Chapter 60: One country's prime minister, two countries follow him
Witnessed by Haotian and King Su, Luo Yan, Chong'er and Duke Qi swore an oath in Yicheng to jointly respect the royal family, conquer the barbarians and bridge the military conflicts among the princes.
Luo Yan and Duke Qi were riding in the same carriage. Looking at the green mountains and colorful forests on both sides, Luo Yan said with some emotion: "Duke Qi.
Five hundred years ago, your ancestor Taigong Wang followed King Wu and King Su to conquer this land, which led to our current prosperity.
Even now, Qi and Luo still maintain the Mandate of Heaven for the Zhou Dynasty."
"The Zhou State is clear and this is the will of heaven. Qi is just following the order."
Duke Qi spoke very modestly. If it were a hundred years ago, he would have been arrogant, but now Qi has been declining year after year. If it weren't for Duke Huan of Qi's strong foundation, it would have fallen out of the ranks of first-class powers long ago.
When Luo Yan returned to his country, he still felt sad that Duke Qi, as the ruler of Qi, had no ambition at all.
After Qi destroyed Laiyi, there was no strong enemy around it. The king only knew how to seek pleasure, and he did not have a trusted wise minister like Guan Zhong to assist him. He could not be compared with Qin and Chu, which had fought their way out of numerous dangers and difficulties.
If there are no wise ministers in the country and no powerful enemies abroad, how can such a country be strong?
…
Chu State, Yingdu.
The Chu people established their country here, prospered here, and defeated the Zhou emperor and the State of Wu here. This was fertile land given to the Chu people by God.
"Father."
The voice arrives before the person arrives.
The King of Chu's face was full of smiles. He put down the bamboo slips in his hand, and saw a young woman coming out from behind the screen. She was generous, gentle, very pretty and amiable. She sat down in front of the King of Chu.
"Xuan'er, your marriage with the King of Qin has been finalized. You will be sent out of the country soon. When you arrive in Qin, don't forget your homeland and your father's love for you."
Xuan Mi was a smart girl. She understood her father's thoughts and bowed to him, saying, "Father, after I arrive in Qin, I will do my best to maintain the friendly relations between our two countries."
Yongdu.
This is the capital of the Qin State and is currently the political, economic and cultural center of the entire area west of Qiaohan.
The contemporary Qin Bo is a heroic man. One of the criteria for Qin Bo in all dynasties is that he must be good at fighting.
After all, the fighting power of the Western Rong was really not to be underestimated, otherwise the Zhou emperor would not have migrated to Luoyi and abandoned this land given to the Zhou people by God.
Qin Bo's younger brother, Gongzi Zeng, walked into the palace and said with a happy look on his face, "Your Majesty, Princess Xuan Mi of Chu has arrived."
The King of Qin got married and everyone in Yongdu celebrated.
The next morning, Qin Bo tied Xuan Mi's hair. Xuan Mi asked in a serious tone, "My husband, do you know how to make the country prosperous?"
Qin Bo had not yet come out of the gentle land, and said in a gentle voice: "Director Jun, if you employ virtuous and capable people, you can make the country prosperous."
"My husband is wise. I brought a man from the State of Chu with me. His name is Yili. He was a doctor in a foreign country before, but later became a slave of the people of Chu.
Although he is old, he has great talent. I brought him to Qin to give him to you as a gift to help Qin prosper."
A different place?
When Qin Bo heard the name, he felt it was very familiar, and he thought of the time when his predecessor Qi Lin asked about the future plans of the Qin State before his death.
Unexpectedly, Qi Lin said: “Your Majesty.
I have been in charge of Qin's affairs for ten years, but have not been able to make Qin strong. It seems that I am not capable enough to hold such a high position.
When I was in a foreign country, I had a close friend named Yili, who had the ability of Duke Wen and Guan Zhong. If I could get his assistance, the king's ambition to dominate the country would surely be realized."
Unfortunately, Yili had disappeared when the foreign country was destroyed, which made Qin Bo sigh. Now he heard that Madam Xuan Mi seemed to have brought this person to Qin for him.
