There are many military monarchs in history, but most of them had different purposes.
Just like Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty went to war because the Huns were really bullying others, Ming Chengzu went to war because he wanted to cover up the fact that he had killed his nephew and usurped the throne.
As for the King of Chu, Xiong Wei, there was only one reason why he wanted to resort to violence - time did not wait for us.
For a person like him who has only been thinking about bringing Chu State back to its peak all his life, being able to revive Chu State and make the whole world surrender to Chu State is his ultimate goal in life.
However, it is obvious that no matter what kind of king he is, and no matter what his purpose is, "militancy" will be a disaster for the people under his rule.
Qianxi, 50,000 Chu troops were stationed here.
Now that the King of Chu has come, he has no intention of going back at all. Even he himself will never be able to go back to Zhanghuatai, which he built with so much hard work.
And when all the officials who followed him were still immersed in the joy of the great victory ahead, except for a few people, no one noticed anything was wrong.
On the fifth day after the good news came from the front line, the King of Chu suddenly announced a piece of news that caught them all off guard and was "extremely exciting".
Qianxi is a good place. Compared with the current Yingdu of Chu State, this place is connected in all directions. It will be the key to conquering all directions in the future and even destroying Wu!
Therefore, the King of Chu decided to move the capital to Qianxi and build another platform in Qianxi, named "Qianxi Platform".
The edict came from King Chu's camp, and the huge Qianxi River boiled again.
The ministers and officials of the Chu State were naturally enthusiastic about King Chu's decision and expressed their agreement one after another.
After all, if the King of Chu did not carry out large-scale construction projects, where would they go to speculate and take advantage of corruption?
Only Shen Wuyu was extremely anxious when he heard the news.
Even though Shen Wuyu was a low-ranking official at this moment, he didn't care about so many things. He went straight to the big tent and paid homage to the King of Chu.
"Your Majesty, now that we have been fighting for many years, the treasury is empty, and the people of Li are miserable, how can we get the labor to build a new city?"
"Please, Your Majesty, please take back your orders and support the people first. Xu Tu plans it!"
He really couldn't stand it anymore.
Although Li Ran had just reminded him before, it was not appropriate to anger the King of Chu at this moment.
But he came anyway, and he didn't think about beating around the bush. Instead, he expressed his advice in very sharp words.
"What nonsense!"
"Our Kingdom of Chu is at its peak, so what's the harm in just building a new capital?!"
"Shen Wuyu! Stop making alarmist comments here!"
King Chu was not very happy, but he was not directly angry. He just waved his sleeves and motioned for Shen Wuyu to retreat.
However, Shen Wuyu not only did not retreat, but knelt down and took a step closer, and paused again and said:
"Your Majesty! Since your Majesty came to the throne, our Kingdom of Chu has been engaged in many foreign wars. This time, we have devoted all our efforts to destroy Zhufang City. The people of Li are suffering from hard labor and have already missed the farming season. Now that the war is scheduled, it is only appropriate to How can we continue to be driven by people who rest in peace and support the people?"
"If the king wants to build a new capital at this time, he will definitely arouse the resentment of the people! By then the people will be overwhelmed, and I, Chu, will be in danger! Your Majesty!"
To be honest, in this regard, in the entire Chu Kingdom, only Shen Wuyu can be compared with Li Ran.
It's just that Li Ran doesn't want to tell the truth at this moment, so naturally this burden can only fall on Shen Wuyu's shoulders.
After hearing what he said, King Chu's originally heroic face suddenly darkened.
"Shut up!"
"Get down!"
Obviously, the King of Chu also knew that he was a kind talker, so he still didn't do anything to him.
After all, he, the King of Chu, is not a fool. Could it be that he really can’t tell the difference between good and bad, loyal and good?
However, he always cares about face and has an inflated vanity. Now that he has proposed to move the capital, he naturally follows the golden words and cannot change them.
What's more, "moving the capital to Qianxi" was a feat that none of the previous emperors had ever accomplished. Therefore, in his opinion, this matter is related to the millennium plan of Chu State!
