Chapter 64: Chong'er Crying in the Rain at Luo Palace
Luo State, Zhaocheng.
Luo Ci was already old with gray hair on his temples. Luo Yan brought the document to him and said with some worry, "Since Jin Gong Chong'er became the hegemon, he has been grateful for the emperor's kindness and treated him with great respect.
However, he became increasingly harsh towards the royal family of Jin State, and often launched military operations against the various countries in Xia State. In just a few years, he annexed more than ten countries. He was really too arrogant.
There are rumors in private that Chong'er once said to his attendants that Luo Shi had holy marks, which was indeed a miracle of the Su Wang, but he was born with double pupils, which was the appearance of an ancient sage king, and he was born to whip the world. "
Luo Ci sighed and said, "During the rebellion of the Five Princes, the State of Luo did not firmly support Chong'er, so he must have felt resentful.
His life was generally smooth, without any hardship. Five years after he took the throne, he left Luo State behind and became the sole hegemon. I can't imagine how proud he was.
If he wanted to achieve the same hegemony as Duke Huan of Qi, he would definitely provoke the State of Chu. However, Qin and Chu were allies, and Jin distanced itself from Qi and Luo.
It doesn't matter if he is the only one involved, but the only worry is that successive Jin dukes will develop the desire to dominate the world, which will lead to disaster.
If Jin attacked Chu, Wu Bo would certainly have a truce with Chu. No matter how many truths he had, they were not as good as painful lessons. He should let reality make up for his lack of education. "
Luo Ci’s prediction about Chong’er was absolutely correct. Strong strength brings confidence. The confidence of the entire Jin State is now overflowing, because the battle results in recent years have been too brilliant.
In the second year after Chong'er was crowned as Fangbo, when Jin defeated the resistance of the coalition forces of three countries, the ministers of Jin advised him: "Your Majesty, during the reign of Duke Huan of Qi, although Qi was the first among the countries, if the other countries united, Qi would not be able to win.
Therefore, Guan Yiwu established an alliance headed by Qi State, which checked and balanced other countries through royal orders, reputation, and alliances, and Qi State became the hegemon as a result.
But Jin is so strong that other states cannot control it. We, the ministers, have discussed and decided to speed up the process of annexing the states. The mandate of heaven has already been bestowed upon you."
So Chong'er called on Sui, Tang, Ying and Wu to attack Chu together on the grounds that the tribute from Chu was insufficient.
However, since the State of Chu received the message from the King of Qin about Yi Li's strategy, it agreed with it deeply and thus resumed its superficial tribute to the Zhou royal family. It no longer took the initiative to go north and trigger a joint attack by various countries. Instead, it has been accumulating strength and looking for an opportunity to defeat the State of Wu.
Facing the attack by Jin, Chu wrote to the King of Zhou and said, "Your Majesty, I have done nothing wrong.
Is it right for the Duke of Jin to attack a vassal so wantonly?
You are the emperor, can you support such behavior?
If you don't stop it, I'm afraid all the princes in the world will be disappointed!"
This document was delivered directly to Chong'er. He unfolded it and passed it to his ministers, and all the king and ministers of Jin State burst into laughter.
Who in this hall is suing me?
Chong'er laughed loudly and said, "Mr. Zhao, write back to the State of Chu.
The letter said: "The Chu State is a barbarian country. To use the Xia to attack the barbarians is the kingly way and righteousness!"
Jin is a vassal state of the Ji clan, with beautiful etiquette and a powerful army. Chu should obey it so that it can get rid of its barbarian nature early.'"
This statement directly angered the Chu State. The King of Chu angrily said in Yingdu: "The Duke of Jin is too arrogant and rude. This is intolerable."
Although the princes of the Central Plains had always discriminated against the Qin and Chu countries and secretly ridiculed them as barbarians, Chong'er's words touched the hearts of many princes, but it was inappropriate to say them openly in the state letter.
Many kings in the East discussed with their ministers: "Chu was one of the Xia states that was granted fiefdom by King Su, and King Yi conferred it with the title of Duke and Marquis, and there is a golden book in the palace.
Even if it is a truly barbaric country, it should be given respect after the Golden Book is issued.
Although Chu was located in a barren land where Cordyceps infested the area and had adopted the customs of the southern barbarians, it was too frivolous for Jin to start a war with such an excuse. "
The words expressed concern about Jin's current strength. When Wu received the news of Jin's joint military campaign, it simply threw it aside.