Looking at Xuan Mi's sparkling eyes, Qin Bo laughed loudly and said, "Madam, before you even married into the Qin State, you were already thinking about selecting talented people for the Qin State?"
Xuan Mi leaned slightly in Qin Bo's arms and said shyly, "I am your wife, the wife of Qin State, so I should naturally consider the interests of Qin State. I heard that my husband has always valued talents over family background, so I brought him here."
Qin Bo felt that with such a virtuous wife, what more could a husband ask for? He immediately summoned Yili to the main hall to test the talent that Qilin and his wife praised so much.
Yili was indeed old, and at a rough glance he looked to be in his sixties or seventies, but he was energetic, had a strong physique and was very healthy.
Yili bowed first, and Qin Bo returned the greeting and asked, "Yili, Madam Xuan Mi said that you have great talent and recommended you to be a minister of the Qin State. I am really curious."
Yili put down the steamed bun in his hand and said sternly, "Your Majesty, the year before last, the five princes of Jin State rebelled. The prince was killed at Hangu Pass by the ignorant Marquis of Jin. I'm sure you haven't forgotten it yet!"
Qin Bo's expression froze. He didn't expect the old man to speak so harshly. Qin invested a lot in Prince Yin, but didn't expect to get nothing in return. Now Yi Li mentioned it again, and said hatefully: "The king and ministers of Jin are really hateful! As a close relative of the royal family and a great clan, they killed the prince for no reason. It is really a joke for the princes of the world."
"Your Majesty, you are wrong. The death of Master Yin was not an accident. In fact, among the five masters, only Master Yin was bound to die. The other three masters can at least survive for the time being."
This shocked Qin Bo, who quickly asked, "Don't say that. Why is it that Master Yin must die?"
Yili's eyes were sharp, and his aura became unusual. He said in a cold voice: "Because the one who wants to kill Gongzi Yin is not the ruler of Jin, but the ruler of Luo!
What he wants to kill is not Prince Yin, but Qin's intention to move eastward!"
There are not many people in the world who are good at making plans, but in the past two hundred years, they are not rare either. No matter how secretive Luo State's plan is, it is impossible to hide it from everyone in the world.
During the Rebellion of the Five Young Masters, Luo Yan's actions were honorable and upright, but his purpose was too clear, which confirmed many speculations.
Yi Li's words were not meant to shock people, but Qin Bo was shocked when he heard them, and asked quickly, "Sir, what do you mean by that?
The State of Qin had never offended the State of Luo. On the contrary, the State of Qin had always been grateful for the kindness of the State of Luo and treated it with courtesy.
Qin was short of food, and only Chu and Luo were willing to lend it food. How could there be any ill intentions?"
Yili was impressed by Qin Bo's naivety in his heart, and said seriously: "Your Majesty, Qin has indeed never offended Luo, but have you ever thought about going east through Yaohan and dominating the Central Plains?"
Qin Bo showed a look of longing on his face, and said with a smile: "Of course I think so. In the past, Duke Huan of Qi united the nine states and brought peace to the world. He issued orders to the states and none dared to disobey. How majestic was that?"
Yili interrupted Qin Bo's imagination directly, "Qin Bo, you can't think about it, this is your sin!"
Qin Bo was confused, and Yi Li sneered and said, "My lord, you are the ruler of the Xia Kingdom, and you have made great contributions in resisting the Western Rong. Therefore, Luo Kingdom lends you grain to allow you to expand your territory in the west.
But now you want to go east and dominate. What is a hegemon? The one who is above the Zhou emperor is a hegemon!
In Luo Guo's eyes, anyone who wants to dominate other than Qi and Jin is a heretic.
I was in Chu for ten years, and the people of Chu often lamented the defeat at Yanling. It was not at the hands of Duke Huan of Qi, but actually at the ability of Marquis Luo.
The Qin State is so powerful now that all six layers of the old land of Fenghao are in its hands. It dominates the western frontier, just like the Chu State in the past.
Such a big country no longer fights with the Western Rong, but instead goes east to compete with the princes of the Central Plains for the position of overlord. I'm afraid Marquis Luo must have complicated feelings.
This is why the prince must die, because the Qiao-Han Pass is in the hands of the Jin State.
