Li Ran heard Chu Dang shouting outside, and when he went out, he saw that Chu Dang had accidentally collapsed the wellhead in the garden.
At this moment, Zhang Huatai's guards were surrounding him, asking him to "please plead guilty" and claim compensation. Chu Dang refused to accept it, and he was very stubborn.
Li Ran watched from a distance, smiling for a moment.
After all, Chu Dang is a rough man, and it is understandable that he is careless when doing things.
And if these guards wanted to embarrass Chu Dang, then Li Ran would naturally not agree.
However, looking at Chu Dang's stubbornness, I believe that the wellhead will definitely be built stronger than the copper and iron walls in his hands in the future.
Seeing that nothing happened, Li Ran took a deep breath, forced himself to cheer up, and was about to turn around and leave.
However, the moment he turned around, a light suddenly flashed in his mind!
"Wells are dug for people's use. If they break, they just need to be repaired."
"yes!"
"Why didn't I think of that!"
Chu Dang's words just lingered in his ears for a while, and he suddenly realized it.
Isn't this the same as his current situation?
Qingfeng is now the "water" he wants to salvage, and his reputation is this "well".
If the well is broken, it can be repaired slowly in the future.
But what if the water flows away? Where else can I find it?
As the saying goes, "The future is long", Li Ran's reputation among the countries in the Central Plains would only be as long as he did not make too big a mistake. You can always find opportunities to slowly patch things up in the future.
What's more, the most striking feature of this era is really its generosity in "recruiting surrender and accepting rebellion."
In the Spring and Autumn Period, if we put aside the moral aspect of people like Li Ran, what would be the consequences if people like him returned to Zhou State?
In fact, apart from the bad reputation, there is no need for any political baggage at all, because this kind of thing was too common in that era.
Therefore, for Li Ran, the worst thing is that the "well" collapses, and he can just rebuild it when the time comes.
But once Qing Feng escapes, or once Li Ran loses this opportunity to learn all the truth, it may not be easy to find a good opportunity in the future.
After all, for people like Feng Duan and Ji Sun Yiru, if he didn't rely on more powerful force to leverage, he would have no chance with his own strength.
Li Ran still clearly distinguishes the priorities of things. At this moment, his own reputation no longer seems that important, and how to unravel the layers of fog behind it seems to be the most important thing at this moment!
Just do it!
Li Ran clarified his thoughts and suddenly became free and easy again.
He hurriedly went to see the King of Chu again. When the King of Chu heard that Li Ran had left and returned, he immediately thought that Li Ran had thought of some good idea, and hurriedly summoned him to the palace.
This time, Li Ran did not disappoint King Chu. He did have a way.
"Sir, you have gone and come back again. I guess you must have some great ideas. Come and tell me about it!"
King Chu couldn't wait. After all, the battle to attack Zhu Fangcheng was very tight now, which also made him feel even more stressed.
Li Ran heard the sound and immediately bowed, and then slowly said:
"Now that Qingfeng in Zhu Fang City has foreign help, it will be difficult for the king to capture it in a short period of time with just force. In this case, the king might as well prepare for a long-term siege of Zhu Fang City and mobilize more troops from various places. With good soldiers and good generals and a supply of food and fodder, we replaced the exhausted troops in front and assumed a posture of long-term confrontation with them, in order to intimidate Qingfeng."
"Ah? Sir, are you joking? How can the Jin Kingdom watch such a movement and remain indifferent?"
Just as Li Ran finished speaking, Wu Ju interrupted and said sarcastically.
According to Li Ran, if preparations for long-term operations are sufficient, it will inevitably mobilize defensive forces from various places.
It's okay to say that other places are fine, but in the north, if the Jin State is alarmed, and then it takes advantage of the Zheng State to sneak into the hinterland of the Chu State, then the Chu State will not be attacked from both sides.
"Haha, it's not wise for the doctor to jump to conclusions after only half-hearing. Doctor Wu Ju, please listen carefully."
Since the battle in Chaoyi, Li Ran has always had a bad attitude towards Wu Ju. Therefore, at this moment, Wu Ju was heard choking on purpose. Isn’t this going to give you a hard push back?