Wu Bo smiled and said to his attendants, "Jin has thousands of miles of fertile land, an army of 200,000, and thousands of chariots alone. I have never seen such strength before.
Chu will surely face another great defeat after Yanling, and then Chu will not be able to compete with Wu for supremacy in the south. "
The rulers and ministers of Wu had already decided not to get involved in the war between Jin and Chu. They were just waiting for Chu to be defeated and then beat the fallen dog again, just like they did a hundred years ago.
Seeing that Wu had not reorganized its military to prepare for the expedition, Chu was overjoyed. It thought it was the best news that it didn't have to fight on two fronts.
The King of Chu said with emotion: "In the past, Chu did not know how to unite the princes, so it suffered defeat in the Central Plains.
The same is true for Jin now. Isn't this God's will for him to fail?"
So the King of Chu issued a conscription order to the entire Chu State.
"The Chu people are descendants of Emperor Gaoyang, and I am a noble among the Xia people.
King Su granted the Chu people the land to survive, and their ancestors worked hard to achieve the wealth they have today.
The State of Jin was the ancestral state of the Ji clan, but it was as rude as the Rong and Di peoples.
I call on all Chu people to fight against the invading Jin people and save the country of Chu. The Supreme God Taiyi will bless every Chu person. "
Qin State, Yongdu.
Madam Xuan Mi's face was full of worry. She was well aware of the strength of the State of Jin in Yongdu. How could the State of Chu alone resist it?
Qin Bo's face was full of excitement. For more than ten years, he had listened to Yi Li's advice and stayed in the western border to strengthen the Qin State. But how could his desire to go east be extinguished?
Seeing his wife about to cry, he held Xuan Mi in his arms and said softly, "Don't worry, my lady. Qin and Chu have sworn an oath of blood. I will definitely send reinforcements to save Chu."
Yili sat at the bottom and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, I set a strategy for you to conquer the western border more than ten years ago. Now that Jin is arrogant and uncontrollable, it is unpopular. This is indeed an opportunity for Qin.
But I have something to say, and I hope Your Majesty will consider it.
Once Qi and Luo join the war, we must leave the Central Plains immediately, otherwise it will be too late to regret. "
Seeing that even Prime Minister Yili, who had always been against going to the Central Plains, actually agreed, Qin Bo could no longer hold back his laughter, "Whatever the Prime Minister said, I will certainly agree to it."
The Qiao-Han Pass between Jin and Qin was a means to control Qin, but this does not mean that Hangu Pass was really an impregnable fortress.
The Qin State had been working hard for many years to break through this passage and had already found a way.
When Luo Ci got the news, he was gradually unable to handle state affairs, and the political affairs of Luo State were managed by Luo Yan.
Luo Yan said sarcastically: "Jin Hou Chong'er brazenly used military force against Chu. He wanted the whole world to submit to him. He really has great ambitions.
I just don’t know if two million people can rule over ten million people?
Can a territory of a thousand miles control a territory of ten thousand miles?
Can a country with a thousand chariots have the dignity and strength of a country with ten thousand chariots?"
The clouds of war gathered over the southern lands, and the armies of Jin and Chu met in Ying.
Chong'er ordered his men to pass on the message: "Chu was disrespectful to the emperor, which led to this war.
The nobles of the Xia Dynasty are favored by God, while the barbarians and the nomads are despised by God.
Is the State of Chu really going to betray its identity among the Chinese people and throw itself among the barbarians?
This is the path to exterminating the ancestral temple and the country. I'm afraid the ancestors of the Chu State will never forgive you.
The king is the son of God, he is broad-minded and willing to give the State of Chu a chance to survive.
As long as the Duke of Chu was willing to surrender, cede the 300-li land close to the royal capital to the emperor, and then write a letter to the emperor to admit his mistake.
By showing your sincerity in this way, Jin will be able to forgive Chu's sins."
Chu was the largest state among all the nations, and three hundred miles of land was nothing, but the King of Chu thought Chong'er's words were ridiculous.
"The Chu State has a vast territory, but not an inch of it can be ceded.
Using land to feed vicious wolves will only make them weaker. Giving land to brave warriors will make the State of Chu invincible.
Chong'er asked me to cede 300 li of land, and I promised to reward the warriors who captured Chong'er with 300 li of land."
Three hundred miles of land!
Many vassal states were not as big as this one. Even the people of the Chu royal family were extremely shocked and wanted to rush out and fight immediately.