Luo State does not allow Jin State and Qin State to have such close ties."
It's a wake-up call!
Yili's words were like loud bells and drums, striking Qin Bo's heart directly. So that's how it is.
Looking at Qin Bo's dazed expression, Yili's eyes were full of pride. Seeing through Luo State's century-old plan was indeed the proudest thing in his life.
"More than two hundred years ago, when Duke Xuan of Luo granted land to our ancestors, he said: To the west, there are 30,000 miles of rivers and mountains. You can take them. Don't go east. Going east will bring disaster."
When Qin Bo revealed the secret, he heard a clang and his wife Xuan Mi actually spilled the wine.
Xuan Mi did not bother to wipe it, and held Qin Bo's hand and said: "My husband, what you just said also happened in the State of Chu. Four hundred years ago, our ancestor Duke Wu withdrew his troops from the land of Shen and Lu.
Duke Wen of Luo said: "Go south, there are three thousand miles of rivers and mountains, which can be used as fertile land for the State of Chu. Don't go north."
But how could the Chu people accept this? The Chu people would never surrender!
Even though the defeat at Yanling was so tragic and the State of Wu had been harassing it endlessly, the city of Ying was surrounded by a vast fertile plain that the Chu people had worked hard to develop for 400 years. How could they decline in one defeat?
After getting the secrets of Qin and Chu, Yili knew that all his guesses were correct.
After hearing what his wife Xuan Mi said, Qin Bo knew that Yi Li was right and asked anxiously, "Sir, what should we do?
"The Jin State alone is enough to make me helpless. If the Luo State and Qi State are added, the Qin State will not be able to move eastward, and I am afraid that the Central Plains coalition forces will directly attack Yongdu."
Although the Qin State dominated the western border, the Chu State was once so powerful, but it was still defeated by the princes of the Central Plains. He did not think that the Qin State could escape.
Yili waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, Qin Bo.
The people of Chu did not forget to move north. They challenged the Zhou royal family for the throne four hundred years ago. They had rebellious intentions, but they did not have the power to defeat the princes of the Central Plains. This was the source of the Chu State's disaster.
After the defeat at Yanling, the State of Luo did not take advantage of the situation of the State of Chu. One reason was that the State of Chu was temporarily unable to go north and threaten the safety of the Zhou royal family.
Second, Luo State still needed Chu State to stabilize the south and eliminate the southern barbarians, and Wu State could not bear this heavy responsibility.
Qin suppressed the Western Rong and made great contributions to the Xia people. Luo will not cause trouble for Qin."
Bo Qin understood the meaning of Yili's words. It meant that as long as Qin was content to fight the Western Rong in the western border, Luo would not lead the princes of the Central Plains to the west through Hangu Pass to cause trouble.
But just as Chu was unwilling to give up, Qin Bo was also unwilling to stay in the west, so he asked: "Sir, you have wisdom that I cannot match, and you are a great sage who can assist the sage king. When do you think Qin can go east?"
Seeing that Qin Bo still had not forgotten about the eastward march, Yi Li sighed inwardly and said calmly: "You are the king of Qin. You know that Qin once fought with Fei and won only once out of five battles. But Fei was destroyed. Why is that?"
Qin Bo said: "This is because Fei is weak and Qin is strong. Although Fei may have won on the surface, it has suffered a great loss in population.
Even if Qin was defeated, it still had soldiers, but once Fei was defeated, it was destroyed.”
Yili nodded and sighed, "That's how it is between Qin and Jin. Jin has the support of the princes of the Central Plains. Even if Qin's soldiers are brave and can defeat Jin, Qin will definitely be the one that suffers in the end.
The State of Chu did not know this truth, so every time it went to the Central Plains at its peak, it was defeated and returned, and its national strength declined.
If the State of Qin wanted to move eastward, it should not be obsessed with the temporary victory or defeat with the State of Jin. Even if it could gain the reputation of victory, would it be of any help to Qin's great cause?
You should write a letter to Lord Luo, expressing that you have no intention of coveting the Central Plains, and only hope to guard the western border for the royal family and revitalize the Chinese nation.
In this way, Luo State will not follow Jin State to invade you. If it is only Jin State, it will not be able to defeat you at the Wei River.
