for him to be loyal to Qi in the morning and Chu in the evening.
"My lords, the Chu State has come with ill intentions. What should we do? It would be better to surrender directly to the Chu Army."
When the minister of the State of Zheng heard the shameless words of the Marquis of Zheng, he was furious and shouted: "Your Majesty, you must not surrender. After all, Chu is far away, and Qi is right in front of you.
If we surrender to Chu now, Qi Hou Lu Xiaobai will never spare us when Chu is defeated.
Do you think Chu can defeat Qi's coalition forces?"
"Yes, my lord. If we are destroyed by Chu, Qi will help us to restore our country. If we surrender now, when Chu withdraws its troops, Zheng will probably be directly divided up by Southern Yan, Chen, and Song.
How unwise this is!"
All the ministers were against it, and the Duke of Zheng felt that surrender was not a good idea. Doctor Zheng Qing stepped forward and said, "Sir, the King of Chen has already gone to Luo to ask Qi to send troops. We can just delay Chu's time, and that will be a great achievement.
After all, Zheng was a big country with the surname Ji. Even if the Chu army was powerful, could it defeat Zheng like it did Chen?
I am willing to go to the Chu army camp and try to delay the Chu army's offensive."
So the Duke of Zheng sent the doctor Zheng Qing to the Chu army camp. After meeting Xiong Xiqie, the doctor bowed and said, "General, the State of Chen is disrespectful to your vassal state, so it is reasonable for you to attack them.
There had been no conflicts between Zheng and Chu for hundreds of years since their founding.
During the reign of King Yi, Zheng and Chu jointly resisted the invasion of Xu Huai. During the reign of King Xi, my predecessor advised to give the land of Tang to Chu.
These are all testimonies of the friendship between the two countries. Do you have the heart to destroy them?"
After hearing Doctor Zheng Qing's remarks, Xiong Xiqie suddenly remembered what Luo Yan once said: the most important ability of an envoy is to turn black into white.
Now that he had seen it, he said with a fake smile: "I don't understand what Doctor Zheng Qing said. Chu just wants to pass through Zheng to pay homage to the emperor in Luoyi. It is not to attack Zheng. Your country is really worrying too much.
Chu is not a barbarian country, so would it attack a country without any reason?"
Borrowing road?
Over the past hundred years, haven't there been many cases of using the excuse of borrowing a passage and then turning around to attack a city?
Even the State of Jin has done such a thing. How can you, a barbarian from Jingchu, be an exception?
Now that we let you cross the border and reach Xinzheng City, I’m afraid the army will directly attack the city!
Doctor Zheng Qing complained in his heart, but said calmly: "General, the Songji Mountain Valley from Xinzheng to Luoyi is too narrow, which is not conducive to the passage of your army.
It would be better to follow the old route and pass through the State of Shen, so that you can lead the soldiers of the State of Chu to Luoyi to pay homage to the emperor."
The smile on Xiong Xiqie's face disappeared, and he said coldly: "It seems that the Duke of Zheng is unwilling to lend his way.
The State of Chu came all the way here, just wanting to go to Luoyi to pay homage to the emperor. Even such a request was not agreed to. Did the emperor look down on the State of Chu?
The Chu army had five hundred thousand soldiers. A wave of their sleeves could cover the sky, and a shake of their sweat was like rain. The armor of Chu was enough to fill the capital of Zheng.
Zheng was a vassal of the Ji clan, but was it in accordance with etiquette to treat a large country so rudely? "
Seeing Xiong Xiqie getting angry, Doctor Zheng Qing smiled and said, "Don't be angry, General. I will go back to Xinzheng to report to the king.
Zheng is willing to offer food and fodder to the Chu army. Please wait for a while. I believe the king will agree to let us pass through after thinking about it."
Xiong Xiqi had originally planned to rest in Chen State first. The soldiers were a little tired after having just fought a battle.
If Zheng State was unwilling to lend its passage, there would probably be several more battles to fight besides the one in Xinzheng.
After occupying the State of Chen, the route for transporting grain and fodder had to be replanned. Now that they could still get grain and fodder from the State of Zheng, it was just right for replenishing the State of Chu, so they agreed to the request of Doctor Zheng Qing.