When the King of Chu saw this, he immediately waved his hand towards Wu Ju and said:
"Wu Qing, there's no need to say more. We'll discuss it later after listening."
At this time, he could only place his hope on Li Ran, so he did not want Li Ran to delay his contribution because of Wu Ju.
Wu Ju blushed and immediately stepped aside.
"Your Majesty, since we are going to have a long-term confrontation, we must first stabilize the north."
"Now the troops deployed by the king in the north are not very large. Therefore, if the Jin Kingdom joins the princes and goes south, I am afraid it will be more misfortune than good."
This is indeed a fact. Now the Chu State is gradually showing signs of fatigue due to the expedition to Zhongli. If the most elite northern defense force is replaced by Zhongli. For the Chu State, this was tantamount to pulling chestnuts from the fire.
"In that case, why don't you, Your Majesty, change your mind? Think of another way to completely cut off the possibility of Jin going south?"
A faint smile appeared on Li Ran's face, which seemed quite mysterious.
Hearing this, King Chu couldn't help but be startled. He couldn't figure out what Li Ran meant by this for a long time. I saw him frowning for a moment, thinking for a long time.
Wu Ju on the side was also puzzled. He just sneered to himself but said nothing.
"Sir, please speak clearly."
The King of Chu seemed very humble. At least in this matter, his "please give me advice" look was quite right.
Also, even the most arrogant and domineering people will be humble when asking for help from others.
Li Ran heard the sound and immediately raised his hands and said:
"If you want to capture Zhufang City and seize Qingfeng, but also want to avoid the direct intervention of the Jin State, the first step is to ask the Chu State to correct its attitude and show that it has no intention of competing with the Central Plains countries. The situation is coming.”
"What? What are you talking about!"
"The kings of our Chu Kingdom have all aspired to march north to fight for hegemony, but at this time, sir, you want me to show weakness to the Zhou Dynasty? Doesn't that mean that the king is betraying his ancestors and abandoning his ancestors?!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Ju couldn't sit still and immediately stepped forward to refute.
King Chu's face was also very embarrassed, his throat was knotted, and he stopped talking.
Will the Chu people show weakness to the Zhou people?
"In the sixteenth year of King Gong, in the Battle of Yanling, our Chu army suffered 100,000 casualties! In the third year of King Kang, in the Battle of Zhanban, our Chu army was defeated again by the Jin people. The Jin people marched all the way to the foot of our city!"
"But even so, when did our Chu country show weakness to the Jin country? When did our Chu people bow to the people of the Central Plains?!"
"Sir's words are really insulting to me! Please respect yourself, sir!"
Yes, with the Chu people's toughness and stubbornness, how could they show weakness to others?
Here we need to talk about Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu.
From beginning to end, the people of Chu have always carried the domineering spirit of "I am the only one in the world, no one else but me." From King Wu of Chu to Xiang Yu, from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Chu people of all dynasties have been arrogant.
Even King Huai of Chu, who was kidnapped by the Qin State and imprisoned in Xianyang until his death, always had this domineering spirit in his bones and would rather die than surrender.
And this kind of arrogance became the origin of the saying later that "Although Chu has three households, if Qin is destroyed, Chu will definitely die".
In short, Chu people have never surrendered to others since ancient times!
I remember that when King Chu Wu faced the powerful alliance of the country with the surname Ji in the Central Plains, he still dared to regard himself as the king and refused to show weakness.
Could his descendants do such a thing?
King Chu Cheng has never done this, and King Chu Zhuang has never done this. Could it be that Xiong Wei, the King of Chu who was committed to making great achievements for a long time, would do this?
Since Wu Ju was a Chu native, he still had the Chu spirit in his bones. So after what he said, even Chu King Xiong Wei couldn't help but nodded in agreement, thinking that Li Ran's words were indeed inappropriate.
——
Chapter 267_To do big things, learn to endure first
The battle of Zhu Fangcheng was unfavorable.