To the west of Qin State were the Quanrong and to the north were the Yiqu Rong. These were soldiers and lands bestowed upon Qin State by God. If these Rong people could be brought under the rule of Qin State, the national strength of Qin State would surely be greatly enhanced.
The Qin State and the Chu State formed a brotherly alliance, and Madam Xuan Mi brought you the friendship of the Chu State.
If the State of Chu could defeat the State of Wu in Hanyang, defeat the State of Ba in the west, and wipe out the barbarians in the south, its national strength would be strengthened.
The State of Jin had always been fond of internal strife, and the State of Qi had always been fond of regicide. It was doomed that the State of Luo would not be able to last long if it used these two countries to maintain the rule of the Zhou royal family.
You just need to keep accumulating national strength and wait until civil strife breaks out in Jin and Qi and Luo separate. Then Qin and Chu can split their forces into two groups and help each other to contain the forces of the princes in the Central Plains.
If we do this, will we suffer the same failure as before?"
Yi Li's words were so insightful that Qin Bo had to be convinced. He sighed and said, "Qin is a remote country and no great sage has ever come here.
Now that I have met you, I understand that a sage king also needs the assistance of wise ministers. I married Princess Xuan Mi of Chu as my wife and received cartloads of gold and jade from the King of Chu, but they are not as much as what you have.
The position of a doctor is not enough for you. I am willing to appoint you as the Grand Lord and take charge of the affairs of Qin. I believe that in this way, Qin will prosper. "
The Great Minister of Qin, the Prime Minister of Chu, the Prime Minister of Qi, and the General of the Central Army of Jin were all prime ministers who were second only to the emperor and above ten thousand people.
The fact that King Qin was willing to promote a slave to be prime minister shows how much he was shocked by Yi Li's wisdom.
Yili was a man of outstanding ability. He loved being an official the most. He bowed without pretending to be anything but polite and said, "Your Highness Yili pays respect to the king."
Xuan Mi saw that Yi Li was indeed a great sage, and that Qin Bo had directly promoted him to the position of Grand Lord. She was very happy, so she poured wine for Qin Bo and said softly, "My husband has found a great sage today, and we should congratulate him."
Qin Bo was in a good mood at the moment. He liked Xuan Mi more and more when he saw her graceful figure. He held Xuan Mi's hand and said, "A wife is a helper to her husband.
King Shun prospered because of Ehuang and Nvying, while King Jie and King Zhou declined because of Mei Xi and Daji. It is obvious that if a man wants to succeed, he must have a wise wife.
Madam, you are a noble lady of the State of Chu. You brought such a great man as Yili to me. I believe that God has given you to me so that I can prosper the State of Qin.
In the name of Shaohao God, I am willing to establish a lasting friendship with the State of Chu. I hope that Madam can convey this to the King of Chu."
These words not only reflected the true thoughts of the Duke of Qin, but also a statement of Qin's attitude towards the State of Chu. Qin and Chu should be more closely united.
Xuan Mi knew what her father was thinking. She smiled and leaned on Qin Bo's shoulder, saying softly, "My husband, in the name of the Supreme God Taiyi, my father will agree."
Yi Li was the prime minister of one country. The strategies he offered were followed by both countries. The heyday of scholars in the Spring and Autumn Period began with Guan Zhong and flourished in Yi Li.
…
The Ji-Jiang alliance was the cornerstone of the Zhou Dynasty, but this alliance formed by blood ties prompted a group of great powers that could not join the alliance to unite. This behavior of limiting power to a circle could stabilize the inheritance of power, but it would eventually bring about a strong backlash. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Zhou Dynasty"
This chapter was so comfortable to write, with its leisurely storytelling, perfect narration to portray the characters and explanations, and dialogues that advance the plot. My mind was confused the past two days, and I became autistic while writing it.
This chapter describes five characters. How many can you remember? How is the characterization of Xuan Mi? Do you have the idea of marrying her?
After finishing this chapter today, I feel like my touch has returned a little. I will delete and revise the remaining drafts, and try to get it back to 6,000 words.
Finally, today is gone~~~
(End of this chapter)
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