The morale of the Chu army was even higher, and countless shouts of "Long live the Chu!" were rang out.
After both sides finished their verbal attacks, they began to fight in battle array. After a fierce battle, the ground was littered with corpses. The Chu army was no match for the enemy and retreated thirty miles.
It was seen that the Jin army was indeed brave and invincible.
Chong'er smiled proudly to those around him and said, "More than a hundred years ago, if Wu had not cut off the food supply route, Duke Huan of Qi would not have been able to defeat Chu so quickly.
But today, although Chu is strong, it is vulnerable in front of the men of Jin."
The Jin army was indeed the strongest army in the world. The Chu army was no match for it and could only keep retreating.
Faced with this situation, if there were no reinforcements from Qin, Chu would have to kneel down and pay compensation.
At this time, the Qin army was divided into two. One group pretended to take the Qiaohan Pass and entangled with the Jin army, and the other group abandoned its chariots and came behind the Jin army.
The commander of the Qin army was Qin Bo's younger brother Ying Nuo, who was a well-known god of war in the Qin army and was invincible. It can be said that Qin Bo sent him out with great expectations.
This was not the first time Ying Nuo came here. He had always known that his brother wanted to go east. War required the right time and place, so he had followed the caravan here countless times to explore the terrain, and even drew a feng shui map with his powerful memory.
"General, should our army go to support the King of Chu?"
“No need, the Jin army is too strong, even the Qin-Chu coalition may not be able to win in a head-on battle.
During the Battle of Yanling, the Chu State was very powerful. The princes of the Central Plains chose to let the Wu State cut off the food supply, and then continued to use head-on tactics with the Chu army, eventually defeating the Chu people.
Now the Jin army’s food supply is almost entirely supplied by Wangji. The most important thing for us is to cut off Wangji’s food supply.
The Jin army crossed the river to fight, and the Chu State was strong and was fighting on its own territory, so it would be able to hold out for a long time.
If the State of Jin fails to conquer the country after a long period of siege, it will certainly turn back to attack us. Our army occupies the valley above Yingdi, and can attack when it advances or defend when it retreats.
The Jin army will be in a dilemma, with insufficient food and grass. When the morale of the Jin army collapses, Chu and our army will attack from both sides, and we will be able to win. "
The Qin army attacked the Jin state's food supply route, and the news soon reached the Jin army on the front line. Chong'er was somewhat shocked when he heard the news.
"The Qin army is still at Hangu Pass, how could they get here?
I sent a general to garrison Hangu Pass and also ordered the three armies to garrison in Mount Xiao.
Guanzhong is nothing but a cage. Unless the Qin army has the ability to fly like a bird, how can they possibly enter Guandong?"
The rulers and ministers of Jin were capable people who could build Jin's hegemony. They dared to attack Chu because even if Jin had no support, Chu had none either!
The countries surrounding Chu were all its enemies. Its only ally was Qin, but it was blocked by Hangu Pass and could only tie down Chu's military forces.
But now such an unexpected thing happened. The Qin army unexpectedly appeared behind the Jin State.
“The Qin army must have found another way out of the pass, but it would not be a large army, otherwise such a passage would be famous all over the world.
The key now is our country's next move. The army can only supply food and grass for a month at most. If it cannot be replenished, the army will surely mutiny."
"The Qin State is really hateful. I didn't bother him, but he dared to provoke me. When I return to the country, I will reorganize my military and then go west through Hangu Pass to attack the Qin State!"
Chong'er said with hatred, but he was a heroic leader after all. After the Qin army cut off the food supply, he knew that this attack on Chu would be in vain.
So he said decisively: "The army's food supply route has been attacked by the Qin army. We cannot take any risks. We should return home immediately. The Jin State is very powerful. At worst, we can come back next time.
But if we were to fail in the Battle of Yanling, it would probably take us 20 years to recover, and by then our ambitions would be in vain, and the loss would outweigh the gain.”
It has to be said that Chong'er was still rational. He understood that the strong military force of Jin State was the most important, so he was very cautious.
Seeing that the monarch was still very wise, the Jin officials who followed the army all breathed a sigh of relief.
The Jin army began to retreat so quickly that it was somewhat beyond the expectations of the King of Chu. He thought that the Jin army would try to defeat the Chu army, but he did not expect them to retreat so decisively.