Doctor Zheng Qing left the tent, his face immediately turned cold, "Jingchu Nanman, let you be rampant for a while, wait until the Qihou coalition arrives, and see if you are still arrogant."
Now if there were disputes among the various countries in the Central Plains, such as fighting for land, or being unable to defeat the barbarians, such as the Yan State and the Wei State, they would seek help from Duke Huan of Qi, as if he were the emperor who commanded the world.
This is not only because Qi is a powerful country, but also because Lu Xiaobai has always kept his word for many years and is famous for his trustworthiness and integrity, so all the princes obey him.
When Zheng State was in danger, it thought of seeking help from Qi State. The same was true for Chen State. It was not only one of the four-nation alliance, but also one of the princes in the alliance.
After arriving at Luo State, he went straight to Lü Xiaobai and cried, "Marquis Qi, Duke Ming of Luo has passed away, and all the countries in Xia are deeply saddened.
The State of Chen sent a large group of envoys to the State of Luo to express condolences, which was a sign of respect for you.
The State of Chu took advantage of the period of mourning for the State of Luo to launch a surprise attack on the empty State of Chen. What a beastly act this was.
I also ask you to send troops to expel the State of Chu and restore the ancestral temples and altars of the State of Chen."
Lu Xiaobai, who was already very sad because of the death of his uncle, was dissatisfied with everything and was looking for something to vent his emotions. However, the Chu State was so blind that it bumped into him directly, which directly exploded.
When Guan Zhong heard that the State of Chu was actually coming at him at this time, his eyes suddenly lit up. Luo Xiu could see the threat posed by the State of Chu, and Guan Zhong could naturally see it as well. There would inevitably be a war between Qi and Chu.
This is the battle for Qi to reach the summit. If it wins this battle, even Jin will come to the alliance, and that will truly bring peace to the world.
So three days later, Guan Zhong personally wrote an article and sent it to various countries.
"Lord Luo Ming was a benevolent elder known throughout the country. He unfortunately passed away. Who in the world would not be saddened?
Regardless of the reason, all countries stopped fighting during the period of national mourning in Luo State. This was to show your kindness. This is the etiquette of the Chinese people.
The State of Chu did not participate in the alliance of princes, which was a sign of disrespecting the orders of the emperor.
When Luo was in mourning, they brazenly sent troops to attack Luo's allies and destroy Chen's ancestral temple and country. Is this what the various countries in the Xia Dynasty should do?
More than a hundred years ago, Chu Guo was just a viscount. It was Luo Xuan Gong who conferred him the title of marquis and allowed him to enter the officialdom as his legitimate son.
How deep is the Luo family’s gratitude to the State of Chu?
The State of Chu does not know what gratitude is, nor does it know what Zhou rituals are. Does it still have the dignity to live in this world?
Send troops as soon as possible, so that the people of Chu will not dare to go north again, and let the Duke of Chu know that the Central Plains is more powerful than the Jingchu area. "
Lu Xiaobai issued a call to all the princes present at the meeting, requiring them to prepare their armies to attack the State of Chu.
…
After watching the magnificent 600 years of Qin, the perspective turns to Chu. Among the nations, the establishment of Chu was difficult. They started from scratch and opened up the mountains and forests. They adhered to the culture of the Xia Dynasty and were good at integrating the Rong and the barbarians. This made Chu stand out among the nations. The hegemony of the Central Plains changed constantly, but Chu was always the challenger. Isn't this a kind of recognition? - "Pre-Qin States: Chu"
I really like the relationship between Xiaobai and Guan Zhong in Records of the Warring States Period, and I can't help but want to cut them.
This chapter can reflect my love for the State of Chu. Going against all the other states is the style of the State of Chu.
The prop Peach Blossom Spring is inspired by the mysterious world where the Du family lives in Chen Dong's "God's Tomb". I think this is very interesting. This is also a foreshadowing and idea of mine, but I can't tell you about it now. I'll tell you about it later.
Ten thousand words, no more for today, I still owe two thousand words, I will pay it back brothers, I have been exhausted from looking up information on geopolitical structure these two days~
(End of this chapter)
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