Chapter 96: The End of Song State and the Plot against the Zhou Emperor
The Luo State was busy dealing with the aftermath of Ji Lingjun's death. The importance of this centenarian ancestor to the Luo State was unimaginable to ordinary people.
Moreover, this ancestor also requested to be buried in the Luo family's ancestral land, next to King Su, which involved a lot of manpower and resources of the Luo State.
According to his great-aunt's previous instructions, Luo Zhi began to investigate the troop movements and food supply situations in various countries. He then began to contact Qi, Luo's traditional ally, to re-mobilize the Ji-Jiang alliance and prepare to deal with the upcoming changes.
On the battlefield between Zheng and Chen, the two countries fought for only ten months before Zheng conquered Wanqiu of Chen and attacked indiscriminately in the territory of Chen, driving the Chen army all the way towards Lucheng.
Zheng Houchan laughed and said, "The State of Chen is so weak, it seems that they can't wait for the State of Chu to restore their country.
It is unfair from God that such fertile land is in the hands of the State of Chen.
If we annex the entire territory of Chen State, exterminate the royal family of Chen State, and then contact Qi State to destroy Song State, won't Zheng State be able to become the overlord?"
Zheng Houchan actually wanted to dominate the world even in his dreams.
At this time, the army of Song State set out from Shangqiu and had crossed the border between Song and Chen States. Naturally, the spies of Zheng State got the news.
The rulers and ministers of Zheng were somewhat surprised by the emergence of Song.
Song was not a small country like Chen. Song's land was very fertile and its population was twice that of Zheng. "Chen did not turn to Chu, but to Song to send troops.
Isn’t the State of Song worried that the States of Qi and Luo will move south?
It is a bit unexpected that they dared to transfer so many troops to the territory of Chen State."
When he saw the Song army appear, Zheng Houchan had some thoughts of retreating. In addition, he had already rescued Zheng Ji from Wanqiu, so he thought about returning to Zheng.
But once the war begins, it cannot be stopped by the will of one or two people. If he dares to say that the land of Chen should be returned now, these ministers will kill him immediately.
Unable to retreat, but without confidence in defeating Song, Zheng Chan hesitated and said, "Song is powerful, and is located in the middle of Chen. Our army has no geographical advantage. Why not ask Luo to borrow troops? Then Song will surely retreat."
Unexpectedly, as soon as these words were spoken, almost all the officials in the military camp said in unison: "No!"
What a joke! They asked Luo for help, Zheng was saved, but they were directly exiled. This was something they could not accept.
Seeing the ministers' refusal, Zheng Chan lamented, "Luo is not an option, and Jin is certainly even less an option. Jin has become increasingly rampant in recent years, and Ying is weak, and even combined they are no match for Song and Chen. Who else can we turn to?
Qi? Zheng and Qi don't have much contact, and Qi is corrupt, so it may not be willing to send troops. "
Guo Qing had gained the most from the attack on Chen this time, so he was naturally unwilling to give up. He rolled his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, the one who can and has the power to help Zheng is the royal family!"
"The royal family?"
Everyone was stunned. The royal family had very little presence. The affairs of the world had always been handled by the major powers, and no one paid attention to the existence of the royal family.
But on second thought, it is indeed very suitable. Although the royal family is inconspicuous, its strength is actually very good. It is certainly far from comparable to big countries like Jin and Chu, but it is naturally stronger than the State of Chen.
The transportation from Zheng State to Luoyi was also very convenient, so the royal family could send troops very quickly.
After all, the royal family is the common ruler of the world, so the name is completely different. If the royal family sends troops and then ally with Ying State, the strength of both sides will be almost the same.
The more they thought about it, the more appropriate it seemed. Zheng Chan said excitedly, "But how can we persuade the royal family to send troops? I'm afraid the emperor is unwilling to do something that has no benefits."
Guo Qing smiled and said, "A few years ago, I went to Luoyi to pay tribute and knew that the emperor liked carriages, horses, jade and beautiful women, but how could the royal family's wealth be enough for him to squander?
We can use these things to bribe him, cede three cities to him, and provide him with a steady supply of taxes. This will surely encourage him to send troops, and the ceded cities can be replenished from the State of Chen.
Using Chen's land to invite the royal family to send troops, but Zheng is the one who benefits. Is there anything better than this?"
The king and his ministers of Zheng State all laughed, and the air was filled with joy.
So Zheng Houchan sent an envoy from Xinzheng City to Luoyi with a large amount of wealth. Here, Zheng State first confronted the coalition forces of Song and Chen.
The 100,000-strong army of Zheng State was mobilized in full force and divided into several routes, supporting each other from front to rear and acting according to flags. The 100,000-strong army of Song State and the 30,000 defeated army of Chen State joined together, and with the continuous gathering of defeated soldiers in recent days, their number exceeded that of the army of Zheng State.
The previous wars between Zheng and Chen did not cause heavy casualties. Basically, the two sides were directly defeated, and then the Zheng army looted.
The dark cloud of war loomed over Lucheng. The State of Song tried to make a final effort and sent an envoy to the army camp of the State of Zheng. "Marquis Zheng, the heaven has the virtue of loving life, and mortals should obey it.
Song State does not wish to go to war with your country. If you are willing to withdraw from Chen State's land, Song State is willing to make Chen State cede the city to you."
Zheng Houchan asked with a bit of pride in his eyes: "Doctor from Song State, if you hunt and get a wild boar, will you eat it in one day?"
The Song envoy was a little confused, not knowing why Zheng Houchan suddenly asked such a question, but he still said: "The wild boar is too big to eat."
Zheng Houchan then laughed loudly and said, "If you got a pheasant, you would eat it.
Chen is not a wild boar, but a pheasant. If it eats only a few cities, Zheng will be hungry. Please report to the Duke of Song and withdraw from Chen. The 700-year friendship between Zheng and Song should not be destroyed by the humble Chen. "
What Zheng Houchan said was very clear. Zheng was a big country and Chen was a small country. Zheng now wanted all the land of Chen. The envoys of Song finally left.
When the Duke of Song and the Marquis of Chen heard the news, the Marquis of Chen immediately cursed loudly, "Chen was established as a marquisate seven hundred years ago, and Zheng was promoted to marquisate only five hundred years ago. How dare he be so arrogant!"
The Marquis of Chen was so frightened that he was so hysterical. Song Gong comforted him, "Don't panic, Marquis of Chen. Since Marquis of Zheng is so rebellious, the Song-Chen coalition will teach him a lesson. When Zheng is defeated and cedes land to seek peace, you can humiliate him."
The envoys from Zheng State had already arrived at the royal capital of Luoyi, and the envoys from Luo State were on their way to Qi State. The nobles from Qi State stationed on the border between Qi and Song State noticed the unusual movements of Song State and reported to Linzi.
…
The appearance of Zheng Ji was accidental, but due to the advancement of social productivity and the explosive growth of population in various countries, the annexation of various countries was inevitable, so it is unreasonable to blame her for the war.
But in any case, the Zheng-Chen War caused by Zheng Ji became the fuse of a series of events, completely tearing apart the true situation that Luo State tried hard to conceal, and exposing the irreconcilable contradictions to everyone in the world. ——"The Rise and Fall of the Zhou Dynasty"
Now you can start guessing the plot.
(End of this chapter)
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