But it does not affect the overall situation, because when two sides are at war, it is not possible for one side to leave just because it wants to, especially in a war across large rivers.
A single mistake could turn a retreat into a defeat, so the Jin army's retreat was not fast. The Chu army, which had been fighting and retreating, began to harass the Jin army constantly, forcing the Jin army to abandon a lot of baggage and corpses.
This feeling of being defeated without a fight, and watching their comrades die in front of their eyes, cast a gloomy shadow over the entire Jin army.
The Qin army had been waiting for the Jin army in the south of the royal capital, but they did not stop the Jin army because they did not want to fight to the death with the Jin army.
Looking at the Qin army's formation, Chong'er sighed, "The Qin general is a talented man. If he had blocked all of our army's retreat routes, our army would have certainly united against the enemy and perhaps even won a great victory. However, he left the retreat route open and occupied an advantageous terrain. I'm afraid we will suffer a lot of casualties now."
As Chong'er had expected, Qin and Chu did not seek to annihilate the Jin army completely, but instead defeated the Jin army battalion by battalion and then surrounded and annihilated it.
As the saying goes, good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly.
The royal family in Jin, which had been suppressed all along, took this opportunity to rebel. They led their private soldiers to blockade the border of Jin and refused to allow Chong'er to return to the country!
When this news reached the battlefield where the Three Kingdoms were fighting, Chong'er was completely stunned. When he heard that Qin had cut off his food supply, he was still calm, but now he felt a piercing chill that instantly spread throughout his body.
"solitary!
I was too soft-hearted, which led to the disaster today!" Chong'er spat out a mouthful of blood, and the hatred in his voice was chilling and piercing.
The ministers who followed Chong'er were all stunned. This was something they could never have imagined. These people from the royal family were so narrow-minded.
Although Chong'er suppressed them, nothing lasts forever, and they were still able to turn the tables when the next generation of rulers came.
"By doing this, aren't they going to destroy the State of Jin?
There are 100,000 elite troops from the Jin State here!
If we lose the battle, the consequences will be…"
Wei Qing said anxiously: "Sir, the situation has come to this point. We can no longer move between Yi and Luo. We can only retreat to Ying and Zheng. I think..."
At this point, Wei Qing hesitated. Chong'er said sadly, "Please go ahead, Wei Qing. At this point, is there anything you can't say?"
"I think we should ask Luo Kingdom for help immediately!"
Everyone was stunned at once and looked at Chong'er in unison. Luo State was one of Chong'er's weak spots.
Unexpectedly, Chong'er was not angry, but smiled bitterly and said: "You don't have to look at me like this, what Wei Qing said makes sense.
Gusheng had double pupils, and everyone said that he had the appearance of an ancient sage king. Later, he was helped by the two countries of Qi and Luo and ascended the throne, full of vigor and vitality.
However, when he saw the holy mark on Prince Luo's forehead, he felt jealous. He wanted to prove that his double pupils were no less beautiful than Luo's holy mark.
Today, it seems like a joke.”
As he spoke, he began to laugh, but the ministers present began to cry. They all knelt on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly, and said sadly: "Your Majesty, it is our incompetence.
I shouldn't have stopped you from killing those rebels. If I had listened to your advice and killed all the royal family, there wouldn't be this disaster today."
Chong'er had a great character. He was a little depressed, then he pulled himself together and said, "The prosperity of Jin today is all due to the efforts of all the wise ministers.
I heard that cicadas cannot see autumn and winter, and snakes have never seen snow.
This is probably the limitation of vision.
You gentlemen are all people of noble character, so how can you understand the despicable nature of those who are immoral?
Get up quickly, this is not your fault!"
The Qin and Chu states also received the news and were overjoyed.
This is such a pleasant surprise. I originally just wanted to bleed the State of Jin, but I didn't expect that I would have the opportunity to directly cripple the State of Jin!
The King of Chu was even more excited, and the desire for the throne hidden in the blood of the Chu people rose again.
The Jin army fled in panic towards Zheng and Ying, and the coalition forces of Qin and Chu followed behind and killed them all the way, with rivers of blood flowing.
Chong'er traveled overnight across the border of Zheng State and arrived at Zhaocheng of Luo State. He was taken to the ancestral temple of Luo State, where Luo Ci recuperated.
This is the most magnificent hall in the entire Luo Palace. Although Chong'er's heart was full of anxiety, he still waited quietly in the courtyard.
