Chapter 84: Plan
When the king of Zheng came to him for help, his life was truly miserable. But with such a large population and such a vast territory, how could Zheng be living in such a miserable state?
Duke Qi understood what Luo Yu wanted to say. The reason why the king of Zheng lived such a miserable life was because the royal family of Zheng did not have much land. Most of the land was in the hands of the royal family and the noble family who were gradually drifting away from the royal family.
So no matter how powerful Zheng State was, what did it have to do with the royal family?
The royal family of Qi was naturally not so miserable, but the power of the noble families in Qi was also very great, especially the power of the Tian family, which in some aspects had surpassed the royal family.
His expression changed several times in a short period of time, revealing his inner emotions clearly.
He showed his emotions on his face, had no scheming, no opinions of his own, and was easily receptive to other people's opinions. He was a rather mediocre monarch. Within a short period of time, Luo Yu had confirmed all the evaluations of Lu Jing by the Luo State intelligence agency.
Lu Jing finally understood that Luo Yu was not on a simple diplomatic mission this time, but came with important matters.
I'm afraid this is another major event that requires the Ji-Jiang Alliance to take action!
So he sat up straight and said, "Prince, your words are really a wake-up call, and it makes me wake up from a dream.
The two countries have maintained friendly diplomatic relations for 500 years. Is there anything that cannot be said directly?
Please teach me!"
I see that Lu Jing has corrected his attitude and is no longer as resistant as before.
Luo Yu then patiently persuaded him, saying, "Duke Qi, when I was in Luo, I heard that the Tian family used the public property to show kindness to the royal family and the people.
He lent money with a large measure, but allowed people to repay with a small measure. It would have been fine if they had used their own family assets.
Those who damage the country's strength and increase their own reputation are thieves who steal the country.
Even a thief who stole a hook and belt would be executed, so don't you hate this thief who stole your country?"
In just a few words, Lu Jing seemed to have seen the scene of his expulsion. He sighed and said, "Prince, what you said is really true.
But although Tian does not have great virtues, he has done some small favors to the royal family and the people. He has not done anything beyond the rules, so what can I do?
My ancestors once said that the Gongshi was a vassal appointed by the Zhou emperor, and that the Gongshi had military support, which was enough to ensure its safety. We only needed to wait for the Tian family's power to weaken.
After so many years of struggle, the power of the royal family is no longer as strong as that of the Tian family, especially since the Tian family has joined forces with other noble families to undermine the royal family.
Fortunately, the royal family still has the army and the status of the monarch, so it is not too anxious.
As the saying goes, one thing rises while another falls. The Tian family cannot remain strong forever. When they decline, it will be time for the royal family to take back power.
"What you have thought of, wouldn't Tian Chang have thought of it?"
Luo Yu said with a worried look on his face: "Duke Qi, I'm sure Tian Chang will tell you that Qi should be hostile to Luo now."
This time, Lu Jing was truly surprised. "Prince, where did you know this?"
Luo Yu sighed and said, “Duke Qi, Tian Chang did not attack the weak Ju State, but attacked the powerful Luo State. This is the essence of Duanmuzi, and he wants to plot against you.
The city of Ju is small, probably not even as tall as the ladders of Qi. The population of Ju is very small, probably not even as large as the army of Qi. Ju is so poor that it can't even wear clothes, so how can it have strong armor?
For Tian Chang, such a country was too difficult to attack, so he gave up.
The cities of Luo were tall and large, the people of Luo were strong and powerful, and the armor of Luo filled the warehouses and could never be used up.
Only a country like this can allow Tian Chang to win, so he made you hostile to Luo State!"
This statement, which went against common sense, made Lu Jing's already dull mind even more confused, but out of his trust and affection for Luo Yu, he quickly asked, "Prince, I really don't understand what you are saying.
Ju was weak but difficult to attack, while Luo was strong but able to win. Isn't this completely different from what ordinary people know?"
Luo Yu asked, "Duke Qi, in the State of Jin, there was a hunter who went into the mountains to hunt every day.
There are two mountains in front of him. One mountain has chickens, and the other mountain has tigers. Which mountain do you think he often goes to?"
“Naturally, it’s the mountain with the chickens.”
Luo Yu said: "That's right, so he always gets prey.
But a powerful warrior told him that tigers would come down the mountain to eat people and snatch the chickens they had hunted, so they had to kill the tigers first. He was willing to help. Do you think he would agree? "
"Yes, because he is afraid that the tiger will come down the mountain and eat people."
Luo Yu sighed and said, “Yes, the warriors did not think that two people could defeat the tiger.
He just wanted to seize the hunter's property, but he couldn't defeat the hunter, so he had to rely on the power of the tiger to achieve his goal.
When the two men reached the mountain where there was a tiger, the warrior abandoned him, followed the retreat route he had already found, went down the mountain, returned home and took possession of the hunter's property and wife.