Therefore, although he knew that what Shen Wuyu said was actually correct, he was not moved by it at all.
"Your Majesty!"
"Have you forgotten the lesson of Shang Zhou? Zhou conquered Dongyi and moved the capital to Chaoge, thus causing chaos in the world!"
"Is it possible that the king wants to imitate him?!"
Before King Chu could get angry, Shen Wuyu became angry first without any hesitation.
He roared with righteous indignation, venting all the dissatisfaction that had piled up in his heart, his face full of indescribable indignation and excitement.
But as soon as he finished speaking, the King of Chu stood up with his eucalyptus clapping, his crown trembling, and his expression as angry as a cloud.
"presumptuous!"
"Come here! Drag this guy down!"
Hearing Shen Wuyu compare himself to tyrants like Xia Jie, Shang Zhou, etc., any promising hero would probably be furious.
King Xiong Weizi of Chu was no exception.
However, he still had a trace of rationality left. He did not order Shen Wuyu to be executed directly, but only ordered people to drag him down.
"Your Majesty! If your Majesty insists on going his own way today and harms the country, his fate in the future will not be any better than that of Shang Zhou!"
"The centuries-old foundation of our Chu country will be destroyed in the hands of the king!"
"Your Majesty! Please, Your Majesty, take back your life! Take back your life!"
Shen Wuyu, who was not afraid of death, broke free from the shackles of the guards and stepped forward to admonish him again. His eyes were like a torch, his expression was firm, and his tone was strong, which was evident.
At this time, even though King Chu was originally feeling guilty, he couldn't bear it anymore.
He originally wanted to give Shen Wuyu some trouble, but he knew that moving the capital was easy to say, but it would be full of obstacles in practice.
However, Shen Wuyu's words and repeated pressure directly pushed him to the limit.
If he retreats at this moment, it would be tantamount to truly admitting that he is no different from Shang Zhou, so he will never retreat, and he will never admit this!
"I don't kill the country's soldiers, but today you insist on seeking death, I will help you!"
"Come on, drag Shen Wuyu out and Huan him!"
When the last two words came out of King Chu's mouth, the temperature in the entire camp dropped.
She, can be said to be the most cruel torture in history, which is also known as the car breaking in later generations.
Today, the King of Chu actually wants to use such torture to "punish" Shen Wuyu, which shows how angry the King of Chu is.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, think twice!"
At this time, Wu She, who was waiting outside the tent, suddenly barged in with a look of shock on his face.
"What? Wu She, do you want to be with him too?"
King Chu's eyes were full of anger.
"Your Majesty, although Wuyu's words are exaggerated, his loyalty to the emperor can be learned from heaven and earth!"
"Your Majesty is a wise master, how can you kill a countryman by mistake out of anger?"
"Please, Your Majesty, think twice!"
This is the difference between Wu She and Shen Wuyu.
Faced with the same problem, Wu She did not directly point out what the King of Chu did wrong. Instead, he first praised the King of Chu and then gave advice.
This may be something he learned from his father, or maybe it's because everyone in the Wu family has drank some Zhou people's ink.
"snort!"
"Shen Wuyu and the following commit the crime of death!"
"Wu She, for your sake, I will not care about your crime of breaking into the big tent today!"
"Why don't you retreat quickly!"
Obviously, the King of Chu was completely angered at this time, and he didn't care whether Wu She was right or not. Anyway, I am now the best in the world, and I must kill Shen Wuyu now.
Hearing this, Wu She was stunned and stood speechless in the tent.
——
Chapter 306_Gentlemen are harmonious but different
Shen Wuyu used his actual actions to prove one thing to everyone.
That is to say, there are still Zhengchen in Chu State, and they are extremely loyal Zhengchen.
It’s just that the current King of Chu is not the original King of Chuzhuang.
Even if there are ministers, they may not be employed.
Seeing that Shen Wuyu was about to die, Wu She knew that if he continued to speak, he might be implicated, so he could only choose to remain silent.