However, the first step of the strategy proposed by Li Ran was sternly refuted by Wu Ju on the spot. I think Li Ran's words are just to make the Chu people bow their heads and show weakness.
It was unbearable for them to humiliate Chu people like this.
However, Li Ran seemed extremely relaxed when faced with Wu Ju's fierce refutation, as if he had expected such a reaction from them.
Li Ran waited quietly and not only did not get angry, but he still listened to all Wu Ju's words at leisure, and then nodded slightly in agreement.
It's just that when he nodded, an "indifferent" expression appeared on his face for no reason.
"Since the doctor wants to feel this way, then it is difficult for Zhongli to ask the doctor."
Li Ran raised his hand slightly, just making a gesture of invitation.
Then, Wu Ju was stunned.
"I...you!"
Wu Ju was so angry in his heart that his old face turned red for a moment. He shouldn't have done it, and he shouldn't have done it. He was so embarrassed that even the King of Chu was anxious for him.
When Li Ran saw this, he immediately gave him a blank look again.
"What the hell? That's it?"
"Putting a cup? Why don't you do it yourself if you are so talented? You are the king of strong talk, right? Are you the only one who can make irresponsible remarks? When doing it with real swords and guns, you can run faster than anyone else?"
"If you are so awesome, why did you come back? To capture Zhu Fangcheng?!"
Wu Ju was the supervisor of the King of Chu's attack on Zhongli. He came back saying he was reporting on the military situation, but in reality?
Wasn't it because he was afraid of being punished by the supervisor and came back early to file a complaint?
Li Ran was naturally very disdainful of this and couldn't help but sneered.
"Please don't blame me, sir. It's just that what you just said is really shocking. It is indeed a bit... somewhat embarrassing for me to ask you to show such a posture to the countries of the Central Plains..."
King Chu had to admit that it was really embarrassing for him to do this.
After all, he was the one who dared to attack Zheng Yi with two thousand guards. After all, he was the fierce man who dared to call all the countries in the world to join the alliance at the gate of Jin Kingdom.
Now you want him to bow his head to show weakness or even show kindness to the Central Plains countries. Isn't this more uncomfortable than giving him a sword?
"Your Majesty, do you think it is your personal honor or disgrace that is more important, or the safety of the entire Chu State?"
Li Ran didn't tell him any big reason, but made it clear.
If Zhu Fangcheng remains in a stalemate for a day, everyone in the Chu State will be worried about it. Moreover, the Chu State has tens of thousands of troops. It can be said that thousands of gold are wasted every day. Can the Chu State afford it?
And once the national power of Chu is brought down by this kind of consumption, and when Jin sends its troops south again, what should Chu do to resist it?
Compared with the honor and disgrace of you, the King of Chu, shouldn’t the family fortune accumulated by the Chu kings of the Chu Kingdom be more important?
"Ignorance..."
"Of course, the safety of the Chu Kingdom is important! I ascend the throne to be the king in order to let my Chu Kingdom dominate the world and regain the power of my ancestor, King Zhuang!"
King Zhuang of Chu was one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. As mentioned above, he drank from the Yellow River and aspired to conquer the Central Plains. He was the British leader of this generation.
Of course King Xiong Wei of Chu was also a monarch who aspired to the world, and Li Ran knew this very well.
Otherwise, King Xiong Wei of Chu would not have humbly asked him about Duke Huan of Qi's hegemonic deeds at the meeting in Guodi.
In fact, since King Chuzhuang, almost every generation of Chu kings has taken the restoration of King Chuzhuang's hegemony as their own mission.
It's just that here in Xiongwei, King of Chu, this vision is still obvious.
"That being the case, what's the harm in the king showing weakness to the countries in the Central Plains?"
"Since ancient times, those who achieve great things can only be a man if they can endure and make judgments. The first king of Jin Dynasty, Duke Wen, went into exile in Cao State. To persuade him to join forces, he should "eat dirt". But what will happen in the end? After he returns home, he will be able to dominate the world. Is the humiliation Jin Wengong has suffered in the past twenty years not as good as the king?"