Lu Jing had already understood what Luo Yu wanted to say. With Luo Yu's language ability and charm, such a rhythmic narration was really too immersive.
Luo Yu continued, "For Tian Chang, attacking weak countries will only strengthen Qi. He is not the Grand Chancellor, and the reputation of expanding the territory will not fall on him. Is there any benefit for him?
How difficult it is to be able to defeat but not be able to win!
Your confusion lies in the fact that you don't understand who your enemy is and who your ally is.
You don't know who brought the main troubles to Qi State now, whether it is abroad or at home.
Who do you think is Qi's biggest worry? Who is its biggest enemy?"
Lu Jing was already unable to speak and just kept hesitating.
Seeing this, Luo Yu knew that he had succeeded, and he said earnestly: "Duke Qi.
The Dongyi people have been wiped out. Tian Chang tells you that Luo State is a threat and enemy to Qi State.
But is this really the case?
The State of Luo has never had any intention of coveting the land of the State of Qi. It would be too late to be friendly with such a country, but instead it provokes it. Is this rational?
Your ministers have formulated a strategy for you to be hostile to the State of Luo because you are their biggest concern!
They want to ensure their power in the country, so weakening the power of the royal family is the most important thing, so they encourage you to become an enemy of Luo State.
Think about it, if you become an enemy of Luo State, you will first lose an ally of more than 500 years.
In this way, the royal family of Qi will lose its greatest support. If something unexpected happens to the royal army, which country do you want to flee to?
Because the An family went on a foreign expedition, all of their troops were lost in the war. Eventually, they were suppressed and excluded by other large noble families and disappeared quietly.
They would certainly drive Qi's army to fight against Luo, and then sell out Qi's royal army just like they abandoned the An family.
It has only been a few years, have you forgotten such a painful lesson? The willow tree planted by Doctor An Ning is still watching you in front of the palace gate!"
Luo Yu's eloquent and moving speech directly broke Lu Jing's defense. He seemed to have seen himself imprisoned, the royal family of Qi being killed like dogs by the ministers, and his descendants being starved to death in the palace.
He burst into tears and begged, "Prince!
What you said makes so much sense, like a basin of cold water poured directly on my head. I have been deceived by the lies of traitors like Tian Chang for a long time, and I have never been as clear-headed as I am now. What should I do to avoid this situation?
Please, for the sake of the five hundred years of blood alliance between Qi and Luo, rescue the Lu family.
I am willing to swear in the name of King Haotian Su to continue the friendship between Ji and Jiang forever.
Whether it is to fight against Chu or to respect the royal family, as long as Luo State needs it, Qi State is willing to use all its national strength to help! "
Luo Yu's words made so much sense, which was several levels higher than Tian Chang's weird words that day. There was no need to think about them at all, as the logic behind them was interconnected.
Even if Luo Yu did not have such great charm, I am afraid that Duke Qi would believe it directly.
If the nobles had usurped the throne and replaced the royal family, or even if the Zhou emperor had officially conferred titles on the princes, Lu Jing would probably have knelt down before Luo Yu.
But even in this situation, Lu Jing felt extremely frightened. As a duke, he had to beg for mercy from Luo Yu, a marquis and prince.
Luo Yu felt at ease and smiled, "Don't worry, Duke Qi. I came here to save the royal family of Qi. You only need to do this to stabilize the country. Although the loss is a bit large, it can stabilize the country of Qi for a hundred years."
Luo Yu began to discuss the strategy he had thought of long ago with Qi Gong Lu Jing bit by bit. Both sides contributed all the resources they could to gradually enrich Luo Yu's plan.
In fact, Luo Yu was saying that the Duke of Qi should invest everything he had in order to regain the power of the Qi royal family.
The more they discussed, the more excited the Duke of Qi became. He said, "Prince, you not only have the most beautiful appearance in the world, but also have extraordinary talents.
I really don't know what kind of flattering words I should use to praise you. Qi will always stand by Luo's side until the end of the Mandate of Heaven."
Luo Yu raised his palm and smiled, "The Mandate of Zhou will last forever, and the friendship between the Luo family and the Lu family will last forever. We only wish to jointly protect the Emperor of Zhou, and this will live up to the glory of our ancestors."
Duke Qi clapped his hands and said, "In the name of Lord Haotian, we swear that the Qi State of Lü will always support the Emperor of Zhou. May the Mandate of Zhou last forever!"
…
The Eastern Zhou Dynasty was an era of drastic changes. During the transition from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period, due to the structural drawbacks of the feudal system itself and under the erosion of time, the royal power of various countries inevitably shifted to the hands of the nobles.
But the situation in Luo State was different. Not only did the royal family still control power, but they were even able to assist their allies. As a result, Qi State was spared and the Ji-Jiang alliance was able to continue.
The Zhou royal family continued to maintain the dignity of the emperor under the condition that it was neither stronger nor weaker. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Zhou Dynasty"
(End of this chapter)
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