For some reason, as soon as Sima Yi finished speaking, the entire Jin Wuwang Mansion was filled with a silence as if it were dead.
He could clearly sense the pressure and murderous intent coming from Wu Hua.
If Guo Kai was standing here, he would probably be scared to death by now.
But he is Sima Yi.
After a long moment, Wu Hua finally uttered, "What exactly do you Qin want to do? What do you need me to do? And what benefits can I get?"
The three questions asked in succession were the core topic of their meeting tonight.
Sima Yi bowed slightly and said, "Old Prince, what we Qin want is very simple. We hope that your Jin State will fall into chaos, so that we Qin can profit from it."
After a pause, he continued, "The old prince is the leader of the Jin clan. With your approval, the chaos in Jin will end in no time. After the matter is accomplished, the old prince can establish himself as the master."
"You want me to start a rebellion?"
Wu Hua frowned and chuckled, "Once our Jin State is in civil strife, your Qin State will be able to gain a lot of benefits without any effort.
However, the prerequisite for civil unrest requires me to lead my army in rebellion. This deal seems dispensable to me."
Even if there was no Qin State, he could still lead his troops in rebellion and plunge Jin State into a stalemate of chaos.
If this is the case, why should we rely on Qin? What is their role?
Sima Yi responded, "Your Majesty, this is wrong. As long as there is civil unrest in Jin, we, the Qin State, can use the excuse of suppressing the rebellion to march into the heartland of Jin and suppress the imperial army.
By then, the old prince will have no worries. He can either enter the capital and take charge, or retreat and defend one side. It will be a hundred benefits and no harm to form an alliance with our Qin State. "
This was also Zhuge Liang's original plan.
In his strategy of dividing Jin among three families, the Wu family would indeed occupy one side and become the king.
"You mean, will your Qin State help us resist the Jin imperial army? Force our family to divide our territory with the imperial court?"
Wu Hua frowned deeply.
I have to say that what Sima Yi said is still a bit touching.
"Old Prince, what our Qin State can offer you is far more than what I have said. If Qin and Wu form an alliance in the future, your Wu family will be safe for the next twenty years."
Sima Yi said with absolute certainty.
This is the greatest benefit that Qin promised to the Wu family.
Wu Hua was somewhat moved, "Are you serious?"
Sima Yi said, "Heaven and Earth are my witnesses, this is absolutely not an exaggeration."
In this world, when etiquette and rules have not yet become a laughing stock, oaths are extremely important.
Sima Yi continued, "As for the other noble families, I will naturally go and persuade them. The prerequisite is that the old prince must agree to our Qin State's plan."
"This matter...needs further consideration." Wu Hua was a little hesitant.
Seeing this, Sima Yi shook his head and sighed.
Wu Hua asked puzzledly, "Why are you sighing?"
Sima Yi said, "I sighed because the old prince has not yet realized how serious the current situation is.
Let me ask you, if my Qin State was destroyed by Jin, when the imperial army returned triumphantly, would the Jin Emperor, who controls thousands of miles of Qin State's territory, let go of the aristocratic family forces headed by the old prince?
In other words, whether the old prince admits it or not, we are now all grasshoppers tied to the same rope. We rise and fall together, and there is no way out.
As soon as these words were spoken, Wu Hua fell into deep thought.
Yes, now there is no way out for either Qin or myself.
Thinking of this, Wu Hua said in a deep voice: "I can act according to your plan, but there is a prerequisite. I must see the moment when Qi sends troops and the Chu army retreats."
He thought to himself that if the Chu army did not retreat, or if Qi only made minor moves, the overall situation would not have meant the collapse of the Jin-Chu alliance.
Then the Qin State would be unable to cope with the situation.
At that time, if they rebelled, how could they win the hearts of the people and deal with the imperial army without having a righteous cause?
Therefore, the key to the whole matter lies with the State of Qi.
“Please rest assured, Your Majesty, when the Chu army retreats, it will be the time for our army to attack the heartland of Jin.
I just hope that when that time comes, the old prince can lead all the noble families in the land to jointly resist the tyranny of the Jin State."
Sima Yi bowed deeply.
He believed in Zhuge Liang's ability and believed that he would persuade Qi to launch a large-scale attack on Jin.
Wu Hua took a deep breath and said seriously, "It's a deal."
The reason why he agreed so readily was because what Sima Yi said was right. After the Qin State was defeated, the ones who would suffer would be the powerful families like them.
It's all just about staying alive.
If Ji Chong'er had been more magnanimous, he would not have cared about those aristocratic families secretly accumulating power and would have trusted them.
So, who would give up the good life of wealth and glory to do something rebellious?
But as a person in a higher position, how can you just watch the power of your subordinates grow day by day?
Early April of the seventh year of Chengping.
After meeting the envoy from Chu, Emperor Ji Fa of Qi immediately summoned the envoy from Qin, Zhuge Liang.
A month later, the Prince's Grand Tutor finally met the Emperor of Qi.
After the meeting, Ji Fa said frankly: "I already know your origins, but Chu has promised to give me the three states of Qi. From now on, Qi and Chu will form a federation."
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang laughed and said, "Three states? Does Your Majesty really value those three states of Chu?"
"What do you mean?" Ji Fa asked.
Zhuge Liang said sternly, "Your Majesty should be aware that the Chu State has now deployed almost all of its elite soldiers at Hangu Pass.
The State of Chu is now strong on the outside but weak on the inside. It is at a critical moment. If your country sends troops at this moment, it will surely be able to destroy the State of Chu.
At the very least, it will severely damage the vitality of the Chu State. For at least ten years, there will be no more military conflicts with your country."
Jiang Ziya narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard. "According to the Qin envoy's intention, are you asking Qi to launch a war of annihilation on your behalf? I wonder what benefits Qin will offer me, Qi?"
Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "There is no benefit at all."
Jiang Ziya chuckled and said, "What you said is truly ridiculous. Our army can capture the three states of Chu without bloodshed."
Not only did your Qin State demand that my Qi State send troops to relieve your Qin State's danger, but you were also unwilling to give anything.
If that is the case, why should my Qi help your Qin resolve this crisis?"
Zhuge Liang said bluntly, "Master Jiang, before I answer your question, I have something I would like to ask you."
The other party was praised by the scholars of the Jixia Academy as the master of a hundred schools of thought. In other words, he was the most knowledgeable and wise person in the world today, without a doubt.
When facing such a person, Zhuge Liang naturally had to regard himself as a junior.
Jiang Ziya nodded and said, "Please speak frankly, Your Excellency."
Zhuge Liang asked, "If Qin were to be destroyed by Chu, Chu would possess the vast expanse of Qin's beautiful landscape and countless people. By then, its power would far surpass Qi's.
Given the long-standing conflicts between Qi and Chu, how will Qi handle the situation when that happens?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