"Since the king wants to achieve eternal hegemony, he might as well think more about the days of King Cheng and King Zhuang. As the saying goes, 'a small impatience will ruin a big plan'!"
Li Ran emphasized the last sentence and said it in a decisive tone, and the whole hall suddenly fell silent.
Of course Wu Ju still wanted to refute.
But when Li Ran gave such a weighty example as Duke Wen of Jin, the words he wanted to use to refute Li Ran only seemed extremely weak for a while.
Chu people are indeed competitive, but among all the great achievements in this world, who did not survive step by step and endure hardship bit by bit?
Not to mention other things, just the two ancestors of Chu State?
If King Chu Cheng had not been humiliated by the "Zhaoling Alliance", how could he have avenged his humiliation and dominated the Central Plains after the "Battle of Hongshui"?
If the King of Chuzhuang had not had the ambition to "do nothing but make a blockbuster", how could he be able to defeat the Ruo Ao family and finally win the title of the Central Plains and drink from the Yellow River?
As the saying goes, "accept the filth of the country, and then become the master of the country." King Zhuang could bear it when the first king became king, but you, King Xiong Wei of Chu, couldn't bear it?
"Ignorance..."
The King of Chu was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to respond.
"If your Majesty is unwilling to bear even this humiliation, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to serve your Majesty any longer. In this case, the agreement between Your Majesty and Ran will be void."
After Li Ran finished speaking, he rolled his sleeves and turned to leave.
"slow!"
King Chu looked startled and hurriedly spoke to stop him.
"Sir, what are you talking about? Is this a person who doesn't know how to be patient and look forward to the future?"
"Please sir, please enjoy your speech. I am sure you will listen attentively!"
At this point, he has no way to save the battle of Zhu Fang City that is stuck in the mud. Since Li Ran has already mentioned it, even if he is asked to bow to the Central Plains countries and show weakness, he can only obey it at this moment.
Of course, this process of surrender may be quite tortuous, and the King of Chu, Xiong Wei, must not be happy with it.
However, due to the difficulty of reality, I am afraid that his dissatisfaction can only be buried deep in his heart.
Seeing that the King of Chu had made such a statement, what else could Wu Ju say? He could only continue to stand aside and listen.
When Li Ran heard this, he immediately turned around, as if he had expected everything. He bowed his hands to the King of Chu again, and then continued:
"Since the King of Chu wants to show that he has no intention of competing for supremacy, the best way is to make a marriage!"
"Now that the king has been on the throne for half a year, it is time to establish a queen. The daughter of the Feng family in Zheng Yi whom the king married before is obviously not enough to be a mother to the world. Although her daughter has the surname Ji, the Feng family is just a high-ranking official in Zheng State. If I make this girl my main wife, I will probably be ridiculed by everyone in the world."
"However, I heard that the Marquis of Jin has a daughter who is in the prime of life and is a good match for the king. Why don't the king send a confidant to the Jin Kingdom to express his wish for peace and marriage? The Jin Kingdom is currently experiencing constant internal troubles and no one in the Jin Kingdom wants to cause trouble. So there is absolutely no reason to refuse.”
"And if the king can marry the daughter of the Marquis of Jin, wouldn't the king's sincerity in wanting to coexist peacefully with the Central Plains countries be known to the world? By then, even if the Chu State continues to display troops under Zhu Fang's city, they will not want to come to the Jin State. He broke his promise and sent his troops southward."
"And if there is no help from the Jin State, then who of the Central Plains princes would dare to lead troops south without authorization? In this way, wouldn't the threat to the north of the Chu State be solved directly?"
Getting married is obviously just the first step.
When Li Ran finished speaking, King Chu's expression suddenly began to improve.
Because if it is true as Li Ran said, then in fact, Chu State cannot be regarded as "lowering to show weakness".
It's just another wife. How can this hinder him, King Chu?
What's more, this is just an extremely normal courtesy exchange between the vassal states. And the daughter of the Marquis of Jin is indeed not a person who has dishonored her own reputation in her lifetime, right?
So, he immediately nodded in agreement and motioned for Li Ran to continue talking with great interest.