After an unknown amount of time, Luo Yan walked out of the house, came to Chong'er and said, "Duke Jin, my father is not in good health. Sorry to have kept you waiting!"
Chong'er said quickly, "Lord Luo and the Crown Prince have been very kind to Chong'er, and they have also worked hard to manage the country. Chong'er should wait a little longer, which is not worth mentioning."
Luo Yan's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "Duke Jin, you are a prefect appointed by the emperor, granted the Nine Gifts, commanding the princes and whipping the world, and no one dares to disobey.
There is no need to mention the small favors. You should call yourself "Gu" because this is in accordance with etiquette."
Chong'er felt a chill in his heart when he heard the polite but obviously distancing himself from the matter. He then heard Luo Yan say, "It looks like it's going to rain, Duke Jin, you should go back first. I'll come see you when my father is better."
After saying that, he turned around and went back into the house without waiting for Chong'er's reaction. With the sound of the door closing heavily, a drop of rain as big as a bean fell on Chong'er's face.
Chong'er, who was about to leave, couldn't help but shudder, and his thoughts instantly returned to the battlefield. The drops of rain seemed like the blood of countless Jin soldiers splashing on his face.
“Plop!”
Chong'er actually knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He cried out in pain and shouted into the house, "Lord Luo!
Chong'er apologizes to you! "
As soon as he finished speaking, thunder sounded and heavy rain fell. Chong'er was instantly in a state of disgrace, and his tears mixed with the rain.
"Chong'er knows that he has committed a grave sin, and dares not ask for your forgiveness, but I hope that you will consider his contributions in protecting the royal family of Jin over the years, and that we are both concubines, and send troops to rescue him!"
Chong'er bowed deeply. His gorgeous robe was soaked and covered with mud. His hair was disheveled and his beard was disheveled.
I don’t know how long it took, but it seemed like the rain had stopped.
Chong'er looked up and saw Luo Yan holding a big umbrella and putting a warm coat on him.
Luo Yan asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Duke Jin, what crime have you committed? Please help me solve this puzzle."
Chong'er said with a pale face: "As the leader of all the countries in Xia.
Being unable to conquer the barbarians is the first sin.
The second crime was to annex the Ji clan state.
The third crime is to embezzle royal land.
With these three sins, how could Chong'er be favored by heaven? This is the root cause of his failure."
Luo Yan seemed to have just understood, and said with emotion: "Duke Jin, how powerful is Jin? It is even more powerful than Duke Huan of Qi recorded in the classics.
If we can unite all the states, will there be any Rongdi that we cannot defeat?
If they could truly respect the royal family, would the princes secretly criticize the State of Jin?
If there were one or two allies, would the Qin army dare to occupy the land of Ying and Zheng?
If the State of Chu could make friends with the State of Wu and not use it to attack others, would the State of Chu dare to oppose it with its entire country?
If we can unite the royal family, is there any country that we cannot return to?
Your failure lies in relying too much on force and losing reverence.
A benevolent monarch has many people helping him, and all the people in the world obey him; an immoral monarch has few people helping him, and even his relatives will betray him.
Can a monarch without moral integrity achieve victory? "
“Crack!”
A flash of lightning that cut through the dark clouds made Luo Yan look so tall that Chong'er lowered his head heavily.
The next day.
The Luo army, which had been on standby for a long time, rushed to the front line with the help of the "Speed Talisman". After Luo Ci expressed his position, other countries followed Luo's example and began to organize their troops.
The State of Jin dominated the world for more than a decade, but it did not know that the people of the world had long been dissatisfied with the State of Jin.
…
Duke Huan of Qi received the Nine Gifts from the Fangbo and began to establish his hegemony. During the Spring and Autumn Period of 300 years, only Duke Wen of Jin was comparable to him or second to him.
Why?
Duke Wen of Jin was humble and studious, wise and good at making decisions. He made friends with wise ministers and employed capable people. He had the qualities of an ancient sage king and was able to become a hegemon.
Qi Huang was fair but not cunning, and was close to Jin and Luo. As a result, there was the victory of Yanling, which was praised by later generations.
Duke Wen of Jin was cunning and unrighteous, and he distanced himself from Qi and Luo. This led to the defeat at Yi and Luo, and later generations mourned him.
——"Luogong Chunqiu"
Speed is of the essence: It can increase the marching speed of an infantry corps of no more than 50,000 people by 30% without consuming much physical strength.
Today is gone~
(End of this chapter)
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