He is a smart man and of course knows that he should not get too involved in this matter.
The current King of Chu is no longer able to persuade him.
Seeing that Shen Wuyu was being driven up from the left and right, and forced to turn around, Shen Wuyu suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed.
"Hahaha! With such a master, I am in danger! I am in danger!"
At this point, Shen Wuyu no longer cares about the monarchs and ministers. Anyway, they are all going to die, so it is better to just say everything in their heart and then die happily.
When King Chu heard the sound, he gritted his teeth and almost couldn't help but pull out the sword of the guard beside him.
"Drag it down!"
"Drag it down!"
"Your Majesty, Li Ran wants to see you."
Just then, Li Ran came.
Hearing Li Ran's request to see him, the angry King Chu sobered up a lot immediately, but the anger on his face was still visible to the naked eye.
He glanced at Shen Wuyu who had been dragged out, then at Wu She, and then waved his hand to invite Li Ran in.
At this time, Li Ran was standing outside the tent, watching Shen Wuyu being dragged out by the guards.
"Wait!"
Li Ran raised his hand and directly stopped the guard who was dragging Shen Wuyu to the execution.
"Let's keep Doctor Shen under good supervision until he meets the Queen at some point before taking action."
At this time, Li Ran's identity was already the Duke of Yeyi County, and who in the Chu Kingdom knew that the King of Chu listened to Li Ran the most?
Hearing what Li Ran said, these guards immediately nodded towards Li Ran.
"You...sigh..."
Li Ran looked at Shen Wuyu and sighed, then turned and entered the camp.
"Foreign Minister Li Ran, please pay homage to your Majesty."
"May I ask, sir, why you came here?"
At this time, King Chu was still unable to calm down the anger in his heart, but when facing Li Ran, he had to temporarily suppress the anger in his heart and turned his back.
Li Ran glanced at Wu She who was standing aside, and he already understood what had just happened.
Just listen to him say:
"I still remember the meeting in Guodi, where I had a conversation with the king."
"The king asked me about Duke Huan of Qi's affairs with the nine princes, and expressed his ambition to follow the example of Duke Huan of Qi."
"I wonder if your Majesty still remembers it?"
After the words fell, King Chu slowly turned around, the anger from before still lingering in his brows.
However, he still nodded towards Li Ran and said:
"Well, I certainly remember it."
Li Ran was overjoyed when he saw this and couldn't help laughing:
"The king is wise and powerful, and his mind is no less than that of Duke Huan of Qi. However, the reason why Duke Huan of Qi was able to achieve hegemony in those days was because Guan Zhong could serve the king in a "harmony but without difference."
"But I don't know, has your Majesty ever heard of the difference between 'harmony' and 'tong'?"
After asking this question, the King of Chu knew the purpose of Li Ran's visit. It was obvious that he was going to start "talking" again.
But at the same time, the King of Chu also knew that Li Ran was obviously looking for a step to get off the mountain.
"I have never heard of it. Please tell me, sir."
When Li Ran saw this, he took another step forward and continued to reply:
"The so-called 'harmony' is like making a soup, using water, fire, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and plums to cook fish and meat, then cooking it over firewood, and then the cooks will mix it to make the taste moderate. If the taste is too bland, Just add more seasonings, and if the taste is too strong, add water to dilute it. So the soup a gentleman drinks can calm his mind."
"The same is true between the monarch and his ministers. If the monarch thinks it is feasible, but there are some things that are not feasible, the subordinates should point out its shortcomings and make the parts that are feasible more perfect. If the monarch thinks it is not feasible but there are some feasible ones, the subordinates should It is necessary to point out the feasible parts of it. In this way, political affairs can be peaceful and unwilling to violate etiquette. Therefore, "Poetry" says: 'There is also harmony, both caution and peace. The servants are speechless, and there is contention in the times.'"
"It can be seen that the reason why the ancestors of the Zhou people wanted to harmonize the five flavors and harmonize the five sounds was to calm their hearts. In the same way, sounds, like tastes, are composed of one Qi, two bodies, three categories, four things, and five Sounds, six rhythms, seven tones, eight winds, and nine songs are composed of each other. They are mutually adjusted by the clear and turbid, big and small, short and long, slow and urgent, sad and happy, hard and soft, fast and slow, high and low, entry and exit, and density. Therefore, the gentleman listens In order to be able to have inner peace. When the inner heart is peaceful, virtue will be easy-going. So "Poetry" also says that 'virtue is flawless'."
"Now, the people around the king are just flattering people who are in harmony but not harmonious. The words of these people are like mixing water with water. Who can eat it? It is like playing a tune on a harp. Who is going to listen to it?”
"Today I am fortunate to have Shen Wuyu, who dares to step down and violate Yan Zhijian. This can be said to be the 'harmony of kings and ministers'! It is really a blessing for the king to have such a 'zhichen righteous man'! So, how can he be killed?"
Of course the King of Chu knew the power of Li Ran's mouth, and what Li Ran said were all simple and clear principles, so he immediately understood it.
He looked at Li Ran calmly and said slowly:
"What Guan Zhong is to Qi Huan is what a gentleman is to a humble man!"
"Since the gentleman has spoken, I will spare his life."
Li Ran's importance was highlighted again.
What King Chu probably didn't expect was that by sparing Shen Wuyu's life today, he would also have some good consequences for himself in the future.
"Sir, are you here today? Do you have anything else to do?"
"Back to your Majesty, Sun Wu has taken Qing Feng to Qianxi."
Yes, in fact, Li Ran was not just here to plead for Shen Wuyu.
"What?"
"Sun Qing is back?"
King Chu was shocked when he heard the sound and stood up immediately.
What is a big deal? This is a big deal!
Hearing that Sun Wu had brought Qing Feng back from custody, the King of Chu was excited for a moment, and he thought he wanted to take a look at this rebellious official and traitor of Qi State.
But who would have expected that Li Ran held his hand in his hand and said in silence:
"Your Majesty, it's best not to look at it right now."
"Oh? Why is that?"
King Chu asked in confusion.
Just listen to Li Ran say:
"Your Majesty convened a meeting in Shendi to ally with the princes. The purpose of the meeting was to capture the traitors for Qi."
"Although the Chu State has been able to capture Qingfeng alive now, if the king meets with him in private and this matter spreads out, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to the Chu State!"
"Furthermore, the king is the king of a country. He can only confer a title on a traitor from the same country. If his status does not match his status, there is no need for the king to condescend to see him."
After all, it was Li Ran who proposed the Shen Di Meeting. Maintaining peaceful and friendly relations between Chu and other countries in the Central Plains was his original intention and ultimate goal.
After hearing this, King Chu felt that it made sense, but he felt itchy in his heart. After all, it was so difficult to capture Zhu Fangcheng and capture Qingfeng alive. If he was not allowed to show off his power, it would really make him uncomfortable!
"Okay... In that case, please sir, please go meet this Qingfeng on my behalf."
After thinking for a moment, King Chu suddenly said:
"Also, sir, please ask me what Qi's thoughts are."
This last sentence sounds a little strange.
But as smart as Li Ran, he understood what King Chu meant in an instant.
The King of Chu wanted to interrogate Qingfeng in person for one and only one purpose, and that was Qi's attitude towards Chu's destruction of Wu and its northward gaze on the Central Plains.
On this point, Qingfeng, as a native of Qi State and a former powerful minister of Qi State, still has the right to speak.
How could Li Ran not know this?
The reason why he did not let the King of Chu interrogate Qingfeng in person was to prevent Qingfeng from telling the King of Chu about this fact.
No matter what attitude Qi had towards Chu, it was best not to let the King of Chu know in advance.
This is the safest method at present.
"This is a matter of great concern to you, Mr. Lao. When Wu Ju returns home in triumph, I will definitely give him a generous reward!"
King Chu looked at Li Ran very boldly and